Jalandhar, February 7
The fund-starved Jalandhar Municipal Corporation has three officials on the post of Deputy Controller, Finance and Auditing, (DCFA).

The office has two sanctioned posts, but three officials are serving as DCFAs, including VK Kapoor, Rajpal Singh and Ravinder Singh. Sources say Rajpal Singh and Ravinder Singh are at loggerheads over their transfer orders by the state government on December 24, the day the poll code came into force.

Rajpal Singh, who received marching orders for Amritsar, lodged a complaint with the Election Commission terming the transfer orders ‘illegal’. He had individually put up his case claiming that he had worked till December 27 in Jalandhar, even signing cheques on that day, after which he had received orders.

He had even contested that Saturday was an off day in the Local Bodies Department and there was a remote possibility of issuing orders on that day. The ECI had accepted his complaint and reverted at least 50 orders passed on the day.

Under the prevailing scenario, Rajpal’s transfer to Amritsar was cancelled. Ravinder Singh, who had already joined at Jalandhar managed to stay on. With this, there is no nameplate outside the room where Rajpal Singh is working.

While Kapoor has been managing provident fund, general revenue of the MC, cashbook control and government correspondence regarding finance, Rajpal is doing the job related to employees’ salaries and pension. Ravinder Singh, however, has not been defined any work till date.

MC Commissioner BS Dhaliwal said: “Since I got busy with the election work, I did not find time to settle their case or allocate a part of work to Ravinder Singh. Anyways, I had written to the government asking on what is to be done regarding the status of postings of three DCFAs in Jalandhar after Rajpal Singh had got the orders through the ECI”. 

Jalandhar, February 9
High drama was witnessed in the Civil Hospital here today when a Mand village family accused the hospital staff of swapping babies. The family alleged that the staff swapped their newborn baby boy with a baby girl.

A number of villagers also arrived at the hospital and pressured the hospital authorities to find the truth. Krishana Devi, grandmother of a newborn, alleged that she had admitted her daughter-in-law Sunita Devi to Civil Hospital on Tuesday. "Yesterday, she delivered a baby at 3.22 pm. After showing the face of the baby, an attendant at the female ward informed us that Sunita has given birth to a baby boy. She then took back the baby along with her," said Krishana Devi. She alleged that ward attendant also asked for money as a baby boy was born.

"I give Rs 300 to her and around Rs 200 to other helpers in the hospital. An hour later, she again came to the ward and handed over the child to her daughter and instructed her to wrap the child properly," she added.

Newborn's uncle Sabi claimed that after he came to know about the baby boy, he informed his relatives and even asked his brother to distribute sweets in the village.

"When I was changing a nappy of the child, I was shocked to see that it was a baby girl," the child's grandmother said. The family has demanded a DNA test to ferret out the truth.

Kamla Devi, a ward helper, confessed to have taken Rs 300 from Krishana Devi, but she denied saying that the woman had delivered a baby boy.

Medical Superintendent Avtar Chand said all doctors present during in the labour room confirmed that the woman delivered a girl child. 

Jalandhar, February 9
After all, it pays to be a resident of a posh colony. Model Town, where the city's bigwigs own palatial houses, has the greenest and the cleanest of all public parks in the city.

Go around in any of the six prominent parks in the colony and you will not find a single broken swing, any light or fountain that does not work or any patch where the leaves falling from trees have not been removed.

Unlike other colonies, even the walking tracks are repaired or re-carpeted here from time to time. Visit any of the parks, including Rainbow Park, Modern Park, Sanjeevni Park, Geeta Mandir Park, Shivani Sharma Park or old Dusehra ground, you will see it for yourself. Niku Park, electrically operated fun rides, also falls in the same colony.

It is perhaps because the people are pro-active or the councillor here is too agile and most MLAs and MPs do not mind shelling out huge sums for public works in this area.

Aruna Arora, Congress councillor, says: "Former MLA Jagbir Brar and MP Mahinder Singh Kaypee have been generous enough to dole out Rs 2 lakh each in the recent past with which I got fibre-based swings, fountains and canopies erected in Rainbow Park." Brar and Kaypee reside in this colony. Rainbow Park is characterised with designer spiral-shaped lamps and provision of two fans in summers. Sudha, a resident and a regular visitor, said, "The best part is that all the parks in the area are safe for women and children and these do not have any anti-social elements barging in even late in the night." 

Jalandhar, February 9
The Jalandhar Municipal Corporation, it seems, is only focusing on constructing construction roads, bridges and laying of inter-locking tiles on pavements and has no love for the mother nature.

It has been over four years that the MC has not held any flower show and competition, which earlier used to be an annual feature in the spring season and a major attraction for the residents.

In fact, the MC does not even have a nursery for any seasonal flowers including dahlias, pansies, marigolds, candytufts, poppies, dog flowers and salvias which bloom in this season. Ever since Nehru Garden remains dug up, the nursery has vanished with no seeds of any of the seasonal flower plants preserved.

Since it does not have any flowers of its own to exhibit and any space to hold the show, it has not gone ahead with any such event. The MC parks too have been depending on private nurseries, which supply expensive saplings for which funds are utilized through park welfare societies.

There is just one small nursery of all-season ornamental plants at Burlton Park which too has limited varieties only for government departments. While the fund-starved MC can make some income by expanding and commercialising its nursery, officials perhaps have not thought on those lines. Even the rose garden in the park does not have as many varieties.

Executive engineer, horticulture, MC, PS Gill, said that he was trying to get a part of Nehru Garden spruced up with some flower plantations done near the entrance side at least till the MC signed any contract with a new bidder. "I have got some shrub shoots also planted. I hope to see some flowers blooming this season." 

Jalandhar, February 9
The death of a 10-year-old child a few days ago notwithstanding, overloaded auto-rickshaws ferrying schoolchildren continue to ply on city roads.

Motor vehicles rules state that an auto-rickshaw can ferry only three passengers at a time. However, most of the autos in the city are seen ferrying 10 to 12 children at a time. Children are even seen sitting alongside the driver without a safety grill.

The cause of death of a child in the recent accident was also the same. The child was sitting alongside the driver when accident took place. Sources say a majority of the autos ferrying schoolchildren without permit.

The city has over 10,000 auto-rickshaws and a majority of these are engaged in ferrying schoolchildren.

However, the police claimed to have challaned around 107 overloaded autos in the past eight days. Out of these, 11 autos ferrying schoolchildren were impounded. Last month, the traffic police challaned only 33 overloaded school autos. 

Jalandhar, February 9
The Railway Protection Force today booked a vendor who was found crossing the railway tracks and later misbehaved with the RPF men on duty.

Sources said that when RPF constables Sarabjit and Balkishan and sub-inspector Reshma noticed a vendor crossing the railway tracks, they asked the vendor why he was crossing the railway tracks, the vendor started arguing with the police.

A few minutes later, a number of vendors reached the spot and indulged in a brawl with the RPF men.

Meanwhile, the accused Lakshman has been booked under the Railway Act.

Jalandhar, February 9
A youth was caught red-handed while he was trying to pickpocket at the local tehsil premises here today.

The youth tried to steal currency notes from a person's pocket in tehsil complex today afternoon. However, the person concerned immediately noticed it and caught him red-handed.

People gathered at the spot and started beating up the youth in full public view.

The matter was reported to the Police Control Room (PCR). Head constable Jagdish Pal said: "The youth had disclosed his identity as Sonu, a resident of a locality in the Partap Bagh area."

The PCR team seized two mobile phones and five sim cards from his possession. The youth was taken to the Baradari police station for further interrogation.

Station house officer (SHO) of the Baradari police station inspector Beant Singh said: "No FIR has been registered against the youth so far in the absence of a complaint."