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Pay more for water from today
Luxury apartments up for grabs
Govt fails to check school dropout rate
Toilets for disabled lying locked
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MC demolishes unsafe building in Attari Bazaar
Relief for school teachers
Traffic chaos prevails outside ISBT
Police beefs up security after Delhi blast
Singer joins crusade against vulgar songs
‘Raise I-T exemption limit to Rs 3 lakh’
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Pay more for water from today
Confirming the same, chief engineer (O&M) AS Dhaliwal said from tomorrow onwards, consumers would get bills on new rates that were prevalent till mid-November, prior to the stay orders. He said even the pending dues towards the corporation on account of slashed charges for the past three months would be levied, depending on the further directions. In view of the orders, the office had to reduce its water and sewage charges for three months and levy the old rates that were imposed in 1999, which are almost half the rates prevalent prior to the stay. The orders had badly hit the recovery of the fund-starved MC on this account. A city-based resident had filed a civil writ petition in the high court. Post-stay, the monthly water bill charges levied from owners of five marla residential plots was Rs 50 and sewage charges were Rs 20 per month. Those owning properties between five marla to 10 marla were paying Rs 75 for water and Rs 20 for sewage. For plot sizes exceeding 10 marla or more, the charges were Rs 100 for water and Rs 20 for sewage. The commercial rates were Rs 200 for water and Rs 20 for sewege. After vacation of the stay, the charges again will be Rs 105 for water and sewage (Rs 210 total) for 5 marla to 10 marla houses. For those owning houses of 10 marla or more, the charges will once again be Rs 140, each for water and sewer connections. The commercial rates will be hiked to Rs 200, each for water and sewage, coming to Rs 400 a month. |
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Luxury apartments up for grabs
Jalandhar, February 15 While the DLF group has just started the construction of Park Place, a top-end residential complex on the GT Road on 5.4 lakh sq feet land, Eldeco recently announced its plans of constructing Eldeco Greens, an integrated residential township on 80 acres land on Nakodar Road near TV Tower. Vying with the private players, the Jalandhar Improvement Trust (JIT) is also in the process of starting work on its proposed scheme of super-deluxe flats at Surya Enclave. With NRI investors in mind, Eldeco has offered a range of housing options like built-up villas, low-rise floors, plots, and high-end apartments. Pankaj Bajaj, managing director of the company claims that offers had a lot of flexibility for what he called 'smart homes'. "In villas, there are options of going in from two to six bedrooms with plot sizes ranging from 167 to 259 sq. yards. In apartments, there is an option to go in for designs where there will be only one apartment per floor," he added. He said that the elite of Jalandhar would now be able to enjoy living in homes having beautifully maintained common areas, manicured lawns and facilities like club with flood-lit tennis courts, swimming pool and gymnasium. The company also has plans to carve out plots for shopping facility and schools. All this will be set amidst wide roads; broad walks, parks and children play areas, Bajaj added. Located towards Phagwara side, the DLF project is proposed to have five 12-storeyed towers for construction of three and four bedroom apartments, duplex and pent houses. Mohit Gujral, vice chairman and MD, DLF India Ltd, said the total number of dwellings in this luxury development will be 235. The facilities include a swimming pool, squash court, badminton and tennis courts, table tennis room, gym, spa, restaurant and children's play area too. The JIT too has plans to construct nearly 122 flats in six circular blocks with an area of nearly 2210 sq feet each at Surya Enclave.
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Govt fails to check school dropout rate
Jalandhar, February 15 Though the state has witnessed an overall increase in literacy and a rise in the enrolment ratio, high dropout rate is proving a major hindrance in government efforts. Punjab still remains one of the states with highest number of out of school children. A recent survey by Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) reveals that 33 per cent of students drop out of school at the matriculation level in Punjab. The data released by the District Education Officer’s office states that last year, 4.36 per cent students in the district dropped out of government schools. Out of the total 94,905 students in the district, 4,142 students dropped out of school in 2011. While some deny their school face problem of dropouts, others say they have to make efforts to prevent students from leaving school. Daljit Kaur, headmistress, Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Sarih, says: “Government policies are responsible for the high dropout rate. Students know that we cannot fail or punish them. So, they run away from school. We can’t reprimand them. Due to this habit, some find it difficult to join school again. We do our best to coax parents and children, but a lot depends on the environment. As I see it in my school, the primary sections and the senior secondary sections are the worst affected. The percentage of dropouts in every class is around one to two students.” The Government Middle School at Avtar Nagar had 150 students till last year. However, now it has only 94 students. While the school’s predicament is peculiar and has been much talked about, the education department has never initiated steps to ensure a better study environment for the students. In the congested, five-roomed school, many classes are taken from morning to evening. In other schools, children of the primary sections attend classes from 9 am to 12 noon following a special adjustment regarding accommodating NCLP classes. The primary classes attend the 12:30 pm to 5:30 pm shift. “Parents of primary school students have stopped sending their children to the school as they get late. Our primary students come to school at a time when others return home. This is one of the reasons why we have lost so many students. If the weird timings are not changed, the dropout rate may rise,” says a teacher at the school. Teachers in general say that among girls, concerns regarding safety affect the dropout rate and in boys, peer pressure or bad company determine their will to come to school. Dalijit Kaur says: “I have had a student who almost dropped out of the school because some men were stalking her daily on her way to the school. I made a group of girl students who would come together and for a few days, even I followed them to and back from school. Only then the girl and her parents agreed to let her come to the school.” Among boys, there are different reasons for dropping out. “The most common is the peer pressure. Some boys fall in bad company or make friends outside school. Parents tell us they start for school everyday, but we never see them at the school. We can’t do anything about it.”
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Toilets for disabled lying locked
Jalandhar, February 15 Toilets constructed close to the office of the Additional Deputy Commissioner even have a small plate outside mentioning these to be used by the disabled. However, the toilets are located inconspicuously on an inner edge of the corridor which most visitors even fail to notice. There are no signboards in the complex indicating direction to the public convenience. However, district nazir Mahinder Singh has a lame excuse: “We have locked the toilets as there were instances of stealing of taps and other sanitary fittings.” A physically challenged lawyer, Ashok Sharma, said the locked toilets were of no use. “I shot off a complaint to the Chief Commissioner, Disabilities, after which the administration constructed special toilets with English seats and rods on both sides for support,” he said. Sharma said he even had a discussion on keeping toilets open with officials in the administrative complex, but to no avail. Chains put up at the channel gate entrance of the complex, too, were giving problems to those coming on wheelchairs. In a clear violation of the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995, most government offices, including those of PUDA and Income Tax Department did not provide access to the physically challenged.
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MC demolishes unsafe building in Attari Bazaar
Jalandhar, February 15 Executive engineer Gurcharan Singh said: “We had to wait to demolish the building as a case was pending in a civil court. We ordered demolition after the case was dismissed.” A tenant on the first floor of the building, Sanjiv Kapur, who claimed that his goods were still in the shop when it was razed, cried foul. “Why did the MC demolish the building at midnight? The shop could have been demolished even on Monday when the market is closed. They had given me a notice to which I had even filed a reply. But they seemed to be in a hurry The executive engineer, however, claimed that the operation had to be carried out during night to avoid inconvenience to shopkeepers and people visiting the market. “There are many other buildings in the city which are unsafe. I wonder why the authorities have not paid heed to demolish them,” rued Kapur.
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Relief for school teachers
Jalandhar, February 15 While the Supreme Court had ruled last year (September 12) that the pension of the aided school teachers be restored, that had not been done so far. Acting on the contempt of court proceedings - Kamlesh Goyal and others vs the State of Punjab and Surjit and Gora and others vs the State of Punjab - the Punjab and Haryana High Court today ruled that the pension benefits of the said teachers be released by 31 July 2012. It also ruled that while one of the instalments of the arrears of these teachers be released by July 31, 2012, rest of the instalments will be released by May in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016. KK Sharma, president, Punjab Aided pension Seekers' Association, said: "Retiring after 31 May, 2003, these teachers had been running from pillar to post to get their pensions restored for the past eight years. About 300 to 400 of these teachers were from the district alone. Out of these, 156 of these teachers have already died waiting for their money, some of them in penury." |
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Traffic chaos prevails outside ISBT
Jalandhar, February 15 Traffic Enforcement Zone official Gurbir Singh said encroachment by auto puller outside the bus stand is the main cause of traffic congestion. He said that they were penalising law breakers everyday. Yet the auto-puller park their vehicles at the entrance and exit point of the bus stand that leads to traffic jam, he said. Ravinder Mattu, Vice Chairman of Jalandhar Auto Rickshaw Union, said, “Administration has not allotted us any specific place for parking the vehicles. The auto-pullers have no other option but to park their vehicles beneath the under bridge to get passengers.” “Autos are not the only cause of traffic jam here. Bus operators blatantly park buses outside the exit points of the ISBT to gather more passengers,” he alleged. Kanav Sharma, a daily commuter, said, “I hardly see any traffic police manning the area. Bus operators and auto pullers blatantly park vehicles on the road without caring about the jam.” |
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Police beefs up security after Delhi blast
Jalandhar, February 15 The police authorities have beefed up security cover in the district and deployed addition police forces at various strategic places. Search operations at public places, including railway stations, bus stands, markets, educational and religious institutions, have been intensified. Police vehicles have been deployed to conduct surprise raids at various suspected places across the district. Highway patrolling parties and police interceptors have also been deployed at different entry and exit points on main roads across the district, said HPS Khakh, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime). Besides this, the district police is in regular touch with the police of neighbouring districts and the states like Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, he added. The police have already installed the CCTVs at various places in and around the city to keep a close look on suspects and anti-social elements. Moreover, owners of business establishments, including malls, showrooms, jewellery shops, liquor shops and management of financial institutions, have been asked to record every activity around them in CCTV cameras, the ADCP said.
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Singer joins crusade against vulgar songs
Jalandhar, February 15 "I support the cause of the Istri Jagriti Manch, which is going to burn the effigies of those singers, who sing indecent songs. |
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‘Raise I-T exemption limit to
Rs 3 lakh’
Jalandhar, February 14 Urging the FM to keep this factor in his mind while presenting the budget, Punjab Congress (publicity committee) convener Virendra Sharma and Jalandhar Congress (Urban) president Arun Walia said that the public at large was already suffering due to inflation therefore, they were finding them unable to pay taxes. "Therefore, it is the right time to provide them some kind of relief by increasing IT exemption limit to Rs 3 lakh. They have already sent a letter to the FM in this regard with a request to accept this demand. They said: "Most of the NRIs hail from the Doaba region and there is a long pending demand of residents to set up an airport here." Sharma and Walia also demanded a new Shatabdi train for Delhi from Jalandhar. |
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from colleges The Department of Computer Science and Computer Club of Hans Raj Mahila Maha Vidyalaya (HMV) organised an extension lecture on “Software engineering - A systematic approach”. Principal of the DAV Institute of Engineering and Technology (DAVIET) Dr AL Sangal was the resource person. Dr Sangal discussed various issues related to the development of software, like industrial scope, needed skills for software feasibility analysis, optional utilisation and cost reductions, giving reference of some useful case studies. Meanwhile, the Department of Punjabi of Kanya Maha Vidyalaya (KMV) organised an extension lecture on “Lok Sahitya with Nari”. Dr Jaswinder Singh from Punjabi University, Patiala, was the key speaker. He spoke on gender discrimination and said the society could not be reformed till women were given an equal status in all walks Blood donation camp A voluntary blood donation camp was held at DAV College during which 132 units of blood were collected. The camp was jointly organised by the NSS Unit, Commerce Forum and the Citizens Welfare and Protection Council. Chief guest, Medical Superintendent from Civil Hospital, Dr Avtar Singh Jarewal motivated the students to donate blood for a noble cause. SD College winners Quiz team of MCom-II of local Prem Chand Markanda SD College for Women won the second prize in quiz competition held during the ‘Synergy-2012’ at Lyallpur Khalsa College. The team comprised of Amrita, Ketki and Gaganpreet. Cancer awareness camp The NSS Unit of the local Hans Raj Mahila Maha Vidyalaya in collaboration with the local Civil Hospital organised a day-long cancer awareness camp on the college premises. District Health Officer, Dr RL Bassan and Dr Satish Sharma informed the students about the symptoms and precautions regarding the disease. Students also delivered a talk on cancer. Workshop The postgraduate department of Fine Arts of the local Apeejay College organised a three-day workshop on painting. On the occasion, renowned artist Dr Baldev Gambhir demonstrated different panting techniques. Students of the college experimented ans showed their skills with the techniques and worked on a wide range of themes such as Lord Buddha, women, dance, folk art and rural scene.
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Toilets constructed for the disabled in the city are lying unused. Reason: Most of these are locked and some are located inconspicuously making it hard for the physically handicapped.
Jalandhar, February 15
Jalandhar, February 15
Jalandhar, February 15
Jalandhar, February 15
