Jalandhar, April 16
Even as the civil and the police authorities left no stone unturned to save persons trapped in the debris, poor disaster management delayed the rescue operation after the collapse of the four-storyed building of Shial Fibres located at Focal Point Extension.

Though Jalandhar falls in the highly sensitive seismic zone IV, disaster management in the district is not up to the mark, said president of a non-governmental organisation (NGO) Pahal Prof Lakhbir Singh.

Though several youths of nearby Guru Amar Dass Nagar, Punjab Police personnel and firemen saved several lives initially, but they were unable to continue the rescue operation effectively as they were not armed with equipment to save persons trapped under debris. The ill-prepared district administration had to call teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) from Bathinda to carry out rescue operation.

One of the two NDRF teams started the rescue operation at 6.30 am on Monday, over seven hours after the incident. Similarly, engineers of Vajra Corps started the rescue operation at 7.30 am.

Prof Lakhbir Singh said the United Nations Development Programme had provided funds to Jalandhar, Amritsar and Chandigarh administrations in 2001 as a pilot project for disaster preparedness. However, the district administration failed to do so.

Deputy Commissioner Priyank Bharti said: "Our focus is to rescue as many persons as possible trapped in the debris. I will see what can be done to strengthen the disaster management in the district."

Jalandhar, April 16
The district administration sought help from Jalandhar-based Vajra Corps and the paramilitary forces to rescue factory workers trapped under the debris of the building of Shital Fibres.

Although the incident took place at around 11.15 pm yesterday, the teams of the Army and the paramilitary forces were pressed into service this morning only.

DC Priyank Bharti requisitioned a strong column of the engineers regiment of Vajra Corps. They cut iron and concrete of the four-storeyed building of the unit at 8 am. "As soon as the engineers reached the spot, they successfully rescued four factory workers trapped under the debris," said a senior Army officer. A 45-member team of the 7th battalion of the National Disaster Rescue Force (NDRF) from Bathinda also reached to rescue those trapped under the debris.

Brigadier Dr BK Khanna (retd), Senior Specialist (Training and Capacity Development) of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said, "The contingent of the 7th battalion was rushed to the spot with lifters, detectors, and special equipment." While the Border Security Force (BSF) sent its 154th battalion with around 100 plus jawans to assist the administration in the rescue operation, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Sarai Khas campus, also sent a team of doctors, officers and 60 jawans to the spot.

Even the ITBP and the Punjab Armed Police (PAP) also pressed their battalions into service.

Jalandhar, April 16
Labourers injured in the collapse of the building of Sheetal Fibres, a blanket manufacturing unit, had to wait for hours at the Civil Hospital’s trauma ward for admission. Though only three labourers were rushed to the Civil Hospital in a critical state, the hospital authorities failed to admit them in the intensive care unit (ICU).

Taken to the emergency, the patients, the injured labourers were shifted to the trauma ward. As there was not space in the ICU, two labourers were kept in the first aid room and another was seen crying with pain on a stretcher in one of the ward corridors for hours.

Two injured labourers were brought to the trauma ward at 8 am and the third at 10 am. However, they had to wait for over three hours and over one hour, respectively, (till 11.30 am) as the hospital authorities were waiting for an ICU patient to be discharged.

A nurse at the trauma ward said: “We will shift the injured labourers in the ICU after patients already undergoing treatment there are discharged.”

Due to the non-availability of CT scan at the Civil Hospital, one of the patients with a serious head injury had to be shifted to the Devi Talab Charitable Hospital later.

The injured were identified as 16-year-old Nizamuddin and 40-year-old Surinder. The name of the third injured, in his 50s, could not be known.

Dr Rajesh Sacchar of the Civil Hospital said: “Of the three patients, the condition of the patient with head injury is critical. While Surinder has fractures in both his lower limbs, Nizamuddin has scrotal trauma and abdominal trauma.”

When asked why it took the hospital authorities so much time to shift these patients to the ICU, SMO Dr MB Bali said: “They were given first aid and their condition was being monitored before being shifted to the ICU.”

In the afternoon, another patient, Amarjit, was shifted from Devi Talab Charitable Hospital to the Civil Hospital. The legs of both Surinder and Amarjit had to be amputated.

Talking to The Tribune, Surinder said: “Collapse of a pillar at 11 pm caused a chain reaction. Soon all pillars of the factory building started giving way and the building collapsed.”

His amputated leg bled profusely and his family members said the bleeding had not stopped even after he was bandaged.

Jalandhar, April 16
The lives of Amarjit and Surinder were shattered as the building of Shital Fibres collapsed late on Sunday night. Both of them lost their limbs in the mishap.

They were happily working at their machines and one of them dreamt of a short trip to his native village in Jharkhand. Amarjit (24) and Surinder (40) would not be able to lead a normal life as one foot of both these labourers had to be amputated. Both are sole earning members for their families.

Admitted to the Civil Hospital, their little conversation with The Tribune unfolded many secrets about what went on inside the factory. It all began with a pillar collapse and then everything came down. They deny that boiler blast caused the collapse.

Surinder who was tended by his sisters Malti Devi and Shanti Devi has his four children and a wife back home at Daltenganj in Jharkhand. A sobbing Malti said the factory had made Surinder cripples for life. “We would have been on a train to Jharkhand today had this not happened,” she said.

Unsure of his future, Surinder said: “Once I get well, I will go back to Jharkhand. There’s nothing left for me here.”

Surinder was paid Rs 5,000 at the factory and worked for 12 hours a day.

The story of Amarjit is not different. “I will go back to work in the factory. I am sure they will keep me,” says the 24-year-old, has lost is foot.

Hailing from Gopalganj in Bihar, Amarjit used to work on the cutter machine. “24 ghante kaam karte the uska 6,000 rupaiya dete the (I worked 24 hours a day for which they paid me Rs 6,000,” he said. “Though we got a day’s rest after our shift,” he added.

He was also the only earning member in his family and has to look after his mother, father, wife and a daughter back home.

Amarjit was alone at the hospital with no one from the family to take care of him. He said his uncle’s sons Sunil, Sanjeev, Lalu and Nitesh were also workers at the factory and were trapped in the debris.

Both Amarjit and Surinder said the factory should compensate them for their loss. “We have lost our livelihood. Babu ko muavza dena chahiye (the owner should compensate us),” said Surinder. 

Jalandhar, April 16
Members of several non-governmental organisations (NGOs), activists of religious bodies and residents of the area rushed to rescue the workers trapped under the debris of the collapsed building of Shital Fibres in the Focal Point area last night.

Soon after the collapse, residents of the areas were the first ones to initiate the rescue operation.

Volunteers of the Shah Satnam Ji Green S Welfare for Sirsa, PAHAL and the Saint Jones Ambulance Red Cross Society joined the rescue operation with the Punjab Armed Police, the Army and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).

Satnam Singh of the Shah Satnam Ji Green S Welfare for Sirsa said more than 400 volunteers from Jalandhar, Bathinda, Hoshiarpur and Ludhiana had been engaged in the rescue operation. “Our rescue team has volunteers trained for such eventualities,” he said.

“We all have submitted an affidavit to the NGO that we will be responsible for our death if we die during the rescue operation,” Gurnam Singh, another volunteer said.

President of PAHAL Prof Lakhbir Singh said he came to know about the incident at 4 pm and immediately he started sending SMSs to the volunteers of his NGO and 20 of them reached at the spot at 6 pm.

“We have trained students of various educational institutions in disaster management. Recently, a five-day disaster management programme was organised for them,” he added. 

Jalandhar, April 16
Taking cognisance of a report, “Canal distributary or garbage dump”, published in these columns on April 15, renowned environmentalist Baba Balbir Singh Seechewal has decided to start a cleanliness drive of the distributary. The schedule of the cleanliness drive will be announced soon.

Seechewal, who is a member of the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), said it was alarming that both the Bist Doab Canal authorities and the Jalandhar Municipal Corporation (MC) had turned a blind eye to the filth of the distributary.

“The rising garbage, dirt and stink in the distributary is not only polluting the water, once meant for irrigation, but also leading to environment pollution. We would soon start a cleanliness drive and seek public participation too. It is a public issue and has to be dealt with accordingly,” he added.

Jalandhar Tribune had highlighted the plight of the canal distributary, which was at one point of time a major source of irrigation in this part of the region.

Sources said the state government had also decided to get the canal cemented with a whopping budget of Rs 140.48 crore. The funds were released in 2007 and the entire Bist Doab Canal was to be cemented by 2011.

However, it has been over a year and the project still hangs fire.

Meanwhile, the announcement of Baba Seechewal to clean the distributary has rekindled the hopes of the residents to get the basic amenities of living in clean atmosphere.

Residents and owners of various commercial establishments along the distributary expressed their gratitude to Seechewal for taking the initiative. “Finally, even we would be able to breathe in clean atmosphere,” residents said.

It is pertinent to mention here that Baba Seechewal was instrumental in initiating the cleanliness drive of 160 km-long Kali Bein in Sultanpur Lodhi in Kapurthala district in 2000. 

Jalandhar, April 16
Union Parliamentary and Water Resources Minister Pawan Bansal was presented a peace award during the annual conference on peace and harmony organised by the St Soldier Group of Institutions in association with the Council of Heritage and International Peace (COHIP) here today.

Addressing the audience, Bansal appreciated the initiative of the St Soldier Group and COHIP for spreading message of peace among students. He welcomed the announcement of scholarships to students of St Soldier Group for studying abroad by the COHIP.

In his welcome address, Anil Chopra, Chairman of the St Soldier Group of Institutions, expressed the need of international peace for the overall growth and development of the countries.

Roshan Lal Pathak, Chairman of the COHIP, said their council was constantly working to spread the message of peace in various countries like the USA, Canada and UK and now they have included India for the same sake through its Indian Chapter.

In the technical session, Prof Manhar Arora, Managing Director of the St Soldier Group of Institutions, read a paper on “International peace and its impact on economy”. Dr Subhash Sharma read a paper on “International peace and higher education” and Dr Manoj read a paper on “International peace and its impact on law and safety”

Jalandhar, April 16
Age is no barrier for this octogenarian, who has been pursuing his passion of athletics with his indomitable spirit. The veteran has been adding one feather after another in his cap and has now set his eyes on the title of world veterans’ championship.

Meet KK Bhanot, city-based veteran athlete, who bagged a gold medal in the recently held Chandigarh Veterans’ Athletics Championship. The veteran participated in the 85+ age group in 100-m race and covered the distance in 40.47 seconds.

Talking to Jalandhar Tribune, Bhanot said he had set his eyes on becoming a world champion in athletics. “Athletics has been my passion and I want to make it big in this field. Now, I am looking forward to the world championship, for which I have already started preparing,” he added.

A retired teacher of Hindi from Doaba Khalsa Senior Secondary School, Bhanot has been an athlete since childhood. “My inspiration lies in my father, who was a soldier in the Indian Army. It was he who taught me running and gradually I took fancy to athletics,” he added.

Bhanot started his sports career at the age of 65 years and won his first gold medal in 1992, when he finished first in the state veteran athletics meet organised by the Punjab Association of Veteran Athletes. In the same year, he also won a silver medal at the All-India Veteran Athletics Meet.

The veteran athlete always remains clad in a light blue tracksuit bearing an insignia of the Indian flag, whenever he participates in an athletic event. He said, “I am proud of the fact that I had also participated in the Quit India Movement in 1942. I prefer to wear my light blue tracksuit to show my respect to the national flag.”

Earlier last year, Bhanot bagged a gold medal at the 32nd Punjab Masters Athletics Championship held at Sikh National College, Nawashahr. He had also participated in the half marathons held at Hyderabad, Imphal and Punjab five times.

Jalandhar, April 16
Two motorcycle-borne miscreants robbed a woman of a gold chain at a gunpoint at Seth Hukam Chand Colony here last night.

“She was going home on foot after meeting her relatives when two motorcycle-borne youths stopped her and at gunpoint snatched a gold chain from her, Bharat Khurana, victim’s brother-in-law, told the police.

Before fleeing from the spot, the miscreants also fired two gun shots in the air.