 |
|
|
Rescue operation in full swing, many lives saved
Factory had no mandatory clearance
Oldies give boost to rescue operation
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
‘Exchange’ game
Farmer robbed of Rs
17 lakh
4 photographers cremated
Seminar on stem cells
|
|
Rescue operation in full swing, many lives saved
Jalandhar, April 17 Though the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), rescue teams from the municipal corporation and the fire department were the first ones to reach site after the incident, the rescue work got a momentum after the Aramy and paramilitary forces took the task in their hands. "Although officials from the administration rushed immediately to the spot, but it was of no use as they too ended up watching the horrible sight," said an official, requesting anonymity. It was the engineers regiment from Vajra Corps headed by Commanding Officer Col Simarjit Singh which started the highly technical rescue work on Monday morning. Engineers from Vajra Corps were seen making tunnels into the rubble mass and pulling out workers trapped under the debris with the help of power cutters, pneumatic concrete breakers, wielding sets, JCBs, skid steer loaders, cameras with optical fibres and cranes. The Army, the CRPF, the BSF, the ITBP the NDRF and the Punjab Police worked together in inhospitable weather conditions to save human lives. Talking to Jalandhar Tribune, Col Simarjit Singh said that they were going slow in the rescue work as the main objective was to save those trapped under the debris.
|
|
Factory had no mandatory clearance
Jalandhar, April 17 The district administration has sealed a building adjacent to Shital Fibres. The building which is also said to be owned by Shital Vij, the owner of Shital Fibres, had also developed cracks after the four-storeyed building owned by him had crumbled like a pack of cards. "The adjoining building has been sealed to avert any mishap," said Additional Deputy Commissioner Parneet Bhardwaj who was supervising the rescue operations. A notice to this effect was also pasted on the wall of the building. While Divisional Commissioner Anurag Verma initiated inquiry, the Deputy Director (Factories) and the PSIEC officials, it is learnt, informed him verbally that the factory building was running without mandatory clearances from the PSIEC and the department of industries. "We will have to go through the record. We have also summoned the representatives of Shital Fibres to put forth any record they have. I have to know their version also. So far, nothing concrete could be said till be completion of the probe, but preliminary findings based on contention of the PSIEC and the industry officials viewpoint suggest that the factory was being run sans mandatory clearance," said Anurag Verma. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has already directed officials to complete the probe within 20 days. The factory building, it was learnt, was more than 50 years old. "The power connection was taken by the owners in 2007. It means that the factory was running at the place even before that. Sources said the Punjab Pollution Control Board or the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited authorities never conducted inspection of the factory. "Preliminarily findings suggest that the factory was running without clearance of the building plan. So much so the owner had no building layout which hampered rescue operations. We got a call from Sonu, one of trapped workers, that he and several other labourers were stuck in the building near machine number 15. Since the owner had no layout plan with him, we had great difficulty in determining the location of machine no. 15," said an administration official. Administration officials also apprehended that a number of child labourers could have also been trapped in the rubble. "What to talk about building plan, the factory building was seemingly without any foundation which in itself might have been the reason behind the collapse," revealed an official. Labour dept issues five challans
The labour department has issued five challans to the owner of Shital Fibres. The labour department had summoned details of the wages record, attendance details and national holiday record from the factory authorities, but the factory management was unable to submit any of these. The Interstate Migrant Labour Act states that a factory needs a requisite registration with the labour department if it hires any more than 'five' migrant labourers. Even as hundreds of migrant labourers worked in Shital Fibres, the factory was not registered. Talking to The Tribune, labour inspector JP Singh said: "We had asked for records from the factory management. The factory was also not registered under the Interstate Migrant Labour Act, 1979." — Aparna Banerji |
|
Oldies give boost to rescue operation
Jalandhar April 17
Jagan Singh, who runs a wheat flour mill, became the source of motivation for other volunteers engaged in cleaning the rubble. “The moment I came to know about the collapse, I packed up my luggage and arrived at the spot early Monday morning and started assisting the rescue team,” Joda said, claiming that he had also participated in several other rescue operations in the last 25 years. Despite rescue work needing a lot of physical power, Joda claimed that he neither felt tired, nor encountered any sort of physical pain till date. To keep his body fit, he had been exercising daily. The other volunteers, who see him as their source of motivation, call him “jawan munda” (young boy). Sikander, a commission agent from Ludhiana, while praising the old man’s spirit, said whenever he joined them in rescue operations, his presence energised them. Besides Joda, 70-year-old Gudial Singh, a farmer from Mansa district, has also been engaged in the rescue work for the last 24 hours. Pritam Singh (68), a retired government teacher from Sultanpur Lodhi, was also passionately engaged in cleaning the debris from the site. Another elderly man, Surinder Pal (60), who despite having fracture in his right arm, was leaving no stone unturned to pace up the rescue work. Harnek Singh, a Moga-based wood worker, and Dharmpal, an industrialist from Ludhiana, in their sixties, were also passionately participating in the rescue work. Professionals join rescue op Surjit Singh (57), manager of Cooperative Bank in Moga, has also taken off from the duty just to contribute in the social cause. “I participated in several other rescue operations in the past also”. Likewise, Sachin (28), software engineer from Ludhiana, Mohan (29), doctor, and Gautam (24), student pursuing charted accountancy, were some professionals who have came to participate in the rescue operation. CM’s visit hampers work The rescue operation, which was in full swing, halted for a few minutes on the arrival of the Chief Minister at the site. The moment Chief Minister’s cavalcade reached the site, workers engaged in rescue operation slowed down the work and started looking at the CM. The long cavalcade also disturbed the movement of vehicles engaged in lifting of debris. Interestingly, the CM in a press conference said the arrival of leaders most likely hindered the rescue work and he didn’t want to let it happen.
|
|
‘Exchange’ game
Jalandhar, April 17 Two patients admitted to the Civil Hospital mysteriously made it to Shri Devi Talab Charitable Hospital and another, who was discharged from the Devi Talab hospital on Monday morning, was found admitted to the Civil Hospital today. Two labourers, Surinder and Amarjit, who had been admitted to the Civil Hospital yesterday, were shifted to Shri Devi Talab Charitable Hospital early this morning. The feet of both these patients were amputated yesterday. When asked about the reason for discharging them, staff members at the Civil Hospital gave differing statements. While some ward nurses said they had gone home because their treatment was over, other nurses said they had been shifted to the surgical ward. Sources said they were taken to Shri Devi Talab Charitable Hospital after one of the officials at Shital Fibres came to get them this morning. Back at the Devi Talab hospital, Amarjit, who was freely conversing at the Civil Hospital yesterday, had only “I don’t know,” as an answer to all the questions being asked. After being probed much, he admitted that he was brought to the hospital by a “babu” (official) of the factory, whom he refused to name. While Surinder was away for a CT scan, Amarjit said factory officials brought him here saying that he would get better treatment here. Chotu (24), another labourer, who had been admitted to Shri Devi Talab Charitable Hospital on Sunday night, was discharged from there and found admitted to the ICU in the Civil Hospital this afternoon. Talking to The Tribune, he said, “I had been discharged and my head, back and legs had been aching ever since. I had told doctors at the Devi Talab hospital that I was not feeling well, but they did not listen to me. I had gone to the factory today to seek my pending
money (my salary for one and a half months was pending) but it was all chaos there.” “I was not feeling well, so a team member from the Civil Hospital brought me here. Here at least no one is telling me to go away untreated,” Chotu added. Chotu said a number of people who were sent home were still unwell and need medication. “I was found by a team member, but there are people back home who are spending from their pockets to receive medication for their ailments and injuries. They have not received salaries, still they have to spend money from their own pockets to pay for their medication.” Another labourer at Devi Talab Charitable Hospital was found arguing with the in charge on duty
this morning. The labourer, who complained of back pain, was taken by the in charge and nurses to a doctor on the first floor, but he was later found roaming around in the corridor by The Tribune team. He said he did not find the doctor, but wasn’t getting a place in the ward. When asked regarding Amarjit and Surinder, who were discharged from the Civil Hospital (for the Devi Talab hospital), Civil Surgeon Avtar Singh Jarewal said, “The two left against medical advice. They
opted for discontinuing the treatment.” When asked about Chotu, Jarewal said, “I am not aware of any
such patient.” |
|
Farmer robbed of Rs
17 lakh
Jalandhar, April 17 A case has been registered at the Maqsoodan police station. Gold ornaments snatched Two motorcycle-borne youths robbed a woman of gold ornaments at gunpoint on the Gulab Devi Hospital road last night. The victim, Kiran, resident of Aman Nagar, alleged that on Monday night she along with her daughter had gone to attend a marriage ceremony. When they were returning home, two motorcycle-borne youths stopped them on the way and at gunpoint took away her pair of gold earrings and two rings. A case was registered at the Basti Bawa Khel police station.
|
|
4 photographers cremated
Phagwara, April 17 The deceased photographers, identified as Vinod Kumar of Milan Studio, Gurpal Chand of Paul Studio, Rahul and Sunny, were returning from Khanna via Rahon after doing photography of the marriage ceremony of a niece of Congress councillor Ram Pal Uppal in a Maruti car, when a tipper collided with their car, killing them on the spot. Hundreds of residents, including leaders of political, social and religious organisations, bid a tearful adieu to the deceased photographers at their cremation here. All shops of photographers in the town remained closed on Monday in view of the tragedy.
|
|
Seminar on stem cells
Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, April 17 They spoke on “Stem cell technology and patents” with focus on the emerging technology in pharmaceuticals and biotechnology. Social worker visits HMV Kanta Walker, a UK-based social worker, paid a visit to Hans Raj Mahila Maha Vidyalaya (HMV) to meet the beneficiaries of the scholarships from the Ram Dayal Kapila Trust, run by her in her father’s memory. She met the students and motivated them to rise in life. Personal hygiene A talk was organised by Kanya Maha Vidyalaya Collegiate School on “Personal hygiene”, in which Dr Deepali Luthra was the chief guest. She stressed the need of personal hygiene for the young growing girls and urged them not to ignore minor ailments also.
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | E-mail | |
