Jalandhar, June 11
The joy of Radhika Gupta and her family members knew no bounds when they came to know that she had got third position in Punjab and first position in Jalandhar district by securing 1242 (99.5 per cent) marks, out of 1300, in Class X examinations of the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB), the results of which were announced by the board today.

When The Tribune team visited their house at Shakti Nagar, Radhika, her grandmother Kailash Rani, parents Ramesh Gupta and Savita Gupta, elder sister Resham and younger brother Mohit were beaming with joy over her excellent performance.

Radhika Gupta, who is already pursuing non-medical course in Class XI at HMV College, says she wants to be an engineer and does not want to appear in civil services examinations.

The young girl says she is not a bookworm and studies only three hours a day from 7 to 10 in the evening throughout the year. She is equally fond of playing and watching TV. Her mother Savita, a housewife, says she also helps her a bit in domestic work.

Radhika has been consistently performing well in her studies for the last several years. Studying at Shri Mahavir Jain Senior Secondary School, she got 89 per cent marks in the Class VIII examinations.

While the school Principal Avtar Kaur called her for congratulating her over her splendid performance, area councillor Jagdish Raj Raja visited her house to pat her back.

Radhika’s father Ramesh Gupta, who does the work of fitting building glasses, says he was expecting excellent result of her daughter, but did not expect she would get the third position in Punjab.

His other two children are also doing well in studies. His elder daughter Resham had got first and fourth positions in the district in the Class VIII and Class X examinations, respectively. She is now studying in Class XII (non-medical) at Government Senior Secondary School, Suraj Ganj.

His son Mohit got 97 per cent in Class V examinations and is now studying at Shri Mahavir Jain School.

Living in a joint family, Ramesh’s younger brother Manmohan, his wife Shashi and their son Lavish are also very joyous over Radhika’s performance. The atmosphere at their house was festive as their acquaintances were visiting it to congratulate them.

Jalandhar, June 11
Five students of MGN Public School cleared the AIEEE, the results of which were announced on Saturday evening. Dhaval Dalia bagged the second rank in the reserved category in the state and the 109th rank in the overall list of reserved candidates in the country.

Jalandhar, June 11
In a major breakthrough in the Rs 200 crore “Ice” (rave party drug) haul case, the district (rural) police today arrested kingpin Raja Kandola’s wife Rajwant Kaur, their son Belly Singh and three accomplices from Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur.

Two of Kandola’s aides, Sukhwinder Singh Sukha of Gunachaur in Nawanshahr and Gurinder Singh of Purhiran village in Hoshiarpur, were arrested from a ‘naka’ near Naugajja chowk in Kartarpur.

They were travelling in a Bolero SUV (PB32A-1313) when they were intercepted by police officials led by CIA inspector Angrez Singh.

“Heroin worth Rs 2.65 crore, two pistols and seven cartridges have been recovered from Sukhwinder and Gurinder,” said SSP (rural) Yurinder Singh Hayre.

Another accomplice, Delhi-based club owner Harmit Singh alias Prince, too has been arrested.

SP (D) Rajinder Singh said Rajwant Kaur was in the know of her husband’s illegal activities and she even occasionally doubled up as his courier along with her son Belly Singh.

“The Kandola gang was active in the US, Canada, New Zealand and some other countries. Sukhwinder and Gurinder supplied quintals of Ice for parties in Mumbai, Delhi, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Phagwara,” said Rajinder Singh.

The SP (D) said Kandola and Sukhwinder had set up an illegal telephone exchange in Zimbawe. “Both along with a few Pakistanis were arrested for irregularities in that country and it was there that they developed links with international criminals. All members of the gang used to take shelter at Raja Kandola’s farmhouses in Samrala and Delhi after committing crime,” the police said. It said several gang members could be arrested in the days to come.

The SP (D) said Harmit Singh used to supply Ice to partygoers in Delhi and surrounding areas along with liquor.

Jalandhar, June 11
Having managed to get just five out of the 17 wards falling in his Jalandhar (West) constituency, it has been a dismal show on the part of the Local Bodies Minister and BJP’s legislative party leader Bhagat Chunni Lal in the just-concluded 
MC polls.

Even out of the five wards that the ruling alliance has been able to win in the constituency, there are just two seats with the BJP and the rest three have gone to the SAD. In fact, all the new faces fielded by the minister have failed to make a mark. His sycophant Rajan Angural has lost from Ward 46 and so did Varesh Mintu from Ward 59, Ajit Bhardwaj from Ward 49 and Prabh Dayal from Ward 58.

As many as 10 wards in his constituency have gone to the Congress. One has gone to rebel BJP candidate Darshan Lal, who was a sitting party councillor, but was replaced by Varesh Mintu. In Ward 53, BSP leader Vipan Kumar has emerged winner with BJP candidate Puran Chand pushed to the third position.

Wards falling in Bhagat’s kitty include 40 to 54, 58 and 59. Of these, the BJP has its councillors left only in ward 41 and 52, while SAD councillors rule in wards 43, 45 and 50. Ward 45 went unopposed to Senior Deputy Mayor Kamaljit Bhatia and Ward 50 is represented by Deputy Mayor Parvesh Tangri.

The BJP has not been able to retain Ward 42, where son of sitting councillor Kirpal Buti, Amit Pal Singh Sandha, had been fielded. Ward 44, represented by Sunanda Malhotra, too, was lost. Elderly leader Daulat Ram, too, lost from his ward, number 51.

Most BJP leaders blame it on the wrong decisions of the octogenarian minister and his son Mahinder Bhagat. While the minister is not as active, his son is the one to take the charge locally, attend meetings in place of him and pass on most of the directions on part of the senior Bhagat.

Bhagat’s debacle, however, seemingly has come as a big respite for former Local Bodies Minister Manoranjan Kalia, who managed to win 11 out of 17 seats for the party in his Jalandhar (Central) constituency. MLA KD Bhandari of the Jalandhar (North) constituency has got the maximum of 12 seats in favour of the party.

While the race for the Mayor seat among various councillors is on, The Tribune correspondent Dharmendra Joshi talks to newly elected councillors to know their priorities for their wards.

Repair of dug-up roads

Des Raj Jassal of the Congress, who has been elected for the second time from Ward 1, said his top priority would be to get the roads of his area repaired or reconstructed at the earliest. The roads of most of the localities falling under his ward were dug up for laying sewer. The supply of drinking water would also be made available to those localities where it could not be provided so far, he added.

Jassal and his wife Paramjit Kaur Jassal won from this ward in 2002 and 2007, respectively, as Independent candidates. Jassal said when he was elected for the first time in 2002, there was no provision of water supply to most of the areas of his ward and he got 11 tubewells installed here to provide the basic necessity to the residents of the ward. Sewerage was also laid in some parts.

Jassal said when his wife was elected in 2007, they got sewerage laid in 95 per cent of the ward. Despite not getting even a single paisa from the MLA funds, they managed to secure Rs 23.5 crore for the ward from 2007 to 2012 from the funds under the Sutlej Action Plan and MC schemes.

Joyous Jassal said this was for the first time in 46 years that the Congress won from this ward. The newly elected councillor said, “I will be available for the residents of my ward, which includes Anand Nagar, Ravindas Nagar, Issa Nagar, Nav Nirman, Janta Colony, Masha Colony, Surat Nagar, Sura Nussi, Amrit Vihar, Guru Amardas Nagar Abadi and Salempur Musalmana, round the clock and anyone may contact me at my mobile number 9316108983.”

Making environment clean and green

Prem Lata Vashisth of the BJP , who has been elected for the first time from Ward 2, said her main priority would be to make the environment clean and green of the areas falling under her ward.

Vashisth said she would work for the proper maintenance of the 17 parks located in Bhagat Singh Colony, Hukam Chand Colony, Greater Kailash, Kalia Colony, Guru Amar Dass Colony, Focal Point, part of Globe Colony, Saini Colony and Abadi of her ward. Besides, she would also make arrangements to plant at least 10,000 saplings in her area during the next five years.

The newly elected BJP councillor stated that the Ganda Nullah in Bhagat Singh Colony had been creating nuisance for the past several decades. She would make arrangements for discharging the contaminated water of the Ganda Nullah into the sewerage to provide relief to the residents. The roads dug up for laying sewerage would also be repaired or reconstructed at the earliest.

The BJP has retained this seat as Prem Lata Vashisth’s husband Ved Kumar Vashisth was elected from the ward in 2007. The residents of the areas of her ward may contact Prem Lata on mobile number 9216744404.

Solving water problem and shifting high-tension wires

Kanwaljit Singh Bedi of the BJP, who has wrested Ward 22 from the Congress, said his main priority would be to solve the drinking water problem of Globe Colony, Sanjay Gandhi Nagar and the Sodal area of his ward at the earliest. He would get three new tubewells installed in his area for ensuring proper supply of potable water, he added.

Despite his wife’s defeat in 2007, he already got sanctioned a new tubewell for Globe Colony and surrounding areas, which would likely be installed within one and a half month, he said, adding that he would try to get the sanction of the other two tubewells to be installed in Sanjay Gandhi Nagar and the Sodal area soon.

Bedi said the roads in most areas of his ward were in a dilapidated state and he would get them repaired at the earliest. He would also get several new points for installing streetlights.

The removal of high-tension wires passing over several houses of his ward is also among one of his priorities as a number of mishaps had already occurred due to these wires. These wires came from the areas falling under Ward 4. The problem was already in the notice of KD Bhandari, MLA from Jalandhar (North), and the BJP councillor of Ward 4 Bhagwant Prabhakar and he would soon make an estimate for removing the wires to start process for their shifting to save precious lives, he added.

Bedi said three of total eight parks of his area were already fully developed. He would also get the remaining five parks develop. Besides, more sapling plantation would also be done in his ward, which included Dada Nagar, Sanjay Gandhi Nagar, part of Globe Colony, Shanker Garden, part of Preet Nagar, Part of Industrial Area, Mohalla Mai Khai and Shashi Nagar.

The first timer in the MC said he would be available for the residents of his ward round the clock and anyone could contact him on his mobile number 9888480379 for any work in the area.

‘My ward is number one in development’

Former Senior Deputy Mayor Anita Raj of the Congress, who has been elected for the second time from Ward 36, said, “Her ward is number one as far as development is concerned in the city.” Actually either my husband Jagdish Raj Raja or she herself had been representing the ward since 1991 and got an all-round development of the area, which included Mission Compound Mohalla, Shakti Nagar, Vijay Nagar, Islamabad Mohalla and Ali Mohalla, done.

Anita said, “90 per cent of the electors of the ward do not visit the MC for their work as we get their work done at our own. Further, all the parks are well maintained in their ward, adequate points of streetlights are there, roads are well built, water supply is proper and sewerage has been laid in every area.”

The only problem the residents of some localities of the ward faced now and then was regarding sewerage jam and inadequate water supply. As soon as they informed her about these problems, she got it redressed within no time, she added.

Her husband won from their home ward by a margin of 1,290, 1,700 and 2,696 votes in 1991, 1997 and 2007 MC elections, respectively, whereas she registered her victories by a margin of 3,500 and 1,700 votes in 2002 and 2012 MC polls.

‘I will nurture new ward like my home ward’

Former Leader of Opposition in the MC House Jagdish Raj Raja of the Congress, who has been elected from Ward 37, said he would nurture theward like his home ward, number 36, from where either he or his wife have been elected in a row since 1991.

“Former Congress councillor from Ward 37 Manjit Kaur Kahlon’s husband Paramjit Singh Kahlon is with me. A number of roads are required to be rebuilt in this ward. The estimates for the construction of these roads have already been passed and the construction work will soon be started after floating tenders.”

“Further, none of the 11 parks - three each at JP Nagar and Adarsh Nagar, two at Vijay Nagar and one each at Gujral Nagar, Deol Nagar and Tagore Nagar - located in this ward, is fully developed. I will ensure their proper development,” he added.

The Congress this time allotted ticket to Jagdish from this ward as his home ward, number 36 got reserved for women.

Jalandhar, June 11
“Contrary to the tall claims of working in the direction of protecting the rights of the women, the ruling SAD-BJP alliance has ignored women by de-reserving the Mayor post.” Levelling this allegation against the ruling SAD-BJP alliance, Congress leaders said the post of Mayor of the Municipal Corporation had earlier been reserved for women, but the alliance “de-reserved” it by misusing government machinery.

Convener of the Punjab Congress Publicity Committee Virendra Sharma and district Congress (Urban) president Arun Walia said their party had sought legal opinion on the issue and would knock at the door of the Punjab and Haryana High Court against the “de-reserving” of the post, if required.

Virendra Sharma said, “The Congress will raise the issue of ignoring women by de-reserving the Mayor post in the next Assembly session scheduled to start from June 20 and will seek explanation from Parkash Singh Badal-led SAD-BJP government on the issue.”

Terming the Congress performance better in the MC elections as compared to the previous MC elections in 2007, Virendra Sharma said, “The Congress had not only increased its seats from 19 in 2007 to 22 in 2012, but its vote percentage has also increased by 3 per cent now as compared to the previous polls.”

Though the Congress strategy of staking claim for the post of the Mayor got a setback as one of its rebel candidate Kanwaljeet Kaur (elected as an Independent from Ward 26) and her husband Mohinder Singh Gullu declared on Monday to support the BJP, yet Virendra Sharma said, “The Congress is in a position to make its Mayor as several dissatisfied BJP and SAD councillors are in touch with them and they have contacted state leadership for a green signal.”

“If the state leadership gives green signal, these dissatisfied SAD and BJP councillors will be included in the Congress to stake claim for the post of the Mayor,” he added.

Virendra Sharma said, “The Congress is reviving its lost base now as it had lost all the nine seats of Jalandhar district during the recent Assembly elections, but now it won 22 seats in the MC polls, despite the misuse of government machinery by the ruling SAD-BJP leaders.”