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Several JIT projects hang fire
RTS Act implementation not a priority here
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A perspective
Leather woes prime concern here
Implement free education scheme: Forum to colleges
Orientation programme held
Snatcher who hurt woman DSP held
Two sisters mowed down by truck
Factory owner booked for fraud
Man, daughter die under mysterious circumstances
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Several JIT projects hang fire
Jalandhar, September 12 It has been nearly a year since the land had been acquired for the scheme and auction of 451 plots had been held for the land falling behind the Jalandhar City Railway Station, but there has been hardly any headway ever since. Most families who have already taken compensation since November last have been still staying back. Other than the laying of a road, no other work in the scheme area has been completed till date, leave alone plotting, laying sewage and water supply pipes and installation of streetlights. SE JIT Mukul Soni said, “There has been an overall slump in the market. The availability of construction material too has been a problem of late. The cost of construction has risen and returns have been dismally low. But we will soon speed it up.” Suwidha centre
Unlike most other projects which are hanging fire, the project of starting a single-window system for issuing various certificates and NOCs is likely to be started soon. Executive Officer Jatinder Singh said the data regarding nearly 74 schemes was being fed into the systems for their quick retrieval of information regarding the same. Super luxury flats awaiting nod
Even as the JIT has planned construction of 122 super luxury flats at Surya Enclave, the work has not been initiated since long. Six circular blocks with an area of nearly 2,210 sq feet each have been planned at the site. The plans had been prepared since long, but the officials said these were still awaiting a clearance from the Chief Town Planner. EO Jatinder Singh said as the sanction comes, work would begin at the site and auction would be held for allotment. Possession of LIG flats not before Dec
Even as the JIT was to give possession of the LIG flats at Bibi Bhani Complex near Guru Amar Dass Colony in May 2011, the work on the project has not been completed as yet. Flooring work in most of the 276 flats has not still being done and so is the wood work. The project which started on November 17, 2009, was planned to be completed in one-and-a-half years, but the construction work is likely to take double the time. EO Jatinder Singh said the work was likely to get completed by December. “If we give the possession of flats which have been almost complete, those who would take over would remain in a trouble owing to noise of construction work going all around,” he said. |
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RTS Act implementation not a priority here
Jalandhar, September 12 A point in reference is a signboard put up on the floor at the entrance of the Municipal Corporation Office which mentions the mobile phone number of Municipal Town Planner Hemant Batra who has long been promoted as Senior Town Planner and has even got transferred from Jalandhar. For two of the services such as getting completion certificate and approval of building plans which fall in the purview of the building branch, the Punjab Government has authorised the MTP for the purpose. But the board nowhere mentions the name or phone number of the serving MTP Tejpreet Singh. Satnam Singh, XEN (O&M), MC, whose phone number has been mentioned in the board, retired four months back. He was a designated officer under the Act for getting water supply and sewage connection. Anupam Kler, Joint Commissioner, MC, said, “I am aware of the matter. I have already asked the officials to make rectification in the board and place it well.” Similarly, an RTS Board of the Jalandhar Improvement Trust which had earlier been hung on walls, but has now been stacked in a store room of the Trust office. The board has been kept amidst broken furniture of the office out of site of the visitors who can avail 12 services included in the RTS list. These include issuing conveyance deed, permission of mortgaging of land, availing no-due certificates, seeking possession of property, approval of building plan and mutation in land records. When asked about the same, SE JIT Mukul Soni said the board had been kept off since it carried the picture of former Trust chairman Baljit Singh Neelamahal. “The Trust had now been dissolved and we cannot exhibit his picture on the board. We have removed the board to make the needed amendment,” he
said. Old records
Satnam Singh, XEN (O&M), MC, whose phone number has been mentioned in the board, retired four months back. He was a designated officer under the Act for getting water supply and sewage connection |
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A perspective
While theories on 9/11 - both those which talk of it plainly as an attack perpetrated by terrorists and those which dig deeper into the more uncomfortable, conspiratorial aspect of it - abound; Dr Sidhu, in his newly released book - 9/11 The Inside Story - discusses another hitherto unexplored aspect of the attacks. A retired doctor, presently employed with the Punjab Institute for Medical Sciences, Dr Sidhu first launched the book in the US in May and is planning to introduce the city folk to his message in a discussion on 9/11 to be held in Jalandhar on September 16 at the local Desh Bhagat Yadgaar Hall. The most interesting aspect of his perspective on the 9/11 story is that he discusses it in the light of murders of US Presidents Abraham Lincoln, John F Kennedy as well as Martin Luther King Jr, and John Lennon. While the book has been well received in the US, Dr Sidhu plans to promote the book in Punjab as well. While his earlier works have stuck to Punjab-centric issues like farmers’ suicides and female foeticide, when asked what triggered him to write about the 9/11 attacks, Dr Sidhu says, “9/11 had intrigued me from day one. In a way, the book wasn’t actually planned. It just happened. I had begun by casually looking into 9/11 related articles etc on the net, but a deeper understanding of the situation spurred me into talking about it and writing something about it.” Dr Sidhu even made an attempt to settle in the US, but returned as he found things difficult there. “America’s response to the book and to me as a migrant intending to settle, are two very different situations. While the former was upheld and encouraged, the latter was totally thwarted and I returned home discouraged.” “However, it has taught me some vital lessons and helped me understand the US and even Punjab more,” Dr Sidhu added. “The US government which has been intending to fool the world, led to a crisis like 9/11. I believe the US government knew it would happen, but did nothing to prevent it. Rather it used 9/11 as an excuse to attack Afghanistan and Iraq. The happenings in Libya and Syria only confirm a consistent pattern,” Dr Sidhu said. “If we look carefully, 9/11 and whatever happened after it has some important lessons to teach to Punjab too. Being tolerant, living in harmony and promoting peace is very important for Punjabis. They should be very cautious and learn from what happened. Countering addiction is one of the very important steps towards promoting peace,” Dr Sidhu said. “In fact I have chosen September 16 - World Peace Day - as an occasion to hold discussion on my book for this very reason,” he added. Seeking solutions to spread this message of learning from US’ faults, Dr Sidhu said, the US is fed with what the government tells it, but it is important that the other side of the story is told to the common Canada, Asia, Japan and China. Knowledge, if used carefully, could also act as one of the vital weapons against violence. Discussion on book
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Leather woes prime concern here
Jalandhar, September 12 Although the dispensary is sound on the infrastructural front, dealing with an area with 90 per cent population from economically weaker sections is a challenge. Covering a population of about 20,600 people, the dispensary covers the areas like Buta Mandi, Buta Pind, Jallowal Abadi, Sidharth Nagar, Tilak Nagar, Uday Nagar, Mann Nagar, Partap Nagar and Swami Lalji Nagar (among others) which are mostly known to be backward. The staff says the dispensary has an OPD of 40 to 45 patients per day. Staff
The dispensary has one medical officer, two ANMs, one pharmacist and one class four employee. While the dispensary has a huge area to be covered, two ANMs, one might think, would not serve the purpose as so many areas are to be covered. But the staff claims that the two ANMs are effectively carrying out various immunisation and other programmes among the area population. Medicine supplies
Sources in the school say the staff has a lot of problems in arranging medicines as supplies from the Health Department are never regular. Although countering nutritional deficiencies is an important task in the area, the staff is not even able to provide some of the pivotal medicines in this regard because they are not available. Instead, less effective substitutes are arranged by the staff on its own donations. Vicinity trouble
Due to the lack of any other government dispensary in the nearby areas and the shortage of staff even in the dispensaries in the neighbourhood, patients from many villages and other areas (not falling in the jurisdiction of the dispensary) also visit the Buta Mandi dispensary, increasing the workload of the staff. Diseases
Nutritional deficiencies, skin diseases and some other infections are quite common in the area. The staff says the number of tannery workers working in the vicinity report a lot of skin problems. The incidence of TB is also fairly high in the area. Even with 90 per cent of the patients to the dispensary being from BPL families, MO Richa Bhatia says she never saw anyone carrying a smart card. JSSY
About 8 to 10 deliveries take place under the dispensary per month. While institutional deliveries are mostly recommended, the staff says due to the lack of awareness among area residents, it is impossible to totally put a stop to deliveries conducted at home. The staff says it is spreading awareness among people to go for institutional deliveries. Repairs
Both the school and the dispensary are under the care of Guru Ravidas Educational and Charitable Trust, Buta Mandi. The dispensary was built by the trust about 21 years ago and the trust undertakes the repair and maintenance of both the dispensary and the school. The dispensary caters to five schools - three primary, two middle and one high school - having 1,200 schoolchildren. Leather complex
The dispensary has the leather complex and tanneries in its vicinity and is mostly filled with pungent smell of leather from its neighbourhood, which makes breathing difficult for both staff and patients. The leather complex smells and diseases among tannery workers are on the rise during the rains. Areas it caters to
The dispensary covers the areas like Buta Mandi, Buta Pind, Jallowal Abadi, Sidharth Nagar, Tilak Nagar, Uday Nagar, Mann Nagar, Partap Nagar and Swami Lalji Nagar (among others) which are mostly known to be backward. Patients mainly from BPL families
90 per cent of the patients to the dispensary are from BPL families. But none of them have been seen carrying smart cards |
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Implement free education scheme: Forum to colleges
Jalandhar, September 12 Education Awareness Forum convener Jarnail Singh Garhdiwala said this here yesterday. A delegation of the forum yesterday submitted a memorandum to Jalandhar DC Priyank Bharti in this regard. The memorandum said while government instructions state that the government and private-aided colleges should mention these provisions in their prospectus and put them up on notice boards, none of the district colleges was implementing the same. The memorandum also stated that even as the last date for SC students to fill forms to claim scholarships under the Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme was September 15, none of the colleges had spread awareness about the same till now. Garhdiwala further said Education Department functionaries had time and again reminded government and private-aided colleges of their non-compliance with these instructions, but they had clearly not paid heed to them. “In 2006, too, a memo to this effect had been sent to the colleges concerned by the Deputy Director, Punjab Government Education Department, but so far none of the colleges has taken note of the same,” he said. The forum demanded that the colleges should put up these public notices to this effect not only on their notice boards but also outside colleges. “If they do not do it, then they should be ready to face the music,” the forum warned. Meanwhile, the Deputy Commissioner instructed the District Welfare Officer to look into the matter. Those others in the delegation included Dr GC Kaul, advocate Kuldip Singh Minhas, engineer Gurpreet Singh Mann, Baljinder Singh Hazara, Vicky Baddan, Satish Bharti, Madan Lal and Amardeep Singh Bhulath. |
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Residents demand repair of Gujja Peer road before Sodal Mela
Jalandhar, September 12 Now, the residents living in various localities beside the Gujja Peer road are demanding patchwork before Sodal Mela, which falls on September 28. Kulwinder Singh, SE, MCJ (B&R), said: “An estimate of Rs 1 crore for fixing interlocking tiles for solving the problem once for all will be presented in the MC House after its approval by MC Commissioner Vinay Bublani. If it is passed, the road comprising interlocking tiles will be built after arranging the funds”. The residents said it would take several months for fixing interlocking tiles here. Till then, at least patchwork on this road should be done before the mela, which would not only provided immediate relief to the passers-by, but also would be beneficial for thousands of devotees who would use this road to pay obeisance at Sodal temple during the mela. The Gujja Peer road, connecting various parts of the city with the national highway, has been causing a lot of inconvenience to the public for years as it is full of potholes and pits. The problem of the users of the Gujja Peer road aggravates during rains as it gets converted into a pond due to the non-existence of any drainage system. Several feet high water continues to accumulate on the road even after several days of rain. Punjab Congress secretary GS Bhullar, who resides in one of the localities beside the Gujja Peer road, said: “The road has been in a dilapidated condition for past over five years. There are a number of potholes here that one fails to understand whether the potholes exist on the road or a few stretches of the road exist on potholes here.” The road is in a dilapidated condition despite the fact that former mayor Rakesh Rathour uses this road daily to reach his factory located on the national highway from his house in Deen Dayal Upadhaya Nagar near Sodal railway crossing. Sunil Saini, a chemist, said: “A number of motorists, especially those driving two-wheelers, have sustained injuries after their vehicles fell on the road due to potholes.” Kanta Devi, a resident of the nearby locality, said: “This road from JMP factory to Transport Nagar connects a number of parts of the city with the national highway. So, the condition of this road should be better as compared to other roads as it is used by hundreds of persons daily. But, this road appears to be the worst in the city.” |
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School Notes
Jalandhar, September 12 Vaishnav inspired the students to inculcate communication skills, stress management, time management, sleep management and memory techniques in them. He said three faces of personality were attitude, skill and knowledge. He motivated the students to raise their confidence level and energy level. Around 600 students of B.Com classes benefited from this programme. Inter-College Declamation Contest
MGN College of Education, Jalandhar, won the Overall Second Trophy in the 20th Annual Inter-College Declamation Contest organised by JCI, Jalandhar city, held at Kamal Palace, Jalandhar. As many as 20 colleges participated in the contest. Students of the college - Baljinder Kaur and Radhika Kumra - participated in the contest. Workshop on editing skills
DAV College, Jalandhar, successfully concluded its one-day workshop on “Editing Techniques of Print and Electronic Media” organised by the media forum of the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication on September 11. Ashok Anuj, a journalist, educated students about the reporting and editing techniques of the print media, in the first half of the workshop. The second session was carried by Paramjit Singh Rangpuri, another journalist, who enlightened the audience about the nuances and technicalities of the electronic media. Puducherry Guv visits LPU
Dr Iqbal Singh, Governor of Puducherry, made a special visit to Lovely Professional University today. On his first visit to the university after his appointment as the Governor, he was presented the guard of honour and was welcomed by the college administration to the campus. He also visited the campus, where he interacted with students, especially those from Puducherry. The Division of Student Affairs had arranged a welcome programme for the elite guest at SBRM Auditorium of the university amid
massive gathering of LPU’s engineering and management students. Congratulating LPU, Dr Singh said he was happy to see a large number of students from all states of the country and many other countries studying at the vast campus. |
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Orientation programme held
Jalandhar, September 12 The show, which was aimed at familiarising these students with the culture of the institute and providing them a platform to showcase their skills in the events ranging from fine arts to cultural and literary categories, concluded today. It was organised as part of the collective efforts put in by the second-year students. Principal Dr AL Sangal and HODs of all departments lighted the lamp at the inauguration ceremony. Gagandeep Sharma, one of the organisers, apprised the participants about the rules and regulations. The competition was tough in all events, including solo dance, group dance, dramatics, debate, photography, quiz, instrument playing, singing, poetry and extempore. Winners were awarded with mementoes and certificates. Abhimanyu was declared winner in solo dance event. Rangla Punjab team won the group dance contest, Himani was declared winner in dramatics, Akanksha was winner for debate and Vaibhav Makhija won the quiz contest. |
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Snatcher who hurt woman DSP held
Jalandhar, September 12 SHO Harinder Singh said to crack the case, the police had rounded up certain notorious persons of the city for investigation. During their questioning, they revealed the name of Suraj and his accomplice, he added. Acting on a tip-off, Suraj was nabbed at a naka on the Garha road. The SHO said his aide has also been identified and in a day or two, he would also be behind the bars. However, SHO refused to disclose the name of Suraj’s accomplice for security reasons. The nabbed accused also had a criminal past. A case of snatching was registered against him in 2010 in one of the city police stations. During interrogation, the accused told the police that he along with his friend attempted the snatching unaware of the fact that the woman was a police official. During the process, she accidentally fell off from the rickshaw. The police said the accused did not snatch her mobile phone and the same could have fallen when the woman was putting up resistance against the snatchers. |
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Two sisters mowed down by truck
Nakodar, September 12 Police sources said the duo had gone to the market to buy household goods on their scooter. While returning, a speeding truck hit their scooter from behind and crushed them to death. The truck driver, identified as Sarabjit Singh of Nawanshahr, fled the scene. A case of negligent driving under Section 304 A of the IPC was registered against the driver. |
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Factory owner booked for fraud
Jalandhar September 12 Kartarpur police officials said Surjit Kaur of Jalowal village had filed a complaint with the police that she owned a five-acre land in the village and she had struck a deal to sell the land to Dharamvir Jain at Rs 14.50 crore. She told the police that Dharamvir had prepared fake property documents through which he managed to transfer the power of attorney in the name of his driver Sanjay. She alleged to the police that as the deal was of several crores of rupees, the accused had paid her only a few lakhs in advance and later to avoid the remaining payment, he prepared fake property documents. Balbir Singh, DSP, refused to comment. Property case
Dharamvir Jain duping a villager of several crores of rupees in a property deal case |
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Man, daughter die under mysterious circumstances
Phagwara, September 12 Sakir's another daughter Nazrine (17) was brought to the local Civil Hospital, but was referred to PGI Chandigarh. Her condition is stated to be critical. Investigation Officer Balwinder Singh said the deceased along with his wife Sayaira and five daughters had dinner in their house. Kalsu started vomiting at midnight and died soon. Her father and Naxrina were taken to the Civil Hospital. The doctors declared Mohammad Sakir brought dead. Superintendent of Police HPS Khakh said the police was investigating the matter. Officiating Senior Medical Officer Dr Rajinder Kumar said it seemed to be a case of poisoning, but the family of the deceased did not want any legal action. "After the family took the permission of the police, the bodies were handed over to them without the post-mortem examination," he said. Mohammad Sakir was a lime soda seller. His wife and two daughters worked at a cold storage. |
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Phagwara MC removes encroachments
Phagwara, September 12 Sharma said more than 70 illegal encroachments were demolished with the help of JCB machines. The demolition drive would continue tomorrow also. The executive officer reiterated his appeal to the people to remove encroachments themselves by obeying the rules. |
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Three nabbed for assaulting man
Jalandhar, September 12 Police sources said the accused had brutally injured a migrant labourer, Vishawjit, also resident of Bhargo Camp, on September 9 and also robbed him of a motorcycle. The sources said acting on a tip-off, the police laid a trap in Bhargo Camp locality today and nabbed the accused. The police also recovered a sharp-edged weapon (kirpan) used in the crime, the sources said. The bike of the victim has not been recovered yet. |
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Call it a slump in the real estate sector or dilly-dallying on the part of officials, several projects in the Jalandhar Improvement Trust have been lying pending for quite sometime.
The JIT’s plan to start work on its scheme 99.97-acre Surya Enclave Extension has apparently gone into backburner ever since it got initiated last year.
Jalandhar, September
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