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Big challenges ahead for Mayor
Pathetic road condition turns traders into Samaritans
Another stretch of apathy
Running from a garage, this dispensary fights termites, neglect
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Political ill-will takes toll on housing scheme
Teachers demand pending salaries
Suicide victim’s kin allege police inaction
Students have a ball with 'Pinky Moge
Wali' stars
Two of family die in mishap
Stolen SUV recovered
Nambardar arrested for giving false testimony
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Big challenges ahead for Mayor
Jalandhar, September 26 One of the major projects which are pending is the solid waste management project. It had got delayed for one reason or the other. The biggest problem for Jyoti at this stage would be to persuade the safai karamchari unions who have been opposing the project tooth and nail, claiming that rather than employees of the Jindal group, they should be allowed to continue the door-to-door garbage lifting. The project is also facing stiff opposition from dairy farmers and residents of areas around the proposed site at Pholariwal as they have been claiming that they would not allow the dump and incineration plant to come up in their village. The second biggest challenge for the new Mayor would be to start the construction work of the sports hub project at Burlton Park. While the loans and plans for the Rs 139-crore project have been cleared, a final sanction from the government is awaited. The problem in the project is a pending litigation filed by the members of the Save the Burlton Park Association. The next major issue before Jyoti would be to get the renovation work at the Nehru Garden re-started. While the former Mayor Rakesh Rathour had formally cut a ribbon and handed over the contract to a new firm AS Enterprises, the work order for the Rs 3.84-crore project is yet to be cleared. Availability of funds with the fund-crunched MC for payment to the contractors, however, will be a major problem for any such mega development projects. Projects hanging fire
One of the major projects which are pending is the solid waste management project. It had got delayed for one reason or the other. The biggest problem for Jyoti at this stage would be to persuade the safai karamchari unions who have been opposing the project tooth and nail The second biggest challenge for the new Mayor would be to start the construction work of the sports hub project at Burlton Park. While the loans and plans for the Rs 139-crore project have been cleared, a final sanction from the government is awaited FINE TUNING
There seems to be a very fine tuning between the former Mayor Rakesh Rathour and Sunil Jyoti. For the same reason, Rathour has been saying that he was feeling much relieved that his pending projects would be in safe hands. Jyoti has been saying that it would be difficult for him to match the standards of his predecessor. CEREMONIES GALORE
y Even a day after his appointment, the new Mayor continues to enjoy the welcome parties. Political adviser to the CM and state general secretary of BJP Kamal Sharma along with CPS KD Bhandari visited the MC office at 5 pm in the honour of Jyoti. Representatives of various unions, political leaders and former and present councillors also welcomed him to the office again with bouquets. |
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Pathetic road condition turns traders into Samaritans
Jalandhar, September 26 The building and roads wing the Punjab Public Works Department has turned a blind eye towards the condition of the road. Along with traders, area residents go through hardship as the only link to their destination is in a deplorable condition. And when it rains, they are left with no other option but to wade through knee-deep water that accumulates on the road. Many times, traders needed to help motorists cross flooded road and have erected flags in an effort to caution the road users. These shopkeepers have even arranged a tractor to tow away vehicles that often get struck on the flooded road. Mani Aujla, a dealer of electrical goods, said with no strength to bear the load of heavy vehicles, the road has got damaged. The level of the road also needs to be raised to avoid accumulation of water, he added. “I had sent a complaint to the Jalandhar Deputy Commissioner on his official website, but that has not served any purpose,” he claimed. Master Nirmal Chand, president of the Gill Market Association, claimed to have been guiding motorists to cross the road that appears to be a pond nowadays. “I did not do any business in the last month, but I am happy to save motorists from getting struck in the pool,” he said. The road is used by heavy vehicles loaded with industrial goods from Jalandhar, Hoshiaprur and neighbouring state of HP. Residents claimed that their requests to the DC, area MLA Pawan Kumar Tinu and Punjab Minister for Jails Swaran Singh Phillaur had not been heard. BS Tulli, Executive Engineer, PWD (B&R), Jalandhar, admitted that several portions on the road were in a pitiable state. He said a proposal of Rs 3.5 crore had been sent to the higher authorities in this regard and the department had been waiting for a positive reply.
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Another stretch of apathy
Nakodar, September 26 Residents have blamed the authorities concerned and politicians for not paying heed to the dilapidated road. During the last Assembly elections, the candidates of the Congress and SAD Though SAD candidate Gurpartap Singh Wadala won the elections defeating Amarjit Singh Samra of the Congress, he appeared to have forgotten about his promise, said Pardeep Kumar, a local resident. When it rains, the road turns into a pool of water, he said. Four wheelers, two wheelers and pedestrians find it tough to cross the flooded road. Ram Sarup, a senior citizen, said Samra had remained an MLA from Nakodar for four consecutive terms, but he had done nothing on the development front. “Now Wadala has won the seat, he too seemed uninterested to improve the poor condition of this road, which has been lying unattended for the past several years,” he alleged.
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Running from a garage, this dispensary fights termites, neglect
Jalandhar, September 26 A gate opens into the garage in which some space is first left for vehicles (to be parked) and beyond that, an almirah acts as a partition between the parking and the space where the pharmacist sits. While vehicles were parked inside, when The Tribune visited, staff said it was not the case everyday. Further, the doctor sits in a little room with a wooden ceiling ridden with termites. The only ventilation in this entire space is a little window in the storeroom. The dispensary was earlier housed inside the temple premises but was later shifted outside to the garage (also owned by the temple) on the temple authorities’ insistence. The shutter on the back wall of the garage could earlier be opened and served as an entrance to the temple, but while the shutter stays, a wall has been built behind it, blocking the way to the temple. Diseases
Ailments of upper respiratory tract, weakness, anaemia, skin problems among others are common in the area. Staff says a lot of women patients in the area seek ante-natal advice from them. Staff, however, claims that there is no incidence of TB in the area. But since there are a number of poor families and health awareness among the population in the area is low, hygiene and health awareness lessons are regularly meted out to patients. BPL families
While 70 per cent to 80 per cent people in the area belong to BPL families, staff says it never saw anyone bringing a smart card to the dispensary. Staff stregth
The dispensary has one MO, 2 ANMs, 1 pharmacist, 1 LHV (on deputation) and one safai sewak. Problems in plenty
Termite-eaten wood logs support the ceiling of the MO’s office. The inverter connection of the dispensary is also borrowed from a neighbourhood grocer. The only ventilation in this entire space is a little window in the storeroom Despite the matter being in the notice of the authorities, so far the staff has not been shifted to a better place. Staff contributions and the occasional supply of medicines from the Civil Hospital ensure supplies to the dispensary Poor Infrastructure
The staff says lack of ventilation sometimes makes it difficult for them to go on. Though a number of requests have been made to increase the size of the window (in the MO’s room) or convert it into a door (opening into the temple) so that at least the suffocating room gets some much-needed air, the authorities have not paid any heed to their requests. It remains stuffy in the dispensary almost throughout the year. The inverter connection in the dispensary has been provided by the shop of a neighbouring grocer. Termite-ridden ceiling has visibly weakened and the dispensary does not have the budget to get it repaired. They are forced to put up in this very space because no other option is available. The dispensary staff does not get any repair budget from the Health Department. While the staff has brought the state of their building and working conditions to the notice of the health authorities a number of times, so far nothing has been done to provide them with a better place to put up their dispensary. They say despite bad infrastructure, it’s their work that keeps the patients flowing in. Areas under its control
Catering to areas like Basti Nau, Ambedkar Nagar, Shah Kuli, Nijatam Nagar, Ganesh Nagar and Mangu Basti, among others, a population of about 25,000 people is covered by the dispensary. The dispensary OPD comprises 35 to 40 patients daily. Irregular Supplies
Staff contributions and the occasional supply of medicines from the Civil Hospital ensure supplies to the dispensary. Even as supplies this year have been irregular in comparison with previous years, they have been putting up supplies from their own side. |
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Political ill-will takes toll on housing scheme
Jalandhar, September 26 Even six years after the scheme was launched, during which 500 plots were cut and auctioned, no development has taken place on the site. None of the basic facilities, including power connection, streetlights and roads have been made available to the allottees. For the same reason, just three owners have constructed their houses so far. On the contrary, other colonies around the site developed by the Trust, including Surya Enclave and Guru Gobind Singh Avenue, have been developed. A new bypass road is also being constructed at the same site to improve the connectivity of the residential pocket with the rest of the city through Domoria ROB. Another problem is that the plots are seven to eight feet below the plinth level. The land was being used by some brick-kiln owners. While the then Chairman of the Jalandhar Improvement Trust Tajinder Bittu had claimed that the level of the plots would be raised by land filling, nothing has happened on this front. Unlike Surya Enclave and Guru Gobind Singh Avenue which got started in Bittu’s initial tenure, Maharaja Ranjit Singh Avenue scheme was launched at the fag end and could not be developed. Last year, the JIT even started imposing non-construction charges, the orders for which were later reverted. But there are many original allottees like Rajinder Mahajan, who have not been reimbursed the amount levied in this context. “I had contacted the JIT officials asking them to pay back my Rs 23,000, but there has been no response from them,” he alleged. Sanjay Sehgal, a property dealer and Congress leader, claimed, “The ruling government has ignored the scheme as it was started by our party. Nothing has happened there except for giving the mandatory water supply and sewage connection.” “The worst part is that the government schemes are often so highly priced that they become unaffordable for genuine buyers. It is only the financiers who are able to purchase it. They keep on retaining the plots till they are able to get a good price for the land. It is also for this reason that some government-developed areas take long to develop”. SE JIT Mukul Soni said the tenders worth Rs 2.44 crore have been approved for heavy and light tension lines. He added, “Another grant for Rs 1 crore is yet to be approved by the government for installing streetlights. An estimate for laying of PC roads to the tune of Rs 1 crore is also been prepared.”
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Teachers demand pending salaries
Jalandhar, September 26 After the dharna, the teachers also submitted a demand letter to the Jalandhar Deputy Commissioner asking for the clearance of the pending dues. Teachers of fifty-three secondary aided schools and eight primary schools of the district have been without salaries for the past seven months and nine months, respectively. Arvind Bains, district president of the union, while addressing the dharna, said: “Bills regarding our March-2012 salaries have been submitted to the treasury office. They have been lying there for the past several days, but the department is not issuing us our cheques after passing them.” Teachers said the non-payment of salaries had hit their domestic budgets but the Treasury Department was still not budging. Members of the union said with the regular step-motherly treatment being meted out to aided schools, the merging of aided school employees with the government schools was the only solution to the problem. In their demand letter, aided school teachers said: “Since the festival season is approaching, it will be difficult for them to make do without any steady finances”. The Deputy Commissioner assured the teachers that their grievances would be addressed soon. General secretary Kamal Sharma, press secretary Manish Aggarwal, vice-president of the union Amrinderjit Singh, were also present on the occasion. |
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Suicide victim’s kin allege police inaction
Jalandhar, September 26 Amit Kumar, brother-in-law of the deceased, said Vijay was working as an accountant at Mangi general store in Phillaur. He was allegedly tortured by store owners Ranjit Singh, Amit Karma and another accountant at the store. On August 14, 2012, Vijay had called up at home and said he could not bear the further torture of the store owner and he was going to end his life. A few hours later, Vijay ended his life after consuming poison near the Satluj in Phillaur, the brother-in-law of the deceased said. “Though the police has registered an abetment to suicide case against the said accused, no arrests have been made so far,” he said. Amit said if the police would continue to evade the arrest of the accused, they would lodge a protest against the police administration. “We have also apprised the Senior Superintendent of Police and the Superintendent of Police, Detective, of the issue several times, but no action has been taken yet,” the kin of the deceased said. “Recently, we met SP (D) Rajinder Singh who told us that the suicide note of Vijay had been sent to Chandigarh for the verification of signature of the deceased. He also told us that inquiry into the case was on,” the kin added.
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Students have a ball with 'Pinky Moge
Wali' stars
Jalandhar, September 26 Neeru Bajwa and Gavie Chahal reached out to students and onlookers on the third day of the ongoing Bhai Gobind Singh Pasricha Memorial 13th Inter-School Cricket Tournament. The actors, along with the singer, headed straightway to the grounds and exhibited their cricket skills, which turned out to be a delight for the students as well as onlookers. Earlier, MGN Memorial Tournament Committee patron Jarnail Singh Pasricha welcomed Neeru Bajwa, Gavy Chahal and KS Makhan. SDM (II) Isha Kalia and regional passport officer Parneet Singh were the chief guests for the morning session. Kiddy’s Corner School, Gwalior (MP), won the match and successfully entered into the final in the first match. Sonath from the same school was declared man of the match. He scored 63 runs in 33 balls with the help of four sixes and seven fours. The final match is scheduled for tomorrow to be played between Kundan Vidya Mandir, Ludhiana, and Kiddy’s Corner, Gwalior. Kundan Vidya Mandir, Ludhiana, thrashed MGN in the second match and entered into the final of the tournament.
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Kartarpur, September 26 The deceased were identified as Kehar Singh and his nephew Punan Singh, both resident of Dyalpur village. The injured was identified as Satwinder Singh, also the resident of the same village. Police sources said both deceased had sustained serious head injuries and died on the spot, while the victim was rushed to a nearby private hospital. The driver of the loading vehicle fled from the spot immediately after the mishap, the sources added. — OC
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Kartarpur, September 26 Recovery of the vehicle was possible following the interrogation of the accused, identified as Manvinder Singh, a resident of Narangwal, who was brought on a production warrant from a Hisar jail. The accused was undergoing jail term at Hisar in a robbery case. Interrogation of the accused also led to the identification of five other accused, said Malkit Singh, Investigating Officer. However, he refused to provide details of the accused for security reasons. — OC
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Nambardar arrested for giving false testimony
Jalandhar, September 26 The accused was identified as Darshal Lal of Basti Danishmanda locality. Police sources said NRI Beant Singh had complained to the police that his relatives had prepared fake power of attorney of his property located at Kalia colony here, in which the nambardar had given his false testimony. A case under Sections 467, 468, 471, 420 of the Indian Penal Code has been registered against the accused.
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Newly elected Mayor Sunil Jyoti has some big challenges ahead of him. Apart from initiating new development works, several big projects are hanging fire for the past three to four years.
Political ill-will, it seems, has taken a toll on a housing scheme, Maharaja Ranjit Singh Avenue, which was started by the Jalandhar Improvement Trust along the Jalandhar-Amritsar highway during the Congress regime.
The district wing of the Punjab State Aided School Teachers and Other Employees Union today held a dharna outside the District Treasury Office to protest against the delay in salaries of teachers of district aided schools for the past seven months.
Relatives of the deceased, Vijay Kumar, who allegedly committed suicide by consuming some poisonous substance at Phillaur last month, today alleged police inaction in nabbing the accused booked in abetment to suicide case.
