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Fund crunch hits many development works
A view of Nehru garden
Goonj lends a helping hand to people with clothes
Man arrested for rape
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Strike by MC’s temporary staff enters eighth day
PTU youth fest takes off
Attack on Lt Gen Brar
Leaders speak
Congress district president Arun Walia, along with other members, interacts with mediapersons in Jalandhar on Monday. Photo: Sarabjit Singh
Huge amount of banned drugs seized
Two houses of NRIs burgled
Plaza chowk turns into garbage dump
No headway in minor girl’s murder case
Two POs held
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Fund crunch hits many development works
Jalandhar, October 8 Though he admitted shortage of funds, MC Commissioner Vinay Bublani said, "The worst situation is now over as the MC has got adequate funds. Forty per cent of the due payment to contractors for works of Building and Roads (B&R) Department completed by June this year will be paid within a week. Similarly, contractors who completed works of Operation and Maintenance (O & M) Department by June will be given 100 per cent payment by next Monday." A former councillor and Congress leader, Rajinder Beri (who also unsuccessfully contested the previous Assembly elections from Jalandhar Central constituency) said, "Forget about submitting tenders for new projects, contractors are not even executing already allotted work to them as they have been paid by the MCJ for a year." Beri said, "The two prestigious projects --- renovation of Nehru Garden and development of Burlton Park as a sports hub --- have been hanging fire for several months due to lack of enough funds. The foundation stone of Nehru Garden renovation project has been laid thrice." Echoing his statement, Congress councillor Sushil Rinku said, "The MC owes Rs 125 crore to the contractors. So much so, even bills of several works, which were executed eight months ago, have not been prepared." Beri further said, "So much so, even the streetlight and tubewell operation contractors have not been paid their due for the last several months. As a result, the contractors could not pay the salary to the staff employed by them for tubewell operation and streetlight maintenance." Apart from this, no new project has been started in the city in the recent past due to lack of funds. There is immediate requirement of construction of several roads. Further installation of new tubewells for ensuring proper supply of potable water to various localities are also required, but it has not been done reportedly due to inadequate funds. Vinay Bublani, MCJ Commissioner, said, "We have held a meeting with the contractors on Monday itself to prepare a system to make payment due to them. Contractors executing works relating to O&M department, including tubewell operation and streetlight maintenance, have been paid till March this year. The delay in development of Burlton Park as a sports hub has nothing to do with lack of funds. There was some technical problem, which will be sorted out soon. The work for sports hub will hopefully start soon. Similarly, funds for the renovation of Nehru Garden have been kept separate and the work for the same will start soon. As far as the dilapidated roads are concerned, patch work is already on. The new roads will also be constructed where sewer has been laid under the UIDSSMT and NRCP projects." What Cong claims
The two prestigious projects --- renovation of Nehru Garden and development of Burlton Park as a sports hub --- have been hanging fire for several months due to lack of enough funds. The foundation stone of Nehru Garden renovation project has been laid thrice. Officialspeak The worst situation is now over as the MC has got adequate funds. The delay in development of Burlton Park as a sports hub has nothing to do with lack of funds. There was some technical problem, which will be sorted out soon. Similarly, funds for the renovation of Nehru Garden have been kept separate and the work for the same will start soon. As far as the dilapidated roads are concerned, patch work is already on.~ — Vinay Bublani, MC Commissioner Contractors not paid
The Municipal Corporation Jalandhar (MC), it is learnt, has not paid even a single penny to any contractor for the work completed a year ago No new project has been started in the city in the recent past due to lack of funds. There is immediate requirement of construction of several roads. Further installation of new tubewells for ensuring proper supply of potable water to various localities are also required, but it has not been done reportedly due to inadequate funds. |
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Goonj lends a helping hand to people with clothes
Jalandhar, October 8 Celebrating the ongoing Joy of Giving Week, which started on October 2, the NGO Goonj is busy collecting clothes and needful things from the people of the city (and elsewhere) to facilitate the less privileged ones in the state. Goonj's ‘60 days of dignity’ campaign makes a unique appeal to the urban masses. Talking about the unheard of things rural women are forced to use for their menstrual cycle in the absence of a clean piece of clothing, highlighting their shame and health risk. This year Goonj wants to reach 50,000 women (across India) with a ‘dignity pack’ comprising 12 packs of napkins and three undergarments as a year’s supply for this basic need. A city person can make this possible by a contribution of Rs 250 for a village woman. Goonj is also doing a ‘Vastra Samman’ and ‘School to School’ campaign during the Joy of Giving Week. Anyone can take part in this campaign. There are 37 centres in 10 cities across India where one can contribute to these campaigns. In the district, Goonj has so far identified 16 villages where people are in a dire need of clothes. Talking to The Tribune, team member Daljit said, “In a Tarn Taran village, our team members met three sisters sharing the same undergarments. They can’t even ask their neighbours to help because every house in the village has the same story. People shy away from talking openly about such cases, but these women are in emergent need of clothing. There is no bigger disaster for a woman than not having clean cloth during her days of need and we consider that situation worthy of working on a war footing.” “Winters are another situation that we treat on a disaster level. There are villages in the Shahkot belt of Jalandhar where our teams have seen children in schools wearing thin synthetic clothing even during the peak of winter. They don’t have a single piece of warm cloth in their houses. It is the same situation for women is these areas too.” Rajewal, Rajewal Khurd, Taharpur are some villages in Shahkot where 50 to 60 per cent schoolchildren were seen with inadequate clothing during winters. Goonj has decided to provide clothes in all these villages. It also ensures that clothes are handed over to people in a dignified way. They don’t accept shoes without pairs or ragged, soiled clothing. The stuff given is then recycled to make it look new. “People are made to do community developmental activities like road repair, well digging, pond cleaning etc. in return of which they are given clothes. That way they earn their clothes while also help the village to develop,” Daljit says. Talking about the need in the district, Daljit, who is also the state coordinator, says, “There are less student volunteers in Punjab compared to the rest of India. Students need to come forward for this cause. Our aim is to take clothes to every home so that nobody is deprived of their basic right to be clothed. Volunteers can work with us on weekends or provide financial help. Any sort of help is welcome.” Goonj also gives toys kits to village schools and anganwari centres. Stationary, uniforms and other things collected thorough its school programme also goes for the help of schoolchildren in villages.
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Man arrested for rape
Nakodar, October 8 In her complaint, the woman, a resident of Salempur Sidhwan Bait village near Ludhiana, alleged that she and Sukhwinder fell in love three years back. He also developed physical relations with her, she alleged. “Sukhwinder never listened to me whenever I asked him to marry me. Sensing a lack of commitment on his part, I started ignoring him. But promising marriage, he kept pressurising me to maintain physical relations,” she alleged. A few days ago, he allegedly called her in Nakodar and served her cold drink laced with sedatives. After she fell unconscious, he took her to some isolated place and allegedly raped her, she told the police. Later he also threatened her of dire consequences if she revealed the incident to any of her family members, she further alleged. She recently approached the Deputy Superintendent of Police Nakodar, which led to the registration of a case against
Sukhwinder. Woman concocted rape story: Accused kin
Harjinder Singh, brother of the accused, alleged that the said woman had concocted the story on behalf of some Akali leaders and senior police officials of the area. He alleged that Akali leaders had an old enmity with his brother. A case of rape has been registered against his brother without any investigation, he claimed. “Woman also had a notorious past and she always remained in controversies due to her fake character,” he said. “I have doubts on the Jalandhar police. I demand reinvestigation of the case that too outside Jalandhar,” he said. |
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Strike by MC’s temporary staff enters eighth day
Phagwara, October 8 Protesters said two months back they were assured regularisation of their services, but nothing has happened after that. Meanwhile, it’s the residents of Phagwara who have been hit by the strike. Sewerage drains have been lying chocked for the past many days in several localities including Hargobind Nagar. The official machinery of the MC has failed to tackle the situation on its own. Municipal Commissioner SK Singla said though the MC staff were trying hard to maintain cleanliness in the town, the striking employees were creating hindrances and even stopping the JCB machine to clean the blocked sewerages. Commissioner Singla said the MC was taking the services of a private company to clean the drains of the town. Executive Officer Adarsh Sharma said the MC would soon launch a cleanliness drive.
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PTU youth fest takes off
Jalandhar, October 8 CT Group of Institutions has been host the youth fest for the first time. On the first day, more than 400 students from 16 colleges and institutes of the university participated in various competitions. The inauguration ceremony was organised at Sardarni Manjit Kaur Auditorium and was attended by Sufi singer Hans Raj Hans; Charanjit Singh Channi, Chairman, CT Group; Parminder Kaur Channi, Co-Chairperson; Manbir Singh, MD; and Group Director Dr Manoj Kumar. While the main auditorium hosted the cultural events, the seminar hall of CT Institute of Engineering Management and Technology saw competitions like debate, elocution and quiz programmes. The drawing halls of CTIEMT hosted competitions like rangoli making, clay modeling and cartooning. At Shrimati Manjit Kaur Auditorium, the participating teams showcased their talents in Indian classical dance. In the folk dance competition, the participating students showcased rich cultural diversity of the land. Students performed dances from Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat, North-East, Maharashtra and other states of the country. Results: Poem recitation: 1st position to CTIEMT bagged first position followed by RIET Phagwara. In cartoon contest, the DAVIET bagged the top slot followed by Apeejay, Jalandhar. In classical dance, the DAVIET students bagged the first position followed by the CTIEMT.
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Security for veteran Cong leaders sought
Ashok Kaura
Phagwara, October 8 A nephew of former Union Home Minister Buta Singh, Maan has written a letter to Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, which was released here today. Maan alleged that at a time when the intelligence agencies of the country are screaming about the nefarious designs of the terrorist forces to revive militancy in Punjab, withdrawal of security to Congress leaders by the Badal government exposes that how the SAD-BJP combine wants to settle scores with their political opponents. Maan said the recent attack on Brar by extremists in London along with the inputs being given by the intelligence agencies clearly indicate that the separatist forces are raising their ugly head in the state to disturb its hard earned peace. He said in case any mishap occurs with any of the Congress leader, SAD-BJP government would be held responsible.
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Leaders speak
Jalandhar, October 8 Flaying the SAD-BJP government for adopting unfair and biased attitude against urban power consumers, Punjab Congress secretary Virendra Sharma, district Congress (Urban) president Arun Walia and senior vice-president Kanwal Sachdeva demanded rollback of
hike in the connection fees. They said the Congress would launch an agitation if the government doesn’t do so. They said, “The government is imposing more and more burden on the urbanities in general and the industrialists in particular. First it increased power tariff by 12.8 per cent and now this fee hike.” They said, “This government in adding to the burden of the industrialists so that they shift their units from Punjab.”
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Huge amount of banned drugs seized
Jalandhar October 8 SHO Somnath said the police received a tip-off that owner of Musafir Medicos in the Mithu Basti area had been selling banned drugs for the past several months. Acting on the information, a raid was conducted and 13 types of banned drugs were seized from the shop. Seized drugs included 76 syrups, 17,200 tablets, 2430 capsules and 53 injections, the SHO said. The actual cost of these drugs was about Rs 23,000. He said proceedings to cancel the licence of chemist shop owner have been initiated.
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Two houses of NRIs burgled
Phagwara, October 8 The police has registered a case in this regard. The house of NRI Gurdip Singh was reportedly burgled in nearby Rihana Jattan village last night. The family members were away to attend a religious function and found the house burgled after they returned. The burglars had entered the house after cutting the grills of the window. They decamped with gold ornaments worth Rs 2.25 lakh and Rs 1000 cash. The police has registered a case. |
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Plaza chowk turns into garbage dump
Jalandhar, October 8 This has been the state of affair for the past several months. Ram Mohan, a rehriwala near the chowk, alleged that he had often seen residents throwing household waste at the site. He has also noticed MC safai karamcharis dumping garbage there, he added. Ramesh Kumar, a local shopkeeper, said shopkeepers have asked people not to dump garbage here, but in vain. “This dump is an eyesore for city residents who come to enjoy fast food near the chowk,” he said.
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No headway in minor girl’s murder case
Jalandhar, October 8 SHO Lakhbir Singh said though the police expected to get the report today, it has been delayed due to some reasons. It is to recall here that Jyoti along with her 4-year-old sister Bablu had gone missing last week. Bablu was found the very next day, but Jyoti’s body, with hands tied, was recovered from the fields on Friday. |
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A number of ongoing development projects in the city are hanging fire due to scarcity of funds.
The Municipal Corporation Jalandhar, it is learnt, has not paid even a single penny to any contractor for the work completed a year ago.
The Congress has demanded rollback of hike in fees for getting new power connections for various categories in urban areas.
The Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) has hiked the connection fee for the heavy industries by 144 per cent, for the small-scale industries and domestic connection by 115 per cent.
