Jalandhar, November 29
It was the concluding day of the Abolition of Child Labour Week yesterday and all the inspections that had to be carried out during the week, have been done with. Leave alone abolition, during the week, even strict, clear cut action against established offenders wasn’t visible.

As many as 110 raids were carried out by the Labour department on Wednesday on the concluding day of the Abolition of Labour Child Labour Week across the district.

In the Wednesday raids, as many as four children were rescued and all of them were found pursuing non-hazardous occupations, as per the labour department.

In the past seven days, till yesterday, as many as 850 inspections have been carried out across the city and only 36 children have been rescued.

Out of these, at least 14 children were found pursuing hazardous occupations as per sources in the labour department.

Since labour department insiders themselves made clear that they had received strict instructions not to pick up any child above the age of 14 years, all the children rescued were clearly below the age of 14 years, as officially confirmed by labour department officials too.

Out of the 36 rescued, again, 14 were officially confirmed by the labour department officials to be pursuing hazardous occupations.

Both the Juvenile Justice Act 2000 and the Child Labour Act (1986) that the employment of a child below 14 years of age in a hazardous occupation by a person is a criminal offence.

The fact that no action is still being taken by the administration, even as the law is on their side, certainly raises questions.

If one looks back at the entire week, While the number of rescued children were as many as 9 on the first day, they kept decreasing as the days passed -the reason, the labour department gives, is that word about the drives spread, which caused establishments to get cautious.

While the number of children pursuing hazardous occupations was the most on Day 1 of the drive, the number of these children (pursuing hazardous jobs) also kept decreasing. On the last day, yesterday, not a single one was reportedly found pursuing a hazardous job.

Not a single FIR has been lodged against any of the employers employing these children, despite the fact that as per the state action plan for the abolition of child labour, the district police is an integral part of the district task force.

The district administration has so far not bothered to look into the issue.

Neither the Deputy Commissioner, who is the chairman of the task force, nor the Police Commissioner (to whom activists of the NGO Bachpan Bachao Andolan had even submitted a complaint regarding the lack of FIRs being lodged against erring employers during this very week) have initiated action in this regard.

While issues of a massively under-equipped labour department and lack of rehabilitation facilities in the district plague the drive to counter child labour, the week, like always, seemed like yet another exercise in merely observing a formality rather than a serious attempt to counter child labour.

When asked why no FIRs were lodged against any of the erring employers (even those who employed children in hazardous occupations), Deputy Commissioner, Jalandhar, Priyank Bharti - who is the constituting authority of the district task force, said he will check why it hasn’t been done.

Jalandhar, November 29
After the two MC contractors, engaged in the job of functioning and maintenance of streetlights, had yesterday threatened to call a blackout in the city from December 1 onwards, officials sprung into action and called a meeting with them today.

While the contractors insisted on the paying up of their dues pending for the past 10 months, the officials managed to convince the contractors to work for another month while assuring them a part payment.

The two contractors, Raj Kumar Luthra and Inderjit Bajaj, who have been deployed by the MC for the switching on and off of nearly 59,133 streetlight points in the city, had yesterday written to the Superintending Engineer that their contract would expire on November 30 and the MC officials should take the responsibility of streetlights in their own hands thereafter.

The contract for the purpose had expired four months ago and they had been given extension for the timeperiod which would lapse tomorrow. The MC officials had called fresh tenders last week, in which they had added a clause of timely payment. The corporation officials rejected these tenders, claiming that these were conditional and have called for tenders again on December 4.

Contractor Inderjit Bajaj said his dues, worth Rs 70 lakh, were due for maintenance in three zones, including Dada Colony, Industrial Area and Partap Bagh. Similarly, Luthra said a payment of nearly Rs 85 lakh was due from four zones, including Model Town, Lal Rattan Cinema, Basti Sheikh and Company Bagh.

They today claimed that the agreement could not be one-sided with penalties imposed on them for various reasons. “If we are to be held accountable for so many reasons, even the MC officials need to ensure timely payments for us.”

Viney Bublani, Commissioner, said they were proceeding with giving the existing contractors a one-month extension of maintenance contract. “They have agreed on it. The issue regarding payment will be resolved in due course of time,” he added.

Jalandhar, November 29
About two years ago, Seema Chopra, a Jalandhar-based writer, was given the task to review works of noted British scholar Sir William Jones by the head of department (HoD) of Kalanidhi Library at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Arts (IGCA), New Delhi.

The book - six volumes of complete works of Sir William Jones - usually elusive and kept in a vault at the Kalanidhi library, opened a world of possibilities for the author and freelancer.

Based on her own studies of the legendary scholar and smitten by his genius, Chopra is now planning to come out with her book on the life and works of the scholar.

A journey that started with a review of a dusty old book in a library soon turned into a trail of gold - smitten by the Englishman’s respect for the country of her birth, Chopra found out things about the scholar that were yet unknown to India.

In fact, it was probably for the first time that an Indian was commissioned to review the complete works of Sir William Jones.

“The first day I opened the book at the IGCA in Delhi was itself a surprise of sorts. I opened the book, which is in six volumes, first on April 20 2010 at Delhi, exactly 213 years after it was published (on April 20 1799),” Chopra beamed.

Moved by the delightful coincidence, Chopra’s faith - in the scholar and the fact that she was supposed to reintroduce the scholar to the present generation - was reaffirmed.

“The review of the six volumes was an eye opener in the sense that I only had a one-sided, low opinion about the British rule in India. But I now accept that I learnt a lot about our vast culture - literature, music, poetry, ayurveda, astronomy, ancient temples, customs of tribes and much more in a most engaging read, which happened to be an Englishman’s mammoth writings,” Chopra said.

“I thought that we Indians know a lot about our past glory and culture, but was pleasantly surprised that an Englishman in the 18th century presented our cultural past to the entire Western world, putting Hindustan on a pedestal, as during that period, Greek, Roman and Egyptian culture was thought to be the highest,” she added.

“He was quite clear about his high opinion of India in his writings. He made word to word translations of Sanskrit magnum opuses 'Manusmriti', 'Bhasunda Ramayan', story explaining Indian 'Chaturanga' being original chess, Kalidas' poetry, Jaidev's 'Geetgovind' - the eternal expression of divine love. Referring to Kalidas as Shakespeare of India, he made a remarkable Sanskrit - Prakrit to English translation of 'Shakuntala', act by act. Sir Jones wrote that at the time that the Britons were ‘unpolished and unlettered’ in the fifth century, 'Abhigyan Shakuntalam' was written by Kalidas, who was a gem in the court of the King Vikramaditya,” she said.

Taking note of her meticulous review and the path-breaking life and works of Sir Jones Dr Ramesh Gaur, the then head of the department of the Kalanidhi Library, asked her, in April 2011, to hold a talk under the Kalanidhi Lecture Series at the Indira Gandhi Centre of Arts in New Delhi.

“The talk, followed by a question-answer session, happened on the June 8, 2011, and to my surprise, was well attended even on a stifling hot June afternoon by prominent historians, theatre and media personalities at Delhi.”

The event - well attended and noted by the media as well - brought the focus on Sir Jones’ works after a long time.

Two years down the line, researching the scholar, Chopra has visited the Asiatic Society (formed by Sir Jones and his associates) building in Kolkata (when it was Calcutta), followed the Sir Jones’ John Milton trail (the scholar was an ardent admirer of the poet and was a regular to Forest Hill (3 miles from Oxford) and the house of John Milton.

Interestingly, Chopra, also visited the statue of Sir Jones at the Saint Paul’s Cathedral in London, a treasure hitherto unknown to Indians, and photographed it with special permission from the church auhtorities.

In the well-sculpted marble statue, the scholar has been depicted holding the ancient Sanskrit Law Book "Manusmriti" in his hand. Since photography is otherwise not allowed at the cathedral, this find and these photographs by Chopra were something new for Indians.

In view of the fact that Chopra was privy to latest finds regarding the scholar, she was also recently asked to issue another talk on Sir Jones at the Habitat Centre in Delhi on July 25 this year.

Notably, the translation of 'Manusmriti' from Sanskrit to English is one of the most important contributions of Sir William Jones to literature and the legal system of British-India as well as post-Independence India.

Responding to queries on what new finds regarding the scholar shall be included in Chopra’s book, she says, “I will add my personal viewpoint and experiences in my research papers. Also, I shall add information about the places and people mentioned in the volumes after researching on their present-day status.”

While it will still take about a year for the book to come out, Chopra also plans to visit the places related to the discourses in the volumes, as and when possible.

Seema Chopra started her career as a freelance journalist in 1988 for various leading national newspapers and magazines, which she is still doing. She has contributed papers to a Hungarain book on fire walking and to the ninth book in the set of Eleven Reference Books on Indian Paintings and Folk Art - statewise; of Delhi University.

She has launched a Coffee Table Book - Timeless Trails; a compilation of previously published articles, based on unique travel destinations.

Presently, she is reviewing rare books at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts (IGNCA).

Jalandhar, November 29
Sharda Thapa of Uttrakhand bagged the gold medal in the ongoing 6th All India Police Shooting (Sports) Championship, being held at the PAP shooting range on Wednesday. She clinched the title in the 06.22 free/ Std Rifle 3-P 50 Mtr (women) category. She scored 573 points to clinch the title in the 06.22 free/ Std Rifle 3-P 50 m (women) category.

Women shooters of the CISF Kuheli Gangulee and the BSP Sonia Dodwal, however, bagged the silver and the bronze medals by obtaining 572 and 556 points, respectively.

In the team event, the BSF team bagged a gold medal by scoring 1,641 points while the CRPF and the Andhra Pradesh teams scored 1,613 and 1,482 points to secure silver and bronze medals respectively.

Scoring the highest marks (563) in the 16.22 sports pistol 25m (women) event, Rachna Devi of the CRPF was adjudged the gold medallist while a close fight was given by Rajni of Haryana, who scored 558 marks for the silver medal and Amarjit Kaur of BSF (555 points) for the bronze.

In the team events, CRPF again maintained its lead and won gold by securing 1,639 points. The shooters of the BSF and Haryana Police bagged the silver and the bronze medals by scoring 1,637 and 1,580 marks, respectively.

It was ITBP all the way in the 09 Big Bore Free Rifle 3-P 300 m (Men) individual events when Rajendra Singh scored 533 for the gold, Pardeep Singh scored 496 for the silver and Asif Ali Khan hit the bronze by scoring 485 points.

The ITBP bagged a gold medal by scoring 1,534 points and the BSF claimed the silver by scoring 1,372 points and the Punjab Police had to content with a bronze medal with a score of 1,361 points.

Similarly in the 11 .177 Air Pistol 10m (men) individual competitions, Amit Kumar of the BSF bagged the gold (580 points), while Samresh Jung of the CISF was restricted to silver by scoring 578 points and Maninder Singh of the Punjab police, who remained on the third position, got the bronze medal for his score of 575 points.

The ITBP shooters bagged gold by securing 1,709 marks in the team events while the BSF and the Punjab police bagged the second and third positions with a score of 1,708 marks and 1,684 points respectively. 

Jalandhar, November 29
One can enjoy traditional Punjabi food with women having the facility of getting mehndi applied free of cost at Punjabi Food Festival being organised at Suruchi, a restaurant, at Viva College on the GT road.

RK Arora, senior manager of the restaurant, claimed that Punjabi traditional dishes like "Makki di roti", "Sarson da Saag", "Mah Di Daal", "Jalandhar Diyan Chaapa", "Kadi Pakoda" and "Gajrella" with a special deal of Patiala style peg of choicest non-alcoholic beverages were the main attractions of the festival.

The 10-day food festival will be for the general public from November 29 till December 9. Besides Punjabi dishes, Rajasthani and Gujarati, mouth-watering food items will also be served on demand.

Jalandhar, November 29
Pan India Events, an event management company, will organize a dance competition "King of dance", the quarterfinals of which will be held at Red Cross Bhawan here tomorrow.

The auditions for the event have been conducted by choreographer Vivek Aggarwal.

The semifinals of the event will be held on December 9 at Amritsar, while the finals will be held at New Delhi which will be adjudged by renowned dance master Remo D’Souza.

Jalandhar, November 29
The Jalandhar Chapter of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) has decided to conduct a state-level conference on "Empowering SMEs and going beyond" on December 15 at Hotel Ramada.

Chairman Vijay Gupta said the topic had been selected in order to establish a strong bond between company secretaries and the SME sector. “The SME sector has been recognised in world economies as an engine of growth and employment, and vital to the sustainability of economic development of the country,” he added, claiming that the conference would be attended by
more than 300 distinguished delegates.

Phagwara, November 29
The functioning of the Kapurthala police came under scanner with a Phagwara-based court acquitting Surinder Mittal, a former member of the district consumer forum, Jalandhar, of the charges framed against him by the police for defaming, using abusive language and threatening Sandeep Kaur, a resident of Naseerabad, with dire consequences.

Giving the suspect Mittal, who was earlier accused of the charges, benefit of the doubt, Sub Divisional Judicial Magistrate Mohit Bansal ordered his acquittal, besides discharging his personal bonds and surety bonds.

The judicial magistrate also ordered that the case property of any is ordered to be dealt with as per the rules after the expiry period of appeal/revision, if any.

After going through the facts that the police failed to prove the charges against the accused and the statement of the complainant’s sister, Rajwinder Kaur, the court pronounced the order.

Surinder Mittal, who owns an IELTS coaching institute at Phagwara, was booked on Sandeep Kaur’s complaint and a case under Sections 294, 500, 506 and 509 of the IPC was registered against him at the Phagwara police station on January 10, 2009.

The case was registered against the suspect after the then SSP, Kapurthala, allegedly took interest in putting him behind bars. The suspect was the SSP’s close relative and the duo was reportedly having differences due to certain family disputes.

The court observed that the defence evidences showed that the IG Jalandhar, Range, had ordered the investigation in the case by an SP-rank officer. The prosecution has not produced all related documents relating to the investigation conducted by the SP (traffic), Jalandhar. Moreover, the prosecution has not examined the investigating officers, who conducted the part of the investigations.

The court further added that the plea taken by Surinder Mittal that he was being falsely implicated was not proved on record nor any such inference could be drawn from the evidence on record.

“Since the prosecution has not examined the complainant and the testimony of other witnesses, in the considered opinion of the court, this does not prove the charges framed against the accused. Therefore, it is held that the prosecution has failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt against the accused,” the court observed. 

Amritsar, November 29
A budding swimmer, Ujjawal Sharma, student of Class X in DAV Public School, Lawrence Road, brought laurels to the school by bagging the third position in water polo in National School Swimming and Water Polo Championship held in Pune from November 21 to 25. He had the honour of representing the state (Punjab) there.

Ujjawal already has many medals and trophies to his credit. In the open State Swimming Championship organised by the PSA at Patiala in June, he had won two gold medals in 100 m and 200 m butterfly stroke, three silver medals in 100 m back stroke, 50 m back stroke and 4x100 m free style relay.

In the state school swimming and water polo championship organised by the DEO at Jalandhar in October, he bagged a gold medal in water polo, two silver medals in 200 m back stroke and 4x100 m free style relay and two bronze medals in 100 m stroke and 50 m back stroke.

Regional Director Dr Neelam Kamra, Principal of the BBK DAV College for Women and the manager of the school Dr K.N. Kaul and Principal of DAV College, Amritsar, congratulated the swimmer and wished him luck for his future. Neera Sharma, Principal of DAV Public School, Lawrence Road, applauded Ujjawal’s achievement and efforts of his coach Lovely.