Jalandhar, April 3
Having contested for the post of president unsuccessfully last year and served as secretary seven years ago, advocate Mandeep Singh Sachdev is once again in fray for the District Bar Association election to be held this Friday. Nearly 1,700 members, including city’s top industrialists and politicians, will participate in the poll.

Middle-aged Sachdev has one of the senior-most members Ved Vyas Sharma contesting against him for the post of president. Unlike the previous year when candidates for the posts of senior vice-president, junior vice-president, assistant secretary and seven executives had been declared winners unopposed, elections will be held for all the posts this year.

There are two candidates for each of the five posts - president, senior vice-president, junior vice-president, joint secretary and assistant secretary. The post of secretary, however, officially has three contestants.

Those trying for the post of secretary are Karam Pal Singh Gill, who has earlier served on the post, and first-timer Satnam Singh. Another candidate Sukhbir Singh is said to have left the contest after the date of withdrawal. The two candidates for the post of senior vice-president are Sandeep Kalia and Tejinder Singh Dhaliwal. Sandeep Pal and Sandeep Kumar Verma are the two contestants for the post of junior vice-president.

The only woman lawyer contesting this time is Manju Bala who is contesting for the post of joint secretary. Ravish Malhotra is the candidate opposite her. Those vying for the post of assistant secretary are Bharat Bhushan Sekhri and Jatin Anand.

There are nine contestants for the post of seven executives this time. Those in fray are Amit Sekhri, Amit Vohra, Charanjit Lal Sareen, Gurmej Singh, Gurpreet Rai, Puneet Gulati, Sukhveer Singh Braich, Susan Anand and Varun Chadha.

Four lawyers, who have been appointed returning officers, are Manoj Kumar Vijan, NPS Thind, Sudhir Sharma and Kanwar Opinder Singh Jaswal.

Jalandhar, April 3
With the Congress appointing Banga MLA and dalit leader MLA Tarlochan Singh Soondh as party' vice-president and zonal in charge of Doaba, it would be interesting to see whether he would be able to revive the fortunes of the party in Doaba. For the past decade, Choudhary Jagjit Singh and Mohinder Singh Kaypee remained as dalit face of the Congress in Doaba, but now, with the parliamentary elections just a year away, the AICC has given command to Tarlochan to strengthen the party cadre in the region.

It is pertinent to mention that presently there are 23 assembly segments in Doaba, which includes Jalandhar (9), Hoshiarpur (7), Kapurthala (4) and Nawanshahr (3). What makes the job of Tarlochan challenging is the fact that despite la ot of expectations, the Congress had failed to regain its lost ground in the region during the 2012 Assembly elections. From 16 seats in 2002 Assembly poll, the tally of the party had dipped to just four seats in the 2007 elections.

However, during the 2012 Assembly elections, despite the fact that the BJP was not on a strong footing and there was anti-incumbency factor against the SAD-BJP alliance, the Congress failed to capitalise and could win just six seats, whereas the Akali-BJP alliance pocketed 16 seats. According sources in the party , the shrinking base of the senior Congress leaders among dalit's in doaba, wrong selection of party candidates in some Assembly segments, BSP eating into the party's vote share, coupled with some other factors proved fatal for the party.

"Taking into account the above-mentioned factors, the party has handpicked Tarlochan to rejuvenate the Congress cadre in Doaba", said sources in the Congress. However, sources in the Congress feel that though Tarlochan is a dalit, yet he is not a prominent face of the region. It would be interesting to see how he takes up the new challenge and only time will tell whether Tarlochan's appointment proves fruitful for the party or not," said a senior Congress leader from Jalandhar.

Meanwhile, Tarlochan said his main aim would be to ensure that the party cadre was strengthened and all the Congress leaders consolidate their base to give a united and strong fight to the SAD-BJP alliance in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. "Congressmen, who are tirelessly working for the party, will be given due representation at organisational level," he said, while adding that the party's rank and file would be mobilised to expose the misdeeds of the SAD-BJP government. "All senior party leaders will be taken into confidence while taking important decisions to make sure that the party remains united," he asserted. 

Jalandhar, April 3
Among the various sorry trends kicked off by the low conviction rate of employers hiring child labourers, one is the increased impunity with which people have been hiring minor girls for various hazardous and non-hazardous occupations.

As per the recent survey reports of the National Child Labour Project (NCLP), of the total of 9,170 children employed as child labourers in the district, almost half - as many as 4,192 - are girls.

While the number of boys employed as child labourers in the district is still a way higher (5,518), what is bothersome is that the rescue of female child labourers is almost nil.

While as many as 249 children were rescued in raids held from January 2009 till now (March 2013), only one of them was a girl.

In the session 2009-10, six children were rescued; in 2010-11, 90 were rescued; in 2011-12, 83 were rescued and in 2012-February 2013, 70 were rescued.

Sadly, of these only one child rescued last year was a girl.

Activists across Jalandhar say they have personally been witness to the disregard to the rights of female labourers both by the administration and society.

Housewife and activist Neha Khanna, who has been teaching underprivileged children in the neighbourhood says, “At least five to six of my students have been girls between the age of 11 and 15, who were working as domestic help. Many of them were going to school as well as accompanying their mothers on various chores at the houses they were working in. Some were out of school. Though I tried to convince many of these children’s parents to drop the work and take to full time studies, they never agreed.”

“Interestingly, some people, despite knowing I teach such students, have been calling me with queries about any child who would work at their homes. The society at large isn’t bothered about such children’s plight,” Khurana says.

Komal from the NGO Koshish says, “We have been working in various slum areas of the city and have noticed that little girls are subject to a lot of exploitation. They tend to their baby siblings or work at homes. Many of these girls are employed as domestic help and no one is ever bothered whether they are harassed or exploited at these homes. While very few of them speak up about the maltreatment, the fact that it is their only source of livelihood makes even parents disregard their daughters’ safety in many cases. There are only a few homes where these children are treated properly.”

Dinesh Kumar ,activist of the Bachpan Bachao Andolan, says, “We have been working in the city for the past few years and so far we have only witnessed one minor girl being rescued, that ,too,during a raid that we accompanied the task force in. The employer of that girl (11) was let off after a challan.”

“We have also been complaining to the district authorities (labour department and task force) about more cases that we know about asking them to accompany us to raid them. What we generally noticed is that the task force is wary of raiding posh residential areas where most of these girls are employed as domestic help. Other common occupations are embroidery and football stitching. While dhabas and shops are raided, the big fish is let off,” Dinesh said.

Sources said systemic problems and immense political pressure were some of the key factors playing dampeners in the rescue of girl child labourers.

Inderjit Singh, project director, National Child Labour Project, Jalandhar, said, “The number of girls pursuing child labour in the district has indeed gone up in the recent times. As per estimates at least 25 per cent of the domestic helps employed across the district are girls.”

Speaking about students being merged in the NCLP project, he said, “Of the 1,350 students currently attending classes under the NCLP project in the district, about 50 per cent are girls.”

However, Sukhjinder Singh Sara, Labour-cum-Conciliation officer, Jalandhar, said, “We do not believe that there are many girls being employed as child labourers in the district. Often there are reports about children being employed as child labourers in a certain area, but when we raid it, there is no child there. We have been actively pursuing cases where children were seen employed as child labourers.”

Jalandhar, April 3
Paramedical and clerical staff of the Punjab Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) remained on strike for the third consecutive day in protest against the non-payments of their salaries for the past over four months, thus bringing the hospital to a standstill.

The protesting employees claimed that they would resume work only after the management released their salaries due from December.

They expressed concern over the indifferent attitude of the management for ignoring their demand.

Sources in the PIMS, however, revealed that the registration of the outdoor patients had drastically gone down with the medico, paramedical and clerical staff going on strikes frequently for the past over an year.

Nearly 100 paramedical and clerical staff have been protesting against the PIMS management for not releasing their salaries and other benefits.

Jalandhar, April 3
About 300 parents of children, studying at Guru Amar Dass Public School, held a meeting at the Model Town gurdwara today and condemned the school authorities for a dramatic hike in school fee, price of books and not prescribing CBSE books in the curriculum.

The parents demanded that the fee of the students, which had seen a dramatic rise this year, be reduced. The demanded that NCERT books should be prescribed as the current books from local publishers were costly. They threatened to protest outside the school on April 8, if their demands were not met.

Dr HS Kalra, whose child studies in class III at the school, claimed, “There is a Rs 300 hike in the annual charges. Smart class charges were Rs 200 per quarter last year and it has been hiked to Rs 300 per quarter this year”

“AC charges have also been included this year. While books’ package cost Rs 2,200 last year, this year it was Rs 4,200 and my child is only in the third standard. Yesterday, so many parents were groping for money after knowing prices of books. While we admitted our children here keeping in mind that Sikh education will be provided, a booklet about Sikh religion, which religious institutions give for free, costs Rs 88. The copies, which cost Rs 18 outside, are available for Rs 30 at the school. The school is pouncing on every single opportunity to charge hefty rates,” he claimed.

Parabhjot Kaur, whose daughter and son are in the class VII and V in the school respectively, said, “Rs 20 is being charged for a carry bag alone. Rs 4,480 are being charged for the set of books, which include stationary and copy covers. Quarterly tuition fee has been hiked to Rs 450 and we will have to pay Rs 300 AC charges for the entire year. The rates on all books and stationary have been raises. The charges are burning a huge hole in parents’ pockets.”

The parents said in comparison of other schools, the school was charging very hefty price. Some parents had also held protest at the school yesterday.

Atam Parkash Singh, president of the management committee , which runs the school as well as the Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Model Town said, “After the sixth Pay Commission’s ruling last year, we had to increase the salaries of our teachers. We started ACs last year and did not even charge for them then. We are not an aided institution and we have to provide facilities to students out of the fee that we get. In future, there will be increments for teachers. We are providing the best of facilities to the students so the hike is inevitable.”

He claimed that the students’ fee had been hiked by Rs 150 (Rs 450 quarterly) and the rates of other schools were more than his school.

Speaking about the parents’ allegations that he did not meet them today, he said, “They never came to me first. I got to know the reason of the protest through the media. They had told me to meet me at 2 pm today, but they came in the evening, that too, at the gurdwara. I have met some parents now and they will be meeting me on April 8.”

Jalandhar, April 3
It is probably for the first time that a "permanent" exhibition has been put up at the Virsa Vihar in Jalandhar. As many as 30 city artists put up their works on display at the Satya Paul Art Gallery as well as the basement of the Virsa Vihar.

While the Satya Paul Art Gallery has been reserved only for temporary (a couple of days to week-long) exhibitions until now, the authorities have now put up works by various artists at the gallery. The officials say, it will remain as permanent fixtures at the Virsa Vihar.

Notably, the move has come following an announcement by the office secretary of the Virsa Vihar some months ago that the Virsa Vihar basement would permanently house an art shop where the works of various budding artists would be put on sale.

But, while only the basement was being expected to be used for the new venture, the Virsa Vihar authorities have also included the prime gallery of the Virsa Vihar for the purpose.

Works by artists such as Dr Surinder Kaur, DK Nanda, Anil Gupta, Bharat Bhushan, Channi Takulia, CK Gambhir, Sukhvinder Singh, Taljit Singh, Dr Shashi Rampa, Dr Manan Walia, Gurdish Pannu, Guranjan Pal, HS Bhatti, Harish Verma, Jasminder Singh, Lalita, Mohinder Mastana, Preeti, Rupali Bhagat, Rupali Razdan, Ritu, SP Sharma, Sarbjeet Kaur, Saruchi, Sudhamani Sood, TS Garcha and Vikram Singh have been put on dispaly at the exhibition.

The exhibition was inaugurated by ADC Perneet Bhardwaj (the DC was conspicuous by her absence) and Dr Sucharita Sharma, principal, Apeejay College of Fine Arts,

While the gallery a the prime choice (in fact the only one, since none of the other rooms or halls at the Virsa Vihar are so well equipped) for exhibitors, the inevitable question is where would other exhibitors put up their works.

Replying to the query, office secretary of the Virsa Vihar, Channi GS Takulia, said, “Whenever anyone would hire it to put up their own exhibition, the present paintings will be taken off. Barring that, the present exhibition at the gallery would be a permanent exhibition. However, from time to time, as old paintings get sold, new ones from other artists will be put on display.”

The flip side of the story is that many express the contention that relegating an art gallery to a permanent art shop might backfire as the art in Jalandhar had already saw very few buyers and a permanent exhibition at a gallery, which was so perceived as an exclusive and paid gallery, will actually reduce its importance.

While time will tell what results this new experiment brings, one hopes for the arts’ sake that it only adds to the popularity of the Virsa Vihar, which is in a serious need of a revamp.

Jalandhar, April 3
The court of Additional Sessions Judge Gurjant Singh has sentenced a woman and her paramour to life imprisonment for allegedly poisoning her 10-year-old son to death.

The convicts, Kamaljit Kaur (30) and Satbir Singh (27), were neighbourers at Baghela village, falling under the Mehatpur police station. The twosome had allegedly conspired to kill the boy, Satinderjit Singh, who was given sulphos tablets by the mother before being sent to school on December 17, 2010. She had taken such a drastic step as the boy had reportedly seen her with Satbir.

Both of them have been sentenced to life imprisonment under Sections 120-B and 302 of the IPC.

Kamaljit prayed for leniency claiming that she had a four-year-old daughter to be taken care of. Satbir, too, sought leniency on the ground that he is a labourer and the only breadwinner of the family. The judge, however, pronounced that “in view of the heinous crime committed by both the convicts, they do not deserve any leniency, because their illicit relationship has resulted into curtailing life of an innocent child, that too a son of Kamaljit.”

A complaint in this regard had been lodged by Dilbagh Singh, whose nephew Kuldip Singh was married to Kamaljit. The couple got married in 1999. While Kuldip was settled in Italy, his wife stayed back in the village where she reportedly developed relations with Satbir.

The boy reportedly had gone to his Punjab Public School, Umrewal, in a mini bus on the fateful day, when he was dropped back again at 9:15 am by driver Sukhwinder Singh along with one Balwant Singh and teacher Jasbir Kaur stating that the child was sick. He was taken to the Civil Hospital, Mehatpur, and later shifted to Pasricha Hospital, Jalandhar, where he breathed his last at 10.30 am.

The postmortem report had indicated presence of aluminum phosphate (insecticide) in the stomach. A memo of sulphos tablets was also recovered. The prosecution examined as many as 20 witnesses. The cross-examination of the deceased boy’s grandmother Swaran Kaur, who deposed that she saw her daughter-in-law giving her grandson a tablet after breakfast. The driver of the school bus, and medical specialists, who attended on the boy, proved vital as circumstantial evidences.