Jalandhar, April 9
Even as the Municipal Corporation(MC) did a cover-up exercise of sealing about eight dairies at Rattan Nagar along Kala Sanghian Drain two days ago, there are about a dozen odd more dairies in the vicinity which have been spared and allowed to continue to throw off the untreated discharge into the water body in utter violation of the recent Punjab and Haryana High Court orders.

This practice by the dairy farmers is not just affecting the lives of the residents who have their houses along the drain but the health of a huge population, as the polluted waters make it to Sutlej river and then Harike headworks from where drinking water goes off to Rajasthan and parts of Malwa region.

As one takes a turn from Basti Peer Daad towards Rattan Nagar, one is welcomed by a foul smell that badly irritates the throat as well as the eyes. The water of the drain is dark, filthy and highly contaminated. There are huge swarms of mosquitoes all around. The entry to the colony is also marked with a huge pile of cowdung cakes kept just along the drain on a vacant plot for drying.

While most of the dairies owned by the Gujjar community came just about a few years ago, there also are some dairies owned by Jatt families, who do not want to shift stating that they have been there for many years and had settled down with their families. As per the MC orders, all dairies are to be shifted to Jamsher Dairy Complex. The owners of a few dairies which were sealed two days ago have taken off their animals to Jamsher ,as they had no other wayout.

But the action has been half-baked, as there still are about a dozen dairies just along the either side of the drain where animals are being reared and their buckets full of refuse are thrown off in the drain.

Kanti, a resident of New Rattan Nagar, shares her woes, “The stench of the dry cow waste does not affect me, as I too hail from a rural background. But when it mixes with the water, it really becomes repulsive. While the summer season is still setting in, my children are having sleepless nights due to mosquito bites.”

Jalandhar, April 9
Following the Punjab and Haryana High Court directions after the death of 13 students of a Nakodar-based academy in a road accident on March 4, the district health authorities have finally swung into action for conducting medical examination of the drivers of vehicles ferrying school students. Students of a Boparai Kalan village-based academy were killed when the van in which they were travelling had a head-on collision with a truck. The tragedy occurred due to the negligence of the van driver, who allegedly was driving in an inebriated condition.

Taking a serious note of the tragedy, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had issued a notice, directing the state government to conduct tests (to ascertain if they were addicts of substance abuse) on the drivers of the school buses ferrying students.

Sources in the health department said that the health authorities would collect unit samples of the drivers and thereafter chemical examinations would be conducted to confirm them for drug use. The urine examinations would be conducted with the help of a urine-testing kit on every driver, sources added.

The health authorities have even conducted a survey of the urine-testing kits, manufactured by different companies, to test their reliability and economic viability. The kits, costing Rs 300 to Rs 500 each, are available in the market.

Since the tests would be conducted by teams from Civil Hospital, the medical superintendent (MS) has made a communication with the managing director (MD) of the Punjab Health System Corporation, seeking clarification on "user charges" for conducting the tests.

According to official records, the district has over 1,942 schools, including 1,412 government-run and over 530 private, across the district. The government-run schools comprise 126 senior secondary, 132 high schools, 174 middle, 927 primary and 53 government-aided while there are over 530 private schools, including 35 high-profile schools.

The strength of the drivers is in hundreds, as a majority of them are engaged with private schools.

Though Dr RL Bassan, Civil Surgeon, was not available for comments, Dr Renu, Medical Superintendent, Civil Hospital, Jalandhar, however, said that she has given a representation to the MD of the corporation, seeking clarification regarding user charges and certain other issues. 

Jalandhar, April 9
Life brings out the best for those who are on the lookout for the best. While the routine happenings of life weigh some people down, others who have the eye for it, find humour in the most mundane of life’s situations. Some even weave the humour out in pretty little stories, sharing the laughter in their lives, with others.

Ritu Shannon’s is one such classic case.

Born in Jalandhar and bred and educated in Victoria, Canada (pursued graduation from the University of Victoria), sales executive Ritu Shannon recently got lucky when a funny intimate experience, which she shared with her daughter Priya, made it to the latest edition of the bestseller Chicken Soup series - Chicken Soup for the Soul: Parenthood.

While both her maternal and paternal roots were in Jalandhar, Ritu has visited Jalandhar many times and spent a lot of time in the city during her childhood.

The city is also responsible for her initial (before her wedding) brush with children and child psychology.

Presently, mother of two delightful children Priya (5) and Keegan (3), Ritu said a background in children’s issues (she stayed for a year in Jalandhar working for a local NGO for children) and a deep desire to write about children had taken root in her way back.

However, the recent trigger was her children - a casual conversation with her children - which became the basis of her article which is among the 101 others selected from thousands of entries for the Chicken Soup…..series’ latest edition.

Living at Cloverdale in Canada, Ritu as well as her husband Jamie Shannon are a beaming lot about her recent success.

Talking to The Tribune, Ritu said, “I was just contemplating donating the kids’ toys since we might not need them anymore given that we had two kids. But my mother didn’t sound too happy with the idea (of not having any more kids). We were sharing a conversation about this on the phone.”

Given her mothers’ apprehensions on the issue, Ritu popped the question to Priya, whether she would like to have another baby brother or sister.

Priya instantly began crying and it is only later that Ritu realised the child had interpreted the conversation as that her little brother was going to be replaced with another baby, Ritu said.

Caught unawares at the moment, Ritu later thought it would make a nice little piece for her to pen down. But after she shared it with her husband, he remarked it sounded like the stuff one reads in the Chicken Soup….books.

Fascinated with the idea, Ritu checked it up and ended up sending her piece for the fresh entries being invited for the new "Parenthood" edition of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series.

A year later, she received a call letting her know that her entry had been shortlisted for the final edition.

Her uncle Surinder Saini, whose NGO she worked for, says, "There's a depth and a respect for Punjab in Ritu's works and perspective, which is unique in the family as well as the children bred outside India that I have encountered so far. She understands and drives constant inspiration from the works of her maternal grandfather Ajit Saini as well."

While she is currently enjoying her job as Business Rental Sales Executive in Cloverdale, she says she is going to passionately pursue writing as well.

There too, there is a deep Jalandhar connection, “As a little girl, I grew up hearing stories about my grandfather Ajit Saini, who was a great writer and a freedom fighter. I always wished to emulate him,” she says.

Speaking on the plans to introduce her children to Punjabi culture, she says, “I have visited the Golden Temple, but I want my children to visit it too. Punjabi culture and history is rich and I want my children should in no way miss out on it,” Ritu quips.

Jalandhar, April 9
The Punjab Congress with a view to protecting the interests of sanitation workers will raise the issue of solid waste collection from the city by a private company in the state Assembly.

Tarlochan Singh Soond, incharge, Doaba unit of Congress, assured a delegation of safai workers of the municipal corporation here today.

Soond was in the city to take stock of the arrangements being made by the party leaders and workers to welcome newly appointed Punjab Congress chief Partap Singh Bajwa who is scheduled to visit the city on April 14.

The District Congress Committee (DCC) has planned a massive rally on April 14 to celebrate the birth anniversary of Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar.

It is expecting more than 30, 000 people to participate in the rally.

Soond also asked the district Congress chief Arun Walia, leader of the opposition in the Municipal Corporation Jagdish Raj Raja and former councillor Rajinder Berry and other senior Congress leaders from the district to ensure heavy gathering at the rally.

Interacting with the delegation of the safai karamcharis, Soond said the matter would be discussed with Sunil Jakhar, leader of opposition in the Vidhan Sabha and will be subsequently raised in the house.

Chandan Grewal, the delegation leader, also apprised him of the problems faced by the safai workers in case the project of collecting solid waste from the city goes to the Jindals, a company engaged by the Municipal Corporation for door-to-door collection of solid waste.

Jalandhar, April 9
Strike by the paramedical staff of the Punjab Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) gathered momentum with the doctors extending their support to the protesters here today.

As the strike entered its ninth day, the doctors also joined the protesting staff and assured them to join hands if the management failed to resolve their problems.

The functioning of the hospital has been virtually paralysed for the past eight days with over 85 employees going on strike against the non-payment of their salaries from December onwards.

Over 250 doctors who have not been paid salaries for the past over five months raised their voice before the director-cum-principal Dr Kulbir Kaur.

Sources in the PIMS revealed that the doctors were pacified by the principal assuring payment of their salaries by April 20.

The strike by the paramedical staff also met the principal on the issue.

With no new registration in the OPD, the doctors are attending old patients and emergency cases. The hospital premises wore a deserted look.

Jalandhar, April 9
To lodge their protest against the authorities for not meeting the demands of employees of the board, members of the Technical Services Union (TSU) of the Punjab State Electricity Board will suspend work for a day on April 17.

Mukhtar Singh Muhawa and Jagtar Singh Uppal, president and general secretary, respectively, of the TSU said the decision had been taken by the union collectively.

Uppal further added that the strategy of a statewide strike would be formulated against the state government for its "anti-employee attitude" at the 38th state-level conference of the union to be held at Desh Bhagat Yadgaar Hall from on April 11 to 12.

Over 1,200 elected delegates of the union are expected to participate in the conference that would be addressed by the leaders of the Punjab State Power Corporation and Punjab State Power Transmission Corporation, he claimed.

The union has been demanding the implementation of the pact reached between the power management and the union leaders on November 7, 2011, filling vacancies, scrapping the policy of outsourcing power works and transferring employees to far-off places under the so-called policy of rationalisation mooted by the power management.

Jalandhar, April 9
An impressive cultural programme marked the conclusion of "One World", a two-day annual international fest organised at Lovely Professional University (LPU).

A fashion show, musical and dance performances were held at valedictory function.

The highlight of the eve was Mongolian dance of the body-Bielgee performed on the tunes of musical instruments morin khuur and yochin. — TNS

Jalandhar, April 9
The New Baradari police station has arrested one Sarwan Kumar on the charges of forging documents related to property. SHO Vijay Kanwar Paul said a power of attorney of one Sudarshan Julka in the name of S Julka was forged and changed as M Julka. He said the tampering was done in connivance with a patwari.

A case has been registered under Sections 420, 465, 468, 471 and 120-B of the IPC on the complaint of Surjit Kumar.