Jalandhar, July 10
In a move which exposes gross negligence by the Civil Hospital authorities, as many as nine patients undergoing psychiatry and de-addiction treatment at the hospital have been kept with TB patients at a ward in the ESI Hospital.

Due to ongoing construction work at the Civil Hospital, an entire wing - which was housing the de-addiction-cum-psychiatry ward and the TB ward - was demolished to construct the new wings, including the upcoming 50-bedded state-of-the-art de-addiction centre for the district.

The patients of both the wings have been kept in a single ward at the ESI Hospital for the past six months.

At the Civil Hospital, the de-addiction and TB wards were at a considerable distance from each other, but now are under one roof, separated only by a low wall with a door, which poses huge risk to the non-TB patients.

Ideally, TB patients are supposed to be kept in isolation.

Barring this, the present ward is in a cramped, corridor-like space, where patients can’t even move around.

Staff at the hospital said due to limited beds, as many as four to five TB patients had been kept along with other patients at times. Notably, only sputum positive (highly infectious) cases of TB are kept in the TB ward.

Sources said staff and doctors of both the de-addiction and TB wings are vexed with the situation. “Due to the unavailability of tests at the ESI Hospital, during need for investigations and in cases of emergency, patients have to be taken to the Civil Hospital by the ambulance sent from the Civil Hospital. Doctors have even ferried patients in their own cars. Back at the Civil Hospital, doctors only had to walk a few steps to attend to patients. While all this had been brought to the notice of the higher-ups, the patients are still not being shifted to a better location,” said a source.

Surprisingly, while reports say the Civil Surgeon had personally surveyed the ESI Hospital ward in June end, a decision to shift patients to a better location has still not been taken.

Dr Sanjay Khanna, psychiatrist at the Civil Hospital, said, “While work has presently been started from the makeshift ward, right now we are rendering our services from here. But since it is a long process, we are hoping that the construction of the new de-addiction ward is speeded up or patients shifted to another location.”

Dr Naresh Bathla, TB specialist at the Civil Hospital, said, “The patients have been kept in the isolation ward and the air they breathe or exhale is totally secluded. We have ensured that they are placed in different sections.”

Both doctors remained tight-lipped on the inconveniences faced.

While as many as 12 to 13 patients of de-addiction (and psychiatry) and as many of TB were found present at the TB ward at any given time, at the ESI ward, there were a total of only nine de-addiction and psychiatry patients and two TB patients present today. Sources said some patients were deliberately not being admitted to the hospital due to the dearth of space and beds.

Meanwhile, it will be at two least years before the new wards come up.

Medical Superintendent Dr Bhagmal said, “I had visited the ward, but at that time there was no TB patient in the main ward. The TB patients will be shifted elsewhere. The ENT ward at the hospital shall be ready with two to four days.”

Jalandhar, July 10
Peeved about the poor upkeep of the city from the cleanliness point of view, the Municipal Corporation (MC) House yesterday passed a resolution to ensure that the safai karamcharis mark their attendance with the supervisor concerned twice a day to ensure their presence in the area till the afternoon.

During the zero hour, most councillors from the ruling as well as opposition parties were of the view that only half of the karamcharis actually come for their duties and those, too, leave after working for two to three hours in the morning. The councillors said no karamchari could be spotted for the rest of the day after 9 am, whereas they were required to make another round of cleaning the area in the afternoon.

The councillors created quite a furore over the issue and said Assistant Commissioner Ved Vyas, who is in charge of the Sanitation Department, had also expressed his helplessness on the matter. “Since we reside in the areas and are most easily accessible by the people, it is we who face their wrath,” said Congress councillor Des Raj Jassal.

At this, Mayor Sunil Jyoti announced that the supervisors must ensure attendance and physical presence of the safai karamcharis twice a day. He asked Ved Vyas to pull up staff on the matter since it was monsoon season during which the chances of spread of ailments through unhygienic environment and vectors were quite high.

Ashok Bheel, district president of the Punjab State MC Employees Union, said the system of two-time attendance was already prevalent and karamcharis were doing duties properly. “The councillors simply want to exploit us for doing their personal works. It is only a few karamcharis of wards falling in surrounding villages who have not been able to mark attendance twice owing to more distance from their home in the city,” he said.

Jalandhar, July 10
Scores of members of the Punjab Colonisers and Property Dealers Association, Jalandhar unit, assembled at the district administrative complex and lodged a protest against the Punjab government here today. Lead by Bhupinder Singh, district president of the association, a delegation also met the Deputy Commissioner and handed over a memorandum of their demands.

The association has been demanding revision of policy formulated by the state government for the regularisation of unauthorised colonies across the state. The policy would be applicable for a period of one year (from April 1, 2013, to March 31, 2014) in the entire state. As per the policy, only those unapproved colonies or the buildings constructed before the April 1, 2013, would be considered for approval. It further says that 25 per cent of the composition fee and regularisation charges were required to be deposited with the application and remaining 25 per cent in monthly instalments. There will be 10 per cent discount for those applicants who will deposit fee and charges in lump sum.

"If any coloniser does not apply within 60 days, the last date of which is August 25, 2013, then legal proceedings would be initiated against him. Similarly, for those colonies, if the individual plot / building owners do not apply under this scheme then the registration of their plots would be cancelled and power, water supply, sewerage connections will also be disconnected. The details of the policy are available on the official website of the PUDA (www.puda.gov.in)," a government spokesman said.

The association, however, demanded the slashing of the high composition fee and regularisation charges fixed by the government to regularise the unauthorised colonies. The association is also demanding its representation in the committee constituted for the formulation of the policy and a single window system for getting the licences and other formalities for the regularisation of their unauthorised colonies. 

Phagwara, July 10
Although the state government had planned to make an agreement with ‘Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services’ for solid waste management by setting up seven clusters in the state, yet the scheme could not materialise even after a long wait of two years. Piles of stinking garbage can be seen at various places in several towns of the state.

On the directions of the state government, several nagar councils, including Phagwara Nagar Council, had introduced a “door to door” garbage collection and had fixed its monthly rates, but the scheme could not bear any results as almost all safai karamcharis wanted permanent jobs.

When contacted, Adarsh Sharma, executive officer of Nagar Council, Phagwara, told The Tribune that Rs 10 were being charged monthly from houses in slum areas, Rs 20 monthly from 150 yards houses, Rs 30 monthly from plus 150 yards houses and Rs 50 monthly for each commercial unit. He said garbage collection schemes were being implemented through sanitation committees of the respective localities.

During a round of the Phagwara town, heaps of garbage were seen at almost 50 different places. This garbage is being lifted and sent to a large dump situated in nearby Bhogpur village. It was observed that a person could not walk near the stinking garbage dumped on the old post office road in the town. Heaps of garbage could also be seen near Government Senior Secondary School, marriage palace, small vegetable market and a religious place.

Jalandhar, July 10
On a complaint filed by a city’s leading sports goods manufacturer, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has asked Mumbai-based Durian imported furniture and its local branch office to repair the defective sofas and dining chairs or refund the amount. The company has also been told to pay a compensation of Rs 5,000 to the complainant.

In his complaint, Rajesh Mayor of Mayor and Company and Mayor World School, said he had purchased some furniture on January 27, 2009, from the branch office of Durian imported furniture on Ladowali Road.

He said he purchased furniture with Durian mark, which was an imported item, for a sum of Rs 1.9 lakh, excluding additional VAT of Rs 23,750, the total cost coming to Rs 2,13,750, which he paid. Rajesh said the furniture was dispatched through truck to his residence located at Rajinder Nagar locality.

The complainant said on October 6, 2009, he intimated the branch office regarding defective and faulty material used in the dining table set. “The glass top was eroding quickly and the chairs were leasing from the back,” he wrote. The complainant also informed about the defect in one of the sofa, whereupon branch officials assured him of repairing the furniture item to get the defect removed. He again wrote a letter on December 12, 2009, regarding the dispute and sent a registered letter again on March 5, 2010 but to no avail.

The complainant said he suffered a loss of Rs 20,000 for dining table set, Rs 40,000 for sofa set and Rs 11,000 for a glass cabinet.

The company staff pleaded that question of warranty did not arise as there was no manufacturing defect in the furniture items in question. The alleged defects were of usual wear and tear and due to mishandling by the complainant and his staff. The staff denied other material allegations of the complainant.

At this, the complainant produced a five-year warranty card as per which the warranty for the first year was totally free. The forum checked that the complaint made by Rajesh on October 6, 2009, was in respect of glass-top of the dining set, chairs and one sofa. As per this letter, condition of seven pieces of sofa set was okay. The photographs of the defective chairs and sofa set and glass-top are on record. So far as the glass-top of dining set is concerned, it might have been damaged due to striking of some object on the glass-top. It appears to be case of external damage, so it is not covered under warranty. As far as chairs are concerned, from the perusal of these photographs, it is evident that the leather cover at the back of the chairs is cracking. Regarding one sofa set concerned, there is a cut in the lower shield cloth. There is no reliable evidence on record to prove that the above said defects are result of mishandling.

During arguments, the counsel said on May 30 this year that company was ready to repair the backs of the chairs but there could be minor changes in material used adding that the opposite parties were also ready to change the shield cloth of one sofa in question. The above statement made by counsel clearly suggests that the opposite parties are ready to repair the backs of the chairs and sofa in question as the defects were same.

The forum accepted the complaint with directions to the furniture store to replace the shield cloth of the sofa and repair the chairs by replacing its cover with the material of the same quality as was used originally and in case, it is not possible to do so, then to refund the price of the chairs to the complainant after taking back the defective chairs. The complainant was also awarded Rs 5,000 compensation. 

Jalandhar, July 10
With the epic tale of the Flying Sikh making way to the city audience this Friday and an unprecedented 10 films releasing on the 26th of July, cinema rules the mood of the city at present. With Punjabi flicks hitting a new high in the region and audience tastes showing a strong inclination toward regional masala flicks, the success of the Punjabi flavour can’t be ruled out, but if trade pundits are to be believed, ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’, the biopic on the life of the legendary athlete Milkha Singh, presently rules audience choices.

Multiplexes say even as the booking windows are yet to open, they have been flooded with calls regarding booking details and other enquiries regarding the film.

Bimal Bharali, assistant manager at Big Cinemas, said: “In the past two days we have received at least as many as 100 calls, all related of enquiries of the Rakesh Omprakash Mehra’s ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’. On seeing the overwhelming response regarding the film even before its release, we plan to run at least 10 to 15 shows of the epic. The calls also show the great respect the people of the city have for The Flying Sikh.”

RV Sharma from the Sarb Mutilplex said: “For the past few days, there have been regular enquiries from us regarding ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’. The show times will thus be arranged keeping in view the eagerness of the city audience. While Punjabi films otherwise rule the roost, this week certainly belongs to the biopic. While we shall also be retaining ‘Jatt and Juliet 2’ for screenings, as it is running packed shows, the prime focus will be on Bhaag Milkha.”

Onkar Singh from PVR said: “Though we haven’t had any special response or queries regarding the film so far, with the booking window opening on Wednesday, we hope things to will get relatively heated up because the actual response to a film is only clear once the booking begins.”

Notably, the only recent film on sportsperson - Paan Singh Tomar - hadn’t seen any enthusiasm among the audience by comparison to the eagerness for the Mikha Singh biopic, which is seen as an indicator of a positive cinematic, sporting as well as social trend by experts.

Shruti, a student in a local college, said: “Milkha Singh is one of our own. He is a huge inspiration for the entire country as well as for the Punjabi youth. In these troubled times, we have a lot to learn from the legend. Coupled by the impact that Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s films have had on the audiences in the past (Rang De Basanti being a case in point), Bhaag Milkha…the intense story of one of India’s greatest athletes, coupled with Mehra’s directorial genius is bound to be a great treat. We are planning to get tickets booked soon.” 

hagwara, July 10
Punjab Youth Congress president Bikramjit Singh Chaudhary, while supporting the media stir against excessive attitude of the Phillaur Police, has demanded immediate suspension of Phillaur SHO Gulshan Lal Sharma, who is threatening the scribes, which is a threat to the freedom of press in a democratic process. In a press statement released here today, Chaudhary threatened to launch a state-level agitation of the Punjab Youth Congress against the police in support of the media. While narrating the incident, Chaudhary alleged that the said SHO threatened a village girl, who came to him to lodge a complaint against some bad elements of Indira Colony, but on the contrary, the said SHO hired few persons against the mediapersons involved in exposing the indifferent and excessive attitude of the SHO.