Jalandhar, August 29
Holding bags carrying badly infested wheat grains received through their ration depot, residents of the Abadpura locality lodged a protest outside the office of District Food and Civil Supplies office here this morning.

The residents said the government was trying to befool them with its "atta-dal" scheme, as the entire lot received by them this month had huge chunks of sticky, blackened wheat grains, which were not at all consumable.

Balwinder Kaur, a resident, said the stuff received by her through the public distribution system was usually in a very bad state and a lot of time had to be spent on cleaning the grains before sending these to flour mill. “At times, even the mill owners refuse to process our grains. But this time, the quality is so bad that we cannot risk our lives and those of our children. The government has played a cruel joke on us by sending us such a badly infested wheat,” she said.

Kamla Devi, another resident, said, “What is the idea of offering subsidy when the quality of food has to be compromised to such a great extent? We keep lodging our complaints to the ration depot holder, but he, too, expresses his helplessness."

Vipan Kumar, an independent councillor from ward 53, accompanying the residents of the area, said, “The residents had come to show the samples of the grains to the District Food and Civil Supplies Controller, but he was not available. Now we plan to lodge a protest tomorrow outside the ration depot."

District Food and Civil Supplies Controller TS Chopra said the entire lifting was being done through PUNSUP. “I have contacted their DM and sought a detailed report from him. I have also told my inspectors not to allow the produce to be distributed. If at all it has been distributed, it will be changed with a fresh, better lot,” he said.

Overhead hanging wires pose a danger in Globe Colony, Jalandhar. Photo: Sarabjit Singh

Jalandhar, August 29
Chief Parliamentary Secretary for Cooperation Krishan Dev Bhandari has assured the residents of Globe Colony that the high-tension wires passing through their premises would soon be removed to avoid any untoward incident.

Also Jalandhar (North) MLA, Bhandari assured a delegation of Globe Colony, accompanied by ward number 22 councillor Kanwaljit Singh Bedi, that he would make every possible effort to get these wires removed as he had already done in several of areas falling under his constituency after arranging special funds from Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.

Bhandari also called up Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) Deputy Chief Engineer (Operation Circle), Jalandhar, Gopal Sharma and asked him to get prepared an estimate for shifting the overhead high-tension wires to safe places.

The delegation, including Vinod Sharma Moti, Rakesh Maanta, Rajesh Dhir and Om Prakash, also brought it to Bhandari’s notice that a number of mishaps had already taken place due to overhead hanging wires passing through about 50 premises of the area in the past. While some persons had lost their lives, several sustained serious burn injures, they added.

So much so, a major mishap was averted on January 7 last year during the Assembly elections when an 11-KV high-tension wire snapped and fell on the rooftop of several houses in Globe Colony. Luckily, no mishap occurred as the wire did not fall on any person.

The delegation members said that at that time too the residents had brought the matter to the notice of Bhandari and demanded that the wires be shifted to safer place to avoid any mishap in the future.

At that time, Bhandari had said that there were several areas in the Jalandhar (North) constituency where high-tension wires passed over houses. While I succeeded in sorting out the issue in many such areas after getting the required funds from the CM, the remaining areas, including Globe Colony, are on my priority list.

Recently, Bhandari got removed high-tension wires from various houses and other premises situated in nearby localities, including Gobind Nagar, New Gobind Nagar, Kamal Park, Aman Nagar and New Basant Nagar, falling under ward number four after arranging special funds of Rs 27 lakh from the CM.

Jalandhar, August 29
With nearly 157 convictions and as many as 64 acquittals in the District Courts in crime cases last month, the conviction rate in the FIRs got lodged by the Jalandhar Commissionerate Police stands at 71.04 per cent.

A significant number of 23 cases were also got cancelled by the city police. With 376 fresh cases filed, the pendency in court has increased from 5,108 cases at the start of July to 5,240 by the end of the month.

While 11 murders took place in the city in the first seven months of the year, as many as five murders happened just this month, taking the total tally to 16. The city police claims to have solved 13 of these cases, while three have remained untraceable so far. These include that of an eunuch in the Basti area and ruthless attack on a middle-aged woman at Bachint Nagar six days ago.

Of the total 1,069 cases registered by the police till the July end, the city police has not been able to track a large number of 240 cases. A huge number of untraced cases, 106, are those of theft, 68 of burglary and 32 of snatching. Two of the four kidnappings, six of the 28 abduction cases and one of the 16 attempt to murder cases have also not been solved. The police has, however, managed to gain a cent per cent detection in 154 cases of fraud, 12 of rape and four of culpable homicide.

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Navjot Sidhu said he felt that by and large the performance of the city police with respect to the tracking of cases and follow-up in court was okay.

Jalandhar, August 29
The maternity ward of the Civil Hospital here is swelling with problems due to a huge rush of patients coming and camping here for months.

Even though most of the government hospitals are having all maternity and child care facilities, the number of referred cases to the Civil Hospital is also increasing everyday. On Sundays and other holidays, the number sometimes swells to double than the routine number. Surprisingly, most of them have normal deliveries and go back home within 24 hours. On Thursday, more than six expecting mothers were found here to be camping for more than two weeks without any admission.

Shockingly, in the absence of any door, men were seen moving inside the labour room freely with dirty clothes and footwear where every 15 minutes a child takes birth.

"I came here for blood transfusion last week, as my haemoglobin was very low. I was given two bottles of blood five days ago. Now, my husband told me to stay here till September 15, which is my due date as it becomes difficult for him to take leave from his job to get me here again and again. My mother-in-law is also staying with me," said Manjeet Kaur from Kabaon village near Goraya. She already has two daughters and is waiting for a son this time. However, on questioning her husband about her stay, he immediately took her away in an auto-rickshaw.

Nine-month-pregnant Suresh Rani was another example of "camping" patients. Due to threatened abortion, she was rushed to Civil Hospital last month for treatment. Since her four children are staying in one room and it was getting difficult for her to stay with them during this time, she was comfortably hiding amongst the huge rush of people and staying here in the air-conditioned post-operative room for the past one month.

"My time is due and now I can have a baby anytime. We are very poor and do not have resources to rush immediately during emergency. So like my earlier four deliveries, I come here a week before the due date and stay here only till the birth. Nobody has time to check or question us about our stay," said Suresh, who was comfortably seen littering around the post-operative room. However, she also vanished after being asked about her admission papers by a staff nurse.

"We have a shortage of everything except patients. We have a huge shortage of beds and staff. With merely 40 beds in the maternity ward, we are attending more than 100 patients everyday with only four staff members at a time. Moreover, these expecting mothers come with troops of attendants. Now in this huge rush, it is very difficult to differentiate between an actual patient and the camping ones," said Dr Varinder Kaur, a gynaecologist at the Civil Hospital.

She also confirmed that the staff here is overburdened. "Most of the time, we perform four to five caesarean sections in a day. Our two staff nurses are doing the deliveries, maintaining the records, filling the examination slips and sometimes even rushing to the medical store or dispensaries for some immediate requirement for medicines," she added.

Due to this, the most important aspect of hygiene has been also compromised inside the maternity ward. Due to the free diet and honorarium of Rs 1,000 given to the expecting mother, the number of cases and the attendants has increased in government hospitals. It is very difficult for the housekeeping staff to keep the ward clean in this huge rush.

"I knew about the problem of attendees but I was not aware of this 'camping' plan. Now, since I came to know about this, immediate action would be taken. To tackle the problem of attendants, we are making a waiting room just outside the maternity ward which is near its completion. It will be operational within a week," confirmed Dr Jagjit Singh Cheema, Medical Superintendent, Civil Hospital. He also added that initially, the waiting room would be without toilets as it would take some time to build these. Also, in near future, only one attendant would be allowed inside the maternity ward.

Jalandhar, August 29
To dwell upon the issues concerning the farming community, a convention of farmers was today organised by the Jamhooari Kisan Sabha, Punjab, at the Desh Bhagat Yadgar Hall here.

The state general secretary of the sabha, Kulwant Singh Sandhu, in his speech highlighted the plight of the flood-affected people. He asked the state government to provide a compensation of Rs 30,000 per acre of land for farmers in the flood-affected villages. He further demanded a compensation of Rs 10,000 per family to the farm labourers in such villages.

Sabha leaders Gurnam Singh Sanghera and Pargat Singh Jamarai asked the government to provide loan at 1 per cent interest rate to farmers for agricultural purposes.

They expressed concern over the Punjab government's decision to give a compensation of Rs 5,000 per acre and termed it a cruel joke with the distressed people. President, Jamhoori Kisan Sabha, Punjab, Satnam Singh Ajnala said sand was being sold at very high prices as the sand and mining mafia had spread its tentacles in the state. After the convention, a protest march from the Desh Bhagat Yadgar Hall to the Deputy Commissioner's office was taken out. 

Jalandhar, August 29
The Chief Electoral Officer, Punjab, has asked the Jalandhar Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Election Officer, Shruti Singh, to submit an action taken report by Monday on the complaint by Congress leader Sanjay Sehgal regarding the BJP running its local office from a temple premises.

In an e-mail sent to the DEO, a state electoral officer said, "I am directed to ask you to send action taken report by September 2 on a political office being run from a religious place for further transmission to the Election Commission of India (ECI)."

Punjab Chief Electoral Officer's (CEO) office has also forwarded the DEO e-mails sent by the complainant seeking information regarding what action was taken against the BJP in this regard on the directions of the Election Commission of India.

A copy of the e-mail to the DEO has also been sent to complainant Sanjay Sehgal, advisor member of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) Right to Information & Grievances Cell.

In May, the Election Commission of India had directed Shruti Singh to take necessary action on the basis of her inquiry report on the complaint of Sehgal against the BJP for running its local office from temple premises.

Shruti, in turn, asked deputy director local bodies Pritam Singh to conduct an inquiry. Singh had visited the site a few days ago, three months after the instructions from the Election Commission of India to the Deputy Commissioner. The BJP is learnt to have closed its office during this. Sehgal said the visit and inquiry was a mere eyewash.

Sehgal had filed the complaint with the Election Commission of India after BJP leader Manit Malhotra moved a petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court about alleged unauthorised construction of shops on the local Congress Bhawan premises.

In his online complaint to Chief Election Commissioner VS Sampath and Punjab Chief Electoral Officer Sehgal, said, "The BJP is running its district office in Jalandhar from Sheetla Mandir complex, a religious place and in complete violation of the guidelines of the Election Commission."

Jalandhar, August 29
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has awarded two MTech students of a local university for their research papers.

Tejinder Singh and Navjot Khaira were honoured with US $300 along with certificates. Their research paper "A Novel High Isolation Single-Pole Four-Throw RF MEMS Switch for X-band Applications” (SP4T High Isolation) was selected for the second prize from the entire IEEE Region 10.

A press note issued by the university said there were thousands of entries from across the world and the paper contest was open only for students-cum-IEEE members. The first prize went to Nanyang Technological University, Singapore while the third prize was won by Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

Jalandhar, August 29
The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has recoganised the Johal Multi-Specialty Hospital, Jalandhar, for providing medical treatment to Central government employees under the Central Services (Medical Attendance) Rules, 1944.

A communication from the ministry to the hospital management states that recognition to the hospital was given in view of the hardships faced by the beneficiaries while availing treatment in Jalandhar. The matter was examined by the ministry and the hospital was found suitable.

Charges for the treatment will be fixed by the CGHS, Chandigarh. —TNS

Jalandhar, August 29
A joint meeting of architects, who are members of the Indian Institute of Architects, from Jalandhar and Ludhiana was held last evening near Phagwara.

The meeting was chaired by the chairman of Publication Board of the Indian Institute of Architects (IIA) Surinder Pal Singh Bahga. Bahga is also the former chairman of IIA, Punjab chapter. He explained in detail about the past achievements of the association and participation of state architects in different award programmes in the coming months across the country. The new team of IIA at Mumbai has already decreased the annual fee for membership as promised in elections, he added.

Rajinder Pal Singh, president, IIA Jalandhar sub-centre, said the third state-level exhibition of building materials Archibuild will be held in Chandigarh by the September end. Sanjay Goel from Ludhiana and joint secretary of IIA, Punjab chapter, managed the programme.

The meeting was attended by other office-bearers of IIA sub-centre, Jalandhar, besides vice-president Irwandeep Singh, joint secretary Jaswinder, Anshu Nandi, Aman Makol, Thakur Udhay Vir Singh, Satinder Bajwa and Gaganpal Singh. Dinesh Bhagat from Jalandhar and executive member of IIA, Punjab Chapter, explained in detail about the forthcoming seminars and meetings in the region.