Jalandhar, January 8
Despite a hatrick of fatal accidents in which more than 10 people died in the past few days, the district administration seems to have gone into a coma as no action has been taken to stop deaths on city roads. Moreover, the traffic department is severely ill-equipped, lacks even the basic equipment. The pathetic trauma services in the district have already brought disgrace to the Health Department many a times in the past.

Presently, the Traffic Department has only two alcoholmeters for such a huge population living in the commissionerate area. Though most of the accidents are happening due to over speeding, the department does not have a speedometer. People, mostly youngsters, could be seen swirling away on two-wheelers without wearing any helmet. The department does not have challaning machines to fine the violators on the spot.

“The major cause for concern is the lack of awareness among people. Even after holding various workshops, people still do not follow the basic rules and regulations. Even after informing schools to ban students from bringing vehicles, children could be seen riding two-wheelers without wearing any helmet. The need of the hour is to get the entire system automated for which a proposal is under consideration,” said Rahul S, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Jalandhar Commissionerate.

Presently, six black spots or the most accident-prone areas have been identified by the Traffic Department in the city. These include the Rama Mandi intersection, Dakoha Railway crossing, Chogitti intersection, Transport Nagar and Y section of the Bhagat Singh Colony and various places on the GT Road that passing through the city. In 2012, 86 people had died in 85 accidents. However, in 2013, the number reduced to 65 deaths in 64 accidents.

“We have send a proposal to buy 5 interceptor vehicles and around 200 pan-tilt- zoom cameras to fine violators on the spot. Most of the time, violators misbehave with our staff while getting challaned. With the help of cameras we will record the challaning process,” said Mohinder Singh, ACP, Traffic. He said the police had earned around 4.63 crore from 3.33 lakh challans in 2013.

However, in the absence of stringent measure by the district administration, accidents will keep on happening, claiming many more lives in the days to come.

Dr Brena, a skin specialist, said, “Due to encroachments on roads, it becomes very difficult to provide timely treatment to accident victims. Most of the time, they could be seen lying in a pool of blood waiting for the ambulance. The biggest glitch is to take them to the Civil Hospital as the road leading to it has been encroached upon by thousand of vendors and wheel-cart owners. So many times, victims die on route to the hospital, if we pass through Jyoti Chowk.”

“The careless attitude of people while driving vehicles is the main cause of the accidents. They drive their vehicle so recklessly as if they are the only ones moving on the road. They do not follow any lane regulation, drive their vehicle from all sides and sometimes even cross the red light without any fear. They should start behaving as responsible citizens and the administration should organise more awareness camps to teach them a little bit of traffic sense,”Ashmeen Arora, a PR manager, said while expressing concern about the rising number of road accidents.

Jalandhar, January 8
Even as the state government has all of a sudden started wooing NRIs by promoting its matching grant schemes through the web portal, the NRIs, who have been investing here, rue prevalence of red-tape in government departments, lack of transparency on the part of the administration and the absence of a system to monitor the status of works initiated by them and utilisation of funds through the web.

The NRIs claim that at the every stage, they feel insecure about their investment as there are hundreds of glitches at the each step. They complain of a large number of meetings, delay in disbursement of government share and a lot of lip-flops before the projects actually takes shape.

While there are 22 projects to the tune of Rs 20 crore going on in Jalandhar under the NRI Scheme Plan-1 (75:25 government-NRI matching scheme) for the past three years, most of these are yet to be completed. Some were hit by hurdles at the local level during the meetings of the District NRI Committee for Development (DINRICD) while others were hit during discussions at the state-level committee meetings.

There are several proposals that have been rejected on various technical grounds. The expansion of a school building in Khiala village of Adampur, wherein an NRI had mooted a proposal to spend Rs 1.3 crore have been rejected on technical ground. The project of the construction of a hospital at Samsabad village near Nurmahal with Rs 4 crore investment had the same fate. The construction of Guru Nanak Mission Hospital at Mithapur village is also being carried out on the basis of a sharing scheme. The government has paid about Rs 1 crore till date for the Rs 2.39 crore project.

NRI Pritam Singh Narangpuri said the whole problem lay with the fact that there was no one to do a huge number of follow-ups with the departments concerned . “Due to it, the NRIs lose interest and drop the project,” he said.

NRI Sabha chairperson Jasvir Singh Shergill said efforts were being made now to promote all such schemes and coordinate with NRIs in a more professional manner.

Jalandhar, January 8
A 50-year-old school watchman was brutally murdered while another watchman was injured by assailants in the wee hours at Nakodar today. Ram Lubhaya, a watchman at St Joseph’s Convent School, Nakodar, was on the night duty when he was attacked by the assailants around 1:30 am.

The other watchman, Som Lal (30), too, was taking a round of the campus when he was attacked by them. While Lubhaya succumbed to his injuries, Som Lal, who was tied, managed to reach a hospital on his own. He, later, called the police and informed about the incident.

At midnight, Som Lal was to take over the security of the campus from Lubhaya. Both the watchmen are from Boparai village near the school.

SP D Rajinder Singh said the intent of the assailants was still not clear as there was no attempt of robbery. Som Lal has been admitted to the Civil Hospital, Nakodar. A case has been registered at the Nakodar City police station.

A similar incident had taken place on December 27 when two masked men reportedly attacked the watchman of Cooperative Society Office at Athoula village on Kapurthala Road here. The victim, Sewa Singh (55), had claimed that some armed robbers had attacked him at 10 pm and confined him to his room. No loot or robbery had taken place during this incident too. The matter is still being investigated by the Lambra police. 

Jalandhar, January 8
The night vigil plan of the commissionerate police seems to have failed with a spate of thefts occurring in the past one month in various localities.A theft occurred last night at a general store on the Tehsil Complex road. The thieves decamped with cash Rs 60,000, mobile recharge coupons worth Rs 30,000 and various grocery items.

The owner of the store Kashmir Singh said he got to know about the incident at 5 am today. A case has been registered at New Baradari police station.In another incident of theft, the miscreants stole a motor worth Rs 70,000 and a pump from a printing press at Gopal Nagar. Sukhdev Singh, owner of the press, said he got to know about the incident from the owner of an adjoining shop this morning. — TNS 

Jalandhar, January 8
People visiting the DC and ADC offices will not be able to get their work done before Monday. As many as 90 employees of the DC office began a three-day pen-down strike today. They refused to work even as they remained present in offices.

The employees said DC offices across the state were helping the state government to collect a revenue of Rs 3,300 crore annually but the government had failed to fulfil their demands of promotions as superintendents, providing additional staff of 17 subdivisions created after 1995, regularisation of jobs of 2,765 contractual employees and giving them full DA.

Members of the Punjab State District (DC) Office Employees’ Union claimed that their demands were being ignored for the past 15-20 years.

The employees said if the government did not pay attention to their demands, they would again hold a three-day pen down strike from January 20 to 22 followed by a major state-level protest at Sangrur on Jnauary 23. 

Jalandhar, January 8
Her life and voice carry a magical mix of various legacies. She inherited folk brilliance and charm of Punjab from her mother Surinder Kaur and learnt intricacies of the Indian classical music from her Ustad Abdul Rehman Khan. On a visit to Jalandhar to release “Vagde Paniyan Da Sangeet”, a book dedicated to her mother Surinder Kaur, singer Dolly Guleria talked about her mother and the Punjabi folk music.

“For my entire life I wanted to write something that reflected my childhood, my relationship with my parents and the music they gave me. The book carries my emotions gathered over the years. I missed my mother too much after her demise and had been writing for years about how she was as a mother, a sister and a wife. I wanted to share this with the world, especially with her admirers. This is what prompted me to pour my experiences into a book,” she said.Speaking on whether her songs reflected her warmth as a human being, she says, “She was a very sentimental and a warm person. She chose songs that were related to rituals, songs for the beloved, cultural gatherings and the songs sung during a of families or women. She wanted that her songs reflect the same spirit. That love for the family and a celebratory spirit of togetherness gave her songs the conversational tinge. It was pretty much intended.”

When asked what lacked in today’s music Guleria said,”The music today, doesn’t give me any pleasure. I have grown up listening to classical, melody and the songs that had a miracle background. Now, songs don’t touch your heart. They are akin to noise.”

on a queation whether she felt any pressure to do justice with the rich legacy she inherited, she says,” I feel no pressure but a responsibility to carry the legacy forward. My parents never pressured me to join this field. It was my own obsession, which brought me to it. My husband and children backed me to pursue it. When asked if she had the guru shishya paramapara, Guleria says,” I never sat down with her for music taalim. I started off thinking that anyone could sing and that it was easy. But when I got to it, I realised how difficult it was. Then my classical taalim began with my guru Ustad Abdul Rehman Khan. He helped me in learning the nuances of music. As far as my my voice’s similarity to my mother’s is concerned, it came by birth. “

About the book she said it shared her bond with her mother and how she was as a human being. 

Jalandhar, January 8
The director, Education Department (senior secondary) has asked the district education officer (senior secondary), Jalandhar, to submit a report based on a complaint made by a secretary of Mandi Fentonganj Girls Senior Secondary School regarding inaction by the school authorities over a school watchman’s complaint which blamed the principal and another employee of the school of illegally selling ration under the mid-day meal scheme.

Ajay Jagota, joint secretary of the school had written to the chairman of the school, asking him about the action taken by the school management regarding the complaint made by the watchman against the school principal and another employee.

With the school management being unresponsive, Jagota sent a complaint to the Vigilance Bureau. The bureau, in turn, submitted the report to the director, Education Department (senior secondary), Punjab.

On November 13, 2013, Jagota sought information under the Right to Information Act from the director, about the action taken by the Education Department on the issue.

The office of the director had directed the district education officer (senior secondary) to send a report on the issue on October 3, 2013. It must be noticed that the director, Education Department, has sought a report from the DEO after a period of three years.

On January 1, 2014, the office of the director informed Ajay Jagota that a report on the issue had been sought from the DEO.

The watchman had alleged in the letter that members of the school staff had been blaming him over several issues and asking him to do 24-hour duty because he had refused to sell 15 sacks of wheat and two sacks of rice, as asked by the principal and another employee of the school. The letter was sent to the school principal, then DPI (s), DEO (senior secondary) and DC, Jalandhar, on May 2, 2011.

Recently, the deputy DEO had also cited an ongoing court case as a reason not to look into the alleged mid-day meal discrepancies in the school.

Jalandhar, January 8
Annoyed by the inadequate arrangements made by the administration during the conduct of Swami Vivekanand Punjab State Rural Games for Girls on November 14, Chief Parliamentary Secretary Pawan Tinu has issued a demi-official letter on the matter making the officials accountable for the lapses.

The letter reached the DC office recently, on which the officials have reportedly given replies. Tinu had blamed it on ADC (G) Pritam Singh, the retired PCS officer who was not given extension after December 31. He also sought an explanation from district transport officer Kehar Singh, as the participating girls had to wait for long for buses to help them commute from the venue at Burlton Park to the place of their stay.

Pritam Singh has reportedly passed the buck on the district sports officer. Tinu had written that while DC Varun Roojam was away and had asked the ADC (G) to ensure that arrangements were in place, the latter did not even visit the venue during the inauguration.

Tinu had said there was no proper arrangement by the administration for transport, lodging, toilets, food and medical assistance. As many as 500 girls were adjusted in one school, where they suffered a lot of inconvenience. The lacunas were reported by the media on the first day after which the administration made some improvements for the subsequent two days.

DC Varun Roojam confirmed that there was such letter to which the concerned officials had responded. “I think the matter has been sorted out now,” he said. 

Jalandhar, January 8
Two National Service Scheme (NSS) volunteers of Lovely Professional University (LPU) have made the region proud with their selection in the ceremonial Republic Day Parade-2014 to be held at India Gate in New Delhi.

Debanshu, a student of B Tech, civil engineering (III year) and Sangeeta of B Tech ECE (pass out), have been selected on the basis of their overall performance in parade, cultural activities, proficiency in debate on different social issues and ability to represent the culture of their state.

They will also be awarded with coveted testimonials by the President of India for their participation.

It is a great national honour for them as they will parade in front of the President, Prime Minister and top international and national personalities of India and other countries. The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India, has selected only 200 student-volunteers from 5-zones across India through a tough competition.

One of the two groups of these selected volunteers will take part in the prestigious parade at Rajpath - Vijay Chowk to India Gate on January 26, 2014. They will parade along with the Military, Navy, Air Force, and other para-military forces. The second group will present their cultural talent at prestigious venues like President’s house, Prime Minister’s house and other important places. 

Jalandhar, January 8
Agitating PUDA employees continued their strike for the 21st day. They are demanding various service benefits. The staff is on a chain hunger strike and protesting outside the PUDA office. With the minimum temperature going below the freezing point, they are using blankets and quilts to keep themselves warm in the open.

The staff plans to hold a massive dharna in front of the department headquarters in Mohali tomorrow. The employees are demanding pension benefits as in other government offices, quota for allocation of plots and extension of retirement age by two years.

Jalandhar, January 8
Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) is in the process of establishing a model college in the city to provide excellent and affordable education to the students. A state-of-the-art building will come up here at a cost of Rs 3 crore. Its construction started on the birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh Ji.

Principal, GNDU College, Jalandhar, Dr Jaspal Singh Randhawa while talking to The Tribune claimed that another building would also be constructed in the coming years.

The first phase of the construction will be completed before the beginning of the new session. This building will house two computer laboratories.

For continuous power supply, a new generator worth Rs 30 lakh has been facilitated. The courses related to the commerce stream - B Com (regular), B Com (professional) and M Com, were introduced in the college in the last academic year 2013-2014, he said.

Dr Randhawa said the university syndicate had sanctioned the proposal for new courses in management, IT and mathematics, which would be introduced in the next academic year 2014-2015. These courses will include BCA, BBA and M Sc (Maths). Apart from these, other courses like MBA (2 years), MBA (5 years integrated course), MCA (3 years) and MCA (5 years integrated course) were running simultaneously, he added.

He added that considering the financial background of the students, 119 students were exempted from college fees worth Rs 45 lakh. Many students are facilitated with different scholarships schemes under which Rs 1 lakh was provided to them.

Under the SC and OBC scholarship schemes, Rs 70 lakh had been provided to the students while 120 other cases are under process under the minorities’ scholarship schemes of the government.

Observing the market demand and competition, new syllabus pattern will be introduced. Some plans are already being discussed with EDII (Ahmedabad), DST (Department of Science and Technology), claimed Dr Randhawa. 

Phagwara, January 8
Congress activists staged a protest against Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia and burnt his effigies at two different places in the city. They wanted a probe by the CBI into the allegations leveled by drug kingpin Jagdish Bhola against the minister.

Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee general secretary Joginder Singh Maan led one unit of the protesters at Sugar Mills Chowk while PPCC member Balbir Raja Sodhi led the other at Goal Chowk. Joginder Singh Maan said the hints given by former ADGP (Prisons) Shashi Kant had now come to light.