Jalandhar, February 23
The Jalandhar police are set to lay a trap on the Chandigarh-based cricket bookie allegedly running a country-wide betting network . Known by the name of "Maasha" in the world of cricket betting, the notorious bookie has till now managed to dodge the police.

Maasha's name had cropped up during the interrogation of four bookies nabbed by the Bhargav Camp police on February 23. They were identified as Sukhpreet Singh, a resident of Raja Garden, Gurbinder Singh of Virk Enclave and two brothers Ravi Julka and Amit Julka of Manjeet Nagar, Basti Sheikh.

Ravi and Amit are relatives of a city based Julka Rubber factory.

The police had also taken them on a two-day remand. Today, they were sent to judicial custody. Now, the city police claimed to have got several mobile numbers suspected to be of their (bookies') accomplices. The police are hoping that an inquiry into the mobile numbers may help them nab "Maasha".

Somnath, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Special Branch, said during the interrogation, the nabbed bookies disclosed details of over a dozen mobile numbers to the police which might help in investigation.

Asked if bookies confessed to the involvement of local businessmen, industrialists or politicians in the racket, the ACP ruled out the same and said even the police had not found the involvement of owner of Julka Rubber factory whose two relatives (Ravi and Amit) were part of the notorious game.

Rachpal Singh, inspector, Bhargav Camp police station, said although the police got to know about the kingpin of cricket bookies "Maasha" and about the city he's presently residing in, the police was blank about the real name of "Maasha" and his exact whereabouts in Chandigarh.

The inspector said "Maasha" had kept his real identity secret from all the bookies working under his network. He was operating behind the scenes through his two aides Pawan and Bitu. The inspector revealed that Pawan and Bitu were the key aides of "Maasha". Once we arrest the duo, the real kingpin "Maasha" will automatically fall into the police net, he claimed.

Police sources said "Maasha" was a millionaire as he owned property worth several crores in Abohar and Chandigarh. His network was not confined to Punjab only. He was reportedly operating from Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi as well.

It may be mentioned that bets worth lakhs were placed during Thursday's one-day international cricket match between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in Dhaka when the police nabbed four persons red-handed. The police also recovered 19 mobile phones, an LCD television, five cheques worth Rs 10 lakh and a mini-telephone exchange to receive bets on cricket matches and one white Hyundai i20 from the accused.

They were betting through codes, which included "code Number-24", "GPS" and "CBM".

Jalandhar, February 23
Acting on the complaint of a doctor with the 80th Battalion of PAP, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Rahul S has written to the Director of Health and Family Welfare.

The complaint pertains to the online request of her transfer filed by some prankster on the website of the Health Department.

The complainant, Sunita Mahajan, told the police that some unknown miscreants had put an online request to the Director of Health and Family Welfare in her name, seeking her transfer to Ludhiana. The miscreants had also given her exact service number, batch number and other required details.

The DCP said he had written to the Director, Health and Family Welfare, to inquire about the online request, adding that efforts were also on to inquire the IP address of the computer from which the online request was forwarded.

The complainant had revealed to the police that the department had offered voluntary transfer scheme to some of the employees under which they could opt for any station. “I had not filed any online request for transfer, but some pranksters, who were fully aware about my service and batch numbers and other necessary details, deliberately put request from my name,” she alleged.

The woman came to know about the online request when the Health Department contacted her to initiate her transfer proceedings.

Jalandhar, February 23
The condition of the statues of stalwarts here, who sacrificed their lives for the country and served the nation for long, is pitiable, unfortunate and hapless.

The great souls whose statues deserve respect, honour and dignity stand ignored, with their followers, sympathisers and the general public feeling offended.

Be it the statue of Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh, former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, former Defence and Foreign Minister Swaran Singh or the foundation stone of Noorpuri Bawan, library in the name of Nandlal Noorpuri, all are waiting for the attention of the Jalandhar administration and local residents.

While entering Jalandhar city from the PAP Chowk side, one can hardly locate a huge statue of Sawaran Singh, as a major portion of the front side is blocked by a huge permanent hoarding of a private establishment fixed on an iron stand standing near the area allotted for the statue. If one succeeds in locating it, one has to peep through a small portion left by the hoarding and branches of trees. But reaching near the statue is impossible, as the area surrounding the statue consists of muddy ground, broken bricks of fallen boundary wall and grills.

Born in Jalandhar ,Swaran Singh was a minister in the first Cabinet of ministers formed by Jawaharlal Nehru after Independence in 1952 . He headed various ministries from 1952 to 1975. He was Foreign Minister from 1970-1974 and Defence Minister from 1974-1975.

When asked about the indifferent attitude towards the statue of Sawaran Singh, Additional Commissioner (B&R), Kulvinder Singh gave a lame excuse, saying the construction of the six-lane road is the reason that no attention has been given to the statue. We are planning to shift the statue.

When asked about the hoarding, he said he would look into the problem and size of the hoarding would be reduced.

The statue of Lal Bahadur Shastri, curtain-raising ceremony of which was performed in 1976, too, lies neglected. It is surrounded by fountains, albeit no is working for long. The plate beneath the statue is illegible and has cracks on it. No effort seems to have been made for its maintenance. On the non-working of the fountains, Kulvinder Singh said drug addicts and thieves steal the brass and copper from the taps which results in their non working.

When asked about other working fountains on other chowks like Namdev Chowk maintained by private institutions, he said these must be having guards for their protection, but we are already having shortage of labourers.

The statue of Bhagat Singh, who sacrificed his life for the countrymen at the age of 23, has cracks on its face and neck and if seen closely, the statue does not appear to be that of Bhagat Singh. A passer-by said, "Only a hat on the head and moustache do not mean that the statue is of Bhagat Singh.

Ruby Singh, a resident of Preet Nagar, member of the Shaheed Bhagat Singh Youth Brigade, who has been holding plays in the memory of Bhagat Singh for the past seven years, said, " The statue differs from what it should be like."

The statue has not been renovated according to the needs of the time. Kewal Krishan Mahendru of Shastri Market lamented, "Why are statues erected/installed? Perhaps to make younger generations aware about the great sons of the soil so that they could get inspiration from them, feel proud looking at them. These stand tall in city centres. Their deeds should not been forgotten by the new generations. But on seeing the condition of the statues, one feels disappointed."

Jalandhar, Febraury 23
Unlike Universal Studios, which spent a fortune on building sea-water enclosures for one of its most expensive movies, the Jalandhar Municipal Corporation does not have to pay anything to get the special effects.

Our choked sewer lines and inefficiency of the Municipal Corporation (MC) in maintaining it properly along with our civic apathy are just enough to create the same effect most of the time here in the city. Ironically, the damaged sewerage system has not only clogged the arteries of the city residents but also proved hazardous across the adjoining states of Rajasthan and Haryana.

As per the sewerage layout plan in the city, the domestic waste from household and the toxic waste from leather tanneries and various industries flows down to Kala Sanghian drain from where it moves to Chitti Bein. From here, it moves to Sutlej and finally reaches Harike from where it is supplied back as drinking water to the entire Malwa and Doaba regions.

Presently, the city uses around 190 million litres of water every day. Out of this, only 125 million litres get treated at the two sewerage treatment plants (STPs) at Pholriwal village. Jalandhar needs to have STPs with a combined capacity of 235 million litres per day (MLD). This estimate given by the Department of Water Supply and Sewerage Board excludes the water used through illegal connections. Till date, only two STPs (100 MLD and 25 MLD capacity) are functional at Pholriwal.

Now, under the National River Conservation Project, costing 235.86 crore, a 50 MLD STP is coming up opposite the Leather Complex, whereas a 25 MLD STP is coming up at Jaitewali near the Hoshiarpur road. Another STP of 10 MLD is coming up at Bammian Waali and the last one is coming up at Pholriwal with a 25 MLD capacity. In this, 70 per cent expenditure is to be borne by the Union government and 30 per cent, which amounts to Rs 72 crore, by the state. The deadline for the commissioning of all the STPs is March 31 this year.

However, the work on three sewerage treatment plants in Jalandhar has come to a halt with the Punjab government failing to release its share even though major funding is being provided by the Centre.

As per official sources, out of its share of Rs 72 crore, the Punjab government has given only Rs 6 crore. The state government’s failure to give more money has only made the matters worse, with the Union government too stopping its third installment and asking the executing agency —Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board — to first seek funds from the Punjab government.

The present sewerage line in the city is 1,130-km-long (branch sewer-880 km and main sewer-240 km). The water supply line is 1,050-km-long. Both lines lie close to each other in many areas, thus increasing the risk of contamination. The water supply line and over thousand illegal connections make a confusing network of pipes and plumbing. MC sources say the lines vary from place to place. The usual expiry limit for a sewerage line is 12 to 15 years. After this, it begins to degenerate or leak, but in many city areas, these are much older.

During rains, most of the roads get waterlogged. Vehicles sink in stagnant water. Roads cave in, power lines snap. Traffic comes to a standstill for hours. The NRI town gets flooded. There is little left between slums and the upscale neighbourhood when it comes to sewage backflow.

Tonnes of silt and plastic are removed from gutters and storm water channels at regular intervals. Most of the removed material is dumped along the roadside by the safai karamcharis. Frequent strikes by these workers reverts the drains to their old clogged position.

“It was actually a sinking feeling! Although the city is known as the NRIs’ home, it can be called a slum as compared to the other cities of Punjab. The moment one comes out of the house, huge piles of garbage, silt and stagnant water can be seen scattered along the roadsides. Foul smell and stray animals grazing on these garbage wastes add to the woes of the residents,” said Onkaar Singh, a resident of Garha village, which had recently faced a gastroenteritis outbreak due to mixing of sewerage line waste with fresh water. Most of the time, the water samples collected by the Health Department from various localities, fail the contamination test.

The sensitive areas in the city with potential threat of contamination according to the MC’s own records include — Saidan Gate, Indira Colony, Santokhpura, Abadpura, Lamma Pind, Bhargo Camp, Industrial Area, Basti Danishmandan, Basti Peerdaad, Basti Bawa Khel, Guru Ramdass Nagar, Sant Nagar, New Raj Nagar, Amrik Nagar, Ranjit Nagar, Baldev Nagar, Babu Labh Singh Mohalla, Kot Mohalla, Lahorian Mohalla and Lasuri Mohalla.

The sewage lines of the city, which were laid long ago, have not been upgraded. Due to this, the trunk sewers are heavily silted while the peripheral ones are mostly damaged and inadequate to cope up with the increasing load. According to a rough estimate, almost 45 per cent of the city is not linked to the drainage network since its installation.

“The municipal corporation does not have the updated sewerage layout plan with them. They don’t even know the places, the levels at which the old sewerage pipes are laid and their connectivity points. During our survey at some places, we found that the shuttering of many drains was not even removed from the last 10 years or so. Many sewerage pipes were not even connected after installation. This proves that the corporation has paid money to contractors without checking. Even after the revelation, the corporation has not done anything to bring the culprits to book,” said Anil Vashisth, an RTI activist.

The remaining damage was done by the residents themselves. The investigations conducted in the Garha gastroenteritis tragedy last year revealed that around 60 illegal water connections were taken from the fresh water supply line by breaking the pipe at various points. The rupturing of the pipe caused silt and other toxic waste from industries and domestic households to enter the fresh supply and spread various health-related problems among the residents.

Also, hungry for space, many residents covered the drains outside their homes to park their cars or extend their lawns. Others had no qualms dumping construction waste from their last home improvement into the channels meant to carry the rain water. Although, the corporation has got drain cleaning machines, but reports have confirmed that most of them are either of very little capacity or run short of diesel.

“Apart from non-maintenance and non-upgradation of the sewerage system, the biggest threat is the untreated water due to less capacity of STPs working at Pholriwal. This is spreading lot of water pollution in and around Punjab. In a way, we are even flowing human excreta and toxic waste from industries directly into the rivers, which is mostly used by villagers of Punjab and the neighbouring state for drinking purposes. Only after the commissioning of the remaining four STPs, will we be able to get rid of this deadly hazard, which has spread many dreadful diseases among the people,” said K.P Goel, Superintending Engineer, Water Supply and Sewerage Board.

Jalandhar, February 23
As many as five matches were played today, the first day of the Sansarpur Hockey Cup, revived after 20 years. The first match was played between Army XI and 27 Madras in which the former beat the later with a score of 4-3. In the second match, 14 Sikh beat Kapurthala Academy 1-0. The third match was a draw between the EME and the Corps of Signals, which was later decided on the penalty shootout.

Displaying excellent hockey, the Corps of Signals beat EME 1-0. Adding a little surprise, the Punjab Police team was beaten by the Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) with a score of 1-0.

In the children’s category (under 55 kg), Dhanowaali Stars beat Mithpur heroes. Two pre-quarter finals and two quarter-finals were played today. The remaining two quarter-finals will be played on Monday. The final match to win the much awaited Sansarpur Cup will be played on Tuesday.

“The tournament will once again add life and action to the village ground that has produced around 14 Olympians, 5 Arjuna Awardees and one Bharat Ratna,” said Col Ravinder Singh Kular (retd), a veteran hockey player from Sansarpur. He said this tournament was revived with the help of NRIs from the village, who had come forward with unconditional support and unlimited budget.

During its golden era, the Indian field hockey team won 11 medals, including six gold in a succession, in the 12 Olympics, between 1928 and 1980, a record unequalled by any country. Another record of sorts was made within the team itself. Except on four occasions, every Indian hockey team, which played at these Olympics, had at least one player from Sansarpur.

At the 1968 Mexico Olympics, the Indian squad fielded five Sansarpur players. Another two players from the village represented Kenya at the games. At the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, the gold-winning Indian team fielded four players from Sansarpur.

“These days, the village is losing its charm and popularity. Lack of proper facilities and interference in the sport are creating hurdles. For a long time, no player has been selected for the national team. We are just trying to add fresh talent from the village into our ancestral game,” said Ravi Pal Singh, Indian national hockey player from Sansarpur.

Jalandhar, February 23
Veterinary inspectors in the state have been working without any registration or in other words, legal recognition. Brinderpal Singh Kairon, state president of the Veterinary Inspectors Association, said in spite of repeated demands and letters to the ministry concerned, they had not been given legal recognition.

He said members of the association had raised the same demands along with other long-pending issues with the Animal Husbandry and Fishries Dairy Development Minister Gulzar Singh Ranike on January 16, yet nothing had been done so far.

Kairon said veterinary inspectors managed 80 per cent of the work in veterinary hospitals and dispensaries, still they had been working without any legal recognition. Kairon was here today to attend the fifth annual meeting of the Veterinary Inspectors Association.

“Despites having two- year diploma in veterinary science and animal health technology after 10+2 with science subjects, veterinary inspectors have been deprived of the minimum pay scale,” he added.

He said they got least promotion opportunities, which was only 1.2 per cent when compared to employees working in other departments. Most of the employees retired from the same post they joined, which was sheer injustice, he added.

“While treating the animals, veterinary inspectors get infected with many animal diseases. Some of the diseases like rabies cannot be cured. Therefore, we should be provided with a special risk allowance,” demanded Kairon.

He said many of the rural veterinary dispensaries had been shut recently. Consequently, people in rural areas, who were relying upon dairy farming, suffered a lot as they were forced to take their ill cattle to veterinary hospital far away from their areas.

Feeling cheated over CM’s promise, Kairon said Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had assured them in a meeting at his residence before the Assembly elections that their demands would be fulfilled. Yet nothing had been done so far. 

Jalandhar, February 23
Yet another Punjabi film, Fateh, claimed to be a different narrative, with a budget of 4 crore, is going to release on March 7. Jaspreet Rajan, writer and director of the film said the only motive behind the film was to promote Gatka, the Sikh martial art. Apart from this, the film also depicts 10 other traditional martial art like kung fu, karate and judo.

The film cast and crew of the film was here yesterday to release the music of the film. Rajan said the movie was a collection of seven songs. This was for the first time in the history of the Punjabi cinema that live music was used in the film.

Directors of Speed Records Dinesh Auluck said Tigerstyle and Kuljit had given the music, while Raj Kakra, Kashmir Thakerwal, Rohit Kaushik and Ranbir Singh Jagatpuri gave the lyrics. Lollypop, David and Jot Sohal choreographed the songs. Besides Mikka, Jasbir Jassi, Kavita Seth, Lembhar Hussainpuri, Karamjit Anmol, Raja Hassan and Feroz Khan lent their soulful voice to the album, the soul of the movie.

Rajan said the film was a complete entertainment and youth oriented film. It would deliver a message as well, he added. The film was shot in Mumbai, Goa besides locations in Punjab.

Speaking on the occasion, Nav Bajwa, lead actor, said, “I underwent Gatka training for six months to do justice with the character in the film. The lead role is of a clean shaven collegiate in the first half and proper Sardar in the second. The traditional Gatka weapons like kirpan, khanda and chakar have been used in the film. All the action scenes have been performed by actors themselves like Yad Garewal, who plays a villain.”

Leading actress Sameksha Singh, who has also worked in South Indian films, said the film would motivate women to learn martial art for self-defence.

The kind of role she played in the film showed the transition of a soft violinist into a strong fighter.