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Building inspectors threaten to quit
A year on, community centre at Chhoti Baradari awaits inauguration
City turning into garbage dump
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From schools &
Colleges
Punjabi singer Napinder Gill performs at the National Media Fest Communis-2014 in Jalandhar. Tribune Photo: Malkiat Singh
Army shows its skills in handling disaster
Contractors asked to
start work on projects
5-day police remand for kidnappers AMW Motors opens outlet Feedback
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Building inspectors threaten to quit
Jalandhar, February 26 Eleven of the 13 inspectors who were present today first lodged their protest with the Senior Town Planner Tirlok Singh and then took up the matter with Municipal Commissioner Manpreet Singh Chattwal. The inspectors alleged that owing to tremendous pressure by the MLAs, councillors and leaders of various political parties, they were not able to perform their duty. "Wherever we go for inspection and try to nail the offenders for not applying for building plan or taking CLU or any deviation from the plan, the leaders start following us to build pressure on not going ahead with any complaint. The MLAs have even called us home and rebuked us for not following their diktat. We can no longer bear all this humiliation and would rather prefer to quit,” said the inspectors who had joined just two months back. Later, the inspectors— Navneet Singh, Preet Paul, Navjot Duggal, Ankush Kumar, Saurabh, Raman and Varinder — even signed a memorandum addressed to the Director, Local Bodies, highlighting the problem. Drafted in Punjabi, they have written that they have taken up the matter with the senior officials too who have expressed their helplessness in the matter forcing them to take the step. "Since we are the ones who would have to later take the onus of inaction against illegal builders, we can no longer handle the charge and have decided to resign
after getting fed up with political interference in our working,” they have written. The inspectors had been recently appointed by the Local Bodies Department following a CWP filed by an Amritsar-based lawyer Parbodh Bali against the poor functioning of the building branches of the MCs across the state. The powerful PIL had also led to the appointment of as many as 48 building inspectors by the Punjab government across various Municipal Corporations. Of the 48 inspectors, the Jalandhar MC office had got 13 inspectors, a few of whom have just joined. Interestingly, even as the qualification of the inspector is a diploma in architecture, the Local Bodies Department got inspectors who are even armed with postgraduate degrees. Municipal Commissioner Manpreet Singh Chattwal tried to play down the issue saying the inspectors are new appointees. "They just need guidance. There is no issue at all," he added. The old building branch staff of the corporation, however, was elated at the development as they have been reportedly upset over the issue. |
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A year on, community centre at Chhoti Baradari awaits inauguration
Jalandhar, February 26 A huge hall with all the utilities, an intricately designed boundary wall and a lawn has been providing it a good facade which so far lies unutilised. The officials of the PUDA, it is learnt, have been awaiting formulation of a policy for its maintenance or handing it over to a private contractor for making bookings and providing the requisite services. The community centre had been constructed after a litigation filed by the residents of the colony who had been saying that even as they had been promised a common place for holding functions, the PUDA had not given them any such provision. RK Singh, a representative of the colony, said, "We apprehended that this site might be sold by the officials as a commercial chunk owing to which a legal suit had been filed. Now that the building has come up, it has been sleeping by not devising a workable model as per which it could be used by the residents for their welfare activities or holding some social, private or religious functions." Manjit Singh Jolly, a resident of the locality, said, "If the department has already made an investment, there is no point in keeping the place unused for so long. They should at least fix a minimal fee for its usage and allow people to book it for birthday parties, engagement ceremonies or marriage functions". There are several other sites of the PUDA earmarked for setting up community centres which have not been constructed since over a decade. Interestingly, member of Parliament from Jalandhar Mohinder Singh Kaypee had laid the foundation stone of one such site near Police Station Division Number 7 in Urban Estate-Phase
I but nothing has come up so far. Another such earmarked site falls inthe same locality near LIG flats but it now remains mired in a legal dispute as the authorities had reportedly erroneously given it out in allotment. Chief Administrator Jalandhar Development Authority Jaskiran Singh said that the society of the area had applied for handing over of the entre. "There are some formalities involved such as getting power connection and making arrangements for running cost. The whole process has to be approved by the Chandigarh authorities which we are expecting in the next few days," he said. |
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City turning into garbage dump
Jalandhar, February 26 Roads linking BSF Chowk to District Administration offices, surroundings of Shashtri Market, BCM Chowk to Bus Stand via All India Radio Station premises, some roads leading to Model Town and many others are full of garbage. The city has been a hub of non resident Indians (NRI) in the state. Other than NRIs, many foreigners also frequently visit the city. State president of the Punjab Safai Mazdur Federation Chandan Garewal blamed the Muninicpal Corporation Jalandhar (MCJ) for lack of cleanliness in the city. “They have no proper plan to keep the city clean. That is why the city has turned into a garbage dump. Lack of proper equipment has further aggravated the situation. There are no rehris’ (carts) and garbage bins. Six out of 10 garbage carrying vehicles are non-functional. It creates hurdles in removal of garbage. Nothing is being provided to us,” he alleged. He said there were 2,064 personnel working as safai karamchari (cleanliness employees). If the MCJ provided only 20 per cent of the required stuff, they could work properly. Answering a question, he said: “No place has been earmarked as dumping ground. Therefore, we are left with no other choice but to dump garbage along the roadside.” The Safai Karamchari Union called off their 10-day strike on January 24 on the assurance of Chief Parliamentary Secretary (CPS) KD Bhandari regarding acceptance of their demands. The union was demanding pension benefits, regularisation of contractual employees, improvement in grades of drivers and the creation of more posts. Chandan said they would not shy away from going on strike again if their demands were not met. The issue of clean roads in the city does not seem to end as the employees demands are still pending. A waste management project, which was supposed to start by the Jindal Urban Waste Management Limited, has failed to get a green signal from the MCJ recently. Deputy Mayor Arvinder Kaur Oberoi said solid waste management project was their prime concern and would be launched soon. She said many demands of safai karamcharis had been fulfilled. Safai karamcharis not being provided with equipment was a lie, said the Deputy Mayor. |
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530 students participate in media fest
JALANDHAR: As many as 530 students from 27 colleges and universities of Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh participated in 14 events held at National Media Fest Communis-2014. The event was organised by the Postgraduation Department of Journalism and Mass Communication of Doaba College, Jalandhar. Ravinder Singh Robin was the chief guest in the morning session. Dignitaries were accorded a warm welcome by Principal Naresh Kumar Dhiman and head of the department, Prof Simran Sidhu. Punjabi singers Napinder Gill and Preet Harpal enthralled the audience with songs. Chander Mohan, president of the Arya Shiksha Mandal and college managing committee, was the chief guest in the evening session, which included prize distribution. Mohan congratulated the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication for successfully organising the mega event and felicitated the students, who showcased their talent on the occasion. Annual function at Mayor World School
‘Greenery to concrete,’ was the theme of the annual function held at Mayor World School, Jalandhar, on Monday. Children of Classes I to V presented various items during the event. The aim of the function was to make children aware of the clean and green environment. Dr Shikha Bhagat, Assistant Commissioner, Jalandhar, and Baljeet Singh Dhillon, Arjuna Awardee, were the chief guest and the guest of honour respectively at the function. Principal of the school JS Hundal and general manager Sukhbir Singh welcomed the guests. Sarswati Vandana in the form of dance was presented by girls during the opening ceremony of the programme. Children’s play in Hindi conveyed the message to save their planet Earth by growing trees. A qawali was also presented by students, which left the audience spellbound. The lyrics conveyed the message to keep a balance between the greenery and concrete. An English play was presented by the students from Classes III to V. It focused on enhancing and moulding the young brains of present generation to get connected to their roots, values, traditions and environment. As many as 380 students participated in the event. The chief guest reiterated that one should strive hard to excel in life. He encouraged the audience to take steps to enhance greenery in and around their neighbourhood. Blood donation camp
DAV Institute of Engineering and Technology, Jalandhar (DAVIET), under its banner of National Social Service organised a blood donation camp here today. The camp is a regular feature of every semester in the institute. As many as 180 students donated blood under the supervision of a team from the Civil Hospital blood bank. Kamaljit Singh Bhatia, Deputy Mayor, Jalandhar, was the chief guest at the camp along with guest of honor Dr Vijay Mahajan, from Tagore Hospital, Jalandhar. The camp was organised under the guidance of Prof AL Sangal, Principal, DAVIET. Dr Mahajan lauded the efforts of the DAVIET workforce and students in organising the camp. He also answered the students’ queries regarding blood donation exercise as an expert in the sphere. Dr Sangal expressed his satisfaction at the conduct of the camp. He congratulated students for their one-upmanship in blood donating exercise. He assured the continuation of such a noble practice in future too. 50 graduates awarded degrees
Degrees were conferred on 50 graduates of the fourth batch, which passed out in 2012, at an function organised by the Army College of Nursing at the Military Hospital, Jalandhar Cantonment, here today. Chief of Staff, Vajra Corps (Chairman, Army College of Nursing, Jalandhar Cantonment) was the chief guest on the occasion. While addressing the gathering, he congratulated the graduates for their hard work and dedication in achieving goals and their contribution towards enriching the academic and community environment of the campus. He also advised the graduates to keep pace with the ongoing changes and achieve excellence in the field of nursing. The chief guest emphasised that the staff and the students must continue to strive relentlessly to achieve the institute’s mission and fulfil the healthcare needs of the people. He wished the young graduates success for their future endeavours. The function was also attended by civilians, Besides defence personnel,. Earlier, the college principal read out the annual report highlighting the achievements of the graduates in academics and other co-curricular activities. Seminar on career in mathematics
The Ramanujan Mathematical Society of Kanya Maha Vidyalaya Post Graduate Department of Mathematics organised a seminar on ‘Career options after studying higher mathematics’. Rohit Gupta from Mohan’s Institute of Mathematics (MIM), which prepares students for the CSIR-UGC-NET (for lectureship), GATE (for research in Maths), NBHM (National Board of Higher Mathematics), gave an awareness lecture on the eligibility for availing scholarship in the undergraduate and postgraduate programmes with maths. He also gave information about reputed institutes in India for research programme in mathematics like HRI Allahabad, IMSC Chennai, IISC Bangalore, ISI Kolkata, JNU and TIFR. Principal, Dr Atima Sharma, congratulated the head of the Department of Mathematics Veena Deepak and the faculty for holding a seminar, which linked their education to placement and also helped to develop faculty for research. Inter-college sports meet
St Soldier Group of Institutions, Jalandhar, organised its first Inter-College Sports Meet. St Soldier Law College, St Soldier Institute of Engineering and Technology, St Soldier Polytechnic College, St Soldier Degree College, St Soldier Institute of Hotel Management, St Soldier Institute of Pharmacy took part in the event. Baba Fauja Singh, renowned marathon runner, was the chief guest on the occasion. He is 103-year-old, but students said he was young even at this age. Dr Subhash Sharma, Principal of the Law College, read the sports report and welcomed the guests. Various sports and athletic events were held in which more than 400 students participated. In the football match, College of Pharmacy stood first and Polytechnic College second. Winners and runners up of volleyball match were Polytechnic College, College of Engineering and the third position went to College of Law. PTU results
Students of the DIPS Institute of Management and Technology, Jalandhar, once again proved their mettle in Punjab Technical University (PTU) results announced in February. Chairman Gurbachan Singh, MD Tarvinder Singh, CEO Monika Mandotra, Academic Controller Gulshan Gakhar of the DIPS Group of Institutions and Dr KK Handoo, Principal of the college, congratulated the students for doing well in exams.
— TNS |
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Army shows its skills in handling disaster
Jalandhar, February 26 The exercise was conducted at Army Public School in the cantonment area to synergise the efforts of all stake holders and check the preparedness to face such crisis. While the Army displayed its readiness to combat any type of the CBRN disaster, the Civil Defence team of the district administration provided outside support by deploying local police staff, medical teams from the Health Department and fire safety officers. A mock scene of a terrorist attack was created on the school campus in which four terrorist attacked and held some children as hostage. During the fight with the local police, three of the policemen died and the last one diffused a dirty bomb before dying. A Civil Defence team of the district administration on finding it to be a case of CBRN attack informed the Army authorities, who swung into action and quickly reached the spot with the CBRN quick reaction team (QRTs). Brig IJS Chauhan, Sub Area Commander, said, “In this scenario, we deploy three teams. The first one will evacuate the casualties from the radiation site as soon as possible and estimate the danger of radiation. The second team consists of medical experts, who besides providing first aid will also help in evacuating the casualties to assigned hospitals. The third team of co-opted troops will fight in case of an armed attack.” He said the aim of this mock drill was to practice deployment of CBRN quick reaction team (QRT), quick reaction medical team (QRMT) and co-opted troops in rendering aid to the civil administration in a CBRN disaster related scenario, perpetuated due to terrorist action. Highly sophisticated process of decontamination of the troops involved in the rescue operations after the CBRN attack was also showcased at the end of the drill.
Chemical warfare (C)
In such an attack, chemical agents interfere with the transfer of oxygen, suffocating the victim. Hydrogen cyanide is a blood agent which kills quickly and dissipates quickly. Choking agents damage the lungs. Blister agents cause painful blisters on the skin and are extremely harmful when inhaled. Nerve agents attack the nervous system, causing difficulty in breathing, nausea, dim vision, convulsions, and death. Biological warfare (B)
Biological warfare or BW is the use of pathogens or toxins as weapons. Pathogens include bacteria and viruses, which cause diseases such as anthrax, cholera and plague. Pathogens as weapons can be used against strategic targets such as food supplies, troops, and the local population to create panic and disrupt mobilisation plans. Toxins are poisons produced by pathogens, snakes, spiders, sea creatures and plants. Radiological warfare (R)
Radiological warfare (RW) is the deliberate use of radiological weapons to inflict injury, which can lead to death. The explosion of a radiological weapon, similar to that of an ordinary bomb, causes damage by the heat and blast liberated at the time of detonation. Nuclear radiation is emitted when the bomb explodes. This radiation may also be released by particles called radioactive fallouts. Nuclear Warfare (N)
Nuclear warfare, or atomic warfare, is a military conflict or political strategy in which nuclear weapons are used. Compared to conventional warfare, nuclear warfare is more destructive in range and extent of damage. A major nuclear exchange could have severe long-term effects, primarily from radiation release and also from a possible atmospheric pollution, leading to a nuclear winter that could last for decades, centuries, or even millennia after the initial attack. Nuclear war is considered an existential risk for civilisation on the Earth. Proliferation
Despite arms control regimes, transfer of the NBC weapons technology and material continues among well established states, such as Russia and China, and third world NBC proliferants. North Korea has delivered hundreds of SCUD missiles and production technology to Iran and Syria. China gave M-11 missile related technology to Pakistan, and nuclear, CW and missile technology to Iran. Iran supplied the CW agent to Libya, which was used against Chad in 1987. Failure of NPT increased the threat
The Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) did not stop the acquisition of the nuclear weapons technology by the third world. India, Israel, Pakistan and possibly North Korea have nuclear weapons or can assemble them quickly. South Africa had declared having developed nuclear weapons, though it has now dismantled its programme. When United Nation’s inspections cease, Iraq’s could resume its nuclear weapons programme. |
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Contractors asked to
start work on projects
Jalandhar, February 26 Inaugurations have been going on for almost a month. Foundation stones were laid in the Ward number 3, 20, 21, 22 and 40, falling in the constituency of Jalandhar North MLA KD Bhandari. Works costing the state exchequer Rs 2,32,59,000 in Wards 1,7, 9 and 39, falling in Bhandari’s constituency and Ward No. 43, in Bhagat Chunni Lal’s Jalandhar West Assembly segment, were inaugurated yesterday. Border and roads projects worth Rs 2,72,60,000 in Wards 6, 7, 8, 19 and 27, in Bhandari’s constituency, were launched on Monday. Mayor Sunil Jyoti said internal road laying works worth Rs 30 crore had been started in various wards. He said he would start inaugurations for main roads. The roads were in a pitiable condition. Since the weather was conducive and work orders had been cleared, the contractors had been asked to start work on a war footing, he added. |
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JALANDHAR: As many as 530 students from 27 colleges and universities of Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh participated in 14 events held at National Media Fest Communis-2014.
Blocking radiation during chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear
(CBRN) disasters is presently the biggest challenge faced by the country. This was ascertained here in a mock drill
"Vajra Sahayata" conducted by the Army to showcase its supporting capability to the civil authorities in case of a CBRN disaster situation.
