Jalandhar, February 27
Bringing shame to tall claims of the state government of providing ultra-modern health services to the people of Punjab, the patients admitted to various wards and also the intensive care unit (ICU) of the Civil Hospital here were found to be consuming water from the adjoining washrooms on various floors.

Shockingly, the hospital does not even have a single potable water point on the entire campus.

Patients could be seen visiting the hospital carrying water bottles in their hands. Since most of them are poor and cannot afford to buy mineral water, they get hold of the empty bottles thrown on the hospital campus and fill these with water from some outside source.

The labelled potable water points inside the hospital were found to be empty without water coolers and the connections of the water pipes were also found to be permanently disconnected.

“This is disgusting. We are placed on the top floor. After the OPD timings are over at 2 pm, the lifts stop working. Since there is no water point in the entire hospital, we cannot go down every time to get a bottle of water. The hospital has not even made arrangements for storing water for drinking purposes on any of its floor. We are left with no option but to drink water coming in the taps of the adjoining washroom,” said Jasbeer Kaur, an attendant at the ICU. More shockingly, many patients at the ICU were also found to be consuming life-saving drugs with the same contaminated water which was not even checked once by the Health Department.

“So many times we have requested the authorities to provide some storage facility so that we can keep the water cans there. I am running up and down more than six times a day. I recently had heart surgery. I am facing a lot of difficulty to have a basic facility in the biggest government hospital of the state. Most of the time I feel breathless while climbing the stairs. Who would be responsible if something happens to me?” asked 55-year-old Rekha, an attendant whose daughter is undergoing jaundice treatment at the ICU.

Besides the ICU, the top floor also houses the operation theatre and the female surgical wards. Still no water point has been provided on the floor. All the levels lack water points that is causing a lot of inconvenience to the people visiting the hospital every day.

Dr Jagjit Singh Cheema, Medical Superintendent, Civil Hospital, confirmed the scarcity of potable water inside the hospital, but promised providing the same soon. “We are aware of the crisis. We are actually short of water coolers. We have written to the higher authorities and very soon, the crisis would be resolved,” said Dr Cheema.

Surprisingly, the Health Department, which is responsible to maintain the health of the people by regularly checking the food and water samples from various places, was caught on the wrong foot due to its ignorance about the practice being followed by patients and their attendants to quench their thirst by consuming stagnant tank water coming down from rusted and muddy water pipes. While a battery of health officials can be seen collecting water samples from various locations at any time of the day, they have failed to check the quality of water being consumed by more than 1,200 people visiting the hospital everyday!

Fact file The hospital does not even have a single potable water point Patients drinking water from adjoining washrooms of their wards Health Department ignorant of the unhygienic practice being followed by patients and their attendants

Jalandhar, February 27
After two heinous crime incidents, including the kidnapping of a five-year-old daughter of a Major and the murder of two youths in the past two days in the city, a security guard, working in the Honda Prestige car showroom located on the Jalandhar-Phagwara highway, was murdered last night. The motive of the criminals was loot, but stiff resistance by the guard did not let the robbers succeed in their motive.

The deceased was identified as Jaswinder Singh (60).

The miscreants entered the showroom at midnight. The guard, after noticing some activity in the showroom, woke up and raised the alarm. The miscreants then pounced on the guard and started beating him up. Scattered blood in the showroom indicated that the guard had put up stiff resistance to the criminals.

The miscreants, who were apparently armed with sharp-edged weapons, attacked the guard and inflicted sharp injuries on his face and other body parts. Sources said the miscreants later entered the showroom and made an attempt to open the safe lying on the first floor of the showroom.

The guard of a nearby showroom, after listening to the victim's screams, came out of his showroom to inquire the matter and saw Jaswinder lying in a pool of blood. “When I saw some youths carrying arms inside the showroom, I returned, fearing I might also be attacked,” he said.

Meanwhile, the miscreants fled from the spot. He informed about the incident to the police control room.

Sources said when the police reached the spot, they found the guard dead.

ACP Dev Dutt said the car showroom had CCTV cameras, but these were not working. Had the CCTV cameras been working, the police would have got some vital clues, he held.

Jalandhar, February 27
While the city was celebrating Shivratri with great religious fervour and gaiety today, around 100 employees of various departments of the district administration were carrying out a warfare-level damage-control exercise for the state government to make pending 22,000 blue cards for the beneficiaries of the new "atta daal" scheme manually within a stipulated time of nine hours.

Staff members were called without informing them about the nature of the duty and were made to stay till late evening at the Municipal Corporation (MC) building to make the pending cards for the government so as to begin the distribution of foodgrains to the new beneficiaries before the implementation of the poll code of conduct.

“We have been assigned the job to make around 15,000 pending blue cards of the beneficiaries covered under the new 'atta daal' scheme. Although we were told to make all cards by today itself, we were able to complete only 50 per cent of the work by 6 pm. The remaining 7,000 cards will be made tomorrow,” said Dr Nirmaljeet kaur APO, MC.

Although the staff reached the MC office at around 9 am, due to initial mismanagement and confusion amongst the employees themselves, the work could only start at 1 pm. For making 22,000 cards in a single day, around 25 teams of four members each were made and assigned different rooms in the corporation office. On realising the nature of the job, many staff members were seen making vague excuses to go back home, but none of them were allowed to leave the room till late evening under the stict directions of the senior executive officers of the district administration. Even after working hard for nine hours, the mammoth target set by the administration for a single day could not be achieved and the decision was taken to continue the exercise on Friday as well.

“We have to finish the pending work before the implementation of the code of conduct. This was necessary as after this, we will not be able to make new beneficiary cards. We have around 7,000 pending cards. Now are are hopeful to finish the work by Friday,” said Paramjit Singh, SDM, Jalandhar-II.

Sources said it seemed like the district administration had been stongly pulled up by the ruling government to pave the way for the latter to help it win the coming Lok Sabha elections.

Harsh on staff
Government staff were called without informing them about the nature of the duty and were made to stay till late evening at the Municipal Corporation (MC) building to make the pending cards for the government so as to begin the distribution of foodgrains to the new beneficiaries before the implementation of the poll code of conduct

Jalandhar, February 27
The rural and city police have joined hands to track down dreaded criminal Bhana. Sources said the city police had sought the help of the rural police in cracking the case of kidnapping of five-year-old daughter of an Army officer, Diya, and due to the reason, the city police had sought the help of the rural police.

Police Commissioner Ishwar Singh said Special Investigation Teams (SITs) had been formed under the leadership of Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Rahul S, adding that raids were being conducted at specific hideouts of the accused. However, he didn’t comment if help of the rural police was sought.

“Our teams have been conducting raids at various places in the district. Each officer has been told to diligently make efforts to nab the criminals. I have full faith In his team members. I hope soon the criminals will be behind bars,” Singh claimed.

High alert in state

Ishwar Singh said although he had formed SITs to nab the Bhana gang members, he had also sounded high alert across the state. He added that the city police was in touch with the police of every district.

Only one arrest

The police has only been able to arrest one accused, Balbir Singh Cheema, for hatching the murder conspiracy, while the remaining accused, Daljit Singh Bhana kingpin of the Bhana gang, Gurpreet, Gurbaj, Soni, Dalbir and Sukhdev Singh, were yet to be arrested. Sources said the police had rounded up Soni, but they yet to place his arrest on record.

Police on toes

High-profile kidnapping and triple murder in the past three days have kept the police on its toes. Although the police solved the kidnapping case within a few hours of its occurrence, investigations into the three murders in two separate cases were on.

On February 24 late in the evening, five-year-old Diya, daughter of an Army officer Sukhjit, was kidnapped by a couple from Ranjiv Enclave. Call it pressure of the police or other reasons, kidnappers left the child bundled in a gunny bang near her house. A few hours later, the city police also nabbed the kidnappers, husband-wife Satbir and Meghna. A day after the police solved the kidnapping case, the Bhana gang shot dead two youths Simran and Deepansh and rendered one of their friends seriously injured near Raja Garden. The police has arrested only one accused in this case, while six are at large.

On the night of February 26, unknown miscreants hacked to death 60-year-old Jaswinder, security guard of a car showroom on the Jalandhar-Phagwara road.

Jalandhar, February 27
“Punjab was chosen as the core location mainly to depict the joyous and cheerful state of my characters in the film,” said Imtiaz Ali, a noted Bollywood film director, who was in the city to promote his recently released film “Highway”.

A major part of the film has been shot at Noormahal, a small town, located 33 km from the city. He said it was spirituality, which connected him to Punjab and Punjabi food.

“There is some ‘charismatic’ effect in Punjab. It is probably the only state that has suffered repeated attacks not only from the neighbouring countries but also elements. Still, with utmost grit and spirit, the Punjabis have stood valiantly against all odds,” said Ali.

In terrorism-affected areas, people first worry about feeding themselves than to promote their rich cultural traditions. But Punjab has been successful in preserving its essence and should work towards spreading its horizon,” said Ali.

Presently, Ali is travelling to major cities of Punjab to have a first-hand view of the film by interacting with people. He said, “I do not believe in critics or number game. They can be bought or fixed. I always take the views by directly interacting with the audience myself. But coming to Punjab was just an instant decision and I am happy to be here among the people with so much of vibrancy and warm-heartedness.”

Ali has directed “Jab We Met” (2007), “Love Aaj Kal” (2009) and “Rockstar” (2011), which created waves amongst youth. He said he always added Punjabi Tadka to his films due to its pulsating effect.

Born and brought up at Jamshedpur in a middle-class family, Imtiaz Ali gives entire credit of his success in Bollywood to his father. “I can’t think of a better parent. I made difficult choices, but he knew that his strength would make me bloom. Even though I had failed, my father never made me feel worse and was only there to always encourage me. After that, I started applying myself and excelled in studies and sports and started doing theatre,” said Ali. Later, he moved to Hindu College in Delhi, founded a theatre society called IBTIDA and started directing plays. It was only after years of struggle as a copywriter in various advertising agencies that Sunny Deol finally selected his script for his movie “Socha Na Tha” and the rest, as they say, is history.

Ali’s recent release “Highway” has picked up over the weekend. It earned Rs 13.75 crore during the first week-end. The film has fetched Rs 15 crore by hitting 800 screens so far.

Alia Bhatt plays a rich, city girl, who is kidnapped by Randeep Hooda. She finds her inner freedom during her abduction.

Jalandhar, February 27
Railway authorities are often criticised by passengers for their failure to maintain cleanliness and hygiene at railway stations. However, the authorities seem to have turned a blind eye towards the issue and inconvenience caused to the commuters.

The condition of city’s railway station is such that litter can be seen scattered all around the platforms. The garbage bins are overfilled and appear to have never been emptied. Apart from this, a corner in a far end is being used as a urinal by passengers and tea stall owners without any check.

“We are forced to face such inconveniences every day. Eating substandard food has become a routine for us. I think such a mis-management is due to the connivance of the railway authority,” alleged a daily commuter, Jasdeep Singh, who visits Amritsar for business purpose.

Station Master Samsher Singh Walia on being contacted said the tender for maintaining cleanliness on the railway station is in process. He disconnected the phone when asked whether the responsibility of cleanliness comes under his jurisdiction.

According to the policy, railway stations that fall under A-1 and A category are under the control of chief medical officer and health inspectors of the station concerned. All major stations in the Ferozepur division like Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ferozepur, Ludhiana, Jammu, Pathankot, Jalandhar Cantonment and Chakki Bank come under the A-1 and A category. Whereas, smaller railway stations like Dhandhari and Sahnewal, that fall under D, E and F category, are under the control of the Commercial Department.

Tea stalls and other eatable points on these stations have reportedly not been inspected for their compliance with the terms and conditions of the Health Department.

Dr RL Bassan, Chief Medical Officer, said a medical team of railways was asked from time to time to keep a check on hygiene at the railway station. He personally had not conducted any such inspection, he added.

Divisional Railways Manager NC Goyal said they were going to initiate some projects in order to maintain cleanliness and hygiene at railway stations. He refused to share details on phone and advised the correspondent to visit Ferozepur office for more information.

Jalandhar, February 27
The Punjab Roadways Employees Joint Action Committee today insisted on fulfilment of their long-pending demands before the election code came into force. They also threatened to launch a protest march at Shahkot, home town of Transport Minister Ajit Singh Kohar, on March 7, if the Punjab government failed to do so.

Amrik Singh Gill, convenor to the committee, said in a meeting with the Transport Minister on February 12, the latter assured completion of some of their demands with immediate effect.

The minister had committed that their other demands, including incorporation of 571 debt-free buses into Punjab Roadways fleet, distribution of uniforms, unconditional implementation of family passes, keeping the contractors out of the outsource system and regularisation of temporary staff would also be executed after fixing a meeting with Finance Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa,” added Gill.

Jalandhar, February 27
A young man from Bholath, a small town, has won the top slot in the powerlifting championships twice. Ajay Gogna (26), won a gold in the senior category by lifting 217.5 kg in the National Bench Press Power-lifting Championship. The event was organised by the Indian Power-lifting Federation from February 20 to 23 in Jammu.

Having already participated in about 150 contests, including those held at the village level, Ajay has won almost all the competitions. He has been awarded the title ‘Strong man of India’, more than 15 times. The title is conferred on the player, who lifts the maximum weight in a championship.

Earlier, Ajay won a gold in the junior category in the same championship held in March, 2011, in Jammu. He also bagged a gold in the State Power-lifting Championship by lifting 202.5 kg weight. The tournament was held in Khanna in 2011.

Ajay is concerned about youth losing their lives to drugs. “This is a serious problem. Most of the youth have fallen into the trap of drugs. Instead of destroying their lives, they should pick up some sport to divert their mind and to improve their endurance,” said Ajay.

Ajay’s mother said, “He always eats home-cooked food as he feels it is the healthiest. Also, for his extra diet he relies on natural foods like milk and milk products, eggs and meat products.”

Ajay is now preparing for the Asian Championship. He hopes that the International Federation of Weighlifting will remove the long-existing ban on India, which was enforced after some players failed the dope test.

Jalandhar, February 27
Over 10 lakh bank employees and workmen in the banking industry have been affected due to the non-revision of their wages and faulty banking reforms for the last couple of years.

In a statement, the All India Bank Officers Confederation said: “Having settled for 17.50 per cent on the total establishment expenses (higher quantum), the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) has made an initial offer of only 5 per cent salary increase on the pay slip component (lower Quantum), which was enhanced to 9.5 per cent after a strike call and finally increased by .50 per cent in January this year.”

“As the offer of 10 per cent amounts to Rs 3,150 crore, lower than the last settlement commencing from November 2007, which comes to Rs 3,300 crore, and the IBA not willing to negotiate further on the load factor, forced the bankers to go on strike,” read the statement.

Harvinder Singh, general secretary of the confederation, said many state governments had implemented the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations. Now the Seventh Pay Commission, due in 2016, would further widen the gap in their salaries, added Harvinder. — TNS

Jalandhar, February 27
Jasveer Singh (59), from Adda Kathar village and Gurbachan Singh (83), from Kathar village, near Adampur, have won gold and silver medals in various athletics events in the 35th Master Athletics Federation of India, held recently in Jaipur.

Jasveer won a gold in 400 mtrs relay race. He also won a silver and a bronze in 400 mtrs and 200 mtrs respectively. Gurbachan won three silver medals in the 400 mtrs relay race, 400 and 200 mtrs race.

Both of have also won numerous athletic events during their school and college days.

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