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Illegal hoardings dot city
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Labour project staff without salary for 15 months
Better jalandhar encroachments on roads
AAP workers organise road show
FROM COLLEGES
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Illegal hoardings dot city
Jalandhar, April 20 During a survey in the city, several such hoardings of the SAD-BJP Lok Sabha candidate Pawan Kumar Tinu were found pitched in parks and in the green belt developed by the MC. Several such hoardings were put up on temporary poles from HMV College road to Patel chowk. Neither the MC nor election officials have taken pains to remove these hoardings. All these hoarding contained pictures of SAD candidate Pawan Kumar Tinu along with the chief minister Punjab Parkash Singh Badal and BJP’s PM candidate Narendra Modi. When questioned, MC Commissioner Manpreet Singh Chatwal said if these hoardings were put up in the green belt on temporary poles and not on unipoles, then these hoardings were illegal and were liable to be removed. “I am just sending my team to check these hoardings and if found pitched in a green belt, the same
will be removed today,” Chatwal added. Earlier also, such hoardings were put up by political parties at various intersections of the city, but were removed by the MC. |
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Rehearsals for polling staff held
Jalandhar, April 20 Additional District Election Officer HK Nagpal reviewed the arrangements at various places and issued instructions. Rajiv Sekhri, nodal officer (election rehearsals) accompanied him. The Additional District Election officer said the rehearsal for the legislative assembly constituency 30 Phillaur took place at Government Senior Secondary School (Boys) Phillaur, for 31- Nakodar at Lovely Palace, Nurmahal Road, for 32- Shahkot at Public Senior Secondary School Moga Road, Shahkot for 33 at Kartarpur at Khalsa College for Women, for 34 Jalandhar West at Red Cross Bhawan Lajpat Nagar, for 35- Jalandhar Central at Desh Bhagat Yadgaar Hall auditorium, for 36- Jalandhar North at Government Senior School (boys) Ladowali Road, 37-Jalandhar Cantt at Government Model Co-education Senior Secondary School, ladowali Road, for 38- Adampur at APJ College near Guru Gobind Singh Stadium Jalandhar. Jasbir Singh, SDM, Phillaur, Pritpal Singh, SDM, Nakodar, Dr Sanjeev Sharma, SDM, Shahkot, Paramjeet Singh, SDM Jalandhar -2, Harjit Singh Kandola, Chief Adminstrator, JDA, Neeraj Kumar, SDM-1, Jalandhar, Manpreet Singh Chatwal Commssioner MC, BK Virdi AETC and Gurmeet Singh who were deputed at these places, respectively, instructed the poll staff about the polling procedure. The polling staff were also rendered instructions about the working of the EVMs. Along with rendering instructions about polling procedure and their duty during it, the returning officers also informed the staff about the procedure to exercise their own right to vote. They were told that the employees who had been assigned duties in their own voting constituencies could take the EDP Slips through form 12-A and those assigned duties outside their constituencies could acquire postal
ballot to exercise their right to vote. Presiding officers were told to go through the presiding diaries carefully to ensure a proper and
fair poll. |
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Labour project staff without salary for 15 months
Jalandhar, April 20 While the staff’s dues are released by the Centre, queries made some time ago from the field officer had got the reply that their dues would be released in a week. But even as more than a week has passed since that promise, the staff — who are already low-paid employees — are facing trouble. Notably, the non-release of funds has also meant trouble for the NCLP students who get their monthly stipend from the Centre. Members submitted a memorandum to Deputy Commissioner Varun Roojam on Tuesday. Talking to The Tribune, NCLP staff said, “While the DC directed us to meet the project director on the issue and asked him to meet him (the DC), he asked us to go to Delhi and protest if we need our dues. While we are already starved of money, the officials are also not being cordial with us.” Project director, Jalandhar, NCLP, said, “We have had communications from Delhi that the money would be released before April 30. Our own man went there. We would make sure the payment would be made before that. But we can only do so once the money arrives. We would only need the staff to bear with us since we also want that they are paid.” Reacting to the allegations of being rude with staff, he said, “The staff had told me that they would hold a dharna here. So I had to tell them it is not within our power to release the money from the state. “ Besides, 27 schools in Jalandhar, 40 schools from Ludhiana and Amrtisar are also still wihout their dues. |
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Jail warden test: Candidates protest delay in release of merit list
Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, April 20 Ashok Kumar and Vikas Dadwal alleged that the government had released an advertisement to recruit jail warden, driver and matron in October 2011 and in April 2012, the physical fitness test for which was conducted at the district headquarters by the government. Officials had told the candidates that the merit list of the successful candidates would be released in a week. Now over two years have passed, but we are awaiting the merit list. It shows the lackadaisical approach of the government, the protesters alleged. To get their demands fulfilled, they would soon intensify their protest against the government and protest rallies would soon be organised at the district level, the protesters said. They would also organise a protest rally at Chandigarh. If the merit list of the successful candidates was not released before April 30, they would boycott the Lok Sabha elections, the protesters said.
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Better jalandhar encroachments on roads Deepkamal Kaur Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, April 20 Even as the worst affected areas are those along the Old GT Road, Nakodar Road, Hoshiarpur road near Rama Mandi, prominent intersections including Jyoti Chowk, Ambedkar Chowk, Guru Nanak Mission Chowk and Kapurthala Chowk, there is no stretch in Jalandhar which is free from illegal makeshift encroachments. The old city markets including Rainak Bazaar and Sheikhan Bazaar remain choc-a-block with hawkers selling all kinds of products at their vends, including clothing, footwear, accessories, kitchen equipment, eatables, snacks and other stuff. Market areas in even posh localities including Model Town, New Jawahar Nagar, Lajpat Nagar and Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar do not lag behind on this count. Commuters snaking through any of these stretches have to take care not to bump into anyone coming their way. Extended counters
Almost all shopkeepers tend to cover more areas than they actually own. While some have counters extending till the covered verandah which as per the bylaws has to be left open for visitors to pass by, there are others who go beyond even up to 10 or 15 feet, covering double or triple the area of what they actually own. There are dhabas and motor spare parts shops on Ladowali Road which have covered the entire parking lot in front of their establishments in the PUDA market there. At Ambedkar Chowk, all shopkeepers selling plastic furniture and bicycles for children have displayed their items at least 12 feet beyond their premises. Each time an MC recovery van passes, they pack up their chairs, tables, swings etc and roll them out again once the MC teams are gone. It is often seen that such encroachments begin with a temporary covering of the areas by extending parapets, counters and keeping some goods outside for a few months which eventually turn into a permanent problem with encroachments even getting covered with concrete erections. Sunday market
It is a fact that all shopkeepers in the market areas allow the vendors to occupy the space in front of their shops only after illegally receiving some amount from them. On Sundays, the vendors have a field day in Rainak Bazaar and the areas around Jyoti Chowk when they turn up in large numbers and sell items to a clientele which primarily includes people from the lower strata of society. The shopkeepers with big showrooms in the shoe market also get cheaper versions of their products displayed in the middle of the Old GT road by setting up tables there. Clearly, this busy road which leads to the Civil Hospital and Division Number 4 police station, adjoining the stretch, becomes a big problem for the commuters there. About four years back, Joint Commissioner, MC, DP Bhardwaj had taken a strong stance by taking along a heavy posse of police force to the site and stopping vendors from coming to the site. The drive which faced much opposition continued for about three consecutive Sundays but was discontinued soon after owing to the alleged interference of the BJP leaders in the area whom the vendors approached. Political backing
When Mayor Sunil Jyoti assumed office in September 2012, he started a major anti-encroachment drive in the city. The biggest bottleneck for this is Jyoti Chowk. The Mayor held a flag march walking along the road with the Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Naresh Dogra. All encroachments along the Old GT Road and Nakodar Road got completely cleared, with vendors including those selling currency garlands being forced to move out to the other areas or restrict themselves within the yellow line. This drive too sustained for just a month during which the road looked wide. The vendors soon joined hands and lodged a major protest before the office of the Mayor. Jyoti maintained a tough posture but soon withdrew allowing the chaos to prevail all over again. Milap Chowk area and the Rama Mandi areas which were on his radar are back to the old cluttered form. The presumption is that his seniors must have told him to go soft on the vendors in view of the elections. It is a fact that even as labourers are seen selling items on carts, there are people behind managing the entire show and earning big bucks. Even the MC staff is pocketing a fixed regular illegal income from these vendors, a fact which often comes to light during any forceful action. The real owners come into picture levelling such allegations against the team members. With polls around the corner, there has hardly been any major anti-encroachment drive in the last few months. Baring one drive at Banda Bahadur Nagar three weeks back and another at Adarsh Nagar chaupati two months back, no other drive has been undertaken so far. The issue of Adarsh Nagar too was resolved with a decision that the vendors pay up an amount of Rs 3,000 per cart per month to the MC. Councillors as
law-breakers
The municipal councillors, who have been indulging in encroaching upon the land outside their business premises, obviously cannot preach others not to indulge in such activity. Satya Pali, whose husband runs a dhaba on Garha Road, has extended counters till the verandah of the shop. Similarly, ex-councillor Vijay Dakoha who owns a hardware shop at Rama Mandi, can be seen using the space outside his premises for keeping
his goods. Civic body’s budget
The tehbazari wing of the Jalandhar MC, which had proposed to raise an income of Rs 40 lakh by way of issuing challans, has met its target this time. The department has been given a much bigger target of recovering Rs 1 crore next year. The councillors claim that going by the increasing number of encroachments, there was a scope to earn much more on account of challaning the vendors and those indulging in temporary encroachments. The MC has been charging Rs 500 or more using its own discretionary power for the release of items apprehended this way. MC version
Tehbazari Superintendent, Municipal Corporation, Vikrant Verma said, "I have already written to my senior officials to either restrict the number of vends or allow them a fixed rehri market place as in Chandigarh. We had even started the practice of recovering carts and breaking them instead of returning for challan. We did this in Model Town but were told to discontinue it after a backlash. We then started imposing a higher amount as challan, even routing them through courts which too did not work out. The matter is now with the Local Bodies Department to decide on how to go about it." |
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Contractual staff decide to vote against SAD-BJP govt
Jalandhar, April 20 They said the Akali-BJP government did not deserve the votes of contractual workers whom it had betrayed. Activists of the morcha burnt an effigy of the Central and state government at the Company Bagh here today. Earlier, mid-day meal workers, ASHA workers, facilitators, forest workers and contractual workers held a protest rally at the local Desh Bhagat Yadgaar Hall and took out a march from there to Company Bagh. The union represented mid-day meal workers, ASHA workers, facilitators, forest workers, 7654 Teachers’ Union, 3442 Union, SSA, RMSA, EGS, special trainers, education providers, computer teachers, contractual women workers, staff nurses and other contractual workers. Contractual workers said they had decided to pay back the government on April 30 and in the coming days their struggle would be intensified and taken to Bathinda, Faridkot, Patiala, Batala, Anadpur Sahib and Jalandhar where rallies would be held to protest against the SAD-BJP government. Addressing the gathering, leaders Germanjit Singh and Harinder Dusanjh said ahead of the 16th lok sabha polls in the state, the Congress and Akali-BJP governments ignored the problems of contractual employees and were just bothered about mutual mudslinging. They said despite spending 25 years in the Forest Department, some workers had still not been made permanent. Mid-day meal and ASHA workers were not being paid minimum wages, they said. Leaders said both the state and the Central governments were making people furious due to their corrupt practices. Condemning the open sale of drugs in the state, they said contractual workers who stood for their rights were being put in jails. |
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Artistes satirise corrupt politicians through ‘Nukkad Natak’
Jalandhar, April 20 Written by Gaurav Jyoti, theatre artists, including Gopal, Mayank, Balraj, Sandeep, Vidhant, Amit and Nipun played the role of various characters. The play was directed by Ashok Kalyan. Ashok said the theme of the play was to highlight corruption among the politicians. “We have clearly highlighted how these selfish politicians befool the public at the time of elections to garner votes. "They show greener pastures to the voters and make hollow promises but do nothing after winning the elections. The play has a motivational message that encourages the youth to use their right to vote for the right candidate,” he added. The character of a politician remained the main attraction of the play. It showed how a politician, instead of spending funds on development, fills his own coffers. The corrupt practices of the politicians were also highlighted through the Right to Information Act (RTI). The play vividly shed light on the RTI Act. During the play, a layman files an RTI application to inquire about the funds utilised by the minister for development in his constituency. The RTI reply exposes the minister’s claims of ushering in development and puts the minister in the dock. The play was witnessed by hundreds of passersby who applauded the efforts of the theatre artists in bringing the elections issues to the fore. Towards the end, the play gave a useful message to the youth to utilise their right to vote and use the RTI as a weapon to expose the corrupt practices of the politicians. |
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AAP workers organise road show
Bathinda, April 20 Party workers, including a retired Punjab Police DSP, software engineer, students and a large number of youngsters, who promised to shun the path of drugs, were among those who participated in the rally. “Many youngsters, who were earlier addicted to drugs, have expressed their desire to do something for the nation and joined AAP. The youth is simply carried away by the ideology of party convener Arvind Kejriwal,” said party candidate Jassi Jasraj aka Jasraj Longia. He said parents of youth addicted to drugs had approached him to give space to their wards, who are jobless and hence found an escape in drugs. “Though I informed them that our party lacks resources and access to funds to the tune of crores of rupees, we try to accommodate each and everyone with whatever resources we have at our disposal,” Jassi said. He pointed out that people are chipping in with whatever they have to offer to the party, which they think is a better option in this deteriorating scenario. Jassi said many youngsters were impatient and the senior party workers tried their best to make them realise that the AAP is not a political party like others but it is an effort made by a group of people who were away from politics so far. |
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Training programme
Guru Nanak Dev University, Regional Campus, Jalandhar will be associated with a special programme conducted by NTTR at Chandigarh. Entrepreneurship Development and Coordination Department of National Institute of Technical Teachers Training and Research (NTTR), Chandigarh, is going to organise a one-week short term training programme through information and communication technology on 'Intellectual Property Rights and Patenting' from April 20 to 25. Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Guru Nanak Dev University Regional Campus, Jalandhar, is going to be connected to NTTR Chandigarh through ICT (information and communication technology) and will be acting as centre for the aforementioned programme. Associate Dean, GNDU, Jalandhar, Dr Kamlesh Duggal, will be the chief guest. Dr Jyoteesh Malhotra of the ECE Department will preside over the training programme. Farewell party
The 3rd year students of MCA of DAV Institute of Engineering and Technology were given a farewell party titled ‘Hasta La Vista 2014’ by the students MCA 2nd year. The party was organised at the convention hall of DAVIET on April 17, 2014. Dr AL Sangal, principal, DAVIET, offered his best wishes to the third year students. He said hard work, sincerity, determination and faith always pay. He congratulated the departments for preparing the students well for accepting challenges of life. All the 3rd year students were invited on the stage in order to give them souvenirs of gratitude. The students were provided with formal titles and compliments. Aprajita Kaushal was crowned as MCA Hasta La Vista 2014 and Sumit Dua was selected as MCA Hasta La Vista 2014. Meeloney Kalia was given the
title of Ms Elegance and Parveen Kumar was given the title of Mr Handsome. KVM student tops
varsity exam
Anita, a student of the Department of Cosmetology from KMV, scored 365/400 marks in PG Diploma Fashion Makeover in GND University and stood first in the university. With many university positions to KMV’s credit, Anita added another feather in the cap of her alma mater. Expressing her joy at the recent academic achievement, Prof Atima Sharma congratulated Anita and her parents on her excellent university examination result. She also lauded the faculty of cosmetology for putting hard and sincere efforts in its training the studentsand making them efficient in their
fields. She wished them more achievements in future. — TNS |
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