Jalandhar, May 26
The sentiment of support for Modi found booming echoes in the city today as people from all walks of life celebrated his swearing in as Prime Minister in New Delhi today.

Screens were set up in various areas to ensure that people may be able to catch up on his swearing in live. Ladoos were distributed and the evening resounded with the booms of crackers and fireworks.

TV screens put up in a Jalandhar market to facilitate people to view the swearing-in ceremony of Narendra Modi as Prime Minister of India, in Jalandhar on Monday.

Across the city as BJP cadres celebrated, people sat glued to their TV screens catching up on the latest happenings and ministry portfolio allocations.

While BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia was away to Delhi for the ceremony, in his absence, party workers ensured that the atmosphere outside his home remained charged up. Crackers were burst and ladoos were distributed to the beat of dhol outside his home as party workers cheered and enjoyed.

BJP leader Rajat Mohindru said, “While inside we are catching up on the ceremony on TV, outside, workers are in a jubilant mood bursting crackers.” Responding to the celebrations from Muslim supporters in the city on the occasion, he said, “It is all the more reason for us to cheer. The prime purpose of Modi as a leader whose aim is development and nation building has been felt by people across the nation irrespective of their community and religion. He is perceived as a personality who will bring better governance. The occasion is one of jubilation and pride for us.”

Meanwhile, parallel celebrations went on as a joint effort by the Akali-BJP cadres at Basti Gujan.

Senior Deputy Mayor Kamaljit Bhatia, along with members of the BJP Yuva Morcha, hauled up two tents in the Basti Gujan area and out up two TV screens to ensure live updates of the oath-taking ceremony in Delhi to people of the city.

Talking to The Tribune, he said, “It is a moment of dual happiness for the Kalis and BJP workers. The celebrations arranged by us in the area with equal contribution. The public has also responded in a very positive manner. It seems the celebration isn’t just for us but the common man as well. This day has ushered in happier times ahead.”

Along with Bhatia, leaders Rajeev Dhingra, Raj Kumar Balram, Raman Pabbi, Subhash Bagat among others, were present.

Meanwhile, the jubilation was backed by hopes in equal measure. A number of residents remained glued to check out the ministries and portfolios bagged by various leaders.

Disability activist Amarjit Anand said, “While we have been clamouring for better rights and promises for the disabled, the same have eluded us so far, but a change in the government at the Centre promises hope. I have been on tenterhooks all day as various rumours circulated all day on who shall bag the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. I just heard Maneka Gandhi bagged the portfolio. I think disability groups have reason to hope for better days.” 

Jalandhar, May 26
"A myth prevails that Modi is anti-Muslim. Through this gesture, we want to convey the message that he is not, and the community backs him," said Kaleem Salmani, a local barber, as his deft hands cruised through the hair of a child enjoying a free haircut.

Kaleem Salmani at his saloon in Jalandhar on Monday. Photo: Sarbjit Singh

An independent entrepreneur at the age of 23 and a staunch Modi supporter, Kaleem Salmani, today did not charge any money for haircut from his saloon. This, he said, was a goodwill gesture from the Muslim community, to express its gratitude and support for Narendra Modi on the day he took oath as the Prime Minister of the country.

A local barber and a member of the over 1,000-family strong Salmani community (most of whom are barbers) in the district, he decided to do this over a week ago, "On Modi's big day we wanted to convey the community's age-old loyalty to the BJP and the hope in Modi as a leader who would bring change."

People of the Salmani community first started coming to Jalandhar (from Saharanpur, Dehradun, Roorkee and other cities) about 70 years ago, and are primarily settled in areas like New Sant Nagar, Avtar Nagar, Tej Mohan Nagar and Ashok Nagar.

A third-generation Salmani, Kaleem's family moved into the district when his grandfather came to Jalandhar over 50 years ago, "My grandfather spent over 50 years in Jalandhar and my father over 30. Over 80 per cent of the barber shops in the city belong to the Salmanis. While we have traditionally been supporters of the Akali-BJP government, almost all members of the community saw this election as a means of change and voted for the 'takdi' (election symbol of Akalis) to extend their support for a BJP government at the Centre. But I noticed that though the community silently backed Modi all through, a formal expression of support was required. On the leader's oath-taking ceremony, I wanted to convey this message of solidarity for him. We see change in him and are sure Muslims will witness great support from him."

He says the Akali government has also backed the community and provided help with land for masjids and maintenance money for the upkeep of religious places to them.

With his little saloon in Guru Gobind Singh Avenue dressed in the Modi fervour, customers sat amidst Modi banners and BJP flags all through the day. Kaleem's support staff sported BJP caps and customers were also offered saffron caps, BJP flags and banners for free.

Kaleem says while he decided to offer free haircut to people much before the oath-taking ceremony was declared to be a "grand and international" affair that it presently is, he got full backing of his family for the occasion.

"Though all arrangements have been made by me and my saloon independently, I have received wholehearted support from residents here. I got calls from relatives and friends in Punjab and outside and people from across the city came in to get a haircut. All members of the community have backed me and expressed delight at the initiative. Many also came in to get a haircut."

Over 100 people from various communities received haircuts from Kaleem. His Salmani relatives and neigbours like Noor Hassan, Ashraf and Nadeem thronged his salon all though the day and whole-heartedly celebrated the occasion. 

Jalandhar, May 26
Sarvan Singh Phillaur, who resigned from the council of ministers on moral grounds on May 22, was accorded a warm welcome during his visit to the city. On his first visit to Jalandhar after he resigned, Phillaur, a six-time MLA, was greeted at Rama Mandi by SAD supporters in large numbers including a majority of the office-bearers of the Akali Dal. The move is being viewed as an attempt by the Phillaur camp to project that he was not deterred after stepping down from the ministry.

Notably, ever since drug lord Jagdish Bhola pointed fingers at the leaders of the ruling SAD-BJP alliance, the Congress has been demanding a CBI probe into the matter. It is pertinent to mention that after the name of Phillaur’s son Damanvir cropped up in the case and the latter was summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the Congress made a big issue of it in the recently held Lok Sabha elections.

Even during some election rallies of the SAD candidate Pawan Kumar Tinu, Phillaur, who was holding the portfolio of Minister for Jails, Tourism and Cultural Affairs, had to leave the rallies after facing vociferous protests from the people of the Kartarpur (SC) assembly segment, represented by him.

In the 2012 assembly elections, Phillaur had won by 823 votes from Kartarpur (SC) defeating Chaudhary Jagjit Singh of the Congress. However, in this election, Phillaur trailed by a margin of 12,599 votes with the Congress and the SAD securing 48,561 and 35,962 votes, respectively.

Meanwhile, expressing complete dissatisfaction over the resignation of Phillaur, Punjab Youth Congress president Vikram Chaudhary has demanded that Punjab Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia should step down immediately.

Reiterating that Majithia was the kingpin of the drug trade in the state, Vikram Chaudhary said, “Majithia has no moral grounds to continue in the ministry. Phillaur is just the tip of the iceberg. The matter is serious and should be handed over to the CBI for a thorough and fair probe.” 

Jalandhar, May 26
In a move which came as a huge disappointment to parents of students across schools, the District Transport Department today declared the movement of as many as 67 school buses suspended due to the non-payment of taxes of the said vehicles by their respective school authorities.

The vehicles belong to schools DIPS (30 buses), Shahibzada Ajit Singh Educational (20), Sevak Public School (1 bus), St. George Convent School (1 bus), State Public School (1 bus), Guru Nanak Public School (1 bus). Fourteen buses of the state carriage are also included in these.

The District Transport Deprtament today declared that some of the school buses which had not been paying the requisite tax would be stopped from today onwards.

District Transport officer Jalandhar Paramjit Singh said some of schools in the city hadn’t deposited the requisite tax for their respective vehicles due to which as per the Motor Vehicle Act such vehicles could not be driven on roads from now on. Acting against such schools, the movement of such vehicles was, therefore, suspended from now on, he said. He said the parents of the said schools had, thus, been requested to make alternative arrangements of vehicles to ferry their wards to school, as the said buses would soon be seized.

The school administrations were instructed to deposit their respective taxes immediately. 

Jalandhar, May 26
The construction of roads in the city, which was on at a brisk pace till about a month ago, under the Municipal Corporation, Jalandhar, seems to have lost momentum post Lok Sabha polls.

The work is almost stuck where it was till April-end with hardly any progress visible ever since. While earlier the roads were being carpeted even in the night as was done in the Ladhewali area and each contractor had been getting multiple jobs done at a given time, things now seem to have got stuck up.

The inter-locking tile work for the widening purpose which began on Police Lines Road in the beginning of April is still on. The process of construction of a high-concrete divider on Garha Road, which began at the same time, is still being done at a snail’s pace with traffic being closed on either side.

While some main roads had been constructed at a cost of Rs 4 crore, there are several road construction works pending such as those on Cool Road, Circular Road, Nakodar Road, Ladowali Road and Mota Singh Nagar.

SE (B&R) Kulwinder Singh said the second stage of road construction work had just started. “Some estimates have to be regularised in the F&CC meeting which will be held soon,” he added. 

Jalandhar, April 28
While the district recently witnessed the dance of democracy with 67.21 per cent people exercising their right to vote, a privilege bestowed by the Indian Constitution, a rare replica of the original copy of calligraphy was found gathering dust at Guru Nanak District Library recently. Shockingly, the library authorities were found clueless about the priceless possession inherited by the library since 2002 by some unknown means. The book is a testimony to one of the best calligraphic traditions of the country.

“Due to the absence of a restorer in the library, we have not been able to take proper care of the stock. It is only when somebody asks for a specific book that we try to locate it from some shelves. The book has been there in the library since 2002 but how and by whom it was procured is not known to us,” said Gurdial Singh, Chief Librarian, Guru Nanak District Library.

The beautiful book in a white cover was found carelessly pushed inside an old rusted book shelf in between the old torn-out copies of various Gazette notification of Punjab, 1971. It almost took five minutes to wipe the many layers of dust on the outer cover. What came out from below was the ultimate depiction of the lavish artwork by the stalwarts who managed to put together the exhaustive Constitution in the most beautiful way.

The talented calligrapher

Though BR Ambedkar was known as the architect of the Indian Constitution, little is known about the man who wrote it in his own impeccable calligraphy. Prem Behari Narain Raizada (Saxena) of Delhi wrote the entire Constitution in a flowing italic style in the best calligraphic traditions of the country.

While being selected for this big honourable job, Jawahar Lal Nehru asked him what he would like to charge for the job. Prem Behar replied, “Not a single penny I need. But I have one reservation, that on every page of the Constitution, I will write my name and on the last page, I will write my name along with my grandfather’s name.” His wish was granted and he started working. The task was completed in six months. As many as 254 pen-holder nibs were used and nib No. 303 was used for this calligraphy.

The creative painter and his exquisite artwork

The artwork lavished on the various pages of the Indian Constitution was by one of the most eminent painters, Nandalal Bose. Each page had a frame and at the beginning of each part of the Constitution, Nandalal Bose had depicted some scene from the national experience. In doing so, he presented a gallery of some of the greatest figures of history.

The Vedic period is represented by a scene of the Gurukula and the Epic period by a visual of Rama, Sita and Lakshmana returning home and another of Krishna propounding the Gita to Arjuna on the battlefield. Then there are depictions of the lives of the Buddha and Mahavira, followed by scenes from the courts of Ashoka and Vikramaditya. Other great figures of the Indian history represented are Akbar, Shivaji, Guru Gobind Singh, Tipu Sultan and Rani Lakshmibai.

The freedom movement is delineated by the drawings of Mahatma Gandhi’s Dandi March and his tour of Noakhali as the great peacemaker and of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose saluting the Mahatma from abroad and asking for his blessings in the war of India’s liberation.

There are also beautiful renderings of various landscapes and some of the masterpieces of the Indian art. Even the decorations used for the borders exemplify the Shantiniketan style. There are 11 pages of original signatures that begin immediately below the list of languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. The first to sign it was Jawaharlal Nehru. 

Where is the original Constitution?

The Indian Constitution came into effect on January 26, 1950, after being approved by the Constituent Assembly on November 26, 1949. The original of the book is kept in a special helium-filled case in the library of the Parliament of India. 

Jalandhar, May 26
The NRI Sabha’s decision to increase the membership amount from Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 last week is drawing flak from NRIs all over the world. In a recent meeting held with the district coordinators, the Sabha doubled the amount for life membership. However, many NRIs, including some ex-presidents of the NRI Sabha, slammed the decision on Monday as they feel that the interest accruing from various fixed deposits (FDs) nearing Rs 30 crore was more than enough to run the organisation.

On the other hand, the Sabha has maintained that the membership fee has been raised as the Sabha will be shortly establishing two NRI help desks at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi and the other at the Raja Sansi International Airport at Amritsar. The additional money would be utilised to run these desks that are incurring a monthly cost of around Rs 8 to Rs 10 lakhs. However, many NRIs have complained that the decision has been taken in haste and without consulting the members.

“This is intolerable. How can they take a decision unanimously without consulting the members of the executive committee? They have not even taken the approval from the chairman, NRI Affairs. This is not acceptable and we will file a complaint with the chairman,” said Kamaljeet Singh Hayer, ex-president, NRI Sabha. He also informed that during his tenure as president, almost all the expenses used to be met from the interest alone received from various FDs and there was no need to double the membership amount instantly. Another NRI and ex-president of the Sabha, Pritam Singh Naurangpur, also condemned the Sabha’s decision and said that along with the increase in amount, they should have increased the number of services given to the NRIs.

Refuting all charges, Jasveer Singh Gill, president, NRI Sabha, Punjab, confirmed that since the Sabha is working independently as a society, it doesn’t require any permission to raise the membership amount. “As far as the services are concerned, we are introducing two new NRI help desks at the Delhi and the Amritsar airport which would incur a monthly expense of around Rs 8 to 10 lakhs per month,” confirmed Gill. He also informed that the Airport Authority of India (AAI) has given permission to open these help desks at the two airports and the Customs and Immigration Department had given them access to their restricted area as well. He also informed that employees who have retired from the Customs and Immigration services would be hired for the two help desks at these airports.

The NRI Sabha has been established as an NGO registered with the approval of the Punjab government under the Society Registration Act, 1996. Ever since its inception, the society has been marred by various controversies pertaining to land grabbing cases of various NRIs in connivance with the local police and its inability to raise the success rate of cases that have come to its court.

Amritsar, May 26
The pharmacists and Class IV workers of rural dispensaries under the zila parishad staged a protest outside the Deputy Commissioner's office here today demanding regularisation of their services.

The protesters stated that they were working at the rual dispensaries since 2006 at meagre wages. The Rural Health Pharmacists Association president, Kamaljit Singh Chauhan, said while their job profile was the same as that of regular employees of the Health Department, they were not paid accordingly. He said that even as the contract with the workers at rural dispensaries was about to end on May 31, the government had not taken any decision regarding regularisation of their services. The association has also decided to stage protests on May 27 and 28. 

Jalandhar, May 26
The star cast of the upcoming Punjabi film "Mundeyan Ton Bach Ke Rahin" (MTBKR) came calling to the city today.

Actors Roshan Prince, Simran Kaur Mundi, Jassi Gill, Pawan Gill and Navinder Kirpal Singh star in this bro-mance comedy, along with comedian Bharti Singh, Anshu Sawhney (Preeto) and Minto. The film will release on May 30.

A presentation of AUM Moviez, MTBKR has been produced by Gill Pictures Entertainment. Pawan Gill, Aman Gill and Arun Mehra have produced the film.

Speaking to the media here today, director Navinder Kirpal Singh said Pawan Gill has written the story as well as the screenplay of the film with Manoj Sabharwal and Navinder Kirpal Singh. He said the movie is a Punjabi comedy which will introduce the audience to all the elements of drama, including romance, comedy and emotions.

Gill added that MTBKR was his second production and first Punjabi production.

"Making the film has been a joy ride. Working with talented singers and actors like Roshan Prince and Jassi Gill has been an amazing experience. Not only are they good singers, but also the best of actors. Their singing earned them the love of the Punjabi community but it is their acting skills which have endeared them to the cinema-going audience," he said.

Navinder Kirpal has penned dialogues with Manoj Sabharwal. John Wilmor has done the cinematography of the movie.

Jassi Katyal and Gurmeet Singh have directed the music while the lyrics are by Kumaar of Baby Doll fame. Roshan Prince, Jassi Gill, Jassi Katyal, Amber Vashisht and Shipra Goyal have lent their voice to the songs.

Praveen Kathikuloth has edited the movie while Haripal Nakai is the associate producer and the costume designer. The background music is by Salil Amrute while the art director is Natasha Gauba. The choreography has been done by Adil Shaikh, Sanjay Shetty, Savio Barnes and Pawan Gill. The movie has been shot at Nalagarh in Himachal Pradesh and at Chandigarh.

Jalandhar, May 26
The residents of the city are sore over the area under the railway overbridges (ROBs) and flyovers lying untilised and marring the facade of the city.

Since commuters coming from outside the city via Ladowali Road usually take the BMC Chowk from underneath the flyover, residents demand that at least this part be beautified with maximum plantation around it.

Taranjit Singh Walia, a businessman, said, "The beautification of the city should be the topmost priority for the Municipal Corporation. This can be partly achievable by way of plantation underneath the big open spaces under the bridges. If the civic body goes for any parking provision, it will only lead to traffic chaos and provide hideouts to the anti-social elements."

Hotelier Gautam Kapoor has a contrary viewpoint. "Since parking is the biggest problem in the area, the Municipal Corporation must come up with developing the site as a parking lot, may be for taxis or people coming to the commercial buildings in the area. The civic body must think of futuristic planning. Currently, there is complete chaos under the bridges which has to be looked into on priority basis."

Harkirat Toor, a real estate developer, said, "The flyovers and ROBs were constructed without proper conceptualisation and designing. Even if parking is to be provided under the bridges, there should be proper entry and exit points with clear signages so that there is no confusion. The subways that were assured under the Khalsa College ROB for slow moving traffic and pedestrians also did not come up."

Ramit, an advocate, said, "Since I am a lawyer for Lyallpur Khalsa College, I was well aware that the part of the ROB behind the women's wing of the college had been undertaken by the college authorities for developing a good green belt. Even for the remaining part of the bridge area, the MC should go for good plantation so that the people can sit on grass under the shade of the bridge in peak summer like now. But currently, there is only a wide stretch of sandy soil along the BMC Chowk which keeps flying during the dust storms causing problems to two-wheeler riders."

Amarjit Anand, who runs an NGO, said, "Since parking and greenery both are equally important for the city, the civic body should partly use the belt under the bridges for both purposes. Since there are fewer green spaces, we must concentrate on developing the belt with a good landscape. Commercial use of the place must be strictly avoided."

Raminder Kaur Dhindsa, councillor of ward 31, said, "Time and again, I call up MC officials telling them about encroachments of space under the bridges by taxi stand owners and vendors but the action is only short-lived. The encroachers have been allowed to use the space for free. I will take up the matter at the MC meeting. To my mind, there is no point in allotting space for the taxi stands as it is not very big. The entire stretch should be used for greenery only."

Municipal Commissioner Manpreet Chattwal too said, "Though there was a proposal four years back to give the space partly for a taxi stand, I am against it. Since most taxi stands are being run illegally without permit, we cannot allow them to occupy the space. An auction was carried out for allotting the site as a parking lot but there was no bidder. Plantation is the only option. The stretch in front of the MBD mall has been given to the MBD group for development and the one near Khalsa College to its authorities. The remaining space too would be allotted to other private companies for development only."