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Defaulter schools owe
Rs 80 lakh to DTO
Four city players to feature in World Cup Hockey
PUNBUS staff rue low remuneration
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Youth urged to shun drugs
City's first LPG crematorium to be opened for public soon
Farmers apprehensive as paddy transplantation schedule revised
Owner of medicine shop arrested for forgery
Suwidha Centre
Celebration time for tennis champions
MC to hold discussion on property tax
Bus operators give ultimatum to admn
MC razes illegal taxi stand Feedback
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Defaulter schools owe
Rs 80 lakh to DTO
Jalandhar, May 27 Talking to The Tribune, DTO Paramjit Singh said, "While our prime focus has been on tax recovery, checking of vehicle conditions and update of papers is also done from time to time to determine whether any rules are being flouted. We are currently going step by step and data compilation of the rest of the vehicles is on. The list released yesterday was only partial, a more comprehensive list — of both tax defaulters and those committing violations in vehicles will be released soon. It is in the process of being updated presently." The DTO said defaulting schools across the district presently owe an amount of Rs 80 lakh to 1 crore to the transport department and institutions like the DIPS (whose 30 buses were suspended in the announcement yesterday) have already begun
paying off the amount (since today). "The rest of the schools are also expected to begin paying off their taxes in about two to three days," he said. The vehicles, whose movement was suspended yesterday, include buses from DIPS (30), Shahibzada Ajit Singh Educational (20), Sevak Public School (1), St George Convent School (1), State Public School (1), Guru Nanak Public School (1) and as many as 14 buses of the state carriage. Notably, the last time a debate regarding strict action being taken against defaulting school vehicles took place, was after the tragic accident near Nakodar, which claimed the lives of 13 children. While the then Deputy Comissioner had instructed the Education Department to compile a database of all vehicles across schools (both private and aided), the Education Department did compile one, but so far, its details have never been made public. Sources in the Education Department said the list had been sent by them only last year. DEO Kuldeep Sharma, however, said, "In my tenure as DEO Secondary, so far, I haven't come across any such data base of vehicles but I will get the present status of the list checked." |
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Four city players to feature in World Cup Hockey
Jalandhar, May 27 Presently, four players are representing the city in this World Cup but till date, no 'Chak de' slogan has been shouted by the 'Jalandharites' for the players who have positioned themselves in the fiery line of battle with the opponents backed up by their over enthusiastic countrymen. "If Punjab is known as the nursery of hockey, Jalandhar can be called its cradle. Most of our national and international players have hailed from its villages like Sansarpur, Khusropur and Mithapur and various hockey academies like the coveted Surjit Hockey Academy and the Punjab & Sind Bank Academy. Even Punjab Armed Police (PAP) headquarters located here has given almost 10 players who have represented India in various World Cups held from time to time," said Col (retd) Balbir Singh Kular (Services). In his autobiography 'The Colonel's Deadly Scoop', he has even mentioned a famous tale about the Sansarpur village when a well known sports commentator on a visit to village stopped and picked up a handful of earth. He is reported to have tasted it and wondered about the blessings the village got to produce so many exceptional hockey players. The Punjab Armed Police headquarters located in the city is better known as Punjab's gold medal factory. It has contributed a lot to the field of hockey by nurturing its men into fine sport persons. The first thing one sees on entering the Punjab Armed Police headquarters is a gallery hung with portraits of great sportsmen that the PAP has nurtured. These pictures inspire both budding police players and visitors. Indeed, the Punjab Armed Police has developed as a nursery for top-class sportsmen — not only in the state but for India. As many as 10 cops from here have represented India in various hockey World Cups. The famous Olympians Mohinder Singh Munshi and Pargat Singh have also been crafted by this golden factory. Nevertheless, Nehru Garden School has also fielded many players in international events from time to time. Despite such glorious institutions running in the city, there seems to be a huge lull before the World Cup that proves the disappointment of the people with the game due to repeated failures at the international level. "Whom should we motivate when we know that our team is not going to come even in the first five teams also, "said Gurditt Singh, a student. On the contrary, Akansha, an entrepreneur, feels that motivation does change the mood and direction of the game. "I think that motivation sometimes does play an important factor for the player to perform well. We should motivate our players," said Akanksha. She also informed that the administration along with various schools and colleges should run a "Cheer Up" campaigns for the Indian hockey team in various schools and colleges that besides creating interest in the game would also take them away from the horrific world of drug addiction. "If we can paint the town red during elections, why not on Hockey World Cup when our fiery players are there to record a historic moment with their winning streak?" said Vikrant, a bank employee. He also suggested that various corporate firms should come forward to install sponsored signages on various roads and intersections to bring World Cup fervour into the city. Unfortunately this time, the hockey World Cup has been eclipsed completely by the fervour of the Lok Sabha elections and with the enthusiasm of the FIFA World Cup that would follow shortly next month. Also, since Hockey India does not seem to have been confident enough to reach even the World Cup semi-final, it is not publicising the tournament much through the social media. But being a witness and contributor to one of the golden era in the history of hockey, the city does deserve a ‘Chak De’ moment of its own! 4 city players in Indian hockey team Jasjeet Singh Kular (Sansarpur village) DSP Gurbaaz Singh (posted at PAP) Manpreet Singh (Mithapur) Mandeep Singh (Mithapur)
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PUNBUS staff rue low remuneration
Jalandhar, May 27 These employees are not paid wages as prescribed under the labour laws, even though a notification to this effect has already been issued. They have been working on less than half the salary paid to regular employees. There are around 4,000 workers, including drivers and conductors, who are paid less than the prescribed wages. A PUNBUS driver from Jalandhar, who drives on the Jalandhar-Delhi route, on condition of anonymity, said he did not know that he was being recruited by ‘Provider’ company. He said he was under the impression that he was given job directly by the Punjab Roadways. “However, when I got to know that this is not a government job, I felt cheated. The company fixed a monthly salary of Rs 7,500 excluding overtime in 2009, when I joined. But, I have never received that much amount. My salary has never exceeded Rs 3,200 till now. However, the revised minimum wages for a driver and conductor are Rs 8,604 and Rs 7,872, respectively. It is very difficult to survive on such a meagre amount,” he added.
Jaswant Singh, president of the Punjab Roadways/PUNBUS Contract Workers Union in Jalandhar, said they had launched many agitations and submitted written memorandums to the Punjab Government. “It seems that they have turned a blind eye towards our plight. Many of our staff have already left their jobs due to the same reason,” added
Jaswant. He said instead of working for 8 hour in a shift, drivers and conductors worked for over 10 hours, covering more than 600 km daily, with no rest between long
journeys. Sandeep Kumar Sharma, general manager (operational) of Provider, said the whole issue was a lie. “The employees are being paid the prescribed salaries. We do deduct money sometimes, when any driver damages a bus due to his negligence,” he said. He said the company was going to pay the revised minimum wages very soon. “Drivers will get Rs 8,604 and conductors Rs 7,872, with all the arrears with effect from September 1, 2013,” added the general manager. |
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Youth urged to shun drugs
Jalandhar, May 27 He added that it was the duty of the government to make Punjab drug-free. He said whenever a drug peddler is arrested, influential people of the region come to his rescue to get him free from the clutches of law. The Jathedar said for the past 5 to 6 years, the drug trade had increased manifold. He added the present government had started a movement to counter the problem. On the occasion, Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal announced that he would start a special campaign to counter drug addiction. The Akal Takht Jathedar lauded his efforts and said such initiatives were the need of the hour. Sant Seechewal said the campaign would start from the Seechewal village, adding that they would seek help from panchayats, youth clubs and social organisations. He said they would initiate a programme to build gyms and encourage sports in villages. Transport Minister Ajit Singh Kohar, Member of Parliament Chaudhary Santokh Singh, Sant Daiya Singh and Sant Amreek Singh among others were present on the occasion. Fact file
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City's first LPG crematorium to be opened for public soon
Jalandhar, May 27 The total cost of the project is Rs 75 lakh out of which Rs 25 lakh has been given by the Punjab Government. The Municipal Corporation has contributed around Rs 10 lakh and is yet to give another installment of the same amount to Manav Sewa Trust, the charitable society running the project. “It is a cheap and an eco-friendly alternative. To be in touch with the tradition, we keep a piece of sandalwood along with the body while sending it to the cremation chamber. Besides reducing time, it will also bring down the cost of cremation to Rs 1,500 as compared to Rs 2,500 for ordinary cremation. Also, the ashes can be collected within 30 minutes of the cremation,” said Tarsem
Kapoor, one of the trustees of Manav Sewa Trust. He informed that around 30 cylinders would be connected to the two huge burners installed in the main chamber. Since the whole set up is automatic, it will automatically release flames required to burn a body. Till date, the trust has undertaken two trials. However, the trust is a little sceptical about people’s response to the scientific way of cremation. “We expect a low response in the beginning as people will be hesitant to deviate from the age-old tradition. But we are hopeful that slowly people would realise the benefits of the new eco-friendly method would slowly adopt it,” said
Kapoor. |
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Farmers apprehensive as paddy transplantation schedule revised
Jalandhar, May 27 The government has notified that no farmer will be allowed to transplant non-basmati varieties before June 15. Speaking to Jalandhar Tribune, Mohinder Singh from Nahal village, said as per the weather condition, the monsoons would arrive late this year. Moreover, unscheduled power cuts might be increased in the period when paddy is transplanted, he said. “Delay in transplantation will definitely delay the harvesting of the crop. It may also affect the quality of the produce as the required moisture level may not be available in the revised period,” he said.
Joga Singh of Tutkalan village said it could reduce the crop yield because of lack of water. Apart from this, it might also lead to marketing problems, he added. “I assume that this move will bring more diseases to the crop and farmers will have to spray insecticides and pesticides,” he said. Ruling out the farmers’ anticipation, Chief Agriculture Officer, Dr Suttantar Kumar, said the government took this decision to maintain the water table. It would neither affect the yield nor bring more diseases, rather, it would help the rice to grow properly, he added. |
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Owner of medicine shop arrested for forgery
Jalandhar, May 27 He was arrested from outside his premises. SHO Manmohan Singh confirmed his arrest. He said the bank officials had complained that he had taken Rs 1.7-crore loan by pledging the property, which he illegally sold. A resident of New Jawahar Nagar, the case against Sood dates back to July 11, 2013. The FIR mentions that three
properties had been pledged, including a 10 kanal land in Bulandpur, 34 marla land in Chak Hussaina and 8 marla land in Adarsh Nagar. The officials alleged
that the property in Adarsh Nagar did not exist at all. After a copy of the complaint was received by the Police Commissioner on September 20, 2012, an inquiry into the matter was conducted by Assistant Police Commissioner (Crime). The officer found that the accused got a limit of Rs 1.7 crore made from the bank but did not return the amount after which the bank officials had also taken up the matter with the Recovery Tribunal, Chandigarh. The loan of Rs 1.5 crore was sought on May 10, 2007 but its limit was enhanced by Rs 20 lakh on April 5, 2008. The police officials said, "There is yet another
complaint against Sood under the same sections wherein he had received Rs 30 lakh for selling a car but did not hand over
the vehicle." |
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Lawyers demand revision of facilitation fee
Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, May 27 President of the Manch RK Bhalla said the Suwidha Centres had been opened for the convenience of the public and to protect them from the agents and corruption in offices but these had rather increased the problems of the visitors. In the memorandum, the members have written that even getting a marriage registered had become a burden for the poor man. "While on one hand, the government has made it compulsory to get the marriages registered under the provisions of the Compulsory Marriage Act, the applicant was being made to pay Rs 500 for a form which was earlier available for just Rs 10," they wrote. They have also mentioned that even as the centre was levying facilitation charges, the visitors were being made to stand unnecessarily in long queues. They have demanded a provision for online appointment of the applicants to avoid inconvenience at any stage. The members of the Manch have said the functioning of the Suwidha Centres be improved and prices of forms be rationalised or else these be closed in public interest.
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Celebration time for tennis champions
Jalandhar, May 27 The duo competed with around 170 youngsters from the city. The younger sibling, Ribhav, won silver medal in the under-14 category, the elder one, Rupal, won silver medal in the doubles in the under-14 category. Ribhav and Rupal are Class V and VII students of Cambridge International School. Both have been rigorously practicing for the last three years. After coming from school, they have lunch and relax for a while and get down to practice at the school tennis academy ground every day for two and a half hours. They take training from their coaches Sunny and Raman. Rupal said he had initially chosen badminton, but eventually he felt more inclined towards lawn tennis seeing his younger brother playing the sport. The two enjoy practicing in each other’s company. Both of them received glittering trophies, t-shirts and certificates. Their father, Vicky Sharma, said the most rewarding experience for him was to see both his sons win prizes. “I am fortunate that my sons are not only winning in sports, but also doing well in their studies. Both want to join civil services,” he said.
— TNS
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MC to hold discussion on property tax
Jalandhar, May 27 The meeting was planned post Lok Sabha results. Congress leaders have been saying that the house tax was a better preposition as the recovery was higher and the owners of the houses, who have not rented out any portion, be exempted as per the old provision. Opinion leaders from the city had been asked to give their representations by this evening to the MC Commissioner. Rajan Gupta, president, Guru Gobind Singh Welfare Society, said he would suggest that the tax should be delinked from collector rate as in Haryana and the government should charge property tax on residential property at Re 1 per sq yard, which is very simple to collect. “No construction cost or covered area should be taken into consideration and a common slab should be set on industrial as well as commercial property”. He said he would also demand that the tax collected from the area should be used for the development of that particular area under the supervision of resident welfare societies as these societies have helped the MC to collect property tax by putting special camps for 10 days and motivating people to pay the tax.
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Bus operators give ultimatum to admn
Jalandhar, May 27 Addressing a press conference, association president Jarnail Singh Garhdiwala said it had been mentioned in the directions that Inspector General of the traffic police and State Transport Commission is responsible to make sure that the orders are being implemented. He said it had been more than five years since the High Court issued the order. Jarnail said the association representatives had brought the matter into the notice of the authorities, including the district transport officer, police commissioner, and SSP (Rural). Yet no one had ever bothered to implement the court order, he added.
— TNS |
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private school buses, owing to the non-payment of their taxes, the District Transport Department has said a more severe crackdown on non-complying schools and their vehicles is in store for the future.
City's first LPG crematorium has been set up at Kot Krishan Chand cremation ground and will be opened for the public soon. It can cremate a body within 30 minutes. It is a modern and environment-friendly alternative that would reduce pollution by 50 per cent as compared to the ordinary cremation that involves burning the body with wood for almost 24 hours.
Jalandhar, May 27
