Jalandhar, June 25
In an effort to improve the functioning of the Jalandhar Commissionerate, the Commissioner of Police, Jalandhar, Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, has overhauled the city’s entire police system.

A major reshuffling has been done in the city police from the administration level to the police station level, with the motive to provide better policing to the city residents.

The motive of the major reshuffling within the commissionerate is to better utilise the available force and relieve the cops from the unnecessary burden.

He has given the posting of choice to the cops, from the constable level to the SHO level and, in return, has taken a pledge from them to work for better policing.

The Jalandhar Commissionerate has 14 police stations excluding the Economic Offences Wing, CIA, Trafic Wing, NRI and women police station. Reshuffling in the staff has been done in the entire police commissionerate and the cops have already joined their new postings.

Talking to The Tribune, Police Commissioner Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh said. “I am going to adopt a three-tier system in Jalandhar Commissionerate that comprises Law and Order Wing, Crime Investigation Wing and Community Police officers. Cops deployed in these three wings will ensure better policing as per the duties assigned to them.”

The City police has enough police force but the same was not being utilsed in a better way. “We have enough force to accommodate them in all there wings and they, instead of focusing on unnecessary work, will only concentrate on the work assigned to them under the wing concerned.”

Jalandhar, June 25
Even though there were a string of failed water samples in the district last year (over 40 being from schools alone), the education department has initiated a few efforts, even during the summer vacations, to fix the problem.

With five days for the summer vacations to end, DEO (Secondary) Kuldeep Sharma said, “A few days are left for the vacations to end.During this time, we shall be initiating cleanliness measures in various schools. While there might have been troubles last year, this year plans are to stay cautious about the problems. We are also planning to initiate efforts to clean up the mid-day meal in cities.” DEO (Elementary) Anil Awasthi said on June 17, he had issued a letter to various schools to clean their tanks and pipes and the work was on at some of the schools. He said before the end of the vacations, the sanitary arrangements of various schools will be checked and fixed afresh.

While there were talks of putting up water purifiers at all schools - with the help of respective donors – after the widespread outbreak of water-borne diseases last year, a majority of the schools remain with faulty water arrangements, non-functional water purifiers or even unclean taps this year.

Sources said, “The government or the education department might have created an uproar about the bad water facilities last year. It was being said that soon all schools will get water purifiers. But neither has any measure been taken in this regard, nor do schools have those many funds. The funds available to primary schools have also dried slowly. Unless a school staff is very dedicated, water cleanliness isn’t really a priority among schools.”

District epidemiologist Dr Satish Sood, said, “So far only three samples have failed from the Chugitti area, including one school sample, after which we took four samples again and these failed again. Some days ago, we had taken three more samples from the area. Their report came out today and these are potable. We are keeping tabs on all areas with the possibility of an outbreak.” District Health Officer Balwinder Singh said, “We are cautious about preventing any outbreak in the city, especially in schools. Chlorine tablets have been distributed to all schools which were especially sensitive last year. And the sampling will also begin again once all the schools reopen.”

A major agenda about this year’s plan to counter outbreaks is expected to come out in tomorrow’s meet wherein the cause of vector-borne diseases in the district and the means to counter these will be discussed. 

Jalandhar, June 25
Five children in the Abadpura locality in Ward No. 53 have been severely bitten by stray dogs. The incidents took place in the morning hours of Monday.

Residents said there were around 30 to 40 stray dogs in the locality. Despite several complaints in the past, no one has ever come to catch the dogs. The residents said they took the children immediately to Civil Hospital, Jalandhar, where nobody paid attention to them. They were forced to take the children to private hospitals, where they were vaccinated at a high cost.

Residents alleged that the ward councillor was not aware that the incident took place in his ward. A resident, Pawan Kumar, whose two-year-old son has been bitten severely on his thigh, said he was playing near the main gate. We want all stray dogs to be either killed or caught by the Municipal Corporation,” he added. Gurpal Kaur’s four-year-old daughter Loveleen Kaur was bitten by a stray dog. She is getting treatment at a private hospital, which is too expensive. Ten-year-old Abhi was also bitten by a stray dog.

Dr RL Bassan, Civil Surgeon, Jalandhar, said he had no knowledge that such an incident took place, where the victims were not treated in the Civil Hospital. It is very unfortunate. “We have all vaccinations available for rabid dogs. They should have contacted me directly, if that was the case,” he added.

MC Commissioner MS Chattwal said they had initiated a programme to catch the stray dogs. The place has been located, where they would be sterilised. A veterinary doctor will be taken on deputation. Within a month, the drive will be launched in full swing. 

Jalandhar, June 25
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) today burnt the effigy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in front of the District Administration Complex against the steep hike in railways fare.

While pin pointing the BJP slogan “Achhe Din Anne Wale Hain” (Good days are about to come), district’s acting secretary Lehmbar Singh Taggar said by increasing the rail fare the BJP government has put extra burden on the public.

He said the inflation has already been going out of control, while the hike in railway fare would wreak havoc. He demanded that hike in railway fare must taken back. 

Jalandhar, June 25
The School Managing Committees (SMC) of over 1,472 schools in the district had to be constituted afresh in the new academic year in 2014. While the task couldn’t have begun earlier on due to elections this year, the Education Department has started doing it in the mid of the summer vacations.

Even as the Education Department had earlier said majority of schools would get new SMCs by the end of the holidays, so far only 200 SMCs have been constituted in the city.

A letter was issued to schools by the Education Department last year which said panchayat members and councillors would also be acceptable in SMCs now.

While the RTE Act guidelines do not allow formulation of SMCs with anyone other than parents as the chairman of the School Management Committee, the government has even started deputing panchayat members and councillors as the chairmen, disregarding the original guidelines of the RTE Act, 2009.

While the formulation of SMCs is already late, the education department cites the late formulation of some of the SMCs as the reason for the late formulation.

Sources said, “While Parent Teacher Associations had been disbanded years ago, many schools still had them until recently. While formulation of new SMCs in 2014 had brought hope, this again is being done in a very haphazard manner. By making councillors and panchayat members as direct chairmen of the SMC, direct interference will be facilitated in school SMCs. This has to stop.”

Sources in the Education Department said, “As many as 200 SMCs have been made. The rest will be made in the coming times.”

While the Education Minister Daljieet Cheema on his recent visit to the district had said SMCs facilitate rather than hamper the functioning the working of the education department, the most dramatic of cases of corruption the schools have seen in the recent times have been because the SMCs did not do their job right. 

Jalandhar, June 25
Paddy farmers have been ruing this season that they are not getting even eight hours of power supply despite the fact that it was ensured by the Punjab Government.

The farmers say the monsoon has already been late. The irregular power supply has been causing severe problems to the farmers.

They have alleged that whenever they approach the PSPCL officials to fix the problem, they only hear the excuse of shortage of staff.

A Nakodar-based farmer, Inderjit Singh Sandhu, said the paddy transplantation work had been going on at a snail’s pace as compared to previous years. “We have suffered a double jolt — of delay in monsoon and irregular power supply. The government directed the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) to supply at least eight hours of power supply for paddy transplantation. Yet we are getting it only for five to six hours, which is unacceptable,” he said.

He said he sow paddy in 16 acres of land every year. However, he has done it in five acres this year. “We have to make our own efforts to fix the problem if there is any as PSPCL officials say they are under shortage of staff,” said Inderjit.

Gopal Sharma, Deputy Chief Engineer, PSPCL, said: “Whenever there is a fault in the feeder, it is compensated later on to the respective feeder. Now, the weather is getting better and rain is being expected soon. The power supply will be increased. However, there have been problems in the past.”