Jalandhar, July 6
The Jalandhar Commissionerate police has slapped preventive action against BJP worker Harpal Mintu and sent him to 14-day judicial custody. Mintu had remained in news after he was nabbed by the Jalandhar police in a fraud case.

He was taken into custody under Section 110 of the Criminal Procedure Code (Cr PC) Act (security for good behaviour from habitual offenders). He will be released only after he executes an interim bond in order to maintain good behaviour.

On June 1, Mintu was arrested on the charges of taking protection money. He had taken Rs 20,000 from the father of a nabbed thief on the pretext that he had a say in the Police Department and he would help him in getting his son released from police custody.

After the thief’s father complained to the police that Mintu had withdrawn cash from his ATM, the police, considering the allegations to be of a serious nature, had apprehended him.

Following his arrest, supporters of Mintu had also levelled allegation against the police for lathicharging them.

Even BJP MLA Manoranjan Kalia had released a statement in which he had alleged that the police had arrested Mintu without looking into the CCTV footage of the ATM.

Ashish, PA of Kalia, who was then in the forefront and lodged a strong protest against the police, when asked if Mintu was nabbed by the police, expressed his ignorance and said, he was out of station.

When asked if Mintu was arrested, ADCP (Crime), Satpal Singh Bhangu, said, “These are small issues and I cannot comment on this. You should contact the police station concerned or ACP (Central) DD Sharma.” When the ADCP was reminded that Mintu was a BJP worker and his supporters had raised a hue and cry over his arrest, he refused to comment.

ACP (Central) DD Sharma also expressed his ignorance about Mintu’s arrest. “I am not aware of this.”

Jalandhar, July 6
Member teachers of the Unaided Staff (Aided Schools) Union Punjab today threatened to hold a state-level rally on July 20 if the government did not respond to their demands.

Submitting a demand letter to cabinet minister Bhagat Chunni Lal here today, the union members demanded regularisation and benefits for aided school students on a par with government schools. They demanded that teachers and non-teaching staff working at aided schools for the past very long time should be regularised without any conditions. Members said while the issues had been brought to the notice of the government many times, these had not been addressed so far.

Teachers and non-teaching staff present on the occasion also demanded that these employees should be granted benefits for their students — like scholarships, cycles, uniforms etc — on a par with government schools.

Teachers threatened that if the government did not pay heed to the demands this time also, a state-level rally wouldl be held at Talwandi Sabo on July 20 by unaided staff from across the state. aVijay Gautam, Manjit, Deepak Dua, Manpreet, Indejit, Rohit, Sudesh, Manpreet Singh Johal, Jasvir Kumar and Joginder Singh were among those present on the occasion. 

Jalandhar, July 6
While inundated streets and gastro troubles are the most popular accompaniment with rains in the district every year, a considerably bothersome menace, which escapes attention, is the threat from an old foe of man – snake.

At least two to three cases (average) of snake bites have been pouring in the local Civil Hospital for the past two months. Last evening alone, five snake bite cases were reported at the Civil Hospital, and it wasn’t the only day when the number crossed four.

On a number of occasions, more than four cases have been reported at the Civil Hospital.

In the past two months, about 180 snake bite cases have been reported at the local Civil Hospital. This number doesn’t even include a big number of cases which have been reported in various private hospitals.

However, the greatest threat the residents of Jalandhar face today is that if anyone needs a rescue, there is absolutely no one who can be called as the city doesn’t have a single expert in the field.

The Forest Department doesn’t have a single expert trained to deal with snakes and local NGO, People for Animals, which is the only body to have done any substantial work in the city in the field of animal conservation, says it can’t offer anymore than motivation to panicked callers.

Treatment and costs

Baby, was bitten by a snake at 2 am in the wee hours this morning in the Leather Complex area and was brought to the Civil Hospital at 7 am today. Speaking to The Tribune Dharamveer, Baby’s husband, said they had so far been receiving proper treatment at the hospital and the vaccinations he had received so far were provided for free.

Talking to The Tribune he said, “My wife was bitten in her sleep and we didn’t come to know about it. It was only after she had restlessness and pain that we got to know that something bit her. That fact was confirmed by doctors and till now we haven’t even seen the snake.”

Baby wasn’t the only one. Another case was also reported from the Leather Complex area last evening.

While officials said presently the anti-snake venom medicine is available at the Civil Hospital, there have been months in between when the medicine wasn’t available for months together.

Inside sources said, “While the vial is presently available for Rs 400 to 500 and is being provided for free from inside the hospital, there have been phases when the medicines were really scarce and were available at exorbitant rates, going up to Rs 700 to 800 from outside the hospital.”

Forest Department and zero rescue

Chander Bhushan, who heads the PFA, says, “The Forest Department officials, I feel, are not competent to do any job. What they want is salaries. Any hapless animal – even an eagle – is brought to my doorstep and forgotten. Some days ago, six men came with an eagle. How can they handle snakes? In emergencies, expert Nikhil Senger from Nawnashahr has been called and even as he does the work, the forest team looks from a distance. ”

Divisional Forest Officer Surjit Singh says he is not aware of any requests by people regarding rescue concerning snakes. “In some days we will get a dedicated DFO for wildlife. Right now though I am not aware of any snake bite exigencies.” Range officer Laxman Singh, however, quite honestly said, “We can’t catch snakes. Snakes are poisonous, we aren’t trained to catch them. While sometimes, we might initiate efforts in a cobra rescue, but no other snakes.”

Compensation

A compensation of Rs 1 lakh for snake bite death and Rs 20,000 for a major injury as well as Rs 5,000 for medical expenses on account of the expensive anti-snake venom injections was announced by the Punjab Government in the year 2011. District Forest Officer Surjit Singh Gill said that in the past two years, only one person had availed it and that, too, from Nawanshahr. Dharamveer, a poor labourer whose wife fell unconscious after a snake bit her last evening, says he doesn’t know of any compensation.

Expertspeak

Nikhil Senger, who runs the Wildlife Conservation Society in Hoshiarpur, says he gets 10 to 12 cases on a daily basis in Hoshiarpur alone. While he has come to city during many exigencies and provided help, rendering services everyday is not possible. The Forest Department also takes his help whenever help is needed. The spectacled cobra, common crait and russels viper are the most common variety of snakes found in the region. Offering a word of caution, he says the common krait is the deadliest of all these because it bites discreetly and the symptoms of its bite aren’t evident for at least one to two hours. The first symptoms are also a pain in the stomach, he said.

Snakes are common in homes, garbage plots and crevasses and due to their adaptability, they have also started living around homes contrary to the myth that they only stay around jungles. 

Fact file

* Over 150 snake bite cases in past two months

* Forest Dept lacks single expert to deal with an exigency, washes hands off situation

* Not a single snake expert in city to offer help in such a situation.

* No compensation to bite victims either.

* Only expert in Nawanshahr – deals with 10 to 12 snake bites there alone on a daily basis

x

Jalandhar, July 6
The rise in cases of snatching and theft in the city has come as a shock to the residents here. The fear of being accosted by the criminals is forcing the residents to stay indoors.

Interestingly, in most cases, women have been the target. There have been very few cases where the men have been targeted by the snatchers. This is because women are apparently perceived to be an easy target by the snatchers.

Commissioner of Police Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh has taken measures to check the rising incidents of snatching, but the residents are being waylaid by the miscreants who then take away their valuables.

The Police Commissioner has also introduced a special anti-snatching squad, with a dedicated force of 50 policemen, to keep a tab on cases of snatching, but the initiative is yet to show the desired results.

In many cases, the women victims sustained injuries and had to be hospitalised. With the rise in such crime, the fear among the women has also increased. Each time the women were targeted by the snatchers, they blamed the police and flayed its tall claims of providing security to the residents. In a recent case of snatching at BMC chowk , a woman was robbed of her purse by motorcycle-borne miscreants and the police was blamed by the victim for failing to control the crime.

The formation of an anti-theft squad is another initiative by the Police Commissioner to keep theft cases under check. A dedicated force has been provided at every police station to deal with theft cases. The squad will be solely responsible for investigating the case with the assurance of solving it in the minimum possible time.

Over 50 snatching cases in last three months

Police sources disclosed that in the last three months, over 50 cases of snatching were reported in the city and in every case women remained the main target of the snatchers. In April this year, around 16 cases of snatching were registered at various police stations while in May as many as 21 incidents of snatchings were reported in various areas of the city. The number of snatching cases increased in June as around 23 cases were reported. The police have managed to crack only a few cases and are clueless in a majority of these.

Regarding cases of snatching in the last two years, police sources revealed that 188 cases were registered in 2012. There was a marginal decline in such incidents in 2013 since 141 cases were registered at various police stations in the city.

Snatchers injure women

In many snatching cases reported earlier, the women victims sustained serious injuries. On May 19, an elderly woman, Madhu Vasudev of Gobindgarh, sustained a fracture in her shoulder after some unidentified snatchers pounced on her and snatched her purse containing Rs 8,000 in cash and some valuables.

Similarly, on June 8 this year, Sunita Nayyar, a teacher at Parvaj Vocational Training School at Mota Singh Nagar, sustained serious injuries when two motorcycle-borne snatchers pounced on her in the Garha area. The woman, while resisting, sustained serious injuries in her arms, head and face. She and her husband were on their way to meet the Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh to fix a meeting of visually impaired students with him. However, in this case, police efforts yielded results and the two snatchers were nabbed in just two hours. The police registered a case of attempt to murder against the snatchers under section 307 of the IPC.

BJP MP’s mother also targeted

On June 29 this year, a motorcycle-borne youth had snatched gold earrings from the mother of Hoshiarpur MP Vijay Sampla outside their house in Dilbagh Nagar Extension near the 120 Feet Road. Bimla, 75, suffered injuries and received stitches in the ear. She fell unconscious on the road.

Yesterday also, a local Congress woman worker, Shabana Batra, was targeted by the snatchers who robbed her of her gold chain.

Police Commissioner Kunwar Vijay Pratap said once the snatcher was caught, the police would try its best to get the maximum sentence for the accused. “We will fight the case in the court in such a way that the snatcher will remain behind the bars for a long time,” he had said.

Thefts trouble residents

The rising incidents of theft have been troubling the residents. Almost every day, on an average, one case of theft is being reported in the city. The police are not able to crack the cases to match the rate at which they are taking place. Despite forming a special anti-theft squad, the success rate in solving the theft cases is low.

Police sources revealed that in the last three months, the city has reported around 110 cases of theft. In April this year, as many as 32 cases of burglary were reported while in the month of May as many as 48 theft cases were reported. In June, 30 theft cases were reported at various police stations in the city.

Nine burglaries reported in a single day

As many as nine cases of theft were reported in a single day in Jalandhar at various localities including Doordarshan Enclave, Subana village, Urban Estate Phase II and Balmiki Gate. The burglars decamped with cash, gold ornaments, kitchen appliances, mobile phones and whatever they could lay their hands on.

Dharna at GGS Avenue against thefts

Following a series of thefts at Guru Gobind Singh Avenue, residents of the area staged a dharna outside the Surya Enclave police post. They demanded the suspension of the police post in-charge for not providing adequate patrolling in the area. Last month, residents also had heated arguments with the Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police-I, Naresh Dogra. The ADCP had then assured that no other case of theft would occur in the area. Residents had fumed after a fresh case of theft was reported in the locality barely a few days after the assurance given by ADCP. 

Jalandhar, July 6
Samridhi, a seven-month-old girl child suffering from extra hepatic biliary atresia (EBA), is struggling for life as her father, a supervisor in a private factory here, is unable to bear the cost (between Rs 10 -15 lakh) of her liver transplantation. Although Harsh, the child’s father, is an ESI beneficiary, the department has refused to refer his case to the PGI, Chandigarh, as he is not fulfilling the criteria of the mandatory six months’ contribution period. When he approached the hospital, the PGI demanded Rs 10 to 15 lakh to get her treated from the Apollo Hospital, New Delhi, as it does not have in-house liver transplant facility.

“The ESI hospital has refused to refer my case to the PGI, as I do not fulfill the mandatory condition of six months’ contribution period. They informed me that although I fulfill the necessary benefit period of 78 days, the six months’ contribution period is a must to get the case referred for the super specialty treatment. Now, the ESI told me to wait for two months till I become eligible for the treatment. Who would be responsible if something happens to my daughter in between?” asked Harsh, Samridhi’s father. While showing his helplessness, Dr Arun Gupta, Senior State Medical Commissioner, Punjab, said to prevent the misuse of the ESI facilities, the condition of a minimum six months’ contribution period has been laid by the government.

“Otherwise, people will get their ESI cards made in a single day and get themselves referred for some super specialty treatment, leaving on to the government to pay their hefty bills.

Although I may not be able to provide them any relaxation at my level, I will definitely refer their case to the ESI headquarters, New Delhi,” said 
Dr Gupta.

Jalandhar, July 6
In today’s world when most of the people are stressed, burnt and exhausted after a hectic work routine, the Complementary and Alternate Medicine (CAM) is fast gaining the attention of city residents wanting to lead a healthier, happier and peaceful life. In Jalandhar, a majority of the people are turning to yoga, meditation, acupressure, dance and various Ayurvedic therapies like panchkarma to attain mental and physical equilibrium. Also, after feeling the pulse of the health- conscious people, many hospitals have also started embracing CAM therapies by combining them with mainstream medical therapies — spawning the new term “integrated medicine”.

According to Dr Shushma Chawla, president of the India Medical Association (Jalandhar chapter), in today’s world, stress is the main cause of most of the health ailments. “If we are able to de-stress ourselves, we could maintain the perfect equilibrium of a healthy mind and body that is a must to lead a successful life,” said Dr Chawla.

She also informed that doctors are not restricting themselves only to treat the patients with allopathic medicines but are also combining CAM therapies to their mainstream treatment.

She further added that some of these treatments are so effective that even most of the doctors are also following it to distress themselves from their hectic routines.

Dr Dhanya Nair of the Kerala Ayurveda Centre informed that all therapies under the ayurvedic form of medicine are curative and rejuvenating in nature. “The therapies are popular in all age groups. Where people working in corporate companies are coming to us to distress themselves, women are approaching us for various skin and cosmetic treatments. Even we had students walking up to our centre to distress themselves during exams,” informed Dr Nair. She also informed that the cost of therapies ranges between Rs 1,000 and 10,000.

Many people are also founding yoga and meditation as the ultimate way to keep themselves fit. Some of them have also joined various dance groups to get into set themselves free to a world of sustainable wellness and health. According to Rajan Syal of the Parindey Dance Academy, many professionals have joined his academy.

“We do not try to teach them dance, we make dance an exhilarating experience for them to de-stress themselves,” said Syal.

Recently, many youths have also found solace in various naturopathy treatments like yoga and meditation to energize their youthful spirit. According to Vivek Vansal of the Art and living foundation in Jalandhar, the practice makes you strong from within mentally and emotionally that plays a very important role to lead a healthy life. The foundation is successfully conducting its wellness programme through simple asanas. “The participants have fun in team games and interactive processes. Various group discussions are also held on the issues that affect their daily lives. They would be also taught about the art of dealing with friends and relations. Also, the children are taught to concentrate better on studies and to increase their potential, said Vivek.

With so many options available in the city, people are leaving no stone unturned to try various forms of holistic treatments that would help them to be the proud owner of a healthy body and fit mind.

Some new discoveries in alternate therapies

St John’s wort

St John’s wort is a popular herbal remedy for depression. It is a flower with many chemical compounds, some of which are believed to help depression by preventing nerve cells in the brain from reabsorbing the chemical messenger serotonin, or by reducing levels of a protein involved in the body’s immune system functioning.

Light therapy

Light therapy involves exposing someone to bright light for around half-an-hour daily. The bright light can be either in the form of conventional fluorescent lamps or bright sunlight.

Light therapy has been shown to particular people who suffer from a form of depression known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), where depression occurs on a regular basis in particular seasons (especially autumn and winter) and then goes away in the alternate seasons (spring and summer).

Bibliotherapy

Bibliotherapy involves, essentially, reading books or other materials (such as those available via the Internet) on how to overcome depression and apply the practices oneself.

The person works independently (or with some supervision) through the material, applying the techniques outlined in it. Bibliotherapy usually uses a cognitive behavioural therapy approach.

Omega-3

There is some evidence that Omega-3 oils, commonly found in fish such as salmon, tuna, mackerel and swordfish, play a role in mental well-being, particularly in cases of bipolar disorder, but some studies also demonstrate antidepressant properties.

Jalandhar, July 6
Jalandhar boy Kuldeep Singh Dhesi has done the city proud by bagging slots in international golfing championships at the age of seven. His international presence in US Kids Golf Foundation May (27-29) makes him the only Indian under 7 to have stood at T28 out of the 50 participants. Son of Manit Singh Dhesi, who is posted as ADCP (Crime) in Ludhiana, Kuldeep’s talent has been nutured by his parents early on.

The US Kids Golf Foundation is one of the prestigiously acclaimed platform for kids across the world to showcase their Golfing talent. The vision of the foundation is to provide children and their families the opportunity to participate in the game of golf through instruction and competition. Today, the foundation conducts over 400 local, regional, national, and international events.

At present in Class XII at St Josephs Convent Junior School, Kuldeep was born into a Sikh family in Jalandhar.

From his early childhood days, he showed his interest in the sport. He started playing golf in 2013 at the age of 6 at the PAP Golf Club, Jalandhar Cantt. Recently, he became the only child from India (under seven age group) to have participated in the prestigious European Championship of the US Kids Golf Foundation in May, 2014.

Meanwhile, the world’s best young golfers aged 5-18 will descend on East Lothian, Scotland, for the prestigious US Kids Golf European Championship. Approximately 550 players from 35 nations compete in Europe’s premier Junior Golf Tournament to showcase the next generation of stars. The championship is held on many of Scotland’s historic golf courses in East Lothian, including Gullane, Craigielaw, Luffness New and Longniddry.

Kuldeep’s most notable performances are - US Kids Golf Foundation, European Championship – 28th position, Little Masters Junior Golf Tour – 1st position, Champions Junior Golf Tour – 1st position, Ultimate Golf Junior Tour – 1st position.

Jalandhar, July 6
A meeting of the Science Teachers Association was held at Desh Bhagat Yadgaar hall here today. They urged Education Minister Daljit Singh Cheema to allocate the title of technical to science teachers, hike in special allowances and science allowance to all science teachers, lecturers, in-charges and teachers working under the SSA/RMSA on a priority basis.

Naresh Kohli, Jaspal Singh Nagra, Sukhdev Singh Panjrukh, Ashol Kumar Futela, Kashmir Singh Haier, Jaswinder Singh Bhamra, among others, were present on the occasion.