Jalandhar, July 28
With the city bus service threatening to go off road after July 30, the administration seems to have been stuck in finding an amicable solution to the problem.

Despite Deputy Commissioner calling a high-level meeting attended by the Police Commissioner, Municipal Commissioner and the District Transport Officer this evening, the administration could not come out with a concrete plan to curb the plying of illegal autos, the issue raised by the bus operators of the city bus service.

Meanwhile, joing the war, the mini-bus operators have also announced to go off road if the administration did not stop the plying of illegal autos from their routes.

“In the past few years, so many buses have gone off road due to the heavy losses suffered by bus operators. Despite giving repeated reminders along with the High Court’s order banning the plying of illegal autos in the city, the administration failed completely to take them off road. Now, after losing all hopes, we have decided to stop the mini-bus service in the city on July 30,” said Jarnail Singh Garhdiwal, president, Mini-Bus Operators Association.

Meanwhile, the bus operators of the city bus service have threatened not to deposit the road tax from July onwards for their buses that comes out to be around Rs 1 lakh. “The administration cannot force us to ply the buses on the roads when we will not pay any road tax to them,” said Parveen Olivera, manager of the city bus service in Jalandhar.

KK Yadav, Deputy Commissioner, said that the issue was discussed in detail in the meeting and soon the administration would announce a concrete plan to deal with the issue. “There is no need for the people to panic as the city bus service will continue its operations uninterrupted even after July 30,” said Yadav. 

Jalandhar, July 28
Tired of rampant diseases and dirty stagnant water in their area, residents of the Noorpur village in the district finally approached Deputy Commissioner KK Yadav today to seek a solution to their problems.

In their complaint to the DC, the residents said the more than 80 houses in Noorpur village on Dhogri Road were suffering for the past five years as the administration had found no way to drain out the water accumulating on roads and houses.

In a document signed by 30 residents of the village, the residents complained that the water accumulation was causing a number of diseases in the village and the village panchayat had made no arrangements to solve the problems.

The letter said due to the water accumulating in a pond near the area, it had spilled into their homes due to which in the past few months, they had seen a number of jaundice and typhoid cases and people continued to get sick.

They requested the DC to relieve them of the insanitary conditions in the area which had been tormenting them for years.

The DC promised them action.

Meanwhile, DDPO Avtar Singh Bhullar told The Tribune that a solution to villagers’ problems would be sought soon.

Jalandhar, July 28
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has asked two city based colleges to exempt two SC students from paying their admission fee as per the Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme.

Siblings Chandan, a student of BA (music group) at the local Lyallpur Khalsa College for Women and Mamta, student of B.Com Professional at the Apeejay College of Fine Arts, Mahavir Marg, Jalandhar, were being asked to pay admission fee for the Vth semester of their respective courses by their colleges.

The HC, in its order issued on July 23, 2014, has contended that the students are not liable to pay admission fee for the said courses.

The HC has issued a notice of motion for August 4, 2014, to the Apeejay College of Fine Arts, Mahavir Marg, Jalandar; Lyallpur Khalsa College for Women, Jalandhar as well as the Secretary, Department of Welfare, Punjab; Secretary Department of Education, Punjab; and the Guru Nanak Dev University, Punjab (registrar) - who are also respondents in the case.

The interim order has also directed the respective colleges not to insist on the payment of admission fee for the said course in future.

Notably, the students said despite the issue of fee payment being taken up at the college level and with the district authorities (Deputy Commssioner) in the past two years, they were still being asked to pay admission fee for this semester.

Talking to The Tribune, Chandan said, “Our father earns mere Rs 5,000 to 6,000 per month and we can’t afford to pay the fee. Despite the issue being repeatedly taken up with the district authorities, we were still asked to pay for this semster. Hence we had to knock at the doors of court.” Ultimately, the students - with backing from the NGO Global Awareness Trust for the Awareness of Rights of the Poor - filed a civil writ petition with the Punjab and Haryana High Court on July 22, 2014, as a result of which the HC ruled in their favour on July 23, 2014.

Meanwhile, complaints of other SC students being denied the benefits of the Post Matric Scholarship Scheme, continue to pour in the city. Students from local colleges also approached the Deputy Commissioner of Jalandhar regarding the issue today. 

Rupam Devadi who was chosen as the lone cadet from Punjab to represent the Indian President and the Ministry of External Affairs at the Centenary International Programme in France. A Tribune Photograph

Jalandhar, July 28
Sky is the limit for Rupam Devedi (21) who has recently returned from the National Cadet Corps’s (NCC) Youth Exchange programme (YEP) in France.

Rupam was the only girl from Punjab NCC Directorate comprising the four states of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir who, along with three other cadets, got the rare privilege to attend the World War I Centenary International event held in Paris on July 14 this year. Talking about her experience at the fashion city, she said it was a proud moment for her to represent the country officially in an international event of historic importance.

“It was a thrilling experience for me to represent the President of India in an international event. The French government took good care of us and we also got acquainted with some of the untold chapters in the history of World War I. The memories of this trip will remain fresh in my heart forever,” said the aspiring pilot. She also said that programmes like this one brought about a better understanding among youths of various countries that could help in establishing a peaceful atmosphere all over the world. “We had a group of youngsters from Pakistan as well. It may sound shocking but of all the countries, we were most comfortable and friendly with them, said Rupam. She also informed that once she and her Pakistan counterpart posing as the head of their respective states held a mock conference and discussed some issues affecting the relations between both countries.

Also, sharing her experience with an Indian cook there at a dinner, she said that being a vegetarian, she couldn’t enjoy much that was served on the platter and requested an Indian cook in the hotel to serve her something Indian. “Within minutes, I was served boiled vegetables like capsicums, a potato and some beans without salt. On being asked, he told me that since he left the country almost 14 years ago, he forgot to cook vegetable the Indian way and even forgot the names of Indian spices,” giggled the girl. She said she had to satisfy her hunger mostly with coke and fresh fruit juices during her entire stay in Paris.

Talking on a serious note, the girl said the NCC was not a small organisation but a mission that could change the destiny of the country if handled carefully. “The state government can end the drug menace from the state by motivating maximum youths to join the NCC. This will not only make youths responsible and disciplined, but they will also remain under the strict vigil of alert officers of the armed forces. The government should make it mandatory for all college students to join the NCC,” said Rupam. She has also appealed to the state government to provide one microlite to her unit, as it is the only unit from the four air squadrons which does not have a microlite. “We have to go to Amritsar or Patiala to take flying lessons and it wastes a lot of our time during the exams,” said Rupam.

On contacted, Wg CDR Randhir Singh, VM the Commanding officer of 1 Punjab Air Squardron NCC at Jalandhar said Rupam had not only made the city proud, but had opened an avenue for other girls as well. “Last year too, one of our girls Amandeep Kaur got selected to represent India at Bhutan. This year, too, one of girl has made us proud. It seems the girls in the city have set their eyes on their goal to touch the sky,” said an elated Singh, himself an avid flier. He also said that two of his unit’s cadet were recently selected for the National Defence Academy and the Indian Military Academy and the unit had also won two gold medals in the best pilot flying in both boys and girls categories recently.

Jalandhar, July 28
A few months’ old female fetus was recovered today from Dhaliwal village in Lambra. The police said it could not be established who had thrown the foetus near the canal.

Jalandhar, July 28
There has been a wide reaction from the residents over the issue of malfunctioning of the Jalandhar Improvement Trust (JIT).

The residents have been demanding that the Trust be merged with PUDA since both the bodies were primarily devising residential and commercial schemes in and around the city. The move had been initiated by the government two years back but there has been no headway because of inter-departmental issues. While the JIT is with the Local Bodies Department, PUDA is managed by the Housing Department.

"When the purpose of both the government departments is the same, I do not think there is any point to run them separately. The merger would in fact streamline work and add to staff strength of either departments. It will also save on payment of salaries to the staff," said Harmandeep Singh, a car dealer.

"It really pains me to see the condition of flats constructed by the JIT. The government offices, which have the best engineers at their disposal, must ensure top quality. The flats in Shaheed Udham Singh Nagar, Guru Amar Dass Nagar and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar are in a dilapidated state. The residents often face problems of sewage leak and supply of drinking water," said Gurnek Singh Virdi, a businessman.

"I feel I have been cheated by the JIT. I had paid all my installments to the JIT on July 27, 2012 as per schedule but I am yet to get the possession of my flat at Bibi Bhani Complex. I went to see the site sometime back and was disappointed to see that all the 276 flats are still waiting to get finished. I have approached the authorities a number of times but they have not responded," said Darshan Singh, a retired employee.

"It is wrong for any government department by not honouring the commitment made to the people who have invested their hard earned money. People have been complaining of no facilities in their areas which have been developed by the JIT and it pains to know that they have to take the legal recourse to get justice," said Sandeep Kanwal Singh Chhabra, an advocate.

"The 680 plot holders in our area who got the notice to pay Rs 8,000 per marla as enhancement charges 16 years after the auction have been taking a legal advice on how to proceed with it. We have collectively decided not to make the payment immediately. I am also peeved at the poor plight of the residents of our adjoining colony Maharaja Ranjit Singh Avenue where there has been no drinking supply provision for eight years since the colony was carved by the JIT. The streetlight poles were erected six months back but they are yet to light up," said Rajan Gupta, a resident of Guru Gobind Singh Avenue.

"The Jalandhar Improvement Trust must concentrate on developing good, affordable housing schemes for the poor people. If they do so, people like me would not fall in the trap of unauthorised colonisers. The colonisers have earned a good buck just because of the lethargic approach of the government officers who failed to play their part," said Vijay Kumar Sharma, a college employee.

Jalandhar, July 28
Paying serious attention to the complaints of Non-Resident Indians (NRI) and solving them in the minimum stipulated time, the NRI wing of Punjab has sorted out 3,000 complaints out of the 3,700 received by them in a year. This was said by Charanjit Kumar, Assistant Inspector General (AIG), NRI and Women Wing, Jalandhar.

Since the inception of NRI Wing in July last year, under whose jurisdiction 15 police stations fall, special instructions were issued to the SHOs to solve complaints in one month.

Under the Jalandhar Zone, there are seven police stations, which received around 2,400 complaints in a year of which only 200 are pending.

When asked about the nature of complaints received, the AIG said 60 per cent complaints were of property frauds, 30 per cent of matrimonial disputes and the remaining of other crimes.

Jalandhar-based Achal Ram, who was defrauded by a travel agent, said, his son was sent to Malaysia on the pretext that he would be given job at remunerative wages but nothing happened. “When the victim approached the NRI wing, it wrote to the Ministry of External Affairs which requested the High Commission of India and Malaysia to repatriate the victim to India. Finally, the victim were repatriated to India and even 
Rs 1.50 lakh, which the agent charged, was returned by the agent,” said the AIG.

Jalandhar, July 28
Following a call by Industrial and Traders Joint Action Committee, the Punjab Motor parts Association today burnt the copies VAT Act Section 13(1) to 
protest against the state government.

Committee representatives Ravinder Dhir and Gursharan Singh said the BJP ministers and leaders were doing nothing to help them. They said such an attitude would not serve any purpose. Instead of doing the same, the BJP must come up with a solution to provide them relief.

Industrialists and traders of Punjab had opposed the recent notification regarding the VAT Act with the plea that it had a lot of complications. “Dealers cannot get the VAT refund on the stock lying with them as the refund is being given only on the actual sales. It has also made the criteria of calculating the VAT refund cumbersome,” alleged the committee representatives. The committee leaders said, “They will intensify their protest until the VAT Act Section 13(1) is rolled back.” 

Jalandhar, July 28
Activists of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) today met the DC regarding the issue of denial of benefits of the Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme by the local colleges.

The activists said two students of the city were not being given free admission to two of the local colleges as per the demands of the scheme. They said Mamta and Ranjana — students seeking admission to B.Ed and BSc computer scienceS, respectively, in two local colleges, were sent back. They said Ranjana had also lost her father. 

Jalandhar, July 28
As their president’s hunger strike entered its ninth day today, the ETT Teachers’ Union burnt the effigy of the state government in support of their long-pending demands. Union members took out a rally up to BMC Chowk and burnt the effigy of the state government.

The prime demand of the union is to bring Zila Parishad (ZP) and Nagar Council schools under the Education Department. The district unit of the ETT union gathered at the Desh Bhagat Yadgaar Hall, where the teachers held a rally and indulged in sloganeering against the state government.

On the occasion, state committee member Beant Singh Bhadma said 5,752 schools in the state, which have six lakh students, are currently functioning under Zila Parishads and Nagar Councils. He said no proper system prevailed in these schools and for the past eight years they were being run this way.

Meanwhile, there are over 350 schools under the Nagar Council and the Zila Parishad in the district, which complain of several problems due to falling out of the ambit of the Education Department.

They said none of the regular grants reach them in time. They said similar problems were encountered in the circulation of posts, documents and other facilities provided to them them.

“The DDOs of the Panchayat and Local Bodies department are seldom aware or interested in pursuing our matters since we are never their primary concern. We have been suffering and lagging behind for long due to this and the government knows that. We will be able to function much better under the Education Department,” they said.

On the occasion, the speakers demanded that the schools under the Nagar Council and the Zila Parishad be brought under the Education Department.

The union members marched towards BMC Chowk, where they burnt an effigy of CM Parkash Singh Badal.

They said the health of state president Jaswinder Singh Sidhu, who is on an indefinite fast at Mohali, had deteriorated.

They said the state government had paid no heed to their struggle so far. The union burnt effigies of the state government across all district headquarters.

They said if the government failed to respond to their demands and if the health of the union president deteriorated due to the strike, then the state government would be held responsible for it. They said they had formulated an action plan against the state government.

They said the ETT teachers were willing to make all kinds of sacrifices for their demands.

District president Bhupinder Singh, general secretary Barinderpal Singh, press secretary Ramesh Kumar, among others, were present on the occasion. 

Jalandhar, July 28
A local doctor today claimed that he successfully removed a foreign body, a toy whistle , from the body of a boy which was causing breathlessness.

Five-year-old Gursimran Singh was brought to Dr HJ Singh in a state of breathlessness. With the help of paediatrics broncoscope, a toy whistle was removed from the body of the boy. — TNS

Jalandhar Tribune invites feedback from its readers on issues of public concern relating to Jalandhar, Phagwara, Kapurthala and the nearby areas. Readers can email their views to jalandhar.feedback@gmail.com

They can also send their views to: Feedback, Jalandhar Tribune, Sector 29, Chandigarh - 160029. Letters sent by post must mention 'Feedback for Jalandhar Tribune' on the envelope and it should be signed and must contain the address and telephone number of the sender. It should not be more than 150 words.