Jalandhar, August 23
Seven months after the Punjab and Haryana High Court had told the Municipal Corporation (MC), Jalandhar, to identify unauthorised constructions at the Bhargo camp here and demolish these, action finally began today.

The MC staff, armed with as many as 300 policemen, reached the site at 9 am and began action. Even as the staff had already earmarked 32 illegal constructions that came in the passage, it had pulled down just three portions when the work got stopped. Three advocates having the “Notice of Motion” copies for August 29 came to the spot and said the action could not continue, as the court had given the occupants of 32 buildings to be heard on that date.

A CWP, filed in the matter by the Citizen Welfare Society in 1998, is due to be heard on the same date. At this, the MC team, after razing two shops and a gate and staircase of a house, finally returned, saying it would go by whatever orders come next.

The two shops that were totally demolished today clearly obstructed the main road. While a mobile shop was being run by Hans Raj, the second was run by widow, Bimla who used the place to iron clothes. The duo rued as to why they had been targeted and others spared today. Adjoining the shops is a temple which, too, is to be removed.

Assistant Town Planner Ramesh Chhabra said the illegal sites included three temples, shops and houses. All such sites had been numbered and demarcated with a red cross. He said that after the occupants would be heard on the date, he would follow whatever orders come next.

The last demolition in Bhargo Camp had taken place in 2006 when about 1,400 encroachments had been removed during the tenure of Joint Commissioner MC Gurpreet Sapra. In an order, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had asked the Municipal Corporation (MC) Jalandhar to regularise as many as 525 encroachments within a period of three months and submit a compliance report before May 2. However, owing to the Lok Sabha polls, the staff had sought more time from the court.

Phagwara, August 23
Traders and industrialists condemned the unexpected hike in power tariff announced by the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited on Friday.

Federation of Small Industries president, Sudesh Sharma, described the hike as another step of the state government to force the industrialists to migrate from the state. “Immediately after the bypolls of Patiala and Talwandi Saboo, the state government has imposed another burden on the public by increasing the power tariiff from April,” he said.

Sharma demanded immediate rollback in the power tariff hike. Ambedkar Sena, Punjab, president Surinder Dhadhey and general secretary Kamal Lakhpur threatened to launch a stir if the government failed to withdraw the hike. — OC

Jalandhar, August 23
Laying emphasis on developing sports infrastructure and excellence in sports among the students studying in government schools, Punjab Education Minister, Dr Daljeet Singh Cheema, said special efforts would be made to make schools into sports excellence centres across the state.

He was talking to the media on Saturday during his visit to the Meritorious School in the city. Earlier, he visited the Government Girls Senior Secondary School at Nehru Garden. Besides inaugurating a multipurpose hall there, he also gave a cheque for Rs 5 lakh to the school for infrastructure development.

“The schools in the state, for long, have been a nursery for those sportsmen, who have created a niche for themselves in the international sports arena. However, nowadays a need has been felt to upgrade and replace the old sports infrastructure in these schools,” said Cheema.

The minister said the Education Department had decided to rope in experienced players as coaches in these schools.

“We have around 8,000 physical education teachers across the state and will try to invigorate excellence in sports among the students by rescheduling their roles,” said Daljeet.

He said the state government had been providing free vocational training to the boys studying in Classes XI to XII to make them independent at an early stage of their life.

Laying emphasis on the regularity of teachers in government schools, the minister said the department would ensure 100 per cent attendance of teachers in all schools.

“The department will conduct a surprise check in all schools from time to time and the erring teachers will be asked for an explanation by the department,” said Cheema. The minister visited all the classes of the Meritorious School and had a detailed discussion with the students. 

Jalandhar, August 23
The Jalandhar Commissionerate organised an awareness workshop regarding the ‘Saanjh Project” at the SD College for Women here today.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Naveen Singla, who was the chief guest, apprised the students about their rights, police helpline numbers and ways to get police help in case of an emergency.

District Community Police Officer and members of some NGOs also participated in the workshop.

Officials told the students about the working of the police Saanjh Kendras and Outreach Centres and the services being offered at these centres. 

Jalandhar, August 23
Replying to the petitions filed by the Vegetables Vendors Union, Maqsudan, over the shifting of vegetable vendors from the Sabji Mandi to some other place, the Civil Judge (Junior Division), today asked the five officials of the Market Committee and Mandi Board to appear before the court on September 9.

Officials, who have been issued directions, are district general manager, Market Committee, Mandi Board, District Mandi Board Officer, district deputy manager, secretary, Mandi Board, and field supervisor, Mandi Board, New Sabji Mandi, Maqsudan, Jalandhar.

Parmod Kashyap, who had filed a petition on behalf of the vendors, said he had filed a petition on August 22, on which the hearing was held today.

Notably, vegetable vendors had been fuming since they were displaced from the Maqsudan Sabji Mandi, and were allotted another place.

The vendors alleged that the new place allotted by the Mandi Board was sans basic amenities like water, toilets, sheds etc.

“If the authorities really want to shift us permanently, they should provide us with the basic amenities. The high tension wires hanging at the newly-allotted place pose a danger to the public,” said the vendors.

The vendors said since the day they had been shifted to the new place, their daily sale had decreased. 

Jalandhar, August 23
Punjab Congress spokesperson Sukhpal Khaira today urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to usher in “achhe din” for 13,000 watchmen who are getting a paltry amount of Rs 800 a month.

Khaira said the amount was far below the minimum wages of Rs 3,500 to Rs 3,800. The Haryana Government was paying Rs 3,500 per month to the village watchmen, he said.

He said even the Punjab and Haryana High Court had passed orders in favour of the Pendu Chowkidar Union, Punjab, in a petition filed in 2004 and had recommended “reasonable” and “respectable” remuneration for village chowkidars.

The court had given the government four months’ period to fix the honorarium to be payable from January 2005. In its judgment, the court had cited an order dated September 10, 2003, issued by the Patiala Deputy Commissioner fixing Rs 2,185 per month as wages for a full-time chowkidar.

Swaran Singh and Harbhajan Singh, presidents of district unions of watchmen at Jalandhar and Kapurthala, said they had been rendering several services such as maintaining a register of births and deaths, going door-to-door to invite villagers for government events, keeping a vigil in the night and informing the local police about suspicious persons.

Khaira said: “It is a matter of shame that 13,000 chowkidars are being paid Rs 12.48 crore as wages annually while the Badals spend Rs 11 crore each year on their helicopter rides among other extravagant expenditure. Even Harsimrat Kaur is drawing an annual salary of Rs 3 crore from Orbit Resorts.”

Khaira said Rs 5,000 per acre be fixed for drought-hit farmers. He said the Centre had played a cruel joke with farmers by announcing a compensation of just Rs 400 per acre. 

Jalandhar, August 23
Some unidentified miscreants reportedly hurled petrol bombs at the house of a district Shiv Sena (Bal Thackeray) president Ashish Arora at the Basti Sheikh locality in the wee hours today. However, no loss of life or property was reported in the incident.

Ashish Arora said, he along with his family members, was sleeping in the house when he heard a thumping sound. When they came out to see what had happened, they found two petrol bombs, one of which was lying inside the house. The other one was lying in front of the gate.

He said he immediately informed the police about the incident. Cops of police division No. 5 reached the spot and started investigation.

Jalandhar, August 23
A 22-year-old youth was stabbed to death during a birthday party celebration at Haveli restaurant, located on the Jalandhar-Phagwara highway, in the wee hours today.

The accused in the incident were reportedly in an inebriated state.

The deceased was identified as Rohit Sabharwal, a resident of Gujral Nagar.

The incident occurred at 1 am on Saturday when Rohit Sabharwal, along with his friends, reached the restaurant to celebrate the birthday party of his friend Sahil Puri.

After we reached the restaurant, around half a dozen youths, who were in an inebriated state and sitting near us, started making a lot of noise. When we requested them to stop creating the disturbance, they agreed and left the restaurant, said Kunal Malhotra, who was with Rohit Sabharwal.

However, they (the accused youth) again came to the restaurant and started hurling abusive remarks at us, said Kunal Malhotra.

This resulted in a brutal scuffle between the two groups. One of the accused, Rohit Sharma, brought a knife and started hitting us. Rohit Sabharwal from our side intervened in the matter, but he was stabbed and sustained serious wounds on his chest, Kunal said, alleging that during the scuffle, the youth also inflicted serious wounds on him and Paras. He said Paras was admitted to a private hospital, where his condition was stated to be out of danger.

After miscreants inflicted serious injuries to Rohit Sabharwal, he was immediately taken to hospital, but he succumbed to the injuries on the way.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Kapurthala, Dhanpreet Kaur, said the police had registered a case against five persons, including Rohit Sharma of Amritsar, Vinay of Mohala Gobindgarh, Jalandhar, Balla of Amritsar, Sumit Randev of Mastar Tara Sigh Nagar, Jalandhar, Kaka Electrician and some unidentified persons, adding that all accused were at large and raids were being conducted to nab them.

Meanwhile, a pall of gloom descended on the family of Rohit, who died in the scuffle.

Sources said the police had also rounded some of the accused, but officially they were not confirming their arrest.

Jalandhar, August 23
A 25-year-old married man committed suicide by hanging himself from the ceiling girder at his residence in the Focal Point area here last night.

The deceased was identified as Ram Bahadur, who worked as a tea vendor. He was living with his wife.

The police said last night, the man ended his life while his wife was asleep. He was sleeping in a room with his wife last night and at midnight, went to another room and hanged himself to death. The incident came to light when his wife woke up in the morning.

The victim’s wife told the police that her husband was living in tension due to poverty, and that could be the reason behind his taking the extreme step.

No suicide note was recovered from the spot. Suspecting no foul play, inquest proceedings under Section 174 of the CrPC were initiated.