Jalandhar, August 29
The Municipal Corporation (MC) officials have started gearing themselves up for the forthcoming hearing of the National Green Tribunal regarding the delay in starting the Solid Waste Management Project on September 2.

A Nakodar-based social activist, Gaurav Jain, during the last hearing, had presented photographs and videos regarding the piling of garbage heaps in Nakodar as well as in the city before the tribunal over which the MC officials are now in a tizzy.

Officials of the O&M branch have already started preparing for the hearing, collecting news clippings pertaining to all those episodes when the MC officials announced to start work and the safai karamcharis went on an indefinite strike.

The MC officials are also likely to hire a lawyer even as they had been earlier pleading the case on their own. The health officers, too, have been asked to dig out all those media reports such as those on the 10-day strike by the staff in October 2011 and August 2013. They have also started culling pictures showing how the whole city was affected due to no lifting of garbage and piles filling up even the city roads.

To make their side stronger and to show the political pressure being used by the union leaders, the MC staff is also likely to present how even the Local Bodies Minister Anil Joshi had been gheraoed by the safai federation members over the matter on June 9, forcing the matter to be later addressed by Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal.

About a fortnight ago, Secretary Local Bodies, Ashok Gupta, too, had paid a visit to Nakodar as well as the Jalandhar garbage collection point at Wariana, checked the status of the project and held discussions with the staff here on the matter. He had also announced that the waste management project for the 27 urban local bodies, falling in the Jalandhar cluster other than those in Jalandhar city, would start from September 2.

Jalandhar, August 29
Four weeks after the death in an accident of his four-year-old son Aarush Arora due to the alleged negligence of the bus driver, the boy’s father Chandan Arora has been running from pillar to post to get justice, as Jalandhar Commissionerate is dilly-dallying in registering a case against the management of Innocent Hearts School here.

Chandan today met Police Commissioner Yurinder Singh Hayar and urged him to register a case against the school management, as their bus was not adhering to the Supreme Court’s directions .

When I asked Police Commissioner why action was being delayed against the school he, instead of giving any logical reply, started claiming that now the police were on alert mode and buses and school autos were being checked regularly. I was shocked that the Commissioner didn’t bother to reply to my query on the delay in registering a case against the school, Chandan said.

The Commissioner, instead of giving me an appropriate reply, referred me to ACP DD Sharma for further correspondence.“I had met ACP DD Sharma several times and he also seems least interested in my son’s death case. Every time I asked him for action against the school, he never gave a convincing reply,” Chandan said adding that it seemed ACP Sharma had not studied the case in detail yet.

When the incident had occurred, Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh was Police Commissioner and he didn’t’ take action. Now, Yurinder Singh has taken charge. He also seems not interested in taking action against the school, Chandan alleged.

The day the child died, the police had categorically stated that the bus in which Aarush was travelling was not adhering to the guidelines of the Supreme Court. Chandan said the police had claimed that the bus was being plied without a valid permit and. “If violations were reported, why police was not taking action against the school management? Chandan asked. 

Jalandhar, August 29
Jalandhar and Mukatsar districts finished almost close during the 49th Punjab State Shooting Championship, which concluded at the indoor shooting range of the Punjab Armed Police (PAP) headquarters in Jalandhar. The Punjab Rifle Shooting Association (PRSA) disbursed cash awards of Rs 32 lakh among 70 winners of various competitions. Around 625 participants from various districts took part in 70 events during the four-day championship.

(Clockwise from above) The shooters who were awarded during the closing ceremony of the 49th Punjab State Shooting Championship; Pawan Tinu, CPS, Sports, Punjab, honours students of Government Girls School, Nehru Garden, during a function; and students of Lyallpur Khalsa College for Women participate in a race on the occasion of National Sports Day in Jalandhar on Friday. Photos: Sarabjit Singh

While revealing the plan to improve the sports infrastructure in the state, Bikramjit Singh Majithia, president of PRSA, said the state government had released Rs 5.20 crore for the construction of a 10m indoor air rifle (AC) shooting range in Mohali, a complete trap range at Talwara and Ludhiana, combined trap/skeet range and 10m indoor air rifle range in Amritsar and the construction of a combined trap/skeet range in Bathinda.

The PRSA announced the constitution of an advisory committee, comprising prominent shooters, with Raja KS Sidhu as the adviser to the PRSA president. He also nominated Pawanpreet Singh Dhillon as the chairman, PRSA, and Parminder Singh Brar as the vice-president and office in-charge, PRSA.

Those who have won the gold medal and a cash award of Rs 21,000 are Davinder Singh Priyanka Arora, Reetu, Rassanpreet Singh, Kulwinder Kaur, Harsumit Singh, Shialza, Kavya and Ekambir.

Rajiv Gandhi Sports Festival concludes

The Rajiv Gandhi Sports Festival 2014-15 today concluded with the celebration of National Sports Day. The day was celebrated in the memory of Major Dhyan Chand, a renowned hockey player. Pawan Kumar Tinnu, Chief Parliamentary Secretary for Sports, gave away the prizes to the winners at Guru Gobind Singh Stadium.

In hockey, Nakodar won the first place while Jalandhar (W) and Lohian won the second and the third place, respectively. In football, Adampur, Rurka Kalan and Jalandhar (E) won the top three positions.

In kho-kho (boys), Rurka Kalan, Jalandhar (W) and Lohian won the top three positions. In the girls’ group, Rurka Kalan, Mehatpur and Bhogpur won the top three places, respectively.

In kabaddi, Nakodar, Lohian and Phillaur won the top three positions. In basketball, Adampur and Nurmahal secured the top three slots.

Punjab State Super Football League

Taking advantage of its home ground, CRPF earned full points in the match against PSPCL during the ongoing 28th Punjab State Super Football League 2014-15. CRPF defeated PSPCL 2-1. The CRPF team took lead in the 11th minute of the game when Sugesh M netted the first goal of the match. After taking the lead, CRPF continued to dominate the first half. However, in 36th minute, Gurpreet Singh scored of PSPCL scored the equaliser of the game on receiving a well measured pass from Kuldeep. After the 45th minute of the game, Sugesh M put CRPF on driver’s seat again.

Another match between Dalbir FA and RCF Kapurthala at Punjabi University Campus, Patiala, was a lackluster show as none of the team scored any goad. In the 83rd minute of the match, Gulshan Kumar of RCF missed an opportunity to score as he failed to convert a well measured pass from his team mate. Both the teams had to content with one point each.

Tomorrow, JCT will play against Punjab Police at Guru Gobind Singh Stadium, Jalandhar, at 4.30 PM.

Jalandhar, August 29
The state government will soon get expert help from the UK in its ongoing drug de-addiction programme. British Deputy High Commissioner David Lelliott said three missions from the UK had already visited Punjab and held talks with the government representatives on the matter.

The UK diplomat was here at the residence of Jalandhar Parliamentarian Chaudhary Santokh Singh today. He said some of the UK’s organisations, especially those doing work in this direction, would be making more tours of Punjab and give guidance to the staff of the de-addiction centres.

The MP apprised Lelliott about the problem being faced by the youth here who invested their hard-earned money in taking education in UK only to realise that the universities where they had taken admission were actually one-room centres. The Deputy High Commissioner said that all such fraud issues and those pertaining to illegal human trafficking including the recent one regarding 35 Afghan men coming in containers were being investigated thoroughly and the UKH government was taking a very serious view on such issues.

Different issues pertaining to visa aspirants were taken up by the MP. His list of suggestions included points, “Visa fee to be remitted should be kept optional by cash, demand draft or by bank card. Most of the illiterate villagers don’t keep the bank cards and as such face problems in remission of the visa fee. Refusal of genuine visitor cases should be reduced and visa application may be examined properly on the basis of documents genuinely produced and may be verified online from the concerned departments. Reconsideration of refusal cases takes longer time and may be expedited and finalised quickly.”

Chaudhary Santokh Singh said, “If an appeal filed with the Immigration Tribunal in UK is allowed and the intimation is sent to the British High Commission, New Delhi, for the grant of visa, the advice is given very late to the applicant by the High Commission, New Delhi, and should be sent at the earliest after the receipt of Appeal Allowed information from the Tribunal. In Settlement Cases, the Medical Examination may be allowed from Jalandhar doctors. Now the applicants have to go to Ludhiana or Chandigarh.”

Lelliott said, “I have had several good meetings with MPs and MLAs from Jalandhar and Ludhiana. As the Deputy High Commissioner in Chandigarh with the responsibility for north-west India, it is important for me to travel in Punjab and other states I cover, to meet leaders of different political parties and hear first-hand about the local issues, their priorities and how to strengthen further links with the UK. I look forward to following up on issues raised, including helping Indians who wish to study in the UK, combatting people trafficking and supporting Indian businesses interested in investing in the UK.” He came along with his political advisor Alam Bains. 

Jalandhar, August 29
Infighting among the leaders of the Punjab Youth Congress and the party supported-National Student Union of India has come to fore after a recent attempt of the former to take members from various colleges.

The NSUI leaders, including its general secretary Nigam Bhandari and secretary of the All-India Youth Congress (AIYC), have reportedly demanded that the recent membership drive carried out by the PYC in colleges be scrapped and that its president Vikramjit Singh Chaudhary should stop interfering in the college activities.

The PYC chief said, “There are some youth in colleges who do not want their political career to remain confined till college and want to work in the mainstream area. The membership drive by the PYC, unlike previous years, now remains open all the year round. It has been over six months since we have kept membership open. We are not meddling in college affairs. We have been simply asking youth to join us in larger numbers; they could even be from colleges. I do not think that anyone should have a problem with this and we are in no way going to scrap this membership.”