Jalandhar, September 1
Even after a spate of accidents at the Chugitti intersection on the Jalandhar-Amritsar passage in the last one week, the underpass beneath the under-construction bridge was opened once again today.

Since just one side of the bridge from PAP Chowk towards the Amritsar side has been opened, those coming from the Amritsar side to Jalandhar were still using the service lane for commuting. Even the lane of the bridge that has been kept open is actually meant for the other side and the vehicles were made to turn to right at a point to come down the bridge.

There was a complete traffic chaos at the point where the residents coming from the Guru Nanakpura locality entered the Ladhewali side from the underpass. At the same point the residents were coming from the Ladhewali side to Guru Nanakpura using the same narrow underpass. Since there is a huge movement of traffic at the underpass, the highway traffic via the service lane was also getting badly affected.

Traffic cops had to be on their toes the whole day to ensure that only one of the three sides of the traffic moved at a time. The area has become quite accident prone in the recent past as a biker had lost his life here last week and the underpass was ordered to be closed the same day on the directions of the Deputy Commissioner. Even on Saturday night, two persons had met with an accident and had got badly wounded at the same site.

Project manager, NHAI, Vipan Kumar, said the other side of the bridge would be ready in a week to 10 days’ time and then the normal flow of traffic would begin.

Jalandhar, September 1
In the absence of any storm drains, the city, with just two days of rainfall, has turned into a huge pool of water, posing a serious risk of water-borne diseases here.

Rainwater has blocked all major roads of the city, including the area near the bus stand, railway station, Sodal Industrial area, and almost all Basti areas. The situation has worsened for the past two days, as residents have to wade through at least knee-deep water on many roads. Despite repeated complaints to the MC, waterlogging, drainage and garbage problems continue to persist in various parts of the city.

According to Sandeepa, a student from Kishenpura, nobody cares about the civic problems the city residents are facing. Even a little rain results in huge waterlogging which makes it difficult for the passerby to cross the roads, but the authorities do not care about people’s inconvenience. She also said that due to the waterlogging, many roads near her colony, that were repaired recently by the MC, had again developed patches over it.

“It is a sheer wastage of our money that we pay through taxes from our hard-earned money,” said Mohit, an entrepreneur from Maqsudan. He also said that due to the regular accumulation of sewerage water, the residents face the constant problem of foul smell. The whole area has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Moreover, no fogging or sanitation service is provided by the MC, said Mohit.

While the MC removes tonnes of silt and plastic from gutters at regular intervals, most of the removed material is dumped along the roadside only. Frequent strikes by corporation workers reverts the drains to their old clogged position. The sewage lines of the city, which were laid long ago, have not been upgraded. Due to this, the trunk sewers are heavily silted, while the peripheral ones are mostly damaged and are inadequate to cope up with the increasing load. According to a rough estimate, almost 45 per cent of the city is not linked to the drainage network since its installation.

PS Jaggi, Superintending Engineer, O&M, MC, said presently only 10 to 15 per cent area in the whole city had storm drains. He also said that as per the directions of the state government, the case had been referred to the Water Supply and Sewerage Board for the laying of storm sewers in the whole city two months ago. 

Jalandhar, September 1
Slum dwellers of the Kot Ram Dass colony today held a protest outside the residence of Jalandhar (Central) legislator Manoranjan Kalia over the issue of pending grants for the construction of their one-room houses under the Integrated Slum Housing Development Scheme.

The slum dwellers wanted that the MLA and former Local Bodies Minister should intervene in the matter and ensure that they got their cheques which they had been waiting for for the past several months. Since the beneficiaries under the scheme were all women, it were they who continued to speak at length on their problems.

While Kalia was away, his secretary, Ashish Chopra, met the aggrieved women and assured them help. He told them to meet the area BJP councillor Sudesh Rani, but the beneficiaries said they approached the MLA only after other options had exhausted for them.

Jalandhar, September 1
Indian midfielder Manpreet Singh from Mithapur village was adjudged the ‘Asia’s Junior Player of the Year’ by the Asian Hockey Federation at its Congress held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, today.

Manpreet made his international debut in 2011 and since then, has been a regular member of the Indian team.

The 22-year-old boy was part of the silver medal winning Indian team at the Commonwealth Games in Scotland and has also represented India at the FIH Men’s World Cup (Netherlands) and Hero FIH Hockey World League Final. His family was elated on hearing the announcement.

“It is a matter of great pride for the entire district that he has been adjudged the best junior player in Asia. Even though he was born in a poor family, he has proved that one can achieve great heights with sheer hard work,” said Manjeet Kaur, his mother.

The budding player has played 103 international matches and captained the junior men’s team in the FIH Hockey Junior Men’s World Cup in New Delhi and in the third Sultan of Johor Cup in Johor Bahru last year where India thrashed host Malaysia 3-0 and clinched the gold medal.

At present, Manpreet is part of the senior men’s core probable team for the 2014 Asian Games and is presently undergoing training at New Delhi. Recently, engaged to Illiana from Malaysia, the young player has changed her name to Navpreet Kaur even before tying the knot with her.

On his special achievement, Hockey India, Secretary General, Narinder Batra, said, “I congratulate Manpreet for this special achievement. Apart from a skillful midfielder, he also has the leadership qualities to motivate other players to fight till the final whistle. This announcement is a great achievement for Indian hockey.”

Jalandhar, September 1
The Sodal Mela Trust is at loggerheads with the Jalandhar Municipal Corporation (MC) for granting permission to vulgar dance shows and deadly swings near the Sodal fair site even without examining the social and security aspects of the same.

The Sodal Trust has alleged that the MC is granting permission to cheap gimmicks by collecting money from the contractors without keeping the religious sentiments and the safety of lakhs of devotees into mind who will be visiting the fair from all over the world on September 8 at the Baba Sodal temple in the city.

According to Vipin Chadda, president of the Sodal Mela Trust, this is the only fair in the world that is celebrated in the memory of Baba Sodal. “Around 10 to 15 lakh devotees visit the fair every year. They come here with strong religious beliefs and expect to witness a serene and calm atmosphere here. Although the MC does grant permission to contractors to instal various swings and adventure shows, this time, the number of cheap shows and deadly swings has increased manifold. Who will be responsible if someone dies during the fair?” asked Chadda. He also alleged that the MC had not even taken affidavits from these contractors to ensure the safety aspects of their swings.

The trust has also strongly condemned the MC’s move to allow vulgar shows to be conducted near the fair site. “They should allow activities that go well with the religious fervour associated with the fair. However, they have given permission to contractors who would be playing vulgar Bollywood songs on loud speakers and even conduct vulgar shows performed by girls at various deadly game shows during the fair,” said Chadda.

The MC officials could not be contacted despite repeated attempts.

Meanwhile, the preparations for the annual Baba Sodal Mela, to be held on September 8, are in full swing. Lakhs of devotees are expected to arrive and pay obeisance at the Sodal mandir. Tight security arrangements are being made to ensure law and order around the temple.

Jalandhar, September 1
Life is a virtual hell for the residents of the areas around illegal dairies thriving in the city, who have to bear daily the stench of the animal waste, pass through heaps of cow dung and risk water contamination.

The worse part is that neither the officials nor the political leaders are concerned about the matter. Officials say dairy owners are being politically shielded while the leaders say it is the job of the officials to push the illegal dairies out of the city. At the end of the day, it is the residents in the periphery of such dairies, who suffer because of the slush created in the messy compounds and the swarms of mosquitoes which keep hovering above.

"There are dairies just a few hundred metres away from our house. The dairy farmers have kept scores of animals. They keep grazing their cattle in front of our houses the whole day. We have lodged a complaint with the Jalandhar Improvement Trust as well as the Municipal Corporation a number of times but the officials just keep on passing the buck,” said Narinder Kaur Sodhi, a resident of Guru Gobind Singh Avenue.

"The Municipal Corporation staff act only till the time the court keeps issuing instructions. As the matters come to a close, the officials too tend to relax and choose to settle down. But such a laidback attitude of the officials leads to problems for the residents who are left with no option but to keep complaining and finally start bearing with it," said Sanjeev Kumar, a resident of the Lamma Pind Chowk area.

"The lax attitude of the MC in restoring sewage connection to the dairies a few days after sealing has to be changed. The seals should not be broken till the time the dairy farmer is ready to take the animals out of the city to Jamsher or any other village area. The action plan must be executed once and for all," said Prabhjot Kaur, an engineer.

"In all those areas where dairies thrive, the value of properties around it also tends to fall steeply. The worst is that even some posh localities including Guru Amar Dass Nagar and Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar also have dairies. I really wonder how the residents allow this to happen and do not come together for the cause," Tushar Sharma, an employer with a private firm, said.

"The dairies fall partly in my ward and that of Baldev Singh, councillor of ward 42. Time and again, I have told officials to shift them. There are about seven dairies in the area now having the patronage of the ruling party after the remaining 35 were forced to shift to Jamsher some time back. When the Municipal Corporation has especially developed Jamsher for this purpose, there is no point in allowing dairies within the city," said Dr Pardeep Rai, Congress councillor, ward 40.

"I am not aware of the problem. I will check it with the staff and see what is to be done and how," said Vinay Bublani, Chairman, Jalandhar Improvement Trust, and former Municipal Commissioner, who perhaps wanted to get away with the issue.

"There are dairies not just in my assembly segment but even in the three other city constituencies. It is the Municipal Corporation which has to do the needful and ensure cleanliness and provision of all amenities in the city," said Manoranjan Kalia, 
Jalandhar Central MLA and former Local Bodies Minister.

Jalandhar, September 1
Blaming the city police for adopting a lethargic approach in dealing with the case of sexual harassment, Manjit Kaur, an ambulance driver at Civil Hospital, Jalandhar, alleged that the city police is least interested in nabbing the accused, who tried to molest her.

"An FIR on sexual harassment was registered against Sukhwinder Singh at the Bhargav Camp police station, ambulance driver at Civil Hospital, Jalandhar, on July 19. Since the registration of the case, the police officials are not making any efforts to arrest the accused. It seems that the police is hand in glove with the accused," Manjit Kaur, told the media during a press conference.

Despite the registration of a case under Sections 354, 306 of the IPC against Sukhwinder, he is still harassing her. It seems he has good links in the police department which is preventing his arrest, the woman asserted.

She said the accused had also been filing fake complaints against her and her family at various police stations.

Recently he got a complaint filed against her son by his wife stating the former had slapped the latter, but during the investigation, his compliant was found to be fake.

She said if the police would not arrest the accused in a few days, she along with her son and husband, would take the extreme step of freeing themselves from harassment at the hands of Sukhwinder.

She, while denying the allegations being levelled by the accused Sukhwinder that her ambulance was illegal and did not have permission from the transport department, alleged that the ambulance of Sukhwinder was, in fact, illegal as he runs the ambulance on LPG, which cannot by plied on road as per law.

Bhargav Camp SHO Sanjiv Kapoor said the accused had been evading arrest and the police was conducting raids at suspected hideouts to nab him. He denied the police was under any influence.

Jalandhar, September 1
All-India State Government Employees Federation today organised a state-level convention at Desh Bhagat Yadgar Hall.

The purpose of the convention was to discuss the future course of actions to deal with prevalent issues among the state government employees, including withdrawal of national pension scheme, termination of privatisation policy, regularisation of the employees on contract basis, employees recruited at outsourcing should be regularised, strict enforcement of labour laws and seventh pay commission should be provided with effect from January 1, 2011.

Speaking on the occasion, CPI (Marxist) leader Mangat Ram Pasla said a joint struggle against neo-liberalism and Prevention of Public and Private Property Damage Bill was the need of the hour.

He said inflation, unemployment, corruption and exploitation have been looming large due to neo-liberal policies of Centre and state government.