Jalandhar, September 22
Even as the district administration very ambitiously began its initiative to make the district smoke-free in 2013 year-end (later postponing the drive till January 2014), nine months down the line, the drive or any traces of it have fizzled out.

A number of educational institutes in the city have kiosks selling cigarettes and other tobacco products right next to their boundaries. Despite the best efforts of some NGOs and educational intuitions, these have not been moved from their places. Despite the issue being brought time and again in the district health authority meets, the kiosks stay put and smoking continues, even though objections have been raised about the damage these do to students and residents.

Conservative estimates put the total number of kiosks presently running in the city at 7,000. So far, the number of people who have been issued challans during anti-smoking drives in the district have never been disclosed at any health authority meets. Anti-smoking task force members say there have been times they have been threatened by kiosk owners when they tried to issue warnings to them that they will not move.

Presently, a number of educational institutions in the city have cigarette and tobacco-products vending kiosks running within 100 yards of them – at least four or five such institutions are on the Ladowali Road itself. Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Government Polytechnic College for Women, Doaba Khalsa School and the Mandi Fentonganj School at the railway station, all these have kiosks running near them. Near various universities and colleges as well kiosks abound in the district.

Social activist Surinder Saini, who is also a member of the district anti-tobacco task force, says, “Many times I have brought the issue to the fore at the meetings of the district health authority, but so far there is complete lack of action. One of the kiosk owners I tried to move even asked me to go and talk to a certain health official first. There is no doubt the anti-smoking drive has fallen flat and for the past few months, there hasn’t been any challaning either. I have also verbally brought the 
issue to the notice of the Civil Surgeon on various occasions.”

District TB Officer Dr Rajiv Sharma said, “It can’t be argued that the anti-tobacco drive has lost steam. The prime trouble is people going back to smoking and refusing to relent or respond to the drive. Although the incidence of smoking in Punjab is lower compared to other states and smoking has reduced after the drive started, the challaning drive has reduced in intensity because people go back to smoking. However, it wouldn’t be fair to say the drive has completely fizzled out, efforts are on to counter the menace.”

Civil Surgeon Dr RL Bassan said, “The challaning drive has never stopped and people are regularly being issued challans for smoking. Till the month of August, the Health Department teams issued challans to people who were caught smoking at a public place. Although as far as the removal of kiosks is concerned, on that count we have faced problems on a couple of occasions. I shall be issuing fresh instructions for the challans. We shall also see that kiosks are also removed from whichever place people are encountering problems regarding them.”

Jalandhar, September 22
For the maintenance of animals in the state and for making the occupation of animal husbandry more lucrative, 150 doctors and 175 veterinary inspectors will be recruited in the state.

This was stated by Gulzar Singh Ranike, Minister for Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development and Fisheries, today who inaugurated two civil animal hospitals built at the cost of Rs 55 lakh at Kartarpur and Kharal village in Bhogpur.

He also said that 1,200 veterinary establishments would be renovated with the expenditure of Rs 300 crore and in every district 24 hour ambulance services were also being provided.

He said important equipment and doctors had been provided at these hospitals. Polyclinics, ambulance laboratories, upkeep of vaccines, among other facilities, had also been provided by the Animal Husbandry Department.

Addressing farmers, pet lovers and traders on the occasion, the minister said the department was making efforts to adopt stray or abandoned animals.

He also said that the government was also bringing in semen from Holland and Canada to produce cow and buffalo breeds which produce abundant milk.

Speaking on the occasion, CPS Pawan Tinu said keeping in mind problems of farmers, the veterinary hospital at Bhogpur would be made in an open area so that farmers do not face any problem in the treatment of their animals. He said the land for the new building would be provided shortly.

Sarwan Singh Phillaur, MLA, said the government would provide proper facilities at the block and village levels to ensure animal care. 

Jalandhar, September 22
Due to problems being faced in various blocks of the district, Government Teachers Union activists gheraoed the office of the District Education Officer (DEO) here today.

Headed by district president of the union Karnail Singh Sandhu and district press secretary Master Ganesh Bhagat, the union activists said due to the absence of a BPEO in Block West – I, the teachers hadn’t received their salaries for the past two months due to which they were facing a lot of inconvenience.

They said earlier also, the DEO (Elementary) had been apprised of the situation.

They said despite the charge of the block being given to a BPEO, the official hadn’t taken charge for the past two months. They said there was a lot of anger among the teachers owing to this. They said the 2013 July arrears of the block hadn’t been given, nor had the DA bills been sent to the treasury office.

They said the GPF and GIS slips of the block from 2011-12 hadn’t been issued nor had the medical bills of the teachers been reimbursed.

They said if the Education Department did not find a prompt solution to these problems, the union would intensify its protest and gherao the DEO (E) and CEO’s office in future as well.

Jalandhar, September 22
Showing a rather aggressive posture, senior deputy mayor Kamaljit Bhatia today lashed out at the streetlight contractors, asking them to perform their duties diligently or get ready to face punitive action.

Ever since Bhatia got into a verbal duel with Mayor Sunil Jyoti last Friday, the former has become more authoritative in his actions and has taken a command on several matters. Openly levelling allegations of corruption against officials of the MC, Bhatia, who represents the SAD, today reiterated his stand against the mayor, who is from the BJP, for shielding the corrupt officials. He had no qualms in suggesting that the forthcoming House meeting could be a stormy affair, with him taking a strong stand on the matter.

Holding a zonal-level meeting on the streetlight issue today, he told the contractors that they should be prompt enough to redress the complaints in time and ensure that all points were in order, especially since the festive season, including Dussehra, Durga Puja and Divali, were round the corner.

We will hold a surprise check in the zone in the coming days and impose a hefty penalty on contractors, assuming that every non-working streetlight point has been out of order for more than a week, he said, adding that he had asked the contractors to print as many as 3,500 stickers highlighting their own contact numbers, those of the complaint office of the MC and the O&M wing engineers.

Showing compliance of orders of the last meeting regarding the mandatory wearing of uniform by their maintenance staff as per the agreement, the streetlight contractors today produced their staff wearing fluorescent orange jackets.

Bhatia had convened a zone-level meeting with the councillors of 13 wards, of whom seven, mostly representing the Congress, turned up. Those who turned up included Balraj Thakur, Pawan Kumar, Sushil Rinku, Tarsem Lakhotra and Major Singh, husband of councillor Amanpreet Kaur, all representing the Congress. The other two were Bhatia himself and councilor Vipan Kumar, who had joined the SAD recently.

Interestingly, the councilors, including Parminder Pannu, Darshan Lal Bhagat and former Deputy Mayor Parvesh Tangri, who represent the ruling alliance, did not turn up today. Bhatia had also remained in news last week for appearing before the Vigilance Bureau over his complaint regarding the alleged scam involving doling out an amount of Rs 13 crore on patchwork on city roads.

Most issues being raked up by Bhatia, including patchwork scam and non-functional streetlights, are those that had been initially taken up by the Leader of Opposition Jagdish Raja. 

Jalandhar, September 22
The Vajra Corps dispatched 57 vehicles with relief material, comprising 17,200 blankets, 51,000 mineral water bottles, 49,000 kg of dry ration and other material collected from Army personnel and civilians as relief aid for the flood-affected 
people of Jammu and Kashmir today.

Thirty-two military vehicles loaded with 115 tonnes of relief aid comprising 12,000 blankets, 21,000 mineral water bottles, ready-to-eat items, 21,000 kg of dry rations, 1,100 track-suits and 500 cardigans were sent to Jammu, Poonch, Akhnur and Riasi form Jalandhar by the Vajra Corps.

About 105 tonnes of material in 25 military vehicles, comprising 30,000 mineral water bottles, 5,200 blankets, a large number of clothing items like shawls, cardigans, T-shirts for gents and children and 28,000 kg of dry ration, has been dispatched to Srinagar.

The contribution collected from military personnel and civilians of Jalandhar and from other stations of Vajra Corps i.e, Ludhiana, Meerut, Ferozpur and Amritsar, has been sent for the flood victims of Jammu & Kashmir. Prior to this, eight aircraft, which includes an IL-76 aircraft, carrying relief aid, has already been delivered at Srinagar by the Corps.

Engineer Task Force and medical teams of the Corps are still deployed in the flood-affected areas of Srinagar carrying out relief and restoration operations.

Jalandhar, September 22
Six passports of Jalandhar-based Punjabi singer Master Saleem and his five troupe members were allegedly stolen from a vehicle at Model Town here today.

The vehicle, owned by Saleem’s manager Abhishek, was parked near the Model Town gurdwara.

Saleem’s manager Abhishek said he was taking the passports to home from office, but these were stolen from his vehicle. “I had taken these passports, including that of Master Saleem’s, from his Abadpura office to Salim’s house. While heading home, I decided to pay obeisance at the Model Town gurdwara, hence I parked my Gypsy near the gurdwara. After I came out of the gurdwara, I didn’t notice the theft, but when I reached home, I was stunned to find the bag containing the passports on the rear seat missing,” Abhishek said. The thieves, after breaking the Gypsy cover, had decamped with the bag containing the six passports. Abhishek said he went to file a complaint at the Model Town police station, but they sent him to the police suwida centre located at police division No. 5 where he registered the missing report.

The manager said Salim’s troupe had applied for visa for Canada, but the embassy had denied it to the troupe. From the Delhi embassy, the passports had reached Chandigarh travel agent. “On Saturday, I brought passports from the travel agent, and stored the same at our office in Abadpura. Today, Salim told me to bring those passports home, but the same got stolen on the way,” the manager said. Besides Saleem, the passports of Abhishek Joshi, Rohit Kumar, Mukesh Kumar, Amit Kumar and Avtar Chand were stolen.

Jalandhar, September 22
All India Youth Federation (AIYF) and All India Student Federation (AISF) has decided to celebrate Shaheed Bhagat Singh’ 107th birth anniversary by raising issues like free education to all, and employment to all adults.

In Joint statement the representatives of both of the organisations said that on the same occasion on September 28 the volunteers of both of the organisation will gather Desh Bhagat Yadgar Hall for the same.

They said that in order to get rid of the growing dug menace in the state; Bhagat Singh’s thoughts are needed to be disseminated in the society.

The statement was issued by the AIYF national secretary Kashmir Singh Gadaian, state secretary Kuldeep Bhola and AISF National Convenor Karamvir Kaur Badhani. 

Jalandhar, September 22
Yet another Punjabi film, “Kaun Kare Insaaf” based on the 1984 Sikh massacres, has been issued the ‘A’ certificate by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), leaving film director disappointed.

Speaking to Jalandhar Tribune, former Assistant Director, Programme, Jalandhar Doordarshan and film director Baljit Singh said he was expecting the “UA” certificate as there was nothing inflammatory or such scene as could cause law and order situation in the state.

He said the film only depicted the plight of the 1984 victims. “The CBFC first refused to issue any certificate to the film. Then they made us to cut certain scenes that depict the injustice done to the community to get the ‘A’ certificate,” he said.

He alleged it sounded like a political conspiracy that younger generations of the community could not be made aware of the kind of situation Sikhs had gone through.

“It’s a story of girl whose family members have been murdered in 1984 before her when she was a child. She comes back to Punjab at her maternal parents’ home to complete her studies. Yet the incident always haunts her. She has so many questions in her mind, which she wants to be answered,” he added.

Baljit said the film raised a question that what would happen if people start feeling that they won’t get justice any more. Would there be anarchy?

He said the film was a warning to the system that anarchy prevailed when the justice system collapsed. Since no justice had been delivered to the victims of the 1984 massacres that took place in New Delhi, what was the system expecting from the victim to do?

The film had been made under the banner of Rajmehal Production. Producer Shailindar Singh Shailendra said he would keep on making films based on social issues. 

Jalandhar, September 22
Despite rounding up a suspect in a recent case of looting of a Delhi-based trader, the city police are still clueless about the two main looters who had fled with cash.

The police are now searching the call details of the accused to trace their whereabouts.

Sources said the police had nabbed an accused, Suraj, from the spot immediately after the crime. However, Suraj alleged that when the crime took place, he was passing by the criminals, but people mistook him as the robber and handed him over to the police.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Crime, Harjinder Singh said the police had rounded up some suspects in the case.

Even Suraj was also interrogated and as per his statement, raids were being conducted at specific locations.

“As per Suraj, his two accomplices were residents of Qazi Mandi, but they are natives of Bihar. Our teams have raided their places in Qazi Mandi several times, but every time their houses were found locked. It is assumed that the accused might have escaped to their native place in Bihar,” the ACP added.

Three miscreants had looted Rs 2.70 lakh from the trader near the railway station on September 20. The miscreants had injured the trader with a dagger. Although one robber was nabbed by the public immediately after the crime, but two robbers managed to flee. They had also taken away cash along with them. 

Jalandhar, September 22
To commemorate the first death anniversary of journalist Jasdeep Singh Malhotra, a blood donation camp was organised by the local media fraternity at the Civil Hospital here today.

As many as 57 volunteers donated blood at the camp, which was organised in association with the Hindustan Welfare Blood Donors Club. KK Yadav, Deputy Commissioner, presided over the camp and paid floral tributes to the former journalist. Dr RL Bassan, Civil Surgeon, and Dr Kailash Kapoor, Medical Superintendent, were coordinated by Dr Gagandeep Singh, Blood Transfusion Officer during the camp.

Sunil Jyoti, Mayor, Municipal Corporation, appreciated the step taken by the media fraternity in organising the camp. — TNS