Jalandhar, October 28
After nearly more than a year, the Jalandhar Development Authority (JDA) managed to make an income of Rs 11.7 crore by selling off 12 properties, including five shop-cum-flats and seven shop-cum-offices in Urban Estate Phases 1 and 2, respectively, during an auction held here today.

PUDA had invited bids for 14 SCFs and 10 booths in the Urban Estate Phase 1 market. While the price of 10 SCFs of size 91.96 sq m had been kept at Rs 63,522 per sq m, five of these went in the price range of Rs 65,200 per sq m to Rs 70,000 per sq m. The sale price of the SCFs was calculated in the range Rs 59.96 lakh and Rs 64.37 lakh.

The four smaller SCFs, measuring 55.33 sq m with the same reserve price, did not get any response. Also, none of the 10 booths in the size of 25.86 sq m, having a base price of Rs 77,024, got any bidders.

The four-storeyed SCOs in Urban Estate Phase-2 market measuring 148.62 sq m with a reserve price of Rs 69,322 per sq m went in the range of Rs 80,200 per sq m to 84,700 per sq m. The price of each SCO fell between Rs 1.19 crore to Rs 1.26 crore. There were five other SCOs with a base price of Rs 76,254 per sq m which did not get any response.

Chief Administrator JDA Gurpreet Singh Khehra and Estate Officer Rajdeep Singh Brar conducted the auction. They said they were impressed by the increasing response of the residents towards the purchase of property.

The staff said officials made them look around for certain properties in posh and developed colonies which could not be sold earlier or the bidders failed to make timely payments and were recovered by the civic body. The staff said they went door to door doing a physical survey of such properties before planning the
auction.

Jalandhar, October 28
The Punjab Government has started a round-the-clock helpline number “104” to assist people, particularly in rural and interior areas, in getting information on health problems and access to a qualified doctor.

Informing about the health helpline, Deputy Commissioner Jalandhar Kamal Kishor Yadav said the Punjab Government’s primary objective of starting the helpline was to assist people, particularly living in rural and interior areas, in getting information on health problems and access to a qualified doctor. Medical advice is given to the caller by providing basic tips and first-aid requirements through this helpline, he said.

It was also informed that qualified paramedics, supported by full-time qualified medical practioner and clinical psychologist stationed at the helpline for offering services to the people.

Counselling to patients, especially the old, women, children and poor, through this helpline is a salient aspect of the helpline. Apart from this, the services of counselling for alcohol, drugs, smoking and medical ailments like anxiety, cancer etc is also provided. The helpline is also providing an effective platform for prompt redress of complaints, grievances of general public against any government medical institution, service or an individual, the Deputy Commissioner said. — TNS

Jalandhar, October 28
After days of pollution caused due to crackers and burning of paddy fields, the city residents got up to a hazy morning today.

As the winter is about to set in, fog mixed with the smoky environment to form a thick blanket of smog today, which continued to prevail till around 11 am. The sunlight remained too dim, keeping the visibility low all through the day.

Schoolchildren, milkmen and other people heading early for work this morning had to face a lot of inconvenience as the movement of traffic also remained slow. There was a slight drizzle in the evening. 

Jalandhar, October 28
Even as the police did not register any FIR in the Sunday’s incident of the alleged manhandling of the Punjab Roadways staff by employees of Orbit Bus Service, the Commissionerate Police has cancelled an FIR it lodged against the same company’s conductors on April 22 over a similar incident.

The police intervened in both the cases to effect a compromise between the two parties. Meanwhile, staff of the government-run buses continues to be at the receiving end from employees of the buses owned by the state’s most privileged family. The hapless passengers, too, had faced problems as the buses did not move for three hours from the bus stand on Monday after the fight ensued. The issue of the fight pertained to congestion outside the bus stand because of which the buses were unable to move.

Even as the Roadways staff had given a two-day time to the accused conductors of the Orbit bus service to return them the lost cash of Rs 40,000 and the cash-vending machine, the SHO of the Division No. 7 police station said, “We are not aware whether the lost goods have been returned. A compromise has been arrived at and there is no FIR lodged.”

On April 22, the staff of the Orbit company had tried to hijack the passengers of the PRTC bus at Rama Mandi Chowk. The police had then registered an FIR (No. 97) against the conductor of the Orbit bus number PB-10-W-7257 under four Sections, Section 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) of the IPC.

Even as the two Sections, 353 and 186 of the IPC in the FIR, are non-compoundable, the police did not go ahead to make any arrest. It rather discretely got the compromise signed between the two parties and cancelled it on its own on May 27. Even as legal experts opine that the police cannot cancel an FIR lodged on the basis of non-compoundable offences and it could be done only through court, the case is yet to be put up in the court for the requisite remedial action.

SHO Rama Mandi Vimal Kant confirmed that the FIR had been cancelled on record and that the matter had yet not gone to court.

Jalandhar, October 28
Coming as a major relief three years after a storm damaged his cold storage at Sadha Chak village in Bhogpur near here, the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has told New India Assurance Company to pay him an amount of Rs 33.72 lakh that, too, with 9 per cent rate of interest in addition to Rs 1 lakh compensation.

A partner in Master Cold Storage and Ice Factory, Harvinder Pal Singh said he runs the cold storage with a capacity to keep 28,000 bags of potatoes, each weighing 50 kg. He said he had taken a policy from January 17, 2011, to January 16, 2012, for an assured sum of Rs 1.5 crore, of which Rs 1.3 crore was towards the building super structure and Rs 20 lakh for the plant, machinery and accessories.

He said on June 5, 2011, a storm hit the second chamber of his cold storage from the northern side at 9.30 pm, causing extensive damage and damaging the whole internal structure of the chamber. He said he had got a certificate to prove his point from the Meteorological Department of the Adampur Air Force station. The report, he said, mentioned that the thunderstorm came with a speed of 60 km per hour.

The complainant said the company was not ready to cooperate with him and he started dismantling the damaged chamber, as it was filled with potatoes belonging to other farmers which could be saved only after breaking the chambers. He said the process of removing the potatoes took him one and a half months.

He said he got his loss estimated from a government-approved valuer which was assessed at Rs 58.15 lakh. He said the company was telling him that the loss was due to the overloading of potatoes or bad worksmanship of the steel structure. The forum told the company to pay a sum of Rs 33,27,240. Besides, they were allowed a compensation of Rs 1 lakh and litigation expenses of Rs 11,000. The company has been asked to comply within 45 days. 

Jalandhar, October 28
Deputy Commissioner Kamal Kishor Yadav today released the feedback forms which he has got printed to receive the response of the visitors regarding the functioning of the five tehsils of the district and to track unscrupulous elements in the Revenue Department.

Through the forms, which will be available in the tehsil, sub-tehsil offices and Suwidha Centre, the DC has sought queries from the visitors. These include the purpose of visit which could be for getting SC/BC certificate, marriage registration or for procuring various documents pertaining to the land records.

The form has options regarding various problems faced by applicants, including those at the hands of the staff, be it clerical level or tehsildars, or regarding amenities like poor drinking water etc. It also has options as to at which stage the visitors face a problem — tehsil, Suwidha Centre or fard kendra.

Earlier in mid-July, the DC had begun an exercise of making random calls wherein he had found that some deed writers and numbardars had charged over and above their fee, for which they were even issued a showcause notice. He had said that he had been daily getting computerised lists of the registries done in the tehsil complex with the name and contact numbers of buyers and sellers, names of the deed writer and registry clerk concerned and stamp fee and other charges levied. 

Jalandhar, October 28
With just 10 days left for receiving applications for the Splendid Heights Apartment Scheme on Old Jail site, the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority (PUDA) has decided to popularise the scheme in a big way.

The civic body has already installed hoardings, most of them at illegal sites, all across the city to attract applicants. Huge hoardings can be seen anywhere in the city, including outside the PUDA office, the apartment site on the old GT road, outside all PUDA scheme areas, including all baradaris and Urban Estates, all important intersections and landmarks in the city.

It also has plans to rent out new LCDs which would be installed at its office, at public places like malls and restaurants and would also move around in automobiles at various locations in the day exhibiting a promotional walk-through video regarding the scheme.

There are additional promotional plans. Chief Administrator, PUDA, Manvesh Sidhu will be holding meetings for popularising the scheme among various community visiting the NRI Sabha, District Bar Association office and other places. The department has already held some offshore promotional programmes with Punjabi community in UK.

Since the flats are exorbitantly priced, even the department is wary of the scheme not getting a good response. A three BHK flat has been priced at Rs 71.9 lakh, of which Rs 4 lakh is to be paid as earnest money at the time of application. A 4 BHK flat has been priced at Rs 91.9 lakh, of which Rs 6 lakh is to be paid as earnest money along with the application. There are 382 three-bedroom flats and 108 four-bedroom flats for which the department intends to hold a draw on January 6.

The department has announced that the list of the applicants too would be uploaded on its official website on November 28, three weeks after the scheme will close. Additional Chief Administrator, PUDA, Gurpreet Singh Khehra said from Monday onwards, his staff would set up a help desk to answer any queries by the applicants. “We would also install an LCD in our reception and play the walk through a video which would highlight salient features of the scheme and give the viewers a feel of how it would look like,” he said. 

Jalandhar, October 28
Under this slogan "Watch Surjit Hockey - Win Alto Car", Surjit Hockey Society is offering Maruti Alto to the spectators of the 31st Indian Oil Servo Surjit hockey Tournament.

The unveiling ceremony of the Maruti Alto Car was performed today by Kamal Kishor Yadav, Deputy Commissioner, Jalandhar, who is also the president of the society, here at local Circuit House, in a special function. The tournament is starting from October 29 at local Olympian Surjit Hockey Stadium. The Alto car sponsor, Chander Shekhar Marwaha, Chairman of the IJM Group, Nakodar, handed over the keys of the Maruti Alto to Kamal Kishor Yadav, President of Surjit Hockey Society along with Iqbal Singh Sandhu, Additional Deputy Commissioner, Phagwara, and honorary organising secretary of the society.

Kamal Kishor Yadav, DC, Jalandhar, said: "Surjit Hockey Tournament is the only tournament in the world where prizes like car, motor cycles, refrigerators and LCDs are provided to the spectators who come to witness the matches as a lucky gift." Iqbal Singh Sandhu, organising secretary of the tournament, said as in the past, this year also, no gate money would be charged from the spectators. Famous Punjabi folk singers Manmohan Waris and Kamal Heer, known as "Waris Brothers" will entertain the spectators on November 9.

Apart from this, the Pakistan men and women hockey teams will finally participate in the 3th edition of the Indian Oil Servo Surjit Hockey tournament, to be held from October 29 at the Olympian Surjit Singh Polytan Turf.

Jalandhar, October 28
The 63rd All-India Police Volleyball Cluster-2014 (basketball, handball, kabaddi and volleyball championship) is underway.

In basketball, BSF beat the SSB 66-35, Delhi beat Uttrakhand 62-33, Kerala beat Tamil Nadu 71-48, CISF beat HP 63-21 points, Maharashtra beat Puducherry 78-39 and Jharkhand beat RPF 83-48.

In handball, BSF beat HP 25-20, ITBP beat Gujarat 21-12, Maharashtra beat Jharkhand 23-16, Karnataka beat MP 37-15 and Uttarakhand beat Manipur 24-23.

In kabaddi, Uttarakhand beat Rajasthan 50-27, SSB beat Himachal Pradesh 24-17, J&K beat Karnataka 22-14 and Telangana beat Gujarat 44-21.

In volleyball, West Bengal beat Goa 3-0, Tamilnadu beat Delhi 3-0 and Mizoram beat Puducherry 3-2. 

Jalandhar, October 28
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the department of textile technology, Dr BR Ambedkar National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar, and University of Bolton, UK, was signed on Monday to facilitate and enhance academic co-operation.

The department of textile technology at NIT Jalandhar is a premier textile learning centre and pioneer in grooming textile engineers in India. Among 30 NITs (Institutes of National Importance) of the country, it is the only NIT which runs textile course. On the other hand, University of Bolton, UK, is prominent in the frontier research and manpower development in the field of technical textiles and allied field. 

Phagwara, October 28
Six persons, who were travelling in a car (bearing number PB-31S-3131), sustained serious injuries when their vehicle turned turtle near the Bhularai chowk on the Mehli bypass today.

The accident occurred when the driver could not see the roundabout in thick fog and dashed against the roundabout.

The injured were identified as Aman, Surinder, Bhupinder, Rajinder, Devi and Binder. 

Jalandhar, October 28
Punjab unit of the Socialist Party (India) has decided to organise a mass movement in favour of more budget and rights to the panchyats.

In a press conference, a national vice-president of the party, Balwant Singh, said the party leader Dr Ram Manohar Lohia had advocated the 'four-pillar' democratic system so that the villages could get more budget and rights. Yet all the successive governments in Punjab have failed launch the same.

He said, “The party will organise a convection in this regard on November 1 at Borhi Dharamshala in Jalandhat Cantt that will be presided over by former Chief Justice of India Rajinder Sacha.”

Jalandhar, October 28
The Punjab State Power/ Transmission Corporation Limited Pensioners Association today in a meeting decided to intensify their struggle to get long pending demands fulfilled.

The meeting was presided over circle president Ram Jaggi. He said, “A meeting between management and association member was held on August 11, in which the management had assured to fulfill the demands of pensioners. However, their long pending demands are yet to be taken into consideration.” “Following the failure to fulfill the demands of pensioners, we have decided to organise a protest in front of Shakti Sadan on November 1. In this protest the retired employees of sub-division, division, circle and chief office will participate,” he said. Association representative Dilbag Singh Atwal said subsidy in power supply should be provided like earlier, medical allowance be Rs 1,500 per month, medical cashless scheme be implemented, financial benefits be provided and inflation allowance be provided in cash.—TNS