Jalandhar, July 23
Punjab’s Deputy Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal today said she was worried over the increasing disturbances in the male-female ratio in the state and asked the people to wage an “united war” against female foeticide in Punjab.

Ms Bhattal was speaking at a function organised by the Punjab Pradesh Mahila Congress here.

“The government has formulated a law against the menace, but people too have to contribute in this direction,” she said.

“There is no difference in a man and a woman in today’s world. Women need to acquire more education. It will elevate their status in the society,” Ms Bhattal added.

Ms Rita Bahuguna, president, All India Mahila Congress Committee, meanwhile, lauded the role of Punjabis, particularly in the nation’s freedom struggle and its development.

“Workers of the Mahila congress should strive hard to make people aware about the achievements of the state and the Central government. Rather, they should create a movement for spreading this message. People of Punjab should be proud of the fact that the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, belongs to Punjab,” she said.

Stating that awareness among women about their rights was the need of the hour, Ms Bahuguna reminded participants about the contribution of late Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi towards women empowerment.

President, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee, Mr Shamsher Singh Dullo, said Mahila Congress should organise village-level functions in the state to apprise women about their rights.

“A large number of women are in dire need of education and Mahila Congress should use its platform for their upliftment in the rural areas,” he added.

While Punjab’s Minister for Food and Civil Supplies Avtaar Henry, advocated the need for more education in women, Minister for Local Bodies Chaudhary Jagjit Singh gave tips to the Mahila Congress leaders on how to go to villages and initiate a public relations movement.

President, Punjab Mahila Congress, Ms Gurkanwal Kaur, Secretary, All India Congress Committee, Major (retd) Ved Parkash, Vice-President, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee, Ms Satwinder Kaur Gujral, the MLAs, Chaudhary Santokh Singh, Mr Gurbinder Singh Atwal Mr Raj Kumar Gupta and Mr Malkit Singh Birmi also spoke on the occasion.

Kapurthala, July 23
Non-government organisations and different unions often call for strikes on various issues, but no organisation has thought about protesting about the town’s rescue facilities.

Kapurthala’s fire brigade requires immediate attention of the authorities concerned. What to talk of proper equipment including face masks and fire proof chemical suits to tackle fires, the department even lacks the required number of fire tenders and staff.

A few weeks ago, the fire brigade office received 16 calls on a single night. But it could attend only four due to shortage of fire tenders and fire fighters. As a result, property and valuables worth several lakhs of rupees were reduced to ashes.

In one of such fire incident in Talwandi Choudhria village, as many as 12 buffaloes were burnt alive, several houses were reduced to ashes and fodder worth lakhs of rupees was gutted.
According to sources, every year, on an average, property and other materials worth Rs four to five crore is destroyed in fire incidents in the area covered by the Kapurthala fire brigade due to the lack of required infrastructure. 

The fire brigade station here caters to a population of nearly ten lakh. Apart from the town, it covers several parts of the district and several areas in the adjacent districts of Hoshiarpur and Jalandhar.

According to the state’s fire safety norms, one fire tender is required for a population of 50,000. This way, the Kapurthala fire brigade requires 20 tenders. But it has only two, that too not in very good condition. One fire tender is 23 years old while the other is 15 years old, sources added.

The norms further state that 26 employees should be deployed against each fire tender. But the brigade here has to function with just 13 employees.

When contacted, the Kapurthala Fire Officer, Mr Surjit Singh, said the scarcity of staff and tenders had already been brought to the notice of the Kapurthala Municipal Council officials and other senior officers.

President of the Municipal Council, Mr Sudesh Agarwal, told The Tribune that he had already written to the director and secretary of the Punjab Local Bodies Department to provide more fire tenders and sanction more posts in the fire brigade.

Jalandhar, July 23
Even a month after the Municipal Corporation (MC) passed an order pertaining to the issuing of challan and imposing of a penalty to residents who failed to remove concrete waste, piles of the debris continue to rise higher and higher in front of the corporation’s own under-construction building blocking the Mamohan Kalia Marg here.

The Tribune had carried a news item on June 13 pertaining to the alleged violation of the MC’s own orders and inconvenience to the passersby on the Mamohan Kalia Marg.

The MC Commissioner had then said that he was not aware of the problem and he would get the debris lifted as soon as possible.

But owing to a laxity on the part of the MC, no action has been taken to get the concrete waste removed from the site where an administrative complex-cum-shopping centre is coming up.