Phagwara, October 3
Phagwara MLA Joginder Singh Mann, along with Phagwara SDM  Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal, inaugurated the “sewerage cleaning operation” to clean the blocked sewerage points in the town near the local Town Hall today.

Mr Dhaliwal told The Tribune that a contract of Rs 9.5 lakh had been given to a private contractor for complete cleanliness of the blocked sewerages in the town.

Meanwhile, several activists of the BJP and the BJYM sat on a dharna and demonstrated against the Nagar Council in front of its office today.

Mr Dhaliwal held a meeting of officials, including Nagar Council president Malkiat Singh Ragbotra, executive officer Gurwinder Kaur Randhawa, SMO Yash Mitra, Nagar Council engineer Satish Sharma, to assess the situation that had arisen because of the jaundice outbreak.

The SDM said the SMO had been instructed to collect detailed reports of jaundice cases from all private doctors and enquire about any suspected case of dengue.

The SDM told The Tribune that the city had been divided into six different zones to launch a drive against jaundice. He said eight different teams of the council would actively work on sanitation campaigns in six different parts of the town. He said four spray pumps and a fogging machine would work in different zones.

The SDM also advised residents to drink boiled water and maintain cleanliness in their surroundings.

Meanwhile demonstrators, including BJP councillor Bira Mal Baljot, have threatened to sit on a fast unto death if the council did not make sufficient arrangements regarding sanitation in the town by Divali.

Block BJP president Tejasvi Bhardwaj, while addressing the demonstrators, threatened to launch an agitation if preventive steps were not initiated by the NC and the Health Department authorities. The demonstrators also demanded adequate compensation for the victims of jaundice.

Meanwhile, Nagar Council executive officer, Ms Randhawa, claimed that the council was doing its best to make necessary arrangements regarding sanitation in the town. 

Jalandhar, October 3
Jalandhar Doordarshan is all set to become the first Doordarshan Kendra of India to have an ultra-modern open-air theatre with a seating capacity of 1000 on its premises. This theatre would be readied within a short period of about 20 days as the DD authorities are preparing to host the National Awards ceremony.

The Prasar Bharti Corporation has 27 major broadcasting stations across the country, but none of these stations is equipped with an open-air theatre.

Another first to the credit of Jalandhar Doordarshan would be the National Awards ceremony, which is scheduled to be held in Doordarshan Kendra on October 24.

It is for the first time that a national-level ceremony to give DD awards is being held outside New Delhi. All this is thanks to the efforts of Mr Govardhan Sharma, Director, Doordarshan Kendra, Jalandhar.

Top pop and folk singers, including Gurdas Maan, Jaspinder Narula, Hans Raj Hans and Jasbir Jassi, had already confirmed their participation in the ceremony, while the confirmation of Bollywood singers like Sukhwinder, Abhijit Samant, Sunidhi Chauhan, Anamika, Shan and Alisha Chenoy was awaited by the DD authorities, said Mr Govardhan Sharma, while addressing a press conference here today.

Mr Sharma, who was accompanied by senior producers Manohar Bharaj and Lakhwinder Johl, said that DD Jalandhar had already received a grant of Rs 21 lakh (for the purpose of setting up an open-air theatre) from the Prasar Bharti authorities.

“The theatre is likely to be ready for commissioning by October 23, a day before the awards ceremony, which would be a big event for DD Jalandhar. Apart from this, we are planning to serialise a programme on Gurbani. A host of other new in-house programmes are in the pipeline and these would be broadcast after the awards ceremony,” said Mr Sharma, while displaying the blueprint for the proposed open-air theatre.

Jalandhar, October 3
Agitated over the registration of cases against five members of their union, computer teachers have threatened to gherao the ministers in case their demands were not fulfilled.

In a press conference, Mr Pawan Sharma of the Computer Teachers’ Union (contractual), Punjab, said they had written to the Deputy Commissioner about their demand for the withdrawal of cases registered against them on the charges of causing harassment to commuters by blocking PAP Chowk in Jalandhar on Saturday afternoon.

The members alleged that the police officials present there on that day had stood as mute spectators and had not tried to disperse them off. Later, five members of the teachers’ union had been booked. They said that in case these members were arrested, the 5400 computer teachers of the state would court arrest in protest against it. They added that in case they did not win the support of the ruling party for the fulfillment of their demands regarding regularisation and hike in salaries, they would gherao ministers when the latter would hold election rallies in the coming days.