Jalandhar, September 3
Incessant rain that lashed the region for the past three days has played havoc with ill- maintained roads of Jalandhar and its satellite townships of Hoshiarpur, Phagwara, Nakodar and Kapurthala.

The rains have left knee-deep potholes and huge broken patches. But the authorities concerned, it seems, are least bothered about either the proper upkeep or the repair of the roads.

Though the Jalandhar-Moga road is one of the important roads of the region, for it links Doaba and Malwa areas of Punjab, the condition of the road is pathetic.

Interestingly, one or the other stretch of this road has remained under repair for the past about 15 years. Most motorists heading towards Moga from Jalandhar prefer to take the alternative route of the Nakodar-Jagraon road.

The Wadala Chowk and the Rama Mandi roundabout are the worst affected in Jalandhar. The condition of the roads and bylanes in Urban Estate, Model Town, Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar, Adarsh Nagar, Harbans Nagar, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar, Ladowali Road and Mai Hiran Gate is bad.

The road in front of the District Administrative Complex (DAC), Jalandhar, is dotted with potholes. The Kapurthala road from Kapurthala Chowk onwards, too, is in bad shape.

In Hoshiarpur, the roads in front of the main bus stand, Una road, Bahadurpur road, Hoshiarpur-Mahilpur road, Railway Road are commuters’ nightmare. In Phagwara also the roads are in bad shape.

If you thought teaching was a prosaic job, and teachers’ creativity was restricted to classroom lectures, you may well have to do a rethink, particularly if you get to read the poems of Seema Jain.

 Seema is a lecturer at KMV College in Jalandhar. Her poems mirror different human experiences in their varying shades. Capturing the myriad hues of life, Seema dwells on dreams and aspirations of women, the societal constraints, the play of power and pelf and tottering values, and the process of creativity itself.

Her book “Mom ke Pankh” has an anthology of poems that reflect the complexities of today. Most of the poems have a breezy rhythm. There’s hardly any dreary preachy note. 

Poetry for her not just pours one’s heart out. It involves some organisation of ideas, feelings on the blade of spontaneity. Of course, poetry must have a fair measure of universal appeal, she says. “You just can’t go on a writing spree without caring for what interests readers. The readers should be able to identify with what they are reading. They may or may not agree with it,” she adds.

Does she feel that gender plays a role in creativity? “Women are sensitive to certain things about which men may not feel so strongly. Sometimes, women feel things more intensely. But it’s not easy to generalise,” she says.

 Her literary itinerary is packed to the hilt these days. Equally at ease with both English and Hindi, she’s working on a collection of short stories in English, and an anthology of poems. There’s also a novel that is being brewed. “It’s all about snatching a few moments to think and plan and jot down what crosses your mind. If you are motivated enough, you cannot let your creativity be throttled by your busy schedule,” she avers. 

Jalandhar, September 3
A stray cow was allegedly slaughtered by a factory worker and a rickshaw-puller on Saturday night at a factory in Noorpur village. The accused wanted to earn money by selling the hide of the animal. They claimed that they had no money to return to Bihar. While Mohammed Azud, the factor worker, was arrested by the police from the spot along with the carcass of the animal, Azad, the rickshaw-puller and co-accused, managed to flee after the incident.

The incident took place around 11.30 p.m. on Saturday. The crime was detected after Mr Ram Lal, an ex-sarpanch of the village, noticed that the two accused were dragging a cow towards the factory, and informed the police. The animal, however, was slaughtered by the time a police party reached the spot.

Balachaur (Nawanshahr), September 3
A 17-year-old student, a resident of Ward No. 8 in Balachaur, today accused the Balachaur police of inaction in the case of the alleged thrashing by school teacher on Friday.

Hitesh Arora, a Plus One student of the local DAV Senior Secondary School, while talking to The Tribune at his house, claimed that on Friday during the recess period, there was a clash between some students of the school, and he was standing nearby. Thinking that he, too, was involved in the clash, Davinder Bagga, a PT teacher on an ad hoc basis, started thrashing him with a stick, alleged Hitesh.

The student further alleged that he was not provided any medical aid. Later, the school Vice-Principal, Mr O.P. Sharma, gave a call to Hitesh’s father, Mr Rajinder Kumar, a government school teacher.

“I got my son admitted to the Civil Hospital. He remained in the hospital for two days,” alleged the father of the student.

The medico legal report (MLR) was submitted by a doctor of the local Civil Hospital to the Balachaur police station, according to Mr Rajinder Kumar.

A complaint in this connection had been lodged with Nawanshahr Deputy Commissioner, Mr Krishan Kumar, who assured them of an enquiry into the case, claimed the father of the student. When contacted, ASI Ajmer Singh said it was the duty of the police to register a case, and media persons should not “interfere”.