05052022-JTR-01.qxd 5/4/2022 11:58 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar TRIBUNE RURAL POLICE BUST GANG OF SNATCHERS, TWO ARRESTED PAGE 2 Two men who had been terrorising people & snatching their belongings on village roads have been arrested. MAX 37°C | MIN 24°C | YESTERDAY MAX 35°C | MIN 27°C PARTLY CLOUDY SKY INBRIEF FACEBOOK FRIEND BOOKED FOR RAPE Garhshankar: A case has been registered against Pradeep Singh and his mother Kulwinder Kaur on charges of raping, conspiring and issuing threats after he refused to marry a Facebook friend. In her statement to the police, the 32year-old victim said two years ago, she befriended Pradeep Singh, a resident Mukhomazara village under the Chabbewal police station, through Facebook. When Pradeep’s mother was informed about this, she called Pradeep and evicted him from house. The victim told the police that after this Pradeep started living with her as husband (without marrying her) and made a physical relationship with her on the pretext that they would get married soon, but he did not do so. When she lodged a complaint against him with the police and Pradeep agreed to marry her after April 15 and left her house. But even after April 15, he did not marry her and she lodged a complaint against them. OC ~2.5L DONATED FOR MORTUARY VAN Hoshiarpur: Raman Khullar, charter president of the Rotary Club, Hoshiarpur Central, on Monday donated ~2,50,000 lakh to the Sikh Welfare Society, Hoshiarpur, in memory of late Devinder Moudgil, who was the charter secretary of the Rotary Club. The money will be used to buy a mortuary van to provide facility to people of the city and surrounding areas. They handed over a demand draft to Avtar Singh Johal, vicepresident, and Surinder Singh Manku, cashier, respectively of the Sikh Welfare Society. Gurpreet Singh Tamber, president, and Jasvinder Singh Parmar, general secretary of the society, thanked Moudgil and Khullar for the donation. OC SUNSET THURSDAY 7:09 PM PAGE 4 Amazon miniTV has announced the premiere of their short film Badboli Bhavna, comedy drama, on May 5. SUNRISE FRIDAY 5:38 AM THURSDAY | 5 MAY 2022 | JALANDHAR Fear harassment of their children by schools if identified Shopkeepers face client loss, lodge protest Tribune News Service Avneet Kaur Tribune News Service RELEVANCE OF REGULATORY BODY HOW TO FILE PLAINT Jalandhar, May 4 Even though members of the District Regulatory Body for unaided educational institutions are making efforts to encourage parents to approach them in case they face any problem at the hands of private schools, parents are reluctant to file written complaints. Reason: They fear if their children’s identity is revealed, they would be subjected to harassment. Parents reportedly approached members of the body to report their complaints and even have evidence against the schools, but they denied filing written complaints fearing their wards’ identity would be revealed. Talking to The Tribune, one such parent, requesting anonymity, said, “After reading news regarding the District Regulatory Body, I approached them to complain about exorbitant late fee being charged by schools and how they harass children by not issuing roll number, but they asked me to file a complaint in writing to which I denied,” he said. He said being a middle-class person, he cannot dare fight ■ To ensure no private school violates the Punjab The parents, students or guardians can file written complaints along with an affidavit about his/her identity at the office of ADC Jalandhar, Amarjit Bains, who is the chairperson of the district regulatory body or with the DEO, Jalandhar. Regulation of Fee of Unaided Educational Institutions (Amendment) Bill, 2019, and to redress complaints of parents and students, the state government formed the district regulatory body in each district across the state in July 2021 ■ There are five members in this body. The DC or the ADC is its chairperson; DEO (Secondary) and DEO (Elementary) are its member secretaries; and there are two other members, who are directly nominated by the state government an elite businessman who runs an educational institute, therefore he decided to not file a complaint in writing. Narrating a similar story, another parent Parth Yadav said, “I contacted a member of the body and discussed the issue of inflated transport charges being taken by schools. They asked me to submit a complaint with an affidavit revealing my identity and the bus fee receipt of my children. Firstly, I thought I should submit whatever was asked, but REGULATORY BODY’S MEETING WITH PRIVATE SCHOOLS TOMORROW To apprise all unaided schools in the district of the guidelines of the Punjab Regulation of Fee of Unaided Educational Institutions Bill Act (2016), the District Regulatory Body for unaided educational institutions has called owners/managing directors/CEOs of 120 private schools for a meeting at the District Administrative Complex on May 6. Issues of fee hike, purchase of books and uniforms from designated shops and guidelines of the Punjab Regulation Fee Act are likely to be discussed in detail. when I discussed the same at my home, my family, fearing that my son would be harassed, asked me not to give it in writing,” he added. He said the members of the body should come up with a way through which the issues of parents could be resolved without revealing their children’s identity. Meanwhile, when contacted advocate Manu Jindal, a member of the body, he confirmed that parents are reluctant to file complaints in writing. He said he too received Welcome respite 15-20 complaints on the phone and when he asked the parents to file them in writing, they denied doing so. Asked if there is some way through which parents and children’s identity could be kept confidential, he said the body holds power equal to a civil court and revealing the complainant’s identity is must. “But I will take up the matter with higher authorities and other members of the body to find a solution to parents’ genuine concern,” he added. Jalandhar, May 4 Constructed at a cost of lakhs of rupees just ahead of the recent Assembly election, the Garha road has once again been dug up for laying pipes under the Municipal Corporation’s proposed surface water scheme. The digging up of road, which started recently from in front of the Punjab Institute of Medical Sciences to SGL Hospital and further towards Urban Estate road, has affected the residents of Wadala Chowk, Urban Estate, Golden Avenue, Garha, Chhoti Baradari, Jaswant Nagar, Hardyal Nagar and other adjoining areas. Since two main hospitals and a number of schools also fall along the route, the digging of road certainly has a major impact. Akali leader and former MLA Jagbir Brar has taken a jibe on the development saying, “The unplanned development works being undertaken in the city are not just causing inconvenience to the residents, but are causing a huge financial loss to the state exchequer. If the road was to be dug up as per the already rolled out plan to lay water pipes, there is no rea- Garha road which was constructed just a few months back has been dug up again for laying pipes for surface water project. son why the road should have been relaid just three-four months before. Clearly, it was a wasteful expenditure by the Congress leadership then just to woo the voters just ahead of elections.” Even the shopkeepers at the Garha road market have lodged a protest and alleged that they faced a huge client loss as the road remained in a tattered condition for over two years before being relaid four months back. “Now that the MC has dug up the road again, we are bound to suffer losses yet again,” they said. Congress councillor Neerja Jain said: “I got the road lead- ing from Garha side to Urban Estate laid few months back at a cost of Rs 30 lakh. An additional expenditure was incurred on installing side grills and road furniture. If these roads were to be dug up, the officials should have ideally not led us to construct these roads then. The digging, too, has started at a wrong time, just ahead of the monsoons. I doubt that these roads would be relaid before July. If these are not, it will be all messy. Ideally, the MC officials should have given an alternate route or a paved service lane for the commuters to pass through.” Dates of cricket tourney clash with Class XII boards, students in a fix Avneet Kaur Tribune News Service Garhshankar: Mahilpur police on Tuesday arrested a person with 560 intoxicating pills. As per the information, SubInspector Baljinder Singh was going from Kotfatuhi to Mannanhana along with a police party. Meanwhile, they saw a youth who started running after seeing them near a gurdwara. They caught him after a short chase and frisked him. Around 56 strips containing 560 intoxicating pills were recovered from him. The youth was identified as Sandeep, alias Nai, a resident of Mannanhana under the Mahilpur police station. A case has been registered. OC Garhshankar: On the complaint of a woman, the police on Tuesday booked two persons for allegedly kidnapping her son from a de-addiction centre in Himachal Pradesh. Manjeet Kaur, a resident of Mannanhana village, stated that her younger son, Navjit Singh, alias Navi (26 years), was addicted to drugs. They had admitted him to a de-addiction centre in Himachal. On April 23, she came to know that Sukhjinder, a resident of Johlan village, and Rajinder Singh, a resident of Kandhali Narangpur, Tanda, had taken Navjit along with them, but Navjit neither reached home nor the deaddiction centre. The police have registered a case under Section 346 of the IPC against Sukhjinder and Rajinder. OC BADBOLI BHAVNA TO PREMIERE ON AMAZON MINITV TODAY Parents unwilling to file complaints 4 months after relaying, against schools to regulatory body Garha road dug up again ONE NABBED WITH INTOXICATING PILLS TWO BOOKED FOR KIDNAPPING MAN PAGE 3 The Hollywood star is ‘excited’ to challenge himself with different versions of his Marvel character. FILE PHOTO FORECAST METHOD IN MADNESS: BENEDICT LOVED CHALLENGING HIMSELF Rain that lashed Jalandhar city on Wednesday brought much-needed relief for residents from intense heatwave in the region. TRIBUNE PHOTO: SARABJIT SINGH Jalandhar, May 4 The recently released schedule of U-19 Inter-District Cricket Tournament has left many students worried as the dates are clashing with their ongoing CBSE Class XII term-II examinations. The board exams which started on April 26 will end on June 23, and the students have exams on May 13, 20, 30 and June 7, whereas the tournament is scheduled to begin from May 14 to June 8. Students said they were in a fix as appearing in board exams and the tournament is equally important to them. Talking to The Tribune, Tarun Sharma, a Class XII student, said: “I have been practicing cricket since long and have participated in other district-level tournaments too. I was eagerly waiting for the schedule of U-19 tourna- EXAMS & THE GAME The CBSE Class XII exams which started on April 26 will end on June 23, and the students have exams on May 13, 20, 30 and June 7, whereas the tournament is scheduled to begin from May 14 to June 8. Students said they were in a fix as appearing in board exams and the tournament is equally important for them. to ❝Many parents have written thehigher authorities in this regard. I too have taken up matter with the PCA. I am hopeful that they will consider the demand of the parents and the dates would be rescheduled. ❞ Praveen Sareen, GENERAL SECRETARY OF THE NAWANSHAHR CRICKET ACADEMY ment as it’s a golden opportunity for budding players like me, who wish to make a career in cricket. But as the dates are clashing with exams, I am worried about my academic performance and feel I won’t be able to give my best,” he said. He said he is devoting his maximum time for practice sessions, so his parents too are stressed that he would score less this time. “My parents have already written to the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) to postpone the dates by 15-20 days, so that students could perform equally well in the exams and the game,” he said. Bikram Butalia, a parent, said these tournaments are like talent hunt competitions and the best-performing players may get a chance to represent the state and then India. He said earlier, school managements were helping students with adjustment of dates but this year being board exams, the schools say they cannot help in rescheduling dates. He further said 20 teams are participating in Punjab, which means nearly 400 budding players will be participating in this tournament. “As majority of these players are Class XII students, the PCA must give it a thought and revise the schedule,” he added. When contacted, Praveen Sareen, General Secretary of the Nawanshahr Cricket Academy, said: “Many parents have written to higher authorities in this regard. I too have taken up the matter with the PCA. I am hopeful that they will consider the demand of the parents and the dates would be rescheduled,” he said. Building a dream home beyond reach of commonman now Skyrocketing prices of building material push residents to postpone their construction plans Aakanksha N Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Jalandhar, May 4 Building a house is not a cakewalk anymore, as skyrocketing prices of coarse sand, fine sand, and gravel are troubling those who had either started the construction or are planning to start. High prices of the building construction material have washed away the desire of a common man to build his dream home. Rakesh Chawla, a trader who had brought a plot to build a home, said he had to postpone the plan as he could not afford to buy materials at such high prices. “Middle-class families plan a budget. I had also planned the same, but looking at the cost, it doesn’t seem feasible now,” he said. Nitish Gupta, another resident, a service man who had started the construction, stopped the work midway. “Whenever I go to purchase raw material, the suppliers either say that there is a shortage, or the cost is too high. So, right now, I am just in a waiting mode,” he said. Even the building material suppliers are also suffering a lot. “The new government has put a hold on the mining which is why we are suffering a lot. Tippers, trucks are c m y b lying as it is, there is no work, everyone is sitting idle,” said Opinder Pal Singh, one of the suppliers. As per the information, there are more than 400 tippers in Jalandhar. He added that local shopkeepers, labour, and everyone are without work these days and are looking for ways to make both ends meet. As crushers in Punjab are not working, the raw materials are coming from Himachal Pradesh, which is delaying the whole process of supplying the material. “We have to wait for tippers for three days. There is a slump in the market,” Opinder Pal said. The cost of coarse sand has gone up to Rs 5,000 and those who can afford, are also paying Rs 8,000 extra for fine sand. The Jalandhar Tipper Association had given a memorandum to the Additional Deputy Commissioner recently demanding resuming the functioning of the crushers. The association is also going to hold a protest against the government at Pathankot Chowk on Thursday. “We want to convey that we are suffering a lot, and the administration and government must pay heed to our problems and issues,” another supplier said.