Jatinder Mahal is a staff correspondent. He covers Jalandhar, Kapurthala and SBS Nagar district for Hindustan Times.
Articles by Jatinder Mahal
Bhogpur bus station turns into taxi stand
With buses picking up passengers from the main road and taxi operators having encroached upon the space meant for their parking, a whopping `50 lakh spent on the construction of the Bhogpur bus stand over a year ago has gone down the drain, it seems.
Updated on Apr 08, 2015 12:12 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Jatinder Mahal, Jalandhar
DTO fails to start home delivery documents yet again
District transport department (DTO) has failed to start its much hyped service of delivering smart-card based licences and other vehicle certificates by the courier at applicants' doorsteps, for the third time in the last two years.
Updated on Mar 27, 2015 09:30 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Jatinder Mahal, Jalandhar
Central government scheme receives lukewarm response in the district
Tall claims of the state governments of socially empowering the downtrodden and eliminate illiteracy proves to be a dud as strength of children in the special schools running under the National child labour project (NCLP) scheme are dipping from past few months in the district.
Updated on Mar 23, 2015 07:07 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Jatinder Mahal, Jalandhar
Health dept’s drive against public smoking fails
Even after being declared a smoke-free district in February this year, Jalandhar has failed to live up to the reputation with the health department not able to enforce the ban on smoking at public places strictly.
Updated on Dec 14, 2014 10:19 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Jatinder Mahal, Jalandhar
Farmers to get agriculture info through SMS, voice message service
With a view to using mobile technology for the welfare of farmers, the Punjab agriculture department is set to launch a ‘Kisaan SMS Portal’, a message-based service under the National e-Governance Plan, Agriculture (NeGP-A).
Updated on Nov 29, 2014 10:38 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Jatinder Mahal, Jalandhar
No toilet at Jalandhar’s busy PAP Chowk, commuters harried
Even as thousands of passengers board buses at PAP Chowk everyday, there is not a single toilet at this place, forcing the commuters to urinate in the open.
Updated on Nov 25, 2014 11:35 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Jatinder Mahal, Jalandhar
Child labour rampant in district despite tall claims of govt
The claims of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government about child labour being under control in the district seem to have fallen flat, as the district labour department has conducted only nine raids and rescued three children in the last ten months.
Updated on Nov 09, 2014 12:00 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Jatinder Mahal, Jalandhar
Deol Nagar stretch of Nakodar road becomes pain for the locals
A half-kilometer stretch from Deol Nagar along the Nakodar road to Baba Ambedkar Park, situated on National Highway 71 in the city, has become a headache for the residents and shopkeepers in the region for months now.
Updated on Sep 07, 2014 08:24 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Jatinder Mahal, Jalandhar
DTO fails to arrange staff to man new no. plate counters
Even as the administration made grand announcements of opening an additional counter and 15 hours work-days at the District Transport Office (DTO) complex to handle the increased rush for applicants wanting to get a high-security registration number plate (HSRP) on vehicles, lack of trained manpower has put paid to such plans. The deadline for getting the HSRP installed on vehicles as of now stands at August 31.
Updated on Aug 21, 2014 12:16 AM IST
None | Jatinder Mahal, Jalandhar
Rain results in waterlogging near JDA building; staff, visitors harried
A heavy spell of rain coupled with a poor drainage system causes a huge inconvenience to both the staff and visitors to the offices of Jalandhar Development Authority (JDA) and Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority (PUDA) which are housed in the same building here.
Updated on Aug 08, 2014 09:54 PM IST
None | Jatinder Mahal, Jalandhar
School boy death fails to move transport dept
In what could be called as apathy of the district transport department, it has failed to check rampant violations and negligent attitude of school bus staff, even as it claimed the life of four-year-old Arush Arora, who fell off the bus he was travelling in and died on the spot on August 1.
Updated on Aug 07, 2014 12:45 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Jatinder Mahal, Jalandhar
Transport dept finds it difficult to cope with rush for HSRPs
With more than 450 applicants seeking high security registration plates (HSRP) every day, the district transport department is finding it difficult to manage the heavy rush of applicants at its office.
Updated on Aug 01, 2014 11:13 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Jatinder Mahal, Jalandhar
DTO issuing learner’s licences without computerised tests
The much-hyped computerised tests mandatory for issuing learner’s licences by the district transport office (DTO) to bring transparency has proved to be a mere announcement as no such tests have been conducted at the DTO ever since the new criteria was announced in April.
Updated on Jul 16, 2014 12:38 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Jatinder Mahal, Jalandhar
Teachers hired under NCLP scheme go without salaries for 18 months
Despite tall claims of the successive governments to empower the marginalised sections, teachers employed under the National Child Labour Project (NCLP) scheme have not received their salaries for the past 18 months.
Updated on Jun 29, 2014 12:12 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Jatinder Mahal, Jalandhar
8 Punjab Roadways HVAC buses out of order for a week
As many as eight HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) buses of Punjab Roadways in Jalandhar are off road for last seven days at the department workshop after they developed some technical snag. The depot-1 of Punjab Roadways in Jalandhar has a total of 26 HVAC buses.
Updated on Jun 24, 2014 12:54 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Jatinder Mahal, Jalandhar
10 drug de-addiction centres come up in Jalandhar district
On the directions of the state government to keep tabs on drug addiction, the Jalandhar rural police and health department have opened 10 de-addiction and rehabilitation centres at community health centres (CHCs) in the district to make Punjab a “drugfree” state.
Updated on Jun 21, 2014 01:43 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Jatinder Mahal, Jalandhar
Punbus employees go on 3-day strike, commuters a harried lot
The public transpor t services were crippled after employees of the Punjab State Bus Stand Management Company Limited (Punbus) went on a three-day strike in protest against the non-implementation of their long pending demands. Of a total of 202 buses from both depots, 165 did not ply, thus leaving commuters stranded on roads.
Updated on Jun 18, 2014 11:06 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Jatinder Mahal, Jalandhar
Spate of thefts at Guru Gobind Singh Avenue, Surya Enclave; cops helpless
After a spate of thefts at Guru Gobind Singh Avenue and Surya Enclave of the city in the past three months, residents of these localities are living under constant fear these days.
Updated on Jun 14, 2014 08:33 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Jatinder Mahal, Jalandhar
Shortage of labour inspectors hampers drive against child labour in Jalandhar
Contrary to the tall claims of the administration, the labour department is struggling to get adequate staff to tackle the menace of child labour in the district.
Updated on Jun 13, 2014 09:50 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Jatinder Mahal, Jalandhar
Poor students without AADHAAR link denied stipend under central scheme
Even as the government has been making tall claims of empowering students who are forced to engage in child labour by extending them a monthly stipend of Rs 150, many of such students are not getting anything at present, courtesy red tape in the child labour department.
Updated on Jun 10, 2014 12:26 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Jatinder Mahal, Jalandhar
Equipment defunct, applicants wait for hours at district transport office
Applicants wait for hours at the district transport office (DTO) to get their photographs clicked for driving licences as they have to stand in long queues.
Updated on Jun 06, 2014 04:38 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Jatinder Mahal, Jalandhar
After hike in reserve price, demand for fancy numbers sinks
After the transport department increased the minimum reserve price of fancy vehicle numbers across Punjab, the demand for these numbers has gone down significantly in the district.
Updated on Jun 05, 2014 10:10 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Jatinder Mahal, Jalandhar
Centre of excellence for citrus fruits to come up in Hoshiarpur
With a view to increasing fruit cultivation in Punjab, the horticulture department completed construction of a centre of excellence for citrus fruits at Khanaura village in Hoshiarpur district, expected to be operational in the next two months.
Updated on Jun 04, 2014 10:51 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Jatinder Mahal, Jalandhar
City bus service has few routes, DAV College students harried
Students of DAV College, Jalandhar, are a harried lot since there are not many routes of city bus service to Rama Mandi, PAP Chowk, BSF Chowk and HMV College, as a result of which they have to spend extra money on other modes of transport to reach their destination.
Updated on May 25, 2014 11:00 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Jatinder Mahal, Jalandhar
Rail tracks turn killer: 20 lives lost in 18 days in Jalandhar
As many as 20 people, including nine who committed suicide, lost their life on railway lines in Jalandhar till Sunday this month.
Updated on May 19, 2014 10:32 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Jatinder Mahal, Jalandhar
Wheat lifting picks up but still under last-year mark
After a slow pace of procurement by the government agencies, wheat lifting has picked up again in the district to take the figure to 35.81-lakh quintal of the arrived 36.29-lakh quintal.
Updated on May 02, 2014 10:13 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Jatinder Mahal, Jalandhar
Heavy rain, strong winds damage wheat crop
Heavy rainfall that lashed the state on Friday night has damaged wheat crop in the region. The rain started around 7pm and continued till midnight. Officials said there was 15mm rainfall in Jalandhar, 12mm in Nakodar and 40mm in Phillaur. The harvesting process has also got affected due to frequent spells of rain.
Updated on Apr 19, 2014 10:15 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Jatinder Mahal, Jalandhar
Safety goes for a toss at Jalandhar railway station
As security becomes a prime concern in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections, the Government Railway Police and Railway Protection Force (RPF) officials have turned a blind eye towards the safety of passengers at the city railway station.
Updated on Apr 15, 2014 10:35 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Jatinder Mahal, Jalandhar
Passengers peeved at Shatabdi’s brief halt
Passengers of Shatabdi Express are facing tough time due to its very brief stoppage at the city railway station.Several persons have got injured at the time of stepping in and out from the train which halts for only two minutes at the city railway station.
Updated on Apr 05, 2014 11:16 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Jatinder Mahal, Jalandhar
DTO office charging user fee for non-existing service
District Transport Office (DTO) is charging an extra amount of '220' from users since 2011 for providing a service that never existed.
Updated on Apr 01, 2014 11:48 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Jatinder Mahal, Jalandhar