16032026-JTR-01.qxd 3/15/2026 10:16 PM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune SEMI-FINAL LINE-UP CONFIRMED IN STATE HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP 26,069 CASES SETTLED IN HOSHIARPUR NAT’L LOK ADALAT KULDEEP TIES THE KNOT WITH VANSHIKA IN ROYAL CEREMONY Girls’ teams from Patiala, Muktsar Sahib, Malerkotla and Bathinda secured places in semi-finals of the hockey c’ship. P2 Out of 29,451 cases taken up at Lok Adalat, 26,069 were settled. An amount of over ~13.84 cr passed in favour of parties. P3 India’s premier bowler, Kuldeep Yadav, tied the knot with his childhood friend Vanshika in a regal ceremony. P4 » » FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY/RAIN MAX 23°C | MIN 13°C YESTERDAY MAX 23°C | MIN 15°C SUNSET MONDAY 6.36 PM SUNRISE TUESDAY 6.35 AM » MONDAY | 16 MARCH 2026 | JALANDHAR LPG shortage hits mid-day meal scheme in rural govt schools Gas supply becomes talk of town as residents share concerns over crunch Tribune News Service Jalandhar, March 15 The issue of LPG cylinder shortage has become talk of the town, with residents expressing growing concern over its availability and rising prices. Gossips in markets, workplaces and neighbourhood gatherings increasingly revolve around a single question — “Have you got an LPG cylinder?” With supply reportedly tightening, many people say they are struggling to arrange cooking gas for their homes. Questions like “Is it available anywhere?”, “Where can we get it from?”, and “Can someone help arrange one cylinder?” are now commonly heard in daily conversations. Residents are also worried about the extra money being demanded by some suppliers, with many asking whether their cylinder booking has even been processed by the agency concerned. Several residents claim that the price of LPG cylinders in the open market has risen sharply, with some saying they are being asked to pay up to Rs 2,500 for a single cylinder. Pardeep, an industrial worker, said the situation has left his family in distress. “I Jalandhar, March 15 Amid deepening shortage of LPG cylinders, mid-day meal workers in several rural government schools of Jalandhar have raised serious concerns, stating that school kitchens may soon be forced to revert to firewood for cooking if the situation does not improve. Workers say irregular supply of LPG cylinders has already started affecting the preparation of food for students, putting the government run mid-day meal scheme at risk. According to workers associated with the scheme, although every school is officially allotted two cylinders for preparing mid-day meals, many institutions are left with only one cylinder, creating serious difficulties in timely booking of the LPG (liquefied petroleum gas). The problem is reported to be more acute in the rural areas where LPG deliveries have become more erratic over the last few days with INBRIEF VILLAGER BOOKED FOR RAPING MINOR Phagwara: The Bilga police have booked a villager on the charge of raping a minor. Investigating officer (IO) Inspector Meena Kumari said the accused was identified as Ajay Kumar of Burj Hassan village. The victim’s mother complained to the police that the accused assaulted and raped her minor daughter . The IO said a case under Section 65(1) of the BNS and Sections 4 and 6 of the POSCO Act was registered against accused. OC DRIVER BOOKED FOR NEGLIGENCE Phagwara: The Lohian Khas police have booked a car driver for causing death by negligence and rash driving. Investigating officer (IO) Sarabjit Singh said the accused was identified as Aman Deep Singh, alias Aman, of Giddar Pindi village. Kulwindar Singh of Farid Sarai village complained to the police that the accused was driving his car fast and negligently which hit his father Darshan Singh’s bike killing him on the spot near FCI godowns. OC Students have their mid-day meal at a government school in Jalandhar. FILE PHOTO refills often getting delayed, leaving kitchens with little or no backup when the existing cylinder will run out. Mamta Sharma, state president of the Mid-day Meal Worker Union said, “LPG cylinders are essential to prepare meals for children. If the gas supply keeps getting delayed, it will become extremely challenging for us to manage cooking on time.” “The issue appears to be less severe in urban government schools where LPG cylinders are adequate for now. However, in the rural areas, irregular and delayed cylinder deliveries are creating uncertainty and could disrupt the smooth functioning of the mid-day meal programme,” she said. Suman, another worker at a government primary school in Sultanpur said, “We are left with LPG stock for just a few days and are struggling to arrange another cylinder. If the situation does not improve, we may have to look for alternatives like firewood to continue preparing mid-day meals.” Insurance firm ordered to pay ~1.88L for denying Covid treatment claim Rishika Kriti Tribune News Service Jalandhar, March 15 Coming down heavily on a private health insurer for arbitrarily rejecting a Covid19 treatment claim, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has directed Max Bupa health insurance company to reimburse over Rs 1.88 lakh to a woman policyholder, terming the repudiation unjustified and based merely on suspicion. The commission presided by Dr Harveen Bhardwaj and member Jyotsna, ordered the company to pay Rs 1,65,630 spent on treatment, Rs 15,000 as compensation for mental harassment and Rs 8,000 towards litigation expenses to Komal, a resident of Kartarpur. The insurer was directed to comply with the order within 45 days. According to the complaint, Komal had purchased a health insurance policy from the company on September 25, 2021, after paying an annual premium of Rs 7,307. During the policy period, she developed fever, cough and breathing difficulty while visiting relatives in Zirakpur on January 1, 2022. Following medical advice, she underwent a Covid test and was later admitted to a private hospital in Zirakpur on January 3 after testing positive. She remained hospitalised in the Covid ICU until January 8 and incurred treatment expenses amounting to Rs 1.65 lakh. After recovering, she submitted a reimbursement claim with the insurer. However, the company rejected the claim, alleging that she had failed to cooperate with its investigation and had not submitted necessary hospitalisation documents. During the proceedings, the commission examined the discharge summary, Covid test report and treatment bills submitted by the complainant. It also noted that the insurer itself had placed several hospital documents on record, contradicting its claim that the records were not available. The commission further observed that the complainant had written to the hospital authorising it to share her medical records with the insurer, thereby fulfilling the policy condition requiring cooperation during investigation. Rejecting the insurer’s defence, the commission held that there was no evidence to prove that the complainant had deliberately withheld documents or obstructed the investigation. It noted that the repudiation was based on inconclusive findings rather than concrete proof. Terming the rejection of the claim as deficiency in service, the commission set aside the repudiation letter and ordered the insurer to reimburse the treatment expenses along with compensation and litigation costs. PSPCL penalised for issuing ~1.21L electricity bill Tribune News Service Jalandhar, March 15 In yet another case of arbitrary billing, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has pulled up Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) for issuing an inflated electricity bill of Rs 1.21 lakh to a consumer in Jalandhar in violation of the rules governing defective power meters. The commission has set aside bill of Rs 1,21,400 issued by the PSPCL and held the power utility guilty of deficiency in service after it was found that the amount was charged through irregular and unsupported calculations. A complaint was filed by Amrik Singh, a resident of New Joginder Nagar, Ladhewali Road, who stated that an electricity connection installed at his tenanted premises in Adda Basti Sheikh was slapped with a bill on July 14, 2021, which included Rs 75,006 as “sundry charges”. He alleged that the power utility failed to provide any proper explanation or calculation sheet to justify the sudden charge. According to the complaint, the electricity meter had become defective on December 12, 2018, and remained so until March 27, 2019, when it was replaced. During this period of 105 days, the department had already billed the consumer on an average basis as per the applicable supply code regulations. However, more than two years later, the PSPCL revised the account and charged Rs 75,006 by calculating consumption for a much longer period of 289 days, far beyond the actual duration the meter remained defective. The complainant further pointed out that the replaced meter also stopped working within 67 days and was marked as a burnt meter. Despite this, the department again imposed additional charges of over Rs 20,000 on the pretext of account overhauling. He argued that the calculations were arbitrary and not supported by any technical verification or report from the meter examination (ME) lab. Meanwhile in its response, the PSPCL stated that the meter was found defective during an inspection and the account was overhauled as per rules. The power utility also argued that the complainant had no locus standi as the electricity connection was in the name of another person. However, the commission rejected this argument, observing that the complainant was the occupant of the premises, paying the electricity bills and directly affected by the demand and threat of disconnection. The commission noted that under supply code regulations, overhauling of an account due to a defective meter could only be done for the period during which the meter stopped working, subject to a maximum of six months. In this case, the meter remained defective for around 109 days, but the department overhauled the account for 289 days without producing transparent calculations or an ME lab report. Holding the demand unjust, the commission set aside the impugned bill and directed the PSPCL to issue a fresh bill only for the permissible six month period as per rules. The commission also ordered the power utility to refund or adjust the excess amount already recovered and directed it to pay Rs 15,000 as compensation for harassment, along with Rs 8,000 as litigation costs, to the complainant. c m y b Another industrialist pointed out that the rising cost of living may soon translate into demand for higher wages. “Workers are suffering and we are also facing difficulties. The prices of raw materials have already increased, and now the LPG cylinder issue is adding another burden,” he said. With both households and businesses feeling the pressure, the LPG shortage has quickly turned into a major concern. For many residents, the uncertainty around availability and soaring prices of cylinders have made cooking gas one of the most discussed issues in the community today. Aakanksha N Bhardwaj Tribune News Service A worker arranges LPG cylinders at a gas agency for delivery to consumers in Jalandhar. PHOTO: SARABJIT SINGH have two children and there is no cylinder at home right now. Even smaller cylinders are being filled at very high prices,” he said. According to him, some are charging nearly Rs 300 per kilogram for refilling smaller cylinders. He added that alternatives were not affordable either. “Even firewood has become expensive. When someone is earning around Rs 10,000 a month, how can he/she pay such a huge amount for a cylinder and still run his/her family?” he asked. Express- ing his frustration, he said, “Bahut dikkat hai, kya karein samajh nahi aa raha”. (There is huge problem. Don’t understand what to do). City-based industrialists also acknowledge that the situation is creating challenges beyond households. Ravinder Dhir, an industrialist, described it as a difficult phase for everyone. “Workers are already dependent on us in many ways. In circumstances like this, they expect support from employers. It has become a tricky situation,” he said. Administration issues WhatsApp helpline number In view of the prevailing situation, the district administration has constituted a committee of senior officials to curb black marketing of gas cylinders. A large-scale checking of gas agencies is being done by different teams of the administration. Taking another significant step, Deputy Commissioner Dr Himanshu Aggarwal has issued a WhatsApp helpline number 9646222555 to ensure smooth supply of gas cylinders as well as to keep a check on black marketing in the district.