Amritsar, April 30
For the first time, Guru Nanak Dev University has mooted an innovative course with an aim to serve the armed and paramilitary forces.Named “masters in exercise physiology and nutrition”, the course would be started under the faculty of sports medicine and physiotherapy, from this academic session.

Dr Jaspal Singh, head of the department, said the course had been designed and drafted in consultation with Prof Sheri Melton, Fulbright Nehru Scholar, West Chester University and State of Pennsylvania, USA.

“The objective of the course is to produce trained manpower to act as consultants to our armed and paramilitary forces. This course would also provide training to assess the physical and mental fitness of the personnel and advise strategies for any deficiencies found. These consultants would also be advising nutrition as per the requirement of their physical activity level,” he said.

Nevertheless, the admission to this course would be open to all those who have obtained a bachelor’s degree or higher degree in medical or biological specialities from any recognised university and institute of graduating with at least 50 per cent marks.

“Besides, all the pass-outs from life sciences departments too can opt for this course,” said Dr Jaspal Singh.

About bright employment prospects, Dr Jaspal Singh viewed that the pass-outs were also likely to be absorbed in the Defence Research and Development Organisation and ISRO, etc. where exercise physiology played a vital role.

“With the current trend of being physically fit, high-end fitness and slimming centres are mushrooming even in small towns and the pass-outs would definitely have an opening in these centres,” he said and added, “Around 90 sports science centres have been set up in various parts of India under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India. These centres, too, have a high content of exercise physiology in their set-up.”

Amritsar, April 30
The construction of a slaughter house with the state-of-the-art processing machines was stalled because of litigation about eight years back.

The abattoir, with a cost of Rs 4 crore, was to be developed by the Municipal Corporation (MC) and Punjab Livestock Development Board (PLDB). The corporation had given an acre of land adjoining the already operational slaughter house at Gumanpura.

The officials attached with the project say that the prolong delay has obviously jacked up the cost of the project as cost of all components had risen sharply over the past these years.

It was in 2002 that the construction of the slaughter house began. However, it soon invited the ire of some people. Objecting on some issues, they knocked the door of the court and the work was halted within a year of its inception. It has been hanging fire for the past nearly eight years.

The number of non-vegetarian people is on rise but their desire to procure hygienic meat cut and processed in a modern abattoir is yet to see light of the day.

The modern abattoir was expected to have blood collection set, automatic flaying machine and other machines to hygienically cut meat in pieces without the use of hands so that it retain all nutrient properties.

However, presently animals are being slaughtered unscientifically and in unhygienic conditions in another corporation-run slaughterhouse.

There has been a stressful demand from various quarters, including NGOs, that an effluent treatment plant (ETP) be installed to treat the highly contaminated water from being released into Tung Dhab Drain, which criss-cross from this part of the country to Pakistan to eventually fall into the Ravi in Lahore. Besides, it poses health hazards to humans as a number of localities have sprung up along the drain.

However, the Army authorities has already installed the ETP at its slaughter house located in Amritsar cantonment. It also releases waste into the Tung Dhab drain.

The Punjab Veterinary Department has deputed its two doctors for examining the animals before slaughtering. As per the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 (Slaughter House Rules 2001), doctors have to examine the animal for any disease it might have been suffering from and only after complete examination can it be put to sale.

The corporation was forced to ask for appointment of veterinarians from the state government after the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum had directed it. The Punjab Pollution Control Committee had knocked its doors seeking implementation of safety norms.

General secretary, Punjab Pollution Control Committee, P.S. Randhawa said as per rules a doctor could thoroughly examine a maximum of 96 animals during the day. However, it was learnt that on an average nearly 250 animals were slaughtered. Two vets have to check over stipulated number of animals to clear the backlog daily, he added.

Health Officer, MC, Dr Yogesh Arora said the corporation charged Rs 20 for allowing an animals to be slaughtered in a slaughter house. He said concrete flooring of the slaughter house had been done while boundary wall was erected and a generator installed.The slaughtering work was done manually by private persons while employees of the corporation monitored it.

Randhawa said environmentalists wanted that the Animal Welfare Board of India or the Animal Welfare Organisation should inspect the slaughter house on a regular basis.

Amritsar, April 30
More than three acres of land, worth crores, belonging to the Rajasansi Nagar Panachayat, has allegedly been transferred in the name of political big shots, including the wife of a senior Akali leader, in a fraudulent manner.

The Nagar Panchayat has approached Deputy Commissioner Kahan Singh Pannu in this regard and urged him to take prompt action against the accused involved in the case by initiating a high-level probe by an independent agency.

The land is situated just adjoining to the Amritsar International Airport.

Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria, Congress MLA, while speaking on the occasion, threatened to raise the issue in the Vidhan Sabha if the administration failed to take any action against the accused.

While detailing, Inder Pal Singh, President of the Nagar Panchayat revealed that the land was in the name of the Nagar Panchayat since 1959-60 and it remained in the name of the Panchayat till year 1997-98.

In the year 2002-03, during the ‘Jamabandi’ of the land, one Tejinder Singh Patwari transferred the land without the knowledge of the panchayat in the name of fake persons Amrik Singh, Navtej Singh and Kultar Singh by referring fake mutations that never existed, said Inder Pal Singh.

He alleged this was all done to benefit several political bigwigs.

Out of this, 14 kanals and three marla land was transferred in the name of the wife of a senior Akali leader and three other persons.

He said the remaining 8 kanals and 4 marla land was relocated in the name of the sons of another Akali leader and a retired patwari.

Deputy Commissioner, Kahan Singh Pannu, however, expressed ignorance over the matter.

“I have not received any complaint in this regard as yet but action would be taken against the culprits after a proper enquiry. No stone would be left unturned in providing justice to the Nagar Panchayat,” he said. 

Amritsar, April 30
Students of Delhi Public School and the faculty members visited the most polluted sites of the city to acquaint themselves with the horrors of effluents in pursuance of a social drive “Save the Earth”.

The students, in their report, wondered why the administration had turned a blind eye to this threat to human health. Principal Sangeeta Singh said the school would present the report to the district administration and urge it to take suitable action.

Amritsar, April 30
Growing popularity of cricket, more so with the advent of Indian Premier League, has made a big impact on children who nowadays eat, think and drink cricket.In a cricket-crazy nation like India, it’s very difficult not to emulate the Sachins, Sehwags and Zaheers.

 So how could children be an exception? They want to activate their cricketing brains as soon as possible expecting to don the Indian colours one day. But the big question is can every child become a cricketer and even if he becomes one is there any certainty that he would make it to the national or international level.

The Tribune talked to some cricket and psychological experts on what they think on the issue.

According to Dronacharya awardee cricket coach D.P. Azad, who had produced players like Kapil Dev, Harbhajan Singh, Ashok Malhotra and Chetan Sharma, cricket has become a fulltime profession, but like an engineer or doctor, everybody cannot be a cricketer. “When a child approaches me to learn cricket, my first question is that how good they are in studies? I tell them on their face that I cannot write their destinies and so it’s very important to keep up with studies. They shouldn’t think since they have come to me for coaching, they would become the likes of Kapil, Harbhajan or Sachin,” he said.

Parkash Chand, former cricket coach, Punjab Sports Department, says, “Ultimately, it would only be those 11 who would don the Indian colours on the field. Though with the IPL, chances have expanded but ostensibly there would be a handful among hundreds who would be fortunate enough to be at that level. Some ‘little lucky’ ones just fade away into trivial career and they, too, end up slipping into depression the whole life afterwards.”

Dr Davinder Singh, Psychology Department, Guru Nanak Dev University, opined that inner instincts of a child got changed frequently but it would be absurd to run after unproductive fame and name in case a child possessed a little talent to go in for that particular field.

“I would advise the parents to identify the individual talents in their children while ignoring the fields mostly influenced by overexposure by the media. Your child can be a better singer, dramatist or painter. Try to develop those skills in the children and save them from slipping into dejection and creating an inferiority complex among them,” he added.

B.L. Goyal, Director, Dr Vidyasagar Mental Health Institute, emphasised that it would be an unrealistic approach to force the children to a particular field.

“But it is the overexposure on TV channels and newspapers which influence the masses towards some unproductive fields. It is absurd that the whole nation cry for securing Bharat Ratna for a cricketer, whereas those who have done wonders in other productive fields like medicine, engineering or IT have no place on their minds. Little knowing the significance of the award, they want to fight for a cricketer only. Isn’t it over exposure?” he said.

Ashok Mahajan, a parent, agreed that luck played an important role to achieve great heights in any field but urged to see his son Abhilash to be like Tendulkar only. “This game involves a lot of money, but at the same time, loads of money is required to be an engineer or doctor or IT professional. Even after becoming doctor or engineer, you are lost in the crowd but cricketer would always stand tall as this game is treated as veda in our country and cricketers as semi-gods,” he said.

“But there is no denying the fact that cricket these days is full-time job. It is not necessarily to be a player only, even coaching in this game has bright prospects,” said Daljit Singh Bedi, another parent.

Almost no trace: Parts of a defunct tubewell lie scattered in the Katra Safed area in Ward 46. Photo: Vishal Kumar

Councillor Speak

Neelam Khanna, councillor of the area, alleged discriminatory policies of the present civic administration behind the real cause of the problems.

She said the tubewells were sanctioned in the previous house meetings but the corporation authorities are saying that they were waiting for funds. The work would be started as soon as the government releases the funds.

Amritsar, April 30
Activists of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) will hold a protest against Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and BJP president Nitin Gadkari during their proposed visit at Fatehgarh Sahib on May 14.

Dr Manmohan Singh and Gadkari are expected to take part in the celebrations of the tercentenary of Sirhind Fateh Diwas at Gurdwara Fatehgarh Sahib.

President of the SAD (A) Simranjit Singh Maan in a press note issued here on April 28 said his party decided to protest against Gadkari as he refused to hold the Congress responsible for the massacre of Sikhs during the anti-Sikh riots of 1984, following the assassination of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, in a statement. “We would protest against the Prime Minister as he was heading the Congress-led government, which was involved in the killing of Sikhs,” he added.The Akali leader said the party members would be holding black flags to protest.— TNS

Tarn Taran, April 30
Thirteen 13 models were selected on the last day yesterday of the four-day district-level science exhibition held here under the INSPIRE Awards-2010 scheme of the Science and Technology Department of the Union government.

District Science Supervisor Gurdeep Singh said that seven models from the junior group and six from the senior group had been selected out of total 266 models exhibited.

Assistant Project Director Nirmaljit Kaur gave away prizes to students whose models were selected. These models would be exhibited in the state-level exhibition, said Gurdeep Singh. 

Amritsar: Mahindra First Choice Wheels Ltd., India’s largest multi-brand pre-owned car company, announced the inauguration of its second dealership in the city. Located at Sarpal Car Zone on the GT Road, it was inaugurated by Sharad Agarwal, business head (north and east), Mahindra First Choice Wheels Ltd. 

This pre-owned car mart has 125 outlets in 80 towns across India. “Here, the customers can purchase and sell their pre-owned cars, and can avail finance and insurance facilities,” said Agarwal. — TNS