However, political reasons could not be ruled out of the failed auction. With more and more politicians turning investors and industrialists, they are known to circumvent rules to their advantage.

A look at the past

Earlier, the state government had an ambitious plan to raise the tallest 14-storeyed multiplex and shopping plaza on the same piece of land.

Rocky Farms, said to be managed by the Reliance Group, had bagged the project through a bid in 2008. The company deposited Rs 47.50 crore out of total cost of Rs 190 crore.

However, the company called off the agreement last year citing technical reasons. As per the rules, the government forfeited about Rs 20 crore.

Popularity of Ranjit Avenue among investors

If we consider the auction fiasco as an isolated incident, then Ranjit Avenue comes as a popular place for investors. The upscale area has emerged as a hub of various business, commercial establishments, hotels and offices.

Its popularity can be gauged from the fact that five hotels, including a five star by Holiday Inn, are under construction while four hotels, including a four-star, are already operational. Rendering services to locals and tourists, the splendid architecture of these luxury hotels is a landmark on the skyline of the developing city. Interestingly, all of them are located in close proximity and some even share their boundary walls.

Not just hotels, but offices and outlets of fast growing sectors like education, banking, insurance, fashion, apparel stores, government offices, eating joints, restaurants and government offices could be found in the B block commercial area of the Ranjit Avenue.

According to Chairman, CII, Punjab, Gunbir Singh, land prices have skyrocketed within the last three years and now no land is available for sale.

“Shops and places are available on lease rent only. Owners don’t want to sell off properties as they get handsome returns in the shape of rent,” he said. “And why not? Lease rent per square foot has gone up from Rs 20 to about Rs 60 in three years.”

The adjoining A, C, D and E blocks of Ranjit Avenue are residential while B block is exclusively earmarked for commercial purposes. A leading real estate developer of the area said the value of one square yard land in the residential sectors was about Rs 35,000 while the same area cost Rs 1 lakh in Block B. Notably, government prices are fixed at much lower.

“Once the under-construction hotels become operational, there would be at least six three-star hotels,” said APS Chatha, General Secretary, Amritsar Hotel and Restaurant Association.

Besides, restaurant chains like Domino’s Pizza, Café Coffee Day, Barista, Oka, Yo China, traditional aloo kulchas are also available in sophisticated environs in Kulcha Land. Unlike shopping markets in the walled city and Civil Lines areas, the area offers ample space for parking and its prime location is another attractive features. The labyrinth of arterial roads in the old city and parking blues in Civil Lines do not provide enough opportunity to investors.

Beauty salons of national and international repute like VLCC, Lakme and Javed Habib have also sprung up in the market. Government offices of Markfed, BSNL, LIC, Passport office, Improvement Trust are also located here. Following permission of the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), the Khalsa College Society has opened its first engineering college over 15.7 acres of prime land in the same area. A number of private coaching centres imparting training for AIEEE, AIIMS and other exams have also set up shop.

Offices of immigration Consultancy services, Tours and Travels, banks, including private and insurance companies are located. 

Amritsar, June 4
Now, there would be no entrance test for admissions to the five-year B.A. L.L.B (honours), five-year B.A. L.L.B, and three-year L.L.B for colleges affiliated to the Guru Nanak Dev University. The state government has authorised the GND varsity to conduct online counseling for selection of aspirants for these courses.

The online counseling for these courses would be done for colleges not only affiliated to the university, but to Panjab University, Chandigarh, Punjabi University, Patiala, and Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, which would be entrusted with a specific number of seats for the courses.

The prospectus in this respect, would be posted on the official website of the university www.gndu.ac.in.

Out of a total 3,800 seats, there would be 380 seats for five-year B.A.L.L.B. (Hons), 1,520 for five-year B.A. L.L.B. and 1,900 for L.L.B.

The procedure and dates for online submission of application forms would be announced shortly.

Prof Satish Verma, Coordinator of the courses, said the merit of each candidate would be determined on the basis of marks secured by the candidate in the qualifying degree. The qualifying marks obtained would be evaluated according to a formula.

“After normalisation of marks for each university of Punjab, a combined merit list would be prepared. However, normalisation of marks would not be applicable to students taking admission under the All-India quota”, he said. “After normalisation of marks, five per cent marks would be given to candidates who have passed their middle standard examination and matriculation examination from schools located in the rural areas of Punjab. The certificate to this effect should be issued by the head of the school and duly countersigned by the concerned District Education Officer”, he added.

However, the eligibility regarding educational qualification would be the same as prescribed by the respective affiliating university, as per the regulations of the Bar Council of India.

The candidates who have appeared for the qualifying examination and whose results have not been declared, may be provisionally allowed. “But in that case, the candidates would have to submit the proof of their passing the qualifying examination before the start of the counseling”, he clarified. 

Tarn Taran, June 4
The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme has been proving a boon for backward district of Taran Taran.

The scheme, according to the studies conducted by civil society organisations and two government departments, has helped the district administration control drug addiction and school dropout rate. Studies conducted by CSOs and the Health Department observed that the implementation of rural employment guarantee scheme, apart from providing employment and livelihood to the villagers, have successfully helped the district administration in checking the liquor and drug addiction among the villagers.

Due to awareness created in the MGNREGA training camps, addicts have started consulting the Health Department regarding their addiction. Positive impact of the scheme has been observed as it helped 600 persons leave drugs. The district has a total number of 46,715 job card holders out of which 5130, including 568 addicts, came forward for checkup at different health centres.

Studies conducted by the CSOs and the Education Department have also found that the implementation of MGNREGA has also helped in controlling the school dropouts and child labour. MGNREGA has given employment rural to people as a result of which they don’t take their kids out of schools.

In the schools of the district at elementary level, the dropout rate was 840 in 2007-2008, which reduced to 331. Similarly, it has been observed that at secondary level the dropout rate in 2007-2008 was 1273, and it reduced to 1065 in 2009-2010.

The awareness and training camps are being organised in each village of all eight community development (CD) blocks where the rural folk are made aware on MGNREGS and drug de-addiction.

For the purpose, the district administration has tied up with government departments and Captain Gurdeep Singh Memorial Education, Health and Social Welfare Society, Amritsar, and Entrepreneurship Training and Rural Development Initiatives, Mohali.

Tarn Taran is a backward district of the state situated along the Indo-Pakistan border. The people of the area usually depend on agriculture and allied occupations. Unemployment and illiteracy are widespread and out of frustration, the villagers, particularly the youth, have taken to drugs.

In the district, there is high consumption of alcohol, opium, poppy husk, dodey, allopathic medicines like corex, lomotil, pethidine, cannabionoids, cannabis besides ganja, charas, hashish sedatives & hypnotics, tabacco, caffeine, hallucinogens, volatile solvents etc.

The MGNREGA has opened employment opportunities to the rural households as a result of which their income has also increased.

In the year 2008-09, 2310 household got 47,706 persondays of employment and in 2009-10, 3411 households got 77166 persondays of employment. Deputy Commissioner Khushi Ram said for disseminating information and creating awareness among the rural masses, the district administration has launched its own quarterly newspaper entitled ‘Mahatma Gandhi NREGA Khabarnama’.

Studies conducted by civil society organisations and government departments show positive results since the implementation of the scheme

Amritsar, June 4
Deepali Kochhar of Sri Guru Teg Bahadur College for Women earned a name for her school and family by clinching the first position in the district in plus two (humanities) in the Punjab School Education Board.

She wanted to pursue graduation in computer applications to realise her dream of becoming a software engineer.

She clinched the 24th position in the state while in humanities she was placed 17th in Punjab. She secured 395 marks out of 450. She had computer applications, mathematics and accountancy as subjects, apart from compulsory Punjabi and English.

About her choice of subjects, she said post matriculation, she wanted to pursue topics which would open more streams of career to choose from. Having studied computer application, accountancy and mathematics, she could opt for any of the streams from B.Sc (economics), B.Com and BCA for graduation.

She decided to choose the last option as she felt its scope was more in the current job market.

Apart from the support of her family, she was thankful to Nanak Singh, the Principal of her college and her teachers, in helping her achieve the position. 

Amritsar, June 4
Despite being unsuccessful thrice in the matriculation examination, this 71-year-old Amritsar resident has become a motivational being due to his hardship and determination.

Meet V.M. Gupta, who became a matriculate in his fourth attempt in 1958, took lessons from the failure and chose to help underprivileged children in their education.

He formed the Vishwamitr Bimla Rani Charitable Trust to carry out his mission. The trust adopts five to six children every year and bears all the expense on their education.

“When I could not get my matriculation degree consecutively for three years from 1955 to 1957, my elder brother wrote on my stomach ‘You can never be a matriculate’. That very day, I determined to omit the word ‘never’. It worked and I passed my matriculation examination in 1958,” he said.

“Right after that, I could realise the importance of education and vowed to help the children, especially those who have scant resources to meet education expense. That’s how a trust came up which helps children in their education,” he added.

Describing the results of this endeavour, Gupta said one of the students of the trust is doing B. Pharmacy and two others are pursuing engineering. The involvement of Gupta with the underprivileged children can well be gauged from the fact that he does not hesitate to extend monitory help to the children of Maqboolpura’s Citizen Mandir School. “I even celebrate my marriage anniversary by distributing books, stationary and uniforms among these children of lesser God.

Gupta runs a pharmaceutical shop opposite Vidya Sagar Mental Hospital, Amritsar. About his success story, Gupta told that while hailing from a middle class family, he worked as a helper at a doctor’s clinic during his studies.

“It was in 1960, when on the recommendation of Late Dr Vidya Sagar, the then Deputy Commissioner, permitted me to install a medicine kiosk opposite to the mental hospital. With a meager amount of Rs 400, I established the kiosk, made of wood. This place proved to be of a great convenience for patients and this start has changed the whole scenario of my life”, told Gupta while pointing towards the recommendation letter of Dr Vidya Sagar, which was enshrined in a frame.

Though Gupta himself couldn’t continue his studies after matriculation due to his family circumstances, but both his son and a daughter became doctors. “ My daughter Dr Poonam Gupta is running charitable hospital in Lohgarh”, he said with pride in his eyes.

Amritsar, June 4
In order to spread awareness against female foeticide, the Sarhad-e-Punjab sports club initiated a signature campaign at the Government Senior Secondary School, Chheharta, here.

The club, dedicated to promote sports activities like athletics among the youth, started the campaign pledging they would oppose the menace of female foeticide and would try to spread awareness among the general public about the pitfalls of social hazards.

A number of children between the age of 14-16 signed the banner, along with the school staff and social worker Surbhi Verma.

GS Mattu, President of the club, said although a lot of efforts are being put in by the government and various NGOs in this direction, a lot of more steps are required to be taken. He said the signature campaign was one of their steps taken for eradicating the menace by spreading awareness among the youth.

He said the members of the club and students would hold a rally on the culmination of one-week-long campaign.

Meanwhile, the Sarhad-e-Punjab Sports Club instituted Hari Singh Nalwa Award would be presented to a renowned coach for his contribution in their field of sports. The name of the coach would be decided by a seven-member committee of the club under the patronage of Harmanbir Singh Gill. Its annual award function would be held on August 29, he added.