Amritsar, September 24
The peace in the 200-year-old trade hub of Amritsar - the Hall Bazaar - was disturbed today when shopkeepers and residents of the areas around the Golden Temple went on rampage, damaging government property.

They destroyed the official documents of the MC’s enforcement wing office during the ‘bandh’ call by traders.

It was their way of retaliation, in the wake of Amritsar administration’s decision of creating a 410-metre area around the Golden Temple as ‘no-vehicle-zone’ from 8 am to 8 pm, and implementing paid parking rule in the bazaar.

On one hand, the Amritsar administration, while complying with High Court orders, has no choice but to implement the ‘no-vehicle-zone’, from Phuwara Chowk in Dharam Singh Market to the Golden Temple and paid parking zones, opposite to shops, in the Hall Bazaar for visiting customers, to regulate traffic snarls.

On the other hand, traders strongly opposed the decision, while foreseeing that this would hamper their decade-long business and sought political asylum to roll back the orders. The various trading associations had already filed affidavits in the High Court to raze as many as 10 barricades put up in the bazaar.

Today, at about 11 am, the traders from Hall Bazaar, Katra Jaimal Singh, Katra Sher Singh and Dharam Singh market, along with residents and led by various political leaders, created ruckus and raised anti-administration slogans.

The mob, equipped with iron rods and pipes, broke open the door of the MC’s office and damaged the cooler, TV and furniture of the office. Before going back, they also tore official files lying on the table. The agitating crowd uprooted fixed iron barriers from the ground, dropped down the temporary barricades and police posts.

It has been learnt that the Kotwali police arrested five persons in this context. Later, their counterparts gheraoed the police station, forcing the release of these persons.

Over 4 lakh people have been living in an area of 3.5 km, divided into 13 wards. They rued that with the implementation of the ‘no vehicle zone’ throughout the day time, they would have to face hardship in reaching their offices, getting their children to school, transporting essential goods to their homes or taking ailing patients to hospitals etc.

For traders, these ‘autocratic’ decisions would hit their business. Though the administration agreed to give some temporary relaxation till September 27 (the High Court hearing date in this context) by allowing no parking fee till two hours, yet it did not go down well with the agitating traders.

The traders rued that the administration has been misguiding them in the garb of regulating traffic. They alleged that it has more or less become the earning revenue for the MC by implementing the paid parking rule.

The traders argued that if the administration implemented paid parking, customers would hesitate to enter their areas and consequently, their business would be hampered. Sunil Sharma, president of the Hall Bazar Dealers and Traders’ Association argued that this decision would affect over a thousand traders and their families. Rupinder Singh, joint secretary of the association, said they had sought High Court orders’ copies from the DC.

“We know that the HC has just ordered them to regulate traffic, no where has there been any mention of making paid parking zones”, he said.

Amritsar, September 24
Dr Ravi Mahajan, president of North Zone Association of Plastic Surgeons of India, has expressed concern over the rate of children born with deformity in India.

Speaking at the three-day annual conference of the association that started here today with a workshop on cleft lip and nose deformity, Dr Mahajan said there is dearth of quality plastic surgeons in the country. There are just 1,500 plastic surgeons in the country at present in India.

He rued the government was not taking any initiative for establishing training centres for plastic surgeons while there is just one or two in Punjab.

“The need is being felt for more plastic surgeons in the country and the government should do something in this regard,” said Dr Mahajan, organising chairman of the conference.

He pointed out that there were about 10 lakh children in India who suffered from cleft lips and palate. Out of this approximately 1 lakh children have been treated successfully under Smile Train, a US-based NGO working exclusively for this cause and providing free treatment to the people.

Meanwhile, more than 100 plastic surgeons from all over country are participating in the conference. During the workshop four cases of unilateral cleft lip and palate, bilateral cleft lip and palate and secondary cleft lip and nose deformity were operated upon the patients in the Amandeep Hospital.

Dr C.P. Sahwney (Delhi) and Dr Ravin Thatte (Mumbai), the doyens of Indian plastic surgery, inaugurated the workshop in the morning. Dr C Thomas (Muskat, Oman), Dr Rajiv Ahuja (New Delhi) and Dr Nitin Mukal (Mumbai) performed the surgeries. In introductory lecture by Dr R.K. Sharma (PGI Chandigarh) said this live demonstration of surgery from the masters of cleft lip and nose surgery provided an opportunity for the other plastic surgeons attending the conference.

Amritsar, September 24
Though ‘mistaken identity’ of 43-year-old Wasil Khan, lodged in the Amritsar jail as Pakistani national has yet to be ascertained, his sister Mohazra Khatoon and other family members today met him in the jail to hand over his antecedents to establish his identity as ‘Indian’ national.

Even as the jail authorities were in the process of scheduling his release, after completion of his sentence along with 52 Pak prisoners, a new twist has emerged in his story with the sudden appearance of his family members.

Confirming this, the jail officials said his family members had handed over some documents like the voter card, ration card and a police report, while claiming that the person in question is their relative and is an Indian national.

“We received him a few months ago. He was originally kept in Nabha jail. As per records, he is a Pakistani, though he says that he is an Indian. Anyway, we have taken these documents in our possession for verifications but the cases under which he had been convicted, were of very serious nature. After verification, we, through Deputy Commissioner, Amritsar, would send the report to the Government of India for further course of action”, said GS Sandhu, Jail Superintendent.

According to police, as many as 11 cases had been registered against Wasil, some of them were of serious nature under Section 302 and 307 and his identity in the FIRs has been declared to be a “Pakistani national’.

He had served a term for eight years for illegally crossing over to India from Pakistan, is reportedly a resident of Nekerdehi village in East Champaran, formerly Motihari district, of Bihar.

On the other hand, Wasil’s family claimed that he is innocent and has been implicated in false cases.

Shahid Raza Khan, husband of Mohazra Khatoon, told that a petition has been filed with the Deputy Commissioner, who has marked an inquiry into the case. “We would go to the court to get justice. We demand high-level probe into it. What compensation the government would give for the sentence he has served with the Pak prisoners for crime he has never committed”, said Khan.

Khan also told that an acquaintance of their had brought a cutting of new item of a Punjab daily and then they came to know about Wasil’s whereabouts. “We have been assured of fair inquiry by the DC and we are looking forward for it”, he said before leaving back.

Amritsar, September 24
The socialist structure of the government, adopted in the country immediately after freedom, corrupted the whole government machinery, said Director, Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA), New Delhi, Bhartendra Singh Baswan, while delivering a talk on Public Policy in India to the faculty members of the Khalsa College today.

Baswan observed that the socialist model adopted by India was actually an apparatus in which the private sector was assisted by being provided basic services and infrastructure.

Out of his vast experience as a civil servant, teacher and research scholar, he delivered a knowledgeable talk on the politico-administrative working of the government at the higher and lower levels.

He said the market oriented economic reforms initiated in the nineties made the system more open and accountable.

He stressed that no public policy following extreme ideologies, whether socialist or capitalist, could protect general interests.

Answering the queries of the faculty, Baswan explained that capital punishment was not a permanent cure for checking corruption.

In reply to another question, he said though democracy seemed to be a hindrance in the path of development in the multi-religious, multi-lingual and multi-cultural socio milieu of India, it was the best channel to strengthen the foundations of the country for development.

Vijendra Singh Jafa, former chief secretary, Assam, said educational institutes like Khalsa College must play an active role in the society by turning to research in a big way and generating public opinion on issues like female foeticide.

Among others, principal of the college Dr Daljit Singh and former vice chancellor, Guru Nanak Dev University, HS Soch, were present.

Amritsar, September 24
Dr G.S. Virk, professor of botanical and environmental sciences at the Guru Nanak Dev University, has been invited to deliver plenary lecture at the international conference on ‘Challenging and Emerging Dimensions in Medicinal/Herbal Plants and their Products: A Global Prospective’, scheduled to be held at Chennai.

The three-day international conference, to start from November 26, would be organised by the Society for Conservation and Resource Development of Medicinal Plants (SMP), in collaboration with the Services International, New Delhi.

Besides delegates from the country, participants would come from the US, Bulgaria, Australia, Bangkok, Mexico, Nigeria, Egypt, France and UK.

Prof Virk is engaged in the production of secondary metabolites and micro-propagation of useful medicinal plants like neem, ashwagandha, tulsi, gloe and others through tissue culture technologies.

He would present the recent research work based on a survey of the Amritsar district carried out recently by him and Prof Daizy Sharma of DAV College in which they explored the potentials of wild and cultivated medicinal herbs, shrubs and trees for curing different diseases.

This study involved ethno-botanical aspects, commercially exploited and un-exploited medicinal flora of the holy city.

He said aims and objectives of the SMP was to constitute a forum at international and national level for bringing together individuals and organisations involved in medicinal crops and to develop international research and development linkages and disseminate up-to-date technologies in the field of medicinal plants and their cultivation.

Tarn Taran, September 24
Laxmi Narayan, Judge of the District Consumer Court, warned the shopkeepers and owners of other commercial establishments against cheating consumers as according to him, the courts have made it very easy for consumers in getting justice.

Narayan expressed these views in his key address while speaking at the consumer awareness seminar organised here yesterday by the District Consumer Welfare Forum at the local Sewa Devi SD College.

The Judge said to get justice from consumer courts was so easy that the consumer did not even need the services of any advocate or some other helper.

He added that in more than 99 per cent cases, the verdict came in favour of consumers. He said the district court received as many as 400 complaints during the last two years and out of these cases, 300 cases have been disposed off.

Kulbir Singh, Additional Deputy Commissioner, presided over the seminar.

Other officials, who were present in the seminar, include Dr Balwinder Singh Kalsi civil surgeon, Maninderjit Singh XEN Powercom, Charanjit Singh Food Supplies.

Tarn Taran, September 24
As many as 3,947 beneficiaries would have to wait for more time to get ‘Shagun’. These persons have been in the queue for the last more than three years.

Under this scheme, the family of each Dalit girl was given Rs 15,000 on her marriage to meet the expenditure on the marriage ceremony.

The fact came to light here today when the District Advisory Committee of scheduled castes and backward classes was held under the presidentship of the Deputy Commissioner (DC) Khushi Ram.

The DC told the house that the district administration had received a total number of 4,843 applications till June, 2010, for which an amount of Rs 7,25,10,000 was needed, whereas the government had released an amount of Rs 1,33,05,000.

He further said, with this amount, 887 cases of people who have applied till September, 2009, would be adjusted.

The DC said the administration was writing a letter to the government in this regard, to release more amount.

The meetings of other departments were also held, in which district heads and non-government members attended the meetings.

Amritsar, September 24
Forty cadets, 25 boys and 15 girls, and 12 staff members of 2nd Punjab Naval Unit, NCC, Amritsar, under the aegis of the NCC Directorate, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh, are participating in a 12-day sailing expedition.

The cadets have been drawn from the local S.R. Government College for Women, DAV College for Boys, Government Senior Secondary School, Ajnala, and DAV College, Jalandhar.

The expedition team, which started from Lonughat, Gobind Sagar Lake, on September 22, comprised Col D. Bahuguna, Group Commander NCC Group Headquarters, Amritsar, Commander B.R. Jamwal, expedition leader, Lt Rajat Kumar Sharma, safety officer, Tara Chand, Chief Petty Officer and Chief Instructor.

Col Bahuguna said the aim was to inculcate team spirit and generate interest in water-based sports and adventures activities among the youth.

The team would cover 430 km and visit places like Jyoriapattan, Nakrana Kanphara, Kala Kund, Bhakra Dam, Purohian, Androli and Lathiani while sailing in the Gobind Sagar lake. The expedition would culminate at Bilaspur on October 1. The performance of the expedition would be assessed at the national level to select the most enterprising naval unit (MENU) among 17 NCC Directorates and best team would be felicitated during the next year Republic Day Parade.

Expedition leader Commander Jamwal said the current water levels were very conducive to sailing. The cadets would be exposed to various kinds of activities during the expedition, which includes sailing, boat pulling and ship modelling. The cadets would sail on two D.K Whaler boats and one enterprises class sailing boat.

Earlier, the cadets attended a camp held at the Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh and recently campaigned for “My earth my duty”, a drive to create a global record for tree plantation in a day.

The expedition would culminate with a cultural programme and camp fire.

Amritsar, September 24
Two cases of kidney transplantation were approved by the district-level Human Organ Transplant Committee, chaired by Dr R.P.S. Boparai, Medical Superintendent, Guru Nanak Dev Hospital, at a meeting held here today.

Overall seven cases, including one of liver transplantation, were put forth during the meeting for approval.

While the patient of liver transplantation or his family member did not turn up during the meeting, the four cases of kidney transplantation were postponed for want of medical tests and police reports, said Dr Boparai.

The committee gave its consent for kidney transplant of Sukhraj Kaur (49), a resident of Jalandhar. The organ would be donated by her brother Ranjot Singh of Bohru village here. It also approved the case of Sawinder Singh, who would be donated organ by his wife Charanjit Kaur, resident of Sultanwind area here.

Amritsar, September 24
The two-day science exhibition ‘Creative Park - 2010’ was kicked off at St Francis School today. The students from eight schools in the district are participating in the event.