Amritsar, October 19
Amritsar has 10 big and small industrial clusters. Two focal points, an industrial area and an industrial estate, the rest of them being unorganised industrial sectors scattered across various parts of the city.

But it seems like balance is one aspect of city development that the state government isn’t really keen on. In the master plan approved recently for Amritsar, the government has proposed to set up three more major industrial pockets.

Apart from the aforementioned designated industrial areas, the work of setting up a handicraft cluster at Mandyala village, located on the Amritsar Chabal road, is under progress.

Industrialists and workers are upset with the SAD-BJP coalition government’s handling of the industrial units which are left without civic amenities and environment to facilitate trade.

They alleged that the industry, particularly border industry, was reeling under tremendous duress owing to the absence of facilities and lopsided policies of the state.

Two focal points are situated at Maqboolpura on the Vallah road, mixed engineering and textile, and another New Focal Point on the Mehta Road and Industrial Estate at Chheharta.

All of them are in deplorable conditions and cry for better civic amenities.

Hence, adding more industrial clusters is a dicey issue altogether.

Unorganised industry is scattered at East Mohan Nagar, along GT Road, towards the Amritsar Engineering College, Puttlighar, Islamabad, GT Road, towards Attari, Verka Industrial area, along the Batala road, Majitha road and Batala road, majority of them are engaged in textile.

As per the data garnered by the private company which prepared the master plan for Amritsar, about 69 per cent of the district’s small scale industries are located within the Amritsar city, employing approximately 71 per cent of the workforce.

Meanwhile, a sector specific special economic zone, dedicated to textile, is mooted at the Khasa village on the Amritsar-Attari GT road.

A visit to the New focal point, old Focal point, both located on the Amritsar-Mehta road, tells one about their deplorable condition. The basic industry requirement of road is miserably missing. If at some patches they are there, then they are covered under loose soil. Passing of even a two wheeler is enough to let clouds of dust to rise and block the view.

A migrant labourer, Ramesh Kumar Yadav, working in a foundry in New Focal Point, said a considerable number of workers here suffer from throat infections and other inhaling ailments.

He said another big problem was the absence of sufficient number of street lights.

He said it curtailed their mobility in the night.

Similar conditions prevail in the old Focal point. Large vacant plots are full of slush and dirty water. The industrialists and workers fear that they could prove health disasters as they had become breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

Condition of roads, sewerage and street lights are deplorable. Road are teeming with potholes, and are under layers of dust. However, a ray of hope was seen in the under-progress work of laying sewerage.

However, in the absence of a power substation, earmarked for the focal points, entrepreneurs here have to shell out exorbitant electricity bills due to low-voltage lines.

Interestingly, the land for the setting up of a power substation was earmarked nearly two decades back. However, for inexplicable reasons it has not come up.

An industrialist from Focal Point Industrial Association Kamal Dalmia, said a fire substation and ESI dispensary were also announced for the focal points but there’s no development on that front as yet.

Established in the early 90s with over 400 industrial units of textile, weaving, yarn, pharmaceuticals, rubber belts, etc. the industrial focal point contributes a large chunk of the taxes to the state and the municipal exchequer but painfully wait for its uplift to achieve its objective, he added.

An industrialist from the unapproved Tarn Taran industrial area, Harjeet Singh, said the industrial units were spread from Chattiwind Gate to Gohalwar village. The industrial area had been in existence even before 1947, he claimed.

He alleged that its inner areas were suffering from the absence of roads, street lights and even sewerage. He said he did not understand the motive of the government in setting up of three more industrial areas when the condition of functional areas was terrible.

Even after having so many industrial areas in the city, the government has made a grand plan to set up three industrial pockets, spread over an area of 8000 acres, along the roads of Tarn Taran, Majitha and Mehta.

Amritsar, October 19
There seems to be no end to the miseries of Dilbagh Singh Gill since he lost his Canadian daughter who was murdered by her husband (in Canada) in 2006.

He had to wage a legal battle in Canada for the possession of his grandson for almost three years.

Now he is fighting to save his agricultural land from his “distant relatives” who are close associates of his slain daughter’s in-laws. A resident of Kotla Doom village in Ajnala tehsil, Gill, who was a government teacher, broke into tears while telling his tale of woes.

“I lost my job while fighting a legal battle for the custody of my grandson in Canada during which I had to spend a lot of money. What would happen to my family if I lose my land too,” he said, while alleging that he was getting threat calls for eliminating his family and four-year-old grandson.

Besides his grandson, Brahmvir Waraich, he has two more children to take care of. Showing the documents, he claimed that the lok adalat and court have granted a stay in his favour on the possession of the land, while his relatives, who wanted to grab his property, were using arm-twisting tactics by getting threat calls issued fromanti-social elements to pressurise him to vacate the land.

“I became a heart patient during my struggle for the possession of my grandson and underwent a heart operation. I am feeling helpless,” said Gill, who approached the Amritsar (Rural) police for justice. He filed an application to SP (Headquarters) Amrik Singh Pawar, urging him to ensure security of his family and an impartial probe into the case.

Pawar said he had marked an inquiry to the SHO, Rajasansi police station, in this regard, adding that he would ensure justice for the aggrieved Dibagh.

He said if he would be unsatisfied with the investigations, he would get an inquiry conducted by a DSP-level official.

Amritsar, October 19
The Sufi Strings, a unique composition of Sufi tracks by Siddharth Mohan, would be so surreal and magnetic that you would not be able to ignore him.

Mohan, a mechanical engineer by qualification, is a lead guitarist, a music composer and an internationally renowned singer of the Art of Living Organisation.

Having a date tomorrow at Company Bagh between 5 pm and 7 pm, he is looking forward to enthrall the Amritsarians with his magnificent aptitude. WAYE (World Alliance for Youth Empowerment) under the aegis of The Art of Living and allied with United Nations “I travel across globe for conducting mega concerts and satsangs.”

People gather in throngs to experience bliss in ‘divine’ performances. My endeavour would be to bring the listener’s heart to resonate with my music at a soul level. Let’s see how audience takes me tomorrow in Amritsar”, he said.

Nonetheless, in September 2009, he was conferred by the Russian government with the Honour of Excellence Youth Award for spreading the sounds of happiness and joy across frontiers, global fan following.

A recipient of Young Achievers Award 2010, he has proved himself to be an asset to The Art of Living family, bringing fame and proud consistently.

Siddharth has his fan following not just in India and among the youth but also in Malaysia and Middle East countries. He has truly become a role model and an inspirational figure for youngsters.

He started live performances 13 years back when I was just 12. From Doon School of Management to IITs, IIMs, Dubai Academic city to Lady Irwin College, Delhi University and various other University colleges in India. Siddharth’s Sufi magic has touched the hearts of thousands.

Siddharth has been blessed with a voice that has universal appeal attracting people of all age groups irrespective of abilities, caste, language, creed and religion Siddharth’s performances are regularly featured on TV Channels like Homeshop18, Sony, Zee TV and on World Space satellite Radio channels.

Amritsar, October 19
While alleging that the senior officials of ‘some agencies’, including senior police officers who were close to controversial Nihang chief Ajit Singh Poohla during the heydays of terrorism were behind the recent murderous attack on Navtej Singh in Amritsar Central Jail premises, Majha Ex-servicemen Human Rights Front today sought high-level probe into the episode.

Col G S Sandhu (retd), chairman of the front, urged Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to institute an inquiry as to how the weapon was smuggled into the high security jail and who are the persons responsible for the attack.

Navtej Singh along with another person Harchand Singh was facing the case in killing of Poohla who was burned to death in the jail premises in August 2008.

Sandhu in a press conference here stated that Punjab Jail Minister Heera Singh Gabria should resign on moral grounds as he along with senior authorities of jails failed to stem the problem of smuggling of arms, narcotics and cell phones in various jails of the state.

He alleged that due to this the problem of organised crime like smuggling of narcotics was still flourishing in the border region. He said the departmental inquiries held by the authorities at various levels were mere an eye wash as the guilty officials get away with minor punishments. He said these enquiries should be made public so that true picture could be brought before the people.

Col Sandhu urged the government to install mobile jammers and close circuit cameras in the all the jail premises in Punjab.

Amritsar, October 19
The team of Young Wonders Kindergarten School, Shastri Nagar, honoured Commonwealth gold medallist Mandeep Kaur at the school.

She encouraged the kids to actively take part in sports activities.

The athlete, who won the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in 4x400m relay race, said the parents should encourage their children to participate in sports. She also said, “We need to foster sportsmanship and team spirit among children.”

Amritsar, October 19
He works for the cause, not for the applause! Schoolchildren call him Santa Claus! Meet 80-year-old Dr S.S. Pawar, who visualises that the prime purpose of education would be half-baked, until unless it reaches the students who live in most deprived conditions in the rural belt of the nation.

After getting superannuation from the Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana, as head of the Extension Education Department in April 1990, Dr Pawar decided to contribute his next innings of life for rural children to help them attain education and make them self reliant. If, it is for the books or clothing for children, he does not mind even spending his whole pension amount.

Nevertheless, he along with other likeminded intellectuals formed Punjab Rural Education Promotion (PREP) Council, a non-governmental organisation funded by its office bearers and members.

Being founder member of the council, Dr Pawar and his team, led by its president Dr RPS Boparai, conducted various camps and competitions, seminars and quiz contests for primary and secondary classes to raise the general knowledge of the students.

While talking to The Tribune, Dr Pawar advocated that the Government of India must frame some lucrative education policies for catching the fancy of parents living below the poverty line in remote rural areas, assure filling up of vacant posts of teachers to meet ideal teacher-taught ration at 1:40 etc. “We live up to our motto ‘Sikhiya Da Sudhar, Desh Da Udhaar’ and our mission is to bring Vidyak Kranti by 2020. It is pity that despite so much revolutionary amendments made in the education policy by our governing bodies, the basic purpose of education could not be achieved because it never reaches the students belonging to rural areas,” he said.

“In the absence of any concrete strictures, the teachers seldom go to rural areas to teach. There too, they try every bit, be it political or bureaucratic pressure, to avoid being transferred in the rural belt. I think this mindset has to be changed and it cannot be imposed forcefully but has to be generated from within their heart. That’s what would be our endeavour to hunt for those teachers who virtually have been justifying their job profile. From time to time, our council honours them in special honorary function organised in different pockets of the state,” said Dr Pawar.

About the ETT teachers’ demands for bringing back the rural schools, running under zila parishads and Panchayat Samitis, to the Education Department, Dr Pawar viewed that the proposal was not faulty but could not be implemented in a proper way.

“It was the prerogative of the government to see whether the teachers under the panchayat or zila parishads, are being governed under the competitive hands, before implementing it. How can you expect results from such a governing body head who do not have any accountability or stake anywhere in the government functioning and not answerable to any authority for output? The end result of this system would come to naught,” Dr Boparai chipped in.

Meanwhile, the PREP council is holding felicitation function on October 22 at Gurdaspur, to honour merit holder students of classes VIII and X (PSEB exam) of rural schools of Punjab.

Amritsar, October 19
Timely intervention could prevent and even treat arthritis, while regular exercise for just half an hour a day increases muscle tone and blood flow and helps in preventing stiffness, aches and pains.

These views were expressed by Dr Mohit Arora, orthopaedic and joint replacement surgeon, Fortis-Escorts Hospital, while observing World Arthritis Day.

He said in arthritis the smooth coating on the bone ends starts wearing out. Regular exercises for just half an hour a day prevents stiffness, aches and pains.

Giving tips, he said the patients should sit squarely on chair with both feet flat on the ground and try to avoid crossing legs. A person should maintain a healthy weight, he said.

“Eat the right food which is high in vitamin E as it reduces morning stiffness and pain as well as improves the grip strength. Fish oil is a good preventative for cartilage damage, so include lot of oily fish in your diet. Green tea contains high level of antioxidants and it also contains polyphenols called ‘catechins’, which have been shown to significantly reduce cartilage damage in humans,” he said.

Meanwhile, Parvati Devi Hospital organised a public awareness camp for joint replacement surgery through advanced computer navigation technology on the hospital premises on the occasion of World Arthritis Day. The camp would conclude on October 30.

Dr G.I.S. Chhina, consultant orthopaedic, and Dr J.P.S. Chhina, senior orthopaedic surgeon, at the hospital, inaugurated the camp by checking bone mass density of one of the patients present there.

Dr Chhina said free check-up and special packages for total knee replacement assisted by computer navigation would be provided to the public at the camp.

Amritsar, October 19
The Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) is finding it difficult to keep an eye on veterinary hospitals and private hospitals and clinics who throw norms to winds.

Kuldip Singh, environment engineer, PPCB said, “At present due to shortage of staff we have not included animal hospitals and private clinics as yet. But we have initiated steps to keep a check. We are going to write to Deputy Director, Veterinary Department, in this regard,” he said.

He added that the department was facing problems to keep an eye on all the hospitals, private clinics, animal hospitals and other medical institutions until and unless we have the tip off or information by the field staff.

As per PPCB records, there are about 292 hospitals and nursing homes in the city out of which 29 are government and 263 are private hospitals. Barring the government hospitals at Tharyewal and Ramdass, all the government hospitals in the district have signed a memorandum of understanding with Amritsar Envirocare systems (P) Ltd --- authorised by the PPCB in Amritsar for disposal of biomedical waste.

However, the questions are also raised on the functioning of these hospitals as their employees who usually did not bother to follow the norms pertaining to segregating and collection of the waste which were later lifted by company for final disposal.

Approximately, 180 private hospitals have also signed a MoU with the private firm for the same while the 63 nursing homes have not initiated any steps for properly dispose off bio-medical waste.

But the sources in the department disclosed that a number of hospitals, nursing homes and laboratories are mushrooming in the city which was yet to register themselves with the board.

According to an estimate, more than 1,500 kg of waste is generated daily by the registered hospitals while the same amount remained unnoticed as erring hospitals, clinics and veterinary hospitals dispose them in municipal garbage against the norms.

As per rules, it is obligatory on part of an institution generating bio-medical waste, which includes hospital, nursing homes, clinics, dispensary, veterinary institutions, animal house, pathological laboratory, blood banks etc to take all steps to ensure that such waste is handled without any adverse effect to human health and the environment.

Kuldip Singh, environment engineer, PPCB said, “The erring hospitals have categorically asked to take adequate measures or else face the music. They would be served the show cause notices and challaned if they failed to take requisite steps within the stipulated period. In case they continue to flout the rules they could handed over an imprisonment for a term till five years besides fine or closure.”