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Illegal firecracker factories prosper
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Rape in police post
The jalebi shop on a well
Jalebiyan Wali Hatti at Katra Ahluwalia in Amritsar. Photo: Vishal Kumar
Health Dept destroys seized medicines
Two bodies found at different places
Urban slum area dispensary inaugurated
From sweets to chocolates Young World Respiratory problems swell around Divali Preserve heritage, go in for holistic strategies, say experts As city steeps itself in festivities, it’s tough time ahead for cops, docs and firemen 'Centre sabotaged Obama visit to Golden Temple' |
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Illegal firecracker factories prosper
Amritsar, November 2 After having just an idea about mixture of some chemicals, lead or detergent powders, they found themselves to be just qualified for running crackers’ manufacturing unit. According to an estimate, this illegal trade does annual business of Rs 2 crore. Even as the norms demand crackers to have not more than specific intensity, hardly had the police or the state Pollution Control Board ever bothered to intervene. It would not be an exaggeration to say that scores of people living in and around the area are sitting on a ticking bomb which can explode any moment. While paying a visit to the area, it was discovered that besides men, a large number of underage children and women were involved in manufacturing crackers in these illegal units, being operated from dingy houses. To top it all, their influence is such that no body dares to object to this illegal activity. The police hesitates to intervene, at least the scant number of cases registered indicates the same. The area being infamous for bootlegging and drug addiction, the authorities have never initiated any plan to save the young lives being exploited by these illegal manufacturers using inflammable material. These crackers were being sold in different areas of the city. The Punjab State Pollution Control Board (PSPCB) though made random checks on the crackers’ permissive intensity, but these unsafe crackers hardly catch their attention. Another startling fact is that medical experts recommend that any cracker beyond 85 decibel would be a health hazard in one way or the other, but the PSPCB officials believe that the norms permit decibel limit of 135 and they would be adhering to this parameter only. Now, let’s see the intensity of firecrackers being sold in the market. A cracker (atom bomb) of a famous brand has sound level of 136 decibel and that, too, while standing 15 feet away from the bursting site and similarly another cracker has a sound level of 134 decibel when recorded from 30 feet away, which are quite more than the permissible level, ie 120 decibel. While triple shot and parrot bomb have sound level of 105 decibel and 107 decibel, respectively. OfficialSpeak:
Deputy Commissioner of Police: It is really a grave issue, which demands immediate action. I am afraid that in past one and half month at least nine cases have been registered against the persons running illegal crackers’ units at Anngarh and several arrests have been made, but still they are active in this unauthorised practice. Action would be taken on priority, I assure. A.K. Kalsi, Environment Official, PSPCB: The maximum allowed intensity of cracker is 135 decibel. Our teams randomly check the crackers’ stall in various markets. But, if still crackers beyond this intensity are being sold in the market, we would conduct special drive from tomorrow onwards. Dos and don’ts for safe Divali
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Rape in police post
Tarn Taran, November 2 According to the information collected by this correspondent here today, in charge of the police post Jagdish Kumar has been transferred to the Police Lines. The victim in her complaint had alleged that three weeks back accused Jaswinder Singh on the pretext of a fake complaint called her to the police post and detained her the whole night. She said that she was kept in a private room where the munshi raped her the whole night. SSP Preetpal Singh Virk said soon after the complaint was received the police took action and the case was registered against the accused and for his negligence. Jagdish Kumar had been transferred from the police post at the local Police Lines. The SSP added that the accused munshi had also been suspended with immediate effect and efforts were on to arrest him as he had absconded. |
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The jalebi shop on a well
Amritsar, November 2 The modest looking Gurdas Ram jalebiwala sweet shop has been tantalising taste buds for generations. Its popularity among the locals could be gauged from the fact that they named the cross, where it is located, as Jalebiyan Wala Chowk. Despite being so popular, they never resorted to expanding the establishment. The shop is equally known for its generous trade practice. The owners have never denied a hearty bite of the crunchy jalebi to a child or an old man, in the return of even as low a payment as a rupee coin. There is no denying the fact that a large chunk of the customers ask for jalebi for Rs 5 while a kilogram of pure ghee jalebi costs Rs 180. One of its owners, Om Prakash Sharma, an advocate by profession, said his father Dina Nath opened the shop in the name of his younger brother Gurdas Ram to instill in him a sense of responsibility towards life and family. A visibly content Sharma admitted that the family had maintained the modest shop since its opening. He said his family never attempted to furnish the shop. “Our main thrust is to maintain the quality of the sweets.” He proudly said their customers were a committed bunch and religiously bought jalebi from this shop only. A wholesale tea merchant, Madan Lal Kapoor, whose shop is located at an arm’s length from the sweet shop, said a look at the jalebi being prepared made the difference clear. A majority of the customers are traders, agents, employees, businessmen, shopkeepers of Shastri Market, Cash Dhara Bazaar and Katra Ahluwalia.
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Health Dept destroys seized medicines
Amritsar, November 2 Health Minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla, while speaking on the occasion, called upon the people to take a pledge on Divali to fight the menace of drug addiction. She said unfortunately, medicines meant for the treatment of patients were being used by drug addicts. She said although the department was doing every bit to nail this problem, several chemist shops indulged in such illegal practices to mint easy money. She said whenever the department received any tip off, it acted on such defaulters. She said the idea of burning medicines on a school premises was to make children aware of its ill effects. Seeking public cooperation, Civil Surgeon Dr Chandanjit Singh Kondal urged the people to inform the Health Department about chemist shops which were indulging in selling of spurious and intoxicants so that severe action could be taken against them. Late, The Theatre Persons group staged a nukkar natak on this social evil. Among those present on the occasion were Punjab Health System Corporation Director Dr Lehmbar Singh,
Assistant State Drug Controller Pardeep Mattu, District Health and Family Officer Dr Naresh
Duggal, District Immunisation Officer Dr A. Gaba and Drug Inspector Sanjiv Garg. |
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Two bodies found at different places
Tarn Taran, November 2 According to the information collected by this correspondent here today, the killed girl has been identified as Sandeep Kaur. Her body was found from the fields of nearby Warrienah village, 15 km from here. The fields are 2 km away from her Thathian Mahantan village. SSP Preetpal Singh Virk said after visiting the spots of both the incidents that last evening Sandeep had gone to receive tuition as usual. She failed to return home till late evening. Her parents searched for her but failed to recover her. A case under sections 302, 376 and 201, IPC, has been registered at Chohla Sahib police station. She was allegedly abducted by some persons who raped her before killing her with sharpedged weapons. Her body was blood stains. In the second incident the Sarhali police recovered the decomposed body of Pargat Singh (30) resident of Usman village, 10 km from here. He had been missing since October 29 from his house. The body was found from a paddy field. A case under section 174, CrP C, has been registered by the Sarhali police. In another incident an unidentified woman died at Asal Uttar village, 40 km from here. Villager Subeg Singh brought the matter to the notice of the police. The Valtoha police has registered a report under section 174, CrP C. — OC
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Urban slum area dispensary inaugurated
Amritsar, November 2 Addressing the gathering, Chawla said besides Shaheed Udham Singh Nagar, the dispensary would cater to other adjoining areas, including Gurbax Nagar, Indira Colony, etc, having a population of more than 35,000 persons. There was an urgent need of a government dispensary in the area as the people were forced to go to private doctors or government hospitals situated quite far away from their areas. The dispensary would provide free treatment for general ailments, free check-ups of pregnant women and children and immunisation.
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From sweets to chocolates Amritsar, November 2 A 10 per cent rise has been witnessed in the prices of sweets, while some of the items have been hiked to the tune of 20 to 30 per cent. Rates of crackers, earthen lamps, fancy electric lights, dry fruits and other items liberally used during the festival, have also jacked up this time. It has burnt holes in the pockets of the middle and lower income groups. The health department collected nearly 446 samples from various sweet shops this year. Out of them, 95 failed to meet the standards. Meanwhile, the news of adulterated sweets, being seized across the country, has been eroding the faith of consumers of traditional sweets. Instead, they are turning to chocolates and dry fruits. A resident, Resham Singh (62), said he had to buy chocolates and dry fruits for his grandchildren, sons and daughters-in-law. While in order to keep tradition, he had to buy sweets. He admitted that to meet expenses, the quantity of sweets was curtailed. A majority of the persons quizzed were of the view that the craze for the festival had not died down, owing to inflation but the duration of festivities was restricted to a couple of days. A wholesale dry fruit merchant, Surinder Kumar, said undoubtedly the sale of dry fruits had seen an uptrend in the past five years. It forced big traders to float their own brands to sell dry fruits in beautiful gift packs. A shopkeeper at Katra Jaimal Singh, Harpal Singh, said the shoppers used to throng arterial roads of traditional markets located close to the Golden Temple weeks before the festival. However, with the passage of time, the sales picked up only a couple of days before Divali. Articles, traditionally used in plenty during the festival of lights, have seen a sharp uptrend while the role of government and its agencies in reining them was woefully missing. A resident of the Sultanwind Road, Jatinder Kumar, said frequent rise in prices of eatables became the order of the day with middle and lower middle class families having no option but to turn to plead their case. The only power these fragmented segments command was to exercise their franchise, which only causes change in the names of leaders and their parties, he rued. An employee, Surjeet Singh, stated in an agitated tone that “the government has not been able to evolve a mechanism to fix the prices of ready-to-eat products being sold in swanky, glitzy shops and even by vendors. They hike the prices of these eatables as per their whims and fancies, with no room for consumers to vent their feelings”. The sweet makers invariably cite the reason of the climbing up of prices of ingredients, behind their decisions to affect a hike in sweet prices.
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Young World Amritsar, November 2 Expressing enthusiasm on the turnout, vice-principal Shireen Kumar said, “Every year we try to shed light on issues from our society that most often shape us into the kind of person we become. These children are young but they are fast learners. They are at an age when their minds are developing logic and the ability to question. And at our annual carnival, we intend to generate thought not just in the child but also the parent.” Another memorable performance by LKG students questioned the meaning of Sikh and Hindu ceremonies which have, with time, become obsolete. The play pen blew trumpets on “All is Well”. The end was brought by the energetic and enthusiastic UKG students who swayed to salsa numbers with their respective partners. Welcome function
Sanampreet Singh of B.Tech CSE (1st semester) was adjudged Mr Fresher while Harmeet Kaur studying diploma ECE (1st semester) bagged the Miss Fresher title during the annual welcome function, “AGAAZ 2010” held on the Sai Technology Campus, Manawala. The function was inaugurated by Dr Nacchattar Singh, adviser to the Vice-Chancellor of Punjab Technical University. This was followed by shabad kirtan. In keeping with the tradition of dedicating the function to a cause, the motto this year was “go green, save the environment”. A well crafted and executed cultural programme, including giddha, bhangra, skits, solo songs, etc. followed. The audiences were enchanted by the traditional folk “bhands”. Ramayana
Spiritual Ramayana was held for three days at Bhavan’s SL Public School from October 30 to November 1. More than 700 students presented the divine Ramayana. Various life incidents related to Lord Rama were enacted by students. Students presented the real characters of Ramayana very authentically. Chairman Avinash Mohindru welcomed the guests and informed them of the purpose of conducting the Ramayana.
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Respiratory problems swell around Divali Amritsar, November 2 While the noise produced by the bursting of crackers also goes well beyond the permissible decibel limit causing moderate to severe damage to ears, especially of the children, the pollutants suspended in the air due to smoke and smog cause irritation and infection in the eyes. According to Dr Naresh Chawla, district TB Officer, the number of patients visiting the Outdoor Patient Department (OPD) drastically increases during Divali season. “Normally, the OPD receives 30-45 per cent more patients in October and November due to change in weather, while it reaches to 80 per cent near Divali,” said Dr Chawla. He said the patients already suffering from respiratory problem such as asthma and acute bronchiolitis were more prone to an (asthma and acute bronchiolitis) attack. Therefore they were advised to keep their doses (inhaler) with them all the time or they should remain indoors with all the widows of their house closed at least one day prior to Divali and afterwards. Dr Karunesh Gupta, an ENT surgeon, said a number of persons become deaf due to pressure exerted by sudden loud sound created by bursting of crackers. Majority of the victims are children, who are more prone to this as their defence mechanism is not fully developed. He said the sound level beyond 85 decibel is very dangerous for human ear as it can cause permanent hearing loss and sometimes also result in high blood pressure, heart attack, sleeplessness, upset stomach, etc. The crackers produce sound more than 100 decibels and reaches to 130 decibel. It can rupture ear drum that results in deafness that may not be cured depending on the extent of damage. “But if the sound damages auditory nerve of the ear, it could be a permanent deafness,” said Dr Gupta.
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Preserve heritage, go in for holistic strategies, say experts Amritsar, November 2 This workshop was organised by the Guru Ram Das School of Planning of Guru Nanak Dev University. In her key-note address, Prof Nalini Thakur of School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, stressed that there was a dire need to look into the heritage sites and some prominent points could be picked up from the UNESCO conventions. “Amritsar is a holy city, there is need to start an Amritsar heritage centre for the convenience of tourists. The heritage spots should be preserved keeping in view the cultural and historical perspective,” she said. GND University Vice-Chancellor A.S. Brar stressed upon the importance of indigenous technologies and rich heritage of the country. “The Walled City is an important component of any city due to its political and religious nature. We are constructing our buildings on the basis of western culture but our heritage buildings were constructed eco-friendly, hygienic, economical and based on natural source light. Therefore, efforts should be made to construct our new buildings keeping in view our construction heritage. Our educational institutes should encourage research on this type of constructions. We should develop our own construction norms instead of following western system,” he said. M.L. Kaushal, Secretary, Punjab Regional Chapter of the ITPI, representing the Department of Town and Country Planning, Punjab, described various master plans of the state (notified and under preparation), which have adopted the heritage issue. Over 200 people, including town planners from Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, various NGOs like Amritsar Vikas Manch, Environment Society of Amritsar, INTACH, Mission Aagaaz, representatives of the Municipal Corporation, Amritsar, Water Supply and Sewerage Board, Faculty and students from Planning and Architecture Department, participated in the debate.
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As city steeps itself in festivities, it’s tough time ahead for cops, docs and firemen Amritsar, November 2 However, there is a group of people who, thanks to their job, will have to be on their toes round the clock on Divali. Doctors, firemen and the police will have to be extra cautious to make sure that the general public has a safe Divali and these departments have issued instructions asking their staff to work overtime on Divali. The Tribune just had a peek into their schedule and their plans on celebrating the festival of lights. Regional fire officer Trilochan Singh says the fire department has divided the city into various zones and extra people would be on duty at all the five stations which would cater to Tarn Taran district too. “We cannot think of taking a leave in our wildest dreams when such an occasion is there. A circular has been issued for not taking any leave from November 4 to 6. Our teams would be on the job 24 hours on these three days and extra men have been deputed to deal with any fire incident in the city and Tarn Taran district. If we usually had eight-member teams, on this occasion there would be 24 firemen at the disposal of the whole city despite the fact that they have been facing over 65 per cent staff shortage,” he said. The police department, too, has arranged for extra strength to deal with any undesirable incidents. At least 500 Punjab Armed Police (PAP) cops and paramilitary force staff has been hired for the city. Deputy Commissioner of Police A.S. Chahal said, “It may be celebration time for others. But for us it is service time. Still the staff have been asked to adjust some hours for the festival on mutual understanding. Rather joining family members to celebrate the occasion, we have asked them to join us on duty. Round the clock, our staff would be there for the convenience of the public. Our main focus would be to regulate traffic around the Golden Temple and Hall Bazaar areas,” he said. while quoting that as per precedent, the police officials would be visiting the families of those personnel who laid their lives while serving and we would be presenting them with customary crackers, sweets, etc. Another senior police official said though his family insists every year that he should take an off on Divali, yet professional compulsions do not allow that. “I make up by spending some extra time with them soon after the festival so that they know I’m equally keen on enjoying their company,” he says. Similarly, doctors at Guru Nanak Dev Hospital have been asked to be available on the three days to cater to any eventuality. Medical Superintendent Dr R.P.S. Boparai says, “I have issued instructions to specialists to be available on call. They have been alerted in the wake of the festival as there is always the possibilities of injuries, especially of the ear and eye, due to lighting of fire crackers,” he said. SOS Calls:
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'Centre sabotaged Obama visit to Golden Temple' Amritsar, November 2 He said countless unsubstantiated reasons had been put forth since the news of the President calling off his visit to the holy city was made public. He wondered that the visit to Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai was cleared where a number of persons were gunned down in the 26/11 terrorist attack in 2008. Mann flayed the reports stating that the Sikhs were disappointed with the decision of President Obama cancelling his tour.
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Cocking a snook at rules, the illegal and unsafe firecracker factories in the Anngarh area have been prospering and the authorities have turned a blind eye to it. The term decibel (exploding intensity of the crackers) is a foreign language to them.
After having just an idea about mixture of some chemicals, lead or detergent powders, they found themselves to be just qualified for running crackers’ manufacturing unit. According to an estimate, this illegal trade does annual business of Rs 2 crore.
Amritsar, November 2
