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Now, shell out Rs 2 more for a kilo of milk
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Remembering Param Vir Chakra awardee Abdul Hamid
‘Transition phase’ leads to problems in DTO office
Patient’s death triggers protest
Miss Earth shines in diamond bustier
Birth Anniversary
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Now, shell out Rs 2 more for a kilo of milk
Amritsar, September 6 The domestic budget of households, especially of middle and lower income groups, would be stretched as the Amritsar Milk Halwai Association, representing nearly 1,500 shops across the city, increased the prices of curd and cheese. The price of 1 kg of curd has been increased from Rs 36 to Rs 40, while that of cheese from Rs 180 to Rs 200. The hike in the prices of these items before the onset of the festive season signals the increase in the prices of sweets, which remain in high demand during these months. Halwais and milk suppliers together increase the price of milk every Baisakhi. However, it is for the first time that the rate has been increased twice this year. Amritsar Milk Halwai Association’s president Charanjit Singh Pappu said they had been attempting to prevail upon the Amritsar Dhodhi Union to review the rates after Diwali. However, they remained adamant to hike the rate citing the reason of increase in the prices of fodder, petrol and diesel. He said the halwais, selling milk and milk products, procure single category of milk, which is of five fat. Now, the price of this milk has been raised from Rs 23 to Rs 25 a litre. Earlier, the rate of this category of milk was revised five months ago. He said as per the agreement reached between the two unions there would be no tinkering with the milk’s price till Diwali. He said after the conclusion of the festival season, both the unions would review the milk price. “In case the demand of milk decreases after the festive season, then the prices would also come down. If the demand remains the same, then the prices would not be touched,” he quipped. He held branded milk suppliers responsible for increase in the rate. He claimed that these organisations procure milk in bulk from milkmen at their villages.Amritsar Dhodhi Union’s president Surjit Singh Bal said the hike in milk prices had become inevitable following increase in the prices of fodder, petrol, diesel and other commodities involved in the production of milk. A resident of Anand Avenue, Surinder Singh, said his milk supplier had conveyed him that a litre of milk would cost him Rs 30, instead of Rs 28. He said the second hike within five months had burnt a hole in his domestic budget. He said, “Halwais armed with necessary equipment and wherewithal could check the quality of milk being supplied, while households like ours do not have such mechanism. Customers like him can only trust milk suppliers.”
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Police, admn turn blind eye to sale of tobacco products near schools
Consequently, caring two hoots for the stipulated guidelines as framed by the Supreme Court, the cigarette vendors continue to prosper around school buildings. This definitely attracts the attention of the children, who by virtue of their tender age are tempted by these ‘forbidden delights’. Vendors reportedly sell cigarettes and other tobacco products while ostensibly running juice, chana kulcha or tea stalls. On Majitha road, there are three schools-Brightland High School, St Mary’s Girls’ High School and Sacred Heart School on one side and Guru Nanak Dev Hospital on the other. There are at least seven tobacco vendors on this stretch. One such vendor proudly shares the boundary wall of Brightland School. This vendor said, “I sit here from 8 am to 10.30 pm. We cater to some teachers and nearby shopkeepers. When it comes to schoolchildren, I usually restrict my sales to flavoured saunf or elaichi. Many teachers come to me daily, but they never object to it. By the way, who are you to be worried about it?”. Ironically, the Majitha police post is just at a stone’s throw from here but no one has ever bothered to check this menace. However, it has invited the ire of parents who pass through the road daily to drop or pick-up their children. Today, when The Tribune team tried to question the tobacco vendors, they retorted rudely: “What can you do about it? We have been selling tobacco here for the last 10 years. When nobody has ever complained, why are you objecting to it?”, they said. Another vendor said that the police was their regular client and that no one was there to check them. “They are our regular customers. We know how to “take care” of them? Don’t waste your time and energy, no change can be brought here”, he said. Neverthless, the ‘service’ was also thriving on the stretch between the Guru Nanak Dev University and Khalsa College Public School. Here, the vendor was found to be a bit vigilant. When asked he said, “ Bachhon ko nahin dete hain, sahib”. Supreme Court guidelines
The SC has directed the state authorities to issue directions to all educational institutions to adhere to the provision of Section 6 of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003, more popularly known as COTPA. This Act regulates sale of cigarettes and tobacco products to minors. Section 6 of the Act clearly mandates that no cigarettes or tobacco products shall be sold to any person under the age 18 years in an area within 100 yards of an educational institution.
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National awardee teacher welcomed
Amritsar, September 6 It was an emotional time for Randhawa as a large number of people turned up at the railway station to welcome her back home. She is a teacher in the subject of English at Government Senior Secondary School at Jagdev Kalan village. As the officiating Principal she got eight rooms and a hall constructed in the school with her own efforts. During her 20-year long eventful teaching career she gave extra classes to her students. She also thanked her teacher Kewal Sharma for instilling in her a sense of responsibility, love for academics and discipline. Born at Jagdev Kalan village, she received primary education at National Model School, East Mohan Nagar and went for higher education at Khalsa College and Shahzada Nand College here. Apart from her relatives and colleagues, leaders of all political parties, including former Kerala Governor RL Bhatia and Akali MLA Inderbir Singh Bularia also accorded her a warm welcome.
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Remembering Param Vir Chakra awardee Abdul Hamid
The mausoleum of hero of the Asal Uttar battle Abdul Hamid is located there. However, the area still sans development. Potholed roads turn into puddles even after a mild shower. People have to commute on dusty
roads. Sarpanch of Asal Uttar village Gurmeet Singh said the pace of growth had been slow in the area. He said despite numerous representations, civic amenities were missing. He said since the formation of separate Tarn Taran district the village panchayat had not received the annual grant of Rs 1 lakh for holding the mela in the memory of the victory in the Asal Uttar battle. He said the panchayat had garnered its own resources to hold the fair in which matches of volleyball and kabaddi were held. He said akhand path would be held at the village gurdwara on September 8 and its bhog would be performed on September 9. He recalled that there was a time when Chief Ministers and senior leaders of the opposition in the Assembly used to make it a point to pay their respects to the martyrs of the Asal Uttar battle, which was a part of the 1965 Indo-Pak war. Unfortunately, it is no longer the same. Sartaj Singh, a resident of the village says the functions became low-key affairs about seven years ago, when top leaders started staying away from it. Damanpreet Singh, another native of the village, said the villagers had also stood by the Army to beat back the invaders. He said but the government had not acknowledged this sacrifice accordingly. He said they were extremely thankful to the martyrs, who saved their houses from marauding invaders and beat them back.The Army also takes part in the village fair to recall the valour and sacrifices of its gallant men every year. The fair concludes with the memorial service at the CQMH Abdul Hamid Param Vir Chakra Memorial. Matches between Army men and villagers and free medical camps for local residents and ex-servicemen are held, besides a number of food stalls and CSD canteen services are also set up. A langar is organised at the village
gurdwara. Every year, the three-day-long fair begins from September 9. Roll of honour
The battle of Asal Uttar reminds one of the bravery of Indian soldier Company Quarter Master Abdul Hamid of 4th Battalion of Grenadiers Regiment. Honoured with the highest Indian gallantry award, Param Vir Chakra, Abdul had knocked out seven enemy tanks with a recoilless gun. Though under intense artillery shelling and tank fire, Abdul Hamid moved from one firing position to another and pulverised three Patton tanks of the enemy. However, while engaging the fourth tank, he was fatally wounded by an enemy shell. Abdul Hamid’s courage, disregard for personal safety and act of bravery in the face of the enemy was a shining example of the valour and high traditions of the Indian Army. Battle of Asal Uttar
The battle is considered the mother of tank battles in independent India. Contrary to the awesome prestige of the Patton tank, the battle saw nearly hundreds of Pakistani tanks, majority of them Pattons, either being destroyed or abandoned, thus, earning the locale epithet of “Pattons’ Graveyard”. Interestingly, former Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf had participated in the battle as a Lieutenant of a artillery regiment. The 1965 war was regarded as a tactical Indian victory as Indian troops had flooded the area along the international border in the then district of Amritsar, following the capture of Khemkaran by the Pakistan forces. As per military history, the Pakistani forces were brought into a horse shoe formation. As many as 32 Indians tanks also got destroyed or damaged. The Indian troops were led by Maj-Gen Gurbaksh Singh, while his Pakistani counterpart was Maj-Gen Nasir Ahmad
Khan.
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‘Transition phase’ leads to problems in DTO office
Surjit Sharma, who has come to get his registration certificate (RC), faces a similar predicament. Standing in a serpentine queue, he feels thirsty, but is unable to locate a water cooler. Exasperated Sharma goes back to his home saying that his son will collect the RC on some other day. But the visitors are not bothered whether Smart Chip does its work or it is done manually by the DTO staff. Preeti, a young housewife, whose son wanted to get his blood tested at a counter in order to get his blood group known, said “I have been standing here for the past three hours. The line in front of me refuses to
move.” An oblivious Preeti does not know that line will move only if there is a clerk at the counter to handle things. Since the counter remains unmanned, there are so many like Preeti who have no option except to stand in the line. DTO Vimal Kumar Setia claims that problems will persist because the office is passing through a “transitional phase”. “Once the French firm completes its work of loading the new software, people will find it a lot easier since their work will be done quickly. Moreover, all the 23 car agencies in Amritsar are being made online and a person purchasing a car will not have to come to the DTO office to get his or her RC. This will be done by the car agency itself and this will reduce the load on the DTO staff,” claimed Setia. A majority of the people come to the DTO office to get their driving licences prepared. A Hindu College student, Sahil, was one of them. “I have been roaming in the office for the last three hours. However, there is none to guide me as to where can I get my licence. And God knows if I actually get it or not.”
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Patient’s death triggers protest
Amritsar, September 6 Relatives of the deceased said that Pallavi was admitted to Sareen Hospital 20 days ago. “She was pregnant and doctors claimed that a Caesarean was necessary. The doctors claimed that she was suffering from hepatitis and anaemia,” said Sanjeev Kumar, Pallavi’s husband. He added that they brought her to the hospital last evening but the doctors did not care to treat her. “We were rudely told to take her to some other hospital. We had been bringing her here almost daily for the last few days,” he added. The relatives alleged that Pallavi had died because of the negligence of the doctors. “To save their face they asked us to take her somewhere else. If they were not competent to save her they should not have admitted her to the hospital in the first instance,” said Sanjeev. Keeping the dead body on the side of the road, protestors blocked the road, thus causing inconvenience to traffic. Dr Sanjeev Sareen said, “The patient was suffering from multiple ailments when she was brought here. We had informed the family that there is a danger to her life.” He further said that the patient was discharged few days ago and she was fine at that time. “The family is unnecessarily harassing the doctors. If people start doing this, doctors would not dare to attend to any patient because of the fear of being held guilty at a later stage,” he said.
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Miss Earth shines in diamond bustier
Handcrafted by Orra’s international design centre with over 500 carats of diamonds, the one-of-its-kind bustier was not only the highlight of the event but clearly spelt put the company’s intentions for Amritsar market. “We have over 11 stores all over the country and get more than 50 per cent of our sales from the North. So Amritsar was our obvious choice for this boutique,” said Vijay Jain, CEO and director, Orra. “The bustier has been handcrafted for over 100 days, made of diamonds, rubies, gold and rose-cut diamonds. Its total weight is less than 500 gm and is flexible to fit the body. The inspiration came from the Sheeshmahal and classic Mughal period,” he added. Though the inspiration is worth Rs 7 crore is a different matter all together. Whatever be the reason, the latest addition is sure to bring in smiles for the ladies. After all, diamonds are a girl’s best friend! Earthy beauty
Amritsar’s glamour quotient rose 10 notches on Tuesday afternoon as Miss Earth, 2010, Nicole Faria adorned the million- Euro bustier. Her sparkling eyes stole the show. “I feel like a princess,” said the dusky beauty who has her roots in Fazilka. “Though I was born and brought up in Bangalore, but my mother is from the region.” Unlike other beauty queens, Nicole’s crown comes with special responsibilities, that of being an environmental crusader. “After my win last December, I have travelled extensively to create awareness regarding global warming, rain-water harvesting, soil conservation and more. I have been associated with U-Solar, a company that promotes use of solar energy even before my title win.” Beauty with a cause seems to be her mantra. Nicole practises what she preaches as well. “Pollution seems to be the foremost concern for India. Deforestation being another one.” Like other beauty queens, does she too have Bollywood plans? “No big offers right now, so I’ll take my time,” she says. But her real experience comes from the Miss Earth pageant. “I made friends for life. One gets to experience and learn from so many different cultures. That you feel enriched.” And what made her win, “Not feeling the pressure to win. I wasn’t trying to impress the judges, but I was just being
myself.”
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Birth Anniversary
Amritsar, September 6 “Every year we organise some activities to mark the birth anniversary of the great artist. This year we have some of his prominent works displayed at the Central Hall of the Art Gallery,” informs Avtar Singh, president of the academy. Twentysix of his prominent works are on public display out of the collection of 40 paintings that the academy has. Some of the senior artists from the city paid their tributes to Thakar Singh. “His colours were very powerful. He used to make them himself by mixing powder dyes and linseed oil on the palette. That’s why they still have retained their texture,” said Charanjit Singh Bagga, an artist and a student of SG Thakar Singh. “None of his paintings has titles as it was his creation, something born out of his observation, experience and creativity,” he added. The exhibition is on till September 11 from 10 am to 5pm.
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Amritsar, September 6
Amritsar, September 6
The Tribune has raised this issue in its columns some time ago but the situation here remains “as it was.” Neither the mandatory warnings about prohibited products were painted on the boundary walls of the schools, nor was there any check on tobacco-sellers by any authority. 
Amritsar, September 6
Amritsar, September 6
Both these cases are symptomatic of a larger malady being faced by DTO officials. They claim that their office is in a transition phase since a French firm, Smart Chip, has been contracted by the Punjab Government’s Department of Transport and which after some days will be handling the entire process of issuing driving licenses and RCs. For this, a new software is being loaded into the systems, following which the office is facing problems.
Amritsar, September 6