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Mad rush to drive home new cars
Firecrackers to burn hole in customer’s pocket
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Fire safety norms blown up at Patakha Market
Mixing tradition with glamour
Now, appear in person to apply for passport
Officials during the inauguration of the Passport Seva Kendra in Amritsar on Monday. Tribune photo: Vishal Kumar
Hospitals fail to weed out vegetation from their backyards
Wild growth of weeds on the premises of a hospital in Amritsar. A Tribune photograph
Khalsa College of Education overall champion
The winning team of the Khalsa College of Women. A Tribune photograph
Blind murder case solved
Amritsar, October 24 The Beas police has booked two unidentified persons for allegedly defrauding one Harsajan Singh of Dullo Nangal village on the pretext of helping him withdrawing money from an ATM.
Purse of foreign tourist snatched
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Mad rush to drive home new cars
Amritsar, October 24 There are about 15 leading showrooms of Volkswagon, Ford, Maruti, Hyundai, Tata, Mistubushi, Honda, Toyota and others in the city. The established brands managed the maximum sales. With the petrol prices hitting the roof, diesel cars were the most preferred. Sweetie Arora, manager of Automobile Kapoor, dealer of Tata Motors and Fiat, said 18 cars, which include 15 diesel operated, were sold today. She said keeping in view the significance of the day, the showroom would remain open for extra hours today. She said on an average three units were sold daily. She recalled that her agency had managed to sell about 15 cars last Dhanteras. Grandeur and splendid celebrations associated with the festival of lights have pushed the sale figures of vehicles, gold and diamond jewellery. The Bullion and “Though the gold prices are at a all-time high, customers have put their weight behind age-old tested metal. In comparison to the previous Dhanteras, customers may be buying gold in small quantity, but jewellers are being compensated with high sales.” He said more and more people were now convinced that the value of the yellow metal would keep on rising with the passage of time. A majority of the members of the association are having their outlets at Guru Bazaar in the walled city. Similar views were expressed by one of the leading jewellers of the city, Shankar Kedia. He said a large number of customers purchased diamond jewellery offering contemporary design and range. He said the ever-increasing price gold in recent years had convinced the people that the yellow metal was a safe investment. Member of the Amritsar Metal Utensil Merchants’ Association Rajesh Kumar said shopkeepers at the traditional bhandiyan wala bazaar registered about 20 per cent increase in sale of utensils compared to last Dhanteras. He said customers were now focussing on electric gadgets and non-stick cookware.
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Firecrackers to burn hole in customer’s pocket
Amritsar, October 24 Green or eco-friendly are hardly finding any favour with the customers as they are costlier. A trader, Mahinder Singh, said green firecrackers failed to gain popularity as they were 15 to 25 per cent costlier than normal firecrackers. He said Chinese firecrackers were not locally popular. A pack of rockets, which was available for Rs 70 last year, now costs around Rs 100. Similarly, a packet of anar costs over Rs 200 compared to Rs 160 last year. The cheapest available firecracker in the market is chitput, which costs Rs 5 per piece. The most expensive firecracker is ‘Joy-240, which costs around Rs 2,500. As name suggests, it sets off 240 shots in the air. The Amritsar Fire Works Association (AFWA) apprehended dip in sale of crackers this year - from Rs 3 crore last year to Rs 1.5 crore this year. AFWA president Harish Dhawan said the traders practically got only three days before Diwali to operate their shops. He said the Amritsar Police Commissionerate permitted 15 wholesale traders on October 22. However, the traders managed to open their shops after fulfilling all formalities, including safety measures the next day.
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Fire safety norms blown up at Patakha Market
Amritsar, October 24 A visit to the market today revealed that there was no fire tender in the market. It was learnt that the fire tender was stationed in the market for a few hours yesterday, but it was nowhere to be seen later in the day. A firecracker trader, Jaswant Singh, said as per the guidelines, they had kept sandbags and fire extinguishers in their shops. Moreover, the roads leading to the firecracker market are in a bad shape. It will take more time for a fire tender to reach the market in an emergency situation, said a shopkeeper. When contacted, fire officer Tarlochan Singh said all fire tenders had to be pressed into service for dousing flames at Maha Singh Gate on October 22. “Otherwise, a fire tender remains stationary at the market except for filling water and other technical service,” he said.
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Mixing tradition with glamour
Amritsar, October 24 Home décor is an important and exclusive endeavour. With the effect of commercialisation and consumerism, Diwali decorations are now a mix of tradition and glamour. Lamp lustre The most traditional element of the festival of lights, earthen diya, has seen a glamorous makeover. So much so that it can burn a hole in your pocket. But then, it’s Diwali. While the humble clay diyas reflect the traditional craft, the designer ones with zari and mirror work are appealing. Some creative ones have sharply cut edges, carved in beautiful shapes and filled with bright coloured wax. The most popular shapes are China leaves, rose shapes and Parvati-Ganesha lamp shapes. While these are available for anything between Rs 20 to Rs 30, the more designer ones like the crystal or glass framed, jadau diyas and hanging ones cost well over Rs 100. If you are looking for a lalten (lantern) or interesting designs in Chinese lamps, then take your pick at any tuck-in shop on the Lawrance Road or inside the walled city. Decorative lanterns in glass, wrought iron and clay will work as an effortless décor element for your home. These come in handy, starting from Rs 250 to Rs 900. “Lighting a diya symbolises positivism, happiness and prosperity. I make sure to light at least 200 diyas in my house on Diwali,” says Savita Mehra, a homemaker from Kennedy Avenue. “I try to pick up some slick diyas and home furnishings to light up my house and it’s pleasing for the guests as well,” she adds. Wax with a difference Candles are another aspect of the designer Diwali. There is a variety waiting to be explored with handmade, aroma candles in different shapes and sizes. The simpler ones are colourful while the more trendy ones come with embellishments, laces and ribbons around them to make them look pretty. Some carved out in floral patterns, popular idols and some just artistically attractive. Gel candles set in glass pots, flower candles filled with colourful wax and sparkling candles are the most popular ones. “Sunflower candles are in trend. Other types of flower candles include roses, lilies and orchids. Flower candles are used for ornamental showpieces as well,” says Rajesh, who works at the Archies gallery on Lawrence Road. There are handmade designer candles available in shapes of various fruits such as apple, orange, mango, lemon etc. and coloured accordingly. These are available across the city at easy prices. Fabindia is another place to find aroma candles. Candle with silver or crystal stands also make an excellent option available at Rs 2000. Let there be light The festival of lights is incomplete without some creative push from the array of lights available in the market. Make your pick from T-lights to hanging lights and piped runners to light up your home. To suit every pocket, these start at a modest Rs 25 and go up to Rs 200 for the more fancy options, which include coloured bulbs, silk lights, flowers and smiling daisies, Chinese lanterns etc. "A very popular option in this range is the piped lighting," says Rajesh, who runs an electrical goods shop in Johnson market inside walled city. Available in the range of Rs 150 onwards these piped lights can be used easily along the walls and are great for lighting up exteriors and gardens. “People are going in for LEDs as well but it’s a bit costly,” he adds. Colours of tradition Rangoli is by far the most creative way to decorate and give your house an upscale makeover. Making a Rangoli is not a tough task now, as there are options available with acrylic colours, flowers and even kitchen items like rice, turmeric etc. the latest being readymade rangolis available in market. “Rangoli is considered auspicious on diwali, since it is believed that Goddess Laxmi visists every house on the day. I make create footprints of Godess laxmi and Ganesha on my doorsteps with Rangoli for positivism and good luck,” says Lata Sharma, a housewife who also teaches children at Seva Bharti, Putlighar to make rangoli. “You can use flowers, especially exotic ones like lilies and daffodils to make your rangoli different,” she adds.
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Now, appear in person to apply for passport
Amritsar, October 24 Muktesh K Pardeshi, Joint Secretary and Chief Passport Officer, Ministry of External Affairs, said this here today. Pardesi was here to inaugurate 19th Passport Seva Kendra here on the Mall Road. This centre would work under the Regional Passport Office, Amritsar. Besides Amritsar, the seva kendra would cater to seven other districts, including Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, Faridkot, Muktsar Sahib, Fazilka and Pathankot for various passport services. With this, three more service centres - two in Jalandhar and one in Hoshiarpur - was also inaugurated today. Punjab has become third foremost state after Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to have such facility. Passport Seva Kendra is a facilitation centre being opened under the Passport Seva Project with technical support & manpower from Tata Consultancy Services. This is a model project under the National e-Governance plan of the Government of India. The vision is to deliver all passport related services to the citizens in a timely, transparent, more accessible, reliable manner and in a comfortable environment through streamlined processes and committed, trained and motivated workforce. Pardeshi said there were 38 regional passport offices in the country and with a view to extend this service to other cities, plans are afoot to establish as many as 77 such offices. “We have already established 18 passport seva kendras. Ludhiana and Chandigarh already have this facility. These centres would be run on public-private partnership (PPP) basis. We have engaged Tata Constancy Services for technical as well as manual services for the purpose”, he said. The new passport would be made available to the applicant within a time-frame of one month whereas in those cases where police verification is not required, would be through within a week’s period. The department is also initiating to start a toll free number service soon. Tata Consultancy Service official Rahesh Dogra said, “We have provided all information to the aspirants”.
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Hospitals fail to weed out vegetation from their backyards
Amritsar, October 24 Various government-run hospitals in the city face the problem of the wild growth of Congress grass, scientifically known as Parthenium Hysterophorus, at Jallianwala Bagh Memorial Civil Hospital, Guru Nanak Hospital and Employees' State Insurance (ESI) hospital. Even the Post Mortem House on Majitha road is not free from the growth of the weed. The pollens of parthenium hysterophorus are known to lead to diseases such as eczema, dermatitis and asthma among human beings. Milch animals grazing on the weed too are at the risk of catching dermatitis. The poisonous weed can be seen growing alongside the outer walls of JJM Civil Hospital. The grass covered the entire open space area in the ESI hospital too. At Guru Nanak Hospital, the wild growth had covered the area lying vacant in front of the patients' wards and near the girls' hostel of the Government Medical College. A patient at the ESI hospital, Ranjit Singh, said, “The wild grass is known for its harmful effects on human beings. Various NGOs and government organisations have from time to time launched various campaigns to ensure that the weed is removed." He said the growth of such a harmful weed at medical institutions should be taken seriously, he said. Another patient, Ram Sharwan said, "It is tough to imagine that management of hospitals who themselves are experts of the field are not aware of the problems that this weed leads to.” He said the health authorities must work to remove the weed from the hospital premises. A shopkeeper, Sumeet Kumar said, “The weed has grown at various other places as alongside the roads and wastelands. The administration must take an action.” Civil Surgeon, Amritsar, Dr Avtar Singh Jarewal said, “The wild growth at these hospitals is cut at regular intervals. The hospitals will once again be asked to remove the weed.” He said he would ask the hospital authorities to burn the grass after cutting so that even the pollens and seed are destroyed. Official speak The wild growth at these hospitals is cut at regular intervals. The hospitals will once again be asked to remove the weed. I will also ask the authorities of various hospitals to burn the weed so that even the pollen and seeds get destroyed — Dr Avtar Singh Jrewal, Civil Surgeon, Amritsar
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Khalsa College of Education overall champion
Amritsar, October 24 The college won the trophy for the 11th time. The college won in events like song, dance, theatre, elocution, quiz, poetry recitation, painting, carton making and photography. College principal Dr Jaswinder Singh Dhillon, was elated over the college’s achievement. Meanwhile, Khalsa College of Education, Ranjit Avenue, was declared the runners-up while the DAV College of Education stood third. A total of 36 colleges participated in the youth festival. The Khalsa College participated in 24 events and won in 16 of them. “We have created a history by winning the championship trophy for the 11th time. We are winning the trophy continuously since 2003 and are happy to retain our dominance,” said Dr Dhillon. Prof MS Hundal, dean, college development council, presided over the valedictory function and presented trophies to the winners. Earlier, Dr Jagjit Kaur, director, youth welfare of the university, welcomed the chief guest.
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Blind murder case solved
Amritsar, October 24 The incident come to light when Rakesh Sethi, son of deceased Chandarkanta came home and found her in a pool of blood. The police had registered a case under section 302 of the IPC. Naresh Kumar Sharma, ADCP (City -II), said the accused, who was a brother-in-law of Rakesh Sethi, had a grudge against the family, especially with Chandarkanta. “On October 4, he found an opportunity as the victim was alone at her house. Rakesh had gone to his office while his wife had gone to Ludhiana,” said the ADCP. The police has also recovered a sharp-edged weapon used in the crime, he added. He said the granddaughter of Chanderkanta had allegedly eloped with the brother of Naresh, resulting in enmity between the two families. Chanderkanta had supported her granddaughter at that time, said the ADCP. The mobile call details of the accused helped the police crack the case. During preliminary investigations, the police got suspicious of his activities. The call details indicated his location in the area at the time of the crime. When the police team started questioning him, he admitted to his crime, said the ADCP. It was believed that there were more persons involved in the crime. However, the police said that during investigations, no other person was found involved in the crime. Body found
The body of an unidentified person was recovered from Ganda Nullah in Fatahpur area this afternoon. The Gate Hakima police has registered a case under Section 302 of the IPC. The police said the body of an unidentified person, in his mid-thirties, was stuffed in a gunny bag before being thrown into the nullah. Residents of the area informed the police about the incident. “The cause of the death could be ascertained only after the post-mortem report. For now, we have registered a murder case against unidentified persons.
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ATM fraud: Man loses Rs 2.27 lakh Amritsar, October 24 The accused exchanged his ATM card with a fake one and withdrew more than Rs 2 lakhs from the account. In his compliant, Harsajan Singh stated that he was recently issued an ATM card by a bank. He said he had gone to an ATM machine of the State Bank of Patiala at Rayya and found it difficult to operate. “I asked two boys for help and told them the password. They withdrew Rs 2,000 from my account and returned the card,” he said. “Today, when I again went to the bank for withdrawing money, I was surprised to see that around Rs 2.27 lakh had already been withdrawn. — TNS
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Purse of foreign tourist snatched
Amritsar, October 24 In yet another incident, two unidentified persons snatched a purse of Peelar Dolrose of the India Management Development Institute, Gurgaon, now residing in Spain. She was here to pay obeisance at the Golden Temple. In her statement to the police, Dolrose said she was going from the Golden Temple to a guesthouse on a rickshaw when a motorcyclist snatched her purse containing cash, two credit cards, a camera, a passport and keys.
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Be ready to shell out more this Diwali as the prices of firecrackers has shot up by 30 per cent compared to last year.
Green or eco-friendly are hardly finding any favour with the customers as they are costlier.
A trader, Mahinder Singh, said green firecrackers failed to gain popularity as they were 15 to 25 per cent costlier than normal firecrackers. He said Chinese firecrackers were not locally popular.
In the absence of proper fire safety arrangements, the Patakha Market in the city is sitting on a tinderbox. Though this has alarmed the customers and shopkeepers, the authorities concerned have preferred to look the other way.
Amritsar, October 24
In a bid to check the menace of fake passports, the authorities have made it mandatory for aspirants to make a personal appearance at the passport office for clicking their photographs and for their finger impressions.
Hospitals have the responsibility to restore ailing people to good health but wild growth of weeds such as Congress grass in the premises of local hospitals speaks otherwise. Such unkempt environment puts people to the risk of catching diseases rather than getting healthy.
The Khalsa College of Education has emerged as the overall champion in the youth festival that concluded at Guru Dev University’s Dashmesh Auditorium late last evening.
