Amritsar, November 12
The inauguration of ambitious Amrit-Anand Park in Ranjit Avenue area by the Deputy Chief Minister, Sukhbir Singh Badal, yesterday seems to be an exercise in haste. A lot of work at the park is yet to be completed. Informed sources at the site said it would take another five to six months for the park to be fully developed. But the Improvement Trust authorities, who were entrusted with the job, said about 90 per cent of work in the park has been completed while the remaining work would be finished soon. Started in September 2009, it was slated to be completed in six months. But it was delayed by more than a year.

Spread in an area of 30 acres, the project was conceptualised as rose garden-cum-environmental park- cum-recreational centre. It is separated in two parts Amrit (spread in 14 acres) and Anand parks (spread in 16 acres). A portion of the park is dedicated for meditation purposes while it also consists of a children park and a Haat Bazaar for temporary vendors to sell eatables. The park is being constructed at a cost of Rs 5-crore.

Amritsar, November 12
Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today laid the foundation stone of multi-sports complex at Ranjit Avenue here.

Spread over 21 acres of land, the sports complex will have three cricket grounds, three basketball courts, three tennis courts, two volleyball courts, a hockey ground, a football ground, synthetic athletics track, skating rinks as well as indoor sports complex. The complex will also have sports infrastructure like four badminton, four table tennis, two squash courts, a wrestling and a swimming pool. Besides, a community centre will also be set up. It will also have parking lots with each ground.

Badal assured that best coaches will be provided for the complex. He said the project will be complete within a year. He said the project was the brainchild of MP Navjot Singh Sidhu.

MP Navjot Singh Sidhu claimed that once completed, the complex will be the first project of its kind in the country. He said in the developed countries the concept of multi-purpose sports complex was a hit. He said even as the population of the holy city has increased manifolds but no sports ground was added for the youth.

He said the Amritsar Improvement Trust (AIT) will fund this nearly Rs 25-crore project. He said the AIT had issued Rs 15-crore grant for the first phase of the project, which will be completed in the next four months. The project will be divided in three phases.

Olympian Brig Harcharan Singh (retd) said the sports complex will groom budding sportspersons of the area. He said he was glad that this kind of sports complex has been conceived and hoped that this will not turn out to be only a pre-poll promise and meet the same fate as that the world-class cricket stadiums promised earlier.

It may be mentioned here that the SAD in its poll manifesto had announced the setting up of world class cricket stadiums in 10 districts of Punjab. However, till date not a single cricket stadium has been built.

The Deputy CM said the plan was on the party's agenda but due to misunderstandings between the BCCI and Punjab Cricket Association the plan could not be implemented. Once completed, the sports complex will prove to be a boon for sportspersons of the city as at present they only have a cricket ground, tennis court, table tennis hall each, besides Guru Nanak Stadium, which is used for various sports activities.

Amritsar, November 12
The two-hour joint strike by the Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers’ Union (PCCTU) and the Private Colleges Non-Teaching Employees Union (PCNTEU) has hit the studies of graduate and postgraduate students.

Today was the 4th day of the strike, which will conclude on November 15.

A student of Khalsa College said her teachers took extra classes after the conclusion of normal study hours to finish the syllabus. She said the amount of syllabus was so much that neither teachers nor students could afford to miss the limited lectures.

A student of DAV College said their studies suffered as the teachers did not take the classes. He said long duration of strike would pile up their syllabus which would be difficult to complete in the coming months.

As scheduled, the agitating teachers would observe a complete ‘Education Bandh’ for two days from November 16.

The agitating teachers demands included implementation of pension and gratuity scheme, lifting of ban on recruitments imposed by the government since 2005, release of arrears from January 1, 2006, to March 31, 2010, due on account of revision of pay scales, regular disbursement of quarterly grant meant for salaries, pay fixations of non-teaching employees from January 1, 2006, on the pattern of state government employees, relaxation in refresher courses as per UGC guidelines, bringing teachers working against unaided posts in the ambit of the Punjab Affiliated Colleges Security of Service Act 1974, raising retirement age to 65 years as per the Union Government notification. 

Amritsar, November 12
Shaheed Sardar Nanak Singh's statue installed at a crossing at Ranjit Avenue is an example for the authorities on how to preserve the replicas of these great heroes. There are over 10 statues of his contemporaries in the freedom movement and other great martyrs or warriors installed in various pockets of the city, which are in a state of utter neglect.

In the absence of any policy for the upkeep or maintenance of these statues, they are cleaned only a day prior to the birth or death anniversaries of the great personalities. The statue of Pt Jawarhal Lal Nehru, at the Nehru Shopping Complex, is no exception. The statue still adorns the same garland offered to it last year to commemorate his birth anniversary last year.

Be it the statue of Saifuddin Kitchlew on Kitchlew Chowk, Mahatma Gandhi's statue in Company Bagh, Subhash Chander Bose's statue at Bhandari Bridge, Shaheed Udham Singh's statue at Hall Gate, Shyam Singh Attari's statue at Chheharta byepass, Beant Singh's statue at Ranjit Avenue and not to forget, Bhim Rao Ambedkar's statue near MC office, all speak the same story of the neglect by the authorities.

The remembrances of martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the country today stand besides overgrown wild weeds, filth, with broken compositions and bear the brunt of inclement weather conditions.

Against this long list is the statue of Shaheed Sardar Nanak Singh, a patriot and a visionary, which has been wrapped in a glass to keep it free from dirt or the reach of unscrupulous elements.

Caretakers Parminder Sandhu and Ashish Kakkar said even the surroundings of the statue is being taken care of, like watering and trimming the plants around it and cleaning is done here on a regular basis by a team of Shaheed Nanak Singh Memorial Society.

Residents believe that if the authorities fail to take care of the statues of these great patriots, the idea of installing them and wasting public money has no reason.

While others believe that politics is the real reason behind the installation of these statues. "Who can forgot the tension and embarrassing incidents where some miscreants had tied a liquor bottle to the statue of Mahatama Gandhi in Company Bagh, just a day prior to Gandhi Jayanthi," said Arwinder Bhatti, a resident.

“The statue of Mahatma Gandhi or Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru attracts the administration's attention only during the birth or death anniversary of these leaders. Even if they do this bit, it will be just for newspaper reports. For the remaining days, only birds perch on them," Brij Bedi, a social activist, said.

It is the duty of the Amritsar Municipal Corporation or the Improvement Trust, under whose jurisdiction the area falls where and the statues of heroes have been installed, to take proper care for its upkeep. The sanctity of these statues should be maintained at any cost.~

— Rajat Aggarwal, Deputy Commissioner, Amritsar

Though there is no specific policy on this issue, I agree that it's a lapse on our part. I will send teams to visit the places where statues of great souls are installed. Prompt action will be taken to cleanse them and a programme will also be chalked out for their regular upkeep in future.~

— Dharampal Gupta Commissioner, Amritsar Municipal Corporation

Amritsar, November 12
A rare and magical performance with a fusion of dances from the Latin American country Ecuador and Punjab was witnessed at the Khalsa College of Education. Artistes from both regions set the stage on fire with their dazzling performance at Khalsa College International Folk Festival-2011. The folk festival was organised on the college premises here today. Bhangra, gidda and Ecuadorian fold dance Tierra Negra was performed on one stage as a nine-member folk dance troupe from Ecuador displayed their art to a cheering audience.

The folk festival was organised by the college in collaboration with Punjab Cultural Promotion Council (PCPC). The aim of the festival is to create awareness and understanding of international cultural exchange programmes meant to generate universal brotherhood and peace through the medium of art, said Khalsa College Governing Council honorary secretary Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina, who was the chief guest at the function.

Ecuadorian artists, wearing colourful and bright clothes took to the stage with enthusiasm and won the hearts of the Audience with their foot-tapping dances and melodious singing in the Spanish language.

They later mingled with the artists from the Khalsa College of Education, main campus and Ranjit Avenue campus, who performed gidda. The audience included students, teachers and other dignitaries of the college.

College principal Dr Jaswinder Singh Dhillon said such cultural exchange programmes help build up an understanding of various cultures and lead to international cooperation. Chhina said the coming together of various cultures is need of the hour in the present world, which is fast becoming a global village.

The Ecuadorian delegation was led by International Folk Ensemble, director, Carlos Jonathan Minota. He said they were happy to perform before a live audience and were enthralled by the Punjabi music and dance, which they witnessed while sitting in the audience after their performances culminated.

Amritsar, November 12
The Improvement Trust today allocated 27,000 sq feet land at New Amritsar area for setting up a press club. The foundation stone, followed by demarcation for the club would be officially laid on November 17.

Announcing the development, MP Navjot Singh Sidhu said the holy city was in desperate need of a place wherein the journalists could get together after their working hours.

“Though, lot of efforts were made earlier also, to have a place like this but these efforts were fructified today only when a resolution passed in the executive meeting of the Improvement Trust, was endorsed by the government today”, he said.