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Celebrations lead to traffic chaos
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Second innings for Bolaria, Joshi
Great expectations from new regime
holi over health
Civil Hospital to enter computer age
Varsity honours students
Refresher course in management
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Celebrations lead to traffic chaos
Amritsar, March 6 As soon as the SAD-BJP coalition’s victory became certain, supporters of these parties and victorious candidates took to the streets in celebration. Dancing to the beat of dhols, the supporters along with victorious candidates took out processions, which created problems for commuters on the way. Traffic movement was severely hit on the Amritsar-Attari GT Road and Majitha Road where counting centres were set up at Khalsa College, Mai Bhago Government Polytechnic College for Women and Government Medical College. On the other hand, celebrations of two triumphant Congress candidates OP Soni from Amritsar (Central) and Raj Kumar from Amritsar (West) remained a low-key affair as their party failed to get a majority. Winning SAD-BJP candidates Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu, wife of local MP Navjot Singh Sidhu, Inderbir Singh Bolaria and Anil Joshi visited the Golden Temple afterwards.
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Second innings for Bolaria, Joshi
Amritsar, March 6 Out of the five urban constituencies, the ruling SAD-BJP combine stole the show, winning three seats, while the Congress bagged the remaining two seats. Leading the winners was Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu, wife of MP Navjot Sidhu, who left a government job to take a plunge into politics. She defeated the Congress rebel Simarpreet Kaur Bhatia by a margin of 7,099 votes. Dr Sidhu bagged 33,406 votes, Bhatia polled 26,307 votes, relegating former Mayor and Congress candidate Sunil Datti to the third spot with 25,964 votes. It is evident from the results that the Congress paid the price of changing its candidate at the eleventh hour. Moreover, the Congress’ move to replace Bhatia with Datti as its official candidate added to the sympathy which was generated for Simarpreet after the untimely demise of her husband and Congress leader Harpal Singh Bhatia. By changing its candidate, the Congress also helped the BJP counter the anti-incumbency prevailing in the newly carved constituency of Amritsar East. The two constituencies which sprang a surprise by giving the second chance to their sitting MLAs are Amritsar North and Amritsar South. Riding high on the development card, sitting BJP MLA Anil Joshi defeated the Congress candidate Karamjit Singh Rintu by a margin of 16, 980 votes. While Joshi polled 62, 374 votes, Rintu bagged 45, 394 votes. His victory is significant in view of the fact that
in the last four Assembly elections, the people have voted alternatively for the Congress and the BJP which means it had never returned the incumbent MLA to the Assembly before this. The development works carried out in the constituency during Joshi's stint and his accessibility seems to have worked to his advantage. Similarly, Chief Parliamentary Secretary Inderbir Singh Bolaria replicated Joshi's feat in Amritsar South constituency by defeating the Congress candidate Jasbir Singh Dimpa by a margin of 15,056 votes. Bolaria received 48,310 votes while Dimpa polled 33,254 votes. The result of Amritsar South came as a surprise for many as a SAD rebel in the form of Gurpartap Singh Tikka was in the poll fray while the Congress had managed to quell the rebellion in its camp. Tikka polled 7,550 votes. The Congress seems to have paid the price for opting for an outsider while denying ticket to local contenders like Harjinder Singh Thekedar and Navdeep Singh Goldy. Dimpa had shifted to Amritsar South after his previous constituency Beas got reserved in delimitation. While Thekedar is a former MLA from the constituency, Goldy had contested the 2008 by poll against Bolaria. Like Joshi, Bolaria's victory signifies a change in the trend as in the last two decades the Congress and the SAD had alternatively represented the Assembly segment. The constituency had witnessed large-scale development ahead of the 2008 by poll, necessitated by the demise of Inderbir's father and the sitting SAD MLA Raminder Singh Bolaria. CM Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal had camped in the city for days ahead of the by-poll. However, in Amritsar Central, the trend to give the other party an opportunity continued with the senior Congress leader OP Soni wresting the seat from the BJP by defeating its candidate Tarun Chugh by 12,797 votes. While Soni received 47,357 votes, Chugh polled 34,560 votes. This is the fourth successive win for Soni, out of which three came in Amritsar West constituency. Soni had shifted to Amritsar Central after his old constituency Amritsar West got reserved in delimitation. Amritsar Central witnessed a fight between fresh faces after almost three decades. The electorate missed old warhorses like former Vidhan Sabha Deputy Speaker Prof Darbari Lal of the Congress and Social Welfare Minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla of the BJP who contested against each other from the seat in the last five Assembly elections since 1985. The seat was won twice by Prof Darbari Lal and thrice by Punjab Social Welfare Minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla. While Darbari Lal won it in 1985 and 2002, Chawla captured it in 1992, 1997 and 2007. Amritsar West constituency was retained by the Congress with its candidate Raj Kumar defeating BJP candidate Rakesh Gill by a margin of 11,591 votes. While Raj Kumar bagged 45,762 votes, Gill polled 34,171 votes. The CPI candidate Amarjit Singh Asal came third with 11,682 votes.
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Sweet shops, dholis, florists make hay
Amritsar, March 6 Catching the mood of the day, dholis tied their instrument on their backs and gathered outside Sultanwind and Hathi gates of the walled city belting out various beats to draw the attention of customers. A dholi for the past two decades, Sawinder said it was a good day as far as making money was concerned. With the wedding season coming to an end and limited election campaign due to tab on expenditure, the days to make some money were a handful. However, today was comparatively a good day to earn. He said usually six to seven dholis stand outside these two gates but in anticipation of roaring business their number swelled to 40 today. He said the money they made today has made them happy and happiness can not be measured. Another dholi, Manga, said they have faced several challenges over the last three decades. First, the audio cassettes posed a threat, though dholis overcame this challenge. Now, it is the DJs playing at every other function. Being seasonal work, elections, functions and festivals are the only occasions that offer them the opportunity to make a good living. A florist Charanjit said like other flower and garland sellers, he had stocked garlands of various sizes anticipating big orders. “We are not concerned with who wins in the polls. We knew that the supporters of the winning candidates will throng our shops with big orders and only a shopkeeper with the material at hand will bag the orders,” he said. A sweatmeat shop owner Jaspal Singh said the sale of mithai had swelled as the supporters had purchased them to distribute among themselves and celebrate the victory of the candidates they support.
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Great expectations from new regime
Amritsar, March 6 A senior citizen, Joginder Singh said, “Drugs and crime needs immediate attention. If the menace of drugs is left unchecked, we may to lose a large section of youth. The government must try to generate more jobs for the educated and unemployed youth.” Residents said basic amenities, such as health and education, too need a boost. “Government schools especially in rural areas are in a shambles these days. The teachers are not adequate. The government must enroll new teachers. It will serve two purposes --- schools will get teachers and unemployed youth will get jobs,” said Bhushan Kumar, a teacher. A farmer, Kashmir Singh said, “The state government must also devise a practical policy to introduce diversification of crops. At present there is no assured market for agricultural produce except paddy and wheat.” He said the government must try to turn agriculture into a profitable venture. Kanwarjeet Singh, a student said, “The SAD-BJP has already promised laptops for us. Besides, students need more scholarships and jobs. Even our educational system has be more job orientated.” He said students are forced to migrate to other countries as avenues are limited in Punjab. A government doctor,
on the condition of anonymity, said, “The government had accepted the demands of all categories of employees before the elections. We hope that the demands of doctors will also be fulfilled.” He said until and unless the doctors are not paid their due, the health system cannot function well. A homemaker, Suruchi said, “Ensuring round-the-clock electricity supply will be the first test for the government. Now, as we all know that many of the power projects are underway, we expect these projects to be over soon.” Ram Lubaya, a rickshaw puller, said, “Labourers expect the government to revive the industry in the city. The industry will ensure better livelihood for people like us.” He said the government should also do something on soaring prices of essential commodities.
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holi over health
Amritsar, March 6 On the occasion of Holi, the markets are flooded with China-made substandard pichkaris (water toy guns), chemical colour sprays as well as dry colour powder. Shirking their responsibility, the manufacturers have merely pasted warning stickers on them so in case of a mishap they cannot be blamed. Buyers too on the other hand chose to turn a blind eye to the dangers involved in using them and settle for low price tags. The packaged colours carry the warning that the product is "for industrial use only” and the China-made pichkaris have the tag "harmful choking warning: not to be used by children below three years". Unlike the traditional pichkaris, which have a brass cylinder and leather washers, the present ones are made of plastic or a thin tin having nylon washers. The fluid, if directed towards the face, can be harmful for ear, skin, eyes and nose, say experts. Further, due to substandard material in it, the use of vacuum pressure in the pipe can make them burst anytime. The colours come in two forms - dry and wet. The dry colours contain two components - a toxic colour concentrate and a base, which could either be asbestos, silica, mud or urea, all these cause serious health problems. Heavy metals in these colours can even cause asthma, skin diseases and can affect the eyes adversely. Similarly, the wet colours mostly use gentian violet as a colour concentrate, which can cause skin discolouration and dermatitis," said Dr Suresh Chauhan, a specialist in Ayurveda. On the other hand, those involved in selling these products justified by saying that the good quality colour comes at an exorbitant price having very little profit margin. "People prefer to buy the cheap products only. We have the branded, good quality gulals too, but people get discouraged when they get to know its price. A good quality gulal is four times costlier than the chemical-infested ones whereas these chemical-infested shopping can be done by shelling out less than Rs 50. We too have a good margin too, so both ways it's beneficial," the traders
said. official speak The water guns may not be that harmful but yes, the harmful Holi colours available in the market call for immediate attention. I am sending my team to enquire into the matter because it needs thorough
inspection rajat aggarwal,
deputy commissioner
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Civil Hospital to enter computer age
Amritsar, March 6 In the present situation, the registration is done manually. As a result of which long queues of patients are seen during the day. “It takes longer time when we first write patient’s details on the slip which is to be given to him or her. Later, we copy the details in the register for record purposes,” said an employee at the registration counter.
Civil Hospital’s Senior Medical Officer (SMO) Dr Balbir Singh Dhillon said, “Computers will print the registration slips once the details are noted. It will save employees the hassle of noting down details.” He said the hospital is also going to computerise all the laboratories. At present, medical test reports provided to patients are hand written. “All private laboratories in the city are giving computer printed test reports. We have seen that the introduction of computers at labs saves a lot of time and energy,” said Dhillon. He said the hospital has already ordered the software required in Civil Hospital laboratories. “We expect to start computerised lab test reports by April,” said Dhillon. Meanwhile, patients said the introduction of computers at the hospital would bring respite to them. “We hope patients or their relatives will not have to wait in queues to getting themselves registered or receiving test reports,” said Raman Kumar, a visitor. He said computers are a need of the hour and it’s good that government institutions are trying to match pace with private institutions in providing services to general public.
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UK national visits father’s favourite city
Amritsar, March 6 She said Amritsar was her father’s favourite city. She visited the shrine and searched for the house where her father once stayed. “I grew up listening about Amritsar and the Golden Temple but circumstances never made it possible to visit India.” It was a maiden visit for the couple. William was a Warrant Officer with the British Indian Army and his primary task was training Indian troops. He stayed in India for eight years and was posted in various places, including Delhi, Lahore, Shimla, Agra, Jaipur, Kolkata and Mumbai. He used to visit Amritsar even when he posted at Lahore, she said. “Hot and humid summer used to be the most arduous period which he used to escape by staying at Shimla,” she added. Holding an album containing black and white photographs of her father clicked during his stay in India, she along with her husband visited Amritsar Cantonment in search for the residence of her father. “The area being a defence establishment was prohibited for foreign nationals,” she said. Helen is a member of the Forces Reunited, an organisation for British Armed Forces Community. Her desire is to bring those families whose ancestors had served in Indian subcontinent on a platform to secure their memories.
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Live band show at Ram Bagh
Amritsar, March 6 Rajat Agarwal, Deputy Commissioner, Dharampal Gupta, MC Commissioner, and Police Commissioner RP Mittal, besides other administrative officials were present on the occasion. Agarwal said to sustain the band show, the corporation would provide all financial help and the district administration would do everything in its efforts. He said Punjab Police band was started to entertain the public visiting the historic garden. He said many more efforts would be made as per the suggestion of the people. Surinder Kochhar, a historian, said the band was started in year 1877 by the British in Town Hall which was discontinued due to financial constraints. He said the programme was again started, but was discontinued in 1922 due to similar reasons.
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Varsity honours students
Amritsar, March 6 Vice Chancellor Prof AS Brar presided over the function and honoured 30 students, who bagged positions in national and north zone inter-university youth festivals with cash prize, medals, blazers and certificates. Dr Sarvjit Kaur Brar, Lady Vice Chancellor, was also present on this occasion. Dr Rajinderjit Kaur Pawar, Dean, Academic Affairs, Dr PK Shejpal, Dean, Students Welfare and Dr MS Hundal, Dean, Colleges, were present.
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Refresher course in management
Amritsar, March 6 The valedictory function was presided over by Neeraj Sharma, chairman, NIRC of Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. Dr Jaspal Singh, course coordinator, briefed the participants about the course. Sharma stressed on the need to bridge the gap between theory and practice of commerce management.
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