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Lt Col’s wife found
murdered
Central jail inmates wanting to quit drugs have nowhere to go
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Cops fail to put brakes on rising road accidents
Keep aam admi in mind, residents give suggestion to Union FM
Anaemia awareness camp for women
Amritsar then and Now
Sportspersons honoured
Tourist’s purse snatched
One held with 500 g opium
Three-year-old run over by bus, one hurt
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Lt Col’s wife found
murdered
Amritsar, March 1 She was alone with her two-year-old daughter Bindu, who was sleeping in the adjoining room, at the time of the murder. The incident came to light when the maid servant arrived at the house in the morning. She was strangled to death with a room heater wire, which was found near the body. Santosh Wankhede was away to Faridkot in connection with a training camp. On being called by the Army authorities, he came back in the afternoon. Senior Army and police officials, including the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Sat Pal Joshi and ADCP Mohan Lal reached the spot. Robbery could be the reason behind the tragedy as almirahs in the house were found open, sources said. Preliminary investigations have revealed that Abhishek Kumar, a servant at the house had left at 10.30 PM and 11.30 PM is said to be time of the murder, the police authorities said. ADCP City-II Mohan Lal said investigations are on. With tight security at the entry and exit points of the Manekshaw Enclave, miscreants may have entered the premises from the backside of the colony, sources said. “Theft can be one of the reasons and Vineeta may have resisted and tried to raise an alarm,” Lal said. He said some valuables were still lying in the almirahs. A case under Section 302 IPC has been registered at the Cantonment police station in this regard.
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Central jail inmates wanting to quit drugs have nowhere to go
Amritsar, March 15 The centre was set up in the jail in 2006 with the efforts of the then DIG Jails Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh, who had launched a multi-pronged strategy in the campaign against drug abuse and had succeeded in controlling the menace to a considerable extent. Due to his earnest efforts, the jail became Punjab’s first ‘model jail’. Over 40 per cent of a total of 2,900 inmates in Amritsar jail, are drug-addicts, sources say. Many of them have recently volunteered to undergo treatment to give up this habit, yet this centre, is of little help especially in the absence of any concrete policy in this regard. Dr Manjit Singh, jail medical officer, said shortage of the requisite medicines, to be issued by the government, coupled with the lack of infrastructure has aggravated problem. Repeated reminders to the department concerned have been futile. “We have a list of over 200 inmates who have urged to undergo Opiate substitution treatment (OST). But we are helpless because it required a well designed treatment programme, proper infrastructure and trained staff for substance abuse diagnosis which is not present. Secondly, the substitute drugs mostly like methadone or buprenorphine never reach the jail hospitals because these drugs are sold in the black market. A 10-tablet strip, which normally costs Rs 240, is not available for anything less than Rs 325,” he said. Police officers say all efforts to rejuvenate the de-addiction programme will prove futile unless the supply of drugs inside the jail is curbed. Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh who heads the Punjab Police Crime Branch said, “To stop drug menace in jails, it is necessary to cut the supply chain first. I had primarily focused on the notorious areas of the city like Anngarh, Maqboolpura, Gawal Mandi, during my stint. This had put a cap on attempts of sneaking in drugs in jail premises, which ultimately reduced the demand line for drugs. Then, out of our limited resources, we tried to arrange experts and psychiatrists to help inmates in giving up their drug intake. But with no follow-up action, it all ended abruptly.”
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Cops fail to put brakes on rising road accidents
Amritsar, March 15 These faces, who are wiped off the face of the earth in mishaps, purely due to the failure of the authorities to enforce traffic norms are forgotten soon. Till the dath of a 13-year-old boy, run over by a speeding private bus on Jhabal road, a young woman in her mid-twenties getting crushed to death by a truck laden with bricks on Sultanwind road earlier this month, remind of the gravity of the situation again and again. The city has quietly witnessed 11 road mishaps in February, in which six persons died while five persons sustained injured. All the authorities have is the data pointing to the increasing number of deaths and injuries. In 2010 more than 60 persons lost their lives in 98 road accidents.“Increase in the number of high-speed or luxury vehicles on city roads are the major reason behind the loss of lives in road accidents. Many of the speeding overloaded buses and trucks have also met with accidents in which a number of persons have lost lives and there is an urgent need of controlling the speed at any cost,” said volunteer of an NGO. Blame it on the youth, who obviously have no fear of reprimand, when they zip past the traffic cops on their fancy bikes without wearing safety helmets. “Sometimes they are underage. The police authorities can not do much as they zip away before they can be stopped by the traffic cops and any action against them, invite criticism at the hands of their parents,” said an official on the condition of anonymity. The border district registered the maximum number of deaths in accidents in 2011. It was found that 40 per cent of the accidents, which proved fatal, occurred in Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Patiala, Mohali and Bathinda. ‘Peter rehras’ or gharukas (indigenously designed vehicles) and tractor trolleys are the other major causes of mishaps, he said. “Reckless and drunken driving was the reason behind a majority of the deaths in accidents,” said Karanjit Singh, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Traffic. “As far as the entry of trucks in the city limits during day is concerned, we don’t have any written guidelines in this regard. However, we do our best with the available resources and manpower to control traffic wherever possible,” he claimed.
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Keep aam admi in mind, residents give suggestion to Union FM
Amritsar, March 15 A day prior to the presentation of the Union Budget 2012-2013, Amritsar Tribune spoke to different sections of the society to know about their budget expectations especially when the country is facing unstable economy and high inflation along with traces of recession for the past few months. The 'aam admi' who gets a fixed salary every month, will primarily focus on the new income tax slab or deduction limits. Indirectly, the excise duties on consumer goods such as computers, mobile phones, refrigerators, television sets etc need to be relaxed because it hits the spending pattern of salaried class. Similarly, it is a distant dream to own a house. I expect that some thought must be spared in the upcoming budget to introduce rebates in housing loan patterns. — Naresh Johar, an employee We expect that special tax benefits should be extended to hoteliers in the upcoming budget and there will be rollback of depreciation rate for hotel buildings, service tax and luxury tax. The 100 per cent tax holiday benefit should be extended for 10 years instead of 5 years. Similarly, the exemption of 13.75 per cent VAT would also attract people to the city — APS Chatha, general secretary, Amritsar Hotel and Restaurant Assn I hope that income tax rebate ceiling will be raised from the prevailing Rs 1.8 lakh to at least Rs 3 lakh. It will allow consumers to have more cash in hand. Another major tax reforms like implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST) should be there in the budget. The GST will subsume central taxes such as excise duty, service tax, central sales tax and state taxes like octroi, VAT, stamp duty, purchase tax etc. and will help eliminate the cascading effects of multiple layer of taxation — Sanjeev Nanda, a businessman The expenses have increased and we don't expect to be burdened further with more price hikes. I expect that the Finance Minister shows mercy on the housewives — Jyoti Arora, a housewife Every year, the budget brings in something good and bad for the common man. To expect a hike-free budget is impossible, but it should be people-friendly and a balanced budget. A more affordable education loan would boost the scenario of higher education — Savita Saini, a housewife The budget usually doesn't affect us students directly, but yes, certain commodities like fuel and a price hike in electronic gadgets pinches our pocket — Siddharth Arora, a student
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Anaemia awareness camp for women
Amritsar, March 15 Doctors said women must eat fruits, vegetables and pulses in their daily diet to stay healthy. On the occasion around 150 women were examined and given medicines free of cost. Dr Manjit Singh Randhawa advised women to go in for routine checkups. He said as per international standards, a healthy woman should have more than 12 grams of hemoglobin in her blood.
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Youth doesn’t follow, but lead the way
Neha Saini Tribune news service
Amritsar, March 15 But with time, the youth has come of age. Breaking the stereotypical mindset of adding another generation to their ‘family’ business, more and more youths are deciding to do their own thing. Carving a niche is their mantra and despite the usual pressures, they have gone an extra mile to do what they really want to do, even at the expense of their family’s displeasure. The face of changing youth of Amritsar is quiet visible with the kind of career choices they are making. “It’s not considered normal if you break away from the already established business of your family and decide to do your own thing,” says Pulkit Arora, a 29-year-old entrepreneur from the city. “But then eventually you have to take a decision. It was always easier for me to join my father’s real estate business and he did get upset when I told him I want to do something else. But once I was successful, he accepted the fact that I did it on my own,” he says. Deciding that his future was not sitting inside air-conditioned office of his father, but doing something creative, Pulkit started his own event-planning company Lemon Leaf five years back. And today, he is amongst his own league. “My father’s disapproval highlights the first reaction of most parents in the city. But then the number of youngsters opting for a career of their choice is increasing by the day,” he adds. And that’s how it should be. “Probably yes, but it’s not that simple,” replies Simran Kaur Deol, popular as RJ Simran of Big FM. The 24-year-old was studying medicine, when she realised her true calling. “Like all kids, I too grew up aiming to become a doctor because my parents wanted me to. But I wasn’t happy doing that, I wanted a lifestyle that was glamorous as well as interesting and creative. So, finally I decided to go by my instincts and became a radio jockey.” Five years down the line, she is now the programming head of the Amritsar station. Any regrets? “None at all; I feel satisfied.” And now she encourages others facing the same dilemma. “I host young students in my studio who suffer from ‘I will have to do it for my parents’ problem when it comes to choosing a career for them. But then there are those who break out of the herd and follow their heart.” It’s not just about following your heart but also doing so successfully. Making independent career options and doing well is the idea. “You have to prove your guts once you decide to break out from the routine,” says Mohit Sood, one of the most celebrated DJs in the city. He decided to become a professional DJ when the city was clueless about the concept. “I faced criticism from my family, friends and everybody who knew me were opposed to the idea. Everybody wanted me to join my dad’s business,” he says. But he knew that he couldn’t ‘handle’ his family business and even with an MBA degree, he became a professional DJ. “And once I got it right all the apprehensions were proved wrong.” After successful gigs at Delhi and in and around the city, Mohit has a piece of advice, “In Amritsar people do not appreciate if you want to do your own thing. But you have to have the guts.”
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Sportspersons honoured
Amritsar, March 15 In the women’s section, BBK DAV College for Women, Amritsar, lifted the trophy with 21,919 points. HMV, Jalandhar, were the runners-up with 17,193 points. More than 450 sportsmen, including 150 women from various sporting disciplines, were honoured with cash prizes and trophies here today. Vice-Chancellor Prof AS Brar and former cricketer, Bishan Singh Bedi, presented prizes to the winners. The All-India inter-university winners were honoured with Rs 7,500 cash each. In the 'B' Division, Guru Nanak College, Batala, won the overall general championship trophy for men with 2,100 points while SSM College, Dinanagar, were the runners-up with 1,000 points. In the women’s section, SDSPM College for Women, Rayya, (3,400 points) lifted the 'B' Division Overall General Championship Trophy while BD Arya College, Jalandhar Cantonment, were the runners-up with 2,400 points. Shaheed Bhagat Singh Memorial Overall Championship Trophy for 2010-11 went to Lyallpur Khalsa College, Jalandhar, with 9,000 points. During 2011-12, the university teams (both men and women) bagged 32 positions in various disciplines in the All-India inter-university competitions. In the weight lifting event, the university won the championship trophy for 32nd time in succession. On this occasion, cricketer Rahul Sharma from DAV College, Amritsar, hockey player Manpreet Singh from DAV College, Jalandhar and shooters Amanpreet Singh (Lyallpur Khalsa College, Jalandhar) and Akshay Jain, DAV College, Phillaur, were also honoured. Five best archers --- Pawan, Sudhakar Paswan, Abhishek Verma, Anjali Kumari and Shishpal Singh --- and three international athletes --- Khushbir Kaur, Jasdeep Singh and Jagdeep Singh --- were also honoured on this occasion.
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Tourist’s purse snatched
Amritsar, March 15 The victim had hired an autorickshaw to reach the Golden Temple. When she reached near Bhandari bridge, the accused came on a motorcycle and ran away after snatching her purse having a mobile phone, passport, credit card, 200 Cronuo, besides other belongings. No arrests have been made so far. In another snatching incident, Amarjit Kaur, a resident of Ranjit Avenue, was allegedly robbed by two miscreants while she was on her way home. She told the police that she had Rs 10,000 cash besides gold ornaments and a mobile phone in her purse.
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One held with 500 g opium
Amritsar, March 15 The accused had alighted from a bus and was arrested on a tip off. A case under Section 18/61/85 of the NDPS Act has been registered against him. Amarjit Kumar, investigating officer, said the accused who works in a factory in Bhala village, had brought the contraband for his own consumption. He was presented in the court and a sent in one-day police remand, he said.
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Three-year-old run over by bus, one hurt
Amritsar, March 15 The driver of the bus fled from the spot leaving the bus behind. The deceased has been identified as Dilraj Singh, a resident of Sheron village, while his uncle Aman, of Dashmesh Avenue on Tarn Taran road, was injured in the accident. Baljit Kaur, the mother of the victim, had come to her parent’s house at Dashmesh Avenue. Dilraj died on the spot and Aman was rushed to a private hospital where his condition is stated to be serious. Residents chased the accused bus driver after which he abandoned the bus near Chatiwind canal and fled from.
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Vineeta (28), wife of a serving Lieutenant Colonel with the 65th field battalion of the Army, Santosh Wankhede, was found murdered under in Manekshaw enclave, inhabited by Army officers on Ram Tirath Road here today.
Six lives were lost in road accidents in the month of February alone. Unable to stem the problem, the authorities find it easier to blame such loss of precious lives on the roads to an increase in the number of vehicles especially high speed cars, rash and drunken driving as well as unrestricted entry of heavy vehicles within city limits.
