Amritsar, March 26
Nirmal Singh of Manjhwind village falling under Kathunangal police station was found murdered today. His body was found on the outskirts of the village. He was allegedly stabbed to death by unidentified robbers who stole plough-blades from a resident of the village. The victim had followed the accused on a motorcycle. The accused fled with his motorcycle.

The Kathunangal police has registered a case and launched a manhunt to nab the accused.

Nirmal Singh lived in a house located outside the village. He found several persons stealing and taking away plough-blades from the residence of Dalbir Singh on a horse cart. He followed them on his motorcycle. “At midnight, Nirmal noticed some suspicious movement. To alert the villagers, he shouted that some iron material was being stolen. Before we could understand anything, Nirmal started his motorcycle and went following the horse cart on which the accused were taking away the plough blades. As we have no other motorcycle, we started following them on a cycle. Till late night we could not locate him or the thieves,” said Satwinder Singh, the brother of the deceased. All family members started to look for him in the morning again. At 7 am they found his footwear and later his body from the fields.

Harpal Singh, SHO Kathunangal police station said a case under Section 302, 379 IPC has been registered in this connection. “Efforts are on to arrest the accused,” said Harpal.

Amritsar, March 26
To thwart any violence that may erupt in view of the hanging of former Chief Minister, Beant Singh’s assassin, Balwant Singh Rajoana, four companies of paramilitary forces have been deployed in the city. Personnel of the paramilitary forces and the police took out a flag march in various parts of the city today.

A number of Sikh organisations have opposed the hanging of Rajoana March 31. The police had sought the deployment of extra police and paramilitary forces in the city. In view of this, the district police has started making arrangements to maintain law and order in the city.

Nakas have also been set up at various points while regular checking is also being conducted in various parts of the city.

Sources say all SHOs and police officials have been told to set up nakas and be on alert. Throughout the day, regular meetings of senior and lower rank police officials were held. The lower rank police officials were also issued instructions and guidelines in this regard.

Four companies of the paramilitary forces and six companies of Punjab Armed Police have also been deployed in the city. “About 900 jawans of the paramilitary and PAP have also been called for security reasons,” sources said.

Deputy Commissioner, Amritsar, Rajat Agarwal, today issued orders to impose a blanket ban on holding of any protest rallies, meetings, raising slogans and agitations in areas under Amritsar rural police district till May 23.

The orders have been issued under Section 144 of the CrPC in view of the fact that several political parties and organisations were planning to organise protest marches, rallies and dharnas which could affect peace in the state.

Amritsar, March 26
Shortage of staff is adversely affecting investigation of various criminal cases here. Senior police authorities deny the same but a spurt in crime points towards this direction. A number of cases especially of dacoity and robbery over last year have reached dead ends and the accused are still far from the clutches of police reportedly due to this problem as the officials concerned could find enough time for investigations.

Major reason is that policemen have been reduced to mere security guards deputed with politicians for whom they have become mere status symbols. “Had they been deputed in police stations, it would have helped in better policing,” a police official said on the condition of anonymity. “We are really short of the requisite staff and no doubt it also affects in terms of delay of the investigations of crime incidents in the city. Even before we can probe a case, another incident occurs and the police officials have to move to that case,” he said.

“Staff shortage has hampered investigation of cases. We are over burdened,” another police official said.

“As far as time-bound investigations are concerned, our men have to sometimes work 24X7 without a break or food,” he said.

The police force deputed with various police stations finds it difficult to hold regular patrolling and nakas in their respective areas to control crime. This is also seen as a major reason for a spurt in petty crimes, including snatchings and thefts. “We are blamed for failure to control crime, but no one can see the hardships we face,” said a senior police official. “I don’t think there are any cases where investigations have been hampered in any way. In a majority of cases we have a good record. We have sufficient staff,” says Police commissioner RP Mittal.

Amritsar, March 26
The Mall Mandi bus stand has become a haven for drug addicts. The bus stand was being built exclusively for the launch of the low-floor city bus service and has only been partially built so far. Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Amritsar, Dharampal Gupta, though narrated the shortcomings in the process of filing tenders which led to a delay in the project. He was not aware about the partially-built Mall Mandi bus stand, which has become a favourite spot of drug addicts.

Empty bottles of whiskey, burnt tin foil strips and cigarette butts can be seen littering the bus stand. One of the shutters of the main iron grill of the gate of the bus stand has been stolen.

Similarly, the windowpanes and expensive handles and bolts on the doors here too have been stolen. The semi-built rooms of the bus stand have been encroached upon, the residents here complain.

The MC received a grant of Rs 83 crore from the Ministry of Urban Development under JNNURM in 2010. The grant is meant to introduce the first ever public transport system on nominal rates but it could neither arrange for the buses nor built sufficient supporting infrastructure like bus shelters, bus stand and operating points etc.

The tendering process for buses had to be scrapped for want of some official formalities, which remained overlooked, apparently due to shuffling of higher level officials, prior to the Assembly elections. Gupta did not comment on when the bus service will be launched. He assured that the shortcomings in the process of filing tenders will be redressed on a priority basis. “I guess it will take another four to five months or more,” he said. He said he will visit Mall Mandi bus stand.

The low-floor city bus service was planned four years ago and after failing to meet three deadlines, it could not take off. The AMC had invited a bid for 150 pre-fabricated 40-seat buses which saw only two bidders. A minimum of three bidders are required for the process. “Only two bidders had applied for the project. As the process requires more than two bidders, we cannot proceed due to this technical flaw. Tenders will be called again for the purpose and the shortcomings will be redressed on a priority basis,” Gupta said.

Amritsar, March 26
The development wave, which gained momentum during the election days, seemed to be fading fast. The 'stalled' work of a flyover at Kitchlew Chowk is a prime example.

This 900-meter long flyover, the first elevated road under the city limits, was inaugurated prior to the elections by the Deputy Chief Minister. This flyover was being projected to be the lifeline of the city. It was meant to provide relief to commuters and ease traffic flow at the busy spot.

Six months ago, the work was allotted to SP Singla Company, but there is negligible progress.

A visit to the site revealed that for the past over several months, the giant machines of the construction company had infringed upon a part of the road. Electricity wires, water and sewerage pipes dug up for the project have further added to the woes of commuters.

As a result of which, the area witnesses huge traffic jams on a regular basis.

It is said that the company took up the project on a much lower rate and now it is finding it unfeasible to execute the job.

The Improvement Trust has allotted the job to SP Singla Company for Rs 17.77 crore. Surprisingly, the RITES team has estimated the cost of the project to be Rs 34 crore.

It has been learnt that, over two dozen century-old eucalyptus trees would have to be axed to pave way for the proposed flyover.

The fact is that the whole area comes under the Forest Department and it was obligatory on the part of the Improvement Trust to seek 'due permission' from the Divisional Forest Office before axing the trees. But the officials of the department have confirmed that no request of the sort for this stretch has been received from the Improvement Trust.

Instead, the authorities had illegally set up offices to facilitate the monitoring agency officials and many trees were axed for the purpose.

Amritsar, March 26
Excessive use of mobile phone and watching televisions till late night could cause epilepsy, said neurologist Dr Ashok Uppal during a seminar organised to mark World Epilepsy Day here today.

“Electromagnetic waves of mobile phones could disturb the neuronal activity thus causing strange sensations, emotion, behaviour or sometimes convulsions, loss of consciousness known as epileptic seizures,” he said.

During this, the brain fires neurons 500 times a second which is much faster than normal rate ie 80 times per second, he said.

He said all over the world overall incidence of epilepsy is 1 per cent annually. In India more than 10 million people get the disease.

“Cases are increasing with the changing lifestyle. Major causes for the disease are injuries or neonatal infections during birth, stress, accidents, alcoholism and drug addiction besides late night sleeping habits especially among children, consumpition of unhygienic foods containing worms,” he said.

World Health Organisation reports say India has a fifth population of the world who suffer from the disease. Ironically, there is a huge treatment gap in the country with approximately 70-90 per cent of patients could not get treatment due to various reasons, including superstitions attached with the disease coupled with lack of awareness among the people at large, said Dr Uppal.

Talking about its treatment, Dr Uppal said about 90 per cent patients can be cured with medication. Then there is epilepsy surgery for complicated cases.

“But anti-epilepsy drugs have side effects too such as weight gain, hair loss or weakening of bones. Only long term use of anti-epilepsy drugs affect the bone health,” revealed Dr Uppal.

Amritsar, March 26
The senate and syndicate of Guru Nanak Dev University approved the budget estimates of Rs 263.81 crore for the year 2012-13. The authorities said there would no hike in tuition fees.

The university would receive a maintenance grant of Rs 35.54 crore and pay arrears to teachers amounting to Rs 45 crore.

Vice Chancellor Prof AS Brar said the university would contribute Rs 103.23 crore from its own sources. "Hence, a total income of Rs 181.77 crore has been estimated for the financial year 2012-13. The University would try to meet deficit of Rs 73.2 crore"", he said.

Similarly, out of total budget of Rs 263.81 crore, the 57.21 per cent of it would be spent on teaching, applied teaching, research and improvement of education. Another 9.56 per cent of the money will be spent on hostels, publication, construction, NSS, landscape, guest house, public relations and health centre. About 14.26 per cent has been allocated for general administration and 3.51 per cent for conducting the examinations.

The university senate accorded its approval to the recommendations of syndicate to start BA, BCA, BBA, BCom (Professional), BCom, BSc (Computer Science), BSc (Non-Medical), BSc (Economics), BSc (IT) and PGDCA courses in its constituent colleges, including Bebe Nanki University College, Mithra, Kapurthala, Guru Nanak Dev University College, Chungh (Tarn Taran), Guru Nanak Dev University College, Narot Jaimal Singh (Gurdaspur) and Guru Nanak Dev University College, Verka (Amritsar).

The university senate also approved the recommendations of the syndicate to start BTech (Computer Science and Engineering), BTech (Electronics and Communication Engineering), MBA (two years), BSc (Computer Science) in Guru Nanak Dev University Regional Campus, Sathiala and BTech (Computer Science and Engineering), BTech (Electronics and Communication Engineering), MBA (two years), in Guru Nanak Dev University Regional Campus, Sultanpur Lodhi.

The name of Guru Nanak Dev University Regional Campus Sathiala has been changed provisionally to Sri Guru Teg Bahadar College, Sathiala. Similary the name of 'Punjab History and Culture' (Credit Based) paper has been changed to 'History and Culture of Punjab' (Credit Based).

Amritsar, March 26
The Jallianwala Bagh Memorial Civil Hospital treated a 12-year-old girl who was suffering from turner syndrome, a rare genetic disorder in females.

In such cases, the female does not have the usual pair of two X chromosomes which hinders growth.

The family of patient Sandeep Kaur (12), a resident of Buttar Kalan village near Qadian (Gurdaspur), had approached the Civil Hospital on March 8. She was having webbed neck and flat chest besides other multiple problems. Later, she was diagnosed with the rare genetic disease, said Dr Balbir Singh Dhillon, Senior Medical Officer, Civil Hospital.

"This is a very rare disease which occurs only in females. Humans have 46 chromosomes. Chromosomes contain all genes and DNA, also known as the building blocks of the body. Two of these chromosomes --- the sex chromosomes --- determine if you become a boy or a girl. Females normally have two of the same sex chromosomes, XX, while males have an X and a Y chromosome," explained Dr Dhillon.

He said in turner syndrome, the female patient has only one X chromosome. Turner syndrome occurs in about 1 out of 2,000 live births, he added.

In such cases, the patient does not have normal growth of the body as her ovaries are not developed.

Sandeep was operated by a team of doctors of the Civil Hospital, led by Dr Sameera Sharma, the plastic surgeon.

"Now the patient would be given hormone therapy so that she could have normal growth," said Dr Dhillon.