Amritsar, April 30
The Amritsar Improvement Trust (AIT) is all set to implement the ambitious project to raise low-cost dwellings for the slum dwellers after the project recently received Centre's nod.

Amritsar Imrovement Trust chairman Sanjiv Khanna said in all 1,328 flats to be built at the cost of more than Rs 58 crore will be ready for possession within the next two years. These dwellings will be raised at Mall Mandi and New Amritsar areas. Each unit will have two rooms, one bathroom and a kitchen.

Slum dwellers will be given a flat at the cost of Rs 4.04 lakh. Thus, the beneficiaries of the scheme will pay a total of Rs 5.37 crore and Trusts, Union and state governments will bear the remaining cost.

Khanna said the central government will release Rs 29.10 crore through HUDCO while the state government will contribute Rs 11.69 crore and the remaining investment will come from the Trust.

Superintendent Engineer, AIT, Bharat Bhushan Sharma, said following lobbying by the Local Government director AK Sinha, the holy city became the first district in the state to implement the scheme.

He said six acres of land in the Mall Mandi area will be used to build 864 flats while 464 flats will be built on 3.5 acres in New Amritsar area. He said each flat will cover nearly 25.1 square metres and 30 square metre area.

The water supply, sewerage, roads, boundary wall, rain water harvesting, parking facilities will be provided by the Trust. He said the Trust has submitted a proposal to the Punjab government to avail stimulus offered by the Centre to construct houses for the economically weaker sections.

The Trust will carry out its own survey to hand over the houses to the slum dwellers so that those who really need the houses get their possession.

Amritsar, April 30
Security guards posted at the house of the Member of Parliament Navjot Singh Sidhu chased two accused trying to flee after snatching the purse of a woman near the MP's house.

Sidhu’s security guards chased the accused. The accused were arrested near Custom Chowk. They were later identified as Davinder Singh of Putlighar area and Jaspal Singh of Rani Ka Bagh. The police has lodged a complaint against them on the basis of the statement of the victim Daljit Kaur, a resident of Indira Colony, Verka.

Daljit along with her mother-in-law Amrik Kaur was going towards Dr Kitchlew Chowk from the Mall Road on a cycle rickshaw. When they reached near Navjot Singh Sidhu's house, two motorcycle-borne youth came from behind them and snatched Daljit Kaur's purse.

She raised an alarm after which Sidhu's security guards chased the snatchers along with the police team present at the Custom Chowk. They were arrested a few metres away from the chowk. The police has recovered the purse from their possession. A case under Section 382, 34 IPC has been registered at the Civil Lines police station.

Investigations revealed that the accused were drug addicts. Davinder Singh was involved in a number of snatching and robbery cases and a case was already registered against him at the Cantonment police station. He recently came out of the jail on bail.

The police found that the accused procured smack from Harjinder Singh alias Laddi, a resident of Chheharta. He was arrested after a raid by the police.

y Daljit along with her mother-in-law Amrik Kaur was going towards Dr Kitchlew Chowk from the Mall Road on a cycle rickshaw. When they reached near Navjot Singh Sidhu's house, two motorcycle-borne youth came from behind and snatched Daljit Kaur's purse

y Daljit raised an alarm after which Sidhu's security guards chased the snatchers along with the police team present at the Custom Chowk. They were arrested a few meters away from the chowk

Amritsar, April 30
Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has turned a blind eye towards bakeries spreading pollution in the city. Many of these bakeries are situated in congested areas without taking hygiene and safety measures into account. Running from small plinth area many of these bakeries have installed hearths which are operated by archaic methods besides using coal and wood as fuel.

A resident of East Mohan Nagar, Gurpal Singh, in his complaint to the PPCB against a bakery alleged that two of his family members fell sick due to this reason. He said repeated complaints have not elicited favourable response and he has to approach the department headquarters in this regard. He said a majority of houses in the city have common walls and running hearths to cook ready-to-eat biscuits, buns, pastries and other eatables from inside residences raise the temperature of the surrounding houses in the sweltering heat. He alleged that besides a majority of these bakeries do not install fire safety equipment. Another complainant Dharampal Mahajan of Shivala Colony said these bakeries also use generators which add to the residents’ woes. 

The Board has ordered the closure of the said bakery. We are waiting for a report from the Town Planning department to know whether the area is residential or commercial category as noise pollution norms differ for both
—kuldeep singh, ppcb xen

Amritsar, April 30
Cashing in on the IPL frenzy, bars and lounges in the city are turning into mini cricket stadiums. The reason is the huge television screens put to woo fans to watch the IPL matches with their favourite food or drink.

To make the offer even more irresistible, are flat discounts on beverages and food, perfect ambiance setting the mood for unadulterated cricket entertainment.

“IPL is the best entertainment for cricket lovers. Nobody is happy watching it alone at home, as the best of IPL is enjoyed better in a group,” says Shubham Dutta, manager, Bercos. The lounge in the basement has been tuned into a live cricket stadium with huge screens, a constant supply of complementary drinks and a sizzler festival to make things better. “The sizzler festival is being organised especially for the IPL, with the best Oriental delicacies on offer. We also give 50 per cent off on all alcoholic beverages,” says the manager.

Best West Merrion too is celebrating IPL along with the guests. With a giant live screen and a live grill, their poolside is buzzing with cricket activity. “The evenings are packed with students, professionals and anybody who is a cricket fan. We have given a special touch to the ambiance with all our serving staff sporting uniforms of the various IPL teams. The response is great as the sales have risen during the season,” says Rajiv Sharma, general manager, Best West Merrion. Then there is the customised menu for the IPL offered by the hotel. Special vegetarian soups dedicated to the team of Pune Warriors and the non-vegetarian ones to the Kings XI Punjab, the salad menu celebrates the Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals and snacks like Sachin’s Elegance, Raina Square Cut and Dhoni’s Helicopter Shot add to the fun.

HK Clark’s Inn too is offering fine dining over special IPL menu along with some live cricket entertainment for the guests. Drinks are complementary of course.

“IPL is a good time for business and even the guests want something exciting. So we make sure that they don’t miss out on the action while adding to our sales,” says Rahul Rohit, general manager, HK Clark’s Inn.

Amritsar, April 30
Ajit Singh, a native of Buttar Kalan village, was crushed to death by a truck near Gaggarbhana village in Amritsar late last night.

He was returning to his village on a motorcycle after paying obeisance at a gurdwara at Baba Bakala when the incident took place. Kartar Singh, a resident of Jaitosarja village and relative of the deceased, was riding a separate motorcycle.

Bikramjit Singh, SHO Mehta police station, said the truck (PB-06-N-2767) was driven by Gurnam Singh of Naushehra Majha Singh.

The police said the truck hit the motorcycle and the ridder Ajit Singh fell on the road and injured his head. He died immediately. The driver escaped from the spot leaving the truck behind.

However, Bikramjit Singh said the accused was later arrested. A case under Sections 304-A IPC has been registered in this connection.

Amritsar, April 30
A lack of clarity in the government policy has not helped matters for the sagging hospitality sector of Punjab, especially Amritsar.

The Parkash Singh Badal-led government during its previous tenure granted the industry status to hotel projects in non-designated areas.

The 2009 industrial policy explicitly said, “The hotel projects as defined by the Department of Tourism will be given the status of industry in non-designated areas and will be entitled to concessions as admissible to the industry.”

However, the department failed to elaborate the term “non-designated areas” leaving the sector without any benefit.

Also the tourism department failed to publicise the industrial policy. Importantly, Amritsar has the highest number of hotels in the state.

The industry status would have extended benefits like low power tariff, land on subsidised rate, soft loans on land and machinery besides negligible fee on water and sewerage supply.

Presently, hotels are charged power tariff at a commercial rate of Rs 5.60 per unit whereas the industry rate is Rs 4 per unit. Similarly, hotels have to pay water tariff at a commercial rate.

Hotelier APS Chatha said the department could not even clarify the term “non-designated areas”. He said even the incentives and benefits are not clear in the industrial policy.

Showing his anger over the apathy of the tourism department, Satnam Singh Kanda, another hotelier, said the hospitality sector is the driver of the economic growth in the city and thus can’t be left crumbling. “From star hotels to lodges, rickshaw pullers to shopkeepers reap dividend from the arrival of tourists,” he said.

Hoteliers also said instead of extending any incentives to boost the hospitality sector, it has been burdened with a slew of taxes by the municipal corporation, state and Central governments.

Narinder Singh, Deputy Director, Department of Tourism, confirmed that no application has been received under the policy since it was notified.

He accepted that the term “the status of industry in non-designated areas” was not defined properly.

He said most probably the term meant border cities and remote areas.

He said the department had forwarded the case of industry power tariff to the PSPCL, but its regulatory commission turned the case down saying the hotels did not manufacture anything.

Besides, he said star-category hotels prefer to come under the state government’s mega project scheme as it offers more incentives. Mega projects are cleared by the empowered committee headed by the Chief Minister.

n The 2009 industrial policy explicitly stated: “The hotel projects as defined by the Department of Tourism will be given the status of industry in non-designated areas and will be entitled to concessions as admissible to the industry.”

Amritsar, April 30
This Punjabi film promises to be different. However, it won’t be devoid of song, dance, romance, and little action.

The filmmakers claim to bring in fresh script, some virgin locations and youthful energy in the film ‘Taur Mitran Di’, scheduled to hit the box-office on May 11.

The upcoming Punjabi film focuses on hockey, “More than the sport, the film focuses on the youth of Punjab. The ones who are aimless, who daydream and lack direction in life. This film is about chasing one’s dream and realising them,” say actor-singer Amrinder Gill, who was in city to pay obeisance at the Golden Temple.

It is out-an-out Punjabi film, but not just another one. “The film is dedicated to the youth, it’s fast and gripping and encourages a dying sport,” says Gill. As far as the posters and teasers are concern, the film does have the right attitude or ’taur’, as they say, with good looking actors, flashy cars and exotic beauty of Leh-Ladakh in the background. The film was extensively shot in and around Amritsar.

Amrinder plays a spoilt brat in the film-something entirely opposite to his real personality. “Acting it out wasn’t the toughest part. Doing some crazy action scenes was. I love singing but I also wanted to act and so I took classes with Kishore Namit Kapoor in Mumbai. Acting is about the right attitude. I hope I am able to achieve it,” he signs off. The movie was made on a 3-crore budget. It will also release in Moscow, China and Pakistan.

Amritsar, April 30
Lack of awareness among the small shopkeepers, rehriwalas, vendors and the owners of business establishments about the new Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, coupled with a shortage of staff and infrastructure is hampering the implementation of the Act.

The authorities need to work hard to get those involved in selling food items obtain licences under the Act as a majority of them are illiterate.The authorities on the other hand find it tough to do so for lack of staff and infrastructure.

Civil Surgeon Dr Manjit Singh Randhawa along with other health officials today held a meeting with various associations, including hotel associations, eating joint owners, karyana merchants, bakeries, khoya manufacturers, retailers or wholesalers selling food items and urged them to get themselves registered as per the requirements of the Food Safety and Standard Act.

Though the Union government passed the Act in August, a large section of people involved in the running eateries are reluctant to get registered or obtain licences for the same. As per the Act, all those involved in the food businesses, including temporary stalls and Karyana stores selling food items are required to get registered. Earlier the health department had fixed March 31 as the deadline for the registration. But only 65 small shopkeepers have registered themselves while 80 persons have obtained the licences under the Act.

“Food businesses, with an annual turnover of Rs 12 lakh are required to get registered while those establishments with an annual turnover exceeding Rs 12 lakh are required to obtain a licence,” said district health officer PS Kahlon.

“We have simplified the registration procedure. The applicants have to submit a photograph, an ID proof besides a proof of residence in the connection,” said Kahlon.

However, another official pointed out the problems being faced by the health officials. The department has only two food inspectors and a clerk besides DHO, who is the designated officer for the implementation of the Act, in the name of the staff.

“We don’t have a computer or printer. With 80-85 per cent of businessmen are illiterate, this has compounded our problem. The health officials have to fill forms of the applicants. No separate funds have been allocated to spread awareness among the masses. Yes the health department is facing the problem in implementing the Act in letter and spirit,” said an official on the condition of anonymity. Pardeep Singh Kahlon, DHO said the department does not have sufficient staff. 

Amritsar, April 30
The BA (Part III) paper of public administration that was cancelled earlier will be held on May 12. The paper was scheduled to be held on April 28 but was later cancelled.

Dr RK Mahajan, Professor In-charge (examination), said, “The paper was cancelled due to some administrative reasons. However, the examination centre and the time of examination would remain the same. The students can approach the concerned examination branch for further clarifications,” he said. 

Amritsar, April 30
Guru Nanak Dev University has announced that it will provide special concession to Kashmiri migrants who desire to seek admission in technical and professional courses in the university from this academic session.

The Syndicate of the university has already accorded their approval. Registrar Dr Inderjit Singh said if there is one Kashmiri applicant then he or she will get admission in the technical or professional departments at the University campus and its regional campuses and constituent colleges. “In case there is more than one candidate, the admission may be granted on the basis of marks obtained in their qualifying exam as per university rules,” he said. 

Jalandhar, April 30
With the Centre slashing Punjab's quota of subsidised kerosene under the public distribution system (PDS) by 63 per cent from April 1, no above poverty line (APL) family will get kerosene from now onwards.

Only below poverty line (BPL) families will be eligible for subsidised kerosene.

Even as a majority of the residents in Punjab are using liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for cooking, still a number of APL and BPL families in the state are using kerosene.

With this, not only the APL families using kerosene will suffer, but at least 25,000 PDS depot holders and 225 wholesale kerosene dealers are likely to be adversely affected.

While the depot holders are already up in arms against the state and the Centre governments for cut in the kerosene quota, the wholesale kerosene dealers have decided to postpone their agitation till May 6 after an assurance by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal of restoration of earlier quota after raising the issue with the Centre.

Jalandhar, April 30
An elderly woman was crushed to death by an unidentified vehicle on the Jalandhar-Phagwara road late last night.

She was returning home after paying obeisance at Anandpur Sahib. The deceased was identified as Jagdish Kaur, a resident of Friends Avenue, Amritsar. Sources said the bus stopped at a 'dhaba' on the highway. As the victim alighted from the bus, an unidentified vehicle crushed her to death.

The victim was rushed to a nearby private hospital, where doctors declared her brought dead. — OC

Amritsar, April 30
Sarhad-e-Punjab Sports Club will hold City Gold Mini marathon on the World Athletics Day tomorrow. Mini marathon will start form Chheharta and will conclude in front of the gate of Guru Nanak Dev University. The club’s president, Gurinder Singh Mattu, said mini marathon would cover about three-km distance.

As many as 500 players are expected to take part in the marathon. He said 50 boys and 50 girls would be given prizes.