Amritsar, July 5
Infrastructural development works in the city initiated by the Amritsar Improvement Trust (AIT) has come to a standstill after the term of its chairman Sanjiv Khanna came to end on June 30.

As per the rules of the department of Local Bodies, the term of a chairman is for two years and powers of finance, approval and disapproval of projects vest with him. Officials of contractors and private concerns which have been engaged in various development works in the city complain that their projects are getting delayed due to the absence of the chairman. Pleading anonymity, they said they require approvals from the chairman and delay over 25 days means financial penalty to the Trust as per the agreement.

The date for the meeting of the consultancy firms to present a detailed report of their designs can not be fixed since the chairman is also its member. The Improvement Trust has received designs for the multi-purpose sports complex after tenders were floated across India inviting designs till June 28.

Infrastructural development works like flyovers at Saifuddin Kitchlew Chowk and SSSS chowk, providing basic amenities at 211 acres Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Mall Mandi Scheme, 97 Acres land falling in Ranjit Avenue Scheme, constructing flats for the economically weaker sections at the Mall Mandi and New Amritsar have been affected.

A delay in starting 188-acre residential scheme known as ‘New Amritsar Expansion Scheme’, multistoried commercial complex with adequate parking on Court Road near Annam Cinema and a 40-feet wide road from Ghee Mandi Chowk to the Golden Temple have also got delayed.

Even the procurement of various construction material has been hit as the financial powers above Rs 10,000 vests with the chairman while powers for amount below this rests with the Executive Officer.

Amritsar, July 5
A day after a Punjab police constable died after falling into an open elevator shaft in the courts complex, the police has booked the service provider Kone Elevator India Private Limited and the handicapped lift operator Arjinder Singh. The police has registered a case under Section 304A of IPC at the Civil Lines police station. No arrests have been made so far. The FIR states that the "accused Arjinder Singh is a handicapped and cannot run the lift properly".

Arjinder Singh, handicapped due to a polio bout in childhood, has been employed by the company to operate the lift. His work is to help people with the right keys inside the elevator. The accident had occurred when the lift got stuck between the third and the fourth floors. At the time of the incident constable Sandeep Singh was alone in the lift. He reportedly fell unconscious inside the lift and later fell into the open shaft during the rescue operation, which clearly seems to have been conducted by people who are not experts, the FIR states.

An advocate on the condition of anonymity said, "Arjinder cannot be booked as he was employed by the company which should have known the job profile of the lift operator. Secondly being handicapped is not his fault and the company should not have employed him if the job required a physically fit person." Investigating officer Sub Inspector Ashok Kumar said, "The case has been registered based on preliminary observations."

Amritsar Bar Association president Pradeep Kumar Saini said, "We took up the matter with the administration of the judicial complex once." He said the association would take up the matter once again.

Amritsar, July 5
The Rambagh police has booked an Assistant Sub Inspector posted at Majitha among nine others for allegedly defrauding Naresh Kumar of Katra Sher Singh, who now lives at Dashmesh Nagar near Jora Phatak.

Naresh, in his complaint to the police, alleged that the accused lured him on the pretext of buying a plot at cheaper rates of Rs 12.90 lakh. However, later it was found that the said plot had already been sold.

Besides, ASI Narinder Pal Singh Virk, the police has also booked Balbir Singh and Surinder Pal Singh of Nariangarh, Gurinder Singh of Rasulpur Kalar, Satish Kumar of Dashmesh Nagar, Rajinder Pal Singh Biala of Judge Nagar, Roop Lal of Krishna Nagar, Ajit Singh of Krishna Nagar and Gurdial Singh of Dashmesh Nagar.

The police has registered a case under Section 420, 467, 468, 471, 120-B IPC in this regard. SHO Rambagh police station, Sanjiv Kumar, said a case has been registered. He said Narinder Pal Singh was instrumental in the deal for the sale of the land. No arrests have been made so far, he said.

Amritsar, July 5
Rakesh Kumar and Baba died due to the sweltering heat here today taking the death toll to 32. Rakesh, whose antecedents are not known, worked as a labourer at a tent house near Hussainpura Chowk here.

Investigating officer, Arjun Singh, said Rakesh had been working at the tent house for last two days. “He went to sleep in the godown of the tent house but did not wake up the next morning.

The owner of the tent house and co-workers of Rakesh decided to break open the door when he did not answer the door after repeated knocks. They found him dead,” he said.

Nobody at his workplace knew about his antecedents as he had come to the shop only a couple of days ago. Preliminary investigations have revealed that he died due to the severe heat. However, the exact cause of his death would be known only after the post-mortem examination, he said.

In another incident, body of Baba, alias Tinku, was found at his home. He lived on rent at Guru Nanak Pura. He lived in one room of the house belonging to Massa Singh. One leg of the deceased was polio-affected.

Massa said Baba claimed that he had no relatives. He said Baba died due to the extreme hot conditions while the post-mortem examination of the body is yet to be conducted.

Amritsar, July 5
Two unidentified motorcycle-borne youth allegedly looted gold and silver jewellery besides cash from a woman in the evening on Wednesday. The victim, Sunita, was on her way back to her home along with her two children at the time of the incident.

Sunita, a resident of Gali Kharasiawali, Shakti Nagar, and her family had gone to Ambala to attend some function on June 27. She was on her way home on a cycle rickshaw along with her daughter Gori and son Vishal.

She told the police that when she reached near Hindu College, the accused who were armed with sharp-edged weapon, came from behind them and snatched her purse. Sunita told the police that she had 130 gram of gold jewellery, 100 gram of silver jewellery besides Rs 30,000 in cash in her purse. She could not give a description of the motorcycle or the armed accused to the police.

The investigating officer, Vijay Kumar, said though the CCTV cameras installed outside Hindu College have confirmed the crime but the quality of the footage is so poor that it is of no help to the police party in identifying the accused. A case under Section 382, 34 IPC has been registered.

Amritsar, July 5
The murder of a GNDU student Preeti Atri in broad daylight on Wednesday evening sent shockwaves through the city. The gruesome murder has also put a question mark over the safety of women in the city.

Young women of the city want their safety to be ensured. Most worried are those living those living in paying guest accommodations.

“Such incidents have definitely scared us as everyone is concerned about their safety. Amritsar has become an important educational centres and the student population is increasing every year. Off late, there have been numerous incidents involving crimes against women, which makes it very dangerous to live in a PG,” feels Avneet Kaur, a student of GNDU who hails from Chandigarh. Living at the girls’ hostel in GNDU, Avneet says, “I didn’t get hostel accommodation in my first attempt and was considering staying in a PG. But after yesterday’s incident, I have decided to get a hostel accommodation, even if it means waiting for it.”

Like Avneet, there are many girls who feel scared to freely move about in the city, “When I first came here, my only concern was to get an accommodation closest to the university as I couldn’t get hostel accommodation. Kabir Park is the closest and it has a good number of such accommodations and so most students prefer the area. We do live in constant fear that something may happen anytime,” says Priya Sharma from Pathankot, who is a student of B.Com at Khalsa College. “Most paying guest accommodations don’t bother about safety of the inmates, as their only aim is to provide food and shelter and the inmates are responsible for their own safety,” she adds.

The murder is just another brutal act of crime in an already long list of crimes against women. Eve teasing, snatchings and sexual abuse have become an everyday ordeal for the girls.

“It’s not about a safe accommodation; it is about a safe environment. Murder is an extreme act of crime. Most girls have to face eve-teasing and harassment everyday, whether on the campus or outside,” says Sanchari, a student of computer science at GNDU.

This Delhi girl has suffered numerous such incidents of abuse over the past three years, “Small incidents happen every day and go unnoticed. It’s only when a murder takes place that the police and authorities take notice. Moreover, girls are scrutinised and victimised by being held responsible for such heinous acts against them,” she says.

“When you run a PG with more than 20 inmates, it becomes difficult to keep a tab on their activities. We have certain ground rules, but we cannot always know what they do outside,” says a PG owner in Kabir Park.

A bank employee who runs a paying guest accommodation in Ranjit Avenue says, “Though we have a small number of inmates, we make sure to maintain discipline and safety standards for them like no going out after 7 pm, no male guests and informing their parents about their activities.”

Amritsar, July 5
To garner support from the state in the nationwide campaign starting from August 9, yoga guru-turned-anti- corruption crusader Baba Ramdev held meetings with his supporters from districts here today.

Ramdev said August 9 would be known as the turning point in the political history of the nation. He claimed that he owes support from half of the 4.5 lakh gram sabhas in the country.

"Though we would not take part in the elections, we would ensure that the country chooses an honest prime minister as well as 400 MPs in the next elections," he said.

The aim of the aandolan would be to make the government become responsive on the issue of black money stacked in other countries.

About his association with the SAD-BJP alliance in the state, whose members are facing charges of corruption, Ramdev said, "We are focusing on the main issue and would not digress from it in making personalised accusations. However, all those who are guilty should face action." He said they want that the heads of the organisations such as the Election Commission, CAG and the CBI should be impartial.

Refuting allegations of owning property, Ramdev said, “I don't have any personal property worth a single penny. The money which is being talked about belongs to the people and they have given it as I have credibilit,” he said. 

Amritsar, July 5
Former employees of the Guru Nanak Dev University who are receiving pensions have criticised the varsity authorities for stopping issuance of university stickers on their vehicles meant for vehicles allowed inside campus.

The GNDU Pensioners' Association president Amarjit Singh Bai said the university has in a recent decision stopped issuing university stickers for their vehicles. “The university has citied security reasons behind the decision stating that wards of the pensioners may try to harm the campus culture," said Bai.

He said the family members of any pensioner has never indulged in any kind of nefarious activities on the campus. “Being senior citizens and old members of the university we want to remind the administration that the wards of pensioners are well settled and employed and have no time to indulge in such destructive activities," he said.

He said the vehicles with the stickers given by the university make it easy for them to enter the campus. "The vehicles are used for our comfort and not to create any nuisance," said Bai. The university must withdraw its decision as such an incident against former employees of the university is not commendable. He said the stickers are required because the pensioners need to visit the University often. He also demanded that dues of the pensioners should also be released immediately.

Amritsar, July 5
Gurpreet Kaur, a research fellow from the Department of the Biotechnology of Guru Nanak Dev University has been awarded with Fulbright Nehru Doctoral and Professional Research Fellowship for 2012-13.

Dr Pratap Kumar Pati, the head of the Department of Biotechnology, said it is a prestigious fellowship awarded by the United States Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), the Government of India, the institute of International Education (IIE) and the United States-India Educational Foundation (USIEF).

Gurpreet is working as a Ph.D student under the supervision of Dr Pati. Under the Fulbright programme, Gurpreet will work for nine months at the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. She is also an INSPIRE Fellow of the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, and had recently cleared Bio Informatics National Certification (BINC) Examination-2012 at all India level.

Amritsar, July 5
The results of B.Sc (IT) part-I, B.Sc bio technology part-I, MA Sanskrit part-II and MA religious studies semester-II conducted by the Guru Nanak Dev University in April, have been declared.

Prof RK Mahajan, Professor in- charge (exams) said these results will also be available on the university website www.gndu.ac.in.