Rallying against power cuts: The tripping of Northern Grid gives schoolchildren and residents a perfect opportunity to carry out a candlelight march to protest against frequent power cuts in Amritsar on Tuesday. photos: sameer sehgal

Waiting game for train passengers
Two trains were delayed and passengers were stranded at the station for over five hours. The railway officials rushed diesel engines to fetch Delhi-Amritsar Shatabdi and Delhi-Amritsar Shan-e-Punjab trains, which were stranded at Beas and Jalandhar Cantonment railway stations, respectively.


Passengers stranded at Amritsar railway station on Tuesday. photo: vishal kumar

Mohd Rafi
Memories of singing jewel suffer in neglect
Amritsar, July 31
It has become a tradition of sorts. Every Bollywood artiste or star who comes to Amritsar is asked why the film industry has forgotten its greatest singer of all times, Mohd Rafi? But has the city where he was born been able to ask the same question to itself?


Mohd Rafi Memorial Society organises remembers the legendary singer on his death anniversary in Amritsar on Tuesday. photo: Vishal Kumar

Sidhu takes up security issue at city, Attari railway stations with officials
Amritsar, July 31
In view of the seizure of 12 kg heroin from the goods trains that arrived from Pakistan in the past two months, MP Navjot Singh Sidhu held a meeting with the railway officials, led by Divisional Railway Manager (Ferozepur division) Naresh Chander Goel, and brought out the gaps in the security arrangements at the rail cargo area at Amritsar railway station and Attari railway station.

MP Navjot Singh Sidhu along with NC Goel, Divisional Railway Manager, Ferozepur Division, visits the cargo area at railway station in Amritsar on Tuesday. photo: Vishal Kumar 

Not an easy going for city brands
Amritsar, July 31
It’s no secret that Amritsar is a tough nut to crack when it comes to designer labels. Especially for the homebound designers who find it hard to maintain a status quo amongst the city clientele.




Exhibitions do happen in the city but there are few takers for upcoming labels and brands. photo: Sameer Sehgal

Fake entries in record
Health workers under scanner 
Amritsar, July 31
After detecting fake entries in the records submitted by auxiliary nursing midwives (ANMs) and lady health visitors (LHVs) posted in rural areas, the District Family Welfare Office has written a letter to all Senior Medical Officers (SMOs) in the district to maintain record of cases not registered by health employees.

29 schools challaned for ignoring anti-smoking guidelines
Amritsar, July 31
The health department has challaned 29 school heads for not displaying statuary warnings on smoking on their school premises. The department had earlier instructed the schools to display warnings in view of the upcoming inspection by a PGI team to check district’s readiness for getting smoke-free status. Civil Surgeon Dr Hardip Singh Ghai said challans were issued to 29 schools for not adhering to the guidelines issued by the department. He said the department has collected Rs 4,050 as fine from faulty schools. The department has reported a case wherein a principal of government school at Tung Bala area refused to pay the fine.

NRI’s purse snatched
Amritsar, July 31
An US-based NRI became the latest victim of snatchers on Monday. Two youths on a motorcycle snatched the purse of Indrani Gill, belonging to Ludhiana, when she got down from a rickshaw near the MK Hotel in the Ranjit Avenue.

Amritsar, July 31
With the Northern Grid tripping for the second time in as many days, city residents, especially patients and rail and road commuters, had a tough time grappling with power crisis for over five hours.

Power supply remained cut off from 1:03 pm to 5:20 pm, said Sudeep Singh Sandhu, Chief Engineer, PSPCL (Border Range).

Though educational institutes, offices and banks conducted their daily activities on power backup, passengers at railway station and inter-state bus terminal have to sweat it out. 

The electricity disruption made it a hard for patients admitted at government hospitals. The attendants of patients at these hospitals were seen using handmade fans to comfort the ailing. The patients at government hospitals also had a tough day in getting various tests done. They were forced to go to private hospitals due to the power disruption at government institutions. However the private clinics were equipped with power backup like generators. The government hospitals too depended on generators to conduct emergency operations and other services. The JBM Civil Hospital staff said emergency services were carried out with the help of generators. 

The water supply also went off a minute later the Northern Grid tripped for the second time today, taking Amritsar residents by surprise on a humid day. However, they got some respite in the afternoon when the electricity was restored after nearly a four and a half hour suspension.

With the MC ill-equipped to handle the crisis, people have to go to nearby areas to fetch water from hand pumps.

The system of water supply in holy city is entirely based on groundwater, which is drawn out with the help of tube wells and supplied to localities through a system of overhead reservoirs. In the absence of power, the water could not be drawn out and pumped to the OHRs.

Further, the MC does not have adequate water tankers to transport potable water.

Importantly, there are more than 340 tubewells in the city, but only eight are equipped with generators. These genset-operated tubewells are located at Katra Moti Ram, Shakti Nagar, Gilwaligate, outside Beri gate and Kesri bagh etc. But these eight tubewells cater to only 13 wards out of 65 wards in the city.

Superintending Engineer Jaswinder Singh said it was not feasible to install heavy duty genset with each and every tubewell. But yes if the crisis would have lasted longer than it did, we could have operated the genset-operated tubewells and transported the water to localities", he said.

Two trains were delayed and passengers were stranded at the station for over five hours. The railway officials rushed diesel engines to fetch Delhi-Amritsar Shatabdi and Delhi-Amritsar Shan-e-Punjab trains, which were stranded at Beas and Jalandhar Cantonment railway stations, respectively.

A shawl merchant from Ghaziabad, Babu Ram, who was waiting to board Shan-e-Punjab at the railway station, said it was really very tough to wait in the humid condition when the power went off at the railway station.

Another passenger, Ravi Kumar said power crisis has taken a massive shape. Now it spread from the northern states to the eastern part of the country.

Ashma, also waiting at the railway station, said she came here along with her son to get her eyes operated. She said without fans, she felt irritation in her eyes in this sweltering heat. 

Amritsar, July 31
It has become a tradition of sorts. Every Bollywood artiste or star who comes to Amritsar is asked why the film industry has forgotten its greatest singer of all times, Mohd Rafi? But has the city where he was born been able to ask the same question to itself?

For someone who received the best singer of the millennium award 20 years after his death, becoming just a memory, celebrated twice a year on the respective birth and death anniversary is not the best way to be remembered.

Mohd Rafi, the greatest singer of all times, enjoyed his stardom during his lifetime, but now his memories suffer in neglect.

While we take it in our pride that he was born in the holy city and bask in the glory of his origins, the only tribute paid to the greatest singer of all time by the city exist in a calendar year format. Once at his birth anniversary and once at his death anniversary. Noticing the fact that we have four-five memorial organisations in the city that claim credit for keeping his memories alive through various programmes, the ‘doing their bit’ seems quite ineffective when talking something substantial.

“I would not deny the fact that after all these years, we have not been able to do justice to the memories of a man of his stature. Reasons vary from the financial issues to motivational issues,” says Tarlochan Singh, an artistes and president of the Mohd Rafi Memorial Society Amritsar. “As artistes and members of the community, we try doing every bit to preserve and promote his legacy, sending memo to the administration to set up a memorial centre or institute in the city, but our demands have not met till date,” he says. Like each year, this year too the memorial society organised a commemoration ceremony at Virsa Vihar to remember the singer on his death anniversary.

The independently-run organisations cry over lack of funds for undertaking such an initiative themselves, there is also a power tussle between these societies to stake claim over his memories.

Harinder Sohal, another artiste, who organises memorial programmes dedicated to Rafi in his native village Kotla Sultan Singh shares that there needs to be unity among the art fraternity to create memorial space for the legendary artistes. “Everybody who does a bit wants to take credit for it. And so this rat race among the artiste fraternity to claim credit is responsible for the administration’s lacklustre attitude. The only significant development that happened so far is the inauguration of a statue of Mohd Rafi at his native village.” Apart from statue, the only visible memory of the singer in his village is his life-size sketch adorning the walls at the school where he studied, donated by yesteryears singer Shabbir Kumar.

Parminderjit Singh, poet, writer and editor of Akhar magazine in the city, says honouring paper artistes on his memorial functions doesn’t justify anything. “Most functions and events that happen in his memory have young local singers singing one or two of his popular songs, some prominent artistes being honoured in his name and that is it. One should try to find fresh talent and groom them so they can be the next Mohd Rafi and not beat around the same concept year after year. I believe that would be the best we could do to keep him alive among us.”

Amritsar, July 31
In view of the seizure of 12 kg heroin from the goods trains that arrived from Pakistan in the past two months, MP Navjot Singh Sidhu held a meeting with the railway officials, led by Divisional Railway Manager (Ferozepur division) Naresh Chander Goel, and brought out the gaps in the security arrangements at the rail cargo area at Amritsar railway station and Attari railway station.

He was accompanied by a delegation of the city-based importers and exporters, who demanded foolproof security arrangements.

Sidhu and traders pointed out issues regarding fencing and security staff besides absence of facilities at the stations.

He said when he held discussions with the officials of the BSF in this regard a few days back, he came to know that scanners, dog squads and other equipments are required for the Government Railway Police guarding the Attari and Amritsar railway stations.

The MP said peddlers and couriers of heroin used Pakistan’s SIM cards. Hence, jammers are required at Attari railway station to prevent these operatives from communicating with each other. He said there was need to install high-grade cameras to detect heroin and other contrabands from their colour as well.

Stressing the need to install preventive infrastructure to ensure the seizure of illegal items being smuggled in the country, the MP said the border with Pakistan was porous and despite being fenced, it is difficult to curb the activities of the smugglers completely.

He said he would even raise the issue in Parliament. Later, he along with railway officials visited the rail cargo at Amritsar railway station, Attari railway station and Verka railway station. As much as Rs 1.5 crore would be spent on improving infrastructure at these stations, he said.

Amritsar, July 31
It’s no secret that Amritsar is a tough nut to crack when it comes to designer labels. Especially for the homebound designers who find it hard to maintain a status quo amongst the city clientele.

As the exhibition and sale season begins, there is a line of lifestyle exhibitions waiting to happen. Of course, that means a lot of space for city-based labels to market themselves. But the real picture is not as pretty as it may sound.

“When it comes to respecting some creativity, the city is big let down,” says Kavita Mehra, who runs the label Kavi’s Touch. The city-based designer feels that apart from some lifestyle exhibitions and shopping festivals, selling designer labels to city crowd is really difficult task. “It is way to difficult to convince them that something different might not come with a discount. I think people have different tastes here and they are not ready to open their mind beyond that. Most designers bring forth stuff that is different, creative and not easily available. But all people care about is if they would get a good discount on those products,” she says.

She has been marketing her label in Delhi and other parts of Punjab.

But don’t these exhibitions bring in the required clientele? “They do. But it is a very small fraction. Others wait till the last day to get some off on the actual price,” she explains.

Mayuri Kandhari, who has her label Hazzara along with Itasha Sachdeva, also agrees with Kavita’s views. The city-based designers specialise in clothing, home furnishings and home décor pieces. Being part of a fashion and lifestyle exhibition in the city for the first time, these girls have felt the pinch while selling their products.

“One does get a good response, but business wise it is a different story. Most women stick to their own perceptions and do not follow changing trends. Our label has featured in various exhibitions and shows in Delhi and has done tremendous business,” says Mayuri.

That is why most designer labels in the city prefer taking their brands outside Amritsar. But the limited clientele that does regard creativity do make up for moderate business. “The situation is not that bad as most labels thrive on customised clientele,” says Kavita.

“But a conscious and more aware market would mean better business and exposure for city-based talent,” she adds. 

Amritsar, July 31
After detecting fake entries in the records submitted by auxiliary nursing midwives (ANMs) and lady health visitors (LHVs) posted in rural areas, the District Family Welfare Office has written a letter to all Senior Medical Officers (SMOs) in the district to maintain record of cases not registered by health employees.

The ANMs and LHVs are responsible for keeping record of all pregnancies in their respective areas so that better medical services can be provided to mothers and children. District Family Welfare Officer Dr Ranjit Singh Buttar said, “Even now we get pregnancy cases at hospitals which are not reported by health employees.”

He said keeping separate record of such cases would help the department identify employees not doing their duty properly. “SMOs would be checking these records every two weeks and records would be sent to the district headquarter after every month,” said Buttar.

He admitted that few forged entries were found in the records submitted by employees. Each ANM or LHV is made responsible for an area with a population of around 5,000. There are five accredited social health activists (ASHAs) to support ANMs or LHVs.

“These workers are appointed in the same area they belong to so that they can keep a personal touch with the area residents. But as it appears that they are not aware of all the pregnancies in their areas, it means that they are not doing their duties properly,” said Buttar adding that show-cause notices would be issued to such workers.

Buttar said as the government is doing every bit in its capacity to provide medical care to mother and child, employees are not expected to negligent in their duty. “The government provides free transportation to mother for delivery. She is then transported to home after the delivery free of cost. The medical services at hospitals are free and now the government has ordered for free child care services till 30 days after the birth,” he said adding that all thing is being done to contain infant and mother mortality rate.

Amritsar, July 31
The health department has challaned 29 school heads for not displaying statuary warnings on smoking on their school premises.

The department had earlier instructed the schools to display warnings in view of the upcoming inspection by a PGI team to check district’s readiness for getting smoke-free status.

Civil Surgeon Dr Hardip Singh Ghai said challans were issued to 29 schools for not adhering to the guidelines issued by the department.

He said the department has collected Rs 4,050 as fine from faulty schools. The department has reported a case wherein a principal of government school at Tung Bala area refused to pay the fine.

Dr Ghai said all the schools were earlier directed by the District Education Officers to display the guidelines by July 25. He said while other institutions (whether private or government) had followed the instructions, schools mostly flouted the guidelines.

Dr Ghai said the district is all set for the inspection from August 5.

The team of PGI doctors is expected to arrive on August 5 and stay on for four days. Dr Ghai said schools have also been asked to display warning on ban on sale of tobacco products within 100-metre radius of an educational institution.

Dr Ghai said, “Smoking and use of other tobacco products cause various kinds of cancers.”