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Jail’s de-addiction centre revived
Protest against singer Honey Singh’s concert in
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Rs 1,034 crore to be spent on potable water in villages
Mud-slinging mars sports association
Teacher on a mission to make city alcohol, drugs-free
Manhole Mishaps
Bangalore-based doc asked to refund Rs 1 lakh
Parkash Diwas of Sri Guru Granth Sahib celebrated
An artist displays a miniature version of 1.25 centimetre small chaur sahib on the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Parkash Utsav in Amritsar. Photo: Vishal Kumar
FROM SCHOOLS, COLLEGES
SPEAKING OUT
Woman ends life; in-laws held
Graft case |
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Jail’s de-addiction centre revived
Amritsar, September 1 Speaking on the occasion, Dr Amrit Pal Singh, who would be deputed in the jail, said this fresh proposal to revive the de-addiction centre was need of the hour and the patients would be given intensive care in the jail. “Under the government’s initiative to establish de-addiction centres in the jails located in Amritsar, Patiala, Nabha, Bhatinda and Gurdaspur, we tried to take the lead in starting it from here,” he said. Over 30 per cent of the around 2,900 inmates in the Amritsar jail are drug addicts. Although the de-addiction centre set up in the jail in 2006 by the then DIG-Jails Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh attained success, the campaign against drug abuse ended up as a futile exercise after his transfer from here. Dr SS Shergill, principal, Government Medical College, Amritsar, said doctors of the jail would be supported in conducting the smooth functioning of this de-addiction centre. “We will provide them with guidance in terms of consultations or purchasing of medicines. Our doctors can visit the centre once in week or as per the requirement of the jail doctors,” he said. Others present on the occasion included Sessions Judge HS Madan, in charge of Swami Vivekanand De-addiction Centre at Government Medical College Dr PD Garg, Deputy Superintendent, Jail, Sandeep Singh, and other officials of the health wing. — Dr SS Shergill, principal, Government Medical College, Amritsar
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Protest against singer Honey Singh’s concert in
city
Amritsar, September 1 So, the news of his live concert in Amritsar, along with Mafia Mundeer, had to spark new fireworks. As the singer, along with other members of Mafia Mundeer, Alfaz, Jay Star, Mani Aujla, prepared to take stage for his concert, many youth organisations decided to go all out in their protests against him. Honey, who has been struggling to deal with controversies regarding his music, which has been labelled obscene and vulgar, remained unavailable to the media. The concert was under a threat of getting called off due to the various protests against the singer from some organisations in the city. All those who had decided to take up cudgels against vulgarity in Punjabi music didn’t shy from being vocal about their resentment against the singer. “We had informed the authorities about our protests and the organisers were also kept in the loop. His songs are offending and taint out culture. It is shocking to know that he is a big influence on today’s youth and we need to check such bad examples for our kids,” said Amarbir Dhot, president, Sikh Student federation, Mehta. The Youth Akali Dal supporters, too, joined in the protests against the singer performing in the holy city. The singer, who has recently become the highest paid ever in Bollywood, by taking home a big sum for his upcoming film, Mastaan, staring Naseeruddin Shah, had earlier adopted a ‘no reaction’ policy towards the allegation being hurled at him from all corners. The rapper, who had admitted in an interview to having felt proud of the fact that he has people who hate him, was mellow in apologising to the protesters in Amritsar. “He apologised for all the songs that had hurt the cultural sentiments of people of Punjab. He also promised that he would make sure he doesn’t make music that would sound offensive to any religion or its people,” said Amarbir, before going in for a meeting with the singer prior to his concert. Earleir as well, the singer’s concerts in Chandigarh and Delhi came under scanner and were called off due to protests. The administration, though, was prepared to deal with any situation arising at the show venue. The concert venue was equipped with CCTV cameras to ensure that nothing obscene was reported on stage while the singer performed, which would otherwise call for an official complaint being lodged against Honey Singh and Mafia Mundeer.
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Rs 1,034 crore to be spent on potable water in villages
Amritsar, September 1 He said the state government had chalked out a comprehensive plan for the current year 2012-13 to provide clean and safe drinking water to the villages. He said under this scheme, 600 villages would be covered and 70 litre water per person per day would be supplied. Water meters would also be installed, which would check illegal connections and water wastage. He said water bills would range from Rs 70 to 100 per month. Valtoha said it would be strictly ensured that the presence of uranium and heavy metals in the drinking water should not exceed the set parameters. He said in some rural areas of the state, water supply schemes didn't work and the set targets had not been achieved. He appealed to local leaders to bring such cases to his notice so that the water supply scheme could be implemented in true spirit. He said all district officers of the department had been asked to send the status reports of the water supply schemes in 10 days.
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Mud-slinging mars sports association
Amritsar, September 1 Former senior Indian cricket team member Harwinder Singh and those who have played in the junior team, Ravneet Ricky, Chandan Madan and Manish Sharma, and councillor from ward number 8, Aman Aery, accused Khanna of embezzlement of funds and using undue influence in the selection of teams. Harwinder Singh said, “Khanna’s own son Subham was included in the district team because of his influence. He had never come for the practice sessions, but still his membership is forced.” Harwinder
is the chairman of the district selection committee. Chandan Madan said, “It is not only about his son, he has always used his influence to induct less-deserving players. He would always use names of local leaders like MP Navjot Sidhu, ministers Bikram Singh Majithia and Anil Joshi to silence others. Madan, who is also the president of district team, added that they had confirmed from the politicians whose names Khanna had used. “They have clarified that they have never asked for including any player in the team whatsoever,” he said. The controversy over the AGA had erupted with Industry Minister and BJP MLA accusing Khanna of favouritism. Joshi had stated that Khanna had barred Kamal Passi, a member of the u-19 World Cup winning Indian team from playing two years ago. “It was after seven Ranji trophy players had came out in support of Passi that he was included later on,” Joshi had said. Meanwhile, Mohit Khanna said, “It was understandable if Harwinder Singh had convened the press conference on his own but the fact that he had used political support reveals that allegations arepolitically motivated.” He said all allegations against him were false and flimsy. “I had never debarred Passi from the team. Had it been true, they would have objected then. Now after two years, they are playing politics,” he said. He said some people wanted him removed from the post and that was the reason all this drama was being enacted.
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Teacher on a mission to make city alcohol, drugs-free
Amritsar, September 1 Pandit Dharenanwar (38), now working as an assistant lecturer with Government College, Chandigarh, reached Amritsar in the wee hours and started his one-man campaign on a bicycle after paying obeisance at the Golden Temple today. “Sometimes ago, when I paid a visit to the Golden Temple for the first time with my parents, I realised that no other place could be so soothing like this shrine. Equally, I was disheartened to know that excessive liquor and drugs are also sold in the city. I heard Gurbani shlokas and they had instilled a sense of confidence in me that at least I should share the liability of spreading message against consumption of alcohol, which is a major cause of domestic abuse,” he said. As a sociology lecturer, Pandit Dhrenanwar viewed that long-term heavy drinking was also a major risk factor for chronic disease, including liver problems, brain damage, and contributed to family breakdown and broader social dysfunction. “Heavy consumption of alcohol and drugs is the major cause of road accidents, domestic and public violence and other crime. Similarly, smoking is one of the greatest risk factors for chronic disease, including several types of cancer, respiratory and heart diseases. Children living in households where parents consume alcohol develop behavioural and emotional problems. They tend to perform poorly in school. These factors reinforce social disadvantage experienced by individuals and families,” he said. Dhanrenanwar has eight books in Punjabi language to his credit. He has also translated Japuji Sahib, Sukhmani Sahib and Jaffarnaama in Kannad language. “My idea is to apprise every section of society about the knowledge treasure of moral values enshrined in these holy literatures. I sell these books and the income I generate from them is ploughed back for social cause as I have prepared a demand draft of Rs 10,000 in favour of the Chief Minister’s relief fund. I want to attract the attention of the government towards my mission,” he said.
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Panel comes to rescue of AMC staff
GS Paul Tribune News Service
Amritsar, September 1 Sewerman Baldev Singh and the role of two officials of the O&M wing, SDO Manjit Singh Saini and JE Mohinder Singh, had come under scanner for placing an oversized lid over a manhole on the Albert Road, which reportedly resulted in the death of a woman while leaving a father-son duo injured. On July 24, Kanika lost her life after her scooter banged into the manhole, followed by another incident in which Sanjeev Khanna and Sajesh Khanna got injured after their scooter, too, smashed against the same manhole cover. Baldev Singh and Mohinder Singh were suspended, while disciplinary action was sought against SDO Manjit Singh through the Local Bodies Ministry in Chandigarh in this case. Opposing this move, the committee submitted a memorandum to AMC Commissioner Dharampal Gupta to get the suspension orders quashed and withdraw the action proceedings against the SDO. Surinder Tona, a spokesperson for the Sanjhi Sangharsh Committee, said the sewerman and the JE were unduly punished. Even as committee members claimed that the service of the sewerman was revived, there was no official confirmation about it. The committee has also scheduled to meet the police commissioner on Monday to get the complaint cancelled as there was no complainant in the case. The Civil Lines police has booked AMC staff under Section 304-A of the IPC with remarks “unidentified MC employees” and “on secret information” in the complainant’s box in the official crime diary. This implied that no particular person was held responsible for this mishap and there was no particular complainant in this case. The AMC swung into action only after the reports were highlighted prominently in the media and pinned the responsibility on the trio for this mishap. The SDO and the JE said they were not heard of to furnish their side of story. Official Speak I have received the representation from the committee and I will try to reconsider the decision about the sewerman, but the prerogative in the case of the suspended JE or the action against the SDO lies with the Local Bodies Ministry only. — Dharampal Gupta, Commissioner, Amritsar Municipal Corporation
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Bangalore-based doc asked to refund Rs 1 lakh
Jalandhar, September 1 In her complaint, Sonali
Baboota, a resident of New Railway Colony here, said her mother Poonam Baboota had fought a long battle against gall bladder cancer and succumbed on July 20, 2010. She said her mother had been detected with advanced stage cancer in June
2009. Sonali said her mother had taken treatment from Nasik (in
Maharashtra); Batra Hospital, New Delhi; PGI Chandigarh; Patel Hospital, Jalandhar and medicines were also taken from Dr Irfana Akhtar of
Bangalore. For the same purpose, the complainant came across a US-based website
www.essence-of-life.com, which claimed to be treating the disease of cancer for more than three decades and prescribed treatment course as instructed on the website. The complainant communicated with the opposite party, Dr. Irfana
Akhtar, who was the Indian counterpart of the website and started dealing with him. The doctor prescribed cancer therapy and regularly issued directions for the same vide various emails suggesting the mode of treatment and the medicines which were to be taken by her mother. The complainant said she acted as per the directions of the doctor and with an endeavour to save her ailing mother, she deposited an amount of Rs11,706 in the account of opposite party having account no.13001000011512 on May 15, 2010, which was credited to the account of opposite party. Consequently, another batch of medicines was ordered on June 17, 2010, and amount of Rs 23,500 was deposited in the same account on that day. The medicines were delivered within a fortnight, the complainant said. Thereafter yet another batch of medicines were ordered by her and amount of Rs1 lakh was deposited directly to the same account from the account of the complainant vide RTGS which was duly debited in the account of the complainant. The medicines of this consignment were to be delivered to the complainant by July 8, 2010 making time an essence of the contract. The doctor, however, failed to deliver the above ordered medicines and ultimately the ailing mother of the complainant succumbed to cancer and expired on July 20, 2010. The medicines which were to be delivered corresponding to the payment of Rs 1 lakh were never received by the complainant or her ailing mother either on due date or thereafter and the opposite party failed to deliver the medicines as it was incumbent upon them. The complainant informed the opposite party not to dispatch the medicines in wake of death of her mother, but it was informed that the medicines have already been dispatched. However, till date she said that she had not received any medicines. Even otherwise, the very purpose of these medicines had become redundant in view of the death of her mother. She thus demanded compensation and litigation expenses. Upon notice, the opposite party did not appear and as such was proceeded against
exparte. The forum stated, “It appears that he has nothing to say in the matter. Non-sending of medicines even after receipt of Rs 1 lakh constitutes deficiency in service and unfair trade practice. The opposite party is directed to pay Rs 1 lakh along with 9 per cent per annum interest from the date of filing of the complaint till payment to the complainant within one month from the receipt of copy of this order.”
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Parkash Diwas of Sri Guru Granth Sahib celebrated
Amritsar, September 1 Former Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib Joginder Singh Vedanti and a renowned scholar of Gurbani was the chief guest, while Inderjit Singh, registrar, presided over. While speaking on the occasion, Jathedar Joginder Singh Vedanti spoke about the importance of Gurbani canonisation and significance of grammar for the interpretation of Gurbani. He encouraged the young scholars to take up different subjects so that the message of Gurbani could reach everywhere in the world. Inderjit Singh said the message of great gurus needed to be spread all over the world as it was still relevant in the present era. He said only the “Bani” of Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji could bring peace in the world. Balwant Singh Dhillon delivered his lecture on the formation and message of Sri Guru Granth Sahib. He dwelt on the process of canonisation and social relevance of the message of Sri Guru Granth Sahib. He specifically brought out the Sikh scripture's relevance to some of the modern-day problems such as interfaith relations, moral degeneration in public life, ecological imbalance, environmental pollution, etc. This centre is also collaborating with American India Foundation and University of California at Berkeley to record oral history of Sikhs. He said the centre was also working on the first issue of biannual journal and perspectives on Sri Guru Granth Sahib. “A glossary of the Persian-Arabic words in Sri Guru Granth Sahib, editing of original Gurumukhi sources, documentation of the relics of the Sikh Gurus, a catalogue of devotional literature in Gurmukhi script and
Persian sources on the Sikh Gurus will be published shortly by the centre,” he said.
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KV No. 1 lift U-19 cricket tourney
Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service
Amritsar, September 1 The hosts elected to bat after wining the toss and accumulated 85 runs. However, the school team from Srinagar was all-out at paltry 35 runs. KV No. 1 won the U-14 and the U-19 handball championships as well. As many as 472 players from 25 Kendriya Vidyalyas of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and J&K participated in the sports meet. Matches in the disciplines of cricket, handball, judo and taekwondo were held. Central funds granted
The Bio-Technology Department of Khalsa College has got the Central funds approved by the Ministry of Science and Technology‘s Department of Bio-Technology, following the top class performance of the college. Principal Dr Daljit Singh said it was a matter of pride to get approval of recurring grants to the tune of lakh of rupees once again for the next three years. He said the institution was committed to providing the best of infrastructure and facilities to the students of science faculties. “Earlier the grant of Rs 36 lakh was issued for two years. Seeing the college’s top-most ‘A grade by the National Accreditation and Assessment Council, the grants were increased to three years further,” he said. Pak-Afghan district Guv
honoured
Khalsa College Governing Council (KCGC) president Satyajit Singh Majithia honoured Pakistan-Afghanistan Rotarian district Governor Pervez Ashan Khan who visited Khalsa College on Thursday. He, along with his wife
Maimoona, was overwhelmed with the architectural design and grandeur of the building in
Hoshiarpur. Among the others present on the occasion were KCGC secretary Rajinder Mohan Singh
Chhina, Additional Secretary Harminder Singh, Khalsa College principal Dr Daljit Singh.
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Residents flay govt for imposing fresh taxes
Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service
Amritsar, September 1 Levying of fresh taxes and increasing these on consumer goods will spell more trouble for the masses, who are already reeling under inflation. I handle the budget of my family. One of my two children goes to school. Hence, high fee expenses, costly baby foods, medicines and other related items will gobble up a considerable share of the budget. Hike in taxes on frequently used items like shampoos, soaps, toothpastes and others will increase the overall expenses and eventually bring down the savings. — Ruchika, housewife I am not averse to levying of property tax as long as it remains moderate. Coming from a service-class family, I find the imposition of extra VAT on consumer goods a hard-hitting move. It will turn almost all daily-need items dearer and will upset the domestic budget. The trend of taxing different items shows that the government is exploring and devising various ways to garner money. — Arvind Bajoria, employee of a private company Paying taxes is not a big problem and people are willing to pay their hard-earned money. But, the government must ensure that the collected amount must be used for public welfare. It should also ensure regular power supply, early disposal of complaints and people-friendly atmosphere in government departments. — Sundeep Khosla, industrialist After the hike in power bills some weeks ago, the government has shocked the masses with the hike in taxes on a number of items. Expenses in running shop and domestic budget cannot be reduced, while a family has limited opportunities in eating out and watching movie for recreational purpose as there are a few activities in the city.~ — Amit Mehra, shopkeeper
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Woman ends life; in-laws held
Jalandhar, September 1 On the basis of a statement given by deceased’s parents, the police had arrested Kamaljit’s father-in-law Harnam Singh, mother-in-law Amarjit Kaur, brother-in-law Bunty and sister-in-law Beero. A case under Section 304 B (dowry death) of the IPC has been registered against them. Earlier, Amarjit Kaur told the police that Kamaljit was alone at home and when she came back in the afternoon, she found her daughter-in-law hanging from the ceiling fan. She also claimed that Kamaljit was planning to go Germany, but she was dejected when her papers were rejected a few days ago. SHO Surinder Pal Singh said no suicide note was recovered from the spot and further investigation was going on.
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Ex-SMO jailed for 2½ yrs
Tribune News Service
Amritsar, September 1 As per the FIR, Ranjit Singh, a resident of Jhaleke village, had lodged a complaint to the VB in March 2004. Ranjit had accused the doctor of demanding the bribe for giving a report on his brother’s injuries in a fight with someone. The court has also ordered the accused to pay a fine of Rs 10,000.
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Amritsar, September 1
