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Married woman commits suicide
Fake company's scheme on loans duping gullible
Drunken driving, 'VIP culture' major reasons for traffic menace in city
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Amritsar, October 9 The 478th birth anniversary of the founder of the holy city, Guru Ram Dass, was celebrated with traditional fervour and zeal here today. Devotees started paying respect at the Golden Temple from the wee hours and a heavy rush of devotees could be seen in the Golden Temple complex. Various programmes were held to mark the birth anniversary of the founder of the holy city. "Prabhat pheris" were carried out from Gurdwara Attari Sahib in Sultanwind village, Gurdwara Pipli Sahib and Bhai Vir Singh Hall today morning. A "jalaon" (show of splendour), displaying rare and precious articles and artifacts, was held at the sanctum sanctorum, Akal Takht, and Gurdwara Baba Attal Rai, inside the Golden Temple, from 9 am to 12 noon.
A view of the “Jalau” (show of splendour) displayed in the sanctum sanctorum of the Golden Temple on the occasion of the birth anniversary of the fourth Sikh Guru, Guru Ram Dass, founder of the Amritsar city, in Amritsar on Tuesday. Photo: Vishal Kumar With festive season around, gambling on the rise
Govt fails to check overcharging by pvt labs
Selecting a gym
Gymning is all about fitness fads, branded clothes and a good crowd. A Tribune photograph
‘Govt not doing enough to see end of tobacco mania’
Physically challenged cricket players from Pak arrive
On a goodwilll visit:
A 30-member delegation of handicapped cricketers from Pakistan crosses over to India the Wagah border on Tuesday. Photo: Vishal Kumar
City govt school wins basketball league
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Married woman commits suicide
Amritsar, October 9 Harpreet Kaur, a resident of Santu Nagar, Ajnala, falling under the Amritsar rural police district, had married Baldev Singh and from the marriage, the couple has two children. The police authorities said Harpreet was a religious woman and used to daily visit a local Sikh shrine. But the two accused were not happy with her this habit and used to tell her to pay obeisance at a prayer place in the house. This had become the bone of contention between them. Fed up with this, Harpreet Kaur allegedly hanged herself with a "duppatta" with an iron girder. When Kuldeep Kaur, her mother-in-law, came to know about this, she informed the victim's brother Resham Singh about this. "When Resham Singh arrived at her sister's house, he found her body hanging with the roof, while her husband and mother-in-law had disappeared from the spot," said Tilak Raj, DSP Ajnala. He said a case under Sections 306 and 34 of the IPC had been registered in this connection, while raids were being conducted to trace the accused. Prayer issue
Police sources said Harpreet was a religious woman and used to daily visit a local Sikh shrine. But her husband and mother-in-law were not happy with this habit of her and used to tell her to pay obeisance at a prayer place in the house. This had become the bone of contention between them. Fed up with this, Harpreet Kaur allegedly hanged herself with a 'duppatta' with an iron girder
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Fake company's scheme on loans duping gullible
Amritsar, October 9 Rajendar stated that through an advertisement in a Marathi newspaper he could get an advance of Rs 4 lakh on the basis of his matriculation certificate. He added that the name of finance company and email ID were also flashed over it. Besides, it sought the deposit of processing fee first and monthly 2 per cent rate of interest on Rs 4 lakh immediately after it was sanctioned. He deposited Rs 8,700 on August 25 and Rs 4,000 on August 28. A subsequent inquiry traced the account to one Kavita, a resident of the Islamabad area in Amritsar. A mother of three and a housewife, Kavita, belonging to a low-income group family, was oblivious of the fact that about Rs 4 lakh had been deposited from various cities of the country, including Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Maharashtra in nearly three months. The same deposited amount was withdrawn through the ATM with similar speed. "I did not even know that the ATM was issued while opening of the account on June 29, 2012," she said while talking to this correspondent from her ancestral house at Islamabad. "It was an acquaintance Geeta Sharma, who prevailed upon me to open the account which would get Rs 5000 in return. I never thought a simple bank account could be misused." Her husband Rajiv Khullar doubles as small-time vendor in the morning and a private bus cleaner in the evening. Her family accosted Geeta Sharma, who also claimed ignorance regarding the money being deposited and withdrawn from the account. Geeta Sharma, along with Kavita, Rashmi, Geeta Manchanda and Vipan, filed a complaint with police station Chheharta on September 8, where they were guided to submit their complaint at the police station cantonment. She stated in the complaint that two persons, namely Rahul and Neha, had approached her and lured her to open at least five savings accounts in return of monetary benefit. She stated that she did know who operated the ATM and was ignorant about the advertisement. Police station Chheharta SHO Ashwani Kumar confirmed that these people had approached him. A senior bank official said this case was only the tip of the iceberg, as the number of such accounts was rising in those banks where the facility of on-the-spot release of the ATM and its password while opening the account was available. The racketeers were misusing the facility. Besides, these elements are using advertisements in newspapers to reach out to maximum number of people settled in different parts of the country. In the absence of complaints and limited powers, the bank administration could carry out an inquiry on a limited scale. When approached Police Commissioner Ram Singh said since the matter pertained to siphoning off people's money on the basis of extending loan, a full-fledged inquiry could only reveal the magnitude of the nexus. He said ASP Harjit Singh, who had the experience of working as a probationary officer in a bank, would carry out the inquiry.
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Drunken driving, 'VIP culture' major reasons for traffic menace in city
Amritsar, October 9 “Our safety month campaign has been designed to advocate and initiate the change required in the mindset of the people, when it comes to road safety rules and garnering their support. The campaign has been divided into four phases: Phase I - Safe Driving; Phase II - Don’t Talk While Driving; Phase III - Don’t Drink and Drive; Phase IV - will see the culmination of the campaign through a run from Khalsa College to the railway station, which will see the participation of the local populace,” said a spokesperson from the radio channel. In attendance and supporting the initiative were Mayor Bakshi Ram Arora, in charge, Traffic Police, D Jatinder and Indian Idol finalist Amit Kumar. A city with a load of on an average 50,000 vehicles everyday and reportedly 300 poicemen to deal with them, chaos has been the word on road. “It is a fact that Amritsar has been suffering a major traffic management problem, but we have been running a campaign to improve and educate people about safe driving and rules to tackle the menace,” said D Jatinder. So when haphazard parking, drunken driving, road rage, flouting of most traffic rules has become an everyday thing, D Jatinder emphasised on the steps taken by the authorities to control the situation, "We have been continuously keeping a check on violators, increasing barricading of bottle-necks and strictly enforcing the regulations by regular challans. The past month has seen reduced numbers of traffic violations.” While the traffic police has issued over 25,000 challans in the past three months, the violations happen on a regular basis. “A major binding factor for law-enforcement agencies is the political interference. There is a lack of coordination among the authorities and, sometimes, we are pressurised to let go some well-connected violators. The police often has to deal with the alleged political pressure whenever it tries to act tough against erring drivers,” said D Jatinder. Mayor Bakshi Ram Arora, too, criticised the VIP-culture for promoting traffic violations and flouting rules. “We have to change the attitude of taking pride in flouting rules. Most times, the police is rendered helpless by some ‘VIP’ violators, which is why a strict law is the need of the hour. No political interference and disciplined law enforcement is the only way to organise traffic in Amritsar,” he said. The city reportedly has 10-12 cases of road accidents everyday, with an average count of one accident happening every 3.7 hours. The worst-hit areas are the bottlenecks including Bhandari Bridge, Queens Road, Putlighar, Lawrence Raod, Batala Road and SSSS Chowk. “We have planned widening of roads at specific areas, build dividers to manage traffic and strict challaning for lesser violations under our campaign. Moreover, educating the youngsters, specially children is on agenda,” said Bakshi Ram Arora.
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Fervour, zeal mark Guru Ram Dass' 478th birth anniversary
Amritsar, October 9 Various programmes were held to mark the birth anniversary of the founder of the holy city. "Prabhat pheris" were carried out from Gurdwara Attari Sahib in Sultanwind village, Gurdwara Pipli Sahib and Bhai Vir Singh Hall today morning. A "jalaon" (show of splendour), displaying rare and precious articles and artifacts, was held at the sanctum sanctorum, Akal Takht, and Gurdwara Baba Attal Rai, inside the Golden Temple, from 9 am to 12 noon. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today greeted people on the birth anniversary of the fourth Sikh Guru after paying his obeisance at the Golden Temple. He said he prayed for the welfare of all and urged the people to follow the path shown by Sri Guru Ram Dass. The Chief Minister took part in the "ardas" held at Sri Guru Ram Dass Langar hall inside the Golden Temple complex and did "sewa". He also partook langar (community kitchen) along with other devotees. Harmandar Sahib and other shrines were tastefully decorated and illuminated with lights. Religious societies, faithfuls and various organisations held langars and distributed food among the devotees. A religious diwan was organised at Diwan Hall Gurdwara Manji Sahib.
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With festive season around, gambling on the rise
Amritsar, October 9 This illegal practice is flourishing in renowned hotels of the city and farmhouses located on the outskirts right under the nose of the much-touted Commissionerate System. The lure of earning huge cash in a short span makes them to turn to “teen patti” (flash), rummy and “khaal”, different versions of gambling. Affluent people throng to these venues, where stakes rolls into several lakhs, while the illegal practice involving thousands of rupees is also held in the walled city. Out of the aforementioned three, “khaal” is the most- sought-after one for bringing an instant win or loss. By law, it is an illegal act and the persons involved should be booked under the Gambling Act. Yet all these hotels and farmhouses have been escaping the attention of the police. Earlier, a startling fact of an NGO, known for raising money for charity and community development, being involved in organising gambling sessions in various hotels and resorts in the city, came to light. To gain entry, one would have to buy the entry pass in advance, of course, through some “reference” and the venue as well as the time would be intimated to the pass holder, just a few hours before the gambling session. Interestingly, women are very interested in gambling which has picked up. They gather in houses or classified hotels and restaurants. Sessions of illegal business are in progress at hotels located on the Albert road, just a few metres from the Circuit House and Ranjit Avenue and some clubs. These venues are hosting flash, which is very popular among ladies and “Khaal”. Lakhs of rupees were exchanged on the basis of plastic tokens. Meanwhile, farmhouses situated along Fatehgarh Churriyan, Batala and Majitha bypasses, are organising gambling sessions. All these places belong either to politicians or influential people. A number of hoteliers are renting out their rooms to gamblers on an hourly basis. Some of them even charge higher rates than the normal rent of the rooms. It may be mentioned that the raids conducted by the police at a resort at Fatehgarh Churian road bypass in October 2011 had revealed large-scale gambling activity being conducted under the banner of a charity organisation. The police claimed to have recovered Rs 7.40 lakh from the spot from as many as 125 couples belonging to well-off families. They had reportedly procured tickets at the cost of Rs 5,500 each.
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Diagnostic tests Manmeet Singh Gill Tribune News Service
Amritsar, October 9 As there are no regulations to keep a check on the prices of these services for the general public, the private labs are free to charge anything as per their wishes. A comparison of the charges for various tests at government institutions and private labs is enough to reveal the difference. The ultrasound scan for which the local Jallianwala Bagh Memorial (JBM) Civil Hospital is charging Rs 150 only, the private laboratories in city charge anything between Rs 450 to Rs 700. The histopathology test, conducted at Guru Nanak Dev Hospital associated with Government Medical College, costs Rs 100, but the same test at private labs costs Rs 700 to Rs 800. The CBC (blood count) test at the JBM is available for Rs 60 only, whereas patients have to pay around Rs 350 at private labs. The test for dengue at government hospitals is available for Rs 300, whereas at private labs, patients have to pay Rs 700. The FNAC which is done for Rs 50 at government institutions is conducted for Rs 350 outside. In charge of clinical labs at JBM hospital Dr Jaspreet Singh said, “Most of the simpler tests at the hospital cost between Rs 5 and Rs 20. But the private labs charge many times more.” Even as the health authorities are authorised to keep a check on these private labs, they, too, do not have the power to regulate the prices of these tests. Residents say in times when medical services are beyond the reach of the general public, would it not be appropriate for a welfare state to fix the rates, obviously after including a substantial profit margin for the private labs? Gopal Singh, a resident, said, “Either there should be enough government institutions, with all facilities and a dedicated workforce or the government should intervene to fix the maximum rate which can be charged for a test.” He said it was not difficult for the government to calculate the cost of a test and issue guidelines.
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City youths prefer crowd factor
Neha Saini Tribune News service
Amritsar, October 9 That's what Bikram Virk says about choosing a gym for himself. His opinion is shared by many others in the city. Fitness has become more of a status symbol. He says, "For me, good crowd is a deciding factor. Then there are other things like good environment, professional trainers and reputation." Now, here is the thing. Almost every good gym, more or less, has the same facilities these days. And in a competitive market with number of fitness clubs, infrastructure just does not count, but the profile of members of the club does. "My friends used to come here. They say it has a good crowd. It plays some good music too, says Avneet Kaur, a member of Golds Gym. She adds, "We first begin with an average gym and once we have a good body to flaunt in front of others, the place and location changes accordingly." The music matters
No wonder most people working out on the treadmill are hooked onto their own ear plugs. Gym music is a make or break deal for fitness freaks. What do you play while working out too defines the status of a good workout. "Gym music should have a definite beat. These days a lot of gyms have their in-house DJs, but we play according to the mood, whether it's an early morning workout session or late in the evening," shares Anup Debnath, health and fitness professional,
Body Zone. Shares Jasbir Kaur, member, Talwalkars, "At times, it is pretty much like disc music. But yes, whatever the music it has to be fast paced and peppy." "We sieve out the suitable music from what's latest and play everything English, Punjabi, Hindi. To entertain personal tastes, we have a concept of request hour where people can even dedicate songs to each other in the
gym,” shares Anup. Gym wardrobe Having a gym wardrobe is as important as counting the calories intake. Jaideep Bains, said “I like to have lot of options for my gym wear. One needs the right kind of fabric to aide in a rigorous work out session. “Of course, one doesn’t need to look like a Bipasha Basu when going to the gym, but wearing comfortable yet stylish clothes is important. I like to look good even while burning some calories. It boosts my
confidence,” shares Sakshi Khullar.
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‘Govt not doing enough to see end of tobacco mania’
Amritsar, October 9 Dr Prahlad Duggal, patron of the organisation, said, “After issuing the notification banning the manufacture, storage, distribution and sale of gutka and pan masala or any other product containing tobacco and nicotine, the government seems to have gone into sleep
again.” He said it has been more than a month that the government issued the notification. “After that it has not made any effort to make the public aware of this
ban,” he added. He said it was the responsibility of the government to save the lives of its people and just announcing a ban was not sufficient. “Till now nothing concrete has been done by the government for implementing this ban
effectively,” he said. Duggal said there was a need for a sustained campaign to make the public aware of this ban and making the agencies responsible for implementing this ban
accountable.
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Physically challenged cricket players from Pak arrive
Amritsar, October 9 Abbas Hashmi, chairman, Pakistan Cricket Association of Physically Challenged, said sports ties would help in building good relations between the two countries. “We are here with a message of peace and love. We want that the sports relations between the two countries should be increased. This will not only help in spreading peace but also help in understanding each
other in better ways,” opined Hashmi. Mohammad Fayaz, captain of the Pakistani cricket team, said the team had received tremendous love from their Indian counterparts here. With cricket, we want to give a message of love and friendship,
he added.
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City govt school wins basketball league
Amritsar, October 9 As many as 20 schools of Punjab participated in this league. The Government Senior Secondary School, Mall Road, won the
match by 21 points by defeating Government Girls Secondary School, Mansa. The team will represent Punjab in National IMG Reliance Basketball Competition to be held
in Delhi. School principal said each member of the basketball team has been awarded Rs 5,000 and two basketball kits by the state government.
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Amritsar, October 9
A 29-member team of physically challenged cricket players from Pakistan crossed over to India through the Attari-Wagah land route here today.
They have arrived to play three one day and a T20 match scheduled to be held at
Faridabad, Haryana. Abbas Hashmi, chairman, Pakistan Cricket Association of Physically Challenged, said sports ties would help in building good relations between the two countries.
