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Traders hail Sukhbir’s visit to Pak
KCVAS suspends three students for ‘indiscipline’
3 govt schools run from unsafe building
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Missing boy still untraced
Amritsar, November 9 Even after two days there is no clue about the whereabouts of Gurkirat Singh (10), resident of Verka, who had gone missing under mysterious circumstances.
2 held with narcotic powder
‘Selection’ of site holds back food street project
BSF dons role of crusader against drugs
Teachers to intensify stir against govt
Youth fest sees contests in plays, skits, mimicry on day 3
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Traders hail Sukhbir’s visit to Pak
Amritsar, November 9 More such visits, they said, would help in strengthening trade ties between the two Punjabs. Khanna Paper Mill managing director Suneet Kochhar, who was part of the delegation, said, “The kind of response we received surprised me. It was my first visit to Pakistan.” Dubbing such visits as a “window of opportunity” for the trading community on both sides of the border to explore new business avenues, he advocated the need for exchange of business delegations in future as well. He said the traders who were part of the delegation also got a chance to have one-to-one meetings with their Pakistan counterparts. For instance, he met paper manufacturers and dealers in Pakistan who also showed him their manufacturing units. Similarly, a leading tractor manufacturing firm and also a prominent honey bee making company from Indian side gave a presentation to the business community in Pakistan. Kochhar said, “Lifting of trade barriers by India and Pakistan is the need of the hour. Only then can trade and commercial ties scale new heights. There are several opportunities in the field of agriculture, engineering, tractors, textiles and paper.” Khanna Paper Mill started exporting newsprint to Pakistan earlier this year. Amritsar Exporters Chambers of Commerce Vice-President Rajdeep Uppal, who too was part of the delegation, said the fact that the two Punjabs emphasised on improving Punjab-to-Punjab trade and commerce was a very positive sign. “The setting up of a joint panel to achieve this aim and Pakistan Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif agreeing to visit our state was another major step. This shows this time the political leadership on both the sides is not merely talking but is willing to act as well.” The delegation members also took up the need for infrastructure development for trade on the Pakistan side. CII National Council on Public Policy member Gunbir Singh said any visit meant to foster ties augurs well for the two countries. And if it entails cultural unification of the two Punjabs across the border, it definitely was a step forward, he said. He also lauded the move to form a joint panel. “If all these measures lead to building up enough confidence so as to facilitate India-Pakistan investment zones, it will be a major breakthrough in South Asia,” he averred. Traders speak
— Suneet Kochhar, managing director, Khanna Paper Mill
— Rajdeep Uppal, Vice-President, Amritsar Exporters Chambers of Commerce
— Gunbir Singh, member, National Council on Public Policy, CII
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KCVAS suspends three students for ‘indiscipline’
Amritsar, November 9 Khalsa College Governing Council (KCGC) honourary secretary Rajindermohan Singh Chhina had taken a strong notice of the "inappropriate behavior" of these students as alleged by another college student, Sharanjit Singh, following which the probe was ordered. Chhina added that no indiscipline, of any kind, would be tolerated in any of the 18 educational institutions being run by the KCGC and warned of strict action against the students for unwarranted behaviour. An FIR had been registered against the three students for hurting the religious sentiments of a junior student. The incident happened outside the college campus as students are staying in a private hostel.
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3 govt schools run from unsafe building
Amritsar, November 9 The dilapidated building houses Government Elementary School, Mahna Singh Road, Government Elementary School, Baba Sahib Chowk, and Government Middle School, Baba Sahib Chowk. Six rooms of the building accommodate over 200 students of all these schools. Apparently, inadequate number of rooms forces teachers to hold more than two classes in a room. Hence, classes I, II, III of Government Elementary School, Mahna Singh Road, are being run from a room and another room in its possession house two classes. Its head teacher office sometimes also holds classrooms. About 40 students of Government Elementary School, Baba Sahib Chowk, which was shifted here in May, are stuffed in a single room. The same room doubles up as a store while mid-day meal is cooked in verandah without keeping in view its hygienic quality. Some of these schools are using kerosene and wood as fuel to cook mid-day meal in the absence of insufficient flow of funds. Thanks to a Sikh religious Dera, a hall and a kitchen were raised at a corner of the school, but their construction has been left midway due to fund crunch. Antiquity of the building can be known from a commemorative inscription installed at the school, which referred to it as Municipal Board School and mentioned that “building was opened by SM Sharif, Esquire, MA (Cantab) Bar-At-Law, Inspector of Schools, Lahore Division, on February 25, 1940.” Another plaque dated 1951 stated that back extension was opened by Seth Radha Kishen, President, Municipal Committee, Amritsar, PD Jawa, Municipal Engineer, and PC Bhandhari, Executive Officer. KS Pannu, Director-General, School Education, said as per the latest policy, two elementary schools functioning from a building would be merged, while funds would be shortly released to raise a new building for the Middle School. He added that the heritage structure of the building would be preserved.
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Missing boy still untraced
Amritsar, November 9 The police is still groping in the dark as neither there is any ransom
call, nor any clue about his mysterious disappearance. The police authorities claimed that they were working on different theories to trace the boy, who had gone to play at the back of the house before he went missing. “The family has not received any ransom call. We are still looking for the definite clue to locate the missing boy. We are in close contact with the victim’s family and no stone will be left unturned to find him,” said SHO, Verka police station. Gurkirat is a student of Class III at Modern Study School, Majitha Road. The incident is being connected with an agricultural land deal worth Rs 4.63 crore struck by his father Angrez Singh recently. The family has also announced Rs 1 lakh award for tracing their missing son.
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2 held with narcotic powder
Amritsar, November 9 Cases under the NDPS Act have been registered against them. According to information, the police recovered 270 gm and 150 gm of narcotic powder from Gurpartap and Jugraj, respectively. The police said investigations were under way to know the source of the narcotic substances.
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‘Selection’ of site holds back food street project
Amritsar, November 9 The setting up of a food street has become an interesting example of the working of the bureaucracy and government, irrespective of the party in power. This despite the fact that the state government has to provide only land and the Central Government will grant money. As the district administration, Municipal Corporation (MC) and the Amritsar Improvement Trust (AIT) have tried on their parts to zero in on a suitable site to set up the food street with the Central Government grant of Rs 5 crore, but they failed to identify the proper land. The tale of the food street started with the AIT mooting the ambitious idea of setting up the same at Ranjit Avenue Shopping Complex along with 60 ft pavement in 2005. The then Chairman of the AIT, Jugal Kishor Sharma, had also stated to set up the one on the line of the food street at Gawalmandi Street in Lahore, Pakistan. The Union Government had forwarded a proposal to the state government in 2008 as per which it stated to establish food streets at Amritsar and Jalandhar with an investment of Rs 5 crore each. The proposal stated that the Central Government would give 75 per cent of the total Rs 5 crore each to be spent in Amritsar and Jalandhar. Following which the Secretary, Local Government, had directed the local Municipal Commissioners to prepare project reports. Another surprise turn in the tale of the food street came when the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) turned down the proposal for establishing the street in the panorama complex in the protected area of Ram Bagh in December, 2009. In a communication to the MC, the ASI stated that after a thorough examination of the proposal by a committee of experts, the setting up of the food street should be “dropped for the present”. After rejecting the earlier site at the panorama complex of Ram Bagh, for its falling within 100 m of the restricted zone, the district administration and the MC proposed new sites. One of these is adjacent to the abandoned building of Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, earlier known as Victoria Jubilee (VJ) Hospital, but this site, too, was rejected by the ASI team during its recent visit to the city. The other sites proposed are open spaces on the Ring Road and another behind Durgiana Mandir. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Culture, which looks after the ASI affairs, had released Rs 25 lakh as the first instalment to the MC in 2009. The food street, which will serve Punjabi cuisine in general and Amritsar delicacies in particular, still has a long way to go. It is supposed to serve multi-cuisine ethnic food like kulche chhole, puri, lassi, samosas, kulfi, Amritsari fish, stuffed kulcha, jalabies, firni and other mouth-watering dishes to customers. A RTI activist, Naresh Johar, said in response to one of his applications under the RTI Act, the MC replied that the Central Government had released a grant of Rs 25 lakh in fiscal year 2009-2010. He said the long delay has disappointed the hospitality industrialists and other players. Besides, a lot of exercise and planning had been wasted and a large number of enterprising local caterers, who were looking forward to have a business venture of a different kind, seemed to be disappointed. When contacted, MC Commissioner D.P. Gupta said the final call to select the venue for establishing the food street was yet to be taken. He said at present the MC and Tourism Department were trying to select an appropriate site.
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BSF dons role of crusader against drugs
Amritsar, November 9 On the first day, 163 Battalion of the BSF arranged the famous play, ‘Shikhar Dupehre Raat’, staged by The Theatre Persons’ group in Rajatal, Hoshiar Nagar and Attari villages. ID Singh, Commandant, 163 Battalion, said the decision was taken in view of rampant drug addiction in border villages. “Though our prime duty is to guard the borders and scuttle every attempt of anti-national elements based across the border to disturb peace and harmony in the country. We have succeeded to make a number of seizures of drugs and arms consignment sent by smugglers based at Pakistan. But with the drug addiction taking dangerous proportions in border villages, we feel duty bound to spread awareness against this menace,” he said. He said people residing in the border villages had supported the security forces in extreme conditions. Now it’s our duty to take the village youths away from the drugs and help them live a respectful and healthy life. He said the BSF had identified 14 places along the Punjab border where the problem was very serious. He said the play would be staged in
coordination with respective districts.
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Teachers to intensify stir against govt
Amritsar, November 9 Elaborating the action plan against the state government, PCCTU president Prof JR Prashar and general secretary Prof Kuldip Singh today said the state-level rally and the ‘Education Bandh’ Programme would be observed on November 20 in Chandigarh with the collaboration of the Principal Federation, Management Federation and Non-Teaching Employees Union. Besides, candle-light vigils would be organised in various districts of the state from November 10 to November 16 - Jalandhar (November 10); Amritsar (November 12); Muktsar (November 14); Patiala (November 15) and Ludhiana (November 16). State executive member and former general secretary Prof HS Walia said unwarranted delay in accepting and implementing the just and genuine demands of the teachers had forced them to intensify the struggle. He added that their demands included inter-alia, implementation of pension and gratuity scheme of December 18, 1996, which was duly passed by the state Legislative Assembly and approved by the Cabinet.
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Youth fest sees contests in plays, skits, mimicry on day 3
Amritsar, November 9
Students of Guru Angad Dev Veterinary University staged the one-act play, ‘Salwan’, which depicted the tragedy of young lovers who elope and Salwan plays the money card to outdo them. Students of Maglayan Vishvidyalaya, Aligarh, staged Bhedia (wolf), which showcased the bad elements of the society. ‘Pooran’, staged by Maha Rishi Dayanand, Rohtak, took up the issue of female foeticide. Nine universities participated in mimicry competition. As many as 14 universities performed in the skit competition. Similarly, in one act plays, a total 10 universities participated. Competitions in classical instrumental (non-percussion) and classical vocal were also organised. Similarly, a debate competition was organised on the topic of invasion of western culture in India. In the architecture department, on-the-spot painting, photography and collage competitions were held.
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While the Deputy Chief Minister doled out Rs 1 crore to his alma mater Sanawar School from the government funds, schools in the state are struggling to have a decent structure to operate.
Even as Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal may have announced of setting up a food street in the holy city on the line of one in Lahore, but he seems oblivious of the fact that the same project here has been hanging fire for at least seven years.
Taking a noble step, the Border Security Force in association with the district administration today started an awareness campaign against the ill-effects of drugs in border villages. Under the campaign, plays would be staged at these villages, considered to be the worst hit with drug addiction.
Lifting of trade barriers by India and Pakistan is the need of the hour. Only then can trade and commercial ties scale new heights. Several opportunities in the field of agriculture, engineering, tractors, textiles and paper still lie
unexplored. 
Pakistan Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif agreeing to visit our state is another major step. This shows that this time the political leadership on both the sides is not merely talking, but is willing to walk the
talk. 
Any visit meant to foster ties augurs well for the two countries. If all these measures lead to building up enough confidence so as to facilitate India-Pakistan investment zones, it will be a major breakthrough in South
Asia. 
