The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	PowerCom men thrashed 1 seriously hurt; had gone to disconnect illegal connections in Sultanwind area Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 20 Four persons, including three unidentified women, have been booked for thrashing four PowerCom officials who raided their residence in the Sultanwind area to check power theft. A member of the raiding team, Ajit Singh, received serious injuries in the scuffle that took place at around 6 am. The accused were identified as Gurmel Singh, a resident of Manderwale plot, Sultanwind village, Amritsar, and three unknown women, who were booked under Sections 323/341/353/186/34 of the IPC at the Sultanwind police station. On a tip-off, the PowerCom team raided Subhash Nagar, located in the Sultanwind area, and found a number of houses drawing power illegally from the main line. As the officials terminated the connections of some of the houses, when the team reached the house of the accused, its family members retaliated in a violent way. According to the Sultanwind police station investigating officer Amarjit Singh, the accused detained the PowerCom employees in a room and allegedly beat them up. "Ajit Singh, the one official who was beaten up badly, lodged a complaint with us, on the basis of which a case was registered. He and other senior officials of the PowerCom Department had raided the house to check 'kundi' connection when the occupants of the house tried to oppose them from disconnecting the wires being used to draw power illegally." Though no arrest has been made so far, the police booked the accused for coming in the way of government employees from performing their duties.
	Advertisement panels on unipoles AIT abrogates agreements with 4 firms Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 20 The Amritsar Improvement Trust (AIT) has abrogated the agreements with four private advertising companies to install advertising panels on unipoles in its various commercial schemes. AIT executive officer Jiwan Bansal, confirming the development, said the Trust took this decision after finding these companies unable to honour their agreement of maintaining them. The Trust had entered the agreement with these companies about two years ago. The companies were given advertisement rights at Nehru Shopping Complex on Lawrence Road, Dharm Singh Market near Jallianwala Bagh, District Shopping Complex in Ranjit Avenue and market of New Amritsar on GT Road. The companies were permitted to install unipoles and earn revenue by selling the space to companies to market their products. In return, the companies were supposed to maintain these commercial complexes. They were supposed to maintain green belts, parks, roundabouts, dividers, roadside berms and other amenities. Sources in the AIT said the advertisement rights had been given to close associates of MLAs from ruling parties. They enjoyed the patronage of their political masters, but did not discharge their duties, they said. With Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal having declared to head the Amritsar Metropolitan Authority and announcing it to be developed into a world-class city over the next three years with the investment close to Rs 2,951 crore, the move is seen to pave the way for keeping clean and green these prominent markets of the holy city.
	Teachers of government-aided colleges go on strike Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 20 Higher studies took a backseat in the holy city, as all government-aided colleges remained closed after their teachers went on a day-long strike on the call given by the Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers Union (PCCTU). With a view to exerting pressure on the SAD-BJP coalition government to accept their long-pending demands, the teachers abstained from classrooms. Eighty per cent of the total strength of the students in the city are being imparted higher education by eight government-aided colleges. The affected students belonged to Khalsa colleges, BBK DAV College for Women and DAV College and Hindu College and many others. Teaching staff of these eight colleges has been agitating for pay and perks at par with their counterparts in government colleges. PCCTU general secretary Prof HS Walia said his organisation understood the problem of studies being affected. He said the SAD-BJP coalition government did not have any alternative but to adopt the path of strikes and bands. PCCTU district president GS Sekhon said the coloaition government’s casual approach towards higher education in the state was forcing it to go haywire. He claimed that as a result, about 50 non-government affiliated colleges were on the verge of closure. He added that the state government often cited paucity of funds as reason for this state of affairs. Prof Sekhon said the demands included, inter alia, enhanced allocation of funds for improving the accessibility and quality of higher education, implementation of pension and gratuity scheme as promised in the poll manifestos issued by the Akali and BJP parties before the 2007 Assembly elections, lifting ban on recruitment imposed in 2005, implementation of guidelines of the UGC pertaining to the relaxation from refresher courses, regular disbursement of grant under 95 per cent grant-in-aid scheme, security of service cover to the teachers working against un-aided posts as per the 1974 Act, raising retirement age from 60 to 65 as per the Central Government’s notification dated December 31, 2008, release of revised pay scales arrears for the period from January 1, 2006, to March 31, 2010.
	Khu Bhalianwale Minor lathicharge on agitating labourers Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 20 Tension prevailed in the Khu Bhalianwale area here for a few hours today when a group of labourers created ruckus and tried to force traders and factory owners to shut down their operations in support of their demands. A team of the Islamabad police reached the spot and had to face a tough time to control the agitating crowd. However, no case was registered in this regard. The protesters, supported by some CPI leaders, also reportedly damaged window panes of a factory. According to the Islamabad police SHO Dinesh Kumar, the protesters forced the shopkeepers and factory owners to observe a shutdown in support of their demands, which included leave provision and pay hike etc. "We had to resort to a minor lathicharge to control the crowd. The leader of the agitating crowd Surjeet Kumar, a resident of Dhupai, was nabbed, but was later let off after he admitted taking a wrong move. After that, the agitating labourers dispersed. No case was registered in this regard," he said.
	No relief from trash burning in Ram Bagh Garden GS Paul Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 20 The Municipal Corporation (MC) has been turning a blind eye to instances of garbage burning inside the Ram Bagh Gardens, the summer palace of Maharaja Ranjeet Singh, despite the fact that Mayor BR Arora has his camp office inside the premises of the historic garden. In the absence of any stern action against the offenders by the MC authorities, this practice continues unabated. MC officials had flatly refused to accept that it were the MC’s sanitary staff staff which committed this unpardonable act despite media reports, which even carried pictures of the offenders. Even as garbage heaps are set ablaze in other parts of the city, it is an irony that the summer palace of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, too, has not been spared despite the fact that crores are being spent by the government to preserve this heritage site. How serious are the authorities here are to transform this holy city into a heritage-look city is anybody’s guess, especially, when norms are thrown to the wind to damage historic places like this. The inner sides of the boundary walls, which were painted recently, have turned black due to smoke. Similarly, the burnt leaves of some rare plants testify to the repeated burning of garbage at the site. MC Commissioner Dharampal Gupta had stated numerous times that it must have been outsiders or rag-pickers who set discarded leaves and garbage on fire while scavenging the refuse of their interest, but this statement appeared without logic. He had even promised to take disciplinary action against the erring MC staff ‘if anybody is caught burning the garbage heaps in open". Yesterday morning, the task of the MC authorities was eased when a Tribune team chased a group of four who, after setting the refuse and dry leaves ablaze, fled from the scene after spotting the lensman. Some among them were identified as the "beldaars" enrolled with the MC only. The issue was brought to the notice of the authorities umpteen times, but in vain. Ironically, Mayor Bakshi Ram Arora’s new office is located on the Panorama located within the Bagh. He passes through this stretch daily to attend his pre-lunch session with the MC officials, but the dismal state of affairs prevailing in the bagh could never catch his fancy. The residents who stroll here in the morning and evening also complained that they come to the Bagh to breathe fresh air, but it is other way round. “The MC men routinely burn the garbage in the Bagh, not realising the damage they cause to the environment. We have questioned them many a time but they do not listen to our pleas,” said NS Gabaria, a retired railways official. It has been observed that due to the lenient view of the MC authorities, the staff of three clubs, running from this premises which churn out tonnes of kitchen refuse daily, too have been noticed many times throwing garbage in the Bagh itself instead of making efforts to dump it at some proper place.
	Drive against drug addiction held Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 20 As many as 2,000 students and nearly 100 teachers of Government Girls School, Mall Road, today took part in an awareness campaign against drug addiction and made public aware of its repercussions. The campaign was organised under the state government's initiative of "drug addiction-free Punjab". Education Minister Sikander Singh Malooka inaugurated the campaign and Industrial and Technical Education Minister Anil Joshi was the chief guest. Addressing the rally, the Education Minister said the students would be used as a medium to keep the youth away from the clutches of drugs, sensitise people and inform the police about the activities of peddlers in their areas. He said the contact numbers of the police officials would be displayed on school premises for the convenience of students and they could intimate the police officials regarding any sale of drugs in their areas. He said they must bring to the notice of their school authorities if they found some shopkeepers selling drugs. He felt that the residents must organise vigil groups to stage protest in front of such shops. He added that the youth of any nation was the foundation for its development, but drug-addiction in society hampered the intellectual and physical growth of the youth. It annihilated their power of reasoning and caused moral degradation of the individual. Meanwhile, in a separate programme, Swami Vivekanand Drug De-addiction and Treatment Centre today felicitated its former inmates, who had successfully abandoned the consumption of drugs. DAV Public School and Bhavan's SL Public School also initiated campaigns on their campuses against drug abuse.
	Lifestyle, food habits “making youngsters’ bones weak” Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 20 The changing lifestyle, food habits and increasing use of fertilisers are leaving the younger generation of Punjab with "weaker bones". These revelations were made by a data collected during a special bone mineral density (BMD) test, conducted by the Physiotherapy Department of Khalsa College here in collaboration with a private company. The males and females in the age group of 20-35 were found to be "osteopenic or osteoporotic", a bone condition with lesser calcium deposits. In total 104 patients from different age groups were tested and surprisingly 80 per cent of them failed the test. Though the deficiency of calcium is not very high, but symptoms which used to be found in elderly persons have made inroads into younger generation. "The worrying factor is that though calcium deficiency is common in females, but it is becoming prevalent in males also and that too in young age," said Dr Charanjit Singh, Head, Department of Physiotherapy. He said they organised the camp on the directions of Principal Dr Daljit Singh, who asked them to do a data-based study on the basis of the findings. He said the samples were collected and analysed. Dr Charanjit Singh said such a large number of "osteopenic and osteoporotic" cases was normal in old people, but the symptoms were being seen in younger generation too. The reasons being attributed to the trends were dietary habits, which included taking junk food, changing lifestyle marked with sedentary habits and lack of exercise and use of fertilisers. "The overuse of fertilisers is affecting the diets and such elements in body drain out calcium," he said. He said rising use of high-protein diets, including dals, by punjabis also led to problems of uric acid that affected the bones.
	GNDU professor participates in Aspire4 Sports Congress at Qatar Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 20 Prof Jaspal Sandhu, Dean, Faculty of Sports Medicine, Guru Nanak Dev University, participated in the Aspire4 Sports Congress held at Qatar on a special invitation sent by the Aspire Zone Foundation of Doha. The congress, which was aimed at discussing the health issues during the forthcoming mega event of 2022 FIFA World Cup in Aspire city, was attended by more than 3,000 delegates from all over the world. Prof Sandhu delivered his lecture on the prevention of sports injuries through awareness campaigns in the congress. He said in training period subject experts should be involved to deliver lectures on precautions and prevention of injuries during sports events. He said timely care and treatment given to the injured sportspersons could help them overcome their injuries in short time and resume their games. In another session Prof Sandhu delivered a lecture on "Invasive and non-invasive treatment for musculoskeletal trauma". He said fractures or broken bones were one of the most common injuries sustained by individuals of all ages. Natural lifestyle along with balanced healthy diet should be encouraged. Most of the injuries were relatively minor and could be treated by general orthopaedic surgeons using casts or splints. However, some cases did require surgery, he added. Prof Sandhu along with Prof Karim Khan of the University of British Colombia, Canada, and Prof Roald Bahr, Chief Medical Officer of the Norwegian Olympic Committee, Norway, also discussed and suggested guidelines to promote research, academic excellence and awareness issues for the development of sports Medicine during the congress. He said the congress was a precursor to the developments in sports sciences and medicine to be undertaken for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. He said Aspire city was the biggest dedicated sports city in the world with state-of-the-art sports infrastructure and sports sciences backup. He said the congress was also designed to allow leading experts to share, debate and collectively discover the latest breakthroughs in sports medicine that effected the success of high-performance athletes. He said focusing on sports medicine and sports science evaluation in the world the event had brought together physiotherapists, orthopaedic surgeons, doctors of sports medicine, dieticians, trainers and coaches of international repute from Austraila, USA, UK, France, Qatar, UAE, Bahrain and more.
	GNDU prof to get AFST Fellow Award Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 20 Prof Narpinder Singh of the Department of Food Science and Technology of Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) has been selected for the prestigious Association of Food Scientists and Technologists (AFST) Fellow Award for the year 2011. He was selected on the recommendations of the scrutiny committee and panel of judges constituted by the Central Executive Committee of the AFST. This award will be presented to Prof Narpinder Singh at the inaugural ceremony of the Indian Convention of Food Scientists and Technologists XXII scheduled to be held on December 6 at the Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysore. Prof Narpinder Singh is internationally known food technologist and has already been awarded several awards. He is already a fellow of the prestigious Indian National Science Academy (INSA), National Academy of Sciences, India (NASI) and National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS). He has more than 150 publications to his credit, which include research papers, review papers, book reviews, book chapters and one book published by the Royal Society of Chemistry.
	DSWO announces scholarships Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 20 The District Sainik Welfare Officer (DSWO) has announced scholarships for deserving children of ex-servicemen or war widows for helping in their professional degree courses. The scholarships are being given under the Central Sainik Board schemes and named as "Prime Minister Scholarship". The courses under consideration would be BE, B.Tech, BDS, MBBS, B.Ed, BCA, B Pharma, etc. According to Lt-Col (retd) Gurinderjit Singh Gill, District Sainik Welfare Officer, the courses should be duly recognised by the government regulatory bodies such as the All-India Council for Technical Education, Medical Council of India, GUC, etc. However, maser's degree courses are not eligible for this scholarship, except MBA and MCA. The candidate must have obtained at least 61 per cent marks in Class XII to claim the scholarship. Every month, the beneficiaries would be paid Rs 1,250 (boys) and Rs 1,500 (girls) as scholarship. The applicants would have to apply before November 30 at the office of District Sainik Welfare Officer, Amritsar. The form as well as other terms and conditions can be obtained through website www.desw.gov.in.