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Ad firm hired ‘illegally’, Mayor marks inquiry
Inquiry against minister, family members going slow: Cong activist
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Woman harassed, five of in-laws family booked
Biometric machines go out of order at rural dispensaries
Farmers’ protest yields result
FROM COLLEGES
Mobile phone seized from undertrial
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Ad firm hired ‘illegally’, Mayor marks inquiry
The issue cropped up on Tuesday when SAD councillor Surinder Singh Sultanwind during the MC House meeting alleged both Kang and Dutti misused their positions and entered into a pact with a firm to install advertisement boards, despite the fact that the then House had rejected the proposal of engaging the firm in 2006. He also alleged that the sanctity of the then House meeting was compromised. "The decision to hire the firm was shown as an 'accepted' item by tampering the minutes of the then meeting," he further alleged. Importantly, this case seems to have opened the Pandora's Box raising a question mark on the integrity of the civic body officials. As a damage control measure, the councillors on Tuesday sought transfer of officials occupying same posts for the past over three years. There are some officials, reportedly enjoying political patronage, are on the same post for the past over a decade. The MC departments which faced the councillors' ire were Municipal Town Planning, streetlight maintenance and house tax. Councillors alleged that the revenue generation had hit a roadblock as officials of the MTP and house tax wings, the main revenue earning departments, were hand in glove with the defaulters. Another councillor Raj Kumar pointed out five properties in the city, wherein the MTP officials let the owners extend their plot areas illegally. "There are many properties in the city wherein the MTP officials had passed the building plans by adopting wrong practices. For example, if the occupant of the property was liable to pay Rs 50,000 as fee to obtain an NoC to get his map sanctioned, the MTP officials got the things done by pocketing Rs 20,000 as underhand dealing, thereby causing losses to the exchequer. Such practices need to be curbed," Raj Kumar had said in the House. Similarly, the councillors said the recovery target of house tax could not be attained until and unless there is a constant check on the working of officials of the house tax department. The allegations
The issue cropped up on Tuesday when SAD councillor Surinder Singh Sultanwind during the MC House meeting alleged both Kang and Dutti misused their positions and entered into a pact with a firm to install advertisement boards, despite the fact that the then House had rejected the proposal of engaging the firm in 2006. “The decision to hire the firm was shown as an 'accepted' item by tampering the minutes of the then meeting," he further alleged
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Inquiry against minister, family members going slow: Cong activist
Amritsar, January 30 Gorsi had written to the Chief Election Commissioner in this regard. The CEC had forwarded the communiqué to State Election Commission to inquire into the matter. The State Election Commission had further asked the Deputy Commissioner to look into the matter and submit a report by January 10. However, Gorsi said the district authorities had failed to submit a report in this connection till now. Addressing a press conference, he alleged that seven members of Joshi’s family had voter I-cards in both Amritsar North Constituency (from where Joshi contested the Assembly elections) and in Tarn Taran constituency from where minister’s brother Rajesh Joshi contested and won in the municipal committee polls. “Joshi’s relatives cast their votes in both the constituencies by misrepresenting their names which is unconstitutional and illegal,” alleged Gorsi. He alleged that this was all done in consultation with Cabinet Minister Anil Joshi and Rajesh Joshi for getting wrongful benefits in the said elections. Gorsi demanded criminal action against all the persons responsible in the alleged scam. Anil Joshi could not be contacted even after repeated attempts. But his media secretary Gaurav said they
had already written to the Tarn Taran administration to struck off their names from the voters’ list. “Now it’s up to the administration to take appropriate step in this regard,” he added. Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Rajat Agarwal said he received the letter on January 11 through a post. “The inquiry is being conducted by the Additional Deputy Commissioner in this connection,” he added. “Claims of the complainant could be verified only after getting the records from two districts. Hence, the inquiry is taking more time. As soon as the probe will be completed, the report will be sent to the State Election Commission,” said Agarwal. He also said the investigations got delayed due to the state-level function organised to mark Republic Day besides other busy schedules. He said absence of Sub-Divisional Magistrates in the administration during the period also delayed the probe.
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Ministerial staff extends strike by two days
Amritsar, January 30 Jagdish Thakur, state general secretary of the association, said, “All the district units of the association would burn effigies of Director, Health Services, at their respective headquarters.” He said the association had earlier hoped for a solution to the problem. Thakur said ministerial staff had decided to extend the strike for another two days. “If the department failed to take notice of our demands, the next step would be an indefinite strike in the entire state,” said association chief Tajinder Singh. The ministerial staff had earlier announced to gherao a private hospital reportedly run by the family of the Director, Health Services, but the idea was later dropped as the officer himself was not present at the place. The main demands of the association include filling of higher positions in the ministerial cadre through promotion and not direct recruitment, implementation of revised pay scales for clerks in the statistical branch besides appointment of only ministerial workers at the posts meant for them.
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Woman harassed, five of in-laws family booked
Amritsar, January 30 She claimed the harassment grew after she gave birth to a girl child. She and her daughter were thrown out of the house in March 2012, Manpreet alleged. The police has registered a case under Sections 406, 498-A and 120-B of the IPC against Manjit Singh, his father Tarlok Singh and mother Sukhwinder Kaur, Rajwinder Kaur and Jaswinder Singh in this regard. The police said nobody had been arrested.
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Striking gold
Amritsar, January 30 One can name quite a few examples of RJs making it big in creative alternate careers, be it acting, singing, stand-up comedy or modeling. While most names in the celebrity RJ list happen to belong to the region, we ask our city RJs on what makes it a star profession. “Most people say that radio jockeying has turned glamorous, but I say it was already that. For the listeners or aspiring youngsters, RJs are stars, their own celebrities. With time, the profession has got better in terms of content and money,” shares RJ Simran of Big FM. The change is visible and the RJs are enjoying it. “It the most preferred career for anyone who wants to make it big in the glamour world. Television and big screen is not easily approachable and it takes a lot of time and struggle to get noticed, but radio can turn you into a local celebrity in no time, given its reach and popularity,” says RJ Amrit, who entered the profession by winning Big FM RJ Hunt. “Of course, you have to have the talent and passion, but talking to big celebrities, having your own show and fan following does make it lucrative and fun,” he says. Of course, getting an audience, being heard and appreciated, and paid handsomely to pep-talking come as perks of the profession. With radio getting younger by the day, most youngsters seem to be smitten by the profession. So it’s not some slapdash chit-chat or playing two or three songs in between, but a multidimensional approach that makes you successful a radio jockey. “The best thing it does for me is that it makes me a celebrity in my hometown,” says Megha Mehra, a student of Journalism and
Mass communication, BBKDAV. Pursuing her internship with a popular radio channel, Megha, who is a professional anchor as well, feels that radio jockeys are multitalented bunch who are getting their due recognition. “You have so many examples in front of you. Jockeys have to be good with their diction, communication skills, presence of mind and creativity.” Amrit said, “One has to feel on air to express it correctly for the listeners and all this doesn’t come in a day. Radio is a very good grooming platform for someone who wants to take up an alternate career in acting or any creative field.” RJ Rahul, who is also the executive producer at My FM, Amritsar, too feels that radio jockeying is a wholesome profession. “We talk, act, mimic, sing, crack jokes and even guide our listeners. So, one could call a jockey a complete package.” RJ Rahul, who himself is an actor, stand-up comedy artist and has been a part of shows like India’s Got Talent, feels that though small cities like Amritsar do not offer much career wise, they do get you instant fame and recognition. “If I used to get 50 applications for recruitments five years back, today I get 500. For most who are yet not aware, RJs are just radio announcers. But for those who do, they are the rock stars.” With radio getting younger by the day, most youngsters seem to be smitten by the profession. So it’s not some slapdash chit-chat or playing two or three songs in between, but a multidimensional approach that makes you successful a radio jockey
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caught
in a crawl 1
The Punjab Government has conceptualised a comprehensive mobility plan (CMP) to streamline traffic in Amritsar, but in the absence of vision and lack of infrastructure, travelling on city roads, especially inside the Walled city, is a commuters’ bane. The road network of Amritsar (radial as well as circumferential) covers an area of 139 square km and the total road length is about 525 kms as per the official city development plan of Amritsar.
The Walled city is spread in 3.6-square km area. The Walled city, which constitutes 16 per cent of total population of 13 lakh, was developed as a city for pedestrians. Considering the compact and the character, the whole area could be covered within a span of 25 minutes on foot, from one end to the other. The Tribune staffers travelled on the 4-km stretch from Lawrence Road to the Golden Temple. Covering this stretch that generally takes 15 minutes by a car took 1.05 hours to reach the parking lot of the Golden Temple. The Bhandari Bridge, (popularly known by the name ‘Ucha Pul’ which is the most vital link which connects the rest of the city to the Walled city) is always congested. Little thought has been spared for pedestrians crossing this bridge. Describing it as a vital link between the Golden Temple and the rest of the city, MP Navjot Singh Sidhu had endorsed the idea of widening the bridge and was instrumental in arranging the visit of a technical team of the Railways. But since then, it has not moved beyond the planning stage.
Bridge widening plan fails
The bridge has become a bottleneck in view of the heavy traffic. Keeping in view its age, it was found infeasible to spend so much money on widening the bridge. Instead, the Railways team advocated building a new bridge after demolishing the present one. The proposal to widen the railway overbridge was dropped after spending 20 months in planning, meetings and debates. Subsequently, the matter was incorporated in the comprehensive mobility plan (CMP) for the city. Now, the Municipal Corporation has proposed to extend the elevated road till the railway station. Commuters encounter massive chaos at the Hall gate, the entrance point of the Walled city area. RITES survey and PPCB observation: Going by the report of RITES Limited, a Government of India enterprise, over 1 lakh vehicles pass through this bridge in 24 hours. The study is substantiated by a report of the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) on vehicular pollution around Bhandari bridge. The PPCB has termed it the most polluted area due to vehicular pollution between 9 am and 8 pm.
Menace of Auto-rickshaws
As per the CMP survey, auto-rickshaws saw a growth of about 7.62 per cent. In 2003-2004, there were 12,100 auto-rickshaws in the city. There number is somewhere close to 19,000 now. Apart from that, it is estimated that over 5,000 more autos run illegally in the city.
Main Culprits
The administration has made pedestrian paths alongside the road, but massive encroachments by small-time traders and vendors devoid pedestrians their rightful place. The administration has directed the traders umpteen times to park their vehicles at the MC’s designated spot for parking. There has been a yellow line for residents who wish to stop in the markets for shopping. But there is hardly any taker for rules. Traders, shoppers and even VVIPs flout parking norms. The policemen on duty hardly bother to intervene. Need of the hour Vehicular movement should be restricted inside the Walled city area. The public transport system needs to be increased. The proposals to introduce the Personal Rapid Transport System (PRTS) and City Bus Service are in the pipeline. This would also put a cap on the unregistered auto-rickshaws plying in the city. The roads are the main constraint therefore, multi-level parking should be planned.
Choke points
Besides, three minutes halt at Novelty chowk and five minutes at Crystal Chowk, the car took half an hour just to cross the Bhandari Bridge. Kind of commuters Being the only entrance point from the city side leading to the Golden Temple, commuters are mostly devotees. But with MC office and number of banks located inside the Walled city, office goers, shopkeepers, students and visitors to traditional Hall Bazaar market form a bulk of commuters.
officialspeak
Bhupinder Singh, MC Commissioner COMMUTERS SPEAK Anil Khanna Bhupinder Singh Sunil Sethi Amandeep Chauhan Ashwani Arora Jagdish Singh
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Tributes paid to
Mahatma Gandhi
Amritsar, January 30 The inmates said they faced difficulties in getting inability certificates. “We need an ambulance service at the centre,” they added. Civil Surgeon Dr Yash Mitra assured inmates on issuance of certificates within a week. In a function organised at Jallianwala Bagh, former minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla said there was a need to follow the principles of Mahatma Gandhi. She said the governments should declare a ban on liquor consumption and sale. Springdale Public School also organised a function to create awareness about leprosy on this occasion.
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Biometric machines go out of order at rural dispensaries
Amritsar, January 30 And it was directly overseen by the headquarters. With these machines going dysfunctional, doctors and health employees are allegedly found irregular at the health centres. The people have often complained of absence of doctors and staff at rural dispensaries. Civil Surgeon Dr Yash Mitra has said technicians of the service provider had been asked to repair the machines. He said these machines would be made functional so that presence of health employees at their place of duty could be regularised. He said the department also conducted regular checks at various places to make sure that health staff is present. Civil Surgeon Dr Yash Mitra said the department had recently caught a doctor who was absent from his duty and matter was brought to the notice of senior officials.
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Farmers’ protest yields result
Amritsar, January 30 Later, Sarwan Singh Pandher of the KSC said the power corporation had assured them to give eight hours of power supply. He said supply would be made during the day time for four days and night time for four days. He said the date of submitting applications for tubewell connections had been extended by a month for farmers owning less than five acres of land. He said another meeting with the chief engineer would be held on February 11 to discuss the remaining demands.
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Prize Distribution
More than 200 students received prizes at the Annual Prize Distribution ceremony organised at Khalsa College Girls Senior Secondary School here today. Chief guest of the function, Khalsa College Governing Council (KCGC) Vice-President Charanjit Singh Chadha and guest of honour Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina stressed on the need for educating girls. Chhina said the right choice of subjects and career was a must for the students to achieve success in life. School principal Tejinder Kaur Bindra read out the annual report, citing the students’ performance in academics and sports. She said girls had been outshining boys in all the fields, which was a positive step towards the formation of a just and equalitarian society. Also present on the occasion were KCGC joint secretaries SS Mannan, SS Abdal, SS Sethi, Members Anup Singh and SS Chhina.
— TNS Career guidance camp organised
With an aim to make students aware about the choices of subjects in college after passing out of school, Khalsa College for Women (KCW) today organised a career guidance and counselling programme. More than 700 students from various schools from around the city, participated in the session and apprised themselves about the new courses and programmes available in the college. Khalsa College Governing Council (KCGC) honourary secretary Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina was the chief guest of the event. "Modern age is highly professional and you must choose the right career to rise in life’’, he told the students. KCW principal Dr Sukhbir Kaur Mahal welcomed Chhina, other guests and students at the occasion. A cultural programme was also organised on the day.
— TNS
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Mobile phone seized from undertrial
Amritsar, January 30 Man held with narcotics
The police arrested Vikramjit Singh, alias Robin, a resident of Todar Mall Sarai, Putlighar, with 350 grams of narcotic powder and sharp-edged weapon. A case under Sections 21, 61 and 85 of the NDPS Act and 25, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act has been registered against him in this connection.
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Amritsar, January 30
There have been plans but these have hardly worked in solving traffic mess in the holy city. And in the end, residents and tourists, who visit the city in large numbers, are taken for a ride everyday due to traffic jams and snarls.
As many as 17 bridges of the city are under the comprehensive mobility plan. The matter of Bhandari Bridge is in the initial planning stage. As per the plan, the elevated road could be stretched another half a km starting from Bhandari Bridge to the railway station. After carrying out the feasibility study, we will be able to know where to construct the ramps. Besides this, multi-level parking lots in all the major entry gates of the Walled city are also under consideration. 
The flyover which could connect the Hall gate is a must here. I have spare at least half an hour extra to reach my place of work inside the Hall gate. We have read reports about widening the bridge, but it all was scrapped due to official rigmarole.
One of the major reasons of chaos is that traders don’t park their own vehicles in the MC’s parking lot. They also fortify the space ahead of their shops to prevent others to park their vehicles. 
There is hardly any place left for the pedestrian because the footpaths are encroached upon either by the shopkeepers themselves or the small-time vendors. 
The problem can be tackled up to a larger extent, if the wholesalers were asked to shift their base outside the Walled city areas. 
Only walking should be the mode of travel beyond the Hall Gate. Vehicles should be restricted from the point of Hall Gate entrance. 
In the absence of any other mode of public transport, it is the auto-rickshaw operators who rule the roost and have made it their right to break rules and fleece the tourists.