Motorcyclists snatch woman’s purse in city
Amritsar, March 4
Two unidentified motorcycle-borne youths snatched the purse of a woman near Ram Talai Chowk here when she and her husband were travelling in an auto-rickshaw.

Amritsar, March 4
Alert BSF jawans foiled another attempt of Pakistan-based smugglers to sneak in a consignment of heroin from the border outpost of Daoke village near the Indo-Pak border fence.

Aditya Mishra, IG, informed the media that the BSF troops observed some movements and heard some voices at midnight close to pillar number 112/ 12-13. The jawans immediately rushed towards the spot and challenged the suspected smugglers. However, they managed to escape, taking advantage of darkness and fog.

During the search operation, the officials found two black bags containing four packets of heroin, weighing about 4 kg, valued at Rs 20 crore in the international market. Mishra said one bag was found hanging from the border fence, while the other was found on the track used by the jawans for patrolling.

He said this year the BSF had seized about 42 kg of heroin and over Rs 33 lakh of counterfeit currency till now. Last year, the BSF had recovered a total of 288 kg 
of heroin.

Chandigarh, March 4
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has asked Amritsar Deputy Commissioner and Punjab Mandi Board to ensure that rainwater does not enter the houses situated along the Amritsar-Ajnala thoroughfare due to an increase in the height of the road.

The directions, affecting the residents putting up along the road, by the Division Bench of Chief Justice Arjan Kumar Sikri and Justice Rakesh Kumar Jain came on a petition filed in public interest by Gurdev Singh and other petitioners against the Union of India and other respondents.

Residents of Prem Nagar on the Miran Kot road along the Amritsar-Ajnala thoroughfare, the petitioners were seeking directions to the respondents not to raise the height of the road being laid from Amritsar to Ajnala “over and above the level of houses constructed on both sides”.

Taking up the matter, the Bench asserted that the relief sought by the petitioners could not be granted to them. Giving reasons, the Bench asserted that since the construction of the road was imperative and necessary for easing the traffic flow, the courts “were not to interfere with such policy decisions, more so when the construction of the road is in public interest”.

At the same time, the Bench took note of the fact that the main reason behind filing the petition against an increase in the road level was that the petitioners were apprehending that the move might cause rainwater to enter their houses. For preventing the same, they had forwarded a representation dated February 1 to the DC. Another representation dated February 13 had been sent to Punjab Mandi Board, the Bench noted. Disposing of the petition, the Bench asked the respondent-authorities to look into the representations. They have been asked to ensure that “because of the construction of the road, the petitioners would not suffer”.

Amritsar, March 4
Two unidentified motorcycle-borne youths snatched the purse of a woman near Ram Talai Chowk here when she and her husband were travelling in an auto-rickshaw.

Jagjit Singh, her husband, lodged a complaint with the B-division police station in this connection, which has registered a complaint under Sections 382, 34 of the IPC in this connection.

He informed the police that his wife's purse contained a gold jewellery set, a diamond jewellery set, a gold chain, a diamond ring, a wrist watch with a 16-carat gold chain, a debit card, two ATM cards and a mobile phone. He said the accused came from behind on a motorcycle and snatched her purse. No arrest has been made so far.

Amritsar, March 4
The dispensary of Employees State Insurance (ESI) Hospital on the Majitha road looks more of a railway ticket reservation counter, where people are standing outside the window, with an iron grill fitted in it, for their turn.

While the doctors examining the patients sit inside the room, the patients are not allowed to enter inside. The patients have to hand in their OPD slip to the doctor through the window.

The system is in contrast to the one used at almost all private and government hospitals, where patients are asked to sit beside the doctor’s chair on a stool and the doctors enquires about the ailment in a confidential and friendly manner.

The insiders at the hospital said this system was devised by the doctors at the dispensary on their own to “minimise” the risk of getting an infection from a swine flu patient more than a month and a half ago.

Even though the city has not reported a swine flu patient for a long time, the dispensary has stuck to this inhuman practice.

Apart from the patients, even a few insiders objected to the idea where patients are considered as some kind of untouchables. “The iron bars in the window are so close that you cannot get your hand through them comfortably,” complained a patient.

In a condition like this, doctors cannot even use stethoscopes or blood pressure monitors. The two are the basic equipments used at every clinic. “They only ask you about the problem. Sometimes, they write medicines on the slip, but in most cases, they refer you to some other doctor,” said a woman patient.

The ESI hospital has at least 10 dispensaries attached to it. These dispensaries are required to refer the more serious cases to the hospital, while they are required to treat routine cases. While others use the age-old friendly methods with patients, this dispensary which is on the hospital premises, is setting a totally wrong example.

ESI Medical Superintendent Dr Jagjeet Singh Cheema, who is the overall in charge of all the dispensaries, besides the hospital, could not be contacted, as he did not answer this reporter's repeated phone calls. 

Amritsar, March 4
Of the six platforms on the railway station here, five are without the toilet facility. Passengers say that this is a gross lapse, which is creating unhygienic condition on these platforms.

Platform number 1, which is considered to be the privileged platform as most of the important trains halt here, is equipped with hygienic facilities. Of the six platforms (namely 1, 1-A, 2, 3, 4, 5), platform number 1 has toilet sets. On the remaining four platforms, the passengers and visitors are left to relieve themselves in the open.

An aged passenger, Beant Singh, said he alighted at platform number 3 and after much effort, found that no toilet facility was existing there. He was told that the platform number 1 had got the facility. He remarked that it was really an ordeal for the aged, infirm and children to cross over the footbridge to utilise the facility.

Another waiting passenger NRI Simran Singh said he happened to see some persons urinating in the open on these platforms. He said this was an abominable act and created a bad impression on the visitors, as a large number of tourists come to the holy city. He said reflecting the spirit of the city, the station must be dirt and filth-free.

Understandably, the platform number 1 toilets and a toilet set at the entrance to the state on are under tremendous pressure. Passengers for second and general categories have to face much inconvenience as the public toilet is in a deplorable condition. Another toilet set for women is locked.

An old-timer said that earlier platform numbers 2 and 3 used to have toilet sets at the end points towards Jalandhar and platform numbers 4 and 5 used to have toilets at the end point towards Attari. He recalled that toilets on platform numbers 2 and 3 were demolished after a train had accidentally come over the platform and damaged the toilets on June 7, 1976. In the accident, the derailed train had snuffed out lives of a woman and a girl.

Northern Railway (Ferozepur Division) Divisional Railway Manager Naresh Chander Goel said as per the latest policy, no toilet could be raised on an island platform, as draining out of refuse was a big problem. He added that plans were afoot to consolidate the toilet infrastructure on platform number 1.

Amritsar, March 4
Garbage collection system in the city is in a shambles following the withdrawal of operations by the Antony Waste Handling Cell coupled with the Amritsar Municipal Corporation’s inability to do the job with its scant infrastructure

Local residents are complaining that the MC’s class IV employees do not perform their duties and the door-to-door garbage collection system has come to a complete halt. Reports suggest that residents have been setting the garbage bins afire when they are not lifted for weeks together.

Even as residents in posh areas have engaged private hands to collect the garbage door to door, many of them too dump it in the bins kept in the localities from where there is no mechanism to lift it further. BR Pareenja, general secretary, Consumer Rights Protection Society, Amritsar, said the MC did not care two hoots for the residents’ health.

Earlier, the civic body stopped the door-to-door garbage collection which resulted in heaps of refuse on the streets. Now the job of cleaning of streets has been left to residents in most of the localities.

“Jawahar Nagar on the Batala road is one of those areas where the streets are littered with waste which undoubtedly is a great health hazard. The residents of area are compelled to live under unhygienic conditions,” Pareenja said.

The residents of Jawahar Nagar demanded that to prevent the outbreak of any disease, the MC must streamline the door-to-door garbage collection and appoint a regular sweeper to ensure cleanliness without further delay.

Chander Parkash, a resident of Putlighar area, said he hardly saw MC men picking up garbage from the bins placed in his locality.

Since scant thought is given to segregate the trash here, it is very likely that all the plastic, polystyrene (such as foam cups), dry and wet waste is burnt which cause serious health hazard. 

Amritsar, March 4
The date sheet of MA Punjabi Part-2 (Annual System), Punjabi -1 examination of the Guru Nanak Dev University has been rescheduled to May 11, 2013 due to some administrative reasons.

Earlier, these examinations were scheduled to be held on April 15.

Prof RK Mahajan, Incharge (Examinations) said the revised date of MSc (Mathematics) Part-2 (Annual Examination) is May 14. Earlier, this examination was scheduled to be held on April 12.

However, the time and centre of these examinations shall remain same, sources said.

Amritsar, March 4
Global Institute of Management and Emerging Technologies bagged the Outstanding Engineering Institute Award (North India) presented by ET Now National Education Leadership Awards - 2013.

Vice Chairman of the group, Dr Akashdeep Singh, received the prize. 

Amritsar, March 4
To study the water cleansing system installed at the Golden Temple for purifying water, Nagpur Mayor Anil Sole today visited the city.

After paying obeisance at shrine, Sole had an interactive session with Amritsar Mayor Bakshi Ram Arora and other officials.

Sole apprised the local officials about the mechanism being adopted in Nagpur to generate funds which were to be ploughed back in providing basic civic amenities to Nagpur residents.

There was Rs 1,500 crore annual budget against a population of around 30 lakh, he added. He also talked about an “efficient garbage lifting and disposing system” through solid waste management plant running successfully for sometime.

“The point is that the residents should well realise their responsibility to pay their dues on time. On the other hand, the Nagpur civic authorities have been absolutely strict in realising the taxes from defaulters. We levy heavy penalty to those who evade their dues. We have been firm that those who refrain from clearing taxes would not only be bereft of tax-discounts as per the policy but would also have to bear 24 per cent more as penalty on their due amount.

Sole also informed the officials about methods being adopted for conservation of water. The metered water, he said, was supplied on subsidised rates only to the extent which could be calculated on average basis depending upon the number of family members. Beyond that limit, subsidy is withdrawn for water charges, he added.

“We are firm in providing quality life to our residents such as safe drinking water, better sewerage system, roads etc. Basically, it is a development circle sort of which is run with commitment from both sides i.e. from residents as well as authorities,” Sole said.

He further said there were about 17 historic pools in Nagpur which were in very a shabby condition. The Nagpur civic authorities, he informed, hired a Delhi-based firm to purify the water which was released into these pools. “The same firm had installed the purifying system at the Golden Temple,” he said.

City Mayor Bakshi Ram Arora said it was a learning experience for them to meet the Nagpur Mayor. “This type of set up is possible only when cooperation and transparency is there from both sides — from residents as well as the authorities. An adequate funding is needed and we are in the process of revamping our revenue generation system,” Arora said. 

Amritsar, March 4
The local residents have slammed the tour of a four-member delegation left for Pakistan today to study the mechanism of municipal solid waste management saying it would end up being another “sponsored foreign visit” by the officials yielding little concrete result.

Following the Punjab government’s announcement to install solid waste management plants in various pockets of the state, the delegation comprising JS Sandhu, Secretary Housing A Venu Prashad left for Lahore through the Attari-Wagah Check Post. The delegation, besides studying the solid waste management mechanism, will study the famous food street in Lahore.

Solid Waste management plant has been waiting for High Court’s verdict as the two firms in race for grabbing the project had filed writ against the tendering process in 2007.

The food street proposal has been hanging in the balance as the local authorities could not take decision regarding an appropriate site after the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) had raised objections about installing the food street inside the historic Ram Bagh and later at the Victoria Jubilee (VJ) Hospital site.

The residents believe that the authorities have done little to execute the solid waste management plant.

PS Bhatti, president of Pollution Control Committee, said, “Bio-degradable waste, construction material and debris are dumped at Bhaktanwala in violation of the Municipal Solid Waste norms with no provision for their separate and segregated disposal by the corporation. Stray animals create nuisance in the area and are carriers of diseases that may cause epidemics. No one has ever thought about redressing these grievances. They instead are more interested in enjoying foreign excursions,” Bhatti said.

Naresh Johar, a local resident, said, “Such trips are a sheer wastage of time and the government money. The Amritsar civic authorities have been ignoring the Municipal Solid Waste norms and no one has spared thought about it. Who is stopping them from collecting door-to-door garbage and making the garbage lifting process in a proper manner? The corporation is shirking its responsibility and its apathy may have serious health consequences in the area,” he said.

Officials said there was proposal for municipal solid waste management project which would cover all 141 urban local bodies for developing an integrated municipal solid waste management project on public private partnership. Under the initiative, a scientific system would be introduced in all the urban belts and town of the state, they said.

Under this system, the state has been divided into eight mega clusters including Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Bathinda, Ferozepur, Patiala, Amritsar, Pathankot and the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA). Each cluster would cover 15 to 30 cities.

Municipal Commissioner Bhupinder Singh said, “It is true that solid waste management project and the food street projects for Amritsar are hanging in the balance for long but the delegation has left for Lahore as both these proposals were there for different parts of Punjab not for Amritsar alone.”

“We cannot proceed till the HC verdict comes. We are doing our best with whatever scant resources we have about the garbage collection and disposal system,” Bhupinder Singh further said.