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MC told to prepare chargesheet
City kite-maker Jagmohan Kanojia on a high
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Earthworms found in potable water supply in New Jaspal Nagar
A resident of New Jaspal Nagar shows an earthworm found in water received from the Muncipal Corporation supply line in Amritsar on Friday. Photo: Sameer Sehgal
Octogenarian defies odds to shine in the literary world
Guran Das Verma poses with his latest book ‘Kamm Diyan Gallan’ in Amritsar. Photo: Sameer Sehgal
Move on trade centre welcomed
Over 800 degrees, medals awarded
Vice-Chancellor Dr Ajaib Singh Brar (centre) gives away degree to a student at GNDU in Amritsar on Friday while Dr Indeerjit Singh (left), Registrar, looks on. photo: Vishal Kumar
City girls selected for national basketball camp
Basketball players being felicitated at Government Senior Secondary School for Girls, Mall Road, in Amritsar on Friday. A Tribune photograph
French delegation visits local leather unit
De-addiction staff informed of their rights
Seminar on Gurbani, Gurmat Sangeet
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MC told to prepare chargesheet
Amritsar, March 8 Meanwhile, the MC employees in question are seeking a clean chit from the department. The junior engineer (JE) and the sewer man, who were placed under suspension after the incident, lamented that though they were reinstated, the Local Bodies Department had asked the MC to prepare a chargesheet against them. The three officials, SDO Manjit Singh Saini, JE Mohinder Singh and the sewer man Baldev Singh, were allegedly held responsible after an inquiry into the July 24, 2012, incident conducted by SE Jaswinder Singh. While the JE and the sewer man were put under suspension, the SDO was issued a show-cause notice for being negligent in his duties, which apparently resulted in two subsequent accidents. In the first instance, a teenaged girl was killed, while in the other, the father-son duo going on a scooter got hurt after hitting the faulty manhole cover on the Albert road. The MC staff said there was no complainant in the case registered with the police. The Civil Lines police had booked the "MC staff" under Section 304-A, IPC, with remarks "unidentified MC employees" and "on secret information" in the complainant’s box, in the official crime diary. This implied that no particular person was held responsible for this mishap and that there was no particular complainant in the case. On July 24, it was at about 6.45 pm when the sewerman Baldev Singh had noticed the missing lid of a manhole located on the Albert road. Immediately, he brought it to the notice of area SDO Manjeet Singh Saini who, in turn, told him to arrange a lid from the store. “He did accordingly by 8 pm. It was another matter that he could not find a lid that could fit on that manhole. He had also placed sand bags and demarcated the manhole with fluorescent white colour to warn the commuters,” said the SDO. SDO Manjit Singh Saini said there was no concrete evidence to prove that the incident had occurred after the commuters hit the manhole and it was not justified to hold them responsible for the accident. JE Mohinder Singh said it was rather the presence of mind of the sewer man who spotted the stolen lid and acted swiftly. “Neither was there any complainant nor any postmortem conducted on the victim's body." On what basis the exact cause of the death could be ascertained, he questioned.
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City kite-maker Jagmohan Kanojia on a high
Amritsar, March 8 Kite-maker Jagmohan Kanojia is, however, fixed on two things - making designer kites and entering record books. His fetish for both has earned him another laurel recently. He has been felicitated with a gold medal for making the maximum number of records in 2012, making him top amongst the 101 maximum record-makers in the India Book of Records. Back from Delhi, where he received the award, Jagmohan shares his latest achievement. “It was an event where the top 101 talents in India Book of Records from across the country had gathered. We were asked to do something unique on the spot and I, like always, managed to make a kite in Tricolour background with Shaheed Bhagat Singh and Chandrashekhar Azad’s images,” he said. The unique thing about it was that it was built within a light bulb, measuring 3 inches in length and 2 and a half inches in width. Registering maximum records in a year and from Punjab, Kanojia has till date nine national records to his credit, six of which came this year, in the India and Limca Book of Records. The artist is obviously quite elated after the medal is now ready for more such challenges. “I want to enter the Guinness Book of Records and make my country proud." He also feels proud that his creativity and passion for doing something different is being noticed. “It’s a great feeling to have so many interesting achievements to my name. I have been making kites for the past three decades, and am glad that my art is being appreciated," he said. Having made over 10,000 kites over the years, ranging from 2mm to 40ft, Kanojia’s records not only include his kite-making skills but also his love for gardening. So the first one came with growing the tallest papaya plant, followed by successfully growing a grape vine and then a guava inside a 500 watt light bulb, making world’s smallest kite measuring 2mm, having a collection of maximum varieties of eggs and growing a 10ft tall ladyfinger plant. Kanojia, though, feels that the art form is not appreciated for its worth. “There are so many artists who are left to fend for themselves due to lack of support from the authorities. There is still lot to be done."
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Earthworms found in potable water supply in New Jaspal Nagar
Amritsar, March 8 A resident of the area Rajwant Kaur showed an earthworm which came out while she was storing potable water from the tap attached to the corporation supply line. She said luckily the worm was spotted in time and it was not consumed by anybody. She said hers is a nine-member family, including three children under five years of age, and they could not spot these while drinking. Interestingly, her house is situated within 500 m of the water tubewell supplying potable water to the area. Her complaint is not an isolated one. Similar views were echoed by another resident Sukhbir Singh. He said muddy water had been coming out from the pipes and many residents complained of ailments. He said so far the negative fallout of the water are limited but delay in correcting the mistake may lead to an epidemic-like situation. He said recently many people lost their lives due to the supply of substandard water at Batala. He urged the authorities to move before it was too late. Another resident of the area Asha Rani, a housewife, said they required to be vigilant while storing the potable water and sometime boil it to remove impurities. She said some residents had installed the RO system to ensure the supply of clean water to their families but added that not a majority of these could afford the cost of equipment and its maintainance. Area councillor Surinder Singh Sultanwind said a few days ago, he got a complaint that impure water was coming from water pipes, but nobody complained of earthworm being seen in water. He said he would get the pipelines searched whether any crack had developed which was exposing it to external particles making water in these impure. He said normally sewerage and water lines pass close to each other as people hire novice plumbers to fix new connections. He said these plumbers leave cracks in the water pipes, which eventually results in its internal part being exposed to external impurities. He elaborated that recently entire water pipes in the New Kot Atma Ram locality were replaced and residents were told to replace their water pipes free of cost, while providing the piece of pipe. He rued that only 10 per cent of the residents came forward to replace these.
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Octogenarian defies odds to shine in the literary world
Amritsar, March 8 The writer and poet is technically illiterate, but has managed to get over eight books published. How? We ask him. “I was born and brought up in a humble family, didn’t have much resources to study or educate myself. But I had a keen sense of observation and knowing things that excited my thought process. My limitations to read and write never encouraged me into writings, not until my daughter helped me out with it,” he says. With little knowledge of Punjabi and native language that his wife taught him, the rest was done by his daughter Poonam. “She used to write down my thoughts while I dictated them to her. Later, she taught me the basic alphabets and Punjabi,” says Guran Das. His first book was Meriyan Reejhan (My Desires) in 1970 and till date eight of his books have been published. But the author still struggles with meagre resources at his disposal. Famous amongst locals and literary circles for reciting peoms with strong social message, Guran Das survives on a mere Rs 1,000 monthly pension from the Artistes Writers Welfare Fund, supported by the Virsa Vihar. That helped him get his anthology published. But his spirit is undying. His pen and thoughts never take a halt. Despite financial difficulties, he managed to get his book published by selling off some copies of his previous releases. “That’s what I have been forced to do in the face of adversity. I don’t write for money, but getting a book published needs at least some of it,” he says. His most famous book was based on Hari Singh Nalwa. “It was praised by prominent historians and writers for its apt research and facts presented,” he shares. His grand-daughter, who he admires is a national judoka, while his grandson works for a prominent radio channel. For Guran Das Verma, however, books are his only family. “I love writing, it has been the only constant companion in my life and I wish to write till the day I am alive, money or no money,” he says. Man of undying spirit, didn’t we tell you!
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Move on trade centre welcomed
Amritsar, March 8 The Shawl Club of India president PL Seth said the demand had been put forward before the government many a time. He said the city had been holding a lot of exhibitions in the past five years. Its proximity to Lahore, a big trade centre in Pakistan, setting up of an integrated check-post at International Border with Pakistan, international airport and visit of thousands of tourists to the Golden Temple daily make it an ideal location for business. The availability of a quality trade centre would boost trade and attract business houses from the subcontinent. CII National Council on Public Policy member Gunbir Singh, welcoming the government's move, said the ambitious plan to build a world-class trade centre and a residential complex on the existing Amritsar Central jail site would fulfill the long-pending demands of manufacturers and traders from the region. A world-class city centre, a trade exhibition centre, indoor auditorium with over 3,000 seating capacity, commercial space, a recreational centre, besides a residential complex would be raised at the existing jail, spread over 109 acres. The Punjab Government's Department of Home has been tasked with raising modern prisons at Amritsar, Muktsar and Jalandhar.
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Over 800 degrees, medals awarded
Amritsar, February 8 Vice-Chancellor Prof AS Brar presided over the function and awarded Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) degree to Dr KS Chug, emeritus professor of nephrology, PGIMER, Chandigarh, and degree of Doctor of Law (Honoris Causa) to Dr Shivraj Bashettiapa Nakade, a renowned scholar of constitutional and international law. During his keynote address, Dr Chug said women should conquer the gender barrier and realise their aspirations and be a powerful tool for advancing the status of women in our country. Prof Brar welcomed the chief guest and other dignitaries while Dr Rajinderjit Kaur Pawar, Dean, Academic Affairs, presented the vote of thanks. Dr Inderjit Singh, Registrar, presented the degrees and medals. Dr Chug said advancement in medical science had revolutionised the treatment of many diseases such as transplantation of human organs, open heart surgery, use of bone marrow stem cells for leukemia, in-vitro fertilisation and availability of potent antibiotics, immunosuppressive drugs and vaccines but this had the flip side too. “Undoubtedly, these innovations have been of immense benefit to the mankind. But on a deeper level, these have led to serious setbacks to society at large too. Unbridled and indiscriminate use of monitors and increasing dependence on more sophisticated devices has not only increased the cost of healthcare but has eroded the doctor-patient relationship and is depriving the patients of the much-needed treatment i.e. human touch. People in the medical profession must apply a humanistic, judicious and rational approach while treating their patients,” he said. Dr Nakade said the university had become a fountainhead of future creative leaders not only in the state but also the country. He said reading thought-provoking books, sacred texts such as the Gita and the Upnishads would infuse new vigour in the minds of students. Lauding the achievements of the university, the Vice Chancellor said the varsity at present was accredited with a CGPA of 3.5 out of 4 with “A” Grade, the highest for any university, by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC).
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City girls selected for national basketball camp
Amritsar, March 8 School principal Mandeep Kaur felicitated them after which they left for Pune to attend the national camp. These players are Samriti, a Class XI student while Gagandeep Kaur is studying in Class XII. The School Games Federation of India (SGFI) selected the two for the camp which will be held till March 31 at Pune in under-17 category after their brilliant performance in the National Basketball Games held in Chattisgarh. About 30 players from all over the country will participate in the camp and the national team will be selected of these players to represent the country in international event. Gagan, who hails from Chougriwal village in Batala, earlier studied at Khalsa Academy, Mehta. She has been undergoing intensive training. “I used to watch boys playing basketball. After I came to know about the game being played at my school, I immediately joined when I was in Class VIII,” she says. She has played in three state basketball tournaments in which her team bagged first position. Participation in Mahindra NBA Challenge was a boon for her. Besides, she also played in five nationals in various age categories in Rajasthan and Chattisgarh, youth national at Indore (Madhya Pradesh) and a rural national in Haryana. Samriti has also played two state-level rural games, two Punjab Youth Open Tournaments and was selected the best player in the tournament held at Abohar. She participated thrice in the Mahindra NBA Challenge and was adjudged the best scorer in 2012 and the best defender in 2011. Both of them thanked their coach Ravinder Singh Dhillon for grooming them well and the principal for providing a conducive environment. Their morning session starts at 5:30 am till 7:30 am and evening session from 4 pm to 8 pm. Principal Mandeep Kaur said these girls had sufficient exposure and the school had great hope from them.
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French delegation visits local leather unit
Jalandhar, March 8 The 22-member delegation, including breeders, meat processors and slaughter house owners, went to Raghu Exports as part of its 10-day Indian tour. Head, Agrofood Department, French Trade Commission at French Embassy in India, Jerome Desquiens, said, “India is the number one exporter of bovine meat in the world and French meat processors were keen to see Indian meat and leather industry as France also had a significant cattle population and daily production.”
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De-addiction staff informed of their rights
Amritsar, March 8 Raj Bedi Anand, president, Nursing Association, apprised the de-addiction staff about their rights. He said the government was responsible for rising crimes against women due to faulty policies. She urged the government to step up measures for controlling inflation and implement strong laws to curb crimes against women. She demanded increase in widow pension from prevailing Rs 250 to Rs 1000 per month, reduction in duty hours after the age of 52 years. Those present on the occasion were Sunita, Rajbir, Kuljit Devi, Rajwinder and Parveen.
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Seminar on Gurbani, Gurmat Sangeet
Amritsar, March 8 Bhai Nirmal Singh said the youth should take inspiration from Gurbani and Gurmat Sangeet to lead a good life. Bhai Ravinder Singh stressed upon the singing of ragas as enunciated in the Gurbani.
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Amritsar, March 8
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He is a well-known artist in Amritsar and his creations come in all shapes and sizes. His works have become a sort of tradition in the city.
Kite-maker Jagmohan Kanojia is, however, fixed on two things - making designer kites and entering record books. His fetish for both has earned him another laurel recently. He has been felicitated with a gold medal for making the maximum number of records in 2012, making him top amongst the 101 maximum record-makers in the India Book of Records.
Residents of the New Jaspal Nagar locality on the Sultanwind road are peeved at the authorities due to the appearance of earthworms in the potable water supply line of the Municipal Corporation.
Eighty-year-old unsung Punjabi poet Guran Das Verma, who learnt his first alphabet at the age of 25, is an example of determination, fuelled by passion. The octogenarian, who has been writing since 1970, is a special man, since he has been doing so without any education.
More than 800 degrees and medals in various disciplines such as PhD,
MPhil, MBA, MTech, MCA, LLM, MLib, MBE, MCom, MSc, MA, BTech, BSc, BCA, LLB, BLib were awarded today during the 39th annual convocation of Guru Nanak Dev University here.
Two girl basketball players of Government Senior Secondary School, Mall Road, have brought laurels to the city on the Women’s Day after they were selected for the national basketball camp.
