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House tax recovery: Civic body still short of Rs 7 cr from target
Housing Development Corporation to extend Rs 100 crore loan to AMC
Traffic lights at Bhandari Bridge come a cropper
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Punjab Natshala gets hi-tech makeover
73 issued cards at pension mela
From
colleges
DAV College students excel in university exams
Man says cop thrashed him, put face in furnace
FIR lodged in house fire incident; man held
Two held with SLR snatched from constable
Criminal wanted in rape, snatching cases arrested
Khalsa College win netball championship
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House tax recovery: Civic body still short of Rs 7 cr from target
Amritsar, March 15 Insiders say that big malls and business establishments in the holy city have still been enjoying immunity due to political patronage when it comes to paying taxes. Even the MC Commissioner had pulled up the officials assigned the job, the dishonored cheques worth Rs 70 lakh could not be materialised till date. Though the MC’s House Tax Department claims to be tightening noose around defaulters, it has been turning a blind eye to big shopping malls on this count, said an official pleading anonymity. Terming the MC’s tax recovery drive as a farce, an official said it was only the small traders against whom the MC had carried a “rigorous campaign” whereas the big fish were still out of its reach. “The small traders who owe between Rs 12,000-Rs 25,000 are being taken to the task. If the MC had tightened the noose around big malls and shopping complexes, it could have got over Rs 5 crore in one go. I am afraid if the target could be met,” the official said. It has been estimated that tax amounting to over Rs 10 crore is being pilfered due to laxity and lack of coordination between the officials of the House Tax Department. Almost similar was the case with the Water Supply Department which is lagging behind its target by over Rs 1.5 crore. The worst offenders are none other than malls that have mushroomed around the city. There are over 15 malls which owed huge amount in terms of house tax and change of land use (CLU) estimated to be between Rs 4-5 crore per annum. The MC was unable to realise the dues for want of specific information. Surprisingly, the MC did not possess the tax records of scores of malls and business establishments located on the Mall Road here. Owners of these malls in the city mint hefty rent by leasing out their property to multinational firms and franchisees but shy away from their liability to pay the tax. A councillor who also shared prominent position in the House Tax Recovery Committee, said he was always discouraged whenever he sought details of taxes due against big business houses in the city. Bhupinder Singh, MC Commissioner, said, “No individual or organisation, howsoever big it may be, will be spared from paying their dues. We are plugging the lacunas in the system to stop the escape route being used by big business houses and malls in particular. We are quite confident to recover substantial amount of dues from the offenders.” Mounting under-recoveries
As per estimates, tax amounting to over ~10 crore is being pilfered due to laxity and lack of coordination between the House Tax Department officials Over 15 malls which owe huge amount in terms of house tax and change of land use (CLU), are supposed to pay between ~4-5 crore per annum The cheques worth ~70 lakh that were dishonored have not been materialised till date by the department concerned of the civic body Big fish out of reach
Sources say it is only small traders against whom the MC has been carrying a “rigorous campaign” whereas the big fish still remain out of its reach Surprisingly, the MC does not possess tax records of scores of malls and business establishments located on the Mall Road A councillor with the House Tax Recovery Committee disclosed he was discouraged from seeking the details of taxes due against big business houses
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Housing Development Corporation to extend Rs 100 crore loan to AMC
Amritsar, March 15 VK Joshi, HUDCO, regional chief at Chandigarh office, which has jurisdiction over Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, said the HUDCO would extend a loan of Rs 100 crore to the Amritsar Municipal Corporation (AMC) for laying water supply, roads, strengthening of bye-passes and providing other infrastructure. He said the advance would be released to the AMC after its house ratified the same. He said the HUDCO has already pumped in advance of Rs 827 crore to the Punjab Municipal Infrastructure Development Corporation (PMIDC) for providing quality civic amenities to Urban Local Bodies of Punjab. He said out of this sum the holy city received a loan of Rs 9.25 crore. He said these were to improve infrastructure facilities and help create durable public assets and quality oriented services in cities and towns. Promotion of planned integrated development, to ensure adequate investment of funds to fulfill deficiencies in urban infrastructure services, scale up delivery of civic amenities and provisions of utilities with emphasis on universal access to urban poor and to provide matching contribution of ULBs under any Central Government scheme. The HUDCO has passed 34 projects, out of which 12 have already taken off. Loan objectives
To improve infrastructure facilities and help create durable public assets and quality oriented services in cities and towns Promotion of planned integrated development, to ensure adequate investment of funds to fulfill deficiencies in urban infrastructure services
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Traffic lights at Bhandari Bridge come a cropper
Amritsar, March 15 The Municipal Corporation Amritsar with a view to streamlining the traffic on Bhandari Bridge has installed traffic lights on the adjacent roundabout on experimental basis. The lights were made functional from yesterday onwards. But, in absence of proper vigil and awareness, the commuters are not following the signals as a result of which the traffic scenario is chaotic as usual. The traffic lights at the main eight-lane GT road near New Amritsar are lying defunct for quite sometime thus causing many accidents, including fatal ones. Similarly, the traffic lights installed at the main 8-lane GT Road on the New Amritsar intersection have been lying defunct for the past several months and the authorities have turned a blind eye to accidents which are becoming order of the day. The bottom line is that the non-functional traffic lights and scant arrangements by the police department for regulating the traffic has been not only causing chaos but also casting a shadow on the lives of the residents. Bhandari Bridge connects the old city with the new one. When The Tribune team visited the spot this morning at the roundabout, three policemen on duty there were hardly seen taking notice of the traffic lights violators. At the New Amritsar intersection, the traffic lights have been lying dysfunctional for quite sometime. At about 2.45 pm, the traffic lights were defunct and this intersection was found abandoned as no policeman was there to regulate the traffic. Being an eight-lane stretch, the heavy vehicles coming in or exiting the city towards Jalandhar side are normally at a high speed. With no traffic signal, accidents at this spot are rampant. Not even a single policeman was spotted to manage the traffic. Traffic in-charge D Jitender said, “It is a serious issue. I will personally monitor the traffic at Bhandari Bridge. The on-duty staff at this point will be specially instructed to be vigilant and commuters will also be made aware about the development. The traffic lights on Bhandari Bridge have been installed on experimental basis but we did not find it very viable in the present set-up.” “We are planning to remove the divider obstruction so that traffic should not take U-turn through the footbridge (Pakorian Wala shop road) and everything will be streamlined within 10 days. The defunct New Amritsar traffic lights too would be made functional and staff will be deputed to address the traffic snarls,” he added.
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Punjab Natshala gets hi-tech makeover
Amritsar, March 15 Now, a famous and most sought after the cultural address in the country for art and theatre fraternity, the Punjab Natshala is even better with technological advancements, which adds creativity to the aura of the place. Their latest production 'Daughter of the Bin', a non-verbal play written and directed by Jatinder Brar has now been made verbal and technically sound. One gets the glimpse of how the simple ideas are made brilliant through implementation. "Daughter of the Bin was a non-verbal play with a duration of approximately 55 minutes but now we have converted it into a verbal, technologically aided play of about 2 hours. Through the production, we have highlighted the newly added hi-tech features into the Natshala", said Sunil, supervisor, Punjab Natshala. The docile and humble frame on the premises has been made stronger, ore perkier by using tools specifically designed by patron Jatinder Brar. A mechanical engineer by profession and art patron by passion, Brar has customised most equipments being used as technical aides during performances. Like the rain dispensing equipment, which gives the effects of rainfall to the audience sitting inside the auditorium, which is designed by Brar himself? "The entire equipment runs as a network of parallel running tubes that connect to a single large water dispenser. The connections are given at required measured intervals inside the auditorium, so when there is rain in any scene, the audience can feel it," explains Sunil. Similarly, wired tubes run through the pavements where seating is arranged and warm water is constantly passed through it to keep the audiences warm in winters. Well, smart and eco friendly, we say. Another technical highlights of the place includes a arrangement assembled to provide authentic fragrances when required during the plays. "We have used it in Daughter of the Bin, where certain scenes the audience could actually smell panjiri, incense sticks. We have put up a blower at the top of the auditorium, which through ventilators diffuse the required aroma into the performing area," says Sunil. The dedicated team has even cooked up panjiri in front of the blower to create authentic aroma during the play. Reliability is one factor that is taken care of by the technical team of 15-16 persons at Natshala. "Jatinder Brar visualises and designs the blueprints of every sound and technical equipment being used here and the team puts it together. Technology has become a very important part of stage today as productions have become bigger and better. It has its own stage presence, which cannot be compromised. We had hosted international theatre groups during the International Theatre Festival and some of plays were technology aided throughout. Our aim is to infuse technology with art, but with precision," says Sunil. The lighting too has been kept updated with international standards. Using intelligent lights to LEDs, the entire system has been arranged to enhance the performance of artists. With more such ideas and innovations in mind, Brar and his team is working round the clock to make Punjab Natshala one of the finest theatre space in the country.
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73 issued cards at pension mela Amritsar, March 15 The mela was organised with help from NS Pannu, district social security officer, and Kanwaljit Kaur, child development and project officer, Ajnala. Around 30 disabled persons came for claiming their pensions. Dr Sukhraj Singh from Civil Hospital, Ajnala, issued disability certificates on the spot. The pension cards were issued to five widows, 33 old-aged persons and six dependant children. With the pension cards, these persons would now get Rs 250 per month. — TNS
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From
colleges
Amritsar, March 15 These views were expressed by Dr Gurbachan, eminent scholar and editor of ‘Philhaal’ magazine while delivering Mahan Singh Dhesi memorial lecture on the school premises of Punjabi Studies of the Guru Nanak Dev University. Dr BS Ghuman, Dr Satinder Aulakh, Dr HS Bhatia, Dr Gurmeet Singh, Dr HS Bedi, Dr Kawaljeet Jassal, Dr Harjeet Kaur, Dr D Arya, Dr SS Sohal and other faculty members and students of various departments were also present. Dr Gurbachan said elements of localisation should be strengthened. He also emphasised upon the rise and improvement of a real Punjabi cultural centre. Garden Day
‘Garden Day’ was celebrated in SR Govt College for Women, Amritsar, today. Sant Baba Sewa Singh Khadoor Sahib wale, a well-known environmentalist, was the chief guest on this occasion. He provided and planted saplings of various fruit and shade trees, like neem, ficus, pitpapra, etc. The college council, staff members, Prof Saminderjit Singh, Prof Satnam Singh, Prof Parminder Kaur, members of college garden committee, Ramesh Yadav, president, Folklore Research Academy actively participated in the plantation drive. Baba Sewa Singh urged the students to plant trees and save water. Annual function
The Punjab Government Dental College organised an annual function on its premises here today. The function was presided over by Baba Farid University of Health Sciences Vice-Chancellor Dr SS Gill and Research and Medical Education director Dr Tejbir Singh. The event also witnessed distribution of academic and educational awards to the students, who have excelled in various categories. College principal Dr Vimal Sikri lauded the role of students, who have excelled in different sports and educational competitions.
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DAV College students excel in university exams Amritsar, March 15 Vanita Poddar of BCA- semester-I bagged the first position in the university whereas Komalpreet Kaur stood eighth. Sukhsagar Singh, Vivek Kharbanda and Rajat Mahendru of BCA also secured meritorious positions in the university exams. Rajbir Singh Chahal of BSc (IT)- semester-I, bagged the first position in the university by scoring 77.1 per cent marks in aggregate. Vanita Poddar secured 78.3 per cent in aggregate to be the top position holder in BCA-I semester. — TNS
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Man says cop thrashed him, put face in furnace
Amritsar, March 15 The city police has booked the said constable for allegedly pushing a laborer into a furnace after a dispute and thus causing serious burn injuries on his face. The victim, Sham, claimed the incident took place a couple of days ago when he was retuning home. He was admitted to the Guru Nanak Dev Hospital where he has been undergoing treatment. Sham alleged that Jasbir Singh, posted with the Amritsar rural police, entered into a brawl and tried to snatch his liquor bottle and money. He said when he refused the constable, the latter beat him up and forced his head into a furnace. He said the accused also snatched Rs 7,000 from him. Kajal, wife of the victim, while demanding stern action against the policeman, said it was Jasbir singh and his two accomplice who pushed her husband in the furnace. His brother Harish demanded immediate arrest of the culprits in the case. Amrik Singh, SHO Mohkampura police said that following the complaint filed by the injured, a case under Section 323 (causing hurt) and 382 IPC has been registered against the accused constable and his two accomplices Deepak and Lovely. "Although our officer visited the family all these days at the hospital, they did not give any statement saying that they will file a complaint only after discussing the matter with family members," the SHO said adding that the police received the complaint only this evening. He said necessary action would be taken after a thorough probe.
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FIR lodged in house fire incident; man held
Amritsar, March 15 The woman, in her complaint, alleged that her husband was a habitual drinker and indulged in gambling. She said he set the house on fire and also attempted suicide by hanging himself. The Sadar police has registered a case against Iqbal Singh for attempting suicide besides other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Jaskiran Kaur, Iqbal Singh’s wife, said her husband was addicted to alcohol and gambling. She added that the family’s repeated attempts to persuade him to give up the addiction did not make much difference and it became a bone of contention between him and the family members resulting in frequent quarrels. Iqbal Singh while talking to media persons on Wednesday had said he had a dispute with his wife and son who wanted to sell the property. He had alleged that she had been living separately from him on the upper floor of the house. Suspicions were raised during initial probe over his statement as preliminary investigations had revealed that his wife, a teacher, children were not at home when the fire incident took place. Davinder Singh, in-charge, Majitha road police post, said Iqbal Singh has been arrested and further investigations were on in the case.
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Two held with SLR snatched from constable
Amritsar, March 15 The police has arrested two persons allegedly involved in terrorist activities in the past in this connection. However, senior police officials remained tightlipped over the issue. Reports said the duo were the same who had snatched a Toyata Qualis on gunpoint from Daljit Singh of Bal Saran village on March 5 when he was coming toward Amritsar city. Highly placed sources in the police department said the senior police officials of the border range, including R P Mittal, IG, and Paramraj Singh Umranangal were interrogating the two culprits till the filing of report. Amritsar rural police has informed the city police about the seizure. It may be recalled that two armed persons had snatched an SLR from a constable identified as Simranjit Singh along with head constable Gurdev Singh and head constable Tarsem who were on duty outside the Hall Gate. Simranjit told the police that two motorcycle-borne youths came to him and asked for way to the Rani Ka Bagh area. The constable was talking to the youth when his accomplice riding pillion pushed him, snatched his rifle with 10 live cartridges and sped away. The police had suspended Gurdev and Tarsem in this connection for negligence. The SLR belonged to Gurdev Singh. When the incident took place, Gurdev Singh had gone to have dinner while Tarsem Singh had gone to washroom. A case under Sections 382 and 34 of the IPC has been registered at Kotwali police station in this regard.
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Criminal wanted in rape, snatching cases arrested
Amritsar, March 15 He allegedly raped a girl, who along with her fiancée, both residents of Jalandhar, had come to Amritsar to pay obeisance at the Golden Temple last month. Bhoot was wanted in about 20 cases of snatchings that took place in various parts of the city. The police seized three mobile phones, a stolen motorcycle besides 500 grams of narcotic powder from his possession. Sukhwinder Singh Randhawa, SHO, Kotwali police station, said the police had launched a manhunt to nab him. The police, he said, received specific information that he was coming towards Sherawala gate from Guru Nanak Pura in Ranjhe Di Haweli. He said police teams laid a naka near the old Improvement Trust Office chowk and arrested him. The SHO said a case under Section 382, 411 of the IPC and 21/22/61/85 of the NDPS act had been registered against him. Investigations revealed that Bhoot snatched mobile phones, valuables and cash from Company Bagh opposite Guru Nanak Dev University, Green Avenue, Rani Ka Bagh, Lawrence Road, Sultanwind Road besides Attari and Manawala areas. He was also involved in stealing of vehicles in Tarn Taran and neighbouring districts. "Posing as a policeman, Jagtar stopped the couple near Jallianwala Bagh. He first took her fiancée towards town hall and then the girl towards Jahajgarh area where he raped her," said Randhawa. He added that the accused also took away the mobile phones of the victims and it has been recovered. A case under Section 376, 365, 366, 382, 323 of the IPC has also been slapped against him in this connection. If the police sources are to be believed, Bhoot had committed over 100 lootings and snatchings posing as a policeman. Further investigations are under progress and more recoveries are likely to be made, the police said.
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Khalsa College win netball championship
Amritsar, March 15 He welcomed the college netball team and said it was all due to the sports infrastructure being strengthened on the college campus that the desired results were coming forward. He said it was a matter of pride that out of the 12 players of total GNDU's netball team, selected for the inter-university championship, six players were from the KCA itself, which speaks a lot about the strength of their team. He praised the role of sports in charge Bachan Pal Singh for the success. He also praised the Khalsa College Governing Council for promoting the sports culture in the college.
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Amritsar, March 15
The unique foundations, built on shear passion and ingenuity, makes Punjab Natshala a significant landmark of the holy city.
Now, a famous and most sought after the cultural address in the country for art and theatre fraternity, the Punjab Natshala is even better with technological advancements, which adds creativity to the aura of the place.
Amritsar, March 15
The Kotwali police today claimed to have arrested a notorious criminal Jagtar Singh alias Bhoot who used to pose as a policeman and loot vulnerable youths and couples.
He allegedly raped a girl, who along with her fiancée, both residents of
Jalandhar, had come to Amritsar to pay obeisance at the Golden Temple last month. 
Inter-College NetBall Championship, held at Guru Nanak Dev University Campus recently. In the final match played against Lyalpur Khalsa College, Jalandhar, the KCW team defeated the rivals by 32-15. In the first match, the KCA defeated SSM College, Dina Nagar, by 26-18 and in the second match, the college team defeated GNDU by 25-15, said principal Dr Daljit Singh.