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Improvement Trust in MC’s list of house tax defaulters
Two held for thrashing woman
Excise dept to draw Rs 143 cr from liquor vends
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High Court sets two-month deadline to identify area for staging protests
Man killed in road accident
NGOs discuss practical models of water conservation
Sewage woes make life difficult for residents of New Amritsar
Prez felicitates INSPIRE award winners
Campus Notes
Seminar on decision making strategies
Creativity to bloom at lifestyle exhibition
Bar Association poll on April 5
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Improvement Trust in MC’s list of house tax defaulters
Amritsar, March 22 The Improvement Trust property under question is located in the Ghee Mandi area and the Trust owes Rs 82,020 to the Municipal Corporation (MC), which has issued notices to over 800 defaulters till date. While publishing the details of the property in print media, the MC has served a notice to the chairman of the Improvement Trust directing him to deposit the dues on time otherwise the property would go under the hammer as per law on March 26. MC Commissioner Bhupinder Singh confirmed the move. Officials of the civic body said if the government's own departments fail to pay their dues, how could a common man be expected to pay his dues. Nevertheless, sources said, the cash-starved MC is taking measures to tighten the noose around the defaulters. They said the MC had issued notices to 826 defaulters, directing them to deposit their dues within a specific time frame otherwise their properties would be auctioned. These defaulters owe house tax worth over Rs 3.27 crore to the MC. Contrary to their image, almost 80 per cent of the liquor contractors have cleared their dues and most of the offenders are owners of shopping malls. Owners of certain malls earn crores of rupees by leasing out their property to multinational firms and franchisees but they do not pay the taxes. At present, there are over 19 malls located in areas falling under the MC limits, which owe huge amount in terms of house tax and CLU (change of land use) charges, jointly estimated to be Rs 4-5 crore till date.
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Two held for thrashing woman
Amritsar, March 22 Hakima police station Station House Officer (SHO) Sushil Kumar said a case under Sections 341, 148, 149, 323 had been registered against the accused on the basis of a complaint registered by victim Raaj Kaur, who is in her 40s. The SHO said he had visited the site yesterday where it was revealed that the lady had allegedly encroached upon a piece of land by extending her house, which was being objected to. “I asked them to amicably solve the matter. Both the parties agreed to do so but later at night, a group of persons thrashed the lady,” the SHO said.
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Excise dept to draw Rs 143 cr from liquor vends
Amritsar, March 22 The announcement in this regard was made by Deputy Commissioner Rajat Aggarwal after the draw for the allotment of these vends was held at a private marriage palace on the Court Road today. The event was held amid heavy deployment of police personnel. The usually busy Court Road was out of bounds for regular commuters as only the bidders and other participants were allowed entry in the peripheral area of the venue, following thorough frisking. Aggarwal said out of the Rs 143-crore revenue as licence fee from these vends in the forthcoming fiscal, Rs 112 crore would come from liquor vends falling in urban areas while the rest would be earned from vends falling in rural pockets. The department had earned around Rs 30 crore from the liquor vends in the rural belt in the last financial year. Besides, the department had earned Rs 2.87 crore as the allotment fee for these vends. The Deputy Commissioner said the draw was performed peacefully and in a transparent manner in front of all the participants. He said the entire process was videographed. The Excise and Taxation Department has divided the area falling under the Amritsar Municipal Corporation into three zones - Rambagh, Batala and Chheharta. The Chheharta zone, which earns Rs 37.5 crore as the annual license fee, has been secured by Vijeta Beverages. The Batala zone, which gets Rs 37.5 crore as the annual licence fee, is with Omsons Marketing. The Rambagh zone, which earns Rs 37 crore as the annual licence fee, has also been secured by Vijeta Beverages. Amritsar-1, which comprises Jandiala, Raiyya and Mehta, has been divided among three groups. Liquor vends falling in Amritsar-2, which comprises Ajnala and Majitha, will be shared by two groups. Interestingly, rural applicants outnumbered their urban counterparts in the auction of the liquor vends. The auctioning of rural liquor vends at the Guru Nanak Dev auditorium on March 28, last year, had witnessed law and order problems when some armed persons had fired in the air.
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High Court sets two-month deadline to identify area for staging protests
Chandigarh, March 22 While taking up a petition filed in public interest by Amritsar resident SS Sharma against the State of Punjab and other respondents, the Bench of Chief Justice Arjan Kumar Sikri and Justice Rakesh Kumar Jain took on record an affidavit filed by Amritsar Deputy Commissioner of Police Kaustubh Sharma. The Bench observed: “After going through the affidavit, we are satisfied that the respondents are taking action wherever illegal or unauthorised rallies and dharnas are held inside the walled city of Amritsar." Describing himself as a social worker, Sharma had earlier asserted that the court should direct the respondents not to grant permission for political functions and to take “appropriate action against the violators”. Directions were also sought for allocation of a separate place for such rallies in Amritsar district. The petitioner had stated: “Due to the increase in the vehicular traffic and on account of the fact that the population of Amritsar has increased tremendously, political rallies/dharnas and other such events inside the walled city are causing a lot of congestion and are posing inconvenience to the public.” Counsel for the petitioner Saurav Khurana said the petitioner had approached the high court earlier also. Taking up the matter, the court had issued directions on December 23, 2011, to the Deputy Commissioner to take on record the grievances raised by the petitioner and to dispose of his representation after due consideration of all the relevant facts and circumstances. However, he said, the Deputy Commissioner, “without passing a substantive order and without complying with the orders passed by the court, referred the matter to the Commissioner of Police, Amritsar”. The petitioner then approached the Commissioner of Police. He too “did not do much in this regard”. Instead of issuing restrain orders, he merely issued directions that “rallies could be conducted after taking written permission from the owner of the place”.
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Man killed in road accident
Amritsar, March 22 The car driver lost control over the vehicle and hit Uday before smashing into a tea stall located alongside the road. While Uday, an employee in a cloth factory, was killed on the spot, the tea vendor was seriously injured in the incident. The driver and the co-passenger accused have been arrested by the Vallah police. The police said Uday had come out of the factory for a tea break when the incident took place. They said the Accent car hit him before running into the tea vend. The vendor, Kamlesh Gupta, received multiple fractures on his legs. The car was being driven by Surinder Pal Singh, a resident of Waja Khel Basti, Jalandhar. The other occupant of the car has been identified as Gurpreet Singh. The investigating officer, Gurwinder Singh, said the ramshackle condition of the car after the incident indicated that the car was being driven at a very high speed. “The accused have been arrested and a case under Section 304-A/427 of the IPC has been registered,” he said.
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NGOs discuss practical models of water conservation
Amritsar, March 22 Residents were apprised of facts like these during the celebrations of the World Water Day in the city, which brought together several NGOs voicing their concerns in this regard. Representatives of these organisations urged the city authorities to ensure supply of clean drinking water and appealed to residents to save water. Sticking to the theme of this year’s World Water Day celebrations, the panel of social activists and environmentalists discussed some practical models of conserving water and water conservation. “We only talk about creating awareness on the issue. It is high time we need to put words into action,” said Rekha Mahajan, a social activist and the organiser of an event in this regard. “Principals from various city-based schools, prominent personalities and environment-conscious citizens have shared with us simple yet effective measures that could help achieve this uphill task (to save water),” she said. Mayor Bakshi Ram Arora and former health minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla were among the members of the panel who shared their views on initiatives which could be taken for water conservation. “Access to quality water is the right of every citizen of the world and of utmost priority for any government. With simple changes such as repairing faulty taps for public which cause water wastage, the authorities can do a lot in this direction,” said Dipak Babbar, a member of Mission Aghaaz. The panelists gave examples such as that of Government Senior Secondary School, Jandiala, which is conserving waste water being sourced out from the RO system, as models for water conservation. “We can apply the same model at our homes, since most of us use RO systems for water purification. Eighty per cent of water is being wasted in the process. This water can be saved for other household chores,” said Mahajan. “Simple things like checking the amount of water being wasted during washing clothes, dishes or using toilet facilities could go a long way in saving water,” she said. “Open defecation is a major cause of water pollution. The issue needs to be dealt with seriously. The UN has launched its ‘Toilet Campaign’ to ensure open defecation-free zones to take up this challenge to alleviate health threats through water contamination,” said Mahajan. The Voice of Amritsar, another NGO, has its volunteers up in arms against this struggle for clean water. “We have to be aggressive sometimes in asking people to stop wasting water,” said a volunteer.
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Sewage woes make life difficult for residents of New Amritsar
Amritsar, March 22 But it has ignored providing the basic facility — sewerage system. The sewage water is being pumped out in the open in the locality, posing a serious health hazard to its residents. Hundreds of families residing in the New Amritsar locality are forced to lead unhygienic life even after a decade-and-half of the setting up of the locality. Lakhwinder Singh, a resident of the area, said he had shifted here to escape from the congested lanes and the din and noise of the city in 2003. He got all the features of an approved locality in New Amritsar like open roads, green parks but the absence of basic amenity like disposal was causing hardship to its residents. The disposal of sewage takes place only when the Trust officials operate generator-run engines to suck out sewerage and waste from the pipes. Normally, the waste blocked the pipes, which even cause moisture to pass on to walls of the houses. The occupants of many houses complain that moisture is deteriorating the colour and quality of their walls. It prompted many of them to use tiles on walls to avoid perennial expenditure on white washing andhouse repair. Another resident of the locality, Balwinder Singh, says foul odour has become a daily feature. “Ailments caused by unhygienic condition are a source of trouble. Many residents complain of diseases caused by stagnant water.” He said he had constructed the house here to provide quality and a healthy surrounding to his family. However, the absence of sewerage disposal system was causing inconvenience to them. The Trust handed over the 340-acre locality to the people at the fag-end of the 1990s. There are about 1,800 plots starting from a minimum of 50 square yards to 250 square yards. About 200 flats have also come up in the high income group (HIG) and the low income group (LIG) categories. AIT chairman Sandeep Rishi said as per the blueprint of the New Amritsar scheme, the sewerage disposal was routed to a chappar (pond) of Sultanwind village, situated across the GT road of the New
Amritsar locality. However, following objections from the residents of the village, the work was abandoned mid-way. He said the resolution to install a sewerage treatment plant (STP) at the locality was passed at the last meeting of the Trust held in
January. The response was awaited and the work would be entrusted to the Punjab Water and Sewerage Supply Board. An area of about an acre had been kept reserved for installing the STP in the locality and the treated water would be utilised to water the parks and the green belt of the locality. Rishi said he would direct the staff concerned to regularly fumigate and sprinkle pesticides in the area.
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Prez felicitates INSPIRE award winners
Amritsar, March 22 A Class X student of Government Senior Secondary School, Mandiala, Jagdeep has prepared a model of magnetic reactor safety. Sahil Dwivedi, a Class X of student of St Francis School, has developed a mobile on control device. The Department of Science and Technology runs an INSPIRE award to select students after state and national-level contests to develop interest in science among students. District Science Supervisor Sudeep Kaur said
their models were selected last year.
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GNDU holds workshop on urban development policy of Punjab
Tribune News Service
Amritsar, March 22 GNDU Vice-Chancellor Prof AS Brar inaugurated the workshop. In his inaugural address, Prof AS Brar stressed on the need for planned development and need to change the attitude of the people for maintaining the existing areas and settlements. Prof Balvinder Singh, Head of the Department, laid emphasis on the gaps in the policy, especially related to the neglect of building bylaws for the historic cities, lack of integrated conservation and planning approach and the change of land use. Rajinder Sharma, former Chief Town Planner of Punjab and council member of the Institute of Town Planners India, stressed on the serious gaps in the policy under the five main heads. Amritsar DCP Dr Kaustab Sharma also expressed his views and enlightened the audience with his practical experience. Dr Balwinder Singh stated that the summary of the deliberations would be submitted to the government for its consideration. Linnean Society fellowship for GNDU professor
Dr Renu Bhardwaj, a professor of the Department of Botanical and Environmental Sciences of the Guru Nanak Dev University, has been awarded the coveted fellowship of “The Linnean Society of London”. Dr Adarshpal Vig, Head of the Department, said the fellows of The Linnean Society of London might use the suffix FLS to their name. They were elected through a ballot system at the council meetings held at London. The elected fellows were eligible to vote at the general and anniversary meetings. The society is the oldest active biological society of the world. It continues to play a central role in extensive documentation of flora and fauna. Earlier, Prof Renu Bhardwaj had been awarded the fellowship of the National Environmental Science Academy (FNESA) at New Delhi. GNDU results: DAV girl tops in MSc Maths
Kulbir Kaur of DAV College secured the first position in MSc (Maths) semester-I examination of the Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar. Priya Rani, another student of the college, secured the fifth position (MSc Maths) in the university examination. Principal Dr KN Kaul said the overall pass percentage in the examination was about 88 per cent.
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Seminar on decision making strategies
Amritsar, March 22 Girish Sharma, a scholar in psychology, motivational teaching and economics, was the resource person who made the students aware of decision making strategies, fallibility of human thinking, identification and uprooting of these errors in order to become a better thinker and, consequently, a better decision maker. He said decision making ability is used in daily life. These abilities distinguish great thinkers from the common man. Principal Dr HS Sandhu stressed on the role of quality decision making in shaping students’ bright future and inducing positive thoughts.
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Creativity to bloom at lifestyle exhibition
Amritsar, March 22 Some of the main exhibitors include designer Sonia Ahuja from Dubai, Sahibaaz from Delhi, designer Ayesha from Mumbai, Radhika Jewels, Bina Collections from Kolkata, Italian decor collection from Home Studio, organic products from Nature Bound, designer label from duo Shalini and Gaurav and more. The city-based designer brands like Kavi's Touch, Shingaar and others also will share the fashion limelight. The exhibition will be on through the weekend at Hotel Golden Tulip.
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Bar Association poll on April 5
Amritsar, March 22 As per the notification issued, candidates can submit their nominations till March 22. The scrutiny of the applications will be done on March 23 and the candidates can take back their nominations by March 25.
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Amritsar, March 22
The Amritsar Improvement Trust (AIT) has been providing better connectivity like roads and footpaths in its 340-acre scheme at New
Amritsar. But it has ignored providing the basic facility — sewerage system. The sewage water is being pumped out in the open in the locality, posing a serious health hazard to its residents.
Guru Ramdas School of Planning of the Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), in collaboration with the Punjab Chapter of the Institute of Town Planners, India, organised a workshop on “Draft housing and urban development policy of Punjab".
It will be another weekend of indulgence with Wedding Mantra bringing over 60 designers under one roof with its bi-annual lifestyle exhibition. Designer labels participating in the Summer Stroke 2013 from cities like Mumbai, Delhi,
Noida, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Jaipur, Chandigarh, Hisar and from Dubai and Pakistan will present latest options in western and ethnic wear, accessories, bags,
jewellery, home décor and furniture.
