Amritsar, March 24
The Beas police has booked the owner of a rice mill, along with his son, for allegedly bungling hundred quintals of paddy, worth over Rs 5.19 crore, which had to be stored in the government godowns.

Rajan Khanna of the Punjab Raj Godown Nigam informed the police that the accused misappropriated about 85,316 bags of paddy weighing about 298.60 quintals. The accused, identified as Raman Kumar Jain and his son Aditya Jain, owners of Jain Rice mill, Rayya, sold the misappropriated paddy in the market due to which the Nigam suffered a financial loss of Rs 519.57 lakh. The bungling came to light during a checking conducted in the godowns of the rice mill.

Investigating officer Balwinder Singh said due to shortage of space, the Nigam authorities had stashed the material in the godowns of the mill. During the checking conducted by officials of the Nigam on March 7, they found over 85,000 paddy bags missing.

He said a case under Sections 409 and 420 of the IPC has been registered against Raman and his son Aditya in this connection. No arrests have been made so far as the accused were still at large. 

• Raman Kumar Jain and his son Aditya Jain, owners of Jain Rice mill, Rayya, allegedly sold the misappropriated paddy in the market due to which the Punjab Raj Godown Nigam suffered a financial loss of Rs 519.57 lakh.

Amritsar, March 24
Restriction on procuring properties on the basis of power of attorney has done wonders to the cash- strapped state government as its Revenue Department pocketed a record earning of about Rs 260 crore till February this year.

The district administration was sanguine over achieving the revenue collection target of Rs 300 crore till the conclusion of this financial year on March 31, said Deputy Commissioner Rajat Aggarwal. If it happens, the Revenue Department would record a surge in its revenue by nearly Rs 102 crore. The local Revenue Department had earned Rs 198 crore in 2011-12 and the income was Rs 172 crore in 2010-11.

To increase its revenue generation from the registration of properties, the state government has fixed revenue collection target from each district. The border district was given the target of colecting Rs 300 crore.

The new property registration rules would be in force on April 1 according to which original owners of the properties must be physically accompanying the buyer at the time of the registration to announce that he or she had received the value of his property and endorse its transfer in the name of a new buyer. The power of attorney will be applicable only among blood relatives. Similarly, the buyer must also disclose the source of the money.

The rule sent the real estate investors and financiers in a tizzy, who flocked to the Revenue Department in large numbers.

The amended rule was to be implemented last year itself. However, following protests and requests by real estate investors and dealers, the state government offered relaxation in implementation of the new rule for some months. The relaxation period was extended thrice and it would now end on March 31.

The judiciary and the government are discouraging the sale and purchase of properties through the power of attorney but they are still popular among the people for their low rates.

Sale and purchase of property through the power of attorney deprived the government of its share of taxes while the people were pumping in unaccounted wealth in the real estate. On the one hand, these people were multiplying their investment and on the other, they were boosting speculative prices. As a result, the ordinary people were made fence sitters. These people could not realise the dream of owning a roof of their own as it required a large sum.

A real estate consultant HS Dawar said registering a property with the Revenue Department requires a hefty amount whereas a power of attorney comes for a few thousands of rupees. He said the power of attorneys is used to lure small buyers as well. He said this section was already feeling the pinch of soaring land and construction material prices. The district administration has earmarked different rates for residential and commercial areas in the city popularly known as circle rate, which is paid in the shape of stamp duty. The circle rate varies from locality to locality.

He said though the move was aimed at keeping the investors away from investing in the properties, it puts extra financial burden on the real buyers coming from low and medium income groups.

Another reason behind the surge in revenue collection was increase in the registration charges by a per cent in August last.

However, there is a reprieve for women buyers in the urban area as they can deposit three per cent fee in both cases on registration of land.

Besides, a new buyer has to shell out registration fee with its upper limit at Rs 30,000, which has also been increased to Rs 2 lakh.

The maximum limit of registration fee has been fixed at one per cent of Rs 2 crore and a buyer procuring property above this would have the advantage of shelling out only Rs 2 lakh as registration fee, which offered a little advantage to big property buyers.

Amritsar, March 24
Terming the incident of beating up of superintendent of an examination centre at village Bhangali Kalan a few days back as official goondaism, former cabinet minister and firebrand senior BJP leader Laxmi Kanta Chawla said the state government should do away with the examination system altogether.

Chawla said the children should instead be promoted to the next class if exemplary punitive action could not be given to those responsible for such incidents.

This would only encourage copying as nobody would come forward to stop the menace if this is the attitude of the government towards providing security to the staff at the examination centre, she said.

The Chief Minister is answerable to the people of Punjab as those who had attacked the examination centre staff were connected to the ruling party, the former minister said.

Amritsar, March 24
Holi is everyone’s favourite festival — the soaking in of colours, the enjoyment, mischief, delicacies and more of bhaang. It’s a festival that gives you licence to a day of fun and mischief and that’s when you know that your favourite festival might become a bit risky, especially for girls.

Taking “Bura na mano Holi hai” to a totally different level, Holi is a time women are prone to eve-teasing. With some inebriated people, high on bhaang and Holi revelry, it becomes a day filled with fear rather than fun for women. Ensuring a safe Holi, some people in the city have taken the initiative to make sure that women remain safe. Like Upninder Sekhon, a 25-year-old businessman from city, who has made special arrangements for his Holi party. “Since everybody is busy having fun on Holi, sometimes women fall prey to hooliganism that goes unnoticed. So I have made sure to keep a stock of pepper sprays along with the Holi essentials at my party.” Well, for the uninitiated, the pepper spray would be for the women guests and could come in handy.

Many youngsters and party revellers have taken the virtual route to spread the message before Holi. While Twitter and Facebook accounts are busy with updates asking men to behave and women to take measure to ensure eve-teasing doesn't ruin the celebrations, some have decided to keep safe. “Though, I am a huge fan of the festival, but this year I’ll limit the celebrations to just having an all girls party at my friend’s place. Usually, a group of girls partying on Holi is considered audacious and invites trouble and most girls avoid playing Holi outside their home due to eve-teasing. So having an all girls' party seemed to be the safest idea, shares Shaina Aggarwal, a student of BBKDAV College.

Coming to the aid of women are also some online initiatives and campaigns, sharing information and safety tips to ensure women safety. OneIndia campaign, indiaparenting.com and many web portals have started sign up campaigns and speak out portals to encourage women to stand up against any such incident during the festivities. “The level of “playful” holi needs to have a clear demarcation. It’s not a field day for people to harass others but to soak in the joy, the happiness all around. But some people misunderstand the relevance of this festival,” shares Mallika Debnath, who has started a chain of safe Holi campaign through change.org.

Hoping that women will speak out and stand up for themselves in any situation, Mallika suggests, "Toning down celebrations only for women is sending a wrong signal. Well, maybe Lath Marr Holi seems the right way to celebrate an eve-teasing free holi for women! What Say?" 

Amritsar, March, 24
As an initiative to inculcate thinking and social awareness among children at a young age, One Up Library organised a unique event where kids brought in colours to paint the parking lot in front of the library.

Design for change, the initiative, had kids in the age-group of 8-15 years creating a riot of colours at the open space, with their creativity. Some designs were as simple as a sunflower and some touching abstract with an array of colours thrown in. — TNS

Amritsar, March 24
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has directed a local auto dealer to pay Rs 10,000 as compensation along with Rs 2,000 as litigation expenses to a local resident for failing to deliver the registration papers of a vehicle on time.

In a complaint to the forum earlier, Kirandeep Singh, a resident of Bhillowal village, said he had purchased a used four-wheeler from Jaycee Motors on September 30, 2010 and paid Rs 1,25,000 as the cost of the vehicle and had given Rs 750 as the charges towards transfer of name on the Registration Certificate (RC) papers.

Later, Kirandeep filed a complaint before the Forum on February 2 last year, alleging that Jaycee Motors had not provided the necessary papers.

Appearing before the Forum, a representative of Jaycee Motors said the papers could not be transferred as the previous owner of the vehicle had not deposited the road tax with the competent authority of the government.

Advocate Naveen Puri, counsel for Kirandeep, said going through the pleadings of both the parties, it was the duty of dealer to hand over the duly transferred RC papers to the buyer. The forum observed that it was the duty of the dealer to get the road tax due on the vehicle paid from the previous owner and not the buyer.

The Forum has also directed Jaycee Motors to provide the RC papers within a month after completing all the necessary formalities. 

Amritsar, March 24
Three persons have been booked on charges of kidnapping and murder after the victim's mother lodged a complaint with the Maqboolpura police.

The complainant, Rajwant Kaur said her son Lovepreet Singh had not returned home since March 3 and suspected that he might have been killed by the accused.

She said Lovepreet received a call on March 8 after which he went to Bakipur in Tarn Taran to meet Kanwalpreet, the prime accused and one of his friends booked in the case.

She said a few hours later, her younger son Navjot informed that he had seen Lovepreet with his friends near the Alpha One mall in a white Safari (PB-02-BL-0306).

Later, the mother made repeated attempts to contact her son but it proved futile. Lovepreet failed to return home following which the family got suspicious that he might have been killed by the accused.

The others, who have been booked in the case, include Chanpreet Singh and Ranjit.

The police said a case under Sections 302, 364, 201 and 34 of the IPC had been registered against the three accused. He said further investigations were under progress and the suspects would be arrested soon.

The victim’s family had earlier approached the Maqboolpura police for registering the case, but the then SHO Jagbinder recorded the case as a missing report.

Due to the laxity in registering the FIR, the senior police officials have transferred Jagbinder, who was earlier investigating the case, to Police Lines, revealed sources in the police department.

Police commissioner Ram Singh could not be contacted even after repeated attempts. 

Amritsar, March 24
Global Institutes has won the national level Inter-College Cultural Festival, UTKANSH-2013, which was held at National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar. In a press release issued here on Saturday, Chairman of the institute Dr BS Chandi said students from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, West Bengal, Rajasthan and other states took part in the cultural festival.

Three teams from Global Institutes won top honours in a number of events. The Global students presented a mesmerising Malvai giddha during the fest . The bhangra team of the institute secured the top slot during the festival.

Annual convocation

The 107th annual convocation of Khalsa College Amritsar (KCA) was held here today. Rajya Sabha MP HK Dua was the chief guest on the occasion.

As many as 407 degrees and 91 medals were bestowed on the students in the presence of Police Commissioner Ram Singh, who was the guest of honour, and Khalsa College Governing Council (KCGC) president Satyajit Singh Majithia, vice-president Charanjit Singh Chadha and honorary secretary Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina.

Among the others present on the occasion were Mayor Bakshi Ram Arora, KCGC joint secretary Ajmer Sigh Heir, Rajbir Singh, Member SS Chhina, Dr Santokh Singh, LS Dhillon, SS Sethi, Khalsa College of Education principal Dr JS Dhillon, Khalsa College of Education (Ranjit Avenue) principal Dr SK Dhillon, Khalsa College Public School principal Dr Sarvjit Brar, principal DK Sandhu and principal GK Kamboj.

Prize distribution function

Sri Guru Harkrishan Senior Secondary Public School, Majitha Road, held a prize distribution function for Class V students on its premises on Saturday. The ceremony began with the recitation of shabad 'Deh Shiva Var Mohe Hai'. The Class V expressed their views on various issues concerning the modern world. They aired their views on respecting the elders, value of time, maintaining cordial relationships, to keep environment clean and the right to education for all. Rajmohinder Singh Majitha, in-charge of the school, addressed the audience and shared views on the pressing issues being faced by society. The outstanding students were given mementos for showing a commendable performance in academics.

New website launched

Amritsar College of Engineering and Technology revamped its official website and the refreshed version was inaugurated by its managing director Amit Sharma on Saturday.

A press release issued by the College stated that the updated website had added informative links, download links for the benefit of students. Amit Sharma also unveiled the e-Magazine named, ‘Veronica’, started by the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

Earth Hour observed

Cadets of the 11 Punjab NCC Battalion held a rally to observe the Earth Hour on Saturday. Col BR Hooda said the goal of the rally was to create awareness on the environment issues among the students. He said besides the cadets, students of DAV International School participated in the rally.

Amritsar, March 24
Spelling luxury and fashion fit for the spring-summer season, 'Summer Stroke-2012- the Luxury Exhibition' was organised here today. The two-day exhibition had 60 designers from all across India, Dubai and Pakistan, with their collections up for grabs.

The exhibits offered a spread of the very latest in western wear and designer suits, bags and clutches, artificial and real jewels, sandals and stilettos, scarves and accessories, organic products, home décor and furniture.

With most labels bringing ethnic wear, vibrant and colourful collections of silk, chiffons, georgettes and jute cotton, they seem to have hit bang on, judging the clientele in Amritsar. "Women here prefer colourful vibrant clothes, traditional wear, especially the salwar-kameez combination. Since a lot of embroideries are in demand with city-based clients, we make sure to customise our collection before we come her," shares Kanika, from Knack Creations, Chandigarh, who has come with colourful ethnic collection inspired with leheriya prints and jute cotton.

Apart from clothes, imitation jewellery, silver and diamond jewellery too attracted the footfall. Popular accessories by Sahibaaz from Delhi and Natasha from Mumbai had trendy footwear and bags to choose from. Natural organic beauty and treatment products by Nature Bound, a Delhi-based brand too is a hit.

Binti Kumar, the organiser of the event, said the purpose of the exhibition was to bring designer products from across the world at one place. "We have been organising fashion exhibitions since 2006 and we care in our eighth successful year. With every exhibition we try to bring in different products and new concepts for our visitors," she said.

Amritsar, March 24
An interactive session with patients suffering from chest and other ailments related to tuberculosis to mark World Tuberculosis (TB) Day was held here today.

Dr Ravneet Singh Grover, chest specialist in his inaugural address, quoted alarming figures of TB infection. He stated that according to a global study -“One third of the world's population is thought to have been infected with TB, and new infections occur at a rate of about one per second. In 2010 there were an estimated 8.8 million new cases of TB, and 1.45 million deaths, mostly in developing countries.”

He stated that most infections stay latent and one in 10 infections develops into an active disease. The neglect of TB-control programs and emergence of drug-resistant strains, have contributed to TB, said Grover.

While speaking about the disease he explained that it attacks the lungs and affects other parts of the body and can be lethal. For many it would be surprising to note that there is TB of the eyes too, he said. “It spreads through the air when people who have an active M-TB infection cough, sneeze, or otherwise transmit their saliva through the air,” he said. He said India tops in having maximum number of TB cases annually.

Dr Ruchika, ENT specialist, informed the patients about preventive measures which include good ventilation of room. 

Amritsar, March 24
While the beauty industry is abuzz with 'groundbreaking developments' everyday, there are some facts that actually might help you get flawless skin. And those include nothing being patched or smeared on the face. With the age-old logic of beauty being skin deep, studies and researchers believe that getting beautiful is more about being healthy.

So, if you wake up early, soak in some morning sunshine and Vitamin D along with it, eat the right amount of minerals and antioxidants in your diet, chances are you will never have to spend a fortune on beauty products. "If your vitamin levels are up to the mark required for a healthy skin, one probably doesn't need more," says Sonia Gandhi, food and diet expert from the city.

"Vitamin A is necessary for the maintenance and repair of skin tissue. Without it, you'll notice the difference. Fruits and vegetables are rich in vitamin A," she says. Research shows that, like vitamin C, antioxidants help reduce harmful effects of the sun on the skin. Some studies show that when vitamins E and A are taken together, people show a 70 per cent reduction in basal cell carcinoma, a common form of skin cancer.

Among the most important dermatology discoveries is the power of vitamin C to counter the effects of sun exposure. It works by reducing the damage caused by free radicals, a harmful byproduct of sunlight, smoke and pollution. Free radicals gobble up collagen and elastin, the fibres that support skin structure, causing wrinkles and other signs of ageing.

"There is a lot of new research showing tremendous power of antioxidants, in general, and some specific nutrients that can make an important difference in the way your skin looks and feels and even in how well it ages," says skin expert Ritu Wadhwa. "When combined with a good diet, the right dietary supplements can help keep your skin looking not only healthy but also younger."

"Most skin problems are nutritional. There are lot of things in our kitchen that can help us get a nourished skin. One just has to follow a disciplined routine," she says. She suggests including antioxidants like oatmeal, rice, green tea, egg white and cinnamon in the diet.

Amritsar, March 24
Milk Plant Verka, a unit of Milkfed, celebrated its golden jubilee yesterday by donating blood and holding religious function.

Milk Plant general manager Harminder Singh Sandhu said about 75 units of blood was donated by employees of the unit. The ceremony was presided over by Makhan Singh Shakri, chairman, Milk Plant Verka.

Recitation of Sukhmani Sahib, kirtan by Bhai Jagtar Singh and katha was performed by Bhai Ravel Singh.

Sandhu said nearly 1.42 lakh litres of milk per day was being procured. Out of which 48,000 litre per day was supplied to city residents and 5,500 litre per day to the Army.

Jalandhar, March 24
The District health authorities decided to intensify raids on chemist shops to check the menace of drug addiction, especially following the reported recovery of some drugs near the driver’s seat of the ill-fated school van in Nakodar.

A delegation of the Youth Congress, led by its Jalandhar Lok Sabha president Gagandeep Singh, aka Kaku Ahluwalia, submitted a memorandum a few days ago to Civil Surgeon Dr RL Bassan, asking him to take a stern action against those chemists who were selling drugs without the prescription of any registered medical practitioner.

Meanwhile, Civil Surgeon Dr RL Bassan said drug inspectors were already conducting raids on chemists shops, the raids would further be intensified to check the menace of drug addiction.

Dr Bassan said he had already directed zonal drug inspector and four drug inspectors to conduct more raids at regular intervals.

To a query, he said drug inspectors usually remained busy in various court cases in connection with earlier raids conducted on the chemist shops and they would definitely intensify raids as per availability of time.

In reply to a question, he said, “If any chemist is found selling drugs without prescription, we write against this shop to the state health authorities and they decided whether its licence should be suspended or not.”

Meanwhile, Kaku said, “Drugs are being sold without any prescription by the owners of a number of chemist shops located in various parts of the district. Their licences should be cancelled.”

• The police laid a naka near Chatiwind turn and intercepted the two accused. The police has recovered a stolen motorcycle (PB-02-BE-3438) from their possession.