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Security at Central Jail beefed up
Class XII student shot dead on the street
Schoolboy killed as bus veers off road
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256 challaned for smoking in public places
Amritsar, May 4 The District Health Department has challaned 256 persons during the month of April for violating the ban on smoking in public places in the city. The department collected Rs 22,440 as fine from the violators, said District Health Officer, Dr Shivkaran Singh Kahlon.
This nine-year-old is a computer wizard
Tarn Taran girl Amuldeep shines in UPSC exam
Tourism, hospitality industries gain from air-linking with Mumbai, Kashmir
Youth arrested for raping nine-year-old girl
Teachers protest govt ‘high-handedness’
Members of the Special Trainer Teachers Union protest in support of their demands against the state government in Amritsar on Saturday. Photo: sameer sehgal
Staff shortage at Railway Hospital, dispensaries
The Northern Railway Sub-Divisional Hospital at Railway Colony, B Block, in Amritsar. Photo: Sameer Sehgal
Man held with 10 IMFL cases
BSNL introduces phone set repair workshop
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Security at Central Jail beefed up
Amritsar, May 4 It has been learnt that some hardcore Indian prisoners have been shifted from the Amritsar jail to avoid any retaliatory attack on Pakistani prisoners. The authorities have chalked out a 24x7 security programme on a rotational basis for the 40 Pakistani prisoners who have been kept in a separate cell here. They were placed under solitary confinement and not allowed to mingle with other prisoners. Even as the jail authorities deny it, it is an open secret that there are notorious Pakistanis who have been jailed for terrorism-related charges or drug peddling here. Involved in sensitive cases, most of them already fall in the category of high-security prisoners. Officially, the Amritsar jail has 30 interns, including two females, four convicts and six undertrials. It has been learnt that 28 out of the total of 40 Pakistani prisoners had already completed their terms, but could not be repatriated for want of furnishing the officials formalities. As a precautionary measure, they are not being allowed to move out of their barracks and are served food in the barracks only. Nonetheless, the CCTV surveillance on the inmates has been intensified and the security guards, led by Deputy Superintendent, Jail, are keeping an extra vigil of the barracks where the Pakistani inmates have been kept. Besides, the jail doctors have been told to attend to the jail inmates at their place only and that they should not be called to the hospital or jail clinic for check-up. Expressing concern over the attack on the Pakistani prisoner in the Jammu jail, the minister said 28 out of the 38 Pakistani prisoners lodged in the Amritsar jail had already completed their terms. Jail superintendent Amrik Singh Waraich said the security was beefed up following a Home Ministry advisory issued immediately after Sarabjit's death and the subsequent attack on the Pakistani inmate at the Jammu jail. “We have segregated the Pakistani prisoners from their Indian counterparts and lodged them in separate cells. As a precautionary measure, they are not being allowed to move out of their barracks. Food is served inside and there are CCTV cameras keeping a watch on them all the time. I myself check their security. A majority of them are those who inadvertently crossed over the border and violated the 14 Foreign Act. Most of them have lost their mental balance and need regular medication, therefore doctors have been asked to attend to them in their barracks only,” he said.
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Class XII student shot dead on the street
Amritsar, May 4 The teenager tried to rescue a woman who was being beaten up by two persons, Sonu and Meeta, both residents of Chogawan. The police has registered a case under Sections 302, 34, 25/27/54/59 of the IPC against the accused, who are absconding. The victim’s father Ranjit Singh, an agriculturist, said they were unknown to the accused or the woman. They just attempted to save her from the two assailants on humane grounds. As they tried to intervene in the matter, the accused attacked them in retaliation. According to information, Gurjant Singh was going towards Lopoke village along with his father on a motorcycle. On the way, they spotted two men beating up a woman, later identified as Paramjit Kaur, wife of Sukhjinder Singh, a resident of Chawindan Kalan. It has been learnt that two other persons were also present on the spot. They were Gurdev Singh and Lovepreet Singh who, too, helped the father-son duo in saving the woman from the clutches of the assailants. Ranjit Singh said the incident occurred at around 9 pm yesterday. “As we were crossing the Chogawan passing, we saw a woman being beaten up by two persons in a very appalling manner. We stopped our motorcycle and tried to save the woman. This did not go down well with the assailants and they attacked us in retaliation. One of them, Sonu, attacked us with a small kirpan he was carrying,” “After sometime, Meeta rushed to the shop located on one side and came back with a rifle. He shot my son on the left side of the chest, leaving him dead on the spot. Both of them later fled from the scene,” he added. The investigating officer, SHO Lopoke police station, Balkar Singh, said that a case under Sections 302, 34 IPC 25/27/54/59 of the Arms Act had been registered against the accused and search was on to nab them. “The accused have been identified and we are raiding their possible hideouts. Sonu is a scooter mechanic, while Meeta runs a shop at Chogawan. Meeta shot the victim on the chest before the two absconded. We have interrogated the women, who told in their statement that an earlier dispute was the reason of the quarrel with the accused and it had nothing to do with the victim or his father,” he said.
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Schoolboy killed as bus veers off road
Amritsar, May 4 The accident occurred when the school bus of Tej Rasila International School, Saidpur village, was on its way to drop students at their houses. The driver was identified as Surjit Singh. The parents of some children alleged that there was no cleaner in the bus at the time of the accident. Inspector Upkar Singh, SHO, Khalchiyan police station, said the bus fell into the fields, about a foot below the road level. He said Simranjit, 12, a resident of Sudhar village, was killed on the spot. Other six students in the van got minor injuries and were administered first-aid by doctors. He said an FIR would be registered after receiving complaint from the deceased child's parents. He denied the rumour of the driver talking on mobile phone when the accident took place.
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256 challaned for smoking in public places
Amritsar, May 4 Kahlon said under the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition) Act, 2003, the sale of tobacco products in the radius of 100 yards of educational institutes, sale of tobacco to minors and smoking in public places was banned. He said the health department teams were continuously keeping a vigil in areas of the city to curb smoking in public places. The city was declared
a smoke-free area last year. The sale of gutka and other tobacco products is banned in the state, but insiders reported the shopkeepers were selling these illegally. "Nothing has changed except that the prices of banned products have doubled," said a city resident. The residents said there was a need to implement the ban in the true spirit so the city could be made a smoke-free city in the true sense. "The administration needs to act tough. It is not the duty of the health department only to check smoking at public places. Even the traffic cops should help them," said Balkar Singh, a resident. Kahlon said all the departments in district were empowered to check the violations in their respective areas. He said the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Rajat Aggarwal, had directed all the departmental heads to keep a check on this activity in their respective areas and enforce the ban on smoking in the holy city strictly.
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This nine-year-old is a computer wizard
Amritsar, May 4 Agamvir says he was fascinated by computers right from the beginning. “I participated in the Olympiad when I was in Class II and it has been a memorable experience. Today, digital media and computers have become integral part of our life. We sleep, eat and drink computers. I always felt the need to explore and learn as much as I can,” he says. Agamvir also ranked 73rd at the international level. Moving beyond the MS office, internet and Powerpoint, the bar has been raised by animation, reading and coding softwares and gaming applications. “When you read about children like Lim Ding Wen, a nine-year-old from Singapore who became the youngest programmer for Apple with his painting application Doodle Kids, you feel inspired. If he can do it, why cannot we?” he quips. Securing a top position among over 60,000 students who participated in the Cyber Olympiad, Agamvir aspires to become one of leading computer professionals in the country. Amanjyot Singh Dhillon, a Class VIII student from Sri Ram Ashram School, is another inspiring whizkid. She has taken her fascination for gaming to another level by joining the LAN gaming portals and live gaming rooms internationally. “I used to play games on computer. I heard of live gaming rooms and LAN networks. It is live action as you get to play along with so many other players from various cities of the world and at one time at that.” At first, it was a simple game of ludo or sudoko, but now it is Need for Speed, Counter Strike and more. “We have a group of online gamers and we plan and strategise before going online. The cyber world is quite exciting. I have made friends through it, and I want to become a professional gamer when I grow up,” she says.
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Tarn Taran girl Amuldeep shines in UPSC exam
Amritsar, May 4 Daughter of Tarn Taran Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Bakhtawar Singh, Amuldeep has secured ranked 860 rank. She cleared the coveted examination in her first attempt. The moment results were out, celebrations began at Amuldeep’s hometown. Having done her master’s in political science from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Delhi, and a bachelor’s degree in social sciences from GNDU, Amuldeep says she has been preparing for civil services for long. “My inspiration began at home after having seen my father in a position doing things for the welfare of the society over the years. Whenever we went to a Republic Day function or public ceremonies, I was always fascinated by power. I was sure about getting into services,” she says. She has travelled various small towns in Punjab due to the nature of her father’s job. She says it encourages more youth from small cities to excel when people talk about her achievements. “Small towns have become powerhouse of talent, given any field of academics or otherwise. If we set good examples, others will definitely follow.” Whether she would get into revenue services, Amuldeep says she is open to work at the grassroots level. “Getting into the civil services is a big deal for me. I do not want to miss any opportunity. I plan to join whatever stream I get into and then try further. Now, I want to take time to celebrate this and once I join training I just need to focus on that,” she says. That bureaucracy holds the key to change and revolutionise the system, she says, “We always talk about system failing the democracy but we are the ones who make the system. It is a matter of time that the bureaucrats realise this and decide to mend the functioning.” On girls having claimed top honours again this year, she says, “It is a positive sign. When girls hold positions of authority, it makes people identify with gender as well. When more people start identifying with gender, the empowerment comes. I am looking forward for more women officers joining the civil services.”
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Tourism, hospitality industries gain from air-linking with Mumbai, Kashmir
Amritsar, May 4 Budget airline SpiceJet introduced thrice a week flight linking these two lucrative destinations in July 2012. Encouraged by the response, it made the flight four times a week last month. Airport Director Suneel Dutt said the airport requested the management of the private airline to make run flights throughout the week. He said the request was made after the Mumbai-Amritsar flight recorded a sustained traffic of over 80 per cent and the Amritsar-Srinagar flight registered occupancy of over 65 per cent. He said a successful domestic connectivity remarkably increased the footfall at the airport and in the long term it would spell good for international connectivity. He said they had made similar requests to other domestic players like Indigo, GoAir and Jet Airways to fly air wagons on this circuit. He said these airlines were contemplating over this circuit and they were optimistic of positive response in near future. Amritsar Hotel and Restaurant Association (AHRA) President APS Chatha said flights to these two lucrative destinations helped to raise the travel, tourism and hospitality business by over 15 per cent in one year. He said more could be done to popularise the circuit and extract economic benefits to the border town. He said the circuit brings three kinds of passengers to Amritsar - religious tourists to the Golden temple, pilgrims from Amritsar and Punjab who travel to Nanded to pay obeisance at Takht Hazur Sahib and Sai Baba shrine at Sirdi. Secondly, there is a trade link between the business community of Amritsar with Mumbai and other western towns like Ahmedabad and Gujarat. Thirdly, the establishment of tourist circuit between western India with Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir via Amritsar has also great tourism potential. He said this circuit needed to be nurtured, developed and consolidated. For this, the state tourism department’s active support was required, he added. It was after over two-and-a-half decade that SpiceJet had flown its maiden Amritsar-Srinagar flight in 78-seat capacity Q400 NextGen turboprop aircraft on June 13 last year. After a stopover here, the same flight goes to Srinagar. Its success can be gauged from the fact that the airline has now introduced a 189-seater Boeing 800 aircraft. Operationalisation of flight between Amritsar and Srinagar was a long pending demand of passengers, businessmen, tourists, pilgrims, operators and travel agents.
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Youth arrested for raping nine-year-old girl
Amritsar, May 4 Reports said the girl told her mother that she was raped by the accused on several occasions earlier as well. The accused has been identified as Sarwan Singh, a resident of Taragarh Talawa under the Jandiala Guru police station. Sarwan was arrested today and sent to 14-day judicial custody after being produced in court. He worked in an ice factory and was given shelter by the victim’s mother at her place in Jandiala. The victim’s mother, a small time labourer working at the Bhaktanwala grain market, alleged that the accused raped her daughter when she was alone at home. It has been learnt that the victim’s mother married a Jalandhar-based man 15 years ago but lived separately for a decade after being estranged. “I have been living here along with my two daughters. My younger daughter intimated me about the shocking instance that took place on May 2 “When we returned at about 8 pm, my daughter told me that she was raped by the accused. She also revealed to have been sexually assaulted by the accused. I could have never dreamt that the man whom I gave shelter would ruin my daughter’s life like this,” she said. Jandiala Guru Station House Officer (SHO) Surjit Singh said the accused also worked in the same grain market where the victim’s mother worked at. “Preliminary investigations revealed that the accused had pleaded with the victim’s mother for shelter. She agreed to it and he had been living with them for the past five months,” he said. “The girl confirmed that she was raped earlier too but the matter was never reported. We have registered a case under Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC),” the SHO added. “The statements of the victim and her mother have been recorded. The accused has been sent to judicial custody for 14 days for further interrogation,” the Station House Officer said.
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Teachers protest govt ‘high-handedness’
Amritsar, May 4 The Special Trainer Teachers Union’s state general secretary Gurpratap Singh, while addressing the agitating teachers, said the agitation would continue as long as the government did not recruit all 1,894 special trainers. He said the detention of protesting special teachers in Bathinda on April 29 would not deter them from launching protest against the government.
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Staff shortage at Railway Hospital, dispensaries
Amritsar, May 4 The Railway Hospital and dispensaries can offer only first-aid to the passengers in need. Besides, its ultrasound machine has been lying unused for want of a radiologist for the past nearly three years. The Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PNDT) Act makes it mandatory to operate the machine only by a qualified radiologist, which the authorities are finding it difficult to arrange. The spacious hospital and two dispensaries are running with seven doctors against the sanctioned strength of 12. Separate AC wards for men and women, which were approved over three years ago, have not been constructed for inexplicable technical reasons. Medical Superintendent Dr SPS Sachdeva said two doctors were expected to join the hospital soon, as interviews had been held at the Delhi office and the result was awaited. Dr SPS Sachdeva said the hospital boasts of specialists like an orthopaedic surgeon and gynaecologists. Besides, there were a laboratory, a self-sufficient OT and an accident relief medical van. Engaging and appointment of doctors and other staff was done at the head office in Delhi and his department had forwarded the request for more doctors, other staff and medicine to the Divisional Office at Ferozepur, Dr SPS Sachdeva added.
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Amritsar, May 4 The occupant has been arrested under the new amended Excise Act for possessing two cases of McDowell, two cases of Imperial Blue and six cases of Silver Peg. He was transporting the cases of the IMFL in a Maruti car. According to Excise and Taxation official, an FIR was lodged with the Sadar police station. The accused has been booked under the Excise Act 61-1 of sub-section 7/8 with a minimum fine of Rs 1 lakh and six-month imprisonment. —TNS
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BSNL introduces phone set repair workshop Amritsar, May 4 A special workshop was installed at its office located on the Albert Road. According to officials, with the advent of mobile phones, there has been a decline of at least 4,000 landline connections. BSNL General Manager Labh Singh said, “The situation was not too grim as with the successful running of our broadband service with which the landline connection is mandatory. We could generate at least 22,000 connections. But in these competitive times, it requires to provide better service facility to generate customers,” he said. “Telephone sets and broadband modems will be repaired by our experienced engineers. The area SDEs/SDOs will arrange to deliver faulty sets to the workshop and get them repaired,” he added. —TNS
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The Amritsar Central Jail authorities have stepped up the security of the Pakistani prisoners lodged in their barracks here. Keeping in view a limited number of jail personnel, the authorities have engaged the district police force for the purpose.
While most children his age take up hobby classes and draw with crayons, nine-year-old Agamvir Singh has a different canvas to reflect his creativity.
A student of Class III of Spring Dale Senior School, Agamvir can compete with any IT professionals when it comes to computers. The proud winner of the State Cyber Olympiad, and ranked first in the second level of National Cyber Olympiad held in February this year, Agamvir’s love for computers began early.
The Special Trainer Teachers Union held a protest rally at historic Ram Bagh here today against the Parkash Singh Badal government for its alleged high-handedness against their protesting members in Bhatinda a couple of days ago.
The Northern Railway's Sub-Divisional Hospital
at Railway Colony B Block and its two dispensaries at the railway station and the railway workshop have been discharging their duties despite an acute staff shortage.
Amritsar, May 4
