Woman burnt to death; brother-in-law held
align="left">Amritsar, May 5
A married woman was allegedly burnt to death by her in-laws at the Abadi Karam Pura locality here.

Amritsar, May 5
Two incidents of fire at business outlets in the city very recently have served as a grim reminder of the administration’s unfulfilled promise to set up a dedicated fire brigade for commercial sector here.

A fire broke out at a cloth shop at the textile market in Tahli Wala Bazaar on Saturday while another incident of fire took place a day earlier at a furniture shop in Katra Karam Singh, a market known for selling wooden logs.

Luckily enough, fire in both the incidents was brought under control by an active participation of the public. A scant fire-fighting and disaster response force caters to a large population.

Residents here are worried over inadequate arrangements for firefighting despite the fact that the population in the city has grown remarkably in the last couple of decades.

Interestingly, a plot earmarked for establishing the same has been lying useless at Industrial Focal Point, GT Road, for the past many decades. Manufacturing units situated in densely populated localities and remote areas are prone to such freak incidents of fire.

Disaster management expert Surjit Sharma said it was a pity that the holy city had just four fire stations, which cater to entire Amritsar and Tarn Taran districts.

Amritsar, Tarn Taran and the surrounding areas have a population of over 21 lakh. A staff of less than 100 firemen against the sanctioned strength of 130 has been entrusted with the task to serve this huge populace.

The strength was decided in the 1980s when the city had a population of 7 lakh only.

Kamal Dalmia, an industrialist, said Focal Point, GT Road, has been awaiting installation of a fire station for long which was proposed in its blueprint about two-and-a-half decades ago.

He said the state government had allocated a grant of Rs 5 crore in 2009 for Focal Point and the responsibility was given to the MC to carry out the development works. The development grant was meant for sewerage, roads, drinking water, streetlights, green belt and establishing a fire brigade station, he added.

Established in the early 1980s, Focal Point has about 435 units which employ thousands of people.

Dalmia pointed out that a plot measuring about 1,000 square yards was earmarked for setting up a fire station but it has not seen the light of day yet. The industrial area is spread over 175 acres.

Not only this, the city has insufficient water filling points. With the overhead water tanks becoming obsolete, the existing filling points at various parts of the city have become non-functional and over 50 per cent of the total number of tubewells here are not functioning, said Surjit Sharma.

Mayor Bakshi Ram Arora said, “I am not aware about Rs 1 crore grant for setting up a fire station at Focal Point. I don’t know whether a plot for the same has been lying vacant. The city needs four more fire stations. The civic authorities have planned to set up these fire stations at Ranjit Avenue, Chheharta, Batala road and Focal Point.”

A meeting would be held in this regard soon, he said.

I am not aware about Rs 1 crore grant for setting up a fire station at Focal Point. I don't know whether a plot for the same has been lying vacant. The city needs four more fire stations. The MC has planned 
to set up these fire stations at Ranjit Avenue, Chheharta, Batala road and Focal Point
— Bakshi Ram Arora, Amritsar Mayor

Amritsar, May 5
Responding to a call given by the Punjab Civil Medical Services (PCMS) Association, the PCMS doctors of Amritsar and neighbouring districts organised a protest march after holding a regional conference here yesterday.

The doctors were demanding separate pay for specialists and senior administrative doctors at par with the Central Government doc5tors and to roll back the new PG admission policy. The association demanded double manpower of doctors in various government hospitals for better management of health services. The PCMS doctors are protesting all over the state.

At this regional conference, Dr Ranjeet Singh Butter was nominated as the patron of the state PCMS Association. Dr Hardeep Singh, state president of the PCMS Association, condemned the “callous attitude” of the Punjab Government towards their demands. He said the state health services had been facing an acute shortage of doctors, as 26 per cent posts of general duty and 38 per cent specialist posts were lying vacant.

Discriminatory PG increments for specialists were further discouraging the doctors. He demanded to roll back new PG eligibility criteria of the 6-year rural service and special increments for all specialists without any condition. Dr Butter demanded re-designation of the SMO as Deputy Civil Surgeon.

Dr Nishan Singh, working state president of the Association, demanded the abolishing of ceiling on pay-and-pension of the PCMS doctors. They announced their agitation would continue till acceptance of all the 21 demands, and threatened to intensify their agitation if the government failed to resolve the issue.

Dr Hardeep Singh, state president of the PCMS Association, condemned the ‘attitude’ of the Punjab Government towards their demands. He said the state health services had been facing an acute shortage of doctors, as 26 per cent posts of general duty doctors and 38 per cent posts of specialists were lying vacant

Amritsar, May 5
Four persons were arrested for possessing heroin, proscribed drugs and illicit liquor in separate incidents.

They have been booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and Excise Act.

The narcotic cell (Rural) nabbed Sandeep Kumar, a resident of Fatehgarh Churian road, with 10 grams of heroin. ASI Gurmel Singh said a case under Section 21/22/61/85 of the NDPS Act has been registered against the accused at the Kamboh police station.

In the second incident, the Beas police has recovered 7,500 ml of illicit liquor from Tarsem Singh, a resident of Sathiala. Investigating officer Chanchal Masih said the accused had been arrested and a case under Section 61/1/14 of the Excise Act was registered against him at the Beas police station.

In the third incident, Kulwant Singh, a resident of Baba Jiwan Singh, was nabbed with proscribed drugs. ASI Satnam Singh of Chattiwind police station said 500 tablets of Microlit were found in his possession and a case under the NDPS Act has been registered.

In yet another instance, the E-Division police recovered 32 bottles of Babbar Sher Desi Theka brand from Gurcharan Singh, a resident of the Baba Farid area.

The accused has been arrested under the Excise Act. Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Sarwan Singh of E-Division police station said a scooter bearing number PB-02-AE 8364 too has been confiscated in this case. 

Amritsar, May 5
A married woman was allegedly burnt to death by her in-laws at the Abadi Karam Pura locality here.

The deceased has been identified as Indu Devi. In her statement submitted before judicial magistrate Amreshwer Singh, the victim has held her brother-in-law Ashish Kumar responsible for perpetrating the crime.

Kumar is a resident of Kala Diar village in Patna who lives in a rented accommodation at Fatehgarh Churian Road.

Majitha Road police station SHO Gagandeep Singh said the accused had been arrested and a case under Section 302/307 of the IPC had been registered against Ashish Kumar at the Civil Lines police station.

Reports said Kumar had accused her of stealing Rs 60,000 cash which she denied. He allegedly poured kerosene oil on her and set her on fire. The victim was rushed to Amandeep Hospital where she succumbed to her injuries today. —TNS

Amritsar, May 5
Students of Global Engineering College have successfully fabricated and designed two fuel-efficient four-wheelers based on the shape and design of a Formula One car.

The students fitted used engines of Maruti 800 car and 150 CC motorcycle into their creations, which have been prepared as per the guidelines of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) headquartered in the USA.

The SAE will hold screening for these vehicle prototypes as per the global specifications will enable these to compete internationally. The test is expected to be held in September, said Dr Akashdeep Singh, Vice Chairman of Global Institutes.

Two groups of seven students each displayed their engineering design skills fabricating aerodynamically-shaped two separate four-wheelers.

The third year mechanical engineering students accepted the challenge and evinced their acumen and design capabilities by developing the complete working model of the vehicle with available resources at the institute using 3-D AutoCAD software of CREO-2.0. The design and fabrication was done under the guidance of Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Work shop superintendent Balant Singh Rataul.

The first group comprising Mandeep Singh, Yogesh, Rajbir Singh, Jagraj Singh, Sagar, Harmanpreet Singh and Navneet designed and fabricated the vehicle with the scrap bought from the market.

They used Maruti 800 CC engine, gearbox, steering system and suspension system. The basic structure of the car was designed and fabricated with an iron pipe. The Car is aerodynamically shaped, with high acceleration, low weight to torque ratio and can achieve the speed of 100 km per hour in eight seconds.

The second team comprising Bikramjit Singh, Harpreet Singh, Abhishek Sachdev, Ranjodh Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Hemant Arora and Nikesh Sharma designed and fabricated a sports car based on the shape of an F1 car.

The vehicle is run by the 150 cc motorcycle engine, with the gearbox and transmission system from an old Maruti car. The main attraction of the vehicle is rear mounted engine and horizontal aligned shock absorbers. Seats are comfortable and ergonomically designed. The off-roader made on 150 cc engine easily bears the load of four persons while cruising at 80 km/hour which it attained in 0-8 seconds.

The operation and running of the car was highly appreciated by visiting dignitaries from the IITs and NIT Jalandhar. Teams of GIMET who made these cars also participated at AUTOEXPO held at NIT Jalandhar.

The students are now prepared to participate in All India Competition ‘BAJA SAE INDIA-2014’ sponsored by Mahindra & Mahindra Group.

Dr Akashdeep congratulated the students and staff for their commendable work and stressed that the people around the world give more stress on research and development (R&D). He said creation of swift, fuel-efficient and environment-friendly vehicles were the need of the hour.

Amritsar, May 5
A Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA) initiative Mukti Caravan, a mobile cultural group of former bonded child labourers, arrived here today.

The van is equipped with campaign materials and audio-video equipments.

The mobile van visited various parts of the city to create awareness against bonded labour and employing minors for domestic and commercial purpose.

Deputy District Education Officer (Elementary) Sushil Kumar received the van and later flagged it off at Government Senior Secondary School for Girls at Chheharta for creating awareness in the holy city.

The activists showcased pictures and reading material educating people about inhuman sufferings that minors undergo in cases of child labour.

BBA activist Dinesh Kumar said former bonded labourers performed street plays, sang folk songs infused with social messages, distributed pamphlets, organised public meetings and awareness camps on the issue of exploitation of children.

They also presented audio-visual presentation. He said the stress was to create awareness about the need for education, emphasising on the need for improving access to education and quality of education to eradicate child labour from the society.

The caravan is run by former bonded child labourers as they are best suited to explain to the villagers the kind of life they were forced to lead and the hardships they faces, he added. He informed that the mobile van would leave for Ludhiana tomorrow. 

Amritsar, May 5
After a string of controversies, Punjabi film Sadda Haq will see the light of day on May 10. Actor-writer and producer of the film Kuljinder Sidhu was in the city to announce the film's release and clear the air about controversies surrounding the film.

Facing a ban by the state government for its alleged controversial content, Sadda Haq was given green signal by the Censor Board and the Supreme Court. "The court verdict clearly mentions that it is completely unjustified that a film should be banned because of its content. The judgment says that let the film be screened and if then any law and order situation arises, it is the state's responsibility," said Kuljinder.

Based on a story revolving around the militancy period in Punjab, the film was earlier premiered for a select audience in Amritsar and its release date was pushed further twice even before the Punjab government put a ban on it citing provocative content.

The film stars Kuljinder Sidhu, Gaurav Kakkar and Himanshi Khurana.

"We will have a worldwide release in countries such as Australia, US, UK, India and Canada. The aim is to get a positive word-of-mouth publicity before the release," said Kuljinder.

"The film is about the role of various agencies during militancy period and the repercussions that followed. It ends on a positive note with optimism and hope that rests on the shoulders of the current generation," he said. 

Amritsar, May 5
As ‘Swaranjali’, the Inter-DPS Hindustani Vocal Music Festival 2013 commenced, the entire premises of the Delhi Public School (DPS) echoed with melody. It was Hindustani music at its best.

Jalandhar, May 5
A monthly meeting of AIIMA was organised in which the precautions to be taken by a patient in the eventuality of a cervical cod injury were discussed.

Dr Rakesh Sharma and Dr Surinder Sharma, jointly presided over the meeting. Prominent neurosurgeon Dr Pankaj Trivedi from NIMS Hospital delivered a lecture on cervical cord injury during the meeting.

He said an acute cervical cord injury followed sudden or excessive extension, flexion or rotation of the neck and caused neck pain and other symptoms. Cervical injury was common in road accidents and may also be caused by sports injuries or assaults, he said.

He said early diagnosis and medical aid to cervical cord injury patients could save the life of the patient. The early few hours were very crucial and lead to many health-related complications and even death of the patient.

Cervical cord injury usually resulted in quadriplegia (four limb paralysis). Whenever a patient met with cervical cord injury, he must wear a cervical collar and should immediately rush to neuro-hospital, with no neck or spine movements, to minimise the complications, he added.

Dr Joginder Arora, Dr Surinder Sharma, Dr Naresh Sharma, Dr Shridhar Sharma. Dr PC Chouhan, Dr Mukesh Khanna, Dr Harish Sehgal, Dr JN Chawla, Dr HS Kalra, Dr Rajvir Singh, Dr Jaspalvir Singh, Dr Jasjit Singh, Dr Umesh Shukla and many other members of the AIIMA were also present during the meeting.

Jalandhar, May 5
While he credits his Gurus, father Ustad Lachman Singh Seen and sitar maestro Ustad Shahid Parvez for his success, talented sitar maestro Manu Seen says the recent acclaim he has received has been due to his heightened spiritual inclinations and their influence on his music.

Manu was recently awarded the top grade award by the All India Radio (AIR), Delhi.

Accorded the honour of being a top-grade artiste in AIR (a promotion from the A grade artiste which he earlier was), he and fellow sitarist Harvinder Singh (from Chandigarh), are the only two artistes from the state to have received this honour.

While entries of artistes from across the nation had been sent to Director General, AIR, Delhi, a panel of five to six judges finally chose the winners.

Speaking about a recent change in his style of practicing and approach towards music, Manu said advice from his spiritual Guru Swami Mohan Das Maharaj influenced his sitar playing and perception of music greatly.

“Swami Ji is himself a great music lover and plays various instruments. He asked me to change my style and that has brought a lot of change in my performance. It gifted me with a special style, enhanced my maturity level and increased my speed as well,” Manu said.

As a child, he started learning the sitar under his father’s training. He later began taking lessons from the Etawa Gharana Sitar maestro Ustad Shahid Parvez.

Along with regular performances in India and abroad, Manu also provides sitar lessons to his disciples, many of whom have received their own share of acclaim as artistes.

Many of his teachers are further providing lessons in music to the younger generation in schools and colleges, others are acclaimed artistes on the radio.