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Police dept under scanner
attempted robbery case
Robbers snatch jeep from villager
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MC gears up to collect dues from tax defaulters
Ravi water enters villages, damages crop
Greening Punjab mission off to a good start
PCMS doctors resent extension of working hours
‘Jatt Airways’ cast prays at Golden Temple
Gold prices soar as demand increases
Global Institute organises ‘Green Amritsar’ campaign
City to host silver jubilee celebrations of Indian printing association
Society seeks rectification of records
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Police dept under scanner
Amritsar, August 18 Ironically, nearby shopkeepers had reported to the police station concerned about the illegal stashing of crackers, but it did not take any prompt action against the accused. Instead, the police let off the owner, identified as Kamal Kishore, by simply registering a case under Section 188 of the IPC (disobedience to an order lawfully promulgated by a public servant), while it failed to incorporate the relevant sections of the Explosives Act, as a huge quantity of crackers were seized from the spot. It is pertinent to mention here that a major fire had broken out in the firecracker shop-cum-godown, owned by Kamal Kishore in October 2011. Though there were no casualties, it took two days for the Fire Brigade Department to control the fire, which had also extensively damaged nearby shops. The shop was located on the main road of Mahan Singh Gate, located near the inter-state bus terminal. Following this, the district administration has cancelled the licence of the shop, but the owners procured another shop just behind his shop and stashed the crackers there. Sukhjinder Singh, whose shop suffered huge damage in the October 2011, reported the stashing of fire crackers to the Kotwali police in December last year. He said the nearby shopkeeper took timely action after they saw the smoke coming out of the godown. He said the Kotwali police authorities nabbed the owner of the godown, but in the evening he was let off under political pressure, while the police did not add the sections of the Explosives Act in the case. He alleged that the owner had been repeatedly putting the lives of innocent people, having their shops in the market and the laborers working in these shops to risk. It is sad that the police has been turning a blind eye towards this and was busy in pleasing their political bosses. Ram Singh, Police Commissioner, said if any relevant sections are missing in the case, he would instruct the police official concerned to incorporate these in the case. He said such type of violations endangering lives of innocent people would not be tolerated. Major fire tragedy averted
A major tragedy was averted by the timely action of shopkeepers after a fire broke out in an illegal cracker godown located in the crowded 32-Hatta Market near Mahan Singh Gate here on Saturday. A major fire had broken out in the firecracker shop-cum-godown, located on the main road of Mahan Singh Gate near the inter-state bus terminal, in October 2011. Though there were no casualties, it took two days for the Fire Brigade to control the fire, which had also extensively damaged nearby
shops
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attempted robbery case
Amritsar, August 18 The victim had captured one of the accused, identified as Pawan Singh, of the Anngarh area, while his accomplices had managed to escape from the spot. Among those arrested included Chaman Lal, a resident of Khojian village, Kangra (Himachal Pradesh), Anoop Kumar of Jandpeer Colony, Chheharta and Shankar of Ram Avenue here. Dr Sanjay had stated to the police that he, along with his wife Dr Dheeru Arora and his children, were at home at that time. He suddenly heard cries of his wife from the kitchen. One of the robbers had pointed a pistol at his wife, while the rest of them were trying to gag her with the help of a tape. He said on seeing him, the robbers attacked him and hit him with the butt of the pistol. The robbers also tried to gag him with the tape. He said he resisted their attempt and caught one of them, who was later identified as Pawan Singh. Meanwhile, he said hearing their shouts, residents started gathering near their house. Seeing this, the remaining robbers fled from the scene.
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Robbers snatch jeep from villager
Amritsar, August 18 He said as soon as he stopped his vehicle, the accused came out of their car and bundled him in their vehicle and started driving his jeep. He alleged that later the accused tied him with a tree on a link road
and sped away. He, somehow, managed to get himself free by cutting the ropes and reached the police station. The accused also took away his mobile phone. The Khilchian police has registered a case under Sections 382, 148, 149 of the IPC in this connection. Hardeep Singh, SHO, Khilchian police station, said the accused, after snatching the vehicle, entered the city and crossed two toll plazas. He said further investigations were on.
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MC gears up to collect dues from tax defaulters
Amritsar, August 18 Kharbanda said there had been a number of CLU (change in land use) cases lying pending for long. The MTP Department got almost defunct due to the discrepancies that had occurred in the matter of unauthorised colonies, but the Cabinet’s recent notification about regularising these colonies had instilled a new ray of hope in the MTP Department. “The pending dues standing against the CLUs were discussed at length. I have instructed the MTP Department officials to take cognisance of the defaulters, as it would earn us a very handsome amount in the exchequer. With the government policy of regularisation of unauthorised colonies, we expect to garner more than Rs 100 crore. Similarly, the house tax and water supply officials have been told to be stern with the defaulters,”, he said. It has been learnt that various properties which have been utilised as banks, hospitals, hotels and even ATM booths, are on the target of the House Tax Department.
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Memorial to Dhingra sought at ancestral house
Amritsar, August 18 In a communiqué to Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Prithipal Singh requested him to review the decision of raising the memorial at a site other than his ancestral house. He added that land sharks were behind the demolition of Dhingra’s house situated in a prime area of the city. He reminded the Chief Miister that the government was taking care of the residence of Udham Singh at Sunam. He asked the Chief Minister why the state government was extending step-motherly treatment to Dhingra. He said Mandan Lal Dhingra had disobeyed his own family by raising arms against the British government. Prithipal Singh welcomed the announcement of a memorial in memory of Madan Lal Dhingra, but added that it must be at his ancestral house.
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The sacred brother-sister thread sees a trendy makeover
Amritsar, August 18 While most stick to the trendy yet cheaper versions of Rakhi, some have gone a step ahead and prefer symbolic Rakhis made of gold and silver. Whether its variety of threads studded with gemstones, diamonds or even gold and silver motifs, the expensive Rakhis at jewellery stores and hi-end brand outlets offer a lifelong bond. The markets are flooded with emerging trends “The gold rakhis are not very popular given the high price range, but we do have some exclusive clientele for such expensive Rakhis,” says Amurag Kapoor, store manager of a popular jewellery brand in city. “Mostly, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime gift that comes with a long-term investment,” he adds. Suitable for those looking at a long-term investment or just plain sentiments, Rakhis made with 22K gold or silver motif do give you an edge over the simple ones. Needless to say these are priced much more than the regular ones. It's a good option to those planning to give their brothers something special for keeps. The other, lesser exclusive versions of trendy Rakhis include a wide range of threads with booti, Feng Shui and chandan or sandalwood motifs. A whole lot of people opt for the "chandan" Rakhi, which emits a heady fragrance. Stone-embellished Rakhis and special Rakhis like Hanuman Chalisa, Rangraksha, Omeya, Good Luck Rakhi and Morpankh Rakhi are also a hit with the sisters. For those respecting the simplicity of the festival, traditional "Mouli", or red and yellow thread Rakhi also known as Kalava, which is extensively used as part of Hindu customs and rituals, is a favourite. For the younger lot, pamper your little brothers and go for threads with cartoon characters like Tweety, Mickey Mouse, Pokemon, Doremon and Chhota Bheem. Chances are he will keep it for a longer time. If you don't mind investing a little more than regular threads, go for the ones which can play some music. The market offers some which play instrumental tunes, while some even play popular Hindi songs. While most Rakhis are priced between Rs 5 and Rs 900, the hi-end silver or gold Rakhi is expected to burn a hole in your pocket, considering the current increase in the price of the metal. Getting stylish
Replacing the plain, red thread on Raksha Bandhan are trendy rakhis with Zardosi work, gemstone-studded variants and jewelled bracelets. For those respecting the simplicity of the festival, traditional 'mouli', or red and yellow thread Rakhi also known as 'kalava', which is extensively used as part of Hindu customs and rituals, is a favourite
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Ravi water enters villages, damages crop
Amritsar, August 18 Soni met locals from the flood-hit area, who sought help and relief from the Centre as well as state governments as thousands of acres of crop has been damaged. A large number of farming equipment had to be abandoned as the water flooded the area due to a breach in Dhussi. Soni demanded that the state and the Union government should conduct a survey of the area with damaged crop and farmers be paid a minimum of Rs 40,000 per acre. Soni said: “We will apprise the PPCC president Partap Singh Bajwa to arrange more help for the flood-hit area.” Meanwhile, farmers said more than 50 tractors were struck ahead of Dhussi and there was a dire need of barge so that the farming equipment could be saved. Special flood control teams under the control of Amritsar Deputy Commissioner Rajat Aggarwal, SP Rural, senior engineers and XENs of the Irrigation and Drainage Department were already in the field surveying the flood-prone areas at Bal Labhe Darya, Kamirpur, Sahowal, Amb nasal, Ghonewala, Raji Sahan, Kamalpur, Shehzada etc, which were located close to Ajnala and Ramdas.
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Greening Punjab mission off to a good start
Amritsar, August 18 Besides this, NGOs, schools, religious bodies and various clubs in the rural as well as in the urban areas shall be involved in this plantation drive. “Already two meetings have been held with various NGOs and government departments to mobilise and plan this campaign. A demand for approximately 3 lakh saplings has been received from different quarters,” he added. In order to take plantation activities outside forest areas, as many as 70 villages shall be adopted to make them green by planting saplings on every available vacant space. Another 50 hectares of institutional land of the Army, schools, government offices and religious bodies shall be covered and maintained under this green drive for one year. The Department of Rural Development shall plant 1,50,000 saplings separately in the current season through village-level institutions under the MGNREGA scheme. Due to early good rains, around 2.5 lakh saplings of Shisham, Jamun, Arjun, Dharek, Siris, Sukhchain, Kadamb, Mango, Neem, Suhanjana, Amaltas, Alstonia, Tun have been planted in Amritsar district
till date. The NCC and the Army authorities have showed keen interest in plantation activities. They have already started the drive by organising vanmahotsav events. The 23 Infantry and Brigade has resolved to plant 23,000 saplings on their premises. Similarly, 12 RIF Dogra Regiment has come forward to plant 5,000 saplings in their area of operation, which is the government and a welcome step. National Afforestation and Eco Development Board has sanctioned a plantation project for 13 villages and funds of 16 lakh have been released for the advance works. These works shall be executed by the Village
Forest Committees by adopting a participatory approach under joint forest management. “Another 1,65,000 lakh saplings shall be planted under maintenance of old plantations. In order to give a thrust to agro forestry in private agricultural areas, Clonal Nursery has been made functional, where Clonal Eucalyptus and Shisham of good-quality certified stock, shall be raised and supplied at subsidised rates to farmers,” Randhawa said. “Going by the demand of farmers another 50,000 quality certified stock of tall plants of Poplar have been raised for agro-forestry. Besides this, other poly-bag seedling shall be provided at a subsidised token price of Rs 3 per plant,” he added.
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PCMS doctors resent extension of working hours
Ajnala, August 18 Dr Sumeet Singh, association secretary, said: “As per instructions there would be a break from 2 pm to 3 pm and the duty would start again from 3 pm to 4 pm.” He said the decision is arbitrary as doctors would have to remain on duty at the work place for one more hour. Few other faculty members said if the working hours were to be expanded by one hour, then it could have easily been done by extending them to 3 pm. Forcing doctors to have a one hour break could not be justified. The PCMS Specialist Association said if such a decision, which is anticipated by them, is also taken for the PCMS cadre, they would initiate a protest to save the
already overburdened medical fraternity. In a meeting of the association, the members also demanded to hold departmental promotion committee meetings on regular basis. The association has demanded time-bound upgrading of 4,9,14 scales, besides 50 per cent specialist allowance on the basic pay and 15 per cent rural allowance.
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‘Jatt Airways’ cast prays at Golden Temple
Amritsar, August 18 Before setting off for a whirlwind promotional tour in Jalandhar, Moga, Ludhiana, Patiala, Baddi, Chandigarh, stars shared their experiences with the media in the city. Alfaaz, who is a popular face in the Punjabi music circuit, will join the brigade of singer-turned actors with his movie Jatt Airways. “I was always camera confident and given my positive experience with audience with my music, I thought it was time to explore the acting game,” said Mundeer, a popular member of the crew. The rom-com is based on two brothers played by Alfaaz and Padam. “It already feels that the movie will break major records in the industry as the promos and music of the movie has become a hit on social networking sites,” said Alfaaz, adding that he was sure that audience would fall in love with the movie set to hit theatres on August 30. Bollywood actress Tulip Joshi, who has earlier too featured in popular Punjabi films will be seen after a long hiatus. “I was taking some time off for myself. But with Jatt Airways, I am back playing a funny character. You are surely going to get all the masala expected in a romantic caper from this one,” she added. Commenting on the unusual title of the film, Alfaaz said: “I was in Canada, talking about my movie projects when someone asked me the name of my debut film. I was at the airport, carrying a Jet Airways boarding pass and so my immediate reply was, Jatt Airways.” The movie combines the elements of romance, comedy, drama and also a murder mystery. “Surprising twists, fight between police and villain and appearance of a wandering soul too give a different angle to the story,” said Alfaaz. The music of the movie has been given by Yo Yo Honey Singh, Jassi Katiyal, Tarun Rishi. Lyrics have been penned Alfaaz and Kumaar. Sumit Goyal and Anil Garg are the producers of ‘Jatt Airways’.
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Gold prices soar as demand increases
Amritsar, August 18 Punjab Swarnakar Sangh vice-president Jaspal Singh Kanda said: “If the upward trend in gold prices continues in the next week, then a new high could be achieved.” He expected the gold rate would not come down below Rs 2,850 per gram. For the past five days gold kept its upward trend after hovering between Rs 2,550 to Rs 2,750 per gram. Kanda said the Union government’s policies were responsible for escalation of gold price, which also contributed to devaluation of rupee against dollar. He said: “Import duties have been hiked disproportionately, but it has not curbed the demand for gold. People are still buying gold.” A wide gap in duty paid gold and without duty paid gold has incited unscrupulous elements to enter trade. These people were evading the duty, he added. “Its biggest loser is the government and the economy of the country, which is denied its due share of taxes. Consequently, the Indian rupee is weakening against dollar,” Kanda
reasoned. The Bullion and Ornaments Merchants Welfare Association president Charanjit Arora said buyers were procuring gold and gold ornaments in small quantity. While those who invested high amount in gold ornaments when its price was low were basking over their decision. He said gold traders were of the view that low price trend was over and prices of the precious metal would remain high till next month when the marriage season would start. Parents of two marriageable daughters Surjit and Kamal said they planned to hold marriage of one of their daughters this year. For this they had intensified their search for a match while preparing for the marriage simultaneously. Surjit said he had purchased some gold when it was around Rs 2,600 per gram. He did not buy much as he anticipated the prices to come down further. He said now, he regretted his decision.
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Global Institute organises ‘Green Amritsar’ campaign
Amritsar, August 18 A large number of fruit and medicinal saplings of different varieties, including mango, leechy, guava, amla and jamun were planted during the drive. Speaking on the occasion, Kharbanda emphasised the importance of preserving the green cover. He said: “We have already damaged the planet through over industrialisation. We will have to find ways and means to keep it livable otherwise future generations will not forgive us.” He urged for the public participation in checking environmental degradation. Vice-chairman Akashdeep Singh welcomed Commissioner Kharbanda at the Global Institutes campus. He assured the commissioner that the saplings planted today would be well-looked after and the institute would make “tree plantation” a regular feature so that Global Institute become one of the greenest educational institution in the region. DAV School wins
debate competition
The Millennium School (TMS) organised - The Millennium Challenge - an inter-school debate competition today. DAV Public School was declared the winner of the debate on “Juveniles should be given adult punishment for adult crimes”. Students from as many as 18 schools participated in this competition and debated over the issue. Chief guest Prof Neeta Mohindra from BBK DAV College congratulated the school for taking this initiative. Aradhana Bharadwaj, psychologist and behavioral counsellor, Karanbir Singh, a lawyer and Vineeta Uppal, a scholar, judged the competition. Students came up with some of the most thought-provoking arguments both for and against the motion. All participants corroborated their arguments with strong examples.
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City to host silver jubilee celebrations of Indian printing association
Amritsar, August 18 The event is scheduled to be held here on August 24. It will also mark the grand launch of Printpack Arabia, a much awaited international cross-over. Since its inception, IPAMA has been actively uplifting the Indian standards in the international market and has also revamped Punjab and Haryana with the overwhelming response of Print Pack India 2013. The IPAMA has revolutionised and spread the packaging industry across the country. “We are all positive and happy to celebrate our 25 years of excellence in Amritsar, since the city holds such remarkable significance and gives contribution to our business,” said KS Khurana, president of the IPAMA. “Followed by our successful streak this year, we will be announcing our upcoming international projects and tie-ups, which will mutate the Indian market in the global scenario,” added Khurana.
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Society seeks rectification of records
Amritsar, August 18 The society’s chief organising secretary Sumeet Singh said it was a big fallacy on the part of the government that these leading figures of the freedom struggle movement were not accorded martyr status in its records. He said the government had accorded leading status to some leaders, who belonged to a particular party. Other leaders like Subhash Chander Bose, Ghadari Babas were not given due status in the records.
— TNS
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