Hospitality industry undergoes lean phase in holy city
Amritsar, October 10
The hospitality industry of the holy city is currently having a bad phase as the hotels have been registering low occupancy on account of low inflow of tourists from overseas. Natural calamity in Uttarakhand forced the inbound tourists to look for other tourist locations.

Lawyers’ strike today
Amritsar, October 10
The District Bar Association (DBA) has announced to participate in the statewide protest of lawyers against the enactment of the Punjab Rent Control Act.

Insurance firm accused of harassment
Amritsar, October 10
A city resident has accused an insurance firm of harassing him by not paying the balance amount of his medical claim despite the Punjab State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission's instructions.

Amritsar, October 10
With the arrest of four persons, the city police today claimed to have busted a gang of vehicle lifters and recovered 10 motorcycles from their possession.

Those arrested have been identified as Inderjit Singh of Nariangarh, Chheharta, Krishna of Bhalla Colony, Chheharta, Harpal Singh of Airport Colony, Rajasansi, and Vijay Kumar of Sandhu Colony, Chheharta.

The police authorities said the gang members were active in various parts of the city. They used to steal motorcycles and later sell the same after forging documents.

Investigation officer ASI Jaspal Singh said Inderjit Singh and Harpal Singh were the leaders of the gang. Harpal Singh was wanted in many theft cases registered at the Bhindi Saida police station (Amritsar rural district). He was involved in stealing transformers in the rural belt.

Jaspal Singh said the gang used to steal vehicles from outside dhabas and restaurants, especially located near Ram Bagh, Crystal Chowk, Ranjit Avenue and the Golden Temple.

The vehicle lifters were nabbed during a naka on San Sahib Road when they were going to sell a motorcycle. The police recovered three motorcycles from Inderjit, two motorcycles each from Krishna and Harpal and three from Vijay. The vehicle lifters had put up fake number plates on each stolen motorcycle.

A case under Sections 379, 411 and 473 of the IPC was registered at the Chheharta police station in this regard, while further investigations were under progress. More recoveries were likely to be made during the interrogation of the accused.

Amritsar, October 10
The Amritsar (Rural) police has booked a man for allegedly raping a 27-year-old widow on the lure of marriage. The victim in her complaint lodged with the Bhindi Saida police alleged that the accused continued to make physical relationship with her while claiming that he would marry her.

She stated to the police that she got married to Baljit Singh of Kala Afghana village about 10 years ago. She said after a brief illness her husband died in 2008, following which she came to her parents’ home at Hashampura village.

She alleged that during this period she came in contact with the accused, Baldev Singh, resident of Bhindi Saida village. She said she developed relationship with him during which he promised to marry her. She said now she had come to know that he was marrying some other girl.

The police authorities said a case under Section 376 of the IPC was registered against Baldev Singh, who had been absconding since the registration of a criminal case. Raids were conducted to nab him.

Amritsar, October 10
A migrant youth, Raju, a resident of Jharkhand, was found dead in the Guru Ki Wadali area in Chheharta here today.

According to information, his body was found without clothes with his throat slit in a drain in the slum of Guru Ki Wadali.

The Chheharta police has registered a murder case and launched investigation. According to the police, it has cracked the murder case and booked four persons in this regard. Illicit relations are suspected to be the reason behind the brutal murder.

Harish Behal, SHO, Chheharta police station, said the police had arrested one of the accused, identified as Naseel, a resident of Chhatisgarh. He said Naseel along with several other persons took Raju near the drain and slit his throat. He said it had been learnt that Raju had illicit relations with Naseel's wife and sister-in-law. Further investigations were under progress and remaining culprits would be arrested soon.

Amritsar, October 10
A team of the Water and Sewerage Department today raided 11 properties, out of which the connections of six properties were cut due to non-payment of tax dues.

The team, led by Superintendent, Water and Sewerage, Pushpinder Singh today collected Rs 5.03 lakh tax dues.

Others in the team included Superintendent Jaswinder Singh and Inspectors Satinder Singh and Arun Kumar.

"We are doing our best to collect taxe dues from the defaulters. As per the directions of MC Commissioner DPS Kharbanda, it would be our earnest endeavour to achieve the set recovery target. Today, we disconnected five connections and issued warning to five other property owners to pay their dues on time, otherwise they too would have to face the same fate," Pushpinder said.

The Water and Sewerage Department has been able to garner an amount of Rs 7.33 crore till date. Last year, it was Rs 6.62 crore by this time. "There has been an increase of Rs 70 lakh," he said.

Amritsar, October 10
The hospitality industry of the holy city is currently having a bad phase as the hotels have been registering low occupancy on account of low inflow of tourists from overseas. Natural calamity in Uttarakhand forced the inbound tourists to look for other tourist locations.

An official of a leading city hotel Piyush Kapoor, who is also the general secretary of the Amritsar Hotel and Restaurant Association (AHRA), said travellers coming here from foreign countries generally fix their itinerary considering the entire Northern India.

The travel groups, comprising foreigners and NRIs, use Delhi and Amritsar as fly-in and fly-out destinations. Similar to Delhi, Amritsar has an international airport, which has direct and connecting flights to various destinations, including Dubai, UK and now Australia.

He said the loss of north tourist sector might have proved advantageous to either the west or the south sector.

The holy city is well linked with the tourist sector of Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir as good road connectivity and rail lines are available from here. Besides, budget airline SpiceJet is also operating a flight between Amritsar and Srinagar.

He added that it had been experienced that the tourist groups from abroad visit the city in large numbers in this season. However, this time it was not the case. He elaborated that the itinerary of these groups covered entire North India, comprising Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and not just the holy city.

A hotelier, APS Chatha, also president of the AHRA, said domestic tourists were also hit owing to high inflation during the past nearly three months. Besides, high taxes on the hospitality industry was another deterrent factor for the potential domestic tourists to put off their visit to the city.

Amritsar, October 10
A city resident has accused an insurance firm of harassing him by not paying the balance amount of his medical claim despite the Punjab State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission's instructions.

Sukhwinder Singh Arora, the complainant, said that the commission had disposed of his case giving instructions to Oriental Insurance Company to pay him the remaining amount of Rs 80,708 along with interest.

A resident of Ranjit Avenue, Arora said the copies of the orders were delivered by the commission on August 8 after which he has been approaching the company for the amount.

He said he had been paying the premium for eight consecutive years. The premium sum was increased to Rs 4 lakh from the previous Rs 2 lakh on August 18, 2006.

The complainant further said he underwent treatment and was admitted to hospital thrice for treatment of Hodgkin’s disease between September 2006 and November 2006. He incurred an expenditure of Rs 3,10,708. He said the insurer company paid him only Rs 2,30,000 despite the fact that he was insured for a sum of Rs 4 lakh.

The insurance company contested that as the complainant had got the sum insured revised to Rs 4 lakh in September 2006 while he was admitted to the hospital in August 2006, it shows that he was aware of the disease and had concealed the facts of his medical history before increasing the sum insured.

The firmsaid it had already paid the insurance amount as per the earlier assured sum of Rs 2 lakh along with a bonus of Rs 30,000.

Considering the reports of the hospitals where Arora was admitted for the treatment, the commission stated that "mere existence of symptoms does not confirm that the patient was actually aware for the disease".

Arora had got admitted to the hospital complaining of "low grade fever, rigors..". It was during the course of treatment that the disease was diagnosed and treated accordingly.

The commission further said the "opposite party (insurer) was not right in concluding that the sum insured was enhanced by the complainant after he became aware of the existence of Hodgkin’s disease".

Arora said even as he has won a long battle against the insurance company for denying him his rightful claim, he was still being harassed since the payment had not been made even after passing of one-and-half months of orders by the commission. 

Amritsar, October 10
Even as a record number of tourists visit the Golden Temple everyday, but the stretch from Dharam Singh Market to the Sikh shrine is marked by encroachments on footpaths on its either side.

While the tourists already have a tough time walking the stretch due to traffic congestion, the footpaths, too, have been illegally encroached upon by traders and roadside vendors, adding to the woes of pedestrians.

The visitors have to fend for space to rest their feet on the ground to reach the shrine amidst goods displayed on the footpaths. En route, shopkeepers display their goods up to the middle of the footpaths, which causes a hindrance for the pedestrians. At some places, the entire footpath is blocked by these goods.

Some have even placed tables and small folding beds on the path to keep their products, which range from clothes to electronic appliances. The journey on foot is made more difficult by the vehicles parked on the roadsides. The visitors are seen finding their way amidst the rush of vehicles on the roads.

Harbhajan Singh, a visitor from Hazaribagh in Jharkhand, said, “While walking on the road, one always fear that some vehicle would hit you from behind. I had to remain extra alert to save myself from these vehicles as there was no space left to walk on the footpath.” He felt that the traders must voluntarily keep the footpath free from any encroachment.

After one crosses the Saragarhi parking, the encroachments on the footpaths increase. As shopkeepers have acquired control on the footpaths, people have to walk on the road, which causes a hindrance in the smooth flow of vehicular traffic.

Even quacks and small-time vendors have set up their shops on the footpaths. The illegal businesses as quackery are being operated just a few metres away from the police check post near Dharam Singh Market. Rehris (hand-driven carts) and food vendors are also sharing the space with others, thus increasing inconvenience for the walkers.

Though the Tourism Department installed benches along the roadside at Dharam Singh Market near the Golden Temple to facilitate tourists, they have been blatantly encroached upon by vendors of the area for keeping their stocks of goods, thus defeating the purpose of the exercise.

It is not that the Municipal Corporation (MC) never initiated anti-encroachment drive in the area but the vendors reappeared to do their business.

Municipal Corporation Commissioner DPS Kharbanda said though the seats were installed by the Tourism Department for the convenience of pilgrims, but the corporation was taking care of these. He shared that the teams had been formed and these would initiate an anti-encroachment drive on the stretch from October 12.

Amritsar, October 10
The Rotary International has announced to organise a ‘District Polio Plus Orientation and Planning’ under the National Polio Eradication Programme on October 20 here. Dr Pawan Gupta, District Governor Rotary Club Amritsar, said the session would start at Vidyak Bhawan, SSSS School, at 9 am.

Eminent speakers from across the country would address the delegates from Himachal Pardesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Delhi and Punjab. “The goal of the global polio eradication initiative is to ensure that no child has to suffer from the crippling effects of polio in the country in future,” said GS Chawla.

Dr PS Malhotra said the Rotary International along with the National Polio Surveillance project provided technical and logistic assistance to the goal and works closely with state governments for polio eradication.

He said that it was heartening to know that India had not had a reported case of polio for a long time now. Even the polio virus had not been detected in sewage sampling since January 2011, he added.

Amritsar, October 10
After power transformers, the miscreants are now targeting mobile towers, especially in the rural belt of the district.

In the last 10 days, there have been four such incidents of theft wherein cases in this regard were registered at various police stations falling under Amritsar rural police district. The miscreants decamped with equipment attached with the mobile tower which hit the telecom services in many pockets here.

This is not only causing huge losses to the telecom companies but it is also proving a headache for the police department.

Earlier, telecom companies used to depute private security guards with the equipment.

But since the companies started fitting electronic alarm bells with the mobile towers attached with their headquarters in Chandigarh, the guards are not deployed anymore, said a police official.

He said when miscreants tried to damage a tower, an alert is sounded at the Chandigarh headquarters of the telecom company which further informed the police station concerned.

"If there is delay in the communication, it gives ample time for the thieves to flee," said Amandeep Singh, investigation officer in a theft case in Nawa Pind village falling under Jandiala police station.

The equipment stolen from mobile towers become redundant after it is removed from the them.

An official investigating a similar case of theft that took place in Mattewal said they had interrogated local history-sheeters but to little success. 

Amritsar, October 10
A book on the Anglo-Sikh war, “Jang Hind Punjab Da”, was today launched during a function at Khalsa College here.

Written by Ludhiana-based Harbhajjan Singh Cheema, the book is an account of Punjab’s history and wars following Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s demise in 1839 and annexation of the state by the British in 1849.

Dharam Singh, former Head of Department of Punjabi Studies, GNDU, said the contemporary sources had been made base for the book and it would encourage further research and studies on the subject.

Cheema said it was his humble attempt to write from the perspective of the courageous soldiers.

The Khalsa College Governing Council (KCGC) president Satyajit Singh Majithia released the book. He praised the author and said the book was testimony to the rich and brave tradition of Sikh soldiers who fought valiantly giving a formidable challenge to the British. He said the book detailed about the happenings that changed the course of history and how Punjab fell in the hands of the British.

The book also highlights the vacuum that had set in following Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s death and how the British were eyeing Punjab for long to set their foot on the land of the five rivers.

KCGC honorary secretary Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina said the book was dedicated 
to hundreds of brave soldiers related to crucial time ahead of Punjab’s annexation. 

Amritsar, October 10
Amritsar College of Engineering and Technology (ACET) today organised a blood donation camp in which 220 units were donated by the volunteers of NSS wing and Jagriti, a social welfare society. The ACET achieved a total of 2,500 units of blood.

Amritsar, October 10
As the demand for designer wear and accessories gets high during the festive season, Diwali and Karva Chauth exhibitions are taking place here on the weekends.

Keeping in view the upcoming festive season, especially Diwali and Karva Chauth, different exhibitions of Indian and western wear are offering a variety which is hard to resist.

Blue Moon is hosting an exhibition of ethnic designer suits with block printing and traditional embroideries. The three-day exhibition has traditional attires, including Pakistani suits, formal Indian outfits, Lucknowi chickan suit, gold, silver and imitation jewellery, bags, footwear, home accessories, kids wear to name a few.

House of Couture, another designer studio, has stylish festive designs on offers. With their new Karva Chauth and Diwali collections from designers like Manish Arora, Nita Bhargava and many more LFW and Wills Lifestyle Fashion Week designers, the studio has dresses, both Indian and western, for a variety of festivals.

Besides, MK International and HK Clarks iNn too are hosting lifestyle exhibitions. While the emphasis is on buyers, the designer apparels are available at affordable prices.

Amritsar, October 10
On the second day of the ongoing A Zone Youth Festival of Guru Nanak Dev University, folk orchestra competition remained the main attraction.

Rare folk instruments such as flute, matka, gagar, dhol, nagara, chimta, dhapli, iktara, algoje, dholki, chankana, been, tumbi, sarangi, kanto and dagga were played by the participants.

The competitions started under the supervision of Jagjit Kaur, director, Youth Welfare Department.

More than 600 student-artists from the affiliated colleges of Amritsar district are participating in as many as 28 items of music, theatre, dance, literature and fine arts.

The competitions in the category of mimicry, mime, elocution, poetical symposium, debate, folk song and geet/gazal were among other items.

Competitions in the category of one-act play, fancy dress, skit, group dance, rangoli, fulkari making, quiz preliminary, classical instrumental (percussion), classical instrumental (non-percussion) and classical vocal will be held tomorrow.