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Golden temple A view of the facade of buildings and shops on the stretch leading from Hall Gate to Golden Temple in Amritsar. Photo: Sameer Sehgal
Decks cleared to pave the way for setting up of Amritsar haat
Rising vehicle thefts worry city residents
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Professor awarded for best empirical research paper
Two dowry cases registered, 5 booked
Inter-school youth festival concludes
KCGC vice-president Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina gives away prizes to the winning gidda team at the youth festival at Khalsa
College, Chawinda Devi, on Friday. A Tribune photograph
Computerise health records: ADC
Sale of drugs under lens
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Golden
temple
Amritsar, December 13 Mumbai-based Darashaw Consultancy Private Limited has prepared a detailed project report (DPR) to paint the approaching and exit roads to Golden Temple with a single colour and similar, attractive and equal-sized signboards will be put up to streamline the exterior of buildings and shops falling on the path. Besides, mesh of loose open wires hanging on the road will be placed underground. The DPR with an estimated cost of Rs 55 crore has been forwarded to the Ministry of Tourism, said Karan Kandhari of the Mumbai-based consultancy firm. The project is expected to be finished by mid-2015, he shared. He said a preliminary round of discussions with associations of shopkeepers had taken place to convince them to give NOCs to permit the beautification of the facade. He made it clear that in no way did it interfere with the ownership of these buildings. MC Commissioner DPS Kharbanda said the Asian Development Bank was funding the project. He added that the MC was coordinating with different departments since several departments were involved in the project while the Torusim Department was the administrative authority. He said he took part at the meeting taken by Secretary, Tourism, at Chandigarh in which engineering branch heads of the BSNL, Punjab State Power Corporation Limited, Street Lights, Cable Network, Water and Sewerage Supply Board, Connect and other companies whose wires were hanging on the stretch of the road. He said these wires would be put into a duct to be placed underground. “All these departments would submit the estimate cost of this exercise to the MC which would hand it over to the Trousim Department for sanctioning purpose”. He elaborated that in all 12 power transformers were identified obstructing the footpath on the stretch of the road. All these transformers would be dislocated to nearby internal roads. Being a mixed-use project, storm water drain, open plazas, facade cleaning and hanging cables will be placed underground and conservation of heritage structures on the route to Golden Temple will also be undertaken. Besides, walkways on either side of the road will be raised for pedestrians. En route the buildings displaying Sikh architecture will be restored.
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Decks cleared to pave the way for setting up of Amritsar haat
Amritsar, December 13 Even as the Health Department vacated the building dating back to the British Raj long time ago, it has been lying deserted with the administration failing to put it to an alternative use. Meanwhile, the tender was allotted to a Delhi-based private firm last week which is expected to finish the work in nine months after it starts at the site. Earlier, tenders were floated twice but private firms did not evince any interest in the project. Officials of the Punjab Urban Development Authority (PUDA) reasoned that since intricate conservation work was involved, hardly any company was showing interest. PUDA also approved the detailed project report (DPR) to develop Amritsar haat and a heritage hotel in the building of Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital in the heart of the city. It engaged the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) to prepare the DPR as the hospital has heritage value. The abandoned hospital building was formerly known as Victoria Jubilee Hospital, which was named in commemoration of the jubilee celebrations of Queen Victoria’s rule and began functioning here in 1891. Besides, it is located close to Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s summer palace known as Rambagh, a site protected by the Archaeology Survey of India (ASI). The site is situated less than a kilometre from Golden Temple and Jallianwala Bagh. The site spans over a 9.70-acre area. It has buildings of heritage value and is proposed to be also utilised for a hotel. About 4.65 and 5.6 acres have been earmarked for the haat and hotel respectively. The urban haat is proposed to be built on the northern portion of the site. It will have features like a craft appreciation centre, souvenir shops, Punjab emporiums, a food court, a restaurant, an open air theatre, plazas, eating joints, a craft bazaar, an exhibition, meeting rooms, an administrative complex, toilets, kitchens, green rooms, gym and spa. A heritage hotel with 100-room capacity will be added to the haat. The objectives of the initiative are preservation, conservation, restoration and reuse of the existing building. The site has been divided into three parts. The heritage building raised between 1860 and 1920 would be conserved without any modifications. Later additions made between 1920 and 1940 could be modified and altered according to need and function. The structures added after 1940 will be demolished. The chief administrator, Amritsar Development Authority (ADA), Sandeep Rishi, who also heads PUDA here, said the DPR estimated the entire project cost at more than Rs 9 crore. He said stress was being laid on encouraging the retention and productive reuse of structures that have historic, architectural and cultural values. He said common guidelines had been formulated to retain authenticity, minimum intervention, cost-effective economic regeneration, use of traditional techniques and materials for Amritsar haat and heritage hotel.
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Rising vehicle thefts worry city residents
Amritsar, December 13 Though, the police claimed to have busted a number of gangs in this connection, the stealing of luxury vehicles is continuing unabated. In a recent instance, a Jalandhar resident lost his car which he had parked outside a private hospital here. Karamjit Singh, a resident of Surat Nagar, Jalandhar, said that he had parked his Tata Safari bearing registration number PB-08-BR-4476 outside a private hospital, but found it missing when he came back. In a similar incident, Ashish Sehgal of Moon Avenue reported to the Civil Lines police that his friend borrowed his car and had parked it outside his residence in the night. Next day he found the car missing. In another instance, Basant Avenue resident, Dr Rajiv Arora told the police that he had parked his Safari outside his residence in the night while the next morning, he found his vehicle stolen. Similarly, Neeraj Arora of Gopal Nagar, Majitha road, stated to the police that some unidentified robbers stole away his vehicle bearing number PB-02-DU-5663 parked in Ranjit Avenue. Kulwant Singh of Vikasganj in New Delhi,who is presently living in a rented accommodation in B-block of Ranjit Avenue, said that his Safari bearing number CH-024-J- 1002 was parked outside his residence, which was found stolen in the night. The police authorities pointed out that lack of parking spaces, besides parking of vehicles outside residences and on roads during the night were the main reasons that cause for more thefts. “Absence of parking lots in the city adds to the problem. Vehicles parked outside religious shrines, marriage palaces, markets in posh localities and court premises are the prime targets of the thieves,” said a police official. He said people should also be more careful and should try to park their vehicles at proper parking places. He added that concerned SHOs of police stations have been asked to keep close watch on miscreants especially drug addicts who are found involved in such crimes most of the time.
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Professor awarded for best empirical research paper
Amritsar, December 13 His research paper was acknowledged as the best in the area of virtual opinion platforms, an application of viral marketing. Dr Sharma has an experience of thirteen years of teaching and research in Marketing and Advertising. He is also the in charge of the Department of Commerce and Business Management at the University's regional campus in Gurdaspur. 3-week refresher course begins at ASC
A three-week refresher course in education was inaugurated here today at the Academic Staff College (ASC) of Guru Nanak Dev University. As many as 21 teachers from the faculty of education across the country are participating in the course. Dean, Academic Affairs, Prof MS Hundal, inaugurated the course. While speaking on this occasion, Prof Hundal touched upon various burning issues concerning education with special reference to school education. He was of the view that the quality of teachers of present day was poorer in comparison with other countries like Finland, South Korea, where it was comparatively more difficult to venture into this demanding but noble profession. He said that stringent measures needed to be taken in order to improve not only the quantity but also the quality of teachers. He expressed his deep concern on the declining virtues like discipline, dedication and devotion, in the teachers of today. He urged the teachers to make sincere efforts to restore the glory and prestige associated with this noble profession. Principal, MGN College of Education, Jalandhar and course coordinator, Dr Amit Kauts, apprised the participants with the thrust area of the course. Director, Academic Staff College, Prof. Jaspal Singh Sandhu, welcomed the chief guest. Prof. Sandhu expressed the hope that the refresher course would help them in enhancing, refreshing and enriching their knowledge and motivate them to work more vigorously and efficiently. Dr. Mohan Kumar from ASC proposed the formal vote of thanks on this occasion.
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Two dowry cases registered, 5 booked
Amritsar, December 13 Following her complaint the police have registered a case under Sections 307, 498-A and 34, of the IPC. No arrest has been made so far. In another instance, the Sadar police have booked Arshbanpal Singh of Akash Avenue on the charges of bigamy and dowry. His wife Lakhwinder Kaur, a resident of Pandori village, said the accused married another woman without divorcing her. She said the accused demanded dowry from her and physically thrashed and pushed her out of the house after she failed to meet his demand. The police have registered a case under Sections 417, 495, 498-A, of the IPC. No arrest has been made so far.
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Inter-school youth festival concludes
Amritsar, December 13 They took part in the event that witnessed a cultural extravaganza, laced with dance and singing contests. Khalsa College Governing Council (KCGC) honorary secretary Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina was the chief guest at the award distribution ceremony. He asked the educational institutions to make sports an integral part of school curriculum. He said to develop an overall personality of the student, the festivals like these provide an opportunity to the youth to show their prowess and face challenges. More than 250 participants, including girl students from government and private schools, participated in various contests, including mono-acting, poster-making, turban-tying, singing and dance. Chhina announced the event would be made an annual affair and another sports competition in hockey would soon be introduced in the college. Dr Baljinder Singh, principal, the brain behind the festival, said the aim of the festival was to infuse enthusiasm and search talent in the area. He honoured Chhina and other guests including Talbir Singh Gill, political secretary to Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithjia, KCGC's additional honorary secretary Swinder Singh Kathunangal.
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Computerise health records: ADC
Amritsar, December 13 He held a meeting with health officials and analysed various works undertaken by the department. He said there was a need to put all the data online, which would help in bringing transparency in the work being done by the department, besides taking various government schemes to deserving persons. The ADC said the department had formed a health and sanitation committee and they were provided with funds to the tune of Rs 10,000, which could be utilised for cleaning drains and conducting sprays to kill mosquitoes. He asked the department to hold meetings at primary health centre levels and encourage the doctors to utilise the funds judiciously. He also asked the health officials to make the public aware about various schemes and facilities provided by the government to them. He instructed them to organise camps for spreading awareness against cancer, AIDS and TB. Others who were present on the occasion included Civil Surgeon Dr Usha Bansal, district and family welfare officer Dr Ranjit Singh Buttar, SMO Dr Hardip Singh and district TB officer Dr Naresh
Chawla.
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Sale of drugs under lens
Amritsar, December 13 Dr Rakesh Suri from the Zonal Licensing Authority informed the ADC that in the last month, the Health Department raided as many as 130 medical stores. He said the licensces of four medical stores were suspended while 25 shops were issued show cause notice in this regard. He added drug inspectors had seized proscribed drugs worth Rs 48,000 from two pharmaceutical firms. On the other hand, DSP Attari, Sukhwinder Singh, said as many as 81 persons were arrested last month by the Amritsar (Rural) police and a huge quantity of habit forming drugs and other narcotic substances were recovered.
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The Municipal Corporation has begun the exercise to bring in uniformity in the facade of shops in the stretch leading from Hall Gate to Golden Temple on the line of Lucknow’s Hazrat Ganj which is painted in a single colour.
Students from 16 schools participated in sports competitions, a cultural bonanza and fanfare which marked the conclusion of the two-day inter-school youth festival at Khalsa College, Chawinda Devi village, near here today.
