The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	MC teams remove illegal hoardings GS Paul Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 4 It was a scene rarely witnessed in the past here. For a change, the Amritsar Municipal Corporation (AMC) teams were spotted removing hoardings of political parties or those of religious organisations bragging about their preaching and dotting the nooks and crannies of the holy city for the past several years. But now, it will not be tolerated anymore, if officials are to be believed. The offenders will be booked for defacing public property. Courtesy, the stern orders issued recently by the Deputy Chief Minister to advertisers to abide by the Punjab and Haryana High Court directions regarding removal of all hoardings put up by political leaders, religious or commercial organisations on road berms or land abutting municipal roads. The Munipal Corporation though facing a staff crunch has formed a special team under the leadership of a superintendent and an inspector to ensure the compliance of these directions. Another school of thought was that despite being an advertisement policy in place, there should be some concrete and uniform action to regulate this menace permanently. Though the high court has directed to remove the hoardings which have been affixed on national highways, state highways or on corporation land in the state, yet it kept silent when it came to those hoardings and banners which have been put up on the rooftops in an illegal manner, the officials viewed. Nonetheless, Municipal Corporation teams today launched a drive to remove hoardings in a rigorous way. With the help of ditch machines, not only the frame but the pillars on which these hoardings stood were uprooted from the ground. The main Bhandari Bridge, the lifeline of the holy city, which connects the entire flow of traffic moving to and fro between the old city and the Civil Lines areas, was defaced with the hoardings and banners of political parties and religious organisations. Officials said around 400 such eyesores had been removed and they expected twice this number to be still there which, too, would be removed shortly. About the sanctioned 'unipoles' in the city for supporting advertisements and banners, official records say there were around 195 unipoles which were sanctioned for putting up advertisements or banners. The authenticity of the number of legal unipoles or hoardings (as they generate revenue) could not be verified as besides MC, there are other authorities like the Improvement Trust or the Railways which have separately signed pacts with firms, that cannot be violated. “We are on the job of removing hoardings which have been illegally put up on MC land besides defacing the city. We have removed at least 400 hoardings and many more are on our agenda. We have been ordered to implement the HC directions in toto,” said an official. Officialspeak Illegal hoardings and poles are being removed according to the directions of the high court. Now, the police has joined hands with us. Straightaway, an FIR will be lodged under the Defacement of Public Property Act against violators — DPS Kharbanda, MC Commissioner
	Now, it will be a comfortable ride to watch Beating Retreat ceremony GS Paul Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 4 Now it will be a comfy ride to watch the Beating Retreat ceremony at Attari-Wagah joint check post from Amritsar city soon. The first-ever public transport in the shape of air-conditioned low-floor spacious buses will take off from mid-January. At present, tourists often face harassment at the hands of auto-rickshaw or taxi operators who fleece them at will to ferry them to Attari in their overloaded vehicles. They charge Rs 70 per seat for hiring an autorickshaw and between Rs 120 and Rs 130 per seat for a taxi/car for a to and fro journey. This monopoly will now be a thing of the past. Today the authorities finalised the air-conditioned and non-airconditioned buses' route plan. As many as 40 buses are going to be introduced in the first phase. The buses will run with a gap of 10 minutes for different destinations. There will be 20 mini-buses (29-seater) and an equal number of 35-seater buses. MC Commissioner said the buses would hit the roads by January 15. The tentative route plan is: The 29-seater buses would run on the Daburji-Sultanwind road--Circular Road--Golden Temple. The 35-seater buses would run on the Bus Stand-Railway Station-Chheharta-Attari route. In between, these buses would cater to around 25 other destinations falling on the way. For the non-AC buses, the least fare would be Rs 2 (up to 5 km), Rs 5 (5-10 km) and Rs 10 (more than 10 km). The fare for AC buses would be Rs 5 (up to 5 km), Rs 10 (5-10 km) and Rs 15 (more than 10 km) for air-conditioned . These would run on the 32-km long run on the Amritsar-Attari route too. The timings of the buses for Attari would be scheduled according to the corresponding summer and winter timings of the flag-lowering ceremony at the border. These modern, spacious, low-floor, wide-door, aesthetically appealing buses would be equipped with the GPS system, CCTV cameras and are auto-geared. A special bus stand has already been made operational at Mall Mandi. The service would run under Amritsar City Transport Service Ltd, a company formed especially for the purpose, with the Commissioner and the City Mayor as its directors.
	This make-up artist from city turns film actors ravishing on screen Neha Saini Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 4 His expert fingers have made the likes of Jacqueline Fernendez, Gauhar Khan and Sushmita Sen look ravishing on screen. He works up to 16 hours a day to turn plain Janes into beautiful brides. Twentyeight-year-old Ravi Deep, a known make-up artist from Amritsar, has been creating beautiful surprises for women over 11 years now. Ravi, who was trained by renowned make-up artist from bollywood Ashok Thakre, is back home for a visit and shares his recent Bollywood successful looks of 2013. I have had a pretty amazing 2013, with three of my muses making waves. I took up my first Bollywood assignment with Gauhar Khan in Ishaqzaade's hit number "jhalla", followed it up with Jacqueline Fernendez in Race 3's "latt lag gai" and Kangana Ranuat's Arabic touch in Krissh 3's "Dil Tu Hi Bata", he shares. With some interesting looks and glam divas as his canvas, Ravi ended the year with a "Dhoom", decking up "Katrina Kaif" in Dhoom 3. Taking up the profession at 16, he emerged as one of the leading make-up men and hair stylists in the city. Having chosen painting as a childhood hobby, Ravi developed great skills for grooming young aspirants enabling them to look good and presentable in this highly beauty-conscious world. He moved on to popular magazine shoots and fashion shows like LFW and WLFW. And now, he is happy with his bollywood stint. "Though sometimes I feel it's an underrated profession, it is quite satisfying too. I feel I was born to do it, as I use all my creativity to get the looks right." Ask him if his celeb muse gave him an extra edge, and he is straight, "Of course. They are already so beauty conscious and it is not difficult to evolve innovative looks with them, like I did with Kangana Ranuat." A popular make-up artist with the Punjab A-listers for destination weddings, Ravi Deep enjoys working on young brides. "They are ready to experiment with bold looks and so it's a challenge for me to work out various looks for each occasion," shares the expert who has been hired by Sunny Leone for her recent "Jackpot" and next film "Ragini MMS 2". From a grooming expert to a bollywood make-up expert, Ravi, who runs his own studio in Amritsar, spells out some make-up trends for the season as well. "These days, soft, subtle looks are in. Contour make up which highlights your facial features is the best pick. Girls understand that beauty is not just about having a canvassed face but it should also spring from within." Ravi is currently looking forward to work with Deepeka Padukone for a promotional shoot and feels that she has the best face. "She is natural and her features are best defined, even with minimum make-up. She can carry off any look."
	‘Dowry’ death: Man, in-laws booked Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 4 A young woman, identified as Amandeep Kaur (24), was allegedly killed by her in-laws for dowry. The incident came to light when family members of the deceased reached cantonment police station this evening with the body of the victim, the mother of a seven-month-old girl child. Following their complaint, the police have registered a case against her in-laws, including her husband, Varinder Singh, and father-in-law, who is a retired police Inspector, Samma Singh. Among others who have been booked include victim’s husband, Varinder Singh, and her mother-in-law, Sukhwinder Kaur, who lives in the Khalsa Avenue here. Jasbir Kaur, the mother of the victim who resides in Talwara, Hoshiarpur, said they received a call from her daughter’s in-laws that Amandeep had committed suicide by hanging herself with the ceiling fan in a room located on the upper floor. She said when the family reached the place, they did not find any signs which suggest that Amandeep had committed suicide. She alleged that her daughter was subjected to mental torture by her mother-in-law and thereafter killed by her in-laws for dowry. She said around one and a half months ago she had come to their house after a dispute with the in-laws. However, her father-in-law Samma Singh, brought her back while assuring them that she would not face the situation again as he would ask his family to abstain from such things. A wailing Simranjit Kaur, her younger sister, said Amandeep never told them about the mental torture she was passing through. She was married to Varinder Singh in February 2011. She alleged that whenever they gave something to her on festive occasions, her mother-in-law used to demand cash instead of things. “Recently, my sister gave birth to a girl child. On the occasion, my father, who is a government employee, gifted a two-wheeler to her. However, her in-laws demanded more money,” she alleged. The family demanded stringent punishment for her in-laws so that no other girl met with such fate. Gurvinder Singh, SHO, cantonment police station, said a case under Sections 304-B, 498A and 34, IPC, had been registered against Varinder Singh, Sukhwinder Kaur and Samma Singh, who have been taken into custody. Narinder Singh, general secretary, Punjab State Karamchari Union, Bhakra Beas Management Board, and Madan Lal, senior vice-president, AITUC, who accompanied Teja Singh, father of the deceased, also sought strict action against the culprits.
	heart surgery GMC signs MoU with PGI Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 4 The Department of Medical Education and Research and the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) today at Chandigarh, to develop the super specialty of cardiothoracic surgery at the Government Medical College, Amritsar, for treatment of heart ailments. The department of cardiothoracic surgery at the Government Medical College, Amritsar, though fully equipped with space and infrastructure, is short of qualified surgeons, anaesthetists and perfusionists. The PGIMER, Chandigarh, which is fully equipped and performs all types of open heart surgeries, has trained manpower to help develop and start the facility of open heart surgery at the medical college, Amritsar. It has been agreed that the expert team consisting of cardiac surgeons, anaesthetist, perfusionist and nursing staff from the PGIMER, Chandigarh will visit the medical college, Amritsar, once in a fortnight for three days initially for a period of one year. This arrangement is likely to go a long way in reducing the burden and the waiting list at the PGI, Chandigarh. The MOU has been signed by Vini Mahajan, Principal Secretary, Punjab, and Dr Yogesh Chawla, Director, the PGIMER, in the presence of Anil Joshi, Minister of Medical Education and Research, Punjab and Dr KK Talwar, Advisor, Health and Medical Education, Punjab.
	Passport mela organised Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 4 The regional passport office organised a passport mela at the Passport Seva Kenra here today in which at least 500 applicants were facilitated. Regional Passport Officer JS Sodhi who was himself seen helping people at the reception counter said, “The mela was organised to shorten the waiting list of the applicants.” The regional passport office is facing a problem of more number of applicants which it cannot cater to on a usual working day. Sodhi said at least they have been able to shorten the waiting list by 500 people. The passport kendra here caters to the need of around 500 applicants daily. However, it is facing a manpower shortage to cater to the huge rush of passport seekers. Even the general applicants have often complained that they are facing a problem in getting the appointment for personal interviews. Sodhi said more such events would be organised in the coming days to tackle to the problem of passport seekers.
	Tobacco products’ sale on the rise Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 4 As it has come to light that the state government is planning to reduce taxes on tobacco products, a reply to an RTI query put by an NGO has revealed that the sale of tobacco products is incre asing from the past three years. The answer to the RTI query has revealed that the revenue collection from the sale of tobacco products has increased from Rs 95.77 cr to Rs 137.47 cr during the past three years. The Voice of Tobacco Victims, an organisation working to curb the use of tobacco products in the state and which had worked to influence the government to increase the taxes said the consumption was increasing from the past three years. The association member Prahlad Duggal said the increase in revenue of the state government indicated that the consumption had increased. He said the government should try to curb the usage as the substance was harmful for general public. The revenue of the state government from the sale of tobacco products in 2010-11 was Rs 95.77 cr, which rose to Rs 120.18 cr in 2011-12. The revenue collection rose to Rs 137.47 cr in 2012-13. Duggal said the state government was planning to reduce VAT on the cigarettes from 55 per cent which was increased in the current year to the previous level of 22.5 per cent, which would reduce the prices of the products. He said the reduction in prices would push the sale and it would be detrimental for the general public health. The association said the government should devise a plan to curb the tendency of use of tobacco products among the general public. He said any attempt of the government to yield to the pressure by the tobacco companies would lead to problems for the general public health. He said at least 24 lakh people in state were already using tobacco products in one form or another.
	Misuse of LPG cylinders rampant Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 4 Even as general domestic consumers are facing a shortage of LPG cylinders, these are rampantly being misused by various commercial establishments. The Food and Civil Supplies department had seized 38 such LPG cylinders being misused by commercial establishments in the city. Yesterday the department had initiated an inspection to curb the misuse of the domestic LPG cylinders. The domestic LPG cylinders have often being misused by the commercial establishments due to their lesser price. The commercial rates of the LPG cylinders are higher as comparison to the domestic cylinders which come in a 14 kg packing. The commercial establishments which range from small roadside vends to the renowned hotels in city are rampantly using domestic cylinders to earn more money. On the other hand large queues of residents can be seen outside the gas agencies in city to get supply of domestic LPG cylinders. Even as the government had set up a quota of nine subsidised cylinders for the domestic consumers, it has failed to curb the black marketing of the cooking gas. People said the misuse of domestic cylinders by commercial houses must be curbed so that the general public can avail the facility. District Food and Civil Supplies Controller Tarvidner Singh Chopra said the department was conducting raids to check the misuse of the domestic cylinders by the commercial establishments. He said strict action would be taken those commercial establishments found using domestic LPG cylinders.
	Drive on to fix reflectors on vehicles Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 4 The absence of reflectors on commercial vehicles operating in rural belts like tractor- trolleys and other goods carriers have become a major cause of accidents especially during foggy winter seasons. Concerned over the issue, the police department in collaboration with an NGO, Sarbat Da Bhala, a charitable trust, has launched a drive to fix reflectors on the rear side of such vehicles. While launching the drive, Ishwar Chander, Inspector General, Border Range, expressed hope that it would help in decreasing the number of road mishaps and saving the precious lives in such accidents. He assured all possible help to the trust and said the police department would spread awareness among residents to fix such reflectors on the vehicles. SPS Oberai, social activist and chairman of the trust, said, in the first phase the trust would put up reflectors on tractor-trolleys, scooters, cycles and other commercial vehicles with an expenditure of Rs 20 lakh.
	NSS volunteers visit Nishkaam School Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 4 Members of the NSS unit of BBK DAV College for Women visited Nishkaam School, which is being run for children belonging to the below poverty line families. During the visit, Sardaar Singh of the school welcomed the staff and the volunteers. Programme officer, Jaspreet Bedi addressed the students and appreciated the efforts of the school who work for giving equal right of education. NSS volunteers Simranjeet, Harsha and Dheerika, shared their views.
	3 die in accident Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 4 Three persons lost their lives, when a speeding car hit two persons, who were crossing the road and collided with a wrongly parked mini-bus which led to the death of the car driver. While two of the deceased were yet to be identified, the third victim who was travelling in the car was identified as Balwant Singh. The others who were travelling in the car also sustained serious injuries and were rushed to a hospital. The incident occurred near Khilchian bus stand yesterday. Avtar Singh, SHO, Khilchian police station, said Mandeep Singh who was reportedly driving the car had sustained serious injuries and was fighting for life in a private hospital, while his father Balwant Singh died on the spot. Amarpreet Kaur and Simarjit Kaur, who were travelling in the car, also sustained injuries. All the victims belonged to Ludhiana. A case has been registered.
	Four booked for cheating Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 4 The city police have booked four persons for allegedly duping four local youths of Rs 15 lakh on the pretext of sending them abroad. They have been identified as Gurdev Singh of Laah Naraingarh village, Haryana, Lakhwinder Singh of Melpuri village, Naraingarh, his unidentified wife and Gurmeet Singh alias Beenu. The victims who were duped by the accused were Gupreet Singh of Kot Sidhu Ajnala village, Sakattar Singh of MIadia village, Baljinder Singh of Shishrewal village and Manjinder Singh of Meera Kot Chowk village. The victims alleged that the accused took Rs 15 lakhs from them for sending them to Italy. However, neither they returned the money nor send them abroad. The police have registered a case under Section 420 and 120-B of the IPC. No arrest has been made so far.
	Three arrested for selling Chinese string Tribune News Service Amritsar, January 4 Despite ban orders, the sale of lethal Chinese kite string is continued unabated if the recent seizures of rolls of Chinese dor is anything to go by. The city police arrested three persons for selling Chinese string and recovered 160 rolls of string. Among those arrested including Vishal Khanna of Jhabal Road, Sanjit Kumar and his brother Rajesh Kumar of Ram Nagar, Sultanwind Road. The police confiscated 140 rolls of Chinese string from Vishal and 20 rolls from Sanjit and Rajesh. The police have registered a case under Section 188 of the IPC for violating ban orders of the district administration. They were later released on bail. The police authorities said Vishal Khanna was arrested following a tip-off. During investigating it was found that the accused used to sell the twine on double the price.
	FEEDBACK Amritsar Tribune invites feedback from its readers on issues of public concern relating to Amritsar city and the nearby areas. Readers can email their views to feedback.asr@gmail.com They can also send their views to: Feedback, Amritsar Tribune, Sector 29, Chandigarh - 160029. Letters sent by post must mention 'Feedback for Amritsar Tribune' on the envelope and it should be signed and must contain the address and telephone number. It should not be more than 150 words. Remove encroachments around Golden Temple My repeated letters regarding the encroachments around the Golden Temple in general and a stretch opposite Punjab & Sind Bank, adjacent to Dharam Singh Market in general, to the Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Amritsar, have fallen on deaf ears. Even an application under the RTI brings a flimsy excuse by their inspector in charge, Inderjit, who expresses his helplessness by saying that no sooner does their pick-up vehicles leave the area these encroachers are back again on the footpaths. I have often observed that these people are fore-warned of anti encroachment staff approaching and remove their stuff temporarily as a mere eyewash. The nexus is evident for everyone to conclude. With footpaths encroached, the devotees have no option but to walk on the roads leading to heavy congestion. I do hope the administration will wake up to this blatant violation of laws and realistic action is taken by the anti-encroachment staff rather than making periodic routine rounds. MS Anand, Amritsar Control canine population Stray dogs proliferate in thickly populated colonies mushrooming in the urban and suburban areas of Amritsar. According to a survey conducted by the Animal Husbandry Department, there are 37,599 stray dogs roaming on the roads and streets of Amritsar district. As a bitch rears successfully four puppies a year, the number of stray dogs is now spiralling out of control. The rising dog population has never been a matter of concern for the civic bodies (Municipal Corporation, municipalities and panchayats) entrusted with the job of controlling it. The strict ban on dog killing, the ever-increasing population of dogs and unproven approach to controlling its population have created a condition detrimental to public good and food resources. Despite the fact that five children died of dog bite in Verka (Amritsar, in 2004) the Municipal Corporation did not come out of its slumber to control the canine population. Dr Soshil Rattan, Amritsar