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Polio eradication drive from today
Civil Surgeon yet to get official residence
Student abducted in group clash, freed
GNDU Senate clears autonomous status for Khalsa College
US body focuses on Punjabi culture, social issues
Cops find clues in murder case
4 booked for firing shots
FROM SCHOOLS & COLLEGES
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Student dies while riding a bike
Amritsar, January 18 The father of a Class X student, Amarjit Singh, held the menace of underage driving as a failure on the part of the government agency concerned and said the school administration should prevent it. Sharing his experience, he said over years of exchange of thoughts with his teenaged children and their friends, he learnt that a majority of the students forced their parents to procure them the choicest bike after their peer group brought such bikes to their schools. He said the parents had to pay through their nose to fulfil the demand of their wards. Another parent, Khushdeep Kaur, pointed out that "pay a visit to any popular school in the city and it is clear that two-wheelers of different make are parked in or around its parking areas." Meanwhile, administrative authorities of various schools maintained that the responsibility rested upon the parents and the government department concerned. They did not exercise any control over matters beyond education as far as the students were concerned. A vigilant citizen Jagdev Singh said, "Look at prominent roads of the city and it is apparent that the juvenile bike and four-wheeler drivers were zipping past on the roads with impunity". There was an urgent need to prevent the menace. He said these teenaged drivers tended to drive at a high speed which multiplied chances of accidents.
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Health Department all set to register liquor vends
Amritsar, January 18 District Health Officer Dr Shivkaran Singh Kahlon said the Food and Drug Commissioner had earlier written a letter to the Excise and Taxation Department and had conveyed the development to it. He said all liquor shops with an annual turnover of over Rs 12 lakh were required to obtain a licence while those with a less turnover were required to get registered. He said around 650 food businesses in the city had so far obtained the licence. Kahlon said as the deadline for registration or getting the licence under the Act ended on February 4, the food businesses must hurry. Failure to register or obtain the licence would result in six months of imprisonment or a fine of up to Rs 5 lakh, said Kahlon, adding that all unregistered food businesses would be considered as illegal after the process for registration was complete on February 4. Dr Kahlon said the liquor contractors would have to file a separate application for each of the vends operated by them. The registration is mandatory for all food businesses involved at any stage of processing, manufacturing, catering or transportation. Kahlon said even karyana shops selling ingredients and chemist shops were required to register or obtain licence according to their annual turnover. Kahlon said as there were only few days left of the allotted time, the department was keen on registering more and more businesses. “The deadline for this had already been extended three times on separate occasions. And it is learnt that it will not be extended this time, so it is advisable that people must follow the instructions,” he said.
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Polio eradication drive from today
Amritsar, January 18 District Immunisation Officer Dr Jaspal Kaur said teams of the department would visit around 4,68,620 homes in district to immunise children in the age group of 0-5 years. She said the department had identified around 3,39,968 children in the district. Talking about the arrangements made for the three day drive, she said that 1,410 booths had been set up for the purpose. She said around 2,735 teams of department employees and volunteers would be working to make the drive successful.
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Civil Surgeon yet to get official residence
Amritsar, January 18 The Civil Surgeon's office here has a spacious bungalow adjoining it for the Civil Surgeon. However, the residence is still being used by the retired Civil Surgeon, Dr Yash Mitra. The sources at the office said that Dr Usha Bansal is still staying at Bachat Bhawan. While Dr Usha Bansal refused to comment, an official of the department said, "Usually it takes sometimes to vacate the official residence after transfer or retirement. But in some cases as this it takes longer than usual." The official said that an official residence alongside the office improves efficiency. "Besides officials can handle emergency situations more quickly if they are living near the office," said another official. Dr Mitra had relinquished the office in December after he was denied extension by the department. He could not be contacted for his comments on the situation.
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Student abducted in group clash, freed
Amritsar, January 18 The incident occurred in Government Senior Secondary School, Majitha, here today. However, prompt action by the police saved the victim who was thrown by the accused near Chetanpura village. According to the details, Harvinder Singh and Judgebir Singh, both students of plus two in the school had a minor scuffle over some petty issue. Before the situation worsened, other students intervened and resolved the issue. However, Judgebir Singh nursed a grudge against Harvinder. Today, when Harvinder was reportedly coming out of the school, Jugebir along with his accomplices identified as Sona, Rupa and Jagga intercepted him and after a scuffle bundled him into their car (PB-46-Z-0011) and sped away while firing in the air. Listening to the gun shot sounds, teachers came out of their classrooms. The accused reportedly warned them not to intervene and follow them. Sensing the danger to the life of the victim, the teachers of the school immediately informed the police which reached the spot.
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GNDU Senate clears autonomous status for Khalsa College
Amritsar, January 18 This was among many other decisions taken during the Senate meeting held on Tuesday. The Department of Commerce and Business Management will also be divided into two departments, i.e. Department of Commerce and University Business School from April 2014 as approved by the Senate. The governing body also gave approval to start geography and music as subjects in BA I and MSc (mathematics), one unit, and MA (economics), one unit, at the University College, Verka. Similarly, one unit each in MCom and MSc (computer science) will also be started from the next academic session at University College, Patti, University College, Chungh, and Bebe Nanaki University College, Mithra. One unit of the PGDCA will also be started at University College, Chungh. The Senate also accorded its approval to start BBA, BCA (three years), MSc-(math-two years) and MBA (five-year integrated course) from the next academic session at University College, Jalandhar. “Guru Nanak Dev University will be one of the best universities of the region with a state-of-the-art infrastructure and excellent research facilities in the near future,” said Prof AS Brar, Vice-Chancellor, while presiding over the meeting. The Vice-Chancellor said the university would also honour Prof Rajmohan Gandhi, an eminent social worker and grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, with honoris causa degree at its 40th annual convocation scheduled to be held on March 7. Similarly, Prof Ved Parkash, Chairman, University Grants Commission, New Delhi, and Prof Ajmer Singh Aulakh, prominent playwright and theatre director of the third generation of Punjabi drama, would also be conferred with honoris causa degrees on this occasion, he added. Professor Brar said the university would also prepare a road map in the field of higher education as desired by the Punjab government. “Almost all departments of the university have got a good amount of UGC grants because of a good track record. In the near future, the university will also start need-based courses and would enhance the number of seats in various courses which are in demand.” Earlier, Senators also put on record the contribution of Senate members who retired recently and also welcomed the new members.
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US body focuses on Punjabi culture, social issues
Amritsar, January 18 Starting at DAV College today, it will be shown to the students at different venues up to January 24. Films for social change were shown at the college. The AIF has picked up students from 20 high schools of Amritsar, Taran Taran and Abohar to run a campaign of social change. A programme on dance and music for social change will be held at the Art Gallery on January 22 and a student arts festival will be organised at Guru Nanak Bhawan on January 24. The motive of the event was to make the youth understand the social importance of films and how it could prove to be an effective tool in bringing about positive changes in society. More than 25 films ranging from short films to documentaries made on social issues by 20 schools were screened during the event. Some of these include “Vrat” and “Foods of Amritsar” by students of Vedic Girls Senior Secondary School, "Discipline" by Chheharta Girls High School, “Mera Pind” and “Do Raaste” by Shaheed Baba Deep Singh Public School. In addition to these, a documentary on Disability-Discrimination, Pendu Jivan and Cyber crime made by students of Janta Girls High School, Guru Khalsa High School and Sri Ram Ashram Public School, respectively, were also shown. Speaking on the occasion, Aamir Aijaz, Project Manager, AIF, said, “With the aim of facilitating opportunities for the students to connect with and take action in their community and the world, the project was conceived to motivate students to take initiative and explore the social issues existing in society. In order to spread awareness about the issues, students used the method of digital media for which the AIF provided guidance and supported them to learn the concept of films along with working and handling of camera. After learning all the techniques, the students themselves made films on their topics of interest. He said the AIF was the largest US-based non-profit organisation focused exclusively on India. The AIF had directly impacted the lives of 1.7 million Indians through programmes in the critical areas of education, livelihood, and public health in support of its mission of catalysing and accelerating social and economic change in India. The organisation has raised and deployed more than $80 million in support of these efforts while partnering with 225 Indian NGOs to build a trusted nationwide network for innovation, implementation at scale, and sustainability.
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400 students conferred with degrees
Amritsar, January 18 Justice TPS Mann of the Punjab and Haryana High Court delivered the convocation address and Justice Ranjit Singh Randhawa (retd), who is also a trustee of the college, presided over the function. In his address, Justice Mann urged the students to enhance their abilities for better career opportunities. The latest issue of the college News Bulletin was released by the chief guest. Justice Randhawa appreciated the achievements of the college and lauded the efforts of the college management in imparting job-oriented education in the region. College Principal Dr Navdeep Kaur presented the college report and highlighted the achievements of the college in the recent past. The college's Member-Director Jagdish Singh welcomed the guests and went into the history of the SSSS Group of Educational Institutions. Chandigarh University Vice-Chancellor Prof RS Bawa, who is also a trustee of the college, presented the vote of thanks.
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Bill machine awaits installation
Amritsar, January 18 The machine could have proved beneficial for a large number of populace, especially in the walled city, who had to stand in long queues waiting for their turn to deposit the power bills. As per the estimates, the PSPCL office at Hall Gate caters to around 40 per cent of consumers. A similar machine is already operational at the PSPCL office at present, but most of the time it remained defunct due to some technical snag, said people residing in nearby areas. Sources in the department on condition of anonymity said initially the machine could not be installed due to some reasons best known to officials concerned. Later, the contract with the company, responsible of installing the machine, got expired. There are six similar bill payment kiosks currently operational in various parts of the city, including Lawrence Road chowk, Sultanwind area, Verka, Ranjit Avenue and Tunda Talab area, besides one at the PSPCL office at Hall gate. This machine was also meant for installation at Hall Gate area. “Had it been installed, operational at that time, it would have been a boon for the residents of different localities coming to the PSPCL office,” said the sources. City circle Superintendent Engineer SK Chawla said the machine could not be installed as its software was not compatible with other machines set up earlier by a new company. PSPCL Chief Engineer (border zone) NK Gandhi said the machine would be installed soon after configuring the software.
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Strike by class IV corporation employees enters Day 4
Amritsar, January 18 Piles of garbage placed on narrow, winding lanes and by-lanes of the city has littered all over the roads as the traffic passed over it due to limited space. Sushil Kumar Binta, a trader, who runs a shop near historic Lohgarh Gurdwara , said entire narrow stretch from Lohgarh to Katra Dullo was stinking and there was little space left for pedestrians. He said persons on foot covered their noses to pass from the stretch, but shopkeepers had no alternative as they had to sit in their shops the entire day. Surinder Kumar, a resident of Katra Parja inside Hathi Gate, said non-lifting of scattered garbage had made the road surface slippery. Consequently, two-wheeler riders were skidding frequently. Higher the speed, higher the chances of fall, he added. Fateh Singh, a resident of Chatti Khuhi, said if the situation continued for next few days, it could cause an alarming health problem. He reasoned that as per the 2011 census the population of the city was 11.20 lakh, including four lakh in the walled city. Continued lapse in removal of garbage could pose a serious health risk to residents. He said since the matter involved the city of the Golden Temple, considered the most visited place by tourists and devotees, the state government should intervene to resolve the problem swiftly. MC Commissioner DPS Kharbanda said he held a meeting with inspectors of the Sanitary Department today. He said approaching roads to the Golden Temple and area around it were being cleaned by the already engaged private agency. He appealed to the agitating safai karamcharis to shun the path of confrontation as their demands could be met by the government and the MC had no powers to fulfil them. He said, “Being a resident of the Guru ki Nagri, it is our duty to keep it clean and dirt free as lakhs of tourists visit the place daily.” He said if protesting employees did not abandon the path of agitation then the corporation would be forced to take alternate step like hiring private employees. In case they prevented private employees from doing work then the police help would be taken. Various state unions of Class IV employees have complained that the proposal to set up a solid waste management plant in the city through private parties would harm their interests, adding that their other demands had also not been met by the state government.
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Cops find clues in murder case
Amritsar, January 18 SP (D) Jasdeep Singh said the police had found vital clues and the case would hopefully be solved in next couple of days. The needle of suspicion reportedly points toward the involvement of his colleagues in the crime. According to police officials, he was beaten to death by unidentified culprits, who had later thrown his body in the well located in fields. The family members of the deceased said he was robbed and then killed. Jagjit used to work as a peon with a firm at the Mahan Singh Gate. His body was discovered by the labourers working in the field of Balwinder Singh, when stench emanated from a bore well located in the fields. They informed the police, which pulled out the body and identified it as that of Jagjit Singh. Meanwhile, the police was yet to identify the man, whose headless body was found from the Airport road a couple of days ago. He was stabbed to death and later beheaded by culprits. The body was found in semi-nude condition. The police authorities said the identity of the deceased could not be established. The body was cremated after completing the necessary formalities. It was kept at mortuary for 72 hours before cremation.
— TNS
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4 booked for firing shots
Amritsar, January 18 He said when they reached near the spot, they found around four persons consuming liquor in the open and firing in the air, which created a panic in the area. As soon as the police team reached the spot, the unidentified accused fled in a car (PB-46-L-3326). “The vehicle belongs to Tarn Taran area. We will be able to identify the accused soon with the help of registration number of the vehicle,” said Nishan Singh. He said a case under Sections 336 (doing an act which endangers the human life or the personal safety of others) and 34 of the IPC, besides 25/54/59 of the Arms Act has been registered against the accused.
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Historian depicts Maharaja Ranjit Singh's regime through exhibition
Amritsar, January 18 The art historian from Canada, presented a unique ‘pictorial lecture’ on Maharaja Ranjit Singh and Court of Lahore Darbar’ at Khalsa College recently. He showed rare paintings and pictures relating Maharaja’s times and shed light on the role of European officers in his court. The paintings, sourced from various private and art gallery collections, were originals from the era. “The exhibition essentially focuses on the foreign generals and close aides of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and also the additional material apart from the popular works we know about him,” said the academician. “Most of them are sourced from Emily Eden’s work, a British aristocrat, who accompanied the then Governor General of British India. She made a vivid account of Maharaja’s kingdom. Her memoirs throw light on the significant aspects of his rule,” said the historian. Marwaha presented interesting accounts of foreign officers serving in Ranjit Singh's army and working in his court. “Maharaja had Germans, French and Italians serving in his court. Jean Francois Allard, who built ‘fauj-i-khas’, the unique military group of Maharja Ranjit Singh, Jean Baptiste Ventura, who modernised Khalsa Army and Johann Martino Honingberger, all came from foreign lands,” explained Marwaha. He said old painting records confirmed that Maharaja’s vast rule was secular and modern in character, as is the popular belief. “These paintings are remarkable, like some facts that once his regime came to an end, Maharaja Ranjit Singh spent rest of his life in England. And his son was believed to have served in military regiment in Canada, making him probably the first Indian to set foot in Canada. All these interesting details intrigue me more,” said Marwaha. Calling his interest ‘pure passion’ to put together interesting details about Sikh history, Marwaha said though his profession differed from his passion, he was part of a group voluntarily working to put up exhibitions across Canada and India. “It’s not a particular area of research for me, just a passion. I approach private collectors, source out from museums and scholars to enrich myself and others,” he added. Marwaha had been an advisor on various boards of prominent academic institutions in Canada. The exhibition created by him was first mounted by Sikh Foundation of Canada at Royal Museum, Toronto. Ask him about some striking successes of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s regime and he points out a few, “The success of his regime is because he respected and created space for everyone, whether religion or individuals.” As for the exhibition, it too had highlighting points of the same with the works like his court, shield bearing miniatures of his family and generals of the court and some of the salient features of his kingdom.
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FROM SCHOOLS & COLLEGES Amritsar: A safety awareness interactive session was held today at International Fateh Academy in collaboration with Traffic Education Cell, Amritsar district (rural). Van drivers and students (age-group 11 to 15 years) of the academy attended the seminar. They were made aware of traffic rules in detail. Consequences of rash driving, mixing drinking with driving and use of mobile phone while driving, were shown pictorially. The importance of traffic symbols and to follow them religiously was brought home to them. Senior students of Social Service Club of the academy helped to put reflectors on the rear of buses and others vehicles on GT Road and to spread the message of safe driving. Jandiala Guru DSP GS Kaler was also present at the seminar. He encouraged the gathering to follow traffic rules to avoid any kind of inconvenience or mis-happenings. Lecture on issues that concern life
CKD Institute of Management and Technology organised a guest lecture on “5 questions that will change your life” on their campus today. Resource person Nitesh Kaushik, an MTech (science and bioengineering) from Tampere University of Technology, Finland, has seven years of experience in research and development in life science industry and entrepreneurship. He is currently a co-founder and director- planning and product development, Sofoli Group. Engaging students with real life examples and from his very own career path, Nitesh said, “Fortunate are those who encounter many problems in their lives. As they face obstacles, they learn to overcome them, learn ways to tackle them, become stronger, gain experience and as a result, grow in leaps and bounds.” He said there might be many achievements that are worthy of pride, but if the problem in question was not big enough, there was very less happiness in being successful. Instigating students to write down their short-term and long-term goals, he said, “Make your goals known, irrespective of what people might say. Only then will you work with a sense of responsibility and commitment.” He said by publicising one’s goals, one created tremendous pressure on one’s own self to attain goals and subsequently pushed his limits and stretched his imagination to leave no stone unturned. He listed out the qualities of a professional - passion, confidence, vision, ethics and values - which had to be driven according to one’s choices. With one’s own action points, one should drive himself to achieve them, he added. Stressing on the importance of planning, he said, “You might be surprised at how much you can accomplish by charting a plan for yourself and aiming to attain your targets bit by bit.” Students attended the session with enthusiasm.
— TNS
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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 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. Holy city needs revamp The holy city of Amritsar is daily visited by thousands of domestic and foreign tourists and religious devotees. It is also a world class state-of-the-art destination for ophthalmic services and other medical disciplines at Fortis. Traditional Punjabi cuisines and unadulterated outgoing urbane Punjabi culture are its hallmark. Bypass road to Wagah Border, the flyover connecting the city with GT Road and Kacheri Chowk fly-over have minimised traffic snarls and hassles. Now, the immediate need is to refurbish the functioning of the MC, Improvement Trust and the local administration for city’s beautification by experienced professionals. Smooth traffic flow, modern public transport, provision of public toilets (and maintaining the existing ones), speed-breakers, garbage disposal system, litter boxes, stopping of honking, loud music in vehicles, footpath maintenance, efficient sewerage system and corruption free policing — with action-oriented monitoring are now needed. BM SINGH, Amritsar Remove all encroachments
The orders of the Deputy Commissioner to “remove encroachments from near Golden Temple” as published in Amritsar Tribune (January 16), is a welcome step. Why to remove encroachments from near Golden Temple? All roads should be free from encroachments. The Amritsar Municipal Corporation should earmark spaces for rerhiwalas so that they can carry on their profession as has been done in Chandigarh. The corporation has failed to remove encroachments from the town. It does not have the required manpower to manage the area under its jurisdiction. The job should be entrusted to police stations concerned. DR CHARANJIT SINGH, Dayton (Ohio), USA
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