Amritsar, May 3
The importers and exporters have demanded the introduction of container services at the Integrated Check Post at Attari to avoid harassment to the businessmen. It has been observed that in several cases, illicit arms and contraband are being smuggled in trucks which adversely affect business.

General secretary of the Shawl Club of India, Piara Lal Seth, said, "Setting up an Inland Container Depot (ICD) was the logical way forward and there should be no problem in doing so as both the countries have already agreed to the containerised movement of goods."

He said the move augurs well for bilateral trade. He, however, felt that the ICP could only be a game-changer if the negative list for trade was implemented at the Attari border and the rail route was brought under the ambit of the ICP.

Currently, Pakistan has restricted the list of importable items through Wagah to a meagre 137. He felt that once the rail route that is hardly 400 metres away from the ICP, finds access into it, the goods being imported through the trains could be handled properly. “It will serve two purposes — first, it will drastically curtail the threat of contraband smuggling in goods train and secondly, it will serve as an alternative to the rail cargo facility in Amritsar which is in a shambles,” he added.

India and Pakistan had resumed trade engagement at the ministerial level in January this year by announcing a series of steps, including 24x7 trade activity at the Attari-Wagah border, allowing the movement of container cargo, opening of bank branches, issuing more business visas and setting up a non-discriminatory market access (NDMA) programme in both the countries, Seth quipped.

This was announced after a bilateral meeting between Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma and his visiting Pakistani counterpart Khurram Dastgir Khan in New Delhi on January 18.

Importer and exporter Rajan Bedi said the government now intended to acquire another 200 to 250 acres adjacent to the existing ICP premises in Attari to improve trade facilities. At present, the ICP is spread over 120 acres.

On the other hand, Jamhuri Kisan Sabha leader Rattan Singh Randhawa said if the government intended to acquire more land adjacent to the ICP in Attari, then it should provide adequate compensation to the farmers, besides facilitating employment to their family members.

Amritsar, May 3
Unidentified persons took away a bag containing Rs 8 lakh after breaking the windowpane of a car parked outside an under-construction building located just adjoining the official residence of the Police Commissioner on Mall road here today. The incident took place in broad daylight.

The Skoda car (PB-02-BU-Temp-8918) belongs to Mahinder Singh, a resident of a locality situated near the Police Line on Lawrence road. He is also the owner of the under-construction mall where the incident took place. As per the information, he had gone inside the building to oversee the work. However, when he returned after half an hour, he found the windowpane of the rear seat broken and a bag containing Rs 8 lakh missing. He immediately informed the police.

Shiv Nath, Additional SHO, said there was laxity on the part of the owner who left the money and the car unattended outside that building. He should have deputed one of the labourers to look after the car until he returns. He said the police have registered a case of theft in this connection and further investigations have been started.

Ironically, the official residence of the Police Commissioner is located near the building and a couple of cops remain at the gate for security reasons. However, they also failed to notice the movements of unscrupulous persons who had committed the crime. Police Commissioner Jatinder Singh Aulakh said that prime facie, it is a case of negligence on the part of the owner who left the car unattended even though huge cash was kept inside. "We are working on it and looking for CCTV footage near the spot if any," he said.

Amritsar, May 3
With counting for the Lok Sabha elections still two weeks away, the district administration has made a three-tier security system in order to provide tight security at the sealed strong rooms where EVM machines have been kept after the Lok Sabha polls were held in the region on April 30.

Besides, these strong rooms have also been kept under CCTV camera surveillance in view of the directions of the Election Commission of India (ECI).

As per the guidelines of the ECI, the three-tier security arrangement, including the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), will guard the inner circle followed by the state armed police force that will form the second tier while the outer ring of the three-tier security would be the responsibility of the local police.

Therefore, the responsibility for ensuring the security of the strong rooms is given to the paramilitary force while the inner ring is secured by the Punjab Armed Police. The city police is deployed on the outer ring in the three-tier security plan.

Jatinder Singh Aulakh, Commissioner of Police, confirmed that every strong room is guarded under the three-tier security system.

He said senior police officials have been asked to visit these strong rooms to supervise the security arrangements.

The strong room at the Medical College contained the EVMs of the rural assembly segments including Rajasansi and Ajnala besides the Amritsar North assembly constituency.

The EVMs of Tarn Taran constituency have been stored at the strong room at the Mall Road School while the remaining EVMs of Attari, Majitha, Amritsar West, Central, South and East assembly constituencies have been kept at Khalsa College, it has been learnt. Every strong room is guarded by 20 police jawans, 15 PAP jawans and five CRPF jawans.

The CCTV cameras have been installed for 24x7 vigilance inside the strong room, entry gate of the strong room and the inner and the outer periphery to check suspicious movements near the strong room.

Amritsar, May 3
Trying to live up to the reputation of being the 'theatre capital' of the state, Amritsar has never had a dearth of creative talent. The problem though is the side lanes. Having two prominent cultural spaces in the city with Virsa Vihar and Punjab Natshala, the Punjabi language stage doesn't lack in inspiration.

Yet a remarkable collection of literary history stored in these spaces has been lying dormant through time.

With over 200 students coming to the city to attend workshops and gain experience in theatre, the literary sources of the history of theatre and stories by popular Punjabi playwrights remain behind the closed doors at the libaries. The Dhani Ram Chatrik Library at Virsa Vihar is one such example.

Espousing great works in Punjabi theatre, work and popular compilations of Punjabi playwrights containing the history of famous Punjabi folklore, with a collection of 5,000 books in Punjabi, Hindi and English literature, the library is yet to get noticed.

“We have been trying to encourage a footfall by organising exhibitions of the collection of rare books at the library. Since all the books in the collection have been donated by prominent writers and scholars of the city, the library doesn’t compromise on quality," informs Kewal Dhaliwal, director, Virsa Vihar. But despite this, it still doesn’t have any takers.

“The library, which could be turned into a major attraction since it contains books on most topics related to Punjabi theatre, its playwrights, stories and other facts, has been out of anybody's focus.

There are books on Punjabi and Sufi poetry, popular stories on which several acclaimed Punjabi plays have bee staged, folklores and legends of Punjab. Even theatre students who come here for workshops do not pay attention,” says Parminderjit, editor of the Akhar magazine which is published from the premises.

Automatised the popular theatre culture, books do not find any mention, agrees Jatinder Brar, patron of Punjab Natshala. "About 10 years back, we had opened a library at Punjab Natshala, where works on Punjabi theatre were kept for everybody to access. But we didn't get a good response and it became tough to maintain, so we had to shut it down. Since then, it is only live activities, but not the written word that has been on Punjabi theatre's mind," he shares.

One has to make an attempt to revive them, one has to encourage reading about theatre even among the students learning theatre.

"Reading about the history of our theatre, its popular influence and the legends of the genre will help us groom better talent. One has to ensure that the cultural libraries become a striking element, even for those outside theatre talent who visit during the theatre festivals," believes Parminderjit.

Amritsar, April 3
Even as it is always the public which complains about the shortcomings at government health institutions, the doctors too are not immune to hardships and official apathy. The operation theatre of the orthopaedic department at Guru Nanak Dev Hospital here has its air-conditioners lying defunct for over a year now.

The surgeons at the department said it is difficult to concentrate on surgeries during the summers due to hot weather. “One cannot concentrate with sweat flowing through one's face. The air-conditioners have been lying defunct for a long time,” said a doctor.

After the air-conditioners, now the water supply to the operation theatre has also been stopped. “For the last two days, water has to be fetched from other places for the surgeries,” said the doctor, adding that water is required for cleaning equipment and washing hands.

The employees at the hospital said the water supply has developed a problem as a result of which the supply has been hindered. The doctors said lack of sufficient funds for the expenses of government health institutions is affecting facilities such as free medicines introduced in the public health sector.

Guru Nanak Dev Hospital is an institute for clinical training of the medical students of Government Medical College. “The institute is the biggest in the public sector in the Majha region. What can people expect from other institutions, if the biggest one does not have the resources to provide suitable working condition to its doctors,” said a faculty member.

The college had earlier reported the defunct refrigeration system of the mortuary which is used to preserve the dead bodies for imparting practical training to the students. The college authorities had earlier said that a proposal for installing a new system has been sent.

Amritsar, April 3
Farmers have asked the Mandi Board to provide more sheds at mandis in view of their produce getting damaged in the rain. With few sheds at most of the grain markets in the district, farmers are forced to unload their produce in the open.

“The procurement agencies will not purchase our produce if the moisture content is higher than the stipulated percentage. So, we can’t afford to unload our harvest in the open,” said Lakhwinder Singh of Wadalli village near Chehharta grain market. The farmers said as they paid market fee to Punjab Mandi Board, it had the responsibility to provide sheds. The district has around 58 grain procurement centres with Bhagatwala Grain Market being the largest. Even the Bhagatwala market does not have enough sheds. Meanwhile, Mandi Board officials said the proposal to construct sheds was in the pipeline. An official said plastic sheets had been provided to commission agents to cover grains during th rain. — TNS

Amritsar, May 3
Although the government has enacted laws to prevent any damage or defacement of the historical monuments, yet the act is being ignored with impunity.

Ram Bagh (also known as Company Bagh), a sprawling summer palace set up by Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1819 on 84 acres bears a testimony to the careless attitude of the authorities concerned in preserving the rich heritage.

The sorry state of affairs right from the Deori of Ram Bagh, the main entrance to the summer palace complex. Defying the norms, the makeshift shops and tea stalls have come up along its outer boundary wall.

Besides encroaching the pedestrian path, the shopkeepers have also been damaging the monument.

The smoke and oil vapours emanating from the stoves and gas burners used to prepare tea, snacks is damaging the monument. Daily commuters say some persons prepare their food on stoves at this place.

As per the archaeological experts’ opinion, smoke and oil settle on the crust of walls and damage the surface, which cannot be restored. Such acts should be stopped immediately, say the experts.

“This building has been declared as protected monument of national importance due to its artistic and architectural importance. The local authorities are hardly bothered about protecting the heritage structure,” said an official of the Archaeological Survey of India on the condition of anonymity.

The residents, who used to come here for a walk in the evening, said due to laxity on the part of the authorities concerned, these ‘khokas’ had also been harbouring unscrupulous elements.

“Every evening or early morning you can find people smoking banned intoxicants or sitting idle on the pedestrian path. This has deterred us from coming here. It is ridiculous?” said Unkar Singh, who has been residing in the city for the past 55 years.

What the official notice issued by the Deputy Commissioner say: This monument is protected under the Punjab Ancient and Historical Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act-1964. Any person, who destroys, defaces or imperils this monument in any manner, is liable to be punished with fine of Rs 5,000 or six months imprisonment, or both.

official speak
This is objectionable. I will send my team to remove encroachments from the heritage site.
dps kharbandaa,
municipal commissioner

Amritsar, May 3
The Lok Sabha election, held on April 30, dampened the sale of gold jewellery on Akshaya Tritaya, considered as one of the most auspicious day for purchasing gold. As per the gold retailers, the district has recorded a dip in the sale of gold and diamonds during this period.

President of the Bullion and Ornaments Merchants Welfare Association Charanjit said it was difficult to quantify the dip in sales as there was no agency monitoring the sales and the entire trade was in the hands of the retailers, who were spread in various parts of the city. He said the customer response was also lacklustre.

The dip in demand also delayed the arrival of raw material from the markets of Mumbai and Delhi, added Charanjit. He said the huge shortage of material affected the trade since the announcement of the Lok Sabha elections.

A gold trader, Anil Kumar Jain, said the customers did not show any enthusiasm as the prices of the yellow metal were hovering around Rs 30,000 per 10 gram. He said over the years, the constant rise in the price of the gold had forced the customers to buy the metal in small quantity.

“Gold ornament retailers were expecting an impressive turnout of customers on Akshaya Tritaya, but the buyers remained absent during this period also,” he said. He blamed the coinciding of Akshaya Tritaya with the General Elections for this.

It was very difficult to predict the quantum of the fall in demand, but it was certain that traditionally the best-buy gold jewellery was off the priority list of shoppers this time, added Jain.

Amritsar, May 3
DAV Public School organised a workshop on disaster management on the school premises. Surjit Sharma, honorary deputy chief warden of Civil Defence and master trainer of disaster management, an alumnus of the National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM), conducted the workshop.

The seminar dealt with the preparedness to tackle natural and man-made disasters and alleviating its effects. Sharma discussed various techniques and strategies to be adopted in case of a disaster to safeguard both life and property. He made the school staff and teachers familiar with three types of disasters — natural, man-made and hybrid.

Increased necessities lead to natural disaster, he said, and suggested measures to be adopted for school safety. He stressed on training teachers and students to tackle any type of disaster.

Regional director, Amritsar zone, Neelam Kamra, principal of BBK DAV College for Women and manager of the school KN Kaul applauded the efforts of the management for arranging such workshops. They said to be prepared for any such calamity at all times was the need of the hour.

Principal of DAV School Neera Sharma thanked the resource person Surjit Sharma for his informative lecture. She presented a token of gratitude to the guest and said it was very important to have the infrastructure for dealing with emergency situations. It becomes pertinent in case of a school for the safety of the students, she added.

Amritsar, May 3
The three-day All-India Ranking Championship Tournament for Under-14 boys and girls began at Maharaja Ranjit Singh Tennis Complex in Ram Bagh Gardens here today. Following is the results of the different matches.

In the first round for boys in the Under-14 category, Calvin Golmei (CHD) beat Saksham Kamboj (HAR) 4-0, 4-0; Apte Onkar (PB) beat Abhay Mohan (CHD) 5-3, 4-2; Ishaan Anirudh (Uttarakhand) beat Shashikant Rajput (CHD) 4-1, 4-2; Neeraj Yashpal (CHD) beat Bhupinder Dahiya (CHD) 4-1, 4-2; Jaskaran Singh (CHD) beat Daksh Chabbra (PB) 4-0, 4-1; Jasmanpreet Singh (PB) beat Jaiaditya Goho (WB) 4-1, 4-2; Sahaj Punj (CHD) beat Gunraj Singh (PB) 4-1, 4-1; Sahishnu Sharma (CHD) beat Kavan Dev Sandhu (HAR) 4-0, 4-0.

In the first round for girls in the Under-14 category, Alisha Menon (PB) beat Ojasvi Khanna (PB) 4-1, 4-1; Prince Panchal (CHD) beat Srishty Dhir (CHD) 4-1,4-0; Priyanka Jakhar (CHD) beat Nikita Kharangra (CHD) 4-2, 4-1; Rahat Mangat (PB) beat Bindu Kulhriya (CHD) 5-4, 5-3; Sehaj Vir Bhandal (PB) beat Sangrika Singh (HAR) 5-3, 4-2; and Nimrat Kang (PB) beat Nitya Aggarwal (PB) 4-1, 4-1.

Amritsar, May 3
The Regional Passport Office (RPO) held a passport mela here today to facilitate applicants, who had been facing a difficulty in securing an appointment for completing the process for procuring a passport. The office had issued 500 appointment slots to ease the rush and 404 persons were issued tokens.

Regional Passport Officer JS Sodhi said, “The passport mela will help reduce the rush.” He said as many as 363 persons were issued passports today. Fifty-nine files were issued because of incomplete documentation. Sodhi said as many as 27 files had been kept pending due to various reasons. He said the mela would help in reducing the rush at the office. — TNS

Amritsar, May 3
Many city students today cracked the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE-main) to qualify for admission in undergraduate engineering programmes at NITs, IIITs, other centrally funded technical Institutions and those institutes funded by participating state governments.

As many as 11 students of Khalsa College Public School managed to pass the entrance test.

The names and marks of the student, who passed the JEE-main are: Sukhjit Kaur 120, Amritpal Singh 125, Prem Singh 131, Sangandeep Singh 144, Abishek 147, Jasbir Singh 147, Malwinder kaur 156, Shahbaj Singh 173 and Tajinder Singh 176, all from the general category, Lovepreet Thind 91 (OBC) and Nidhi Sharma 82 (SC).

Principal of the school Sarvjit Kaur Brar said it was the hard work of the students and guidance of their teachers which brought good results.

She hoped that the students would manage to get seats in prestigious institutes of the country in the courses of their choice.

She said according to the changed pattern, these students now stood among the top 20 per cent in their X+II board examinations. They would now be eligible to appear in the JEE advance test to be conducted by the IITs for admission in various undergraduate engineering courses.