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Regularisation of illegal hotels, guest houses, inns around Golden Temple
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Woman alleges rape by ASI
Amritsar, July 20 A local resident today lodged a complaint with the National SC Commission that an Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) raped and sold her to a 50-year-old man at Sangrur. Rajkumar Verka, Vice-Chairman, National SC Commission, has directed the Assistant Commissioner of Police (West) to hold an inquiry in this regard.
MC to constitute team to monitor water supply
Depleting green cover—I: Better amritsar
Better amritsar depleting green belt—I
Traders demand simplification of VAT return forms
Joshi gives Rs 10 lakh cheque to Govt Girls Sr Sec School
Teachers’ union elects office-bearers
I am learning to cook for world, says master chef
Langar samitis accuse J&K police of bias
The injured pilgrims, who were holding langar at Baltal base camp, where a clash erupted a couple of days ago, address mediapersons in Amritsar on Sunday. Photo: Vishal Kumar
Intoxicants recovered from inmate
From Schools & Colleges Staff of the Civil Engineering Department of Amritsar College of Engineering and Technology at the opening of the national seminar in Amritsar on Saturday. A Tribune Photograph
Mobile dealers booked
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Regularisation of illegal hotels, guest houses, inns around Golden Temple GS Paul Tribune News Service
Amritsar, July 20 Substantiating his claim, Prabodh C Bali, on behalf of the Amritsar Civil Society and the NGOs, had written a letter to the Secretary, Local Bodies, Punjab, Ashok Gupta, to review the proposed plan as it would be a hindrance to the beautification project around the holy shrine. Nonetheless, the MC in its general house meeting conducted on July 11, had passed a resolution vide Agenda Serial No.26, Item No.26/K/ (6) SA, that 125 commercial hospitality units running around the Golden Temple be considered under the ambit of compoundable offence as per the Municipal Building Bylaws 1976 as a 'one time settlement' policy. This was the prime agenda of the meeting, but was placed in the supplementary list attached to the main agenda. Bali said the resolution was not valid in the eyes of the law as it has not been circulated within the stipulated timeframe, observing Section 57 of Punjab Municipal Corporation Act 1976. "It was a mandatory clause to present the agenda items to the councillors at least 72 hours before the start of the meeting of the house of councillors. The agenda item regarding regularisation of hotels was put as supplementary agenda. It was circulated right at the time of meeting i.e. at 11 am. Over all, there is no provision in law at all for presenting any supplementary agenda as per the PMC Act or rules made there under," he said. The regularisation of unauthorised constructions so resolved is not valid and legal in the light of various High Court judgments. As per the judgment dated October 04, 2008 in CWP 4886 of 2003 at page 7, Para II, it was strictly mandated, "The directions issued by this court on February 10, 2004 restraining the state government from regularising unauthorised encroachments and constructions, provided that such encroachments are other than by the government or public institutions" Whereas already a PIL is pending in the High Court filed by petitioner Sarabjit Singh Verka against the mushrooming of illegal hotels, guest houses and inns, the next date of hearing is August 23. The local authorities had already sent a report of regularising these units to the Local Bodies Ministry. "This will be tantamount to interfering in the High Court proceedings in the writ petition case," said Bali. Bali said he had approached the Secretary, Local Bodies, demanding that all legal aspects be taken into consideration before taking any final decision. "We have proposed that the buildings of the under questioned units may please not be allowed to run as hotels or guest houses but alternatively, these buildings may be allowed to remain as it is but be used for general purpose like trading shops, markets or stores to save the loss of the owners as well as to save hygiene of Golden Temple and Walled City area around," he said.
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Woman alleges rape by ASI
Amritsar, July 20 The victim stated that an ASI, identified as Satnam Singh, had raped her. He was known to her father and used to visit their home. One day, when she was alone at home, he raped her and threatened not to disclose anything to her family members. Otherwise, he would book all the members and put them in jail in a false case of drugs. She said she did not tell anything to her family. Later, he took her to Sangrur while promising her family that he would get her married to an eligible person. She alleged the accused got her married to a 50-year-old man a year ago. The 50-year-old used to assault her and told her that he had procured her for Rs 50,000. She managed to escape from his clutches and returned home and told her tale of woes to the family. She said as they had filed a complaint with the police in this connection, the police were taking the side of the accused police offical.Verka directed the ACP (West), Gursharan Singh, to hold an impartial probe and submit a report to the commission soon. In another instance, a 13-year-old girl appeared before the commission and alleged that she was raped by her neighbours who also clicked her photographs and threatened to upload them on the internet. Verka asked Baljit Singh, DSP, posted with the Amritsar rural police, to immediately arrest the culprit. The DSP told the panel that the accused was arrested by the police while another accused who clicked the photographs would also be arrested soon.
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MC to constitute team to monitor water supply
Amritsar, July 20 Admitting the flaws in the water supply system, MC Commissioner Pardeep Sabharwal said a team of 10-12 officials would be constituted to monitor the water supply. This team would be focusing mainly on rectifying the water supply snags, including keeping the tube wells in a good condition. There are around 350 tube wells installed in the municipal limits. More addition is being made as new tube wells are being inaugurated almost daily by Cabinet Minister Anil Joshi and Mayor Bakshi Ram Arora. But need was felt to frame a policy to maintain them on a regular basis. The reason being that in most of the areas, due to lack of maintenance, the residents are still receiving muddy and rusty water in their taps. Another aspect that has come to light during the Municipal Corporation House meeting held on July 11, was that the water supply lines get damaged by the telephone and cable companies which lay their infra set- up underneath and seldom care about causing damage to the water supply lines while digging the earth. It is the system of distribution and maintenance which is old and poorly maintained. In most of the localities, water supply gets mixed with sewage at several places because of breakages as there is an inadequate gap between both the lines. The result is that there are fair chances of water supply getting mixed with the sewerage supply line. With absolutely no scientific way of water treatment in place and a majority of tubewells lying in a dilapidated state, the city residents are facing a scarcity of water and are also forced to consume unsafe water. Superintending Engineer Jaswinder Singh said, "Most of the time, the water supply pipes are damaged by these very companies." With no follow-up action, these companies, both the government and private, go scot-free after damaging the underground water supply pipeline. Municipal Commissioner Pardeep Sabharwal said at present, work in this direction was being done on a trial and error basis, but now a dedicated team would be there to monitor the water supply system. "The decision to constitute a special team was taken recently. This team would be fully equipped to deal with any emergent situation in case some snag occurred in the water supply system. “Similarly, this team would also keep an eye on the companies which damage the underground water supply pipeline and take follow-up action against the erring companies," he said.
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Depleting green cover—I: Better amritsar PK Jaiswar Tribune News Service
Amritsar, July 20 In past 24 hours, two women were looted by the gang in separate instances in the Division D and Cantonment police station area here. The gang also includes two women which enact a drama to trap the victims. Vijay Kumari of the Katra Moti Ram locality inside Hathi Gate area told the police that yesterday when she was on her way to purchase vegetables, a woman approached her and asked to meet her mother-in-law who was sitting in a car. She said she first resisted but as the woman again insisted, she went to meet her mother-in-law. When she approached the car, they bundled her in the car and hypnotised her. Later, they decamped with her gold bangles weighing around 30 grams. Prem Lata, a resident of Jujhar Nagar, became a victim of the gang. She reported to the police that when she was coming out of the Mata Lal Devi Temple, a woman took her to a nearby car on the pretext of meeting her mother. She said the accused made her sit in the car and later hypnotised her and took away her gold bangles. She said they later dropped her near Shivaji Park and fled. Interestingly, the police have registered two separate cases under different Sections of the IPC. While in one case, the police have lodged a robbery case, in the second case, the police have registered a forgery case Police Commissioner Jatinder Singh Aulakh said the matter was in their notice and the police teams had some vital leads about the gang. He assured that the gang members would be arrested soon.
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Better amritsar depleting green belt—I Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service
Amritsar, July 20 The unattended green belts easily become dumping grounds leading to health hazards, besides damaging the environment. Company Bagh and Gole Bagh are being continuously used as garbage dumps. There are 375 parks spread over 385 acre in 65 wards of the city. Besides there A large portion of Gol Bagh continues to be without greenery and in absence of proper maintenance it is being used to dump refuse. Besides, many automobile workshops and families occupying makeshift houses are releasing sewerage in Gol Bagh. Its central park has been beautifully landscaped with ornamental flowers and trees. But thousands of square yards were still lying unused in Gol Bagh. The historic bagh is said to have hosted several anti-British rallies before Independence. The rear side of the bagh, along Truck Wali Road, is being used to store parts of under-repair vehilcles. Moreover, discharge of waste has turned the ground into a marshy land. The unused area of the park has allegedly become a haven for anti-social elements and beggars.
Swings at the children’s park are also in a poor shape. Majority of the development works in the park was carried out with the grant of Rs 50 lakh, which local leader Lakshmi Kanta Chawla had allotted from her discretionary funds during her tenure as a minister in the previous term of the SAD-BJP government. Punjab’s first herbal garden was opened in a part of Gol Bagh in 2010, but none of the 30 saplings of kachnar, brahmi, amaltas, amla, vasa and kawargandal could bloom. The park is now being used to throw refuse and as play ground by children. The historic Ram Bagh Gardens, which housed the summer palace of legendary Maharaja Ranjit Singh, is also being routinely used as dumping ground and sometime burning the garbage. A visit to Company Garden adjoining Crystal Chowk revealed that the garbage has been lying there for a long time. The stink emanating from the garbage has made the garden unpopular among the visitors. Ram Bagh houses several rare and centuries-old trees, but many of them fell due to callous approach and untrained staff. That the green cover in the city has been ignored becomes evident from a report published a few years ago, which pointed out that only two per cent of the area in the holy city was under green belt. These green stretches laid along roads, besides planned residential and commercial areas, are poorly maintained and often ignored. Consequently, people encroach upon these to exploit them commercially by installing kiosks and stalls to sell eatables. Shanties have come up at many green belts.
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Traders demand simplification of VAT return forms
Amritsar, July 20 A trader GK Jain said, "The Excise and Taxation Department issued two notices on stock worksheet on June 11 and June 23. However, it forgot to bring in Vat-15 issued on June 30. It indicated complete lack of co-ordination within the department. Subsequently, the Excise Department noticing its folly vide notice dated July 3 promised to introduce new VAT-15 on July 7 and fixed the last date as 30 days from July 7. Now, the irony of the fate of dealers is that the new VAT-15 has not yet seen light of the day and confusion over VAT form and last date of submission is still looming." Traders are also opposing the department's move to refuse to grant input tax credit on unsold or unused goods. The worksheet requires declaration of opening stock of locally purchased goods on April 1 with in permissible variations. The dealers who normally compute their stock on the basis of gross profit ratio, as acknowledged and prescribed by the circular also, do not have any such segregation available. Further, the dealers are not in position to determine their inventories till the finalisation of their audits till September 30. Column 8 of the worksheet on sale price of goods sold also bears reference to goods used and consumed which can not fetch any sale price at all. Another trader PL Seth said, the course that department has decided to choose would lead to large number of complications in times to come. VAT returns, which once used to be believed a statement of facts, would become a statement of presumed facts or precarious facts. Rather it would be more rightful to call it a statement of defective facts. "If the department is undergoing a state of experimentation and trials, it should also not treat the VAT returns the last word from dealer and it is very much the need of the hour that revised returns should be allowed," he said. Punjab Pradesh Beopar Mandal president Amrit Lal Jain said restriction of input tax credit to goods sold would infringe the liberty of traders apart from leaving them in rigmarole of excessive paper work. He said the dealers, who pay their taxes quarterly, would have to compute their stock every quarter to ascertain the quantum of stock on which Input tax Credit shall not be available. This would also imply the denial the credit of taxes which has already reached the coffers of the government, he said. He said, "The department has already amended section 13(12) to ensure that input tax credit is allowed only against tax actually paid into government treasury." He said the Delhi government had also tried to make such attempts in the past which was later withdrawn by them in 2011, just after one and half year after the effective date. Similarly, Haryana too withdrew this type of attempt. The Cenvat Credit Rules also do not envisage such restrictions on allowance of credit fully realizing that maintaining one to one co-relation between purchase and sale would result in unnecessary burden on the assesses. He said he has dispatched communiqués to Excise and Taxation Commissioner Anurag Verma.
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Joshi gives Rs 10 lakh cheque to Govt Girls Sr Sec School
Amritsar, July 20 He was the chief guest at the award distribution function for academic and co-curricular activities at the school. As many as 510 students of the school were felicitated by the minister. Addressing students, Joshi said they need to build up confidence, dedication and devotion in order to develop their personality. He urged students to identify their role towards society and help strengthen up the nation by spreading awareness among the residents against social ills and superstitions. Joshi gave medals to 57 students, who secured above 80 per cent marks in matriculation and secondary exam this year. As many as 463 players, who won in various competitions at the school, district, state and national level, were also awarded by the minister. International basketball player of the school, Gagan, who showed her skills in China, Cyprus and Sri Lanka and Indian basketball team captain Samriti were honoured by Joshi. District education officer Satinder Bir Singh said achievements of Mall Road School in the fields of sports, cultural activities and academics were praiseworthy. He credited these achievements to school Principal Mandeep Kaur and hardworking staff members. Earlier, school Principal welcomed the guests and read out the achievement report of the school. The giddha team from the school enthralled the guests. The stage was managed by Jatinder Kaur and Dimple Joshi.
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Teachers’ union elects office-bearers
Amritsar, July 20 Prof Malkiat said his focus would be on safeguarding the interests of the teaching fraternity. He appealed to all delegates to participate in all the action programmes of the PCCTU. It is being said that the group close to the PCCTU state executive member Prof HS Walia was elected to office-bearer posts.
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I am learning to cook for world, says master chef
Amritsar, July 20 In Amritsar, the true-blue Punjabi guy took time out to gorge on specialties. “When in Amritsar, what is better to do than to eat. Since my family belongs to Jalandhar, I have been coming to Amritsar since childhood. There is something in the water here that gives you the best quality food with celebrated exclusivity,” says Handa. Food is both his strength and weakness. he has been on the run since his big win. Travelling across the length and breadth of the country, learning about local flavours and food culture, Handa calls his journey a culinary awakening. “I have always learnt to respect food. It was more than a routine for us, right from performing sewa at gurdwaras to home cooked food during festival and celebrations. Right now, I am still in that learning phase, where I get to experience simple local flavours to the complex techniques of food business. I don’t want to do something big until the student in me is satisfied,” adds Handa. Confessing that he doesn’t spare anything or anybody when it comes to educating himself, he shares, “Sometimes, I exhaust an experienced chef by asking too many questions.” For the moment he plans to don the chef’s hat and make others learn. With his new food show “Snack Attack with Firangi Twist” on food channel Zee Khaana Khazana, Handa dishes out delectable recipes twice a week with dash of fusion. “The concept of the show is quite like my own ideology about food. It is simple so that anyone can cook it. So, we have regular snack recipes with a few firangi twists, fusion elements and turn that simple food into global cuisine,” says Handa. His personal favourite is Italian, which he believes is quite similar to Indian cuisine as he says, “The food is rich, with loads of flavours to choose from and you can only match it in passion.” He wishes to cook food that his mom can learn from him. He says, “One doesn’t have to know molecular gastronomy to cook an impressive meal. These complex techniques work at hotel or restaurant level, not in your personal kitchen. I remember once while travelling to the US, I was approached by an elderly woman to give out a simple recipe for making laddoos at home. Adding the surprise element in your plate should not seem like a Herculean task, but an enjoyable process.”
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Langar samitis accuse J&K police of bias
Amritsar, July 20 They alleged that the policemen did nothing to stop the miscreants, who looted their belongings and set tents on fire at the Baltal base camp following a clash. A number of persons were injured in the incident. In an interaction with mediapersons, some of the pilgrims criticised the Jammu and Kashmir government for its negligent attitude towards pilgrims and persons involved in community kitchen service. They alleged that the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) police remained a mute spectator when the miscreants attacked them and damaged their property. Pawan Verma of Baba Barfani Langar Sewa Samiti alleged that the J&K police was even sheltering the miscreants. Had the CRPF not arrived at the spot and secured the whole area, the loss would have been very high, added Verma. The pilgrims demanded that the Army jawans should provide security to the yatra and the J&K police should be withdrawn. They also demanded a suitable compensation from the Central government.
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Intoxicants recovered from inmate Amritsar, July 20 According to officiating Superintendent RK Sharma, 4.5 gm intoxicating powder was recovered from an undertrial Harkirat Singh, resident of Dhadhe village, falling under Kathu Nangal police station. “The accused is already in jail since January 19, 2011. An FIR No. 102/08, under Section 302 of the IPC has been registered against him at the Kathu Nangal police station. We have recovered the narcotics concealed in a plastic pouch during a routine search,” said the superintendent. A case under Sections 21/61/85 of the NDPS Act, 420 of the IPC and 42/52-A of the Prisoners Act has been registered against the accused at the Cantonment police station. — TNS
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Kirtan darbar on parkash purab
Amritsar: Chief Khalsa Diwan Charitable Society will hold a kirtan darbar to commemorate parkash purab of the eighth guru, Guru Harkrishan Sahib, on July 27. President of Chief Khalsa Diwan Charanjit Singh Chadha said the society was always trying to preserve the heritage and spread the religious values among the next generation. Giani Gurbachan Singh, jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib, Giani Jagtar Singh, head granthi, Sri Darbar Sahib, and other religious personalities would attend the kirtan darbar, said Chadha. Sikh intellectuals Sant Anoop Singh Une wale, Padam Shri Bhai Nirmal Singh Khalsa, Bhai Manjit Singh Kanpuri, Bhai Amandeep Singh of Bibi Kaulan wale, Bibi Prabhjot Kaur, Bhai Jaswinder Singh of Bibi Kaulan ji wale will recite kirtan on the occasion. Sri Amritsar Sewak Sabha Society, Waheguru Simran Sewa Society and Gurmat Satsang Sabha will also participate in the kirtan darbar. An exhibition depicting the life of Sri Guru Harkrishan Sahib, Sikh history, faith and culture will also be held on the occasion. Manjit Singh GK, president, DSGMC, Daljit Singh, ex-Principal of Khalsa College, Jaswinder Singh Dhillon, Principal of Khalsa College of Education, will be honoured at the kirtan darbar by Chief Khalsa Diwan for their services. Seminar on concrete composites
The Department of Civil Engineering of Amritsar College of Engineering and Technology organised one day national seminar on “Recent advancements in concrete composites”, sponsored by Punjab Technical University on its campus on Friday. The programme was inaugurated by group director Om Kumar Harsh and Principal, VK Banga. More than 45 participants from various institutes of the state attended the seminar. Expert talks were given by Dr SP Singhand Dr AP Singh, both from the NIT, Jalandhar. Their focus was on the latest development and trends, as well as future outlook in the field of concrete and challenges with concrete composites. The seminar aimed at providing a common platform for professionals, academicians, researchers and industrialists to exchange knowledge and ideas for achieving focused developments and advancements in the emerging field. Skill development workshops
A series of workshops for the enhancement of the knowledge of the faculty was organised at DAV Public School here today. Four workshops were organised in two different groups. One group related to inclusion and inclusive strategies was conducted by Swati Ganguly, master trainer for CBSE as resource person. The second group related to social-emotional learning was conducted by Nishant Mahajan, motivational speaker. The resource persons had a meaningful interaction with the staff and provided valuable tips to make teaching–learning experiences more fruitful and at the same time address classroom problems with a positive attitude. The teachers gained insight and knowledge about how to improve their teaching and communication skills. Regional Director, Amritsar zone, Dr Neelam Kamra and Principal of BBK DAV College, Dr Neera Sharma, appreciated the efforts of the school for arranging such informative workshops. The Principal thanked the resource persons for sharing their valuable experiences with teachers and giving them informative thoughts and ideas. — TNS
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Amritsar, July 20 Among those booked include Gurminder Singh of Ghala Mala Chowk and Amrinderpal Singh, owner of Guru Nanak Telecom at Islamabad area. Both have been booked under Sections 420, 465, 467, 468 and 471 of the IPC at the Civil Lines and Islamabad police station here respectively. IG Intelligence in a complaint to the Civil Lines police said Gurminder Singh had issued a SIM card in the name of Surjit Singh of Fatahpur, Pati Majhi Wali. However, during investigations it was found that the residential address was fictitious and no such number was issued in the name of Surjit Singh. Gurbax Rai of Bank Wali Gali told the police that Amrinderpal Singh issued a SIM in his name while he had never applied for the same. —TNS
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Amritsar, July 20
Amritsar: Chief Khalsa Diwan Charitable Society will hold a kirtan darbar to commemorate parkash purab of the eighth guru, Guru Harkrishan Sahib, on July 27. President of Chief Khalsa Diwan Charanjit Singh Chadha said the society was always trying to preserve the heritage and spread the religious values among the next generation.
