The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	illegal hotels near Golden Temple complex Hoteliers urge MC authorities to take lenient view GS Paul Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 2 Even as the MC is yet to scrutinise the 1,500 general suggestions received on the issue through a public notice to deal with the illegal hotels, inns and guest houses around the Golden Temple, the hoteliers have appealed to the authorities to have a sympathetic view as the issue pertains to hundreds of families' livelihood and most importantly, would upset the religious sentiments. The case is in the high court following a petition filed against these commercial units in 2010 and the next date of hearing is December 19. The hoteliers said that if the MC carried on with its plan to shut down these hotels or guest houses, tourism would suffer. There are close to 1.5 lakh visitors who come here daily to pay obeisance at the Golden Temple. These budget hotels and guest houses provide them with affordable accommodation. President of the Federation of Hotel and Guest House Association Surinder said the Punjab and Haryana High Court was being misled by certain unscrupulous elements while terming certain hotels and guest houses as illegal. "Whereas the fact of the matter is that till date, not even an inch of public land has been encroached upon by any of these hoteliers," he said. Surinder Singh said the delegation had met the CM too, during his recent visit here. They appealed to the CM that the hotels or guest houses which do not follow norms should be put under compoundable penalty clause and regularise them. If these are difficult to operate, it would be difficult for the existing hotel infrastructure to accommodate such a heavy influx of visitors at reasonable rates. The hoteliers also stated that a majority of them have been paying all kind of taxes like luxury tax and conservancy tax just as their counterparts in the Civil Lines area and hence, should be considered sympathetically. "Moreover, keeping in view the convenience of the tourists, as we have been accommodating them at subsidised rates, the authorities should take a lenient view. With their location near the Golden Temple, none of them serve liquor and a large number of them do not have a kitchen which could pollute the environs. Besides, we have been providing employment to thousands of families," he said.
	Relief for migrant labourers as train to Gorakhpur flagged off Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 2 National SC Commission Vice-chairman Raj Kumar Verka, MLA OP Soni and Northern Railway’s Ferozepur Division Railway Manager NC Goyal today flagged off weekly Amritsar-Gorakhpur train. Operationalisation of the weekly train meets the long pending demand of the migrants who come here to work on daily wages. A large number of people from Gorakhpur and surrounding areas work as farm labourers and industrial workers in the border town. The train will cover 1,088 km in 19 hours and 20 minutes. It will reach Gorakhpur via Beas, Jalandhar city, Phagwara, Ludhiana, Ambala Cantonement, Saharnpur, Moradabad, Barelly, Shahjahanpur, Sitapur cantonement, Gonda, Manakpur, Basti and Khalilabad. The weekly train will departs from Amritsar railway station every Sunday at 12:35 pm and reach at its final destination the next day at 07:55 am. On the same day at 10:35 am the train will departs for Amritsar and arrive here at 6:30 am next morning. The train has 21 coaches, including, 19 general and two sleeper coaches. Cost of ordinary ticket is fixed at Rs 270. At the inaugural run, the railways organised a function at the railway station. Addressing railway officials and passengers, DRM MC Goyal said the Ferozepur division is one of the biggest divisions in the country. Its jurisdiction extends up to Abohar in the south to Baramullah in the north and has big junctions like Amritsar, Jalandhar, Jammu and Ludhiana. Besides, the division shares International Border with Pakistan. Since MP Capt Amarinder Singh could not make it to the flagging off ceremony, National SC Commission Vice-chairman Raj Kumar Verka, MLA OP Soni and other congress leaders attended it apart from city Mayor Bakshi Ram Arora. Rajkumar Verka in his speech welcomed the running of train between the two destinations. He said that he met Union Railway Minister Sadanand Gowda recently and he has assured to visit the holy city soon. He claimed that the union minister also assured him that the local railway station would be raised to the international standards. He congratulated media to highlight shortcomings at the railway station from time to time. MLA OP Soni in his address raised the issue of railway stretch between Patti and Makhu to link Amritsar with Ferozepur. He added that it would shorten the distance between Amritsar and Mumbai besides linking the bnorder town with other Western cities. Later interacting with media the DRM said that the survey for railway line between Amritsar and Ferozepur had been done even before the budgetary announcement made during the tenure of former railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal. He said the concerned agencies in the Railways were seized of the matter and the needful would be done by them accordingly. Fact file The train will cover 1,088 km in 19 hours and 20 minutes. It will reach Gorakhpur via Beas, Jalandhar city, Phagwara, Ludhiana, Ambala Cantonment, Saharnpur, Moradabad, Barelly, Shahjahanpur, Sitapur Cantonment, Gonda, Manakpur, Basti and Khalilabad. It will depart from Amritsar railway station every Sunday at 12:35 pm and reach its final destination the next day at 07:55 am. On the same day at 10:35 am, the train will depart for Amritsar and arrive in Amritsar at 6:30 am the next morning. The train has 21 coaches, including 19 general and two sleeper coaches. The cost of the ordinary ticket is fixed at Rs 270.
	CM inspects war memorial site, meritorious school Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 2 Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today visited the under construction war memorial site and meritorious school. He took stock of the construction work at the war memorial, which is being raised at a cost of Rs 86 crore on 7 acres of land. He directed the construction agencies to monitor the quality of material being used in the memorial. Badal announced that the memorial would be thrown open to the public on August 15, 2015 and would be one among the tourist spots in the city. Besides, he also visited the meritorious school functioning on the backside of Guru Nanak Dev University. He looked at the constructed class rooms, hostel rooms and playground for the students. He asked the teachers to encourage the students to adopt job-oriented and skill-oriented course. He also asked the school authorities to plant saplings on the school campus. He was accompanied by District Planning Commissioner Veer Singh Lopoke, Deputy Commissioner Ravi Bhagat and DEP Satinder Bir Singh.
	Unidentified persons booked for firing Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 2 Satinder Singh, a resident of Basant Avenue, Majitha Road, came under attack of unidentified armed assailants on the intervening night of October 30-31. He was returning home when the incident took place. The police have registered a case under Sections 307, 341, 379, 34 of the IPC and 25, 54, 59 of the Arms Act at the Civil Lines police station. In his complaint, the victim stated to the police that while coming back home, when he reached near a temple in the locality, two unidentified motorcycle-borne youth came close to his scooter. He said before he could understand anything, the accused took out a country made pistol and fired at his head. He, however, escaped narrowly. The victim said he had to run leaving behind his scooter. The accused searched for him in the area, but could not find him, he added. Satinder said the attackers took out some important documents from his scooter and fled. The Civil Lines police said investigations were under progress after registration of the case.
	Youth riding pillion killed in road mishap Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 2 Waiting at traffic lights proved costly for a local resident, identified as Pargat Singh of Jheete Kalan village, who lost his life. He was riding pillion to his brother and standing at the red light when a speedy truck hit them. Gurbinder Singh, a resident Jheete Kalan village, said he along with his brother was going to Amritsar on a motorcycle. When they reached near the bypass T-point on the main GT Road and were waiting for the green light, a speeding truck bearing the number HR-55-S-6529 came from behind and hit them. He said his brother fell down and died on the spot. The accused fled from the scene leaving the truck behind. The Sultanwind police have registered a case under Section 304-A, 279 and 42 of the IPC against the the driver of the truck bearing number HR-55-S-6529.
	Huge quantity of alcohol seized, one held Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 2 In a major seizure, the CIA staff confiscated huge quantity of alcohol from a truck. The police nabbed the driver while a person who was accompanying him managed to escape from the spot. ADCP (Crime) Jagjit Singh Walia said the CIA staff had erected a naka near the Sultanwind canal when it intercepted a truck bearing number PB-11-AR-8224. During the search operation, the police found 25 drums containing 5,000 liters of alcohol. During investigation, he told that the drums belong to Manjit Singh, a resident of Mirch Mandi, Rajpura (Patiala). He said Manjit Singh sent a person with him to deliver the drums to a local resident. The police have registered a case under the Excise Act. Further investigations were under progress. Nine arrested for drug trafficking, bootlegging the police have arrested nine persons on charges of drug trafficking and bootlegging in separate instances in past 24 hours. They were identified as Ajitpal Singh of Krishna Nagar, Johny of Nawa Kot, Surmeet Singh of Kot Mangal Singh, Sukhdev Singh of East Mohan Nagar, Gurmeet Singh of Mustafabad, Tarun Kumar and Nitin Sharma of Civil Lines Ludhiana, Jagjit Singh of Chougawan and Jaspal Singh of Ghanupur Kale. Separate cases under the NDPS Act and Excise Act have been registered at respective police stations in this regard.
	Better amritsar: Swachh Bharat Mission—I Lack of funds, civic sense dampen cleanliness drive GS Paul Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 2 Although the civic authorities claim to have kicked off extensive cleanliness drive in the holy city under the Prime Minister’s call for “Swachh Bharat” campaign on October 2 by roping in various sections of society, the proper mechanism is yet to be devised to have an ever lasting impact. The residents say it is yet to be seen if the drive could be sustained or not for a longer duration. In reality it appears to be impressive sloganeering, television footages of politicians and celebrities wielding brooms to gain limelight. Lack of the civic sense and lackadaisical attitude of the residents can also ruin the campaign. Present scenario The most prominent MM Road in the city was found to be littered with paper plates, leftover food as the market people had put up stalls for langar (community kitchen) today. Scores of people savouring the food were least bothered about maintaining hygiene while throwing the refuse right in the middle of the road. The authorities concerned too seem to have adopted a lenient approach as they seldom penalise the organisers, who despite ban on conducting such programmes along roadside, go scot free. It is punishable under the law to deface or litter on roads, but the Municipal Corporation has failed to keep check on such menace. No checks The Amritsar Computer Traders’ Association and a team of the Amritsar Improvement Trust (AIT), led by its chairperson Sandeep Rishi, kicked off a sanitation drive at Nehru Shopping complex on October 8. Rishi symbolically held the broom in his hand for a few minutes along with traders and vanished after being clicked by photojournalists. Thereafter, in the absence of any check, no AIT team cared to visit the Nehru Shopping Complex and the situation was back to square one. Though located in the heart of the city, this complex could never find aplace in the priority list of the authorities as far as its maintenance was concerned. Consequently, the present situation is that amidst the haphazard parked vehicles, heaps of garbage keep lying unattended here for days altogether. Poor fiscal health However, the Municipal Corporation too is helpless and ill equipped to remove the garbage. Though a proposal has been submitted with the government to sanction budget for providing garbage removal machinery, the reply is still awaited. There are around 3 lakh houses, which generate around 800 metric tonnes of litter daily. The city does not even have a single covered dumper. As the MC has yet not finalised its plans to earmark spots for dumping garbage in localities, the residents continue to throw waste everywhere. Due to this, huge piles of garbage, emanating stench can be seen in the open with stray animals rummaging through them. It causes health problems for the people living in the area. The overflowing choked drains add to the woes of the residents as they are a perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes. Services of NGOs not utilised Various non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have volunteered to lend a helping hand in the cleanliness drive, but lack of any motivational programme has dampened the enthusiasm of the people.
	Overflowing sewage poses a health hazard Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 2 Overflowing sewage at the Focal Point poses a health hazard and obstructs smooth flow of traffic. Thousands of workers engaged in factories and people residing in the vicinity are vulnerable to water-borne diseases. The pathetic civic conditions at the Focal Point have made the life of residents miserable. Roads in the area remain inundated with dirty water overflowing from choked drains. The stagnant water has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Besides, weeds and shrubs have grown on vacant plots in the area. Industrialists under the banner of the Focal Point Industries Association said repeated requests to the Municipal Corporation authorities had fallen on deaf ears. A resident of the area, Bishan Singh, said some negligent industries were discharging excessive and untreated water in drains leading to blockage. The sewerage system had collapsed due to callous approach. Ironically, the office of the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) and the State Industry Department are located in the vicinity of the Focal point. The dirty water has accumulated in a vacant plot, which is just a few metres away from the office of the PPCB. A worker, Rajkumar, alleged that the conditions remained unchanged throughout the year, which exposed the hollow claims of the authorities concerned. “Political leaders make huge claims of developing focal points whenever they visit the area, but the reality is what you are seeing,” he said. Another worker, Satish Kumar, said during rains it was impossible to walk on these roads as these remained inundated with rain water. Workers of industrial units located at the Focal Point are often robbed by unscrupulous elements as the street remained under dark at night. Streetlights in the area have been lying defunct. Officials of the Punjab Pollution Control Board claim that no industrial unit was discharging untreated water in the sewerage. They said the problem arose due to choked drains. It was the job of the Municipal Corporation to maintain the sewerage, they added. Meanwhile, officials of the Municipal Corporation said all problems, including sanitation, choking of sewerage system, maintenance of parks etc would be resolved on priority basis.
	Delegation from Hofstra University visits city Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 2 A three-member delegation of Hofstra University, Long Island, New York, visited the city under an educational and cultural exchange programme between India and the US. The team of educationists included Dr Herman A Berliner, probost and senior VP for academic affairs, Dr Patrick J Socci, Dean, Frank G Zerb, school of business and Margaret Abraham, professor of sociology and special adviser for diversity initiatives. Hofstra University is one of the foremost universities in the US to establish two Sikh chairs. First is the Sardarni Kuljit Kaur Bindra chair in Sikh studies and second is Sardarni Harbans Kaur chair in Sikh musicology, which was established in 2011. The university also gives away Guru Nanak Interfaith prize biannually in association with Sarsarni Kuljit Kaur Bindra chair to foster harmonious relations between different religions of the world. The team was also accompanied by Tejinder Bindra, a trustee and patron of Sardarni Kuljit Kaur Bindra chair and patron of Guru Nanak Interfaith prize. Their maiden India tour began from Amritsar. The team paid obeisance at the Golden Temple and later visited Khalsa College. While giving information about their policy of building a strong future generation by fostering deep understanding of various religions, Dr Berliner, said, “We have come to India to visit some of the prestigious educational institutions and encourage religious understanding and cultural exchange through students, faculty and management. We will travel to Panjab University, Chandigarh and to Hyderabad later.” The university has been a seat for interfaith programmes, dedicating a department of religion and has established several religious chairs. Their biannual honour, Guru Nanak Interfaith prize, recognises and supports any individual or organisation, working towards the shared vision of interfaith harmony. “The purpose is to spread the message that religion can be a common ground for mankind to build a better future,” said Tejinder Bindra. “Sardarni Kuljit Kaur Bindra chair in Sikh studies is one of our many initiatives, which provides tool for students to study and recognise the role of religion in our lives. Teaching students about spiritual and critical aspects of religion, faith and ethinicities is our primary purpose. We also have various new courses and give scholarships,” said Dr Berliner. More recently established Sardarni Harbans Kaur chair in Sikh Musicology works in the field of gurmat sangeet, combining research and tradition. The purpose of the chair is to establish the new discipline in the international academic world, an understanding of the music by studying the Sikh music methodology. The chair organises lectures, concerts of Sikh music scholars like Bhai Baldeep Singh and more.
	Jallianwala Bagh martyrs’ kin allege govt apathy PK Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 2 Jallianwala Bagh Shaheed Parivar Samittee today accused successive governments at the Centre as well as in the state of adopting double standards. The samittee criticised governments for adopting indifferent attitude towards the kin of Jallianwala Bagh martyrs. It has been fighting for the extension of benefits of freedom fighters to the kin of martyrs, who laid down their lives during historic Jallianwala Bagh massacre, for the past several decades. The samittee has also written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Defence Minister Arun Jaitley and BJP president Amit Shah reminding them of the promises made by previous Central governments. It urged them to pay heed towards them also. Bhushan Behal, president of the samittee, alleged that although the Central government had declared Rs 5 lakh compensation for those killed during 1984 anti-Sikh riots following the assassination of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, it had completely ignored martyrs of Jallianwala Bagh. He said, the Central government had declared those killed in Jallianwala Bagh incident in 1919 as freedom fighters in 2008, but they were yet to receive any benefits extended to freedom fighters. Behal alleged that the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) had shown back to them. Their repeated pleas and subsequent assurances by state and central government had fallen on deaf ears, he added. “We welcome the financial help extended to victims of anti-Sikh riots, but why the martyrs of Jallianwalla Bagh are still being ignored and their kin denied such aid even after 67 years of Independence,” he said. Behl’s grandfather, Lala Hari Ram Behl, was among those slain during the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. He said his grandfather had led a jatha to Jallianwala Bagh on April 13, 1919. He said, “The government has failed to issue necessary certificates. Only four families have received certificates from the government recognising them as kin of freedom fighters.”
	Seminar on popularisation of Punjabi among youth Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 2 Sant Singh Sukha Singh College held a seminar on popularisation of mother tongue Punjabi, here today. In his address, Editor of the Punjabi Tribune, Varinder Walia, stressed on the progress of Punjabi language among families, in government departments and its commercial relevance. He said languages, which were associated with the career of youth, had gained much importance. It was the main reason behind the deterioration of Punjabi language, he added.
	Unidentified goons booked for firing Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 2 Satinder Singh, a resident of Basant Avenue, Majitha Road, came under attack of unidentified armed assailants on the intervening night of October 30-31. He was returning home when the incident took place. The police have registered a case under Sections 307, 341, 379, 34 of the IPC and 25, 54, 59 of the Arms Act at the Civil Lines police station. In his complaint, the victim stated to the police that while coming back home, when he reached near a temple in the locality, two unidentified motorcycle-borne youth came close to his scooter. He said before he could understand anything, the accused took out a country made pistol and fired at his head. He, however, escaped narrowly. The victim said he had to run leaving behind his scooter. The accused searched for him in the area, but could not find him, he added. Satinder said the attackers took out some important documents from his scooter and fled. The Civil Lines police said investigations were under progress after registration of the case.
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