Amritsar, November 27
With a view to revamp the drinking water supply and drainage system in the holy city, Local Bodies Minister Anil Joshi gave presentation of the proposed projects worth Rs 3,500 crore to representatives of World Bank, who were in the holy city today. The World Bank team comprised Parul Mathur, Pishupat Kataria, SR Namanizm and V Kisore Mainhardat among others.

The major project will be the canal-based water supply system, which will cater to the increasing water demand in the city, reeling under shortage due to depleting water table. The other project on the cards is the storm water sewer.

The Punjab government in collaboration with the World Bank has conceptualised a plan to provide better civic amenities to the residents. In the first phase, the plan will be implemented in Amritsar and Ludhiana. After the successful completion, it will be extended to rest of the districts.

Joshi said with the passage of time, the density of the population had thickened. The infrastructure too needed a revamp and efficiency, he added.

Joshi apprised the World Bank team about the basic source of supplying water in the holy city was through tubewells. He said with the number of tubewells getting multiplied to meet the demand, the ground water had depleted. The problem further aggravated when the residents started pumping water through submersibles installed in their homes, he added.

An inspection was conducted at the Upper Bari Doab Canal (UBDC), near Tarawala Pul for framing ideas about feasible surface source of water for the city residents. The study indicated that the water level of the city had depleted upto 60 per cent of the permissible norms and the tubewell-based water supply was not dependable for long.

“The plan is to extract the water from the UBDC canal. The water after getting purified at the treatment plants installed near the UBDC canal, will pass through pipeline laid along the GT road and accumulate at zonal reservoirs before supplied to the city residents. We aiming for providing 24 hours water supply to homes,” said Joshi.

During rains, the whole city gets inundated. “We have planned to set up storm water sewer to provide relief to residents. The study is already underway in collaboration with the World Bank team in this direction,” he said. Technical advisor to Chief Minister VK Bhatt, Mayor Bakshi Ram Arora, MC Commissioner Pardeep Sabharwal, various councillors and officials of the MC were also present on the occasion.

Amritsar, November 27
While the police was yet to achieve any breakthrough in the two robbery incidents, in which two jewellers were targeted by unidentified robbers, a similar incident was reported in the Civil Lines area here.

Vimal Taneja, wife of Kundan Lal Taneja and a resident of C-block of Ranjit Avenue, stated to the police that unidentified persons barged into her house and decamped with jewellery and other expensive articles by breaking open almirahs. The miscreants, with covered faces, bolted her inside a bathroom before committing the crime. Her family had gone to a marriage function while she was alone at home.

The police have registered a case under Sections 380 and 34, IPC, in this regard. Nishan Singh, investigating officer and in charge Ranjit Avenue police chowki, said the family was yet to give details about the stolen material. He said the elderly woman was alone at home and an insider’s hand could not be ruled out. He said the complainant and her daughter-in-law Hema Teneja, who had gone to New Delhi, would give detailed information about the stolen material.

Meanwhile, the police have failed to make any significant breakthrough into the two robbery incidents even after 48 hours. The police have taken a number of history-sheeters into their custody to find clues. The police have got the CCTV footage of the incident in which five persons had taken away gold jewellery worth over Rs 5 lakh from a jewellery shop on the Sultanwind road.

ADCP city-I Parampal Singh said on the basis of the CCTV footage, a number of suspects had been taken into custody for interrogation. An investigating team headed by ACP (crime) had been looking into the matter.

Amritsar, November 27
Another jail inmate slipped away from police custody from the local Guru Nanak Dev Hospital on the intervening night of November 25-26.

Gurbhej Singh, a resident of Bhoewali village, Tarn Taran, was facing trial in a Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act case.

RK Sharma, Superintendent, Amritsar Central Jail, lodged a complaint with the Civil Lines police in this regard. He stated to the police that Gurbhej was admitted to the hospital on November 24 due to some ailment. Three jail warders, identified as Sukhdev Singh, Des Raj and Lakhwinder Singh, were deputed to keep an eye on him. He said yesterday the jail officials received information from the doctors concerned at the GNDH that the three policemen were not present on duty while the accused had escaped from the hospital.

The police have registered a case under Sections 223 and 224, IPC, against the three policemen and Gurbhej.

Amritsar, November 27
The Police Department is contemplating to embark on an awareness drive for the parents of schoolgoing students against increasing instances of juvenile driving.

As a part of the drive, the parents will be approached during the parent-teacher meetings (PTMs) in the schools and will be sensitised on the issue. They will be motivated to discourage their wards from driving on roads.

“Allowing a minor to drive a vehicle, which is owned by his/her parents, is a crime under the Motor Vehicles Act.

There are certain sections in the Act under which parents could be held responsible and attract punishment under the IPC in case the vehicle meets with an accident while being driven by the minor,” said Police Commissioner Jatinder Singh Aulakh. He said the driving force behind the drive was to make the parents aware about this.

Underage driving has become a serious problem in the city with a lot of schoolgoing children seen driving two-wheelers against traffic norms. They do not even follow traffic rules and regulations and indulge in triple riding and hardly care about wearing helmets.

They can also be seen riding their bikes or scooters at a very high speed.

There have been instances in the past in which schoolgoing children lost their lives because they were riding motorcycles at a high speed.

Though the Traffic Police launches campaigns to take stern action against the offenders, political intervention paralyses policemen’s functioning. In a recent incident, a traffic policeman was manhandled by ruling party leaders and that, too, on the premises of the office of a senior police official.

His only fault was that he had challaned a youngster for flouting traffic norms.

The only way to end the menace of juvenile driving is to spread awareness among the children and their parents, so that they desist from this habit, said the Police Commissioner. The traffic policemen, too, have been asked to adopt zero tolerance against traffic violations. 

Amritsar, November 27
Four mobile phones have been recovered from prisoners during a routine search in the Amritsar Central Jail last evening. An undertrial and two other jail inmates have been booked separately for the offence under Section 420, IPC, and 42 Prisoner Act with the Cantonment police station.

In the first instance, a Samsung mobile with a SIM card and a battery was recovered from an undertrial, Baghel Singh, son of Harbhajan Singh, a resident of Sahari village, police station Kalanour, Gurdaspur.

Jail Superintendent RK Sharma said Baghel Singh was shifted to the Amritsar jail from the Gurdaspur jail under FIR 114/11 U/S 395 that was lodged with the police station Hargobindpura.

In the second incident, another mobile of Samsung make with a SIM card was seized from a prisoner, Ranjit Singh, son of Rashpal Singh, a resident of Japani Avenue, Amritsar.

The accused was in the jail under a case registered against FIR 245/14 under Sections 302/307/120-B, IPC, and Section 27 of the Arms Act with police station Chheharta.

In the third case, prisoner Mangal Singh, son of Balkar Singh, a resident of Chatiwind, was found to be in possession of two mobile phones, both of Samsung make with batteries but sans SIM cards. He was lodged in the jail under a drug smuggling case, FIR no 85/14, under Sections 22/61/85 of the NDPS Act with police station Sultanwind.

Amritsar, November 27
In a development that is likely to bring back on track the peace-building measures that had been derailed by the recent skirmishes along the LoC and the International Border, a 41-member delegation of artistes, singers and musicians from Pakistan is all set to cross over the Attari border tomorrow to participate in “Saanjh: 11th Amritsar-Lahore Peace Festival” here on Saturday.

The festival is being organised by ‘Punarjyot’ in collaboration with its Lahore-based counterpart Rafi Peer Theater Workshop (RPTW). The celebration of Saanjh is scheduled for November 29 evening at the Spring Dale Senior School. “As is customary for Saanjh, this year, too, the Indian artistes will share the stage with their Pakistani counterparts to spread the message of peace,” said Dr Kirat Sandhu Cheema, director, Punarjyot. She maintained that besides spreading bonhomie between the nations over the years, Saanjh had also served as a launch pad for emerging young talent seeking global audiences. “Hence, this year’s celebration of Saanjh will witness the Sufi renditions of Dhruv Sangari, a budding singer of Coke studio fame,” she said.

Cheema said that music lovers in the city were all set to be regaled by music maestros from Pakistan, including Mian Meeri Qawal, Sain Zahoor, now an internationally acclaimed folk singer from Pakistan, Wahadat Rameez and Krishan Lal Bheel. “In short, the event will not just be a musical treat but it will also help subdue the jarring notes added to the joyous symphony of mutual bonhomie by the random acts of terror,” she said. 

Amritsar, November 27
Even as the diesel prices have been slashed on various occasions recently, the latest being a reduction of Rs 3.37 per litre in October, there has been no move to cut down fares in school transport. The slightest hike in diesel prices used to generate a swift response from school transporters, who hiked their fares by fifties and hundreds.

Strangely, the government has no law or agency to govern these fares. The Punjab Transport Department framed a policy last year linking bus fares to the price of diesel. Under this policy, a review of diesel prices is to be undertaken every quarter. A majority of parents stated that they were annoyed with the school van operators.

School bus and van operators increased the monthly fare thrice by Rs 100 per student during the past two years, said Suman, the mother of a 10-year-old boy studying in a private school. She said the fare of the school van rose from Rs 500 to Rs 700 per month.

She wondered that now the reduction in diesel prices did not show the reverse trend. She said when she questioned the bus operator, it did not yield any satisfactory reply. She added that the government must step in to ensure that the consumers were not fleeced on this count.

Nirmal Singh, a father of two schoolgoing children, said the steep hike in the fares of school vans and buses was always inexplicable. After a hike of Rs 5 to Rs 10 per liter of diesel, they used to increase the bus fare by Rs 50 to Rs 100. He added that neither the school authorities, nor school transporters and the government were understood the plight of the parents.

Another parent, Gaurav Sharma, said he was seriously considering making an alternative arrangement and would prefer to drop his children to the school on his bike.

Office-bearers of the Amritsar School Van Union maintained that the hike became inevitable as the prices of spare parts, service of vehicles were increasing. The transport authorities were insisting on phasing out rickety and old vehicles, wearing of uniforms by drivers and cleaner and painting buses and vans yellow.

He added that all these things required more investment. He said they had been directed to paint all school buses and vans yellow and keep a first-aid box in the buses.

A school principal said the majority of the city schools did not have their transportation system and the facility was outsourced to contractors. As the school authorities did not have any control over them, they increased fares as per their wishes. However, they must spare a thought for the parents.

Amritsar, November 27
The residents of several localities around Bhagtanwala dumpyard highlighted their woes by placing the body of a 55-year-old resident at the protest site today. The protesters alleged that he died due to respiratory problem last night. The deceased, identified as Suresh Kumar, despite being ill was actively participating in the protest at Chowk Kot Mangal Singh, which has entered the 26th day.

Nawal Chawla, member of the Sanjhi Sangarsh Committee, under whose banner the residents are holding protest, said neither the government nor the local body could give them any concrete assurance regarding shifting of the dump yard. He said, “Suresh participated in our protest till his last breath. How many more deaths in our locality are required for the government to wake up from its slumber? Instead of finding a solution to our problems, the whole issue is being projected in a political way.” “We want to make it clear that our committee is an independent group of residents, who have launched crusade against the authorities for making our lives risky,” he added.

Meanwhile, three ditch machines were pressed into service to level the garbage fill at the Bhagtanwala dumpyard. The residents were informed that the garbage in the dump yard would be covered with sand to contain the ill-effects.

The residents said they wanted the authorities concerned to know people were dying in localities around dumpyard due to adverse effects on health.

Another resident, Jai Indier Singh, said people living in ward Nos 37, 38 and 39, located near this dumpyard, were suffering from chronic diseases. “A recent medical checkup camp conducted by Cipla company has revealed that over 95 per cent of the residents here are suffering from one ailment or the other due to inhalation of pollution in the air spread by the dumpyard,” he added.

The residents appealed to all NGOs, religious and social organisations to join hands with them and help in resolving their issue. Another resident, Sanjay Sharma, said the air pollution was the main problem in Bhagtanwala area. The environment of the whole city was also getting polluted due to poisonous gases emanating from the dump yard, he added.

The president of the Punjab Pollution Control Committee, PS Bhatty, who had challenged the location of the dumpyard and the NoC procured by the Municipal Corporation from Punjab Pollution Control Board, also showed solidarity with the residents. He also explained how the stipulated guidelines of the Municipal Solid Waste norms 2000 were flouted by the authorities concerned in haste to procure the mandatory NoC from the pollution board for choosing the dumping site and installing the proposed solid waste management plant at Bhagtanwala. 

Amritsar, November 27
Dumping of garbage at non designated places has become a burning issue in the holy city. Residents of the localities near various dump sites, including Bhagtanwala dumpyard, are up in arms against disposing off waste at these sites.

The city residents are opposing the setting up of the solid waste management plant fearing that it would further expose them to health problems and complications.

Their fears are not unfounded if the recent recommendations of the Parliamentary Standing Committee are to be taken into consideration.

Dr Charanjit Singh Gumtala, patron of Amritsar Vikas Manch (AVM), said the Parliamentary Committee on Urban Development had recommended shutting down all waste plants in residential areas throughout the country because of hazardous emission from the municipal incinerators. He said burning of garbage caused serious health problems to people not only living near the waste management plants, but also to those residing hundreds of kilometres away from the site.

“According to the report placed in Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha in February this year, the manual on municipal solid waste management and the details given by technology advisory group on municipal solid waste indicate that flue gas generated from waste-to-energy plants contains carbon monoxide (CO), sulphur dioxide (SO2) and particulate matter which has heavy metal compounds and dioxins,” said Gumtala.

Amritsar Vikas Manch has also written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, besides Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal pleading that the Bhagtanwala dumpyard was located 1,800 metres away from the Golden Temple. The solid waste management plant would damage the building of Darbar Sahib, other religious and heritage buildings, besides adversely affecting the peoples’ health.

The manch said thousands of residents were forced to live in unhygienic conditions around the dumpyard. They were on the path of agitation for past one month while the government had turned a blind eye towards their plight. This had also led to the collapse of the garbage collection system and piling up of waste in every nook and corner of the city, which further deteriorated the environment due to emanation of foul smell.

The manch urged the Punjab Government to shift the dumpyards away from residential places. Constructing a wall would not help in checking the emission of poisonous gases from the garbage dump, added the manch.

Amritsar, November 27
Sanitary fittings of washrooms in Swami Vivekananda Drug De-addiction Centre are missing causing a lot of inconvenience to visitors. Employees of the hospital said the fittings were stolen.

The visitors said wash basins were intact, but taps and pipes were missing. Of the three wash basins in a washroom at the centre has only one tap. Even pipes of wash basins have been stolen. The washroom fittings, made of steel, fetch a good price in market on being resold.

The staff of the de-addiction centre said it was hard to keep an eye on every person, who used the washroom. “Employees cannot follow everybody into washrooms. Such thefts cause trouble for the hospital management and the visitors,” said a staff member.

A visitor said, “A person cannot even wash his hands. Sanitary fittings must be installed so that people can use the facility.”

Jallianwala Bagh Martyrs Memorial Civil Hospital and Guru Nanak Dev Hospital too are facing the problem of theft of sanitary fittings. Perturbed over the frequent stealing of washroom fittings, the Civil Hospital has come up with a novel idea of using cheap plastic taps. However, these too were stolen.

Earlier this year, the authorities had caught a hospital employee removing sanitary fittings after security personnel were told to keep an eye on thieves. In another incident, washroom fittings at the official residence of a medical superintendent were stolen when it was lying vacant.

Apart from theft of sanitary items, instances of stealing other items from public institutions, especially hospitals are not uncommon.

Amritsar, November 27
An inquiry committee constituted on the orders of director, research and medical education, has found officials of the Government Medical College at fault for ignoring the procedure in allotment of shops. The committee said the staff adopted a dilly dallying attitude in getting the properties vacated after flaws were detected in allotments.

A committee constituted in 2012 too had stated that government treasury had lost Rs 11.50 crore due to faulty allocation of shops. The committee had recommended recovery of the amount from officials found guilty. It also warned that by the time action was taken, employees found guilty may retire and avail all their benefits from the government.

In the present inquiry, the committee investigated the allotment of shops No. 3 and 6 at Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital and shops No. 2 and 3 at Guru Nanak Dev Hospital.

The committee stated that in case of shop No. 3 at Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, the authorities were delaying the eviction process, which resulted in a loss to the government. In case of shop No. 6 at the hospital, the committee stated that instead of filing a case for eviction of tenant from the shop, the hospital demanded fresh instructions from the director, research and medical education for delaying the process.

In 2012, the committee had stated that the government had suffered a loss of Rs 39.80 lakh due to faulty allotment of the shop.

In case of allotments of shops No. 2 and 3 at Guru Nanak Dev Hospital, the committee found that procedure was ignored while allotting shops, which resulted in loss to the government.

Government Medical College and hospitals associated with it have 15 shops, which are are to be allotted through an open auction. However, during the past few years, these institutions had ignored the norms to benefit certain people.

Though these allotments were later challenged, the hospital authorities are still delaying the eviction process by not filing cases with the competent authorities. The committee stated that the authorities were not defending the cases inorder to pass on benefits to the allottees.