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Indo-Pak trade
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Boom time on cards
Oriental Bank of Commerce to float its second public issue next
month
H. S. Daruwala, Executive Director, Oriental Bank of Commerce, said that the Bank’s second public issue will be of Rs 5.80 crore
Holi in its varied
colours
Dr Ashish Bose
Drug addicts' families talk
about their trauma
Open manholes pose a grave threat to life and limb of the residents
Weekly Round-up
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Indo-Pak trade
The holy city, which used to be the international trade hub before the Partition, is waiting to revive its pristine glory. The Amritsar–Lahore road was the only caravan route of the traditional trade of the Indian subcontinent for more than five centuries. Traders would ferry goods from Dacca to Persia, making Amritsar the most favoured halting station on the banks of River Beas and River Ravi. While Lahore was developed as the political capital of the joint Punjab, Maharaja Ranjit Singh expanded its adjoining Amritsar as the economic capital in the nineteenth century. The sound economic roots were nurtured by the legendary Maharaja, who invited master craftsmen and traders from all over the country to make this holy city of Amritsar their base. He conceptualised to develop Amritsar as a flourishing economic hub, too. Many shops mushroomed around the Golden Temple, and by lanes and bazaars came up within the walled city. The reviving of the glorious economic path of the grand Sher Shah Suri Marg, which once used to carry large consignments to far-flung places in Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq and other Gulf countries, would have a special significance. The Persian carpets and other handicrafts used to be imported by traders from Iran and were bartered for agricultural items and textiles. This ancient road of prosperity could revive the sagging economy of both Punjabs if land route between both countries is opened. The president of the Indo-Foreign Chambers of Commerce, Mr B. K. Bajaj, says that with the modern roads, the goods from Indian Punjab could reach Kabul within 24 hours, and within 36 hours they could reach Iran, Uzbekistan and vice versa. This scenario would usher in an era of great economic revival and traders of both countries would get the required boost after opening the land route with Pakistan. At present, Pakistan allows transit facility for Afghanistan to export its dry fruit to India, while prohibiting India to export using its land route. Even humanitarian aid to the war-ravaged country Afghanistan is not allowed. However, the local traders pin their hope on the proposed implementation of SAFTA by the next year for which Wagah would play a significant role. The one and a half century old trade of green tea which used to thrive in the major markets of Afghanistan, Iran and other Muslim dominated areas is looking at its new dawn. Mr R.K. Goel, president, Amritsar Tea Traders’ Association, feels that the opening of trade would give fresh lease of life to the business of green tea, as Pakistan and Afghanistan are its major consumers. The plying of regular bus service between Amritsar and Nankana Sahib would add new dimension to the proposed trade relations between the twin cities of Amritsar and Lahore. A "Landa Bazaar", opposite railway station, had come up when Samjhauta Express used to halt at Amritsar, as many pilgrims would sell the goods brought from Pakistan in this bazaar. The bazaar would get required impetus after the launching of the bus service. The border town of Khalra, the best red and green chilly market of the country, could flourish if these are exported to Pakistan, which is less than eight km from the international border. The chillies, like many other agricultural products, are in great demand in Pakistan. Garlic, fresh onions, turmeric, tamarind are in great demand across the border. These could be exported without much freight charges. There is a huge difference of wheat price in both countries, and Pakistan has made a formal request through Capt Amrinder Singh for buying approximately one million tonnes of wheat. Many in Pakistan fear an economic invasion; they argue that India, if allowed unfettered access, could flood Pakistani markets with goods, with ruinous effect on Pakistan’s indigenous industry. However, the apprehension is misplaced, and not rooted in precedent. The apprehension that with the frenzy of economic thrust to the Indo-Pak relations, the Pakistan Government is walking into the Indian trap, is baseless. The fact is that the trade with India would greatly benefit the common people in Pakistan. Mr Fakhar Zaman, Chairman, World Punjabi Congress and votary for opening up Wagah land route, claims that it would open up new economic vista for the overall development in the old Punjab (East and West) by routing the trade through this border instead of via Mumbai-Karachi sea route through Dubai which is to the tune of five billion dollar annually. He believes that vested interests have a stake in perpetuating the status quo. "The nexus of politician, businessman, official and criminal collectively makes money from this smuggling activity," he alleges. "They don’t want change," he adds. Indian exports to Pakistan rose from 110.48 million dollars in April-November, 2003-04, to 314.54 million dollars in the same period this year, while imports from Pakistan saw a jump from 44.47 million dollars to 66.25 million dollars in the current fiscal year. "The commodities where significant growth is registered include, man-made fibre (1145 per cent), plastic and linoleum products (1864 per cent), non-ferrous metals (1311 per cent), rice (other than basmati) (542 per cent), ferro alloys (875 per cent), pulses (759 per cent), meat and meat preparations (521 per cent)," he said. The Pakistan Commerce Minister, Mr Humayun Akhtar Khan, who was here for the two-day G-20 meeting recently stated, "We are moving in the right direction. Specific issues are being discussed and there is a good progress. We are also evaluating what the areas of interest to both countries are." A delegation of the Lahore Chambers of Commerce led by its then-president Mian Anjum Nisar held an in depth talks with local industrialists to explore the possibilities of opening up trade links and looking at joint business ventures.
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The backbone of Amritsar is the textile industry, with its various machining and other ancillary offshoots. From shawls to carpets, suiting to blankets, dress materials to tweeds, this city has had it all. In spite of having gone through decades of militancy, manufacturers have fought hard to hang on to their footholds in various niche markets. Recycled fabrics and woollens from here even today drape the crème de la crème in Europe and America. Another hope is the announcement made by Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh. A SEZ (Special Economic Zone) is on the anvil bringing with it Rs 1100 crore of infrastructural investment and the possibility of large industry. Thousands of more crores have been earmarked for other developmental projects pertaining to slum dwellings, sanitation and airport overhaul. The pace is still unbearably slow, but there is a bounce in the step of every Amritsarite. — Mr Gunbir Singh, CII, Amritsar Zone
The government must come out with a vigorous plan to develop the infrastructure and allow the construction of more hotels to meet the growing needs of tourism and business. In the coming months, the arrival of businessmen is likely to pick up. The city should be developed as a major tourist destination with entertainment and recreational facilities of international level to cater to the needs of people as well as tourists. The government must fulfill its commitment to provide prime land for the construction of hotels and it should invite reputed hotel chains to add ultra-modern facilities to this holy city. – Mr A.S. Chatha, General Secretary, Amritsar Hotel and Restaurant Association
It would give a boost to the sagging economy. Also, the road traffic from Wagah would help traders to increase sales. The government must help small-scale industry to rejuvenate. — Mr Brij Bedi, President, Citizen Forum
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Oriental Bank of Commerce to float its second public issue next
month
The first ever Executive Director of the Oriental Bank of Commerce, Ms H.A. Daruwala, during her maiden visit to the city said that the bank would float its second public issue of about Rs 5.80 crore shares for Rs 10 each at a premium of about Rs 275 to the public in the next month.
Talking to The Tribune, the executive director said that with this public issue the government holding would be reduced to 51 per cent as per the guidelines. She said the bank planned to offer 60 per cent share to small investors while 10 per cent had been kept for existing share holders. She added that 10 per cent had been reserved for staff and employees. Ms Daruwala said that the bank had very strong base with intrinsic strength and was expected to generate Rs 1500 crore from this issue primarily to broaden its capital base for future expansion. She said last year the bank had offered 50 per cent dividend, which had made the shares of the bank more sought after, especially by foreign institutional investors. Earlier, the bank had gone public and offered shares in 1995 and received tremendous public response, she added. She said that after taking over 108 branches of the Global Trust bank (GTB) this year the network of branches had reached 1138 and with a total deposit of Rs 42,000 crore and advances to the tune of Rs 25, 000 crore. She added that before the amalgamation of the GT Bank, the bank had brought its NPA to almost negligible level and hoped that by the coming year all GTB branches would start generating profits. Ms Daruwala claimed that during the next few months more than 300 branches would go online offering core banking solutions to its large customer base. Earlier, the executive director interacted with customers and addressed the meeting of staff and employees.
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Holi in its varied
colours
At Amritsar, the festival of Holi is celebrated with great fervour. In fact, it is a mix of Holi and
Hola. The celebrations are a lesson in communal harmony. Hola follows Holi the next day. Keeping in view the tradition of Hola Mohalla at Anandpur Sahib, Nihangs here get together to celebrate the festival in their own way. Baba Deep Singh and Baba Phoola Singh are professed to be the devout representatives of this sect.
Frequent shows of martial skills with mock battles and display of swordsmanship and horse riding are common during Hola. Other feats such as gatka, mock encounters, tent pegging, bareback horse riding and standing erect on two speeding horses, are also displayed. Undoubtedly, Holi (and Hola), as celebrated in the city, is a festival of colours and spirit of comradeship.
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Female foeticide: City among worst
affected
The city stands ninth among the 20 worst districts of the country having low child sex ratio (0-6 years). Eminent social scientist, Mr Ashish Bose, who is Professor, Institute of Economic Growth, Delhi University, stated this, adding that the city was notorious for adopting the modern technology for female foeticide way back in the seventies.
Mr Bose had come to the city to participate in the two-day national seminar on "Sustainable Urban Settlements: Issues and Strategies" organised at Guru Nanak Dev University. He said the use of technology in female foeticide had spread from Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh to Maharashtra, and that the evil practice was also catching up in the southern states. Describing female foeticide as social pollution, he said daughter elimination business would create a serious social tension. Even more serious was that earlier femicide used to be an urban phenomenon but now it was percolating into the rural areas. The leading social scientist was the member of the first National Commission on Urbanisation (NCU) appointed by late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. However, the report of the committee was shelved after the assassination of Mr Rajiv Gandhi. According to Mr Bose it was a mammoth and comprehensive report in seven volumes. He said the main recommendations of the committee were announcing cities with million plus population as the National Priority City (NPC) and also declaring at state level some historic and holy cities like Amritsar, Varanasi, Gaya and Haridwar as the State Priority City (SPC). He said it was high time that the Central and the State governments gave special attention to the basic needs of the people. He stated that a number of metropolitan cities like Chennai, Kolkata and Delhi were facing shortage of water in summer. He said the accelerated pace of growth had created chaos in urban development, resulting in rapid growth of migration towards the cities. Prof Bose, who is also a visiting professor at Jamia Milia Islamia University, said if urban planners did not anticipate the planned development of urban areas, the cities would become unliveable. He said the whole world had become urban globalised world and that globalisation and urbanisation went hand in hand. Prof Bose said Punjab should go global now. He added that Punjab had a good transport network and the latest and advanced technology, which would help in its progress towards globalisation.
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Drug addicts' families talk
about their trauma
Twentysix years back, Manjit Kaur, as a newly married bride, entered her in-laws home only to find her husband an alcoholic. Reliving the trauma of losing the best years of her life, she talked about how she tolerated her husband's beatings and saw her children being abused. She was struck a second time by misfortune when her teenage son also took to smack addiction after her husband's death seven years back.
Hundreds such women, who had shocking tales to tell, attended the seminar "Umeed 2005" organised at Bhatia Neuropsychiatric Hospital here. The seminar aimed at educating the public against alcohol and drug abuse. The addictions were showing an alarming rise and were rapidly destroying families, especially in the border belt that was reporting an upsurge in addiction and crime rate, revealed Dr J.P.S. Bhatia, psychiatrist and organiser of the seminar. Dr Bhatia also released a Punjabi language book on drug addiction. A young girl Manpreet said she had disowned her father due to his addiction to alcohol. However, later he gave up alcohol and he had not taken alcohol for the last many years, she added. The seminar gave drug addicts and their families a platform to interact and talk about themselves and their lifestyles. The collective trauma of women due to addiction of their fathers, husbands, sons and brothers was brought into focus during the seminar.
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Jawahar Nagar residents rue
conditions
Mandir Shivala Bohar Wala area of Jawahar Nagar has been facing acute problem of sewerage blockade for the past some time. This has damaged the road which is dotted with numerous pits full of filthy water.
Mr Mohinderpal Singh Matharoo, president of the Jawahar Nagar Welfare Committee, said that the Shivala was revered by city residents and devotees thronged it. "It becomes obligatory for the municipal corporation to clean the area. But the authorities concerned are indifferent," he alleged. Mr Matharoo said Mr Sunil Dutti, Mayor, visited the temple on the eve of Mahashivratri and had himself seen the pathetic condition. The welfare committee had repeatedly met the officials concerned and brought the matter to their notice, but to no avail, he added. He said as per their information, sewerage lines were old and had outlived their life long ago. Moreover, he added, these pipes had been laid on the basis of that time's population, but now the population had increased several times. He cautioned that if the needful was not done in time, some epidemic could break out. When contacted, Mr K.S. Kang, Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, confirmed that he had received the complaint. He added that the needful would be done to redress the grievance of the residents of the area.
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Weekly Round-up
Two students of the local BBK DAV College for Women secured top positions in the first semester of the bachelor of design examination, 2004, Guru Nanak Dev University. While Ms Nany Bhatia stood first, Ms Subha Seth claimed the third position. Free medical camp About 400 patients attended the free medical camp organised at the All-India Women Conference (AIWC) premises here. The camp was organised in collaboration with and assistance of doctors from Fortis Hospital. Ms Ranjit Chatha, president, AIWC, in a press release issued here, stated that free medicines had been provided to patients and a public awareness talk about common medical problems had also been held. Mr Jugal Kishore Sharma, MLA, inaugurated the camp. Pension scheme Dr Rajkumar, Parliamentary Secretary, Education, offered a donation of Rs 2 lakh for the Chinmaya Mission's monthly widow ration pension scheme. While presiding over the function, Dr Rajkumar lauded the efforts of the mission which came to the rescue of poor and needy widows by providing the monthly ration of more than Rs 500 to each widow. Nanny courses A day-long seminar was conducted by Surrey Business and Technology, Canada, at the Art Gallery here. The directors of the institute highlighted the advantages of nanny courses and answered the queries of the prospective candidates. Employees protest A day-long strike was observed by the non-teaching staff of the local DAV College in protest against the non-implementation of the merger of 50 per cent DA in the basic pay and the other long-pending demands. The private colleges' non-teaching unions have also decided to intensify their agitation if the government does not fulfill their demands.
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The first ever Executive Director of the Oriental Bank of Commerce, Ms H.A.
Daruwala, during her maiden visit to the city said that the bank would float its second public issue of about Rs 5.80 crore shares for Rs 10 each at a premium of about Rs 275 to the public in the next month.
At Amritsar, the festival of Holi is celebrated with great fervour. In fact, it is a mix of Holi and
Hola. The celebrations are a lesson in communal harmony. Hola follows Holi the next day. Keeping in view the tradition of Hola Mohalla at Anandpur Sahib, Nihangs here get together to celebrate the festival in their own way.
Baba Deep Singh and Baba Phoola Singh are professed to be the devout
representatives of this sect.
The Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) has declared
the holy city among the top 20 business destinations in India and hopes to
climb a few more steps if the Indo-Pak trade opens up. It would provide
the impetus to the accelerated growth of the city, which has been in deep
slumber for three decades.
The optimism of opening trade with Pakistan has geared up
the local hotel and restaurant industry to meet the growing tourist and
trade flow into the city. The local hotel and restaurant associations have
started aggressive planning to add more rooms.
Opening of the border would definitely help trade. There
are lots of items which can be exported like machine tools, textiles,
handicrafts.