Amritsar, June 8
The central government has sanctioned a grant of Rs 25 crore for making Amritsar as a major tourist hub.

The sanction for the amount came a week ago after the state government approached the Centre to fund the Wagah Beautification plan project.

During a recent meeting held between Union minister for tourism and culture Ambika Soni and Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal at New Delhi, the former had given assurance for the funds. However, Soni suggested renaming of the project as ‘Attari-Wagah Beautification Plan’. Soni also asked Badal to engage services of the conservationists and experts, which the ministry of tourism would recommend.

Notable, the centre had earlier sanctioned Rs 5 crore under the “normal destination development scheme” for the city. During the meeting, Badal urged Soni to allot a special project to develop river tourism on the banks of Satluj and at Ranjit Sagar Dam in Shahpur Kandi. Badal also demanded Rs 6.5 crore to be used for the preservation and development of the historic Bahadurgarh Fort in Patiala and Sultanpur Lodhi in Kapurthala districts.

Besides, the CM also raised a demand for grant of Rs 5 crore for the development of Hoshiarpur as a tourist destination.

Amritsar, June 8
The 5th Group Commanders conference of group commanders of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh was organised by National Cadet Core (NCC) Amritsar.

The conference was to assess the performance of the NCC during the preceding year.

It was decided to chalk out a plan for the current training year to motivate young cadets to join the Armed forces and to provide leadership in all walks of life. Brig D.C. Katoch, deputy director general NCC emphasised on improvement of existing infrastructure of the NCC in the institutions and involvement of the heads of the management committees of the institutions in NCC related 
activities. The group commanders stressed that military training awareness should be generated among cadets. Career counselling, personality development, training for service selection board interviews and public speaking must be taught to the cadets. They said the cadets must also be provided with adventure training like mountaineering, rock climbing slithering and para sailing etc.

Brig Katoch said all commanders must have practical and meaningful NCC training at all levels, to achieve aims set up by DG, NCC. 

Amritsar, June 8
The Bahujan Samah Party (BSP) think-tank feels that the result of Uttar Pradesh elections in which the party formed government with absolute majority, would have considerable bearing on the forthcoming local bodies elections in Punjab.

Addressing party workers here on Friday, national general secretary of Narendra Kashyap categorically denied joining hands with any party in the coming elections. He said they would endeavor to strengthen their party ideologies rather than depending on alliance parties. Revealing party strategy, Kashyap said a force of one lakh workers would be raised this year. “We are holding meetings in various parliamentary constituencies in this regard.

The party is trying to create a balance between various castes by giving them equal representations in the party,” he said.

He admitted that the people in Punjab do not consider BSP as alternative to Congress and Akali-BJP, but was quick to add that the party would garner support from the public.

Regarding poll issues, Kashyap said the Akali-BJP government has not fulfilled its promises after coming to power. He said his party would take up the issues which both Congress and Akali-BJP have not fulfilled.

When asked about BSP’s stand on Presidential candidate, he said the decision of the party president, Mayawati, would be final. Prominent among others present were BSP state president Avtar Singh and Surinder Arjun, district president. 

Amritsar, June 8
With the arrest of three accused, the local police claimed to have solved a blind murder case within one week of the incident Harjit Kaur Juneja, her father Harvinder Singh and one Kamlesh Kumar allegedly murdered a property dealer Gurdip Singh, resident of Kot Mit Singh. His body was found dumped near Sun City Amusement Park on June 1. The deceased’s son Gurbhej Singh had lodged a complaint that his father had gone to the bus stand but did not return.

SSP Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh said during investigation the accused told the police that deceased used to visit the house of his friend Harjit Kaur frequently and often called her from his mobile. She allegedly had an illicit relationship with Kamlesh Kumar, he said. The victim went to her house on May 31 where Harjit Kaur along with her father and Kamlesh conspired to kill him. They hit him on his head with a brick and then dumped the body in a plastic bag near the park. — OC

Amritsar, June 8
The police, in a major achievement, has busted an inter-state gang of robbers operating in various districts of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh and was involved in more than 25 incidents of robbery. On a tip-off the police arrested the five-member gang when they were planning another robbery in the Ranjit Avenue area last night. Those arrested include gang leader Mandeep Singh, alias Mini, Dharminder Kumar, alias Goldi, both residents of Ramdas, Gurpartap Singh, alias Sukha, a resident of Loharka Road, Harbans Singh, alias Hira, president of Mule Chak village, and Dharampal, alias Kapur, a resident of Dujewal.

Cops have also recovered two .32-bore pistols, five live cartridges, four cars, four mobile phones, one motor cycle and two digital cameras from the accused. Addressing media persons, SSP Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh said the modus operandi of the gang was to hire a taxi or take a lift and then run away with the vehicle after tying the driver at gun-point. He said out of the 25 cases registered against the accused, eight cases had been registered against them in various police stations of the city.

Amritsar, June 8
Paying a visit to citizens forum Vidya Mandir at Maqbool Pura, popularly known as ‘Locality of widows’, BJP leader Balramji Dass Tandon along with local MLA Anil Joshi promised to give Rs 2,000 to school every month.

The leader applauded the hard work of Ajit Singh and Brij Bedi behind the school and said he would apprise Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal about the plight of the resident of the area, which was also one of the biggest slums in Punjab with a population of 20,000.

He also promised to get land for the school.

The senior BJP leader also distributed 15 sewing machines to the students of vocational class.

Bedi also urged Tandon to start a project for uplifting the area. Joshi also promised to work for the upliftment of the resident of the areas besides helping the school.

Amritsar, June 8
The Bank of Baroda would open two ATMs at Amritsar railway station, said bank general manager K N Suvarna.

These ATMs are among the total of 211, which will be opened at important railway stations across the country. The bank had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Indian Railways in this regard.

The GM said he would extend fullest support to the city entrepreneurs to take the advantage of its numerous banking schemes for the development of state’s 
economy.

Punjab was on the threshold of new economic thrust and with opening of trade between Pakistan the economic conditions of this region would further get boost, he added.

Suvarna said the railways had opened up new vista of business for the banking industry and has allowed opening up more than 1,400 ATMs across the country for giving more facilities to the passengers traveling by the railway in the country.

The GM said that the bank has very strong foundation with total business touching Rs 2,90,000 crore which speaks volume of its inner strength and capabilities of marshalling resources for the development of the country.

He said with the network of 1,062 branches in the country all connected through internet providing CBS banking services to its thousand of customers in the country.

Amritsar, June 8
Dr Karamjeet Singh, chairman, Department of Punjabi, Kurukshetra University, presided over the valedictory function of General Orientation Course-70. The course organised by Guru Nanak Dev University concluded here recently. Addressing the function Dr Singh said, “Learning is a continuous process and the teachers working in various educational institutions must update themselves with the latest knowledge of various disciplines”.

Prof Karamjeet Singh said, “Knowledge can be achieved only by developing reading habit. Thus, a true and committed teacher must setup his own library,” he said. Prof Singh said his experience and knowledge about folklore helped him promote folklore in the region”.

More than 23 teachers from various universities and colleges took part in the course. Dr Karamjeet Singh also gave away certificates and sets of university publications to all the participants.

Earlier, Dr H.S. Bhatia, director, academic staff college while welcoming the chief guest gave detail about the General Orientation Course. Binny, Dr Hardeep Kaur, Shailly, Dr Rajesh Kumar, Dr Harpreet Singh Hundal and Dr Reena also shared their experiences on this occasion.

Amritsar, June 8
The holy city should be developed as world class tourist distination as it was the only city of Punjab which has great tourism potential, national as well as international, said Dr Charanjit Singh Gumtala, patron, Amritsar Vikas Manch (AVM) in a missive to the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.

He said the holy city, which had remained neglected since partition, attracts nearly 70 to 80 lakh domestic as well as foreign tourists annually as it was famous all over the world because of the Golden Temple. Most of the governments, who have ruled the state, never tried to restore the city of its pristine glory of pre-independence period, Gumtala rued. The city has 42 other religious and historical shrines including Durgiana Temple and Tam Tirath Temple besides an international airport, he said.

Dr Gumtala said the Punjab government should also prepare a comprehensive plan for the development of Amritsar as a major tourist destination of India with the help of Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, non-resident Indians/Punjabis and multinational companies on the lines of Kurukshetra in Haryana and Varanasi in UP which were also being develop as tourist destination of India.

The Andhra Pradesh government has also prepared a massive plan of Rs 2,300 crore for the development of Hyderabad as a major tourist destination, he added.

The AVM patron added Amritsar Tourism and Industrial Development Corporation should be set up on the pattern of Chandigarh and Delhi to promote tourism in the holy city. He said Amritsar should be developed as a well planned ultra modern beautiful world class cleanest and greenest city. For this purpose Greater Amritsar Area Development Authority should be immediately created which should ensure planned growth within the city and 15 km area around the city, keeping in mind its future growth in the next 50 years, he added.

He said in order to promote medical tourism in the holy city the state government should develop a world class medical city at Amritsar.

He said Amritsar should also be promoted as a sports capital of Punjab and for this purpose an international level sports complex should also be set up at Amritsar with Indoor and outdoor stadiums for all types of sports including cricket.

The AVM also demanded the setting up of multi-product special economic zone within the 5 to10 km distance of Amritsar city as announced by Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh in 2004. It further demanded the setting up knowledge city which would have National Institute of Biotechnology, National Institute of Nanotechnology, Biotechnology Park and Indian Institute of Management which was shifted by the previous congress government to Mohali.

The AVM patron further said that the state government should press upon the central government to extend the freight corridor from Ludhiana up to Amritsar and it was necessary as the city was bound to become an international hub of trade because of an international airport, opening of border and the special economic zone.

He said at present more than 50 international flights per week are operating from Amritsar connecting it to London, Toronto, Birmingham, New York, Rome, Frankfurt, Paris, Amsterdam, Singapore, Dubai, Moscow, Sharjah etc. The City will be the most sought after destination of Punjab in the next few years, he added.

He said that Amritsar used to be textile hub of the state and to make the city regain its status as a textile hub, the Punjab government should also set up a world class textile park at Amritsar to give boost to sagging textile industries in this border district.

Amritsar, June 8
Field Marshal, glossy colour fortnightly magazine, hit the stands today. Brought out by Marshal Media Private Limited it is a politico-social, informative and entertaining magazine.

The Editor of the magazine is Praveel K.Modi. Besides keeping its radar on developments on the political, economic, defence, police and real estate front, Field Marshal also offers readers bytes from Bollywood, the latest in the fashion world and entertainment. The thrust area for the 56-pager is the entire northern belt, especially the states of Punjab, Haryana, HP, Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir.

Amritsar, June 8
Nimrat Batra has made the city proud by winning various medals in the state and district level swimming competitions held in Punjab and Rajasthan. A class 10 student of Mayo College Girl’s School in Ajmer (Rajasthan), Nimrat began swimming at five years of age.

She got her coaching from Ajay Mehra of the city and was later trained by her school coach. Here for her summer vacations she is getting instructions in swimming from a private coach of the city.

Nimrat bagged the 3rd position in back stroke, medley in the district and also won 3 position in the state level competition held the same year in back stroke event. Nimrat also took part in swimming IPSC (Inter Public School Completion) held in 2005 and 2006.

Amritsar, June 8
Raj Mohinder Singh Majitha, Rajya Sabha MP, inaugurated news portal www.bharatsandesh.com designed by Anantdeep Dhillon and Hardeep Singh from Amritsar.

The website, a brainchild of Dr Charanjit Singh Gumtala, managing editor, of the portal, seeks to provide relevant information in English and Punjabi both, at the choice of the visitor. Prof Mohan Singh is the editor (English), Y.P. Gupta, editor (Punjabi), and Amritpal Kaur Matharoo is the editor (News).

The well known cardiologist and general physician Dr Hardeep Singh Deep is the managing director of this organisation. Appreciating the initiative of the organisers, Majithia alluded to the virtue of being punctual 
in life.

He praised the performance records of girls in all examinations but lamented that boys were not working hard and were wasting their youth and money in drugs. He announced Rs 51,000 as a grant for the Ashoka Senior Secondary School from his discretionary fund.

Jasbir Singh Hanspal, technical director of the Bank of Montreal, Canada, gave a brief history of the worldwide web and explained the need and importance of this new
study skill i.e. learning how to use search engines like wikipedia for acquiring information and knowledge for progress in the industrial society. 

Amritsar, June 8
Amritsar Vikas Manch (AVM) has sought the intervention of the Prime Minister to launch a portal in Punjabi language on the Government of India website of the Press Information Bureau (PIB). The patron of AVM Prof Mohan Singh has said the PIB did not have a Punjabi portal. Various other languages like Bangla, Malayalam, Tamil, Telgu, Kannada, Gujarati besides Hindi and English are adequately fed on the portal, he added.

Prof Mohan Singh said, “Punjabi does not find a place on the site though the language has for long been constitutionally recognised in the country”. He added that going by the number of users the Punjabi language ranks seventh in the world.

He urged the PM to use his influence to get the language on the government of India website.