Amritsar, June 26
The Amritsar municipal corporation is all set to put in place a new system of garbage disposal. The plan seeks an end to transportation of garbage in open trolleys and getting rid of old-fashioned bins, which are ill-designed to hold wastematter.

The plan seeks an end to transportation of garbage in open trolleys and getting rid of old-fashioned bins, which are ill-designed to hold waste matter

So, if the ministry of urban development gives its nod to the ambitious proposal, the residents could soon find their localities being swept clean of piles of garbage, giving the city a more clean and hygienic look.

The scientific collection would be followed up with better waste management at the Bhagtawala dumping ground, which would be developed with a lush green vegetative cover, as has been successfully done by the Ankleswar MC in Gujarat. The same model would be replicated in Amritsar. The project would be realised in collaboration with private firms.

According to municipal commissioner Hussan Lal, every single day, garbage to the tune of 146 tonnes collected from the walled city is dumped in the Bhagtawala ground. Out of 241 tonnes daily waste collected from civil lines area, 74 tonnes is sent to Narangarh and the remaining is diverted to Bhagtawala.

The dumping ground will be first dug up in a semi-circular shape and covered with a non-porous sheet. The garbage there would be covered with layers of soil after fixed intervals and the dump would not be left open.

The MC is also looking at making effective the related infrastructure --- sewerage and storm water drainage. In areas such as Mall Road, near SSP residence, opposite children ward, Rialto cinema, railway station, various fruit, vegetable, juice vendors have set up rehris.

Waste generated by them is dumped into nearby storm water drains & sewers thus choking them.

According to experts, the garbage transportation system needs to be changed. Leachate coming out from waste during transportation is a common site in the city. Besides, waste segregation is still an unorganised sector in Amritsar. Approximately 8,000-10,000 rag pickers from UP, Bihar and West Bengal are involved in the process. They stay in Jali Kua, Fateh Garh bypass, Ekta Nagar, Banla Basti, Verka bypass. On an average, each one of them earns Rs 60-75 rupees per day.

Amritsar, June 26
The SGPC has decided to double the MBBS seats in the Sri Guru Ram Das Institute of Medical Sciences and Research at Vallah after the Medical Council of India (MCI) gave its approval in this regard.

Conforming this to The Tribune, SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar said the MCI had given its approval to increase the numbers of seats to 100.

He said the SGPC had also decided to shift Sri Guru Ram Das Charitable Hospital back to its old building where facilities of outdoor patients, OPD and departments would be provided to the patients while retaining the emergency services and surgeries at the new medical institute at Vallah. Besides the OPD, the institution would also provide training to nurses of the border areas in the hospital itself.

The SGPC had decided to temporarily shift the hospital from the Shaheedan area to the Vallah institute in view of the inspection by a team of the Medical Council of India about three months ago.

The authorities had stated that the decision to shift the hospital was also taken in view of the state-of-the-art machinery available in the new institute, which was not being utilised in view of a shortage of doctors and paramedical staff.

Various social and non-government organisations had recently urged the SGPC to shift the hospital from the Sri Guru Ram Das Institute of Medical Sciences and Research at Vallah where it was shifted recently.

In memoranda to Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, the chairman of the hospital and the SGPC president, the Punjab advocate-general, trustee Hardev Singh Mattewal and various leaders of the SAD-BJP combine from the region, the Amritsar Vikas Manch has urged them to relocate the hospital to its original building near Gurdwara Shaheed Baba Deep Singh as the people of Tarn Taran and the nearby areas were facing problems in getting treatment from the hospital in a remote area of Vallah, which was 8 km from Amritsar.

Amritsar, June 26
Adopting small-time trades like dairy, poultry, fish farming, etc., along with farming can save farmers from the financial debt trap. This was stated by Member of Parliament from Tarn Taran Rattan Singh Ajnala while inaugurating a veterinary camp at Attari, near the Wagah border. The veterinary fertility and women awareness camp was organised by the department of animal husbandry.

Minister for animal husbandry, fisheries and dairy development Gulzar Singh Ranike was also present. Farmers, dairy owners and women from nearby villages turn out in large numbers.

Ajnala said: “The state government was trying to remove the grievances of the farmers of border villages having their land across the fencing. The government was also pursuing the central government to increase the compensation for these farmers.”

Cheques for Rs 50,000 each were distributed by him for undertaking various development projects in the borders villages of Dhanoa Khurd, Jathol, Galluwal, Bharowal, Gharinda, Attari, Chaouke and Khehra.

Meanwhile, an exhibition was organised by the veterinary staff where details about department schemes and veterinary medical aid and laboratory were exhibited. Medical check-up of a large numbers of sick animals was conducted and about 12 animals were operated upon. About 200 fodder seed kits were distributed among the farmers free of cost.

Amritsar, June 26
Even after passage of six months, the Improvement Trust has failed to make its four tubewells, installed in the northern area of the city, operational due to its failure to deposit the requisite amount with the Punjab State Electricity Board.

Improvement Trust has to deposit Rs 1 lakh with the Punjab State Electricty Board for providing connections

The tubewells, installed at a cost of Rs 40 lakh under the Punjab Nirman Fund Scheme, will not be made functional until the trust deposits Rs 1 lakh to the board for providing electricity connections.

Following change of the government, the funds were lapsed and thereby the trust could not pay the amount to the PSEB.

However, in a letter written to the municipal corporation, the trust has asked to deposit the amount since tubewells were installed the areas falling under corporation.

“Once the trust receives the amount from the department, we would return it,” said the trust superintendent engineer in the letter.

Confirming the receipt of the letter, corporation’s superintendent engineer (O and M) Amrik Singh Dhariwal said details of amount deposited by the trust with the board had to be taken into account before taking any decision.

Amritsar, June 26
In a complaint submitted to district police chief Kamaljit Kaur, a resident of Vijay Nagar locality, has levelled allegations against her husband and in-laws for demanding dowry.

In her statement, Kamaljit, who married Inderjeet Singh in August last year, alleged that she was confined to a room for three days without food and water.

Addressing a press conference here today, Kamaljit said soon after her marriage Inderjeet Singh, father-in-law Trilok Singh, mother-in-law Surinder Kaur, sister-in-law Baby and brother-in-Law Tinku started demanding Rs 2 lakh along with a residential plot.

“Since my father is undergoing expensive treatment for cancer at a hospital in Delhi, he cannot afford to fulfil the demands of my in-laws,” she added.

Speaking about the atrocities, Kamaljit said her in-laws even tried to burn her by pouring kerosene. “However, I managed to flee and reach my uncle’s house. At that time my uncle had filed a complaint at Kot Khalsa police chowki but no action was taken has been taken against the accused,” said Kamaljit.

However, terming the allegations as baseless, Trilok Singh said Kamaljit was demanding half share of the house. “In fact her father, accompanied with 20 to 25 men, had come to our house and threatened us with dire consequences in case we did not give her share in the house,” he said.

Within a fortnight of marriage, Kamaljit, along with my son, started living in a separate rented accommodation. “She even took away the articles and jewellery which she had brought at the time of marriage,” said Trilok.

Meanwhile, Narinder Teenu, secretary SC/ST cell, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee, has demanded action against the accused for demanding more dowry.

Amritsar, June 26
BJP MP Navjot Singh Sidhu has arranged a meeting of the representatives of the managements of the three clubs situated in the historic Ram Bagh with Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on June 28 to finalise a decision on the future of the clubs.

Sidhu, while addressing members of the clubs, said in case the clubs were shifted out, the government would have to provide an alternative site to all three clubs.

Meanwhile, the managements of the clubs are fighting against the eviction. Principal secretary, tourism and cultural affairs, Geethika Kalha, claims to have prepared a detailed blueprint to resurrect the old glory of Ram Bagh for which the eviction of the clubs is a prerequisite.

Amritsar, June 26
Veteran journalist Kuldip Nayar has demanded that the parliaments of both India and Pakistan must apologise to the people of the two countries for the massacre of 10 lakh persons during Partition. He was speaking at a meeting held at Bachat Bhavan here recently.

The candlelight vigil to be observed at the Wagah joint checkpost on August 14 would be dedicated to the Punjabi language and the birth centenary of Shaheed Bhagat Singh. It was also decided at the meeting that scholars would present papers for the spread and propagation of the Punjabi language. Satnam Singh Manak, Ramesh Yadav, Parmjit Singh Gandiwind, Sohan Singh, Rajeev Sharma, Rana Gandiwind, Surinder Singh and Kulwant Singh Sufi also addressed the meeting.

Amritsar, June 26
A summer camp, organised by the Rashtriya Swayam Sewak Sangh (RSS), for the young students concluded at Madhav Vidya Niketan School.

The function was presided over by Sant Balbeer Singh Seechewal of Kali Bein fame. He exhorted the students to maintain the ecological balance and save the environment from global warming. Asking the students to participate in the tree plantation campaign, he gave the slogan “each one plant one”. A sapling was also planting by him to commemorate the occasion. Senior RSS leader and Sanghchalak of Northern India Bajrang Lal Gupta decried the impact of western culture on the traditional Indian values and urged the students to save counntry’s rich culture. RSS has been a strong pillar of Indian culture and has done its utmost to preserve it, he added.. Renowned economist Dr Gupta, said, “The RSS aims at uniting the masses and inculcating a sense of belonging and nationalism among the countrymen. The organisation was currently running 50,000 camps across India, he said. — TNS

Hello students, its holiday time and you all might be enjoying your vacations. Some of you might have joined summer camps or hobby classes, etc., but some might be enjoying by sitting and relaxing at home. Do you want to utilise your free time? Let us learn a fun game. Play it with your friends and impress them.

Ask your friend to pick any secret number from 100 to 999 and not to disclose it to you. Tell him to multiply it by 1001. Now ask him to tell you the final outcome. After knowing the outcome, you can very easily tell your friend the secret number which he had already thought of in his mind.

Let us learn it through an illustration Suppose your friend picks in his mind the number, say 279. Tell him to multiply it by 1001, the result will be 279279. Ask him to tell you the final result. When he will tell you the outcome as 279279, you can spontaneously tell him the secret number which he had already thought of. You can tell him that he had thought 279.

Your friend will be surprised to know that you have told him the accurate number. The logic i simple. In the final outcome, the number will always duplicate itself, side by side. Your friend can pick any three-digit number, but its multiplication with 1001 will always duplicate the number already thought of.

bansalvandana@yahoo.com

Amritsar, June 26
Spearheading a lone campaign against the menace of stray dogs and the incidents of dog bites in the city, Ravinder Kumar, a resident of Green Avenue, is determined to take the indifferent administration and authorities concerned to task. His plea in the Punjab and Haryana High Court was dismissed but his aim knows no boundary.

I was inspired to take up this fight after reading a number of news items. Then I started visiting hospitals and found out how aggravated the problem was, he says.

According to Ravinder, the number of dog biting incidents is actually far more than the reported cases in hospitals but the administration and authorities are least bothered. Even the municipal corporation does not have proper records in this regard, he informs.

Citing reasons for increase in the population of stray dogs, he claims the enactment of law against killing of these animals contributed in their growth and other methods proved too ineffective to control the population. I had taken up the matter with authorities concerned for sterilisation to control the dog population but in vain, he alleges.

A small businessman, who runs a gift shop in Katra Kanhiya in the walled city, Ravinder dedicates his major time for this cause, hence has less amount of time for his business. He started spreading awareness against this hazard after his voice proved ineffective to bring the authorities concerned out of slumber. And his struggle remains a lonely battle till date. “People support my cause but they do not come up to help me. Sometimes it becomes difficult due to workload and in the absence of any help,” says Ravinder.

Providing data, he says as per the official records, the anti-rabies department of the government-run Guru Nanak Dev Hospital (GNDH) reported about 1,890 cases of dog bites in 2005. It was 1,649 in 2006 and 725 in first half of year 2007, he adds. In 2005, the number of deaths due to dog bites was four while it increased to 10 in 2006.

The condition in villages was far more dangerous and lack of awareness amongst people and limited resources further compounds the problem, he claims. The people residing in urban slum areas go to tantrik babas for ‘magical treatment’ instead of hospitals, he adds.

“At number of times, I have to spend money from my own pocket for the treatment of dog bitten persons,” he says. He has now started distributing posters and putting up hoardings for awareness and garnering support. He again filed a civil writ petition in the high court bearing all its expenditure for fighting the legal battle.

He says he will take the fight to the Supreme Court if lower courts fail to provide any relief. 

Amritsar, June 26
The Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) has welcomed the statement of Parliamentarians for National Self-Determination, demanding an unbiased enquiry into the Chattisinghpora massacre in Jammu and Kashmir by a national investigating agency, during a conference in House of Commons, United Kingdom, recently.

General secretary SAD (A) Ram Singh said the massacre had shaken confidence of the Sikhs lining in the Kashmir valley who were feeling unsafe following the incident.

He alleged that the truth was not being made open as the Indian agencies were responsible for this ghastly incident, which was done to create a rift between the Muslims and Sikhs in the valley.

“Even Bill Clinton, former President of America, had brought out the facts regarding the incident in his book. From day one we have been demanding an enquiry into the incident by a national investigating agency,” he said.

Earlier, former chief election commissioner and Member parliament Manohar Singh Gill had also urged the union home minister to investigate the killing of the 35 Kashmiri Sikhs.

He said the party supported the view of Michael Jackson, member parliament in House of Commons, who was against giving permanent membership to India in the United Nations Security Council as atrocities were being committed on the minorities, including Sikhs, in the country.