Amritsar, January 25
Counter intelligence and police department has issued ‘lookout circular’ against notorious smuggler Dr Balwinder Singh alias Jagjit Singh to prevent him from escaping to neighboring countries.

Special alert has been sounded at international airport, railway stations and border posts.

Confirming this, Jagdish Mittal, deputy inspector general (DIG), counter intelligence said the police department has lodged a vigorous campaign to nab the culprit.

“Special narcotic cell is also providing necessary inputs,” he said, expressing hope that the accused would be in the police net soon. Notably, on January 17, Balwinder Singh had managed to escape from the custody of four cops who were him taking him to New Delhi in connection with a court case.

The three policemen were immediately suspended for dereliction of duty.

The escorting cops had been given railway warrants to take the accused to Delhi but they took the taxi arranged by the accused. They also reported the matter to the department after two days of the incident. The accused policemen were later terminated from their service.

Meanwhile, the police have arrested Amandeep Kaur, sister of Dr Balwinder alias Ajit for her alleged involvement in his escaping. SSP Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh, while talking to The Tribune said Amandeep was actively involved in hatching the conspiracy. He said more persons were involved in the sensational case.

Meanwhile, the subsidiary unit of the special narcotics cell in Ferozepur would be upgraded soon with its headquarter in Bhatinda. An SP-level police officer would be its in charge. 

Amritsar, January 25
In a city where there are no big grounds for aspiring sportsmen to play or practice in, the only hub for sports activity, Guru Nanak Stadium has also been reserved for the Republic Day parade on January 26.

In the past as well, the stadium, has been used to stage cultural nights, leaving behind deep holes in the ground, dug up for erecting poles for tents and flags.

District sports officer Balwinder Kaur says since there are no other grounds in the city even schools have to come to the Guru Nanak Stadium to hold their sports events and for practice.

“Otherwise, the ground is used for Republic Day and Independence Day functions, which doesn’t really bother the sportspersons. No cultural events have been organised ever since I took over. But sports lovers in the city would definitely benefit if there are more grounds,” she says.

Mohit Khanna, secretary, Amritsar Games Association, says though the concept of neighbourhood grounds, where people can play for leisure, is missing in Amritsar, his association had taken the initiative to promote club tournaments in the AGA Ground. “Even middle-aged people come to the ground every morning to play cricket and we want to encourage this practice by organising tournaments,” he says.

Khanna demands that the Guru Nanak Stadium, which was initially a part of the AGA Ground, should be given back to the association as it had failed to promote hockey, the objective for which it was separated from the main ground and handed over to the Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), which now has astroturf on its own campus.

Scores of youngsters from different parts of the city converge on the Ram Bagh gardens to play cricket, especially in the soothing winter sun. “There are days when even four to five pitches are laid in the same open space by teams from different parts of the city. Even the members of cricket teams of schools come here to practice,” says Rajat Ahuja, who is a regular visitor to the Ram Bagh.

Earlier, there used to be open spaces in areas like Ranjit Avenue where people could play cricket and football but now big buildings have come up everywhere, he adds.

Amritsar, January 25
From the docile Pomeranians, invariably named “Tuffy” after the star dog in “Hum Aapke Hain Kaun”, to ferocious giant dogs, which stand up to 39 inches, dog lovers in the city have had a change of heart, going in for a whole new range of dog breeds.

For Amritsar’s young and reckless, breeds like Rott Weiler, Great Dane, St. Bernard, and Bull Masters make perfect company with unmatched aggression and a mammoth physique.

Even those having reservations about keeping a big dog are not settling for anything less than Pugs, the brand ambassadors for “Hutch”.

Yogesh Toteja, secretary of the Amritsar Kennel Club says the choice of dogs has definitely changed in the recent years. “People have realized that the pet lives with them for up to 12 years and opting for the right breed can make the journey a memorable one.”

“Since the post-buying expenses of most good breeds are almost the same, dog lovers in Amritsar are now willing to spend a bit more to buy a dog which conforms to their personal requirements. A costly dog has always been a status symbol in the city,” he says.

Dog breeding has also picked up in a big way in the city in the last couple of years and a whole new market of quality pups has come up in the city. “Amritsar is not behind any other big city when it comes to dog breeding and dog lovers don’t need to get puppies from outside,” he says. “The Amritsar Kennel Club has been organising dog shows every year in Amritsar since 1993 and the last show had 263 entries from different parts of the country. Two parallel events were organised to give away four “best in show” titles each,” he said.

The number of imported dogs in the city has gone up. Even the dog show has come a long way in the last decade, with the quality of entries getting improved. Those who are really passionate about having a well-bred pooch in the backyard are shelling out lakhs to buy the imported breeds.

Raj Bansal says he bought an imported St. Bernard for three lakh, which had been imported from America. “There is always a fraction of suspicion about the genuineness of puppies purchased locally. To make sure that there is no adulteration in the breed, it is always better to get a dog which has been imported,” he says.

Even though the giant breeds grow faster, they take longer time to mature into their full sizes, than smaller dogs. A majority of the giant breeds are mellow, relaxed dogs as adults and require less exercise and contrary to the general perception, the bigger dogs make better pets for small living arrangements, such as apartments.

However, the expenses on the accessories of giant dogs are usually high because larger beds, collars, and toys cost more. Abroad, the popular breeds of giant dogs are Molossers (Mastiffs), Irish Wolfhounds and Scottish Deerhound.

Majitha (Amritsar), January 25
The holy city today witnessed a "development wave" as MP and working president of SAD (B), Sukhbir Singh Badal today laid the foundation stone of 220 KV power grid sub-station at Majitha and three 66 KV sub-stations at Nag Kalan, Wadala Veeram and Dhade, to be constructed at the cost of Rs 22 crore to strengthen the power distribution infrastructure in the district.

The work of setting power stations in the constituency would be completed within 2 years. With the commissioning of grid sub stations, at least 40 villages in the region would get reliable electricity supply. Badal also laid the foundation stone of a sub-tehsil office at Majitha to be constructed at the cost of Rs 30 lakh.

Speaking on the occasion, Badal said power is the lifeline of an economy so our government has given priority to the generation of power to make the state strong in both agriculture and industry and added that the government is making special efforts to make the state power surplus during the next five years as Rs 12,948 crore (one third of the total allocation of the 11th plan), have been assigned to the power sector, he informed while interacting with mediapersons here this afternoon.

Laying emphasis on quality education of children of rural areas Sukhbir Badal laid the foundation stone of 5 NABARD schools, one Airtel school and one Government School at Nag Kalan, Bhangali Kalan, Chawinda Devi, Mattewal, Ram Diwali, Chananke and Kotla Sultan Singh, to be constructed at the cost of Rs 2.90 crore.

Strengthening the agro marketing system and to disseminate agro-expertise, Sukhbir Singh Badal also laid the foundation stone of Krishi Vigyan Kendra at Nag Kalan and three grain markets at Sohian Kalan, Wadal Veeram and Dhade, to be constructed at the cost of Rs 3 crore and Rs 2.60 crore, respectively.

Gulzar Singh Ranike, animal husbandry, dairy development and fishery minister, Punjab, announced that the state government has chalked out a plan to set up new veterinary hospitals and poly clinics and upgrade the existing infrastructure with the cost of Rs 30 crore. 

Amritsar, January 25
Fortis Escorts Hospital here has launched its first gastro-nephrology outdoor patients department (OPD) at Mahajan Hospital in Batala. In a press note issued today Sunil Kapoor, executive director along with Dr Mohit Nagpal and Dr M.K. Panda of Fortis Escorts Hospital said the OPD would be available on the first and third Friday of each month.

This OPD was launched during a free gastro nephrology camp held on the hospital premises. As many as 220 patients were examined. Other than from the city, patients also came from nearby areas, including Kathunangal, Qadian, Naushera Maja Singh, Dhariwal, etc, and were also offered endoscopy procedure at subsidised cost.

Speaking on the occasion, doctors said the state was reporting an alarming rise in ailments relating to stomach, liver and kidney. Dr Panda, gastroenterologist, shared his concern on the alarming increase in alcohol consumption in Punjab giving rise to stomach and liver diseases and also rise in the cases of Hepatitis C in the region and said medical intervention was necessary.

Dr Nagpal said while diabetes was prevalent in 3 to 5 per cent of population in India, the percentage was fairly high in Punjab where the only recourse was dialysis or transplant after kidney failure but can be managed and prevented with timely medical help.

Sunil disclosed that the hospital had identified 11 cities in the state, including Muktsar, Moga, Jandiala and Kot Kapura, where OPDs in different medical specialties along with dedicated free camps would he launched shortly.

Amritsar, January 25
The Mata Vaishno Devi and Hanuman temple built at Mohkampura area in the outskirts of the city was opened for the devotees after performing a havan. The occasion was graced by Mahatma Vivek Darshnanand of Anandpur Sahib.

Constructed at the cost of Rs 30 lakh, the temple has idols of many Gods and Goddess, including Mata Vaishno Devi, Shirdi Sai Baba and Tirupati Balaji, which are sculpted by Mohinder Das Murtikar. — OC