Amritsar, April 28
The management of the Sudershan Sewa Trust, a leading private organisation, has alleged that certain influential people, with the tacit backing of political powers, had grabbed prime property near the Verka Milk Plant and deprived the trust of its high-prized properties.

Avinash Mohindru, chairman of the trust, made this charge while addressing the media here today and demanded an independent probe into the manipulation of records (allegedly by the tehsildar and the patwari) and allowing anti-social elements to hive off prime commercial property on the outskirts of the city.

He said late Parshotam Das Kumar had created this trust in July 1964 and donated his share of the land and industrial sheds to the trust vide a registered gift deed in November 1969, but somehow the property was not transferred in the name of the trust.

He said the trust had rented out the property to a processing house in 1986 and the businessmen had been giving rent to the trust till last year.

The owners of the processing house, allegedly in league with the staff of the Revenue Department, including the tehsildar and the patwari, managed to transfer the entire properties (measuring 10,000 square yards) in the name of the only daughter of Kumar (with her connivance) who had no locus standi to grant the power of attorney or to sell the property as the entire property vested with the trust with the gift deed executed in 1969.

Mohindru said this sordid episode started when the management of the trust sought to get the property transferred in its name last year.

Mohindru alleged that since the property continued to be in the name of Kumar, sensing the opportunity to rake in profits and grab the land, the tehsildar, in collaboration with the owners of the processing house, transferred the entire property (worth several crores) in Kumar’s daughter’s name and disposed it of for just a few lakhs.

He said the whole group was supported by a leading Akali leader whose “aides” were allegedly party to the deal and who backed the group of land mafia to deprive the trust of its rightful property.

Interestingly, the management of the trust had approached former Deputy Commissioner K.S. Pannu, who had given the directions to reverse the mutation and correct the record to transfer the property in the name of the trust after going through the original documents.

Mohindru pointed out that instead of taking corrective measures, the tehsildar overruled the order of the DC and gave his verdict in favour of the land grabbers.

When contacted, the DC said the trust should file the review case with the SDM and justice would be done to correct the position.

He said the airport authority had been insisting on the administration to fix the taxi charges for the passengers from airport to hotels and other important destinations in the city. 

According to reports, the radio taxi service in all likelihood would be launched next month and would be parked at several important landmarks, including Golden Temple, railway station, and interstate bus terminal, and the passengers can send a message to call the taxi at a fixed rate.

Amritsar, April 28
Its a bliss to have a juicy treat in the hard summer days, when temperature raises to its peak and people having a sip of baraf ka gola. Pedestrians walking up and down on roads of the city with sun shining in its vigour and exuberance find solace in a sip of “baraf da gola” (ice candy) to beat the heat. However, medical experts advised them to be cautious before enjoying luscious ice ball as they may invite a disease.

Satisfactorily crushed ice ball soaked in “sharbats” with a variety of colours with lemon and salt sprinkled over it, were enough to tempt passersby to savour it to escape soaring heat. Children, youth and aged, all could not hold themselves back from buying ice balls in sweltering heat. It would not be exaggerated that colourful ice candies seems to tempt people of all age groups.

Without bothering about what would be its impact on the digestive system, sweaty and thirsty people resort to have it without thinking about their hygiene.

However, doctors advise to exercise caution before enjoying an ice candy. They are of the view that ice must be prepared with potable water otherwise there was high risk of falling prey to water-borne diseases. After the ice slabs came out of the antiquated machines, they were handled by not very clean hands. Ice slabs were piled atop each other in a cart and covered with a sack and go in the traffic accumulating dirt and smoke on the way to an ice depot. The ice candy man purchases his slab of ice from here and carts it on his cart and covers with a sack.

No one could vouch for hygiene in the entire process. Everyone was aware that water-borne diseases like dysentry, jaundice and typhoid, which were more prevalent in summers.

The colourful array of different “sharbats” which the ice candy man applies with a flourish to make the ice candy could spell trouble as well. Colours used in “sharbat” must be of inferior quality and could cause damage to the digestive system. 

Amritsar, April 28
Former Punjab Governor Lieut-Gen B.K.N. Chhibber (retd) is one of the most celebrated students of Sant Singh Sukha School, established way back in 1893. The school, more popular as Four S school.

The school with glorious past continues to produce experts in different fields like engineers, doctors, scholars, sportspersons and even artistes like dancers, singers and painters.

The school has a majestic grey building and beautiful lawns full of trees and flowers along with its boundary walls. It is indeed a joy to watch the cheerful students of the school arriving in the morning mostly on foot or on bicycles. It is a co-educational school up to class XII and has mainly white uniform, giving a rather neat and clean look to the students.

School Director of the Sant Singh Sukha Singh Educational Trust Dr Jagdish Singh, has remained principal for many years and has played the key role in steady progress and growth of the city’s educational institution. Though he is above 70 he can be spotted in the school working regularly and encouraging students and staff to work tirelessly.

The school, located right opposite Ram Bagh, has won more respect and popularity among the residents for providing liberty, equality and fraternity to the students at large. Of course, the school also maintains strict discipline but three is no such practice as punishing the naughty and erring students, careless about the studies.

School Principal and his team of teachers are known for inculcating a sense of fellow feeling and love for both studies and sports and also pastimes like developing good hobbies like stamp collection and coin collection. The school also maintains an excellent library, full of classics on all subjects under the sun and journals and newspapers. 

Amritsar, April 28
The Rambagh police has booked the prime accused in the April 16 bomb blast case in the New Golden Avenue area, for another case of trespassing and ransacking at a barber’s shop in the same area. Balwant Singh Attu has been booked in this regard.

The case has been registered under sections 427, 506, 109, 148 and 149 of the IPC at the A-Division police station.

SHO Navjot Singh said during investigations into the bomb blast case, it had come to light that Balwant Singh, along with Balbir Singh, alias Krishna (main accused of the bomb blast), Ranjit Singh and several other unidentified persons had barged into the shop owned by Rubel of Dashmesh Nagar in the same area and ransacked it.

According to investigations, Rajinder Singh, owner of Chauhan Barber Shop, had given money to Balbir (who had already been in jail for possessing explosive material) to ransack the shop of Rubel who earlier used to work in Rajinder’s shop.

The police authorities said raids were being conducted to arrest the remaining accused in the case while further investigations were on.

It is pertinent to mention here that a mild blast had occurred on April 16 in the New Golden Avenue area in which three persons, including two women, were injured.

Amritsar, April 28
The state Tourism Department will receive its own tourist information office building for the first time in its two and a half decade of existence here. Its two-storey building under construction opposite exit gate of the railway station is likely to be functional from the last week of May.

It has been providing information to the tourists regarding the historical, religious, airports, rails, buses and hotels but from premises of youth hostel and a hotel.

Besides located at a central place, it is also accessible for the tourists who arrive at the interstate bus terminal or the Rajasansi International Airport.

The Public Works Department had started the construction work about six months ago.

The building which would have two rooms of the size of 10’ x 15’ besides the capacity to accommodate about 15 to 20 tourists at a time is almost complete and only the work of interior decoration and setting up of furniture is left which would not take more than two weeks.

The air-conditioned office would also have the facilities like the hot and cold water as per the season. A ramp has also been constructed so that the physically challenged visitors do not have any problems in the visiting the information centre. A wheel chair would also be provided by the tourism department for the benefit of the handicapped tourists.

Balraj Singh, in charge of the centre, said earlier a tourist centre was established in 1982 by the state Tourism Department at youth hostel in Jalandhar during the two decade long militancy.

He said after operating from a single room there for 18 long years the tourist information office was set up in the year 2000 in a private hotel in front of the railway station.

It may be mentioned here that various NGOs had also raised their voice for setting up the information centre near the railway station as more than 70 per cent of tourists arrived in the city through trains.

Balraj said the working hours of the centre would be from 9 am to 5 pm and would be connected online with the tourism office in Delhi and other tourist centers in the country.

He said the tourists coming from abroad would also be provided information regarding the distance between two cities and the fare of the buses, trains or airplanes.

He said the centre would also provide a booklet giving brief details about the tourists’ sports in the state especially Amritsar and its surroundings.

Amritsar, April 28
Alleging police inaction in an attempt-to-murder case, Lakhwinder Singh, a resident of Tarn Taran Road, has alleged that the in-laws of his daughter Parwinder Kaur were threatening them with dire consequences, besides putting political pressure if they did not withdraw the case.

Parwinder Kaur, a resident of Kirtangarh Thande village, was admitted to a hospital on April 13 in a serious condition, allegedly after her in-laws, including Satnam Singh (father-in-law), Amrik Kaur (mother-in-law), Sukhdev Singh (brother-in-law) and his wife Sharanjit Kaur, tried to strangle her.

The police registered a case under sections 307, 323 and 34 of the IPC at the Sadar police station here in this regard. Parwinder’s husband Ravinder Singh had gone to a foreign country about two months back. The couple have two children.

Lakhwinder, in a representation to senior police officers, alleged that the police had failed to arrest the accused while they were roaming freely in the area and threatening the victim.

He alleged that the accused came to the hospital where she had been admitted and threatened to kill her.

Sadar police station SHO Ramneesh Kumar said an enquiry had been marked and investigations were on in the case. He said action would be taken as per the enquiry report.

Amritsar, April 28
The quacks, traditional bonesetters and massage treatment shops often create complications, especially in case of fractures. This is the outcome of a study conducted under the supervision of Dr R.P.S. Boparai, renowned orthopaedician and Medical Superintendent of Guru Nanak Dev Hospital (GNDH) here.

The study having in-depth research on the prevalence of such bonesetters and the resultant complications caused by them recommended serious action against such non-professionals.

The study was carried out on a sample consisting of hundreds of cases reported in the hospital here soon after handling by bonesetters and up to six months to 12 months of getting treatment by such quacks.

It recommended a comprehensive programme to overcome this menace, which include launching of high-level awareness programmes and campaigns to caution people against going to such bonesetter, especially during serious injuries like fractures, besides telling them about the facilities provided in government hospitals like GNDH, charitable hospitals, where round-the-clock and state-of-the-art service are available.

Dr Boparai pointed out that a minimal training programme should be launched to identify, select and train those non-professionals who possess basic understanding of the problem and are interested in learning and upgrading their skill to work as first-aid providers.

He said illiterate, poor and gullible villagers were more prone to such complications when they were involved in accident or mishap and thereafter approach such bonesetters who thrive only on people’s ignorance.

He pointed out that the root cause of the whole problem was poverty and ignorance of the masses who didn’t know the risk they were taking when going to such quacks and non-professionals for treatment.

Out of the cases taken as sample, 80 per cent of them had developed serious complications like infection, profuse swelling. Numerous cases of dislocation of a joint or unreduced fracture or non-union and even malunion were diagnosed and corrected surgically.

Even compound fractures mismanaged by tight splintage resulting in profuse swelling and ischemic or gangrenous stage were discovered which sometimes required amputation of the limb to save the life of the patient, Dr Boparai said.

Amritsar, April 28
Strong desires sometimes lead you towards the destination and at times they crush your dreams. There seems to be no end of a desire when it gets overpowered by intense emotions.

The play named “Bulldozer” was staged at Virsa Vihar on April 26. It unfolded a typical Punjabi family craving for a son. That a couple even after being blessed with two daughters, decided to go in for the third issue says it all.

Husband Pakhar was more interested to have a baby boy. Although he tried to hide his craving for a son in the beginning, he easily decided to follow a piece of advice extended by his friend. His friend, a teacher, advised him to get his wife Jeeto tested whether she would give birth to a male or female baby. He immediately presented the idea to his wife who protested against it.

Reluctant to do so, Jeeto finally yielded to his demand. The test showed that they would be blessed with another baby girl. All hell broke loose on Pakhar who was adamant for having an abortion. Father of Jeeto, Gurduit Singh, known as comrade, who was against it, announced to raise the daughter himself. Continuous arguments turned into euphoria when Jeeto gave birth to a son.

Then comrade got his bicycle out and said he would bulldozed those who were polluting society.

Use of bicycle, a mean of transportation for common people, was symbolic as it is compared with a bulldozer. In a way, it says common people, when awake, could crush any injustice.

The play was presented by Nat Ghar in assistance with the Virsa Vihar Society. Based on the story of Gurdial Dalal, it was directed and adapted by Jagdish Sachdeva, who wrote its lyrics as well. Its music was given by Harinder Sohal.

Its cast included Jatinder Kaur, Inderjit Saharan, Paramjit Rahi, Rajinder Nagi, Amarpal, Amanpret Kaur, Karina and Sunil.

Amritsar, April 28
Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) in collaboration with Nijjar Agro Food Limited and Ujjwal Ujjala, an Amritsar-based NGO, has successfully recycled the tomato waste (peel and seeds) through vermicomposting using Eisenia foetida, an exotic earthworm.

The university release issued to the media here today said the project was conceptualised with the active participation of Dr S.S. Chahal, Director Research Department of Zoology and Food Science and Technology (FST) of GNDU.

Dr D.S. Sogi, Head of the FST Department, while giving the details about the project said that vermi-composting is one of the modern technologies to handle such organic waste at an affordable cost with promising returns.

He said the earthworms ingest, grind and degrade the organic matter enzymatically with the help of micro-organisms into soil conditioner. It is rich in plant growth hormones, enzymes and nutrients in an easily available form.

Dr Sogi said tomato processing produces waste consisting of skin and seeds, which was difficult to handle. He said the volume of this waste was huge and goes unutilised due to lack of adequate technology. Presently most of the industries are dumping this waste into open space, which acts as breeding ground for pests, he added. Detailing more about the project and the process under taken, Dr S.S. Chahal said Dr Arvinder Kaur and Dr D.S. Sogi are jointly working on the utilisation of the tomato processing waste and have carried out a series of experiments on this waste.

He said for semi-commercial trial, vermibeds were set up in the premises of Nijjar Agro Foods Ltd for on the spot waste management. He said that the feed mix was prepared by mixing tomato waste with cattle dung and fed to African worms (E. foetida), provided by Ujjwal Ujjala.

Dr Chahal said the growth and fecundity parameters were studied to check suitability of the waste for worms. He said that the size, biomass and population growth of worms established the successful utilisation of the waste. It took about 90 days for worms to convert waste into odourless, granular and dark brown compost, he added.

The Director Research said the vermicompost is rich in nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium with carbon: nitrogen ratio in the range of 15:1which is good for plant growth. He said this commercial trial has established that vermitechnology can be used for converting the tomato industry waste into compost at a low cost and will make the processing environment-friendly along with good economic returns. He further said this technology ensures recycling of the organic matter back to farm in shortest possible time. Similar projects can be established for the conversion of such wastes into valuable products and save the environment from pollution.

Amritsar, April 28
Professor of the Department of Professional Legal Studies, Law School, University of Leicester (UK), Dr Charles Stevens, while delivering a lecture on international trade law at Guru Nanak Dev University said the Indian economy was growing rapidly day-by-day and in 2040, it would be “third” amongst the developed countries.

Explaining the benefits of learning the international trade law and how it was relevant for future Indian lawyers, Stevens said India's growth in trade would see a demand for expertise in the international trade law. He explained that the export transactions were not independent contract rather they involved four distinct contracts, which were sales contract, insurance contract, carriage contract and finance contract. Students could benefit by equipping themselves in this lucrative area of legal profession, he added.

Senior advocate R.N. Madaan spoke about the dispute resolution through international commercial arbitration. He explained that in the legal profession intellectual property right, corporate law, anti- dumping laws are the emerging areas.

The faculty members Dr Kashmir Singh, Dr Rajinder Pawar, Dr Viney Kapoor, Dr R.P. Singh, Dr Bimaldeep Singh, Balwant Singh, G.S. Grover, advocate in Income Tax, Renu, Purnima Khanna, Indu Bala and senior research fellow were present.

Talk on higher education

Sri Lankan Library Association President Prof Piyadas Ranasinghe said Sri Lanka had a literacy rate of 95 per cent and education at all levels was totally free. Moreover, students enrolled in higher education, which were only 2 per cent of the school leaving population, also get some stipend from the government.

Ranasinghe is an eminent and internationally known library professional and is at present Professor and Head of the Library and Information Science at University of Kelaniya, (Sri Lanka).

He was delivering an extension lecture on “Structure of higher education in Sri Lanka with special focus on professional education of librarians there” at Guru Nanak Dev University under the aegis of Library and Information Science Department of the university here today. Dr A. K. Baradol, Professor and Head, Department of Library Science, Mangalore University, presided over the event.

Prof Ranasinghe revealed that librarians as information providers were in demand in Sri Lanka and this profession was getting female-dominated there. Throwing enough light on the bibliographic control, he analytically described various laws relating to libraries, books printing and copyright.

He said the Sri Lankan Library Association was an active organisation and was working hard for the enactment of library legislation there for the provision of library services to all.