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Disaster mgmt in a shambles
No change in flights schedule
Making life of deaf and dumb students easy |
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Govt-arhtiyas stand-off hits farmers
Gems, stones replace traditional folk jewellery
PGD courses fail to take off for want of students
Radio taxis a big hit
PSU lambasts ruling coalition over employment promises
Should class X board examination be abolished
Auction of fancy numbers put off
Artiste demands probe into suicide of wife
Counselling for MPharmacy on July 20
Gateway of Amritsar awaits formal inauguration
Pannu on master plan for holy city
Educating Army men, families on swine flu
Campus Buzz
Govt least bothered about lives of devotees
No need of study tour, just enforce laws
‘Go Green, Go Clean’ hits roadblock
No guideline on time-bound booking of LPG refill
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Disaster mgmt in a shambles
Amritsar, July 14 The 150-km-per-hour winds accompanied by rains yesterday brought the entire power supply to a grinding halt plunging several areas of the civil lines into darkness. A number of trees and poles fell down on the Taylor Road and M.M. Malvia Road damaging electricity cables, which snapped the entire system. Even a transformer on a busy
commercial area came down from the supporting poles. This major disaster had left the electricity board officials here to cope up with the felling of trees and cables without any contingency plans thus pushing the panic button much to the harassment of thousands of
residents and the shop owners of the area. A senior official of the board preferring anonymity admitted that it did not have the requisite heavy handling equipments and other tools to immediately repair the damages caused by this high-velocity winds and restore the power in the area. The board has very little plans for such contingencies and was left helpless in the absence of trained manpower to manage such disaster. The residents rued that it took more than 12 hours to partially restore electricity in certain areas. Finally, the full supply was given later in the day today. According to the details available with The Tribune, the administration has yet to give final shape to the disaster management programme by integrating several important ingredients including fire fighting, hospital management, volunteers, etc in shape. Recently, a high-level meeting was held under the command of a senior military officer which allegedly found gaping holes in the disaster management at different hospitals where they found the basic equipment including ambulances, stretchers, paramedical staff, trauma centres, blood banks totally inadequate to meet any eventuality. A final report is being worked out to give a more meaningful briefing to meet the disaster that could strike at any time without any warning. Meanwhile, the administration has prepared some report and final shape is yet to be given to tie loose ends and prepare a complete contingency plans to meet the needs during disaster.
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Making life of deaf and dumb students easy
Amritsar, July 14 The idea started in foreign countries but in Punjab, the All-India Pingalwara Charitable Society introduced the method and provided mobile phones to deaf and dumb students so that they could learn and share feelings in better way. By this method they could communicate even with normal people, who could not understand the sign language. Dr Inderjeet Kaur, Head of Pingalwara, said they received the idea from California, USA, where the deaf and dumb were found to easily communicate with others through this method. The society decided to provide mobile phones to the inmates to enable them in communicating with others and lead a better and purposeful life. She said the phones were donated by California-based NGO Homo Phone. The organisation gifted five mobile phones to the society and they gave the phones to students of class V and VI. Dr Inderjeet Kaur said they asked questions to the students by SMS and students solved them on their notebook. Through the technology they also communicate with their parents. She said they would do everything to make the life of these children easy and it was just a small step towards it. Jaswinder Kaur, Head of the Deaf and Dumb School at Pingalwara, said after the mobile phones the students learnt their lessons easily as the work had become easy and fast. She said they would give mobile phones to children of class III and IV so that they could learn to use the devices. These students also used computers for communication and learning.
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Govt-arhtiyas stand-off hits farmers
Amritsar, July 14 They may be forced to make a distress sale in case this impasse between the government and commission agents continues even as the government was trying to streamline the payment procedures by giving the cheques directly to farmers. The arrival of monsoon has further compounded the problem for them as it could badly affect their produce. The foodgrains, especially maize and sunflower, have been lifted back by farmers from the grain markets and they were facing problems in storing due to lack of proper sheds and godowns. The arhtiyas (commission agents) are protesting against the state government’s decision to make direct payments through cheques to farmers against foodgrains procured by government procurement agencies. Ranjit Singh, a farmer on the Mehta road, said he had to take back his produce of maize due to strike at the Bhagtanwala grain market and inclement weather. He said they were facing problems as rains could moisten the grains. He hoped that the government would try to resolve the issue. President of the Commission Agents Association of Bhagtawala grain market Narender Behl said payments worth Rs 10 to 20 crore to agents for previous paddy crops was still pending with the rice millers and recent drought- like conditions had compounded the problems of farmers who had taken lakhs of rupees from them for installing submersible pumps. He claimed the farmers first turn to arhtiyas for loans in case of any emergency rather than going to banks or the government agencies where they had to go through a number of cumbersome formalities. He favoured continuance of the existing system of making payment through commission agents. Jamhoori Kisan Sabha Vice-President Rattan Singh Randhawa, terming their agitation as illegitimate, urged the government not to succumb to the pressure. Although, he said making direct payments to farmers was a good step, it should not be discontinued as arhtiyas used to charge heavy interests on the loan taken by farmers which brings farming community perpetually under debt. Deputy Commissioner Kahan Singh Pannu said the administration was aware of the current problem and added that the government was trying to work out an amicable solution. He urged the commission agents to lift the farm produce and save the farmers from making distress sale.
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Gems, stones replace traditional folk jewellery
Amritsar, July 14 They prefer accessories like pendants, hair clips, small necklaces, anklets, hair bands and bracelets, replacing the traditional jewellery. Even the women who possess the old heavy jewellery don’t like to wear them as it is out of fashion. However, the women from outside the state prefer to purchase the same due to its different style. The present day youth is not even aware of their names. In order to create awareness about the traditional jewellery among the young girls, Guru Nanak Dev University puts on display all these folk jewellery every year. However, it has failed to yield any desired results. Dr Rani, a Punjabi teacher and giddha coach, said every year they create awareness of the folk things, including the jewellery, among the girls who enrol themselves for giddha. However, the other girls studying in the educational institutions don’t know about the importance of traditional jewellery in Punjab’s culture. She said even though parents and grandparents pass on the legacy to the younger generation, but the latter do want to adopt the same considering it out of fashion. She said the young women of other states like Rajasthan, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir go in for traditional jewellery and could be easily identified in other states by their traditional jewellery and dresses. She said the fashion designers should take keen interest in bringing back this legacy by making some changes in the traditional jewellery. She said fashion comes back after every 10 years and hoped that the traditional jewellery would once again make its presence felt in the fashion world.
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PGD courses fail to take off for want of students
Amritsar, July 14 The university decided to introduce these courses in order to provide much needed elaborate information to the professionals from varied fields to enhance their knowledge on the two subjects offering new challenges to law regulating agencies and legal profession. Jaspal Singh, Head of Department of Laws, confirmed that the courses could not commence this year for want of students. He said the courses were introduced keeping in view their demand and needs in the fast changing legal fields. “Though the department had made the announcement of these courses in all the leading newspapers of the region but students did not turn up to enroll,” he said. He said an intensive media campaign would be initiated prior to inception of the courses from the next session so that more and more persons could be made aware of these courses. Both the courses offered 30 seats with seven for SC/ST, 2 for backward classes, 2 for rural areas and 4 for others. Candidates who have a bachelor degree in any faculty from a recognised university with at least 45 per cent marks in aggregate were eligible for the courses.
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Radio taxis a big hit
Amritsar, July 14 The company spokesman said the present fleet of 25 cars have been receiving more than 300 calls per day and have been provided with GPS system for locating the cars. He said minimum tariff is Rs 15 per kilometre and can been taken within 40 kilometre radius in and out of the city. An eye surgeon, Dr Rohit Om Parkash, said he was delighted that the corporation has started the service in the city which is a big facility for the travellers. “Now I don’t have to take my car to the airport as I hire the taxi service for the purpose,” he added. Meanwhile, a large number of kitty crazy women use this service to travel from home to several hotel and restaurants for lunch and kitty parties and a large number of students and youngsters using the service for a ride to their colleges and cinema halls. Ajay Chopra, a young student of the university, said AC car service provided them a luxury to travel to the place of coaching and university at nominal charges as number of their fellow students contribute to travel in these taxis.
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PSU lambasts ruling coalition over employment promises
Amritsar, July 14 Drawing the attention of the government towards its unfulfilled promises and assurances, Patra said students belonging to the Scheduled Caste category were to be offered free of cost study after submitting an affidavit of their family’s annual income with the Social Welfare Department and the students from the same category studying at ITI were to be given a scholarship of Rs 1,000, besides free education. He said the state government was toeing the policy of capitalism and did not pursue the policies of social reforms as announced in the poll manifesto. He said the government was not recruiting teachers for schools and colleges and also failed to frame any conclusive policy for private schools.
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Should class X board examination be abolished
Amritsar, July 14 Amritsar Kendriya Vidyalaya-3 Principal A. S. Gill was honoured by Sarhad-e-Punjab, Sports Institute of the state, for his contribution in sports. Ghairman coach Gurinder Singh Mattu and sports PRO Gurmeet Singh Sandhu jointly honoured him by presenting a memento and siropa.
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Artiste demands probe into suicide of wife
Amritsar, July 14 Kanwaljit, sister-in-law of Pavel, said the couple had love marriage and were leading a happy life. She claimed that Harmanjit committed suicide on June 30, 2009, due to depression over her parents’ attitude who had not accepted their marriage even after a year. Pavel and his mother Harminder Kaur were in the Central Jail. — TNS
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Counselling for MPharmacy on July 20
Amritsar, July 14 Pharmacy Department Head Dr Preet Mohinder Singh Bedi said the counselling for reserved categories would be held from 10 am to 11.30 am and for general category candidates from 11.30 am to 1 pm. — TNS
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Gateway of Amritsar awaits formal inauguration
Amritsar, July 14 In the absence of the formal unveiling, the statue of the great Sikh warrior of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s army Sham Singh Attari, installed at the site, has been reduced to a forlorn figure. The statue of the warrior, who never let down his army and the king, has almost been reduced to one of the ordinary structures which mark the nook and crannies of city streets by the ruling government even as decorative plants at the site have dried up due to the lack of proper upkeep. Earlier, the statue of Sham Singh Attari on horseback standing on the podium was to be inaugurated on February 10 by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on the occasion of his martyrdom day, but that could not happen. Weighing about 10 tonnes, the statue was made at an expenditure of more than Rs 20 lakh. The statue is made up of gunmetal and has been crafted by a Rajasthan-based craftsman. The Chief Minister had laid the foundation stone of the gateway in 1976 but the project could not see the light of day. The foundation stone was again laid by former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh in 2006. The Rs 3.35-crore project on the 2.5 acres is located around 15 km from Indo-Pak border. The Amritsar Municipal Corporation has built a 70-foot high gate with a base of 80 square feet. An 800-foot long and 18-foot wide passage has been constructed with granite and Dhaulpur stone. The second phase of the project would be the construction of an international-level cafeteria for the visitors, which would cost about Rs 25 to 20 lakh. MC Commissioner D.P.S. Kharbanda was not available for comments despite repeated attempts. |
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Pannu on master plan for holy city
Amritsar, July 14 Q: What tangible step has been taken for preparing the master plan so far? DC: The state government has hired a Hyderabad-based company with proven track record for preparing the master plan. Q: When the master plan is expected to be submitted? DC: In all probability the master plan would be submitted by the end of this year. Subsequently, the ADA would carry out developmental activities for the city accordingly. Q: Will you elaborate for our readers what would be the features of the master plan? DC: The company would prepare the plan keeping in view needs and requirements of the city after the next five decades. The expansion of the city necessitates more parks, spacious bus stand, varied industrial houses, cremation grounds, grain and vegetable markets and many more. Q: What would be the fate of ambitious projects like Metro train, mega tourist destination and food street? DC: Apparently, all these ambitious projects would be the part of the ADA. All these ambitious ventures would be studied by the company and accordingly would be absorbed in the master plan that would be blue print for the growth of the holy city. Q: What would be the goal of the plan? DC: The goal is to provide quality life to the citizens. Hence, potable water, roads, efficient sewerage channels, disposal of garbage and its recycling for fulfilling energy needs would be the priorities.
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Educating Army men, families on swine flu
Amritsar, July 14 Giving the information, Lieut-Col Indrakhi Bhattacharjee, Deputy Assistant Director, Health, said they were trying to educate the cantonment population on protecting themselves from swine flu since the city had a lot of people travelling to and from international destinations and the chances of disease occurring there were more. She said they had delivered lectures to over 500 JCOs and other ranks regarding nitty-gritty of the disease and added that till date around seven such lectures had been organised in the cantonment and more had been planned in the next few days. Lieut-Col Bhattacharjee said doctors and paramedical staff were also informed about the technical aspects of the swine flu virus, clinical management and collection and transportation of specimens for testing. A health advisory with details of H1N1 influenza, its origin, spreading mechanism, symptoms, protection and respiratory etiquettes was being circulated among almost all units of Amritsar cantonment for spreading awareness, she added. |
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Campus Buzz
Amritsar, July 14 Academic Affairs Dean Dr Raghbir Singh said the counselling for admission to five-year integrated MBA and MCA courses would be held on July 15 at 10 am. The counselling for MA (psychology) would be conducted on July 16 at 9.30 am, while counselling for MA (English) would be held at 10 am. The counselling for BP.Ed would be held on July 16 at 10.30 am. He said for admission to M.Com, counselling would be held on July 17 in Maharaja Ranjit Singh Bhavan at 10 am. The counselling for admission to M.pharmacy would be organised on July 20 at 10.30 am (reserved categories) and at 11.30 am (general category). Invite for professor
Dr Sukhwant Singh Bindra, Professor and Head, Department of Political Science of Guru Nanak Dev University, has been invited to present his paper entitled "Nuclear proliferation in South Asia: Some realities" at the annual conference-2009 of the Australian Political Studies Association. This conference would be held at the Department of Modern History, Politics, International Relations and Security Macauarie University, Australia, from September 27 to 30. Bindra would act as a referred resource person to review the papers being presented at the conference. In his paper, he would emphasise on the nuclearisation of India and Pakistan, which had completely altered the strategic scenario in South Asia. While detailing more about his paper, Bindra said the strategic triangle comprising India, Pakistan and China had changed strategic thinking of defence and military analysts because it had posed a new challenge to the security of South-Asian region. He said the fear of Talibanisation of Pakistan had added a new dimension to the issue of nuclear proliferation in South Asia. He said the main fear in this connection was that the radical Islamic movement may destabilise Pakistan and possibly transform Pakistanis to the first radical Islamic country. He said more radicals and extremists might influence the military people and scientists dealing with nuclear weapons and fissile materials. Students shine
Harleen Kaur of the BBK DAV College for Women stood second in the B.Sc economics-III examination conducted by Guru Nanak Dev University in April. Sakshi Jain secured the first position in BCA-III, while Rushika Gill stood third in BA (Hons) English-III. Municipal Corporation Commissioner D.P.S. Kharbanda inaugurated the multi-activity-cum-common room for students in the BBK DAV College for Women. He advised students to fulfil their dreams by inculcating the best qualities within, while living in student friendly and growth-oriented environment. |
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Govt least bothered about lives of devotees
Amritsar, July 14 Puneet Khanna of Tunda Talab said the Delhi and Gujarat governments were providing financial assistance of Rs 25,000 and Rs 20,000 to those who participated in the Kailash Mansarovar yatra every year. Khanna was a member of the third batch consisting of 29 members who returned to India on July 10. The group had left India on June 10 and entered the Chinese territory on June 22 and after paying obeisance entered the Nepal territory on June 28. He claimed that certain private operators were organising tours, but were least concerned about the security and safety of the devotees visiting China. He said these operators were taking the devotees through shorter routes, thus putting their lives in danger. He said the Chinese government was only providing rice to the pilgrims, thus forcing them to cook food themselves. All-Indian Hindu Shiv Sena President Surinder Kumar Billa lashed out at the Chinese government for failing to provide proper food, besides board and lodging facilities during the yatra. He said even though the Chinese government was charging $ 700 from each member, it did not bother about the lives of devotees. |
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No need of study tour, just enforce laws
Amritsar, July 14 Taking a serious note of Transport Minister Master Mohan Lal’s statement in the Assembly to take group of ministers and MLAs to study traffic system in foreign countries, the AVM representatives said instead the government should organise a traffic awareness camp for the MLAs under the Chandigarh Traffic Police to let them know how traffic system works properly. “This move will save both time and money,” they added. They said if the government was really serious about traffic problem, the existing laws should be enforced honestly without any political interference. They said earlier AVM under the RTI Act got information about study tour of ministers and MLAs during the Congress regime but no information was provided how the study tour helped the Punjab government. They said the only information provided by the state government was about places of visit and expenditure incurred. Now again it seemed our leaders were more eager to enjoy public money in the name of study tour, they added..
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‘Go Green, Go Clean’ hits roadblock
Amritsar, July 14
Founder of the city Guru Ramdas is said to have planted several orchards here. Books written about five decades back on the city have mentioned a plenty of orchards located in and around the city. However, unplanned growth has consumed the green cover and only notable gardens have survived to this day. The Municipal Corporation, the Improvement Trust and the Department of Forests, besides various NGOs, joined hands to make the project a success. The municipal authorities had to provide 50,000 saplings across the city, while the forest department and NGOs promised 30,000 saplings. The trust was to plant another 20,000 saplings. Above 30,000 saplings and thousands of tree guards lie in Leisure Valley-cum-Rose Garden, famously known as Challih Khuh. Officials of the Horticulture Department of the Municipal Corporation, engaged in planting saplings and their maintenance, said the saplings could not be planted during the ongoing heat wave and absence of sufficient rains. Regrettably, the saplings planted as part of the campaign in several localities have dried at several places, especially on Circular Road around the historic gates. Though tree guards have been put up around most of the saplings but insensitive drivers had crushed them under their vehicles at various places, including M.M. Malviya Road, Mall Road and adjoining areas. At several places, tree guards were found lying on the road sides. At Ramtirth Road, a row of tree guards were lying along road side while the saplings had either dried or were uprooted. Officials say that the recent strong winds uprooted them and made them vulnerable to wayward livestock. They said four water tankers were watering the plants and men had been deployed to take care of them. The campaign was aimed at bringing visible difference in the green cover of the city as a survey by the State Pollution Control Board had found that the suspended particulate matter (SPM) level was quite high even in the ambient air in the vicinity of the Golden Temple. MP Navjot Sidhu had planted a sapling in the Circuit House complex to set the ball rolling for the success of the campaign. Pledging his personal resources for the campaign, Sidhu had in fact announced to monitor it to see it through. He had decided to set up a corpus for funding the Rs 2-crore campaign to provide green spaces in the city.
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No guideline on time-bound booking of LPG refill
Amritsar, July 14 She said no LPG agency in the city register the LPG refill before 21 days of delivery of previous cylinder. She said the agency owners in unanimity perpetuated the self-framed rule for a long time. She demanded that they must mot harp on the rule to avoid customers. She stressed the IOC must maintain a vigil the agency owners must be its guidelines and did not enact their own rules.
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Amritsar, July 14
Amritsar, July 14
Amritsar, July 14
Amritsar, July 14
The establishment of the Amritsar Development Authority (ADA) makes it mandatory for the government to prepare a master plan envisaging growth of the city for the next half a century. On the subject Amritsar Plus interviewed Deputy Commissioner Kahn Singh Pannu. Excerpts of the interview are as follows:
