Amritsar, July 28
Even as the city administration has initiated steps to check smoking and use of tobacco at public places, it has yet to take any action on banning the sale of tobacco within 100-meter periphery of educational institutions and religious places.

Tobacco and liquors shops could be seen near religious places in violation of anti-tobacco law.

Take for example, the dargah situated outside the Hall Gate area where liquor and tobacco shops are situated just adjoining to the religious shrine where all kinds of tobacco like gutka, paan masala and cigarettes are available. A survey around the city revealed that innumerous kiosks and small shops selling tobacco products were situated near educational institutions.

Usually these shopkeepers, who had been running their establishments for years, are or pretend to be ignorant about the law. “We do not sell these substances to students,” said a shopkeeper in the close proximity to an educational institute.

Talking to The Tribune, Amrit Lal Mannan, General Secretary, Amritsar Vikas Manch, said although it was appreciable that the district administration has challaned many persons caught smoking at public places, it should also remove the tobacco shops near educational institutes like Hindu College.

Brij Bedi, co-founder of Citizen Forum Vidya Mandir, a school for children of drug victims, pointed out that there was lack of clear cut policy for the eradication of the menace.

He said lack of enforcement of the law was the biggest reason for the many problems prevailing in the city and this issue was also not out of context.

However, Deputy Commissioner Kahan Singh Pannu claimed that the Amritsar was the only city in the country where the administration launched a campaign to check the menace by challaning people for violating the law.

He clarified that it was only in the holy city that all the departments including district administration, health and police departments have joined hands to enforce the law in letter and spirit. Even the clubs were not being spared from challaning, he added.

He said the administration was not oblivious of the problems of existing tobacco shops near the close proximity of educational institutes and it was doing its utmost to pressurise them to shift to other business rather than selling intoxicants.

However, he clarified that it was not possible for them (shopkeepers) to close down their establishments overnight and therefore, they had promised to shift their businesses with other one within few weeks.

Pannu said the administration had constantly maintained pressure on them. He said undercover authorities used to stand in front of these shops to check whether the shop owners sell the intoxicants to minors or teenagers.

Recently, the administration led by Paramjit Singh, Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC), made surprise visits at Fatehgarh Churian Road, Majitha Road and Railway Station and challaned as many as 18 persons for violating the law. He appealed to put up warning signboards at government offices, public places and various other government and non-government schools.

Meanwhile, the ADC today held a meeting with a group of hoteliers, restaurants and club owners, manager and officials of departments concerned.

Amritsar, July 28
Irony is writ large over holy city’s prestigious Gateway of Amritsar project. Tiles on top of the monument have started peeling off, even as it awaits inauguration by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and local BJP MP Navjot Singh Sidhu, thus raising questions over the quality of work being done.

In spite of tall claims by leaders regarding the maintenance of high standards while building the monument, the peeling of tiles has laid bare the false promises as construction work on the project had been completed in February this year.

It may be mentioned here that the CM had laid the foundation stone of the gateway in 1976 but the project could not see the light of the day.

The foundation stone was again laid by former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh in 2006.

The Rs 3.35-crore project, on a big plot of land in the middle of the Amritsar-Lahore road, is located around 15 km from the 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.

DPS Kharbanda Commissioner Municipal Corporation said he would investigate the matter and get the needful done to restore the tiles.

Commenting on the inauguration he said it was for the political top brass to give the date.

Amritsar, July 28
Even after 21 years of the cold-blooded killing of Giani Bhan Singh, a former president of the All India Sikh Students Federation (he was called the father of the federation) and former SGPC secretary, who was assassinated on July 25, 1988 in the premises of Guru Nanak Engineering College, Ludhiana, along with Giani Sohan Singh, a former Head Granthi of the Golden Temple, the successive governments have failed to identify the assassins of the great freedom fighter.

However, neither the ruling Akali Dal nor the SGPC or AISSF made any efforts to raise the memorial of Giani Bhan Singh, who served the countrymen and the Sikh community till his death.

Since the inception of the SGPC in early twenties, Giani Bhan Singh, a highly-educated and eminent person, was first to be appointed to manage the administration and affairs of the committee, also called the mini parliament of the Sikhs. He was the most unassuming, sincere and non-controversial secretary.

Being one of the most qualified and highly-educated persons among the religious Sikhs, he served as the general secretary and then as the president of the All India Sikh Students Federation for many years. He was the brain behind the establishment of the famous Sikh Museum in the Golden Temple complex.

For some time he edited and published a weekly newspaper, launched by Master Tara Singh, the most popular and powerful Akali leader of his time, who dominated Sikh politics for almost half a century.

He was a selfless freedom fighter, who after being arrested in a false case, was rendered to third degree torture resulting in loss of hearing to one of his ears. He remained in Boston Jail, Lahore, to face death sentence but a kind-hearted jail superintendent, at the time of partition and independence of India, let him flee from the jail.

He has also been a judge of the Sikh Gurdwara Judicial Tribunal. Keeping in view his dedication, insight, honesty and acceptance to all, he was made secretary general of the Shiromani Akali Dal unanimously where all splinter groups became united under the leadership of Sant Harcharan Singh Longowal.

Amritsar, July 28
With the recent downpour, the city, especially the old walled city, become waterlogged. The area around the office of the Municipal Corporation has remained inaccessible with water accumulating around the important landmark in the city.

The holy city, which was built several centuries ago, has recently seen wanton urbanisation with commercial complexes and malls being built adding and stretching the civic infrastructure.

With the widening of roads and the pavements being used for parking, the draining of storm and rain water has been affected. The sewerage system, which was put in place three decades ago, fails to function in view of the increase in the population in the city.

The Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, D.P.S. Kharbanda, said the civic body had deposited Rs 1.32 crore with the Sewerage Board for creating additional disposal capacity at the Hukum Singh Road disposal works. He said he along with the Mayor, Shawet Malik, visited the site yesterday and directed the Executive Engineer of the board to complete the work within 10 days as the project was under the final stages of completion. He said out of the 6,000 running feet capacity planned, only 10 per cent remained to be completed.

Experts on urban developments, while talking to The Tribune, said it was the faulty planning by the city planners which had resulted in the city getting submerged during downpours in the last many decades. They said the corporation must have a proper design and planning to drain out the water during rains.

The experts feel that a comprehensive master plan is required to give good infrastructure to the holy city, which has grown out of proportion.

Amritsar, July 28
Taking a serious view of absence of ventilators in the government-run Guru Nanak Dev Hospital and other hospitals, including TB hospital in the city, the Punjab State Human Rights Commission (PSHRC) has asked the secretary health and secretary research and medical education, Punjab, to submit reports after inquiring into the case.

The commission asked the two authorities to present their reports on the next date of hearing, slated on August 24.

The petition was filed by Chairman, Nasha Virodhi Samaj Nirman Sanstha, Batala road, alleging that emergency ward and Intensive Care Unit of the government hospitals situated in the holy city are without any ventilator machines.

Seeking intervention of the commission, the organisation had further complained that there were no proper facilities of Artificial Blood Gases Analysis (ABG) as a result the patients have to suffer a lot.

Bal Krishan, chairman of the organization, said these machinery, which were essential components in the emergency and ICU wards, were helpful in saving the lives of accident victims or the patients suffering from tuberculosis.

Dr R.P. Boparai, Medical Superintendent, Guru Nanak Dev Hospital, said there were total six ventilators in the emergency and ICU wards, out of which four ventilators were not functioning.

He added that the Anaesthesia Department had written to Principal Medical College a number of times in this regard.

However, Dr Jagdish Gargi, Principal Medical College, clarified that all the ventilators were now functioning properly. He said they had rectified the fault with these ventilators after receiving complaints.

Bal Krishan had alleged that the doctors deputed in the hospitals were only interested in government benefits and were not serious about the problems being faced by the patients. He said only poor patients who could not afford hefty amounts charged by private hospitals visited hospital.

Amritsar, July 28
The executive committee of the Durgiana Temple, which has been declared valid by the court recently, would hold a meeting soon to chalk out the plan to hold election to the Durgiana Management Committee (DMC).

Talking to mediapersons here today, Harish Taneja, spokesman of the DMC, said the meeting was likely to be held in the second week of August. He said there are 1,167 members of the committee but only 500 members have deposited the membership fee.

He said the committee has urged other members to deposit their membership fee so that they could also exercise their franchise during the elections to the DMC.

It may be mentioned here that former president of the DMC, Surinder Arjun, had challenged the validity of the present managing committee headed by Harnam Dass Arora.

While giving the details about the development plant, Taneja said a sum of Rs 37 crore released by the Punjab government for the beautification of the historic shrine would be spent soon. He further informed that compensation to 37 shopkeepers in the area would be provided soon as the Chairman of the Amritsar Improvement Trust has deputed an official to take up the matter with the state government at Chandigarh.

Taneja said the committee was also thoroughly checking the sale of Durgiana Temple’s prime land situated on the GT Road by the former president of the committee who has been declared as proclaimed offender.

Harnam Dass Arora, Ram Prakash Mehra, Ramprakash Chopra, Pyara Lal Seth, Ramesh Chander Sharma, and Satpal Mahajan were among those present in the meeting.

Amritsar, July 28
Illiteracy was proving to be the major roadblock in the progress of the society and if it’s not removed, development won’t take place.

These views were expressed by Justice Naresh Sood of the Punjab and Haryana High Court while commenting on the recent killing of a youth over a caste issue in Haryana.

He said the incident was a proof that people still accept decision delivered by the khap panchayats instead of having faith on the judicial system.

The people should have faith on the law in the country, he added.

Justice Sood was in the holy city to preside over the installation and vocational awards function organised by the Rotary Club Amritsar South East. Newly elected president Balbir Singh Bamrah gave detailed information about the various projects undertaken by the club.

Among those who were honored with the vocational awards by the Rotary Club included former Registrar of Guru Nanak Dev University Dr R.S Bawa, Principal DAV College Ferozepur Cantonment Dr Pushpinder Walia and Gynaecologist Dr MD Singhania.

Amritsar, July 28
Construction of shopping malls, school buildings by national and international educational chains, hotels, stylish houses has triggered the demand for qualified and specialised architects in the market.

It has resulted in greater opportunities for students of architecture, said Head of the Department of Architecture, Guru Nanak Dev University, Paramjit Singh Mahoora. He is of the opinion that the field was experiencing boom like never before.

The senior faculty is contemplating to initiate Masters in Architecture (general), Urban Design and Architectural Conservation as sprawling separate campus of the department in the university offers ample space.

He said the department introduced Master of Planning in Infrastructure Development to provide the students with latest courses.

Though there are not many jobs in the government sector, there is no limit for a student of architecture as can opt for running his own business or to join a real estate company. With the surge in number of private companies in the construction and building sector, the students have better prospects. This boom is being witnessed in the city where numerous local and national players were investing heavily in new colonies and competing to outdo each other.

He said ideally the students initially could begin their career with a private concern and after earning name and experience, they could float their own company.

Earlier, he said, people did not feel the need to take advice from architects and considered it an unnecessary financial burden. However, scarcity and costly land have turned people to architects to raise impressive houses in the limited space.

The Faculty of Physical Planning and Architecture has Guru Ramdas School of Planning and Department of Architecture, which has the distinction of being the first in Punjab in 1986. It offers a five-year integrated bachelor degree course, referred to as B. Arch. with 10 semesters.

In order to secure a seat in the Department of Architecture, it is mandatory to secure 40 per cent marks in the National Aptitude Test in Architecture (NATA). The test is conducted by the National Institute of Advanced Studies in Architecture, Pune, which functions under the Council of Architecture, New Delhi.

However, those institutes which fall under the Ministry of Human Resource and Development do not admit students through the NATA since the ministry does not recognise it.

The manmade environment must be in consonance with nature while being at the same time economical. Planned landscaping, climatologically, very well laid landscaping, climate responsive building, using of latest construction technology, energy efficient, intelligent building are the key points which architects contribute in substantial manner.

Since the northern India is earthquake prone area, architects are academically equipped to utilise earthquake resistance techniques in buildings. Though interior designing is a domain of qualified interior designers yet architects after attaining additional qualification are handling the field remarkably.

However, before hiring an architecture one must make it sure that he or she is registered with the council of architecture, Delhi, as it is mandatory for all recognised architectures.

The HoD said in order to become an accomplished architect a student must develop a calculative ability, creativity, an eye for aesthetics, pragmatic approach, and a good knowledge about his society and environment.

The department has excellent infrastructure in the form of a well-equipped computer laboratory, material testing lab, studios, classrooms, photography, audio visual lab, museum of architectural building material, masonry and carpentry workshop, art room and surveying lab.

Amritsar, July 28
Prof Ajaib Singh Brar, Vice-Chancellor of Guru Nanak Dev University, has extended the term of university Planning Board and other committees, including Publication Committee, Campus Committee, Medical/Health Committee, Farm and Landscape Committee, Cultural Committee and Foreign Students Advisory Committee till March 31, 2010, said university registrar Dr Raghbir Singh.

Q: What are your future plans for the Improvement Trust?

Chhina: Of course, the priority is to clear the pending projects. The Trust remained without a chairman for a long time and my predecessors also left some projects unfinished. It resulted in piling up of works. For instance, immediately after I joined the office I cleared the file for beautification of Durgiana Temple, which has been hanging for a long time. I have directed the officials concerned to speedily begin the work. Other projects are flats for economic weaker sections, lower income groups.

Q: Will you share with us what is the turnover of the Trust?

Chhina: Exact turnover of the Trust cannot be given since it varies from year to year. It rises when completed projects are sold and it’s reduces when land is procured and construction is going. Although the Trust is not supposed to sell off the buildings once completed but in order to keep money to invest in the future projects it has to retain some portion of the projects.

Q: Will you spell out how much amount is spent on maintenance of the buildings under the control of the Trust?

Chhina: The Trust manages Dharam Singh Market, partial area of Nehru Shopping Complex scheme apart from several shops in various areas of the city. As such there is no specific amount being annually spent on the maintenance of these buildings. During the current financial year about Rs 70 lakh would be spent on Nehru Shopping Complex and about Rs two lakh on Dharam Veer Singh Market. CFLs would replace tubes and bulbs in five-storey parking, installation of street lights, augmentation of sewerage channel and white wash of the complex.

Q: Will you elaborate plan for construction of flats for economically weaker families?

Chhina: The Trust has submitted a proposal to the Punjab government to avail stimulus offered by the Central government for the construction of houses for economically weaker families. Once approved, nearly 1,900 flats would be raised on the GT Road and New Amritsar. The flats would be available to Economic Weaker Section (EWS), Lower Income Group (LIG) and Middle Income Group (MIG) on 25, 30 and 45 per cent basis.

Q: Where the park would come up and on how much area?

Chhina: Rose garden would come up on 30 acres at Ranjit Avenue along the GT Road. In all Rs 4.59 crore would be spent to develop the patch of land, prohibited from raising any structure within 100 metres of GT Road by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, into a green lung and recreation place for the residents.

Q: Do you want to give any message?

Chhina: I invite suggestions from all political parties, NGOs and senior citizens to improve the holy city and working of the Trust.

Amritsar, July 28
The Chief Khalsa Diwan (CKD) held a ‘Divine Kirtan Darbar’ on the occasion of the Gurpurab of the eighth Sikh Guru Harkrishan Sahib at Sri Guru Harkrishan Senior Secondary Public School here on Sunday.

With utmost devotion and amidst showering of flowers by the Sangat, Guru Granth Sahib was brought to the school.

President, CKD, Charanjit Singh Chadha said the diwan would devote its resources and wherewithal to spreading religious education juxtaposed with modern academics.

The diwan was supported in the cause by Amritsar Sewak Sabha, Sri Darbar Sahib, Waheguru Simran Sewa Society, Gurmat Sangat Sabha and Mata Kaulan Bhalai Trust. Langer was distributed on the occasion.

Kirtan was recited by Bhai Surinder Singh Jodhpuri, Bhai Davinder Singh Sodhi, School jatha of Bibi Prabhjot Kaur and Bibi Jatinder Kaur of Khalsa College, among others.

Economy of any city is directly linked to its connectivity with other places by rail, road or air. And on this front, Amristar lies at the back seat.

Considered to be a tourism pathway, the holy city lags behind on account of government apathy, which has also become a main reason for the downfall of trade activities.

Although the city has an international airport, the flights are being curtailed every month by different airlines. Union Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee in her railway budget did announce to modernise the Amritsar railway station to world-class level, but she didn’t give any time-bound roadmap on the matter.

The second announcement by the Railways Minister was about starting a direct nonstop train to Calcutta, which will more beneficial for a few businessmen and of little help to the poor.

There is no rail link between Amritsar and state capital Chandigarh, whereas if we take the road link, though well connected, the people and state pay heavy price on much costlier petrol or diesel.

About 20 deluxe buses run on Amritsar-Chandigarh route. About 10,000 persons visit Chandigarh by buses or by car. Chandigarh is 225 km from Amritsar and by an estimate, around one lakh litre of petrol and diesel is burnt every day by cars and buses.

Thousands of dollars worth oil could be saved if suitable rail measures are undertaken, which will also help curtail pollution.

Before 1984, there was a fast train from Kalka to Amritsar and vice versa, however, it was discontinued in the militancy days. The situation, though, is much better now, the train has not been restored due to pressure by road transport operators.

Increase in rail connectivity within the rural areas of Amritsar and increase in number of bogies is also required to make life easier for the common man. So, our fellow citizens should raise their voice and demand from the elected representative to give the city its due.

New session in colleges is on full swing. Freshers are trying to adjust themselves in a totally different environment which allures as well as intimidates them sometimes.

The thrill of ushering into a new atmosphere gets washed away by some senseless seniors who try to torment the juniors for their sadistic pleasure. Every time with the commencement of new session innocent students get poisoned by this vicious snake of ragging. Ragging is more infamous for its ubiquitous presence in the educational institutes.

In spite of all the rules and regulations devised from time to time, seniors hunt for freshers to satisfy their instincts. Some students cross all limits and harm their juniors physically, psychologically and economically. Sometimes freshers become victims to the obscene remarks of their seniors. The Raghwan Committee and UGC have instructed all the universities and institutes to take every incident regarding ragging seriously. If a student is found guilty, he will be prosecuted under the criminal law and may be charged a fine of Rs 2,50,000.

A helpline has also been set up by UGC. In addition to it, a toll free telephone number and website for registering a complaint have also come as a rescue to the freshers. The accused can be suspended and rusticated and if the crime is of grave kind, the admission of the guilty student can also be cancelled. The threat to stop the grants of colleges which don’t abide by the rules of UGC, is another step to get it implicated in true spirits.

There is a proposal to provide special grant to the colleges who will succeed in curbing the menace of ragging. The crusade against ragging can be implemented in totality only when the students, teachers, parents and higher authorities will assiduously cope with each other. The juniors should report about any sort of misbehaviour to the authorities immediately so that they may take effective steps to nip the evil in the bud. Ragging is a smug on the forehead of our society and it is our moral duty to eradicate this evil from the roots.

Amritsar, July 28
About 32 children from Jammu and Kashmir who suffered immense pain by losing their parents due to terrorism or natural calamities and were staying at Disha, a hostel set up by Sewa Bharti for destitute children in Katra, visited the holy city and interacted with the students of 
Madhav Vidya Niketan (MVN) School.

Jaidev, head of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu’s Sewa Bharti, said it was an educational and interactive tour organised by Sewa Bharti and MVN School jointly. He said during the tour they took these children to various historical and religious places like Wagha Border, Pul Kanjri, Golden Temple, Durgiana temple etc.

Jaidev said every year they took these children to one historical place and gave them proper information about the place. He said they were not treating these children as orphans and tried to give as much love as one would give to his own child.

He said their aim was that these children should interact with the children of other regions so that they could know that they were not inferior in any sphere.

Besides, the historical and religious places these children also visited the stitching center run by Sewa Bharti.

They also spent four to five hours with the students of MVN school and also visited their homes to interact with their parents.

Irfan from Ladhak, who is studying in matric, said he had lost everything in the earthquake including his parents and was staying at Sewa Bharti Chatrawas. He said he wants to become an army officer so that he could also help those who have suffered in a tragedy like him. Another child Tsring said he doesn’t know much about his parents as he was very young when he lost them. He said he would like to join the field through which he would be able to make a significant contribution in the development of the country.

Amritsar, July 28
The state government has launched a special fee-remission scheme to attract poor students to join technical institutions in the state to give them training in technical courses.

Deputy Commissioner, Kahan Singh Pannu, said here that 11 technical institutions in the district have received an excellent response and have managed to fill up 164 seats out of 275 seats available with various institutions. He said suitable candidates have joined courses in engineering institutes, polytechnics and pharmacy colleges.

He said the administration has directed the managements of these institutions to make extra efforts to fill up the remaining 111 seats under the free fee schemes in the second phase of the admission process.

He appealed to the aspiring students to make use of this opportunity and enroll themselves in the courses available in the technical institutions in the district and avail this scheme for their benefit to improve their chances of earning and even start their own enterprise.

Amritsar, July 28
Only those persons who are committed to the promotion of education should take up teaching as a profession.

These views were expressed by Prof A.S. Brar, Vice-Chancellor of Guru Nanak Dev University, while addressing the inaugural session of the three-day interface of the UGC expert committee with the principals of the colleges affiliated to the university.

Brar said teaching depended primarily on teachers who needed to be more competent, intelligent and full of knowledge. He said instead of infrastructure, the interface between students and teachers should be of high quality. He said these days poor attendance of teachers and students was a matter of concern.

He said all efforts should be made to attract students to the classes and proper incentives should be given to the teachers to attract them towards the teaching profession.

While talking about the UGC policies, Brar said all UGC policies should be thoroughly reviewed to properly utilise the UGC’s available grants.

He said due to lack of knowledge a major part of the available grants remained unutilised by the colleges. He also exhorted UGC to fund colleges liberally for their proper development.

Brar advised the UGC team members to touch upon the reality in colleges and report accordingly so that the real situation could be reviewed and proper remedy given.

He expressed his concern over the funding policy of the Central government. He said 75 per cent of the grants for central universities were released by the Central government while only 25 per cent got left for the state universities.