Amritsar, August 28
The delayed elevated road project, connecting the GT road to the road leading to the Golden Temple, has been giving untold troubles to citizens.

The ambitious elevated road, which was started about 3 years ago to decongest the city roads and ensure hassle-free travel for pilgrims, has become a pain for residents and visitors.

A resident of the Golden Avenue, JS Narula said problems galore. Traffic snarls, unhygienic conditions, roads teeming with potholes, and menace of autorickshaws are just some of the features that abound the holy city roads these days.

Driving on the roads itself has become a tedious chore, clouds of dust rising with the passage of each vehicle. The width of the GT Road has decreased with the construction of the elevated road. While finding no open space, autorickshaw drivers park their vehicles in the middle of the road, vying with one other to grab a customer.

This leads to congestion and clogging of traffic and things become more difficult when even the administration does not take pains to regulate it.

The construction has left the road teeming potholes which turn into puddles even after a quick shower.

Even as the municipal corporation, funding and monitoring authority of the project, found encroachments by religious organisations was a major handicap, but the citizens, especially residents around the area, felt that the authorities must have chalked a plan to handle the flow of traffic.

Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, during his visit to Amritsar in 2006, had announced 50 per cent central grants for the project.

Pace on the project worth Rs 212 crore has been tardy since the state and the union governments have not been releasing funds due to various technical flaws.

Due to the ongoing construction, traffic has been diverted to a city road without giving any proper directions to the traffic in view of the closure of the service lane on one side of the project.

The space between the pillars erected for the elevated road was being used by the private transporters to park their trucks, creating blind turns, thus putting the lives of two wheelers at risk. Even trolleys loaded with sand and other materials have been parked on the service lane.

Amritsar, August 28
In view of the six-hour power cuts in the holy city, the business of shopkeepers as well as that of companies has been affected badly as the people are not able to withdraw their money from ATMs, which remain shut off due to cuts.

Not only this, all traffic signals in the city remain closed during these cuts causing chaos among the commuters and sometimes leading to accidents. Phase-I of the power cuts starts from 10 am till 1.00 pm when people come out of their house to go to their offices or businesses establishments. The second shift starts from 3 pm when students from schools return to their homes and continues till 5 pm, after which the employees of government and private organisations return to their houses.

As far as traffic signals are concerned, the corporation officials have failed to make arrangement for back-up facility so that the people don’t face problems.

Some banks though have set up generators for their smooth functioning, most of the ATMs could be seen non-functional and in that situation the people have no choice but to stand in long queues to withdraw even the small amounts in the banks.

Jyoti, a resident, who had been waiting outside an ATM, said banks should make arrangement for round-the-clock power backup for these money vending machines.

Amritsar, August 28
The favourite food is not found in restaurants or hotels, but at the old rehris (street vendor) in the walled city. These rehris, which could be seen at every nook and corner of the holy city, provide cheep and best food. Even as the food items at these rehris contain a larger amount of oil, but still people prefer them as they have become used to them.

In the walled city, there are lots of hotels and restaurants and even a few months ago a five star hotel was also established on the Jalandhar-Amritsar road. However, they are visited by the elite class who live in posh areas of the city. But the first preference of people in the walled city is rehri food like chane bhature, Kulche chane, puri chane and lassi. Even the well-off people of the city often visit these roadside vendors to have a change of taste.

Neetika, a student of BSc (computer science), said no doubt restaurants were good, but the tradition of Amritsar was deep fried food from street vendors. Secondly, food from restaurants was too costly and they also had to shell out extra money to pay 12 per cent VAT on the food. So like her, students mostly prefer food from the rehris.

She said the water of Amritsar was so that it helped in quick digestion. Another thing was that one had not to wait for long time to give the order and they could just go and take the item as per their taste or choice.

One of the rehri owners, Shiv Kumar, selling puri chane and spring roles near Khazana Gate, said there were many customers who had enough money to visit restaurants but still preferred the items prepared by him. He said he had no seating arrangement for the customers and the people did not mind waiting near his rehri as he serve them quality items.

Amritsar, August 28
Amritsar is probably the only city in the country where the overhead signboards or direction towers meant for showing roads leading to significant places are being used for advertising purposes.

Giving scant regards to any norms, the signs and names of places even pushed to the corner of the erected towers without caring whether they would be visible or not.

What is more agonising is that the Punjab and Haryana High Court has ordered blanket ban on putting up hoardings on main highways and road as they diverted the attention of the commuters that could lead to road mishaps. These direction towers have virtually turned into hoardings.

Few examples are directions towers erected near historic Ram Bagh or Company Bagh on the Mall Road, near Guru Nanak Dev University, and Court Road besides at various places of main GT Road. The signboards are virtually superimposed by hoardings during election times; these hoardings were covered by political figures.

Firebrand social activist Brij Bedi, who raised a war against such hoardings, said it seemed that these overhead signboards were erected only to mint money rather than guiding the tourists and daily commuters about the various roads of the city.

He said not a single road or place, national and state highways are spared. Bus stop shelters, public toilets, walls of government buildings, every nook and corner of the holy city, are dotted with such hoardings.

The High Court had banned erecting of such hoardings on railway tracks and roads within the Municipal Corporation limits as they distract the attention of people riding vehicles and putting their lives at risk and causing accidents. D.P.S Kharbanda, Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, could not be contacted for comments.

Amritsar, August 28
Mystery shrouds the death of a young couple who were found killed in their car in a tubewell room of a farmhouse in the Khaparkheri area falling under Chheharta police station here this morning.

Sharanbir (32), a JBT teacher and resident of Sandhu Colony, was found dead while the girl, reportedly a relative of Sharanbir, died on the way to hospital.

Station House officer of Chheharta police station Sarabjit Singh said action had been initiated under 174, CrPC, and claimed that the couple died of asphyxia due to leakage of gas from an LPG cylinder fitted in the car. The bodies were handed over to the family members after a post-mortem examination.

According to information, Sharanbir was married to a government teacher and has two daughters. He had purchased a car just two days ago.

Residents of the area, however, said that the two were having an affair and had possibly consumed some poisonous substance.

However, the police authorities said it was yet to ascertain the real cause of death as there was no signs of committing suicide were found during preliminary investigations. They said it was yet to ascertain the facts regarding any affair between them.

Amritsar, August 28
Arena Animation, a training institute in animation and multimedia, launched its state-of-the-art centre here recently. It is the company’s fifth centre in Punjab. The centre is equipped with digital labs, drawing studios and a seminar room.

While inaugurating the centre, Zonal Head (North and East) Gurtaj Singh Mangat said the centre would meet the requirements of skilled talent in the industry and offer courses, including BSc degree in multimedia and animation from MS University, Tirunelveli, the 2.5-year Arena Animation academy specialist programme (AAASP), animation engineering (DAE), a top-end course for 2D and 3D animation, 3D graphics and visualisation, graphics and web design, besides other short-term courses.

Trained youngsters were placed as graphic designers, web designers, 2D/3D animators, 2D/3D designers, AV editors, technical trainers, 3D modellers. — TNS

Amritsar, August 28
The agitating activists of the Punjab Subordinate Services Federation today carried out a flag march in the assembly constituency of Punjab Health Minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla in their protest against the alleged illegal transfer of employees of ESI Hospital here.

They raised slogans against former Medical Superintendent of the hospital Jatinder Mandher, who has been transferred to ESI Hospital at Jalandhar and the Health Minister, who they alleged used to shelter the former MS. It may be mentioned here that federation has earlier resorted to three-day hunger strike, which culminated with the flag march today. They levelled serious allegations against the Medical Superintendent of the hospital of irregularities adding that the MS transferred as many as 18 pharmacists, three clerks and about 20 fourth-class employees to far away places without any valid reasons.

Answering the queries, they said their demand was not the transfer of MS but they wanted high-level probe into the alleged irregularities in the hospital. General Secretary Davinder Singh Rasulpur alleged that even as the Director Health Services has cancelled the transfers of the employees but the Health Minister did not allow the cancellations of the transfer. He said when they tried to meet her to clarify their position she did not meet them.

Amritsar, August 28
Developed and designed by local agricultural experts and scientists, trencher, an agricultural appliance that assists in sowing seeds of sugarcane on specially prepared bed, has become famous among agricultural appliance manufacturing companies.

Earlier, only 15 trenchers were manufactured by a Hoshiarpur-based agriculture appliance firm on the request of these experts but now about five approved companies are manufacturing this trencher.

After wheat and paddy, sugarcane is the most significant cash crop, which is sown in September. The area under it keeps oscillating between 5,000 hectares to 6,000 hectares in the district. And there are two sugar mills in the district --- Cooperative Sugar Mill, Ajnala and a privately run sugar mill at Buttar Sewiyan village falling under Rayya block.

In comparison to wheat and paddy, sugarcane required more water as it takes a year to grow up whereas wheat and paddy grow in nearly four to five months. Already trench technique was in vogue, which used to make the crop consume less water. However, it is not popular here like Hoshiarpur, which has sandy soil.

Deputy Commissioner Kahan Singh Pannu guided the Agriculture Department to constitute a team to study and modify the technique, used in Hoshiarpur and Haryana, so that the technique can be applies as per Amritsar soil requirements. He said the technique has been approved by the Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana and informed that an appliance called trencher to form the new bed has also been developed.

He informed that with the help of the Punjab State Farmers Commission about 60 trenchers, each costing Rs 15,500, would be given to local farmers with a subsidy of Rs 5,000 per trencher this season.

Keeping in view steep rise in prices of sugar, the Agriculture Department and District Administration would stress on increasing the area under it.

Three-member team comprising Assistant Cane Development Officer, a representative of the private sugar mill and Agriculture Development Officer, heading Agriculture Technology Management Agency, have developed this appliance.

Traditionally farmers used to sow seeds in vertical direction in a trench. However, the team changed the formation of bed by forming a slightly raised bed in the middle of trench. Thus, it formed two parallel rows in a trench, which used to be a singular earlier.

The new technique provided ample scope to farmers to make optimum usage of space, which increases cane population manifold. Besides increase in yield, the technique also reduced the consumption of water by at least 25 per cent, claimed Chief Agriculture Officer Paramjit Singh Sandhu.

He said it provided opportunity to leave nearly two and a half feet space in between each row, which could be used for growing wheat, pulses and vegetables as well. It provided ample aeration and sunlight to the plants, which checks spread of diseases and pests. It also helped in low lodging, proper utilisation of fertiliser and higher yield.

Tarn Taran, August 28
The railway lines area, including the railway station, here has become more of a grazing ground as a large number of animals could be seen grazing here the whole day.

The owners of the animals have become so friendly with the local rail authorities that they take their buffaloes to the railways station for watering.

The residents said the animals, especially buffaloes of the Gujjars residing in the area, could be seen grazing even on the rail lines from early morning till evening.

They said sometimes train drivers could be seen raising alarm as the train arrived near these animals to caution their owners to avoid accident.

They said even though this was in the notice of the rail authorities, but it was best known to them as to why they did not take action against the animal owners.

It often became difficult to remove the animals from the rail lines when the train came near as the number of animals grazing there was sometimes more than 50.

Chanan Singh, living near the railways station, said animals were often seen at the water tap points for watering.

Sukhdev Singh Lauka, former president of the Citizen Council, demanded probe for the major lapse on the part of the railway authorities as it could lead to an accident.

The railways station is situated on the Amritsar-Khemkaran rail lines and five to six passenger trains run on these tracks twice a day daily, besides two to three goods trains.

Amritsar, August 28
Punjabi film Apni Boli Apna Des will promote Punjabi language and the rich cultural heritage of Punjab among the new generation said Sarbjeet Cheema and Shaweta Tiwari, lead actors of the film.

The duo, along with the film crew, was in the city to pay obeisance at the Golden Temple for the success of the film.

Addressing media at the Aanaam theater, Sarabjt said the film is based on Punjab. About story of the film, he said a Punjabi boy suffers from a mishap and tries to recover from the shock. He later realises the importance of Punjab and its culture.

Talking about his career from a Punjabi singer to acting in the film Sarabjit said it was his childhood desire to become an actor, that’s why he was opting for acting.

Shaweta said Punjab is a beautiful state and the people of Punjab were very friendly. She said Punjabi cinema was growing rapidly and was making its presence felt in Bollywood. She said for her, every language was important and had its own features as she has learnt a lot about the language from the film.

Ravinder Peepat, director of the film, said most of the scenes have been shot in London and Punjab and there are eight songs in the film. Bhupinder Singh Bhinda, producer of the film, said he spent about 5 to 6 crore on the film and hopes to get more response and added that he expects that people would accept and like the movie. 

Tarn Taran, August 28
The Congress Party has a history of dividing people on the basis of caste, creed, religion and region to satisfy its selfish political ends whereas the SAD is an organisation with a nationalistic zeal and the grace to be the party of the heroes who laid down their lives in for the sake of the freedom of the country.

These views were expressed by Sukhbir Singh Badal, President of the SAD and Deputy Chief Minister, while talking to newsmen here today. He was on his way to Musse village near Chabal, the native village of his forefathers, when his chopper landed here at the Sri Guru Arjun Dev Stadium where he talked to newsmen for a while. In reaction to the allegations leveled by Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Congress leader, wherein she said SAD is the sympathiser of the extremists, Sukhbir said Congress is the killer of the democracy, quoting the emergency, ruining of the Sanctum Sactorum and Delhi Sikh homicide as cases in point.

Sukhbir added that Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, in his meeting with the Prime Minister and the Union Agriculture Minister, had demanded the setting up of “Special Agricultural Zones” in the state and also demanded compensation of Rs 600 Crore for the farmers of the state, who had used diesel to irrigate paddy during the drought in the state.

Harsimrat Kaur, Lok Sabha member and wife of Sukhbir, also accompanied him besides others. They attended a religious function at Musse village.