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Paddy Stubble Burning
Students demonstrate against the authorities’ inaction; youth fest hit too |
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Cops take 2 months to register rape case
Teenaged girl abducted, one booked
Fund-starved MC keen on heritage tag for city to complete projects
BJP distances itself from Joshi’s tirade against SSP
Police martyrs paid tributes
Insurance firm aims high in Punjab
DC raps airport officials over waste matter
Indo-Pak theatre fest charms everyone
Uppal appointed Principal of BKSJEC
Maratha magic woos audience at SAF fest
2 PSEB linemen booked for power theft
One killed, other tortured by in-laws
CBSE India Heritage
Quiz
Youth Fest GTBCW lifts trophy
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27 farmers lose power to tubewells, 38 booked
P.K. Jaiswar Tribune News Service
District Magistrate Kahan Singh Pannu has imposed section 144 of the CrPC against burning paddy residue which leads to severe environment pollution and destroys important constituents of the soil, besides causing global warming. A campaign was also launched by the Agriculture Department to spread awareness against burning paddy stubble by holding camps. However, the violation continued with impunity with a large number of farmers involved in burning stubble. The Deputy Commissioner said these cases would be taken up in the fast track courts for early disposal but the disconnected power supply would not be restored in any condition. Instead of burning paddy stubble, peasants should use machines being provided by the administration to directly sow the crop without burning stubble. Meanwhile, issuing a strong warning to the farmers, he said the administration would continue its drive against the erring farmers who continued to burn stubble in future.
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Students demonstrate against the authorities’ inaction; youth fest hit too
Amritsar, October 23 Fingers are being raised at the reliability of the security arrangements in the hostel after an unidentified masked person allegedly entered a room last night. A large number of girl students took to agitation and raised slogans against the varsity authorities for their failure to provide adequate security to them. They alleged that the university had failed to take any action regarding the unauthorised entry of a youth into the hostel premises even as the matter was brought to the notice of the Vice-Chancellor, the Warden, the Dean, Students Welfare and the head of the security wing. The agitation had tremendous fallout on the ongoing Zonal Youth Festival as fewer students attended the programme being held at Dashmesh Auditorium. Even the programme had to be stopped for about half an hour owing to the commotion created by students who refused to budge. Earlier they forced closure of several departments of the university and held a protest rally at the university gate. Talking to the media, girl students, narrating the incident, said they saw that a youth entered the hostel last night at 3.30 am. He tried to misbehave with students. As the students raised the alarm, the boy fled. However, they alleged that senior officials of the university failed to react to their complaint which forced them to come out in the open to express anguish. Later the students held a dharna outside the office of Vice-chancellor Dr A.S. Brar, who tried to pacify them. The students also burnt effigies of university authorities. Brar told students that the problem could be sorted out through dialogue, and agitation was not the way to raise their demand. He said if students continued their agitation, stern action would be taken against them. He said he had visited the hostel in the morning. However, nobody complained to him at that time, he added. Later, after a meeting with the students’ representatives, he said all issues of the students would be solved. Meanwhile, the security was beefed up on the hostel premises.
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Cops take 2 months to register rape case
Amritsar, October 23 Daughter of a migrant labourer from Uttar Pradesh, she was allegedly gangraped by five persons after keeping in illegal detention for three days. The incident took place on August 18. However, the case was registered only last evening after almost two months since the victim’s family raised the issue. The police has booked Nikka, his wife Nisha, mother Suman, brother and two friends under section 376 of the IPC. Girl’s father Jagjit Singh, who migrated from Bareily about two years back, in his complaint to SSP Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh had urged him to get medical examination of the girl conducted and register a case against those responsible persons, including two women who allegedly acted as pimps, and provide justice to the family. Giving details about the sad tale, Jagjit said his family was thrown out of the rented accommodation in the Chowk Parag Das area about 15 days before the incident and they had taken shelter in a sarai of a religious place. He said, “The family was searching for a house when they met one Nisha (the alleged pimp), who used to come to the shrine and mingled with his family members.” Nisha took his wife Rajinder and daughter to the residence of her mother-in-law in the Johra Phatak area from where Rajinder and the old lady went to another area to check a house available on rent. However, when Rajinder returned she found her daughter and Nisha missing from the Johra Phatak residence. The mother-in-law said Nisha had taken her daughter for some work and she would be dropped at their house as soon as they return. He alleged even after two days when his daughter did not return they informed the Galliara police which failed to take any action on their complaint. In the mean time, when the alleged culprits came to know about this, they dropped the girl near the shrine who later told her miseries to the family. |
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Teenaged girl abducted, one booked
Tarn Taran, October 23 Victim’s father Balkar Singh in his statement to the police alleged that Lakhwinder Singh called his daughter on the phone on August 7, 2009, to come to attend some
programme. Since then his daughter had not come home. Balkar alleged that the accused had lured his daughter to marry him.
— OC |
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Fund-starved MC keen on heritage tag for city to complete projects
Amritsar, October 23 So it has stepped up the demand of heritage status for the city, which if accepted may bring in adequate funds from the Government of India and help complete the projects. MC Commissioner D.P.S. Kharbanda has communicated to DS Bains, Principal Secretary, Local Bodies Department, for expediting the issue with the Government of India. Kharbanda viewed that after getting the “heritage status”, the city would be able to bag adequate funds from the Government of India to further plough back this amount into the execution of ongoing development projects. A number of development projects got stagnated due to gap between the requisite share to be inducted from the state side or the MC side. The stranded project of much-needed elevated road on the GT Road, routing to Golden Temple, is the live example to testify this. The much sought after project, after getting sanctioned from the Government of India, Ministry of Urban Development under JNNURM scheme, has been hanging in balance as the MC could not pay its balance amount of share. At present, the projects under the JNNURM scheme, stands on the funding pattern of 50 per cent, 20 per cent and 30 per cent in respect of Government of India, state government and the MC, Amritsar. After obtaining “heritage status”, the funding pattern would be revised as 80 per cent, 10 per cent and 10 per cent from Government of India, state government and MC Amritsar side. Nevertheless, the officials said the elevated road project was approved by Centre for Rs 149.49 crore whereas this project has already crossed the mark of Rs 173 crore because an amount of Rs 23.51 crore had already been spent by the MC, prior to this project coming under JNNURM scheme. Importantly, the state government and the MC had already spent an amount of Rs 79.51 crore towards this project and the Centre too has inducted its share of Rs 74.74 crore, but the project is still midway due to financial crisis. If the city gets the heritage status, the case of elevated road project, has been viewed to be re-submitted to government of India. “If city gets this prestigious status, the Government of India would contribute additional amount of 45.26 crore (Rs 120 cr-Rs 74.74 crore) which implies 80 per cent share of earlier worked out cost of Rs 149.49 crore. This will help us proceed with the project,” opined
Kharbanda. |
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BJP distances itself from Joshi’s tirade against SSP
The district BJP chief Col. Amrik Singh, while addressing newsmen, said the organisation had nothing to do with the views expressed by Joshi against the SSP and said the latter was doing an excellent job while bringing down the crime graph in the city. He said the party fully backs the SSP who, inspite of several compulsions, was able to raise the confidence of the people and the MLA has no right to give statements against a Class I gazetted officer. He said the party stands by the several steps taken by the SSP to check crime and streamline the functioning of the police, besides lending his hand in improving the functioning of traffic in the city. Meanwhile, BJP MP Navjot Singh
Sidhu, in a categorical assertion, pointed out that, “It is the prerogative of the state government to transfer or post IPS officers in the district and the MLA has no jurisdiction over these issues.” He said he has full faith in the governance of Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh
Badal, who hold the home portfolio in posting good officers at the district headquarters. Anil Joshi, who had raised a banner of revolt against the
SSP, said crime had gone up during his tenure and innocent people had been victimised without any reason. Joshi had been clamouring for the SSP’s transfer and had even threatened to go on a hunger strike till the orders for his posting were issued by the government. Joshi had been at loggerheads with Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh for quite sometime over various trivial issues and the MLA has also staged a dharna against him for checking traffic violators on the busy Lawrence Road-Mall Road intersection. Adding another dimension to the controversy, a close associate of
Sidhu, Jugal Kishore Gumtala held a press conference this evening and leveled serious charges against Joshi. He said Joshi should not settle personal scores by using the party platform and urged him to desist from making such statements in the media which lowered the prestige of the party. Meanwhile, another group of sarpanches from the
constituency of Anil Joshi extended their support to the MLA. |
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Milvartan: A unique home for the aged
Amritsar, October 23 No less than a home for the aged, in the literal sense of the word, was established by late Dr. Ashok Bhandari in 2001. The Bhandari family made a building of about 25 rooms and named it Milvartan. Situated at the Moon Avenue, the home is run by the trust and members of the Bhandari family taking care of it. Residents of the home pay only for the food and their personal needs while accommodation is free for all. There are about 25 rooms with basic facilities and servants are there to care for all of them. One of the trust members said the basic purpose of establishing the place was to give shelter to those who need a home not a building, and the founder did the needful without any donation or government aid. Most of the members of the home are retired officials who are independent physically or economically but their wards were not ready to allow them to live with them. One of the residents, without disclosing his identity, said times had changed and everyone wanted an independent life which is not possible with old parents, so it was the decision of the family to live in the ashram. A lady said her son and daughter live abroad and it is not possible for her to live alone so she chose the old age home. Residents said they were happy here owing to the facilities and company but they missed their children.
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Police martyrs paid tributes
Amritsar, October 23 Amrik Singh, Superintendent Police (HQ), Amritsar Rural, read out the names of 770 martyrs belonging to all state police in the country. Two-minute silence was also observed in the memory of martyrs and the jawans paid tributes to the martyrs by reversing their guns. This was followed by wreath laying ceremony at the Martyr’s Memorial. Former minister Bikram Singh Majitha exhorted the people to wage a war against social evils including drugs and female foeticide. Majithia said welfare of the families of the martyrs was our primary responsibility and suggested the SSP, Amritsar Rural, Gurmeet Singh Chohan to devote at least two hours in a fortnight to redress the grievances of these families. He also announced a grant of Rs three lakh for the Punjab Police Amritsar (R) Welfare Society. In a separate programme, the district police observed the annual police commemoration day at police lines here. Health Minister Lakshmi Kanta Chawla, MP Navjot Singh Sidhu participated in it. Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP-II) Dhanpreet Kaur led the guard of honour. SSP Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh listened to the grievances of the families of martyrs.
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Insurance firm aims high in Punjab
Amritsar, October
23 Revealing this, IFFCO Chairman S.K. Jakhar said if the experiment succeeded the company would move to other agricultural states like Punjab and Haryana. He was here to distribute the claim cheques under the Sankat Haran Bima Yojna to its beneficiaries. Answering media queries regarding setting up of SEZs in Punjab and Haryana, he said there was lack of raw materials, including a gas pipeline, in these states due to which they were unable to establish the same in this part of the country at the moment. Meanwhile, Jakhar said since its launch in Punjab in 2001, the company had made giant strides with its cooperative model. He said the company had already procured more than Rs 5 crore under this model and aimed at contributing more than Rs 10 crore by this year-end. He said the company had procured a premium of more than Rs 39 crore in Punjab in 2008-09 and aimed at achieving double-digit premium growth this fiscal
year. IFFCO-Tokio had launched its first office in Punjab in 2001 and since then it has set up 26 more offices, of which two are strategic business units
(SBUs in Chandigarh and Ludhiana, four are lateral spread centres and 20
other field offices known as bima kendras. In Punjab, 515 claims amounting to Rs 4.12 crore have been settled since its launch in 2001. Across India, IFFCO-Tokio has settled more than 8,800 claims amounting to more than Rs 52 crore. |
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DC raps airport officials over waste matter
Amritsar, October 23 This sensitive area happens to be exclusively demarcated for the planes to regulate its position in a precise manner before getting into the parking zone. And this waste has become a major problem as it attracts stray dogs from the areas adjacent to the airport. Ironically, the Municipal Corporation recently designated an area far from the airport to be used as dumping ground after getting several missives from the airport authorities. These instructions, among others, have been passed on by the Deputy Commissioner during a special meeting conducted with the airport authorities to observe development works underway at the airport. Confirming this, K.S. Pannu said, “These instructions have been given keeping in mind the safety aspect. Usually, these stray dogs get into this prohibitive zone in search of food. Now, the authorities have been told to avoid spilling the aircraft wastage, especially on apron area,” he said. Finding the lapses in the cleanliness of the toilets, the services of five sweepers have been terminated and their security passes have been curtailed. The DC also instructed the airport authorities not to renew the contract of present house keeping contractor which has been scheduled to lapse from October 31. The DC also took stock of the various facilities and passenger amenities at the airport especially the inordinate delay being carried out in installing conveyor belt in the newly-constructed arrival hall of the airport. “The delay was there due to the non-shifting of counters of Air India and Customs’ Department as these counters are making hindrance in the execution of the job. I have been told that the departments concerned have been conveyed in this respect”, he said. While deliberating upon with the officials of the Telecom Department, present there, the DC also recommended for installing broadband facilities and improve telecom functioning at the airport premises. The other basic necessities discussed were establishing proper arrival and departure of flights’ information system at the airport
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Indo-Pak theatre fest charms everyone
Amritsar, October 23 The festival began with the legendary Savi on Friday and the last play to be staged was Kala Menda Ves, which told the story of a fake saint. On the first day of the six-day festival, Kahan Singh Pannu, Deputy Commissioner with Kewal Dhaliwal, president of Manch-Rangmanch, formally inaugurated the function and said theatre was the best method to remove the distance between both countries. Dhaliwal said there should be a Rangmanch Bus between both countries which, he was sure would always be in demand. The festival opened with Savi, directed by Dr. Jagdish Sachdeva. The characters of the play were Mandeep, Amandeep, Vijay Sharma and Jatinder Kaur. While Dr. Rajinder Katiyar, Amarpal, Gurdev Singh Mahilanwala, Harjeet Sandhu, Kulwant Singh Gill, Bhupinder S. Nanda, Sukhpal Singh, Master Avitoj, Savita, Kareena, Dr. Rajeev Sharma and Pankaj Bahtias’s performance was also excellent. On the second day of the festival, Man De Hani, directed by Dr. Sahib Singh, presented the current condition of relations and gave a message that love was not something that could be imposed on someone. The play was also a comment on the superciliousness with which America was trying to win countries, something which would never build lasting relations. The characters of the play were Mandeep and Munish Kapoor while Gurdeep Singh, Manjeet Singh, Jatinder and Malika also performed well. On the third day of the festival, Pakistan’s Madiha Gauhar presented a play based on fake saints. On the third day of the festival, writers Dr. Avtaar Sing and Dr. Janmeet Singh were the guest of
honours.
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Uppal appointed Principal of BKSJEC
Amritsar, October 23 In its endeavour to bring about an overall improvement in the academic environment of the engineering college, the management appointed senior faculty to head the different departments in the college. The spokesman for the college in a press note said M.S. Virk, an M.Tech from IIT, has joined as Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering. Retired as Superintendent Engineer from the Punjab State Electricity Board, he had a vast experience in industry as well as of teaching in engineering colleges. He said S.S. Panesar had gone through long technical innings supporting his professional career with M.Tech from Kurukushetra University. After retirement as Superintendent Engineer from the Punjab State Electricity Board, he had worked as Principal or Professor to establish reputed technical institutions in Punjab. He had joined the BKSJEC to head the Departments of Electronics and Communications and Electrical Engineering.
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Maratha magic woos audience at SAF fest
Amritsar, October 23 The play was part of the ongoing SAF Peace Festival being organised by the South Asia Foundation SAANJH, supported by the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR), the National Academy of Performing Arts, Karachi, the National School of Drama and the Gurbaksh Singh-Nanak Singh Foundation. The narrative of the play underlines the decaying moral standards in the waning Maratha empire. The leaders of the Maratha empire are more interested in enjoying lowly things. The rulers do not shy away from exploiting their own subjects. The protagonist of the play Ghasiram is incarcerated by the policemen of the Maratha empire. Enraged, he decides to take revenge. He approaches the then ruler Nana Phadanwais, infamous for his immoral deeds and indulgences and presents his daughter to him in order to become kotwal. Ghasiram lets loose a reign of terror on the police and fulfils his desires. However, in the process he has to pay for this by losing his daughter. Nana Phadanwais gets his daughter killed. When Ghasiram insists on meeting his daughter, the emperor has him eliminated. Originally written in Marathi, the play was translated in Hindi by Vasant Dev. It was a theatre production by the National School of Drama Repertory Company, New Delhi.
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College adopts village to protect environment, girl child
Amritsar, October 23 Addressing the gathering, Harpal Singh said it was a unique partnership with the college to send a message to save the fauna and flora of the state besides give a clarion call to save the girl child considering the skewed sex ratio in the state. He said the village with close to 4,000 strong population, would set an example with public-private partnership with other villages to adopt this unique project and plant more trees to save the endangered ecological system. Meanwhile, the Nanhi Chhaan Foundation also donated sewing machines to a vocational centre to be set up at the gurdwara. It announced a scholarship for 25 children who would be given training at this
centre.
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2 PSEB linemen booked for power theft
Tarn Taran, October 23 The case has been registered at Anti-Power Theft PSEB Police Station, Verka, near Amritsar. The case has been registered on the written statement of Balkar Singh, SDO , City Sub-Division, PSEB. The SDO said Parminder Singh and Narinder Singh got issued 32 meters from ME Lab, Verka, with fake signatures of a JE, Gurbhej Singh. The accused threw 26 meters in the local store of the PSEB and took away the remaining six meters to use for power theft. Senior officials of the local PSEB circle formed a high-level joint committee to probe the matter. The committee recovered the six meters from a mobile phone shop at Adda Noordi. The committee also recovered some meters having holes in the back being used for power theft. Ram Pal, Inspector of the PSEB police station, said raids were being conducted to arrest the accused.
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One killed, other tortured by in-laws Our Correspondent
Tarn Taran, October 23 According to information here today, a case under sections 498A, 406 and 34 of
the IPC has been registered against five persons of their in-laws family. The police said a case was registered against Tarsem Singh, Jaswinder Singh, Harpreet Kaur (sister-in-law), Narinder Kaur (mother-in-law) and Dhir Singh(father-in-law), residents of Jalandhar. A victim sister, Kawaljit Kaur, living in Khawaspur village, 20 km from here, with her parents, while recording her statement with the police alleged that her elder sister Gurmit Kaur, who was married to Jaswinder Singh, was allegedly poisoned to death on June 29 and she was pregnant then. Kawaljit, who was married to Tarsem Singh, was thrown out of the house after being humiliated and tortured. Both the sisters were married in 2005 on the same day. Sukhdev Singh Brar, SSP, said after registering a case police parties were dispatched to arrest the accused. |
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CBSE India Heritage
Quiz
Amritsar, October 23 The host team won the quiz and qualified for the national finals to be held in Delhi in December, while Dashmesh Public School, Faridkot, stood second and Army School, Jammu and Kashmir, won the third position. The winning team of DAV Public School, Amritsar, comprised Vishal Mahajan, Akashdeep Singh and Arshdeep Singh. The CBSE conducts the India Heritage Quiz every year in more than 4,000 schools of India. After the first written round, around 100 teams are selected for the zonal round, which is conducted in 12 cities. The quiz master from the CBSE, Delhi, Aditya Nath Mubai, grilled the teams in a three-round competition. He said the aim of the quiz was to create awareness among students of the rich heritage of the country and arouse their interest in gaining knowledge about the country’s history besides feeling proud towards the formidable cultural heritage that belonged to them.
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Youth Fest GTBCW lifts trophy
Amritsar, October 23
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Motorcyclist knocked down by van, dies
Amritsar, October 23 Eyewitnesses said the school van, belonging to DAV institution and ferrying schoolchildren, hit Saini from behind. The driver of the van fled. Lawrence police chowki has registered a case and sent the body of Saini for a post-mortem examination. |
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The photo caption with the news item “Chawla celebrates Divali with special children”, published on October 17 in these columns, inadvertently stated that “Mentally challenged girls perform at a function at the Dr Vidya Sagar Institute of Mental Health in Amritsar on Friday”. However, it were the students of nursing who performed the dance item.
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the premises of Guru Nanak Dev University here last night, followed, in turn, by an outrageous chain of events, has belied the security claims of the university authorities.
Amritsar, October 23
Amritsar, October 23
