Amritsar, February 5
The Municipal Town Planning (MTP) and the House Tax Department of the Municipal Corporation came under attack, with almost all the councillors from various parties unanimously pointing an accusing finger at their working. During the MC house meeting held here today after a gap of several months, councillors alleged that officials were resorting to malpractices, allowing encroachments, violations of building bylaws and other blatant infringement of corporation laws, leading to huge financial losses and defacement of the city.

Bakshi Ram Arora, BJP councillor and Chairman of the House Tax Committee, pointed out that provided the MTP and the House Tax Department do their job efficiently, the MC would not need to impose any fresh taxes to improve the working of the cash-starved corporation.

He lamented that the departments were incompetent and the functioning had been under a cloud. Quoting the example of Lawrence Road, he said a majority of the walkways outside the shops had been illegally occupied by shopkeepers, which had resulted in traffic snarls and caused inconvenience to the people.

The councillors lashed out on the House Tax Department saying the big fish had been spared while the small shopkeepers had faced its wrath by sealing their establishments.

The house witnessed commotion with Congress councillors raising the issue of alleged discrepancies towards their wards and the leader of the Congress, Ranjan Agarwal, alleged irregularities in the development works as their wards were being ignored and the BJP was spending a majority of the funds in their own areas. However, Mayor Shavet Malik, refuting the charges of the Congress, said equitable funds were being allocated in all the areas and denied any discrimination against Congress-held wards. He said he had all the data with him and they could come and inspect the projects.

Speaking on the working of the MTP and the House Tax Department, he said the matter had been brought to the notice and stern action would be taken against the defaulters and corrupt officials.

Meanwhile, the corporation house passed Rs 5 crore to revamp the fire-fighting department. The house also pointed out that after the orders of Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, the Punjab Infrastructure Development Board had sanctioned Rs 25 crore, out of Rs 51 crore, for the second phase of the elevated road connecting the GT Road to the Golden Temple.

To improve the financial position of the civic body, the corporation had decided to auction a 3,870 square yard plot which was likely to fetch a huge amount. He felt the corporation would tide over the present financial crisis and give a thrust to the development projects.

Amritsar, February 5
Though, announcement made yesterday by Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal, to prioritise quality life in holy city Amritsar, has brought a ray of hope, the dilapidated infrastructure has invited the ire of its residents.

A year has lapsed since the proposal for laying sewerage in the holy city was conceptualised, but till date it has not seen the light of the day.

Despite being approved by the Ministry of Urban Development, the much-awaited augmentation of the existing water supply and plans to lay sewerage systems in the walled city are restricted only to paper.

The Japan International Corporation Agency, which earlier agreed to fund the sewerage project too, has backed out from incorporating the enhanced amount of the project due to inordinate delay in working out the practical feasibility by the local municipal authorities. It has been learnt that the authorities have reportedly struck off some of the areas of the city from the list to meet the fund crunch.

The Punjab Sewerage and water supply wing announced a month ago that the project, at a cost of Rs 93.76 crore, is expected to kick off from January, but it too was caught in the official rigmarole and red-tapism, leaving residents bereft of mandatory fundamental living requirements.

The present population of the holy city has been estimated to be around 11.50 lakh, while as per the 2001 census, it was 9.76 lakh.

However, 20 per cent of the population was yet to be provided piped water. Now they had been drawing water from hand pumps and bore wells. On the other hand, 30 per cent of the population was without underground sewerage.

The population, bereft of underground sewerage, of the walled city, as per the 2001 census, was about 1.74 lakh and the present population without sewerage is expected to be near 1.82 lakh.

Its existing water supply system was laid during British rule. The existing water supply lines and the entire network has outlived its life.

Hence, a heavy infiltration through faulty joints and damaged pipes has been identified as one of the major sources of drinking water contamination, which could cause epidemics in the area.

The JNNURM scheme, under which the development work of the holy city is being carried out, too, observed and reported the absence of sewage treatment for the domestic sewerage system.

Assuming 6.2 people per household, which represents about 56 per cent of the total estimated population as a parameter, the report pointed out that the city consisted of around 59 km of large diameter (above 400 mm) sewers and around 499 km of small diameter lateral sewers (below 400 mm).

The Tribune team visited some areas of the city and encountered open drains, with sullage flowing out on the Katcha road and stagnant dirty water pools which act as breeding grounds for insects and flies, especially in areas like Mustafabad, Kundian Wala Khuh, Havelian, Rasulpur Kallar and Rose Nagar and Indira Colony on the Batala Road (near Verka). 

The JNNURM report says, “There is currently no sewage treatment operating on the domestic sewerage system. They generally pump sewage directly into an adjacent watercourse, mostly the towns storm water drains or nullahs. All the nullahs are heavily polluted throughout the city, not just with grey water but also with foul sewage and domestic refuse. All run in close proximity to housing, and some of the poorest communities have actually colonised the banks of the nullahs. The nullahs cause a significant eyesore and pose a substantial health risk to adjacent communities.” 

Tarn Taran, February 5
As many as 989 persons have died of cancer over the past nine years in the district, the health authorities revealed at a meeting of the District Health Committee held under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioner Khushi Ram here yesterday. Civil Surgeon Dr Kanwaljit Kaur was also present at the meeting when Assistant Civil Surgeon (ACS) Dr Manjit Inder Bir Singh gave this information.

The ACS said as per the information collected by the department 1,249 cancer patients were identified in the district during the past nine years. Of these patients 989 had died during the period.

This border district is badly infected by cancer and the major reason of the disease is said to be polluted drinking water. Prof Virsa Singh Valtoha, MLA, and a large number of public representatives had brought this story to the notice of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and demanded an early solution to the problem. The CM had assured the residents that a special survey would be conducted and the necessary steps taken soon.

The DC at yesterday’s meeting instructed the health authorities to launch a special survey to detect cancer patients in all the schools.

The Health Department also organised a seminar on “Prevention of cancer” on World Cancer Day in the office of the Civil Surgeon. 

Tarn Taran, February 5
A large number of employees, under the banner of the PSEB Employees Federation, organised a circle-level rally here yesterday against the move of the government to unbundle the PSEB.

Kulwinder Singh and other leaders of the employees, while addressing the rally, demanded that the state government make the Bijli Act, 2003, null and void through a resolution passed in the Assembly. The leaders warned that the employees would be forced to intensify their agitation in case the government implemented its move of unbundling the PSEB.

The leaders also demanded the removal of the anomalies in the pay scales. They called the employees to be ready for the two-day strike on February 10 and 11 against the unbundling of the PSEB.

Amritsar, February 5
Activists of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) yesterday resorted to asking for alms to “generate” funds for setting up a government college for boys the in holy city.

The state government’s reported move to shift the college to the Valtoha constituency in Tarn Taran led to a strong protest among students and other sections of society here. Upset over the development, the ABVP, the National Students Federation and several other student organisations have expressed their resentment and said that it would be great injustice to the students who were eagerly waiting for opening of the college.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Government College for Boys that started in the Red Cross building, near the bus stand, in 1999 was closed due to continuous apathy of the government which failed to provide any building, infrastructure and staff. The opening of college had brought cheers for the children of lower and middle classes who could not afford the high-fee structure of private colleges.

During the Congress regime, then Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh had also announced to establish Government College for Boys in Verka over 10 acres of land donated by residents of historic township while the SAD-BJP government also promised to set up the college, besides providing 18 acres of land. However, the project could not see light of the day.

Stepping up their ante, the student leaders pointed out that the government had funds to increase the perks and salaries of its MLAs and leaders but it did not spare a thought for taking concrete steps for improving the education system and provide infrastructure and fill vacant posts of teacher. They threatened to intensify their stir if the government failed to open a government college for boys in Amritsar.

Amritsar, February 5
Even as the holy city has been adjudged the fourth most visited city in the world but the district administration and the police seemed to have no concrete plan to facilitate smooth flow of pilgrims, devotees and tourists visiting the Golden Temple and Jallianwala Bagh.

It is almost impossible to visit the Golden Temple due to a number of hurdles, including widely prevailing traffic mismanagement and non-removal of encroachment on the road. The police has put up a barricade at Dharam Singh Market Chowk to stop vehicles of visitors coming from all over the country and world. However, the same rule is not applicable to the shopkeepers running their commercial operations in the vicinity of the Golden Temple. Their vehicles could be seen parked outside their establishments well ahead of the barricade.

While planning to stop vehicles at Dharam Singh Market Chowk, no thought was given for the convenience of handicapped, old and women with infants devotees to reach the holiest Sikh shrine. Infirm aged persons and limping handicapped devotees could be seen making their way to the Golden Temple and Jallianwala Bagh while women carrying babies were a common sight.

Undoubtedly a parking lot has been functioning at the same intersection but its high fee has made it unpopular among the locals and visitors. Ahead of the barricade, the footpath has been encroached upon by shopkeepers and rehriwalas.

Consequently, the pedestrians, a majority of them are devotees and pilgrims, have to cover less than 1 km distance on foot. Besides, a number of streets bisecting this road result into traffic chaos and mismanagement, especially during the high inflow of devotees. It presented a scene of utter chaos with drivers of two-wheelers honking horns and rickshaw-pullers yelling at their loudest to make their way while outsiders ignorant of the topography are at a loss.

A pilgrim, Surjeet Singh from Jaipur, said streams of arriving and departing pilgrims could be seen on both sides of the road. Though a narrow footpath has been constructed at some places along the road, it was entirely gobbled up by the shopkeepers and phariwalas. Pilgrims and devotees not being allowed to drive past Dharam Singh Market Chowk but VIP vehicles, along with their escorts, take their vehicles to the Golden Temple gate. Wile driving they cause a lot of commotion on the stretch as these vehicles keep honking sirens.

Municipal Corporation Commissioner D.P.S. Khanbanda said his department was removing encroachments thorough periodic drives. He said the drive would be intensified in the area. Despite the facility of a parking lot, people do not stop parking their vehicles on the road. With a view to cashing in on the rise in the number of pilgrims and tourists, a number of commercial outlets have sprung up on the road. Parking of vehicles in front of them was adding to the traffic confusion.

Amritsar, February 5
Global folk stole the limelight at the third Amritsar international folk festival organised by Punjab Cultural Promotion Council (PCPC) in collaboration with Khalsa College of Nursing at Maharani Jinda Auditorium in Khalsa College here today.

International folk artistes from Poland, Argentina and Thailand were the main attraction. The audience was left spellbound with mesmerising performances of 17 polishes artistes, two Argentineans and six university students from Thailand.

Promybi folk group from Wieliszew city of Poland exhibited Krakowie Folk dance from Krakow region, a dance item from Warszawa region. Their fascinating costumes attracted the spectators.

Argentinean artiste Yesmin Llebeilli put up a spectacular display of oriental dancing. She along with her husband Jose Ednardo demonstrated the Zamba Folk dance of South American Country of Argentina.

Thai folk group Ayuthaya Folklore was equally attractive.

Bhangra and giddha performances by the students of Khalsa College of Nursing left an impact on the audience as well as international artistes.

Amritsar, February 5
NRI passengers were not overawed by enhanced security measures introduced at airports following a failed airline bombing by a Nigerian national over Detroit but they appreciated and cooperated with the authorities.

Ajit Pal Singh, who arrived from Air India’s Toronto-London-Amritsar flight at the Rajasansi International Airport, said enhanced security measures gobbled up a lot of time but they did not bother them. He said security guards had physically checked each passenger, and also checked his entire body from head to toe and even shoes were also not left out.

It may be mentioned here that UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown ordered the introduction of full body scanners at his country’s airports in the wake of an abortive attempt to blow up the Detroit-bound airliner by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab on Christmas Day.

Another NRI, Manminder Kaur, said as usual security men and women conducted physical checks at London airport. She said they learnt that Abdulmutallab had escaped strict security measures at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport for not having been subjected to the full body scan. She hastily added that strict security measurers were not new at the airports since the 9/11 terrorist strikes in the USA.

Another passenger, Prititpal Kaur, returning from the UK after a six-month stay with her son at Slough near London, appreciated strict measures as she felt that they were meant for protecting them from any untoward incident.

A passenger Gurwinder Singh said he learnt that a wave camera has been installed at Heathrow, which bounces a radiowave off the body and could identify drugs or explosives carefully hidden in the lining of clothing.