Tarn Taran, July 30
Stray animals have become a menace in this historic town and the administration seems to be helpless in tackling the situation.

Whether it is a traffic hazard or ruining of crops, these animals become a source of inconvenience to people on a regular basis.

But can we blame the animals for the problem. The Animal Husbandry Department and the Municipal Council, who had the responsibility to take care of animals at the first place, are still waiting for an appropriate time to act.

Sometimes as many as 50 stray animals, particulars cows and bulls, make bazaars and roads their staying place especially after the sunset till early morning.

By morning all these places get filled with animal dung which leaves the devotees, going to pay their obeisance at gurdwaras, tread a cautious path. ‘Palika Bazaar’ market of the Municipal Council, where there is a dumping place for the garbage, is a heaven for the animals.

Dr Parminder Singh Sra, a veterinary officer, said the people bring their male calves, bulls and incurable cows here on the monthly Amavasya mela and don’t take them back which add to the number of these stray animals. Dr Sukhdev Singh Dhillon, Senior Veterinary Officer (SVO), blamed the MC for the entire problem. He said it was the duty of the council to collect the stray animals and bring them to the Animal Husbandry Department.

After which it is the duty of the department to send these animals to gaushalas. Dr Dhillon said the MC brought no such animal to the department ever.

SDM Bakhtawar Singh said as the issue was raised in the meetings of the Grievance Redress Committee, the administration had decided to send all the stray animals to some gaushalas.

He said there were as many as 139 gaushalas run by non-governmental organisations in the state for which the state government earmarked a grant of Rs 1 crore.

Kanwalpreet Singh Pannu, state leader of the Kisan Sangarash Committee, said the farmer organisations had been regularly raising the issue of the stray animals with the government as these animals were ruining the crops of the farmers causing great loss to them.

Amritsar, July 30
A number of age old trees were chopped off by the PUDA reportedly for construction of flats meant for the Irrigation Department in canal colony just close to the Army cantonment area here.

The cutting of trees has received flak from various environmental and non-governmental organisations which shot a letter to Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in this regard. They urged the CM to intervene in the issue and direct the PUDA to restrain from the practice that is detrimental for the environment.

The PUDA authorities chopped off as many as 32 trees, including pipal, bohar, jamun, mango, from the site handed over to them by Punjab Infrastructure Development Board for the construction of flats.

“The cutting of trees is testimony of the fact how much concerned is the district administration and state government about its green wealth. Cutting of age old trees on pretext of so called development works is not justified by any means,” said Deepak Babbar, convener of the Mission Aagaaz, NGO.

“Planting of new trees is alright but it does not mean we should cut our heritage trees. This is an irreparable loss to our environment. What’s the fun of launching plantation drives such as Nanhi Chhan, Go Green Go Clean campaigns if this is attitude of the government and district administration,” said Gurbhej Singh, general secretary of the organisation.

It is to mention here that earlier, 452 trees were chopped off at the mental hospital in spite of strong protest by various environmental groups. However, at that time various NGOs on the request of Mission Aagaaz, Pollution Control Committee, SAATHI, Taraksheel etc, many trees were shifted to another place out of which only 50 per cent trees survived.

“Now, another green belt consisting of large number of age-old trees of different varieties is under threat and we urge the District Administration and the state government to immediately stop this destruction of the green belt,” said Babbar.

“The government’s claim that sapling would be planted in lieu of such trees is meaningless as most of them perish and even those survive will take more than next 50-70 years to reach similar shape and size,” said another environmentalist.

Meanwhile, P.K. Dhamija, estate officer, PUDA, said only those trees were chopped off, who were coming under the area where construction was to be carried out while in the remaining part of demarcated area have been intact. He said to compensate the loss of green wealth, about twice or thrice of the saplings would be planted.

Apart from environment point of view, it may be noted that this area falls in the vicinity the Cantonment and erection of tall buildings is already prohibited in such area. Therefore, devastation of green belt and construction of buildings in this area may cause security threat too, they pointed out.

Amritsar, July 30
Here too the quality took a back seat. The occasion was distribution of supporting equipments to physically challenged persons at newly opened District Disability Rehabilitation Centre (DDRC), here this morning.

On their agenda for these special beneficiaries were the tricycles and wheel chairs, which were in worn-out and obsolete conditions, giving impression that these must be “used ones”.

Another startling fact, which needed immediate attention, was that the organisers did not brief the beneficiaries about operating the tricycles or wheel chairs. Consequently, in the absence of any knowledge about the control panels, they had to face tough time.

It is evident to mention that with a view to benefit the physically challenged persons, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has short listed 70 districts to establish DDRCs, with the collaboration of Red Cross societies falling the respective districts. One such centre has today been opened at Tehsilpura area in Amritsar.

The Deputy Commissioner Kahn Singh Pannu who distributed these special transport vehicles, was apprised of these tri-cycles and wheel chairs having rusty and worn-out wheel rims.

“Of course, there are brand new ones”, he said while adding “Actually, this situation has been the outcome of time consuming formalities of the policy matters, I suppose. The tri-cycles and wheel chairs reach us through National Artificial Limbs Centre run by Government of India in Dehradun. Such items are purchased in bulks and kept in stores, then these are dispatched at the respective places.

After that, applications are invited, then another time consuming exercise of scrutinizing them. It is a long process and meanwhile, the articles suffer wear and tear earlier in stores and then in transportation. But it is for sure, these are unused ones”.

Interestingly, some items like hearing aids, calipers, artificial limbs and hands etc. were found to be “brand new” ones. “Because we arrange them at the local level, that’s why!” the DC clarified.

Nevertheless, the identified special persons received 34 tri-cycles, 3 wheel chairs, 1 hearing aid apparatus, and seven were benefited with artificial limbs. The DC also announced to conduct a fresh survey to identify physically challenged persons residing in the holy city. “ Our endeavour would be that more and more special people should be benefited under the scheme”, he said.

Meanwhile, prominent among those present on the occasion included Balwant Singh, Secretary, Red Cross Society, Dr Iqbal Singh Ghai, othro specialist from Civil Hospital and other officials of Child and Welfare department. 

Amritsar, July 30
For residents of Butala village, near Baba Bakala, Swarn Kaur Bal, 71, is no less than a head of the family, whom they consult to take advice in every significant move in their families. The name of septuagenarian evokes respect among the natives.

Despite her old age, she has been endeavouring to provide wholesome entertainment and career advancement to the villagers. The Baba Pallah Sports Club is one of her towering contributions.

She ensures that each youngster of the village takes part in games. Hockey is the principal game for the club. Mandatory annual tournament is organised in the village with the help of NRI families from the village.

She has introduced the holding of programmes highlighting old customs, traditions and music. Her aim behind organising these events is to provide more recreational avenues to the villagers. “Residents of a city has many opportunities to beat their boredom and enjoy their leisure time. Same is not the case with the natives of a village.” she says.

Swarn Kaur feels pathetic for the contemporary youth. Unlike youth during the independence time, these days they are enmeshed in the horrible net of drugs and superstition. “They tend to believe in any sant and baba with the aim of finding a short route to success. No longer are they taker of working hard to achieve their goal.” she says.

She is enriching the mother tongue Punjabi with her writings. She penned books on good old traditions prevalent in rural life as she feared that they are fast disappearing from public memory. She felt that they had once entertained the ruralists, bound them together, ensured bonhomie and quality life.

An active member of the Punjabi Saath, an organisation that promotes Punjabi language, culture and traditions, Swaran Kaur never holds back from airing her candid opinions. In order to spread her message far and wide she regularly participates in discussions and debates on social issues on radios in India and abroad.

Born at Thatha village in Tarn Taran district in 1937, she went on to gain college education at that time. Her father Duleep Singh had participated in the Second World War in Burma.

During her early education at Mata Sahib Deva Kaur Ashram Bhujangan in Tarn Taran her classmates were daughters and granddaughters of some Gadari Babas. She could not escape their influence and her formative thoughts were shaped by them.

She instilled the same feelings in her three children. Her late daughter Inderbir Kaur was a basketball player. She refused persistent calls of her well-settled children to move to the city and has been residing alone in the village since her husband passed away in 1997.

Amritsar, July 30
The city-based private grid-connected solar power plant Azure Power has become the first solar power plant to have an operating project under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission’s (JNNSM) grid-connected project scheme.

Azure Power, India’s first private grid-connected solar power plant developer, announced the signing of the memorandum of understanding with NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam (NVVN) Limited to become the first operating private project under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission.

Azure Power intends to be the first company to sign PPA (power purchase agreement) and collect tariff under the new policy. Azure Power’s 2-MW solar power plant at Awan, Punjab, has been awarded migration to the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission’s grid-connected project scheme.

The MoU was signed in the presence of Dr Farooq Abdullah, Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy, and Sushil Kumar Shinde, Union Minister for Power.

The NSM had received applications from more than 60 companies, out of which 16 were selected for signing the MoUs. Out of the 16, Azure Power is the only private company that has achieved financial closure and has partly commissioned the solar PV plant.

Speaking on the occasion, Inderpreet Wadhwa, CEO, Azure Power, said “Being the first private company to produce a grid-connected solar power plant in the country, it is only natural that Azure Power will be the first company to provide solar power to NTPC. It is a reflection of our leadership in solar power generation and our ambition to be a major player in solar power sector in the country.”

Azure Power operationalised India’s first private MW scale solar power plant in Punjab in December 2009. They have signed MoUs with the governments of Gujarat, Punjab, Karnataka and Haryana for the development of grid-connected solar power plants and are in talks with the governments of Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and West Bengal for agreements regarding solar power plants in these states.

Azure Power is an independent solar power producer and the first private sector company to implement a megawatt-scale grid-connected solar photo-voltaic power plant in India.

Azure Power’s team has decades of experience building industry-leading companies, executing complex infrastructure projects, and financing high-growth enterprises.

Amritsar, July 30
The Information Commission has received 10,595 cases since its inception, out of which 9,231 cases has been disposed of, while fines were imposed in 181 cases.

Revealing this, Darbara Singh Kahlon, State Information Commissioner, said compensation was granted in 321 cases. He was here to provide training to Information and Assistant Information Officers of various departments for proper implementation of the Right to Information Act besides bringing in more transparency in the functioning of the different sections.

While detailing, he said the Information Commission received 20 complaints in 2005 when the Right to Information Act was implemented, while during 2006, 2007 and 2008 it received 1083, 2900 and 3854 applications, respectively. In 2009 it received 5,098 cases and in the current year till now 2,738 cases.

“Every official should cooperate and play their role in strengthening the democratic institution in the country by adopting positive approach towards the RTI Act for bringing in more transparency in the existing system,” said Kahlon while addressing the information officials at Circuit House here. He said they should not consider the act as needless burden.

Amritsar, July 30
The All-India Pingalwara Charitable Society has chalked out a slew of programmes to remember its founder Bhagat Puran Singh on his 18th death anniversary.

The programmes would be held for four days starting from August 2. On the first day, inmates and students of the Pingalwara Society would exhibit their creations, besides a photo exhibition of natural farming and victims of the Bhopal Gas tragedy would also be held.

The next day would see initiation of akhand path of Guru Granth Shaib and organisation of blood donation camp.

On August 4, Dr Gopal Kabra would deliver guest lecture on “Harmful impact of pesticides on reproductive system” and a cultural programme would be held by students of the Pingalwara Society.

On the concluding day, the bhog of akhand path would be held, while shabad kirtan would also be performed. The series of programme would conclude with a symposium on deliberation on the personality of Bhagat Puran Singh.

Born as Ramji Das, Bhagat Puran Singh embraced Sikhism to serve humanity. It is still recalled that for 14 years he had carried a spastic child on his shoulders as they had no place to stay.

Dr Inderjit Kaur, president of the society, said the family was the basic unit in the society where the sense of responsibility began. However, the materialistic outlook had placed the family ties under tremendous stress and strain. “Painfully the family as a cohesive unit is breaking up,” she remarked.

She said every society had its share of unfortunate individuals who were sick, disabled, forlorn, suffering, deserted old people and newborn babies and it was its duty to develop mechanism to take care of them.

Similarly, Bhagatji, as Bhagat Puran Singh was fondly remembered, undaunted by criticism picked up these wretched, dying, dirty, infectious persons wherever they could be found.

She said the society was expanded with passage of time. Pingalwara had its own 19 printing presses where 20,000 pages were printed everyday for free distribution among the general public. The aim was to keep the citizens informed about prevailing social, economic, moral and environmental issues and the remedial measures required to be taken.

She recalled that Bhagatji was extremely worried about the deteriorating environment. “He had warned the nation almost 50 years back about the problems arising from deforestation, excessive use of petroleum products, exploding population and depleting water resources,” she added.

She said Pingalwara was running five schools offering free education. Out of them three were in the district, including School for Special Children, which also provided education to deaf children. Another Bhagat Puran Singh School of Special Education, Palsora, was in Chandigarh.

Amritsar, July 30
It was nothing but quite amazing to see a chess board with a diameter of 100 mm inside a 500-watt bulb which has got an opening with a diameter of just 26mm.

Another astonishing fact was that this round shaped chess board was in playing conditions with some innovative modifications conceptualized by this 24-year-old Amritpal Singh.

A cursory glance of it was enough to draw the attention as it forces one to ask how a chessboard could be planted inside a hollow bulb.

More than unimaginable was the fact that this chess board was in playable condition inside this hollow bulb. With the help of tiny tools, he shaped, chiselled and gave finishing touches to the chessboard inside the bulb.

Detailing about his creation, Amritpal Singh told that as many as 64 small size wooden blocks of identical sizes, have been glued together to make this chess board. “And to distinguish its colours, sheesham and rose wood have been used. The minutely crafted chess icons have iron pin base and to stablise them on the chess icons, the upper head of the chess board has been equipped with magnets”, told Amritpal, the Limca book record holder after making a micro chess board with a size of 60mmX60 mm in a 15 mm diameter bottle.

Amritpal now instincts to include his name in the Guiness Book of World records but the track was not so easy for him.

Amrit had prepared a tiny 22 mm x 22 mm chessboard and sent his entry to the Guinness Book of World Record office in England.

The world record for the tiniest chess is in the name of Mani Kandan of Tamil Nadu who had made 24 mm x 24 mm chessboard.

However, the authorities in the Guinness Book of World Record replied that since category had been dropped, no new declaration could be made in this regard.

“ My models were rejected on the basis that these were non functional. Then, I made another playable chess board having four-foot square dimension, exhibited at Government Museum and Art Gallery in Chandigarh. This chess board made of wooden acrylic sheet too failed to catch the fancy of judges. The reason I was told then was that only micro size creations find place in competitive parameters. It was only then that I started thinking on executing something which should appear to be unimaginable but in functional mode and this chess board took shape”, he said.

While telling about the hardship he made to execute his imagination, Amritpal told that he broke about 30 bulbs to ultimately achieve success.