City all set to get better water, declared mission city under ISIP 
Amritsar, August 20
Contrary to the basis “Amrit sarovar” (pool of nector) on which the holy city derives its name, the water supply in many areas has become unfit for human consumption if the number of people suffering from water-borne diseases is any indication.

Amritsar gets first NSV centre
Amritsar, August 20
Now Amritsar can boast of being the first district in Punjab to establish an NSV (no-scalpel vasectomy) centre at Guru Nanak Dev Hospital to have a check on birth control.

Rehabilitation package sought for riot victims
Amritsar, August 20
The Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), human rights advocacy organisation, has submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner, demanding a new rehabilitation and representation package from the Punjab Government for the victims of November 1984 Sikh genocide.

GND varsity announces final round of BEd counselling 
Amritsar, August 20
Guru Nanak Dev University announced the third and final round of online BEd counselling for admission to nearly 650 seats available in the humanities group. The filling of choices by candidates would be made on August 25 and 26, while seats would be allotted on August 28.

Class XI students hold ‘Fest-o-Mania’ 
Amritsar, August 20
Class XI students of the commerce stream organised one of its kind event “Fest-o-Mania” on the premises of Bhavan’s SL Public School. The event gained significance because it was a students’ leadership programme.

This retired teacher has his painting on AIDS in ‘The Week’ 
Amritsar, August 20
A retired teacher, Bhupinder Singh Nanda, has carved a niche for himself by colouring his imagination on the canvas. His paintings have fetched him name and fame at state and national levels. For him art knows no boundaries as he held exhibitions at various places in the country and many countries in the South Asia and Australia. His exhibitions in Sydney earned him not only respect, but also money. He managed to sell off five paintings at Rs 3 lakh with the highest price of Rs 80,000 being fetched from a painting on three  young girls.

Bupinder Singh Nanda

50 sportspersons to be awarded
Amritsar, August 20
The Sharhad-e-Punjab Sports Club has decided to honour 50 renowned sports personalities to mark National Sports Day falling on August 29.

Youth leadership camp at Dalhousie 
Amritsar, August 20
Guru Nanak Dev University would host a five-day north zone inter-university youth leadership camp at Dalhousie (Himachal Pradesh) at the university’s Holiday Home from August 23.

Romila Dubey visits Farad Kendra
Amritsar, August 20
Romila Dubey, Financial Commissioner, Revenue, paid a surprise visit to Majitha sub-tehsil and monitored the working of the computerised Farad Kendra here today.

Ahuja’s death condoled
Amritsar, August 20
The Punjab State Lawn Tennis Association expressed its sorrow over the death of its chairman and vice-president of the All-India Tennis Association, New Delhi, Gurbachan Singh Ahuja.

Tribune Adalat
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Amritsar, August 20
At least 12 schoolchildren of Sri Ram Ashram School received minor injuries after the wall of an under-construction building collapsed due to poor workmanship here today.

According to eyewitnesses, a major tragedy was averted when a portion of the under-construction building along with heavy construction material placed on it, including bricks and cement bags, suddenly fell towards the adjoining school premises.

The students were practising yoga at the time of the wall collapse.

The tragedy could have been serious had the students been sitting in the open. The fibre sheet projection over them saved their lives.

The injured Class VII students included eight girls and four boys. They received injuries in their arms and legs.

Later the students were administered medical aid in the clinical room run inside the school. Students were stated to be out of danger, reports say.

Some of the injured students were Vaani, Bhavya, Ritika, Ridhima, Mandeep, Preeti, Shivam, Vikrant and Anmol.

It has been learnt that immediately after the incident, school Principal R.K. Vohra and a police party reached the spot. Officials from the corporation also dropped in to investigate the matter.

Vohra said the owner of the under-construction building had been instructed to abide by the safety norms before commencing the work again.

“It was the fibre sheet which took the impact, otherwise it could have been a fatal incident. The owner has been intimated about the incident and has been asked to be sure about the safety standards,” he said.

Ram Singh, a bystander, said the incident occurred because of loose knots of the supporting ladders tied to the wall.

MC Commissioner D.P.S. Kharbanda: It was a serious matter. A team has been deputed to scrutinise the building plans. I am waiting for the inquiry report. About the non-adherence to safety norms at the time of construction, we will take legal action. If any lapses are found on the part of construction plans, the property can be sealed.

Amritsar, August 20
Keshav Ram, working as a sewadar in a textile mill, took a heavy loan from his relatives and friends for the marriage of his daughter with a hope that he would return it after receiving the money under the Shagun scheme and loan granted by the government under its various labour welfare schemes.

However, this could not happen.

Now, even though the Punjab Labour Welfare Board has sanctioned the loan, but he could not receive the money for simple reason: No minister could spare the time for disbursement of the cheques, it is learnt.

“The relatives and friends are demanding money and I could do nothing but to reassure them again and again that the government would soon disburse the amount,” said Keshav. Almost a year has elapsed after his daughter was married.

The department has sanctioned Rs 5,100 under the Shagun scheme and Rs 30,000 as interest-free loan for his daughter’s marriage for which he had applied in December last year, he claimed. Keshav earns Rs 4,100 per month and gets Rs 3,200 after deduction of funds.

The story of Gurcharan Singh, working in the same industry, is no different. He had also applied for Shagun under the scheme for his daughter and interest-free loan of Rs 30,000, which has been sanctioned by the department, but he still waits for the same.

According to estimates, there were about 23 candidates who were sanctioned funds under the Shagun scheme in Amritsar district, while approximately 10 persons have applied for interest-free loan for their daughters’ marriage. Besides, about 25 widows are awaiting ex gratia amount that has been increased from Rs 20,000 to Rs 40,000 by the government.

The Punjab Labour Welfare Board runs a number of schemes for the welfare of industrial workers and their families having monthly income less than Rs 10,000, including that of scholarships for the education of children, ex gratia and granting interest-free loans for various purposes. The department also provides loads for purchasing television, stitching machines, computers, etc.

Amarjit Singh Asal, district secretary, Communist Party of India, pointed out that they had been “unofficially” informed by the department authorities that they were yet to receive the final nod of the Labour Minister for the disbursement of loans.

“What’s the fun of grants when the beneficiaries are not going to receive them at the time when they needed them the most?” questioned Asal. “It’s pathetic that a widow gets ex gratia grant after one and half year of death of her husband,” he alleged.

He said these monetary helps should be disbursed within 15-20 days of applying so that real benefit could reach the person,” he pointed out. He alleged that the bureaucrat lobby and ministers misused the huge funds lying with the board for their own benefits.

OfficialSpeak:

Vipin Parmar, Assistant Labour Commissioner, said all the applications had been forwarded to the Labour Commissioner office in Chandigarh and the department here had not received any sanction letter in this regard.

Amritsar, August 20
Contrary to the basis “Amrit sarovar” (pool of nector) on which the holy city derives its name, the water supply in many areas has become unfit for human consumption if the number of people suffering from water-borne diseases is any indication.

But there is a good news for the residents of the holy city. The city has been brought under the Central government’s project of information system improvement plan (ISIP) under which water testing facilities would be upgraded, besides keeping a regular check on the quality of water being supplied in various areas.

“Amritsar and Jalandhar are the two cities selected from Punjab and designated as mission cities under the ISIP. About Rs 150 crore has been sanctioned for the holy city by the Central government under this project,” confirmed D.P.S. Kharbanda, Commissioner, MC.

The corporation has floated tenders for procurement and installation of electromagnetic flow meters to be installed at every tubewell to check the exact consumption of water at it.

It has also called tenders for consultancy service to conduct a study for upgrading infrastructure and framing guidelines according to which the upgradation would be done in different phases.

At present, there is only one testing lab at Lahori Gate zone No 2 which conducts sampling and tests for presence of contamination and bacteria and presence of e-coli.

The technicians in the lab conduct sampling and testing. Upgradation of lab would also help in detecting the level of contamination and presence of dangerous elements like zinc, chloride, etc.

Giving details, Kharbanda said installation of flow meters would also help bring balance in water supply as several areas out of the total 65 wards were not getting government water supply due to lack of water pressure.

There are approximately 300 tubewells installed in the area. “We will try to bring a balance in water supply.”

Meanwhile, physico-chemical analysis report of the water sample of underground water of the Basant Avenue area failed to pass the test and was declared unfit for human consumption due to the presence of bacteria and e-coli. The samples have also been sent to the Irrigation and Power Research Institute, Punjab, which has testified the excessive presence of bicarbonates and calcium. These could lead to a 
number of stomach problems including gas and acidity. 

Amritsar, August 20
The Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), human rights advocacy organisation, has submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner, demanding a new rehabilitation and representation package from the Punjab Government for the victims of November 1984 Sikh genocide.

The organisation sought to handover their memorandum to the Punjab Chief Minister.

For the cause of securing justice for the victims of 1984 riots, the SFJ has been associated with the All-India Sikh Students Federation and November 1984 Sikh Genocide Welfare Society.

Under the fresh economic package for the victims and family members, the organisation demanded a grant of Rs 15 lakh in each case of death during November 1984 riots and a grant of Rs 5 lakh in each case of injury suffered during the period, award of a pension of Rs 25,000 per month to every living widow or widower, who are unable to earn their livelihood, writing off all loans (agricultural, commercial or any property) of the victims and family members, rebate of 25 per cent in the income tax to individuals and businesses owned by victims and family members, 15 per cent quota in educational and vocational institutions and equal percentage of quota in employment for children  in all recruitments done by the government.

Jagmohan Singh, member, Genocide Welfare Society, said the Punjab Chief Minister had the powers to accept all demands of the victims. “It becomes a religious, moral and political responsibility of the SAD government to come true on their promises for the 1984 victims, which they made during the elections,” he said.

Amritsar, August 20
Guru Nanak Dev University announced the third and final round of online BEd counselling for admission to nearly 650 seats available in the humanities group. The filling of choices by candidates would be made on August 25 and 26, while seats would be allotted on August 28.

Dr M.S. Hundal, Coordinator, said all candidates who registered with the university were eligible for this round. The candidates who had already got BEd seats through second counselling were also not eligible to apply for this counselling.

He said in this round first of all seats would be allocated to reserved categories and then unfilled seats would be allocated to the general category.

The Coordinator said the allottees of seats would have to report to the allocated colleges for admission on August 30 and 31. 

Amritsar, August 20
Class XI students of the commerce stream organised one of its kind event “Fest-o-Mania” on the premises of Bhavan’s SL Public School. The event gained significance because it was a students’ leadership programme.

The participants presented fest-o-quiz where Vivan and Yashika were declared quiz masters. For the other event Declamation - I Can, I Should, I Will, Sanyam and Tanveer conducted the stage, while 13 participants gave their views on topics like modern cities, teenage life, brains vs beauty, should boys learn to cook and the upcoming Commonwealth Games.

This was followed by performance of Daaman and Monis who amused everyone with their dance. The third event was a debate on the war of words. It saw Abhilasha and Ghazal on stage while six teams fought for their views.

University toppers

Students of the BBK DAV College for Women bagged the first three positions in PG diploma air travel services examination of Guru Nanak Dev University and also got top three slots in journalism and mass communication.

Romila, Sugandhi and Silky Mehra got the first, second and third position, respectively. Nagaz Bubber of MA in media studies and production-II, topped the university by securing 740 marks. The second position was bagged by Nidhi Mahajan, while Priyanka Mahajan stood third.

Nisha Chhabra bagged the first place in the annual examination of MA in media studies and producation-I. The second position was shared by Priya Aggarwal and Bhawna Gupta, while Aanchal Gupta stood third.

Seminar-cum-workshop

A seminar-cum-workshop was held under the chairmanship of Police Commissioner Varinder Kumar in collaboration with DAV Public School, Lawrence Road. The workshop focused on traffic safety and drug abuse.

Students, along with teachers and Principal Neera Sharma, attended the seminar-cum-workshop which aimed at making youngsters realise the truth “drugs may give thrill but they definitely kill”.

The Police Commissioner explained the traffic programme planned by the city’s traffic police. He also highlighted the evil of drug addiction and emphasised the need to wean youngsters from this menace.

A skit titled “Aarmaan” written by J.S. Brar was presented by the artistes of Punjab Natshala on the occasion, highlighting the plight of drug addicts and giving a message to shun drugs.

Surjit Singh, Deputy Chief, Civil Defence, talked about global drug situation and enemies using drugs as means of psychological warfare.

The other who attended the workshop were Surinder Pal Sidhu, D. Jatinder, in charge, traffic police, and Capt Sanjeev Sharma.

Amritsar, August 20
A retired teacher, Bhupinder Singh Nanda, has carved a niche for himself by colouring his imagination on the canvas.

His paintings have fetched him name and fame at state and national levels. For him art knows no boundaries as he held exhibitions at various places in the country and many countries in the South Asia and Australia.

His exhibitions in Sydney earned him not only respect, but also money. He managed to sell off five paintings at Rs 3 lakh with the highest price of Rs 80,000 being fetched from a painting on three  young girls.

Nanda’s painting on AIDS awareness was published on the opening page of “The Week” magazine.

Ever since his childhood, he had a fascination for colours. He felt that he could use colours to express his feelings, his innermost thoughts.

His expertise in drawing figures and his paintings won him accolades in his school days. It was enough to boost his morale. He kept practising the art and reaped the dividends when his paintings were bought by art connoisseurs from Australia, Canada and  the UK.

He has had the honour  of winning the College Colour for three consecutive years (1969 to 1971) during his graduation from DAV College.

He has so far organised five solo and seven group shows across the country. He participated in the 33rd National Exhibition and the 12th National and State Workshop camp. He has to his credit 800 paintings projecting a spectrum of themes from nature to society and machines to imagination. Apart from this, he has made 50 titles for books and magazines.

“The thrust of my paintings is on morality and spirituality, though they cover a wide range of subjects,” he said. His painting, showing the consequences of AIDS, was displayed on the full page of The Week. He makes posters, water paintings and mix-media, but his favourite is oil painting.

Besides painting, he has been imparting training to art and craft government teachers for the past six years. He gives all credit for his creativity to his mother Pritam Kaur Nanda.

Amritsar, August 20
Guru Nanak Dev University would host a five-day north zone inter-university youth leadership camp at Dalhousie (Himachal Pradesh) at the university’s Holiday Home from August 23.

Dr Jagjit Kaur, Director, Youth Welfare of the host university, said that 70 students from 10 universities of north zone would participate.

Besides, students would learn yoga aasanas during the camp. They would also go on trekking to various places at Dalhousie and Khajjiar, Kala Top, Panchpula, etc. In the evening session, they would participate in folk songs, geet, ghazal, poem recitation and debate daily, she added. She said the resource persons and the campers would interact on the topics of environment, social evils and characteristics of youth leadership. The camp would conclude on August 27.