Suicide attempt by PG student in medical college
3-member team constituted
Amritsar, December 31
A three-member team of medical teachers has been constituted by the Principal of Government Medical College here today into the incident of a postgraduate student attempting suicide yesterday. Dr Sapna, a PG student in the department of medicine, was found unconscious in her hostel room. She allegedly had consumed some poisonous substance yesterday afternoon. Her condition has shown some improvement, claimed the doctors treating her.

Law students will see evaluated answer books
The move is expected to end the decades-old practice of re-evaluation
Amritsar, December 31
The law students of Guru Nanak Dev University would be the first students to see their evaluated answer books for four days in the varsity’s Law Department from January 3.

Glimpses of 2010 
Tourism, trade in handlooms, gold and silver see a boom
Yearender-Business
Amritsar, December 31
Majority of the local traders, businessmen and industrialists of the holy city are basking in the glory of the roaring business, which happened in the year that went by and anticipated the same for the forthcoming year.

Amritsar, December 31
Many rare trees in the Ram Bagh, which normally grow in the Himalayas and Nilgiri Hills, face uncertain future due to actions of people and apathy of the municipal corporation here. Some of these trees date back to two centuries.

Spread over 84 acres of land, the garden came into existence in 1818 as the summer palace of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. However, today the flora of the garden is facing apathy of all concerned.

Dr Suresh Chohan, a member of INTACH, said it was quite difficult for these trees to survive in the prevailing environment. Therefore, for their upkeep, a plan enlisting the names of rare trees, their benefits and the ways to preserve them was submitted to the municipal corporation some years back. However, nothing concrete had been done so far.

He said there was an urgent need to take care of the garden, otherwise the precious flora might be lost. The population of rats in the park had increased. All this due to the habit of people of offering grains and pulses to birds and insects at trees as per the advices of astrologers.

The practice had led to rats making their holes near the trees. In the process they damaged the roots of the trees.

Pointing towards some simbal trees, Dr Chohan said, “It is not easy to find them with tremendous trunk and huge shady spread, at least in the state.” He said a number of these trees, particularly their leaves, fruit, flowers and barks, had medicinal properties. But due to ignorance, these medicinally valuable tree parts were being dumped in dustbins.

The historic garden boasts of a treasure of rare trees. Referring to the oldest available tree of gingo biloba, he said it was used in making homoeopathic medicines.

Diospyrose cordifolia, commonly known as tendu, and akash neem are other trees used in preparing medicines. Kadam is another significant tree which is a a part of many Ayurvedic and Unani medicines.

The garden has a small number of palm trees, but the possession of a couple of royal palms (oreodoxa regia) makes the garden unique in the northern region. The variety is normally found near the coastal areas.

Tropical trees mahogany (swietenia mahogani) and sarinh (albizia procera) could also be seen in the garden.

Standing aloof, junglee badam (sterculia alata) attracts attention of visitors by its dark green leaves. It is the favourite of horticulturists for its straight growth and it is used extensively in urban landscaping.

A 200-year-old ashoka (polyalthia longifolia) at the entrance of the garden from the Mall Road welcomes visitors to the garden. The rare tree of camphor, with its huge trunk, is the favourite haunt of senior citizens. The garden has a number of black and white eucalyptuses. It also has three varieties of trees used in Ayurvedic medicines - harar (terminallia chevula), behera (terminallia bellerica) and mahua (madhuce).

Even then the authorities have not prepared a plan to safeguard the trees for the posterity. 

Billy Boyd, best known as Pippin the Hobbit in Lord of the Rings trilogy, exchanged vows with his long-time sweetheart Ali McKinnon in Glasgow, Scotland on Wednesday. Rather than opt for a lavish Hollywood ceremony and reception, the actor kept his wedding and subsequent celebration a low-key affair, reports the Scotsman.

About 30 family and friends, with guests including fellow hobbits Elijah Wood and Dominic Monaghan, joined them at Oran Mor, just around the corner from their home. The venue is actually a church turned into a pub, restaurant and live music destination.

Oran Mor wedding coordinator Louise Turner said she’d met with the couple a few times and ‘they have been lovely to deal with’.

She said only 30 friends and family members attended the ceremony, and the reception was planned for about 160.

“It’s not a massive bash, and it will be quite intimate,” said Turner. Boyd, 42, met ballet dancer and yoga instructor McKinnon in 2002 at a pantomime. The two have a 4-year-old son Jack. —ANI

Troubled actor Lindsay Lohan’s mother has confirmed that the family is considering legal action in a bid to stop a movie spoofing on the actor’ personal life.

Lydia Hearst and Joan Collins have signed up for roles in Dogs in Pocketbooks, a movie about a troubled young star making her way in Hollywood, and screenwriter Charles Casillo has confirmed the model-socialite’s part is “obviously based on Lindsay Lohan”.

The move has already riled Lohan’s father Michael, who criticised the film plans, and now the actress’ mother Dina has confirmed she is talking to lawyers about the project. Lohan settled a multi-million pound battle with executives at financial firm E-Trade in September over allegations they mocked her in an advertisement, and Dina is convinced bosses behind Dogs in Pocketbooks could face a similar lawsuit. “The movie role is definitely based on Lindsay’s likeness. We have a very strong case. It’s shadowing E-Trade... Anyone bringing negativity will be dealt with accordingly,” said Dina. —IANS 

Amritsar, December 31
Majority of the local traders, businessmen and industrialists of the holy city are basking in the glory of the roaring business, which happened in the year that went by and anticipated the same for the forthcoming year.

Tourism remained the highest money spinning business as tourists, including international and domestic ones, maintained their fondness for the holy city.

It attracted the best of the hospitality industry to invest in the city.

On the other hand, six hotels, including a five-star with a proposed investment of Rs 362.50 crore, are under construction.

Many big names in the hospitality industry, like Holiday Inn, Ramada, Radisson, Hyatt and Taj look to set up their units here.

Manufacturers and traders of shawls, blankets and shoddy have seen a steep rise in the sale of their merchandise, due to the prolonged and intense winters this year.

The shawl and stole exports of India stand at Rs 600 crore. Amritsar’s contribution to this amount is Rs 150 crore. Majority of these items are exported to the UK, USA, Canada and Middle East.

In the domestic market, Amritsar shawls find markets in West Bengal, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.

PL Seth, president, Shawl Club of India, said good monsoons and the marriage season spelled remarkable success for the overall industry and trade of the district.

He said the industry was woefully short of technical staff and labourers. He felt that the arrival of labourers from Bihar had drastically reduced, leading to labour shortage.

He observed that post 2001, local manufacturers have been upgrading their technology regularly. However, the state government had failed in upgrading the curriculum and introducing new courses in the ITIs.

He felt that outdated courses were being taught in these institutions, while private institutes have not evinced interest in these fields.

There were about 300 computerised shuttle looms for shawls, 500 looms for suitings, shirtings, blankets and tweeds, besides 5,000 embroidery machines.

He said some states had introduced special economic packages in the shape of 30 per cent capital subsidies, under which many local units are switching over to these states.

On the other hand, the Punjab government had introduced entry tax on raw material.

Seth said majority of the local industry depended upon raw material from the outside, since Punjab was predominantly agrarian.

President, Punjab Beopar Mandal, Amrit Lal Jain said the year that had passed, was remarkably good for almost all goods, be it gold, jewellery, building material, woolens, dry fruit and hardware.

The mandal has 30 separate local trade associations affiliated to it.

He said shortage of labour was being felt in every industry and trading, despite the fact that wages were increased this year.

He claimed that in some industries, wages had been increased twice.

Businessmen trading in gold and silver were overjoyed as the value of their stocks had appreciated in tune with the rise in prices of yellow metal and silver in the national and silver market.

He said high power rates, in comparison to neighbouring states, was another major reason of the flight of the local industry. These factors had shackled the growth of the industry, in what was otherwise a reasonably good year for the industry, he remarked.

Saurabh Aggarwal, a gold and silver trader, said with the steady and high rise in gold and silver prices, a large number of people sold them in the market, expecting prices to scale down in the near future. But what ensued was contrary to what was expected.

The year saw silver shining more than the stock markets, as the shiny metal soared to a 30-year high, with prices registering a whopping 66 per cent growth in the domestic markets, while gold registered a growth of nearly 20 per cent this year. 

Amritsar, December 31
Aimed at spreading awareness on female foeticide and right to education in villages, the NSS volunteers of the DAV College organised an awareness rally here. The rally was organised as part of the ongoing NSS camp at Government Elementary School of Tirathpur village. The rally started from Tirathpur and culminated at Nawa Pind. The NSS volunteers walked four kms holding placards with messages against female foeticide, dowry and importance of education.

Flagging off the rally, Block Elementary Education Officer (Amritsar-5) Swinder Kaur said 25 per cent reserved seats for poor children in private public schools under the Right to Education Act will be implemented by April 2011.

“Every child has a right to get education and this kind of awareness rallies or camps always play a very crucial role in spreading the messages,” she said while highlighting the various educational schemes of the state government, with special focused on ‘Parho Punjab’ scheme. She spoke about various achievements of the government schools and urged the people to change their attitude towards government schools.

Besides, NSS volunteers also participated in debate competition, which was based on the topic Traditional Values in which more than 20 students presented their views in favour or against the topic. NSS Volunteers also share their experiences about the rural and urban life. 

Amritsar, December 31
The slow pace of development works notwithstanding, the Amritsar Municipal Corporation envisaged a number of projects for the overall development of the city in 2010.

While various projects, initiated by the MC, missed the deadline, several others could not see the light of the day in the year. Nevertheless, the projects also suffered due to extreme political and public interference and litigations.

To the much relief of the residents, the elevated road was finally opened to the people after the completion of the first phase from Bhandari Bridge to near Alpha Mall. This 4-km stretch turned into smooth drive for commuters.

“Though delayed for a long time, it is really an achievement of the MC. It takes just three minutes to cross the elevated road,” said Vishal Kumar, a daily commuter.

The works on the second phase of the elevated road, including work of construction of ramps along the road from Ghee Mandi to Saragari parking, is currently underway.

MC Commissioner D.P.S. Kharbanda claimed that the second phase would be completed before April 2011.

The second phase of the Solid Waste Management Project, which remained in the thick of controversies, remained a distant dream. Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee delegate Harpal Singh Bhatia, while releasing a report of state Chief Vigilance Officer, alleged irregularities in the carriage and transportation under the project.

After four-year delay, the ambitious project of laying underground sewerage pipes and system upgrade in the walled city saw the light of the day when it commenced with its first phase (worth Rs 70 lakh) from the Lohgarh area here. The project was undertaken with the funding from the Central Government under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).

Endorsing the views, Kharbanda said Rs 47-crore project was being executed under the Ministry of Urban Development and Planning Programme in the city and it would help 31 localities in the walled city.

Other project under JNNURM is a water supply project worth Rs 52 crore for the walled city. The project sanctioned this year is still pending for the want of funds.

Another dream project of city bus service, which has been hanging fire for last more than two decades, could not be materialised this year too.

On positive side, the MC authorities managed to execute Rs 19-cr project of upgraded water supply system in peripheral wards under which new tubewells, overhead reservoirs and new pipelines were laid. The civic authorities have started the construction of flats for economically weaker section of the society.

The overall income of the MC has also shown an increase. According to sources, the income has increased by 50 per cent.

Amritsar, December 31
The feet of about one lakh patients suffering from diabetes are amputated every year in the country and the number is increasing with the increase in the number of diabetics.

This was revealed by Dr Ashok Damir, Senior Diabetic Foot Care Specialist and director, Delhi Diabetic Research Centre and Foot Care, who was here to deliver a lecture on diabetic foot, during a one-day-symposium-cum-workshop on the management of diabetic foot, organised at the Guru Nanak Dev Hospital here.

The symposium was organised by the Diabetic Foot Society of India, under the National Wound Care Project, under the aegis of the World Diabetic Foundation, Access to Health and Coloplast, India.

Dr Damir said there are about five crore patients suffering from diabetes and according to data, 10 to 15 per cent of diabetic patients develop foot ulcers at some point of their lives, which is the main cause of hospital admissions.

The feet of about 50,000 foot diabetic patients were amputated in India in the year 2002, but it doubled in subsequent years and is now pegged at one lakh amputations per year.

Conditions are not much different in America, where about 80,000 patients suffer with the same problem.

The major cause of amputation is the lack of awareness and negligent attitude of patients towards wounds. Acute and prolonged diabetes sometimes leads to the failure of the healing process in the body, resulting in the delayed healing of wounds.

The regional coordinator of the National Wound Care project, he pointed out that diabetics should remain alert and take even minor wounds seriously.

He said they should seek immediate treatment to prevent the situation of amputation, which could be life threatening. 

Amritsar, December 31
More than 500 cadets of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) from Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Tarn Taran are participating in a 10-day camp being organised at Sri Guru Harkrishan International School at Ranjit Avenue here.

The camp is being organised by 11th Punjab Battalion of the NCC. The participants underwent classes of weaponry and drill, while special attention is also being given to train the students in map reading and negotiating obstacles. Efforts are also being made on personality development of the cadets and to give them career counselling so that they can choose careers in which they can excel in the future, informed Camp Commandant, Col S.S. Mand.

He said during the camp rallies on drug abuse and environment awareness would also be carried out, besides visiting various historical places.

While addressing the cadets, Col Mand stressed on the need for discipline in all aspects of life and said he was sure that the cadets would show tremendous interest in all activities and would gain meaningfully from the camp. He expressed his gratitude to the Principal and Society of Harkishan International School, who offered the premises and all facilities for the smooth conduct of the camp. 

Amritsar, December 31
Age has never been a deterrent for 75-year-old BM Singh. At an age where people start thinking of retiring and leading peaceful and comfortable lives, he is a voluntary blood donor.

Not only does he donate blood himself, but also encourages others to do so. He has regularly been organising blood donation camps on the eve of New Year celebrations, for the last two decades.

“This is my way of celebrating the arrival of the New Year,” said Singh, who is a retired civil engineer from the railway department. Not only is he a voluntary blood donor, he has also bequeathed his eyes. He has motivated and helped six persons to donate their eyes after death.

“I started donating blood at a very late age and I donated blood for the first time in 1973, at the age of 36,” said Singh.

A strong believer in sewa, when asked about his inspiration for serving the society and humanity, Singh quoted the lines of Mother Teresa - “Hands that serve are holier than the lips that pray.”

He also has strong faith in Guru ki Bani.

Till now, he has donated blood 47 times and collected 300 units of blood during various blood camps, which he has been organising since 1990. He has a dream of running a hospital on wheels, in slums and rural areas, catering to poor people. He sought the cooperation of philanthropists to come forward for this noble cause. He said if his dream is fulfilled, the hospital would also be used for encouraging blood and eye donations.