Amritsar, April 26
The runners alongside the Indo-Pak border fence are more inclined towards smuggling of fake currency, being pumped into this side of the border by the Pakistan-based agencies, as compared to heroin and firearms.

This has come to light during the investigations of several smugglers caught by the police in the recent times.

Reason: The smuggling of counterfeit currency is more profitable and less punitive as compares to smuggling of narcotics and firearms, which are non-bailable offences.

“It is not easy to get bail if a person is caught with heroin or firearms pushed in by the smugglers based in Pakistan. Even minor seizure of heroin can put the accused behind bars for longer duration, while a fake currency smuggler gets bail after a few days,” said a senior police official of the State Special Operation Cell (SSOC) on condition of anonymity.

It is pertinent to mention here that the SSOC recently seized fake currency worth Rs 13 lakh from three smugglers in two separate cases. “A smuggler gets fake currency worth Rs one lakh paying half of its price, while they get less remuneration for smuggling of narcotics. Moreover, smuggling of narcotics involves more danger,” he said.

He said as per the report of the intelligence agencies, there are crores of fake currency notes that are in circulation in the country. Moreover, the supreme quality of the counterfeit currency left no doubt in the minds that Pakistan agencies were deliberately involved in this ‘economic terrorism’ to unsettle the Indian economy by routing it through various borders, including that of Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, besides 550 km of the Indo-Pak border fence.

“Although the Pakistan’s ISI role in printing and circulation of the fake Indian currency notes had never been a secret, the quality is such that it is not possible for smugglers to build such an infrastructure to produce supreme quality fake currency notes,” said the official.

The law in cases of the fake currency smuggling is very liberal as the accused could get bail within days to couple of months, while in case of narcotics it takes months or even years to get bail, said advocate Pawan Bhardwaj.

Amritsar, April 26
Time and again, the police has issued prohibition orders under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code, against drinking in public places besides ordering liquor vend owners to install CCTV cameras outside their establishments.

Earlier too the administration had issued similar orders in month of October last year but the vendors hardly mend their ways and failed to install CCTV cameras barring several wine shops situated in the Malls. The problem is worst in slum areas.

Amar Singh Chahal, Deputy Commissioner of Police, while talking to The Tribune admitted that not many vends had installed CCTV cameras as per the previous orders. But this time we would not let anyone to violate the orders.

“Anyone found violating the orders would be taken to task as per the law and cases would be slapped against them,” said Chahal. He said the orders would be implemented in letter and spirit.

In the orders issued by Parampal Singh Sidhu, Police Commissioner-cum-Executive Magistrate, the wine shop owners have been directed to install CCTVs with sufficient number of cameras and recording systems to cover up to 50-metre area in front of vends. The CCTVs should monitor anyone consuming liquor or facilitating consumption of liquor or any unauthorised vendor stationed in the coverage area.

The recording system would have to preserve a digital record of CCTV coverage for not less than 10 days and a copy the CCTV coverage on a CD on a daily basis would have to be handed over to the beat constable against proper receipt in a register to be maintained at the liquor vend. The vend owner would have to display prominently at least two bilingual signboards, mentioning that drinking in public places is an offence and standing or unauthorised vendors outside shops are strictly prohibited. Telephone numbers of the nearest police station, too, would have to be mentioned on the signboards.

“The police had been receiving a large number of complaints that people purchasing liquor from liquor vends often start consuming it in front of the liquor vends and at other public places. At times, people accompanying marriage procession also openly drink liquor on the roads. Drinking in public is a nuisance with serious potential to result in brawls and quarrels causing serious injuries or death and damage to public and private property. This affects the peace and tranquility of the area and creates problems in maintaining law and order,” said Sidhu in the order which would remain in force till June 21.

Amritsar, April 26
In order to spread awareness on adverse effects of drug addiction in the rural areas, the Amritsar rural police organised a seminar on the issue.

Gurmeet Singh Chauhan, SSP, Amritsar rural police, expressed concern over rampant drug addiction and said the basic idea behind the programme was to make people aware about the drug de-addiction centre opened at Government Medical College.

“People and family members of the addicted youth need not to go to quacks or illegal drug de-addiction centers,” said Chauhan while appealing to the residents to inform about any illegal de-addiction centre running in the area.

Talking to The Tribune, Chauhan expressed his inability to raid chemist shops who were illegally selling habit-forming drugs without the necessary prescription of the doctors.

It is pertinent to mention here that a recent study conducted by the district administration pointed out that it was intoxicant drugs that are wreaking havoc in the rural belt of the

state as majority of addicted youths were taking these drugs. “There is technical hitch as the police cannot directly raid the chemist shops. It was only after the complaint of drug inspector concerned that we can take action. Manufactured drugs do not come under our purview and there is limited number of medicines which could be seized by the police,” he said.

He said the police would organise seminars at various schools and college in order to spread awareness about the ill-effects of drug addiction on a person, his family as well as on society.

Meanwhile, Dr PD Garg, head of department of psychiatry, Government Medical College, who also heads the Swami Vivekanand De-Addiction Centre, while addressing the gathering said it has been observed that the addiction among youths starts from consuming habit-forming drugs, which are easily available in the chemist shops and intoxicants like cigarette, liquor, bhang, tobacco etc. Slowly these addicted youths graduate to heroin, smack and opium.

A large number of sarpanchs, panches and villagers besides students of schools and colleges took part in the programme. A play on drug addiction was also staged at the event.

The programme was organised by the police in collaboration with Rotary Club Civil Lines and Government Senior Secondary School, Rayya.

Amritsar, April 26
After getting dejected from the doctors abroad, the city-based young neuro-physiotherapist instilled a new hope in Ishpal Singh (17), an Australia-based NRI, who is suffering from spastic diplegic, a form of cerebral palsy.

Ishpal’s mother Harwinder Kaur is equally ecstatic. “We left no stone unturned and tried every medical treatment in Australia. Ishpal even could not stand on his feet what to talk about walking. But now he can stand on his feet and try to walk,” she said. We went to physiotherapists, orthopaedic doctors in Australia but Ishpal did now show any signs of improvement,” she added.

“Ishpal is one of the over 50 children who have been partially cured and can now walk on their feet. Contrary to the present notion that cerebral palsy cannot be cured, neuro-physiotherapy proved to be a boon for such patients,” claimed the young neuro-physiotherapist, Dr Harpeet Singh Bawa.

Ishpal is not the only patient he claimed to have partially cured, while the patients from New Zealand besides other parts of the country are in his patient’s list.

Kiranbir Kaur (7) and Ravneet Kaur (7), has been coming to doctor for last eight months and they have shown a major improvement in their behaviour, claimed Darshan Kaur and Maninder Kaur, grandmother and mother of two girls, respectively.

“I have visited many reputed orthopaedic surgeons and hospitals and they have only advised to undergo surgery but that too with only 50 per cent of chances,” said Darshan Kaur. Kiranbir can now utter his village and mother name.

Talking to The Tribune, he said the cases of cerebral palsy (CP) had been increasing at a rapid pace as the incidence of jaundice cases among the newly born children have been increasing day by day. He said jaundice is one of the major causes of happening of CP.

He said CP is a group of neurological disorders which affects a person's ability to move and keep their balance and posture while adding that the problem occurs before birth or soon after the

birth of the child. Among the various reasons of CP he said it can occur as a result of an injury to parts of the brain, or as a result of a problem with brain development. “It is too early to claim that CP can be completely cured but timely treatment through my mechanism have brought good results showing that properly and timely treatment can improve the children’s physical capabilities and many children can enjoy their near-normal adult lives provided that their disabilities are properly managed,” he said while adding that early treatment, better the chance of recovering from physical disabilities. Neuro-physiotherapy can treat many neuro and spinal disorders that require surgeries, he added.

Amritsar, April 26
Nepal is eager to have air connectivity between Kathmandu and Punjab, said Ujjwala Dali, senior manager, Nepal Tourism Board (NTB). She said considerable number of Punjabis travel to Nepal.

Meanwhile, seven airlines were running flights between Delhi and Kathmandu. Nepal was celebrating 2011 as Nepal Tourism Year to reach economic prosperity through tourism by bringing in a million tourists to the country.

Amritsar, April 26
The students of Ryan International School, Spring Dale Senior School, Delhi Public School and DAV International School gave a call to save Earth and water to commemorate the occasion of World Earth Day.

With their continuous feature of sensitising students about green campaign, Ryan students planted saplings near Shubham Enclave and around. The primary students made badges on the theme “Earth Friend”. A declamation contest on the topic of “Save Earth” was also held in the school.

The Spring Daleans performed a street play and staged a show in which the students portrayed the ill-effects of rampant use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides on the fertility of the soil, mindless felling of trees on the environment, depletion of ground water level and pollution of the natural resources apart from highlighting the problem of wastage of water.

Employing catchy dialogues the students depicted the adverse impact of the apocalypse thus caused on human health and psyche as well as on the surroundings. Both the presentations were directed by Sudesh Winkle.

The students of Delhi Public School planted 20 trees in the school premises on the occasion. The programme started with ‘Reflections’, a poem on how the world would be treeless, barren and unlivable in future if we fail to awaken and protect the environment.

On the slogan of ‘Think Globally, Act Locally’, students indulged in an unusual activity of “Tree Hugging”wherein children hugged trees and felt one with nature. Another activity gave them an opportunity to enjoy the peace and freshness under a shady tree.

Older students of the school expressed their emotions and feelings towards Mother Earth by displaying catchy slogans and in paintings on ‘Save the Earth’.

DAV International School celebrated World Earth Day by organising the morning assembly on the same theme, in which a thought, a poem and some amazing facts about mother Earth were spoken by the students.

Meanwhile, APKF Public School, Tarn Taran, also observed World Earth Day. The green warriors club apprised the students of the significance of preserving natural resources. A play on the theme of ‘Save Earth’, too was staged on the occasion to sensitise the students about the cause.