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Roof of an old house collapses
Two more baby girls find shelter in Pangura
Buy new car and get RC from dealer only
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Rare flora in Ram Bagh garden cries for upkeep
Indiscriminate chopping of trees continues in city
Pre-paid taxi service evokes good response from tourists
Khalsa College Public School wins the folk song competition
Illegal parking lots charge but do not guarantee safety
A view of an illegal parking lot located outside the premises of the district courts complex in Amritsar. Tribune PHoto: Vishal Kumar
Pensioners’ plea to CM
Breast cancer detection camp
Fake travel agents booked
Ban tantriks’ ads
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Roof of an old house collapses
Amritsar, September 12 According to information received, the portion of the house which collapsed was under repair when the incident occurred. The rescue team successfully pulled out a 50-year-old mason Bhupinder Singh, while his helper was still trapped under the debris, till the filing of the report. The rescued person was shifted to Guru Ram Dass Hospital for medical aid through 108 ambulance service. A very heavy ‘paapar-’drying machine had been installed on the roof of the portion of this dilapidated house. The continuous vibrations while operating this machine is considered as one of the key reasons which had led to the roof of the house being damaged. The Municipal Town Planner Shakti Bhatia said that there was a lapse apparently on the part of the construction workers who were attempting to repair the roof, without taking adequate security measures. “Despite the fact that it was a very old building and the roof of this portion was in a very bad state, a very heavy machine was being operated on the roof and the continuous vibrations emanating out of its operation must have made the roof weaker”, he said. Sadiq Masih, the Sub-Fire Officer, who led the rescue team said that the house was in a very bad shape and the recent incessant rains had made it more vulnerable. “The two persons who were trapped under the debris were actually engaged to repair the roof but it appears that in the absence of proper support, the roof tumbled down. We are using cutter machines to remove the building remains as one of them is still trapped inside”, he said.
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Two more baby girls find shelter in Pangura
Amritsar, September 12 According to information, a girl child, appeared to be a month old, was abandoned in the Pangura on September 9 at 7 pm, while another 10-day-old child came in at about 1.45 pm today. With this, the number of children received in the Pangura has touched the figure of 45. Except for three, all are girl children. Deputy Commissioner Rajat Aggarwal said the child received on September 9 was having some health problems, therefore she was admitted to the nearby EMC hospital. “Today, she gained some consciousness. The second child was received in the afternoon. She, too, was taken to the EMC hospital, where the doctors declared her to be physically fit,” he said. Both the children were handed over to a Jalandhar-based designated adoption institution, the representatives of which were present here today. This year, 13 children were abandoned in the Pangura, out of which six children, including five girls, were received in the past 20 days.
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Buy new car and get RC from dealer only
Amritsar, September 12 The move initiated by the District Transport Office would enable the owners of vehicles to get registration certificates (RC) and pay motor vehicle tax directly through the dealers only. But the service would be restrained to the passenger vehicles like car, jeep, SUV or MUV, to be used for domestic purpose only. The process is on to put all the 23 car agencies in Amritsar online. According to information, an buyer of a new car will have to just move to the showroom along with some mandatory documents furnishing his antecedents. After paying the registration fee and the motor vehicle taxes, as applicable according to the make or model of the vehicle, he would be registered online. Upon getting the acknowledgement from the DTO’s office side, the vehicle would be issued the registration number. However, the privilege of issuing VVIP or fancy numbers would rest with the DTO only. These numbers would be issued as per the old pattern, ie through auction. Confirming the development, DTO Vimal Kumar Setia said with the introduction of the online arrangement, it would take 48 hours to get the RC, through the car dealers. “The dealers would provide us the details of the vehicle and the purchaser through our website and the RC would be issued within two days at the most,” he said, while adding, “We have started this service initially for non-commercial vehicles only.” It is a significant move in terms of providing respite to the residents from standing in long serpentine queues and end up falling prey to unauthorised agents, apparently due to lack of proper knowledge about the documentation required to get their vehicles registered. Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal had recently announced to make the vehicle registration process online in the state, following repeated complaints from the public about the hardships they face while obtaining RCs from the Transport Department. On the pattern of Amritsar, the transport wings of other districts would follow the suit. A First y Amritsar to become the first district in the state to introduce online registration of new vehicles What is the requirement? y The customer would have to furnish proof of identification comprising, for example, Voter ID card or a two-year-old LIC policy. He or she would also have to pay road tax, registration fee and motor vehicle tax depending upon the make and model of the vehicle and the hypothecation fee, if applicable. Documents to be furnished by the dealer: l
Insurance cover letter l Pollution Certificate l Manufacturer’s invoice l Vehicle’s details furnished by the customer (Form 20) l Sale letter/vehicle’s details furnished by dealer (Form 21) l Road worthiness certificate (Form 22)
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Rare flora in Ram Bagh garden cries for upkeep
Amritsar, September 12 Though the Punjab Tourism Board and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is conserving the structures having heritage value, the rare flora, also having great heritage value at the garden, has become the victim of apathy of all concerned. The greenbelt of the garden spreads over 84 acres and has been facing an uncertain future, while the authorities are passing the buck to each other on the issue of saving the green heritage. The ASI authorities are saying that they have only few structures under their possession, while the garden, including the greenbelt, is in the possession of the Municipal Corporation and Punjab Heritage and Tourism Board (PHTB). However, corporation officials pointed out that the garden is under the occupation of the ASI, which is not allowing them to do anything. Many of such trees, which normally grow in the Himalayas and Nilgiri Hills, have tilted or fallen in the absence of proper care. The wild growth in the garden makes the visitors, besides morning and evening walkers, curse the authorities concerned, who hardly bothered for its upkeep. Some of these trees date back to two centuries and there is urgent need to take care of the garden, otherwise the precious flora would be lost. Unfortunately, only a handful of people in the city are aware about these rare trees. The population of rats in the park has increased as people used to offer grains and pulses to birds and insects at trees as per the advices of astrologers. The practice has led to rats making their holes near the trees. In the process they damage the roots of the trees. A corner garden on the Crystal Chowk side has virtually turned into a garbage dump and urinal place for people. The bases of the trees in this part have become week and these could fall at any time. The wild growth all around the park is testimony to the negligent attitude of the Municipal Corporation, which has the possession of the major portion of the garden. “Trees should be pruned from time to time so that their branches don’t become heavier. But, in the absence of pruning, the branches have become heavier, leading to tilting of these trees. The bases of these trees have also become weak and that results in falling of these trees,” said Dr Suresh Chauhan, an ayurvedic doctors. He said it was quite difficult for these trees to survive in the prevailing environment. Therefore, for their upkeep, some concrete plans should be initiated by the authorities. Deepak Babbar, an environmentalist and executive director, Mission Aagaaz, an NGO dedicated to environmental causes, said recently the Mayor and his coterie had returned from the UK after learning a tip or two. He should also look at the state of greenbelts in the city. “He should have learnt a few tips on preserving greenbelts in the city. Not only the Ram Bagh, greenbelts all over the city are in a pitiable condition,” he pointed out. The ASI authorities said they had Macchi Ghar, four minarets and Hamam ghar under their possession, while the remaining garden was being preserved by the PHTB and MC. Daljit Singh Sandhu, Executive Engineer, Horticulture Department of the corporation, said the ASI authorities were not allowing them to do any development work, though efforts were being made to preserve the green heritage of the garden. Trees in the Ram Bagh garden The garden has diospyrose cordifolia, commonly known as tendu, akash neem, both trees used in preparing medicines. It also has kadam, another significant tree used in many Ayurvedic and Unani medicines. The garden has a small number of palm trees, but 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 the visitors by its dark-green leaves. It is the favourite of horticulturists for its straight growth and it is used extensively in urban landscaping. Eternal favourites 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 favorite 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). The garden has a number of simbal trees, whose leaves, fruits, flowers and barks had medicinal properties. The oldest available tree in the garden is gingo biloba, which is used in making homoeopathic medicines. |
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Indiscriminate chopping of trees continues in city
Amritsar, September 12 In yet another similar act, a fully grown tree planted under the “Go green, go clean” campaign in the city was chopped at Chowk Meeran Kot on Ajnala Road here today. Just a couple of days ago two fully grown trees of gulmohar were cut by unidentified persons in the district shopping complex only because it was hampering the view of a showroom in the complex. Earlier, in another similar incident six sheesham trees were chopped in the district courts complex for raising a police station. This as well as the ignorant attitude of the district administration has annoyed the environmentalists who are trying to increase the green cover in the region. “Two fully grown gulmohar trees have been cut very badly and they are not in a position to grow anymore. It is very surprising that the district administration is taking these incidences callously and watching these brutal slaughters as a mute spectator. What is the fun of planting saplings, when we cannot take care of fully grown trees?” said Gurbhej Singh, general secretary of the Mission Aagaaz, an NGO. Earlier, too, a number of trees on Ajnala Road, near Taran Wala Bridge and GT Road were cut owing to various development projects. The NGO urged the district administration not to remain a mute spectator and initiate urgent and immediate steps to check the menace.
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Pre-paid taxi service evokes good response from tourists
Amritsar, September 12 Even though the section of taxi operators opposed to the scheme continued to lure the tourists by charging less than the rates fixed for the prepaid taxi operators, the visitors preferred to opt for prepaid taxis due to security reasons. It is relevant to mention here that the district administration had on September 2 launched 24X7 pre-paid air-conditioned taxi service. These vehicles were proving to be the safest ride for the tourists as these were equipped with GPS system putting the location of each and every vehicle under surveillance. Anil Kumar, a resident of Bangalore said that he had come here along with his family to pay obeisance at Golden Temple and have now opted for the prepaid taxi keeping in veiew the safety aspect. He said even though the other private taxi operators had offered to charge lesser amount but they had rejected their offer. Another resident, Suresh Sharma of Jaipur, said that prepaid taxis were a better option as they don’t have any fear of being fleeced by private taxi operators. He said they have opted for prepaid taxi service keeping in view the facilities being provided by the operators. With the introduction of this service, the tourists, from the Golden Temple, one can reach the railway station, the bus stand or the Durgiana Mandir in an air-conditioned vehicle for Rs 20 per seat (on sharing basis) and Rs 100 (for an independent ride). An auto-rickshaw driver charges Rs 15 (on sharing basis). Though this service would operate all the time but for the Attari-Wagah border, the timings would be from 4 pm to 8 pm for watching the Beating the Retreat Ceremony. For Attari-Wagah, the per seat expense would be Rs 80 per seat (to and fro) from the Shrine point and an independent vehicle would cost between Rs 800 and Rs 1300 (depending upon the make of the vehicle). This will be inclusive of waiting charges, toll charges and parking charges. It is to mention that earlier, the taxi operators used to charge between Rs 100 and Rs 120 per seat for the Attari-Wagah journey and that too for a non air-conditioned vehicle.
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Khalsa College Public School wins the folk song competition
Amritsar, September 12 The event was held under the aegis of Sahodaya Schools Complex. More than 15 schools participated in the competition. The legendary singer Gurmeet Bawa graced the occasion with her presence. Lachi Bawa, daughter of Gurmeet Bawa, judged the competition. Neera Sharma, the principal, said that competitions help students to develop strong personality. She also praised the Sahodaya organisation for promoting cultural values among students.
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Illegal parking lots charge but do not guarantee safety
Amritsar, September 12 Avneet Singh, a visitor to the courts, says: “I was asked to pay Rs 5 but on the slip they claim that they would not be responsible for anything. If those manning the parking are not responsible who else is?” In the absence of sufficient parking space inside the complex, a large number of visitors have to park their vehicles outside. “There should be some parking arrangement inside the courts complex. Considering the law and order situation in the city, the vehicles are at the mercy of thieves,” said Satinder Singh Bal, a resident. Even the road outside the complex, towards the side of the entrance to the Deputy Commissioner’s office is jampacked with illegally parked cars. Harsukh Singh, a clerk in complex said, “About half of the road on each side is blocked by the parked vehicles. If they are not there, the problem of traffic congestion in area would automatically cease.” Sanjeev Kumar, an advocate said, “A multi-storied parking is required for the vehicles in courts.” He added that people are ready to pay but the safety of the vehicles parked must be assured. Considering the flow of more than 1,000 advocates, their clerks and other staff apart from the general public, the parking space inside the complex is not sufficient. With special places reserved for VIPs, the space for the general public is even less. Pradeep Kumar Saini, president, Amritsar Bar Association said, “There is a provision of parking in the upcoming chambers’ building.” He added that parking in the courts’ complex is too done in a haphazard manner.
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Pensioners’ plea to CM
Amritsar, September 12 A meeting of the PASPC also passed a resolution to this effect during a meeting held here today urging Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to provide them the same facilities which were being given to their counterparts in government schools. Kashmir Singh, president, PASPC, in a press note said their main demands included old-age pension, introduction of medical allowance and simultaneous release of instalments of dearness allowance. He demanded that pensioners above 65 years of age should be provided 5 per cent old-age allowance, above 75 years 10 per cent and above 80 years 20 per cent. Welcoming the decision of the state government for making amendments to the pension scheme for the retired teachers of aided schools, he appealed to the government to approve their demands on priority basis.
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Breast cancer detection camp
Amritsar, September 12 Chawla said that each test costs Rs 4,000 in private hospitals. He spent a total of
Rs 85 lakh on the equipment required for the diagnosis. The camp was organised with the aid of Roko Cancer Charitable Trust. A similar camp will be organised at Satellite hospital on Tuesday, he added.
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Fake travel agents booked
Amritsar, September 12 Youth commits suicide
One Rakesh Kumar of Chheharta was found hanging under mysterious conditions last night. Sandeep Kumar, the brother of the deceased stated that his brother owned a fruit shop in the area. Yesterday, he went to his shop but never returned. He said the family searched for him but could not find him. His mobile was also switched off, he said. Today, morning they were informed by the police that Rakesh had hanged himself on a tree. A case has been registered in this connection.
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Ban tantriks’ ads
Amritsar, September 12 People lose their hard-earned money to the tantriks. Satveer Singh, a shopkeeper in the area, said, “Most of them claim to be specialist in curing sexually transmitted diseases and psychological disorder.” “At least their advertisements in papers and local channels should be banned,” said Sumit Malhotra, a student. Another resident, Surjiit Singh said, “This is not a new problem in city. But I think people have become more aware about the issue.” He added that print and electronic media should make efforts to increase public awareness.
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A day after a 19- year-old girl lost her life when a three-storey house collapsed, the roof of another century-old double storey house fell down in the Laxmansar Chowk area, trapping two persons underneath.
According to information received, the portion of the house which collapsed was under repair when the incident occurred.
Once a place of rare coniferous and ornamental trees having medicinal value, the historic summer palace of legendary Sikh ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Ram Bagh Garden, has fallen on bad days.
The senseless chopping of trees continues in the city on one pretext or other, while negligible efforts are being made by the district administration and authorities concerned to check this menace.
Khalsa College Public School bagged the first prize at Folk Song Competition organised by DAV Public School, Lawrence Road.
The second and third positions were bagged by the students of DAV Attari School and DAV International School, respectively.
Many illegal parking slots have mushroomed outside the walls of the court complex here. Though the owners of the vehicles are asked to pay for the parking but in return they are not guaranteed the safety of their vehicle. Apart from making people pay for this illegal parking, the attendants there encroach upon the road, thereby posing a problem for the commuters.
