Amritsar, November 4
The petrol price hike has left holy city residents fuming making them demand an immediate rollback of price hike.

Reasoning that petrol prices must not be increased every second month, residents said they are already paying a greater price for the fuel than residents of Ambala and Chandigarh.

Talking to Amritsar Tribune, residents said prices of petrol and diesel are burning holes in their pockets. They blamed the Central government for allowing the oil companies to increase prices at their discretion. Residents also hit out at the state government for levying the highest percentage of tax on the fuel.

Joginder Khanna, a local businessman, said he had stopped using his car. "I have started using scooter. Though it is comparatively economical, my daily expense on petrol is Rs 100."

Everybody is worried that the companies may announce another hike anytime.

Residents feel that rise in prices of fuel would soon make prices of essential commodities shoot up.

A government employee, Gurjinder Singh said, "The auto-rickshaw drivers would be the first to increase the fares. The vegetable and fruit sellers would follow suit. He added that instead of controlling inflation, the government is "supporting" the price hike.

Rajeev, a private employee, said, "We are merely working to keep our scooters running. I think government should settle the prices once and for all." He added that prices of petrol in 2005 were Rs 35 per litre and these have increased more than double in six years.

Presently, a litre of petrol costs Rs 76.54 in the city.

Vegetable prices burn a hole in their pockets With food inflation touching an all time high, residents are finding it extremely difficult for manage their monthly budgets. Prices of vegetables and fruits are burning holes in their pockets. The prices of most of the seasonal vegetables have increased by at least 25 to 40 per cent.

Sunita, a homemaker, said, "In order to keep the expenses low, I buy vegetables which are cheap."

Some residents said they visit mandis on the city outskirts to get vegetables at lower prices as compared to shops in city.

Schoolteacher Satpal Singh said, "On my way to school, a few farmers, who grow vegetables, sell their produce by the roadside. They charge less in comparison to shops here."

Amritsar, November 4
An excise inspector, a liquor contractor and 12 other were booked for creating ruckus in a marriage party besides attacking citizens.

Agitated members of the families blocked traffic at the national highway demanding action against the inspector and contractor for the attack.

Senior police authorities, including Police Commissioner RP Mittal, reached the spot and pacified the agitators and assured them of stringent action against the accused involved in the incident.

The Sadar police has registered a case under Sections 307, 452, 336, 148 and 149 of the IPC besides Sections 25, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act against excise inspector Jatinder Singh, Bobby, a liquor contractor and more than 12 goons who accompanied them.

Ashok Kumar, a resident of Putlighar area, alleged that the goons of the liquor contractor accompanied by the excise inspector were armed with a sharp-edged weapon and a pistol. He said the accused arrived at the party alleging that illegal liquor is being consumed at the marriage.

“Although, we were not at fault, we did not want to spoil the function as it was our daughter’s marriage,” said Ashok.

Later, the excise inspector and others had an altercation with the resort manager after which they took to violence and did not spare family members, he alleged.

The Amritsar Hotel and Resort Association in an emergency meeting held here today strongly condemned the incident and flayed the highhandedness of the liquor contractor and goons.

Ranjit Singh, president of the association, said the government should nail such criminals and the liquor contractors who hire them and harass resort owners and families organising functions in these resorts.

Amritsar, November 4
Four persons murdered Prasan Singh, a nambardar of Jethunangal village, and injured his brother Shamsher Singh and his wife Kashmir Kaur at the village in Majitha last night.

The Majitha police booked Yadwinder Singh, Harman Singh, Kulwinder Singh and Kanwaljit Singh, all residents of same village, under Sections 302, 323 and 34 of the IPC.

In his statement to the police, Shamsher Singh said Prasan Singh, while going for work, met Yadwinder Singh on the way where they were involved in an altercation.

Shamsher said they had an old enmity with Yadwinder Singh’s family.

Prasan Singh along with others went to the house of Yadwinder Singh to complain about his behaviour. Harman Singh, Kulwinder Singh and Kanwaljit Singh were also present in the house.

The four armed with blunt weapons attacked Prasan Singh leaving his critically injured. Shamsher and Kashmir Kaur were also hurt when they intervened.

They rushed Prasan Singh to hospital where he was declared dead.

Amritsar, November 4
Malkiat Singh (52), a resident of Dayal Bhrang village, was allegedly beaten to death by two persons at Vallah over a minor dispute here late last evening.

The Vallah police has registered a case under Section 302 of the IPC against Kuldeep Singh and Daljit Singh, both residents of Vallah. The accused after the murder threw the body a few yards away from their residence.

The police said the exact cause of the murder could not be ascertained as the accused were absconding.

Sources said all three were good friends and Malkiat Singh usually came to their residence. They used to go to the Golden Temple together.

Last evening, there was an altercation among the friends. Kuldeep Singh and Daljit Singh hit Malkiat with some blunt weapon that led to his death.

Amritsar, November 4
Taking cognisance of the reports of mysterious death of an inmate of Amritsar central jail, , the Punjab State Human Rights Commission has sought a report from the Home Department through Director General of Police (Prisons), Superintendent Central Jail and Deputy Commissioner in this connection.

Raj Kumar Uppal (45) was allegedly denied treatment by the jail authorities for a week. He was referred to the Civil Hospital only when his condition deteriorated.

Uppal had contracted a severe infection from an open wound on his right leg. He died on November 2.

The jail authorities had even ignored the instructions of the Social Welfare Minister, Laxmi Kanta Chawla, who had asked for his treatment.

Uppal was in the jail for the last three years.

Taking the cognizance of the death, the full bench of the commission under Section 17 (i) of the Protection of Human Rights Act sought a report till December 21.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Social Welfare Minister has also written to the National Human Rights Commission seeking action against the jail authorities.

She had urged the commission to constitute an inspection committee that would visit various jails in the state to ascertain condition of inmates.

Meanwhile, the Amritsar District Administration has ordered an inquiry into the death of Uppal and requested Additional Session Judge to probe into the incident.

Amritsar, November 4
Even though the month-old Heritage Walk has failed to draw tourists, the Punjab Heritage and Tourism Promotion Board (PHTPB) today introduced tickets for tourists, who would opt for a guided tour to witness the centuries-old architecture in the city.

A ticket would cost Rs 25 for a domestic tourist and Rs 75 for a foreign tourist.

On the first day, only two tourists, both from England, opted for the paid walk to view 14 key religious, historic, architectural and traditional cuisine spots in the walled city.

PHTPB Community Development Officer Harpreet Kaur said at present the tickets were available with the guides only.

Meanwhile, in the absence of a consistent promotion programme, the PHTPB guides are left to attract tourist.

Guide Rajwinder Kaur was the one who brought the tourists for the walk. The tourists said they were informed about the walk by Rajwinder at the tourist information centre. “We would have missed many sites had we not opted for the walk,” they said.

PHTPB Community Development Officer Harpreet Kaur said guides after finishing their morning assignments stay at Tourist Information Centres at the Golden Temple, railway station and Sri Guru Ram Das Ji International Airport to inform tourists regarding the walk, its objective and benefits.

She said keeping guides at these centres was specially designed to promote the walk and to draw more tourists.

She said there were many glitches and obstacles at grassroots level in performing the walk. Once these glitches were removed, the walk would gain popularity.

She said gradually the tickets would be made available with hotels, tourist information centres and other relevant places.

About the walk, she said the concept of the walk was entirely new for the state, the holy city and its people especially those residing and working on its route.

Amritsar, November 4
Visitors to various government offices faced inconvenience as the ministerial staff of various departments went on a mass leave today.

The employees at Deputy Commissioner's office, Agriculture department, Horticulture, Treasury, Health, Sanitation and Revenue departments besides various other offices had gone to attend the protest rally called by the Punjab State Ministerial Staff Union at Mohali.

Sarabjit Singh, a visitor to the DC Office complex, said he had come to get an affidavit. "On coming here I came to know that employees are on protest and so the work cannot be done," he said.

Daljinder Singh, a visitor to the office of the Agriculture Department, said he had come to get the details for applying for subsidy given by government on agricultural machines.

Gurpal Singh, a visitor from Verka, said, "The government should find a solution to the problem as soon as possible. The general public would have to face further inconvenience if the employees intensified their protest."

The visitors said that they had no prior information about the employees' protest.

Jagdish Thakur, district general secretary of the Ministerial Staff Union, said employees went for a protest to make the government implement revised pay grades. "Though we regret the inconvenience caused to the public, everybody knows that we are fighting for a genuine cause," he said.

Amritsar, November 4
Nanotechnology will radically transform the world and people of the 21st century with the next-generation industrial revolution. This was stated by Prof HS Bhatti, Head, Department of Physics, and Dean of

Physical Sciences in Punjabi University, Patiala, while delivering a lecture on the “Basics of nanotechnology and its applications” at Khalsa College here today.

“Functional engineering on molecular scale will be used to develop smart materials, nano-sensors, nano-computers and nano-machines, which will revolutionise every aspect of life. A famous artifact of the Roman period kept at the British Museum in London changes its colour from green to red due to nanotechnology,” he said.

The lecture started with basic concepts and touched the present scenario of research in nanotechnology. Dr Bhatti interacted with students of the Department of Physics during the lecture. Dr Taminder Singh, Dr