The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Road elevation or blockage? Elevated road threatens to block Pingalwara House, ISBT gates GS Paul Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 5 The much-touted elevated road project on the GT road is an example of the lack of vision and planning on the part of the government. The effect of the project on two internationally known centres- the Pingalwara House and the International Bus Terminus located on this stretch have been overlooked while finalising the blueprint for the elevated road extensions. Reason: A 10-feet-high pillar of the proposed ramp of the elevated road has been erected opposite the main entrance of Pingalwara House, located opposite the bus stand. Once the ramp gets extension, it would come down and hardly any space would be left underneath to approach this charitable institute, home to the destitute, mentally and physically challanged persons. Similarly, another identical pillar has been built at the entry point of the bus stand from where the pilgrims catch the Pakistan-bound Punj-aab bus for Nankana Sahib and Lahore, which will obstruct the entry gate of the bus terminus. Even as the authorities at the bus terminus have an option to open another entry gate as it is located in a corner, the Pingalwara House was not fortunate to get this privilege. The management of the Pingalwara says the worst was yet to come when they would have to transport any of the patients in case of any emergency situation because approximately a 12-foot-high ambulance from this point cannot enter or exit the gate from underneath the bridge because the height of the bridge will be 10 feet high at this point. This is the main branch of the Pingalwara society, which houses the administrative complex, a female ward, children’s ward, rehabilitation centre, printing press, dispensary, medical lab, dental centre and the common kitchen. These buildings have been built on the three sides of its premises. Therefore, the option of opening a gate on the other side, too, is ruled out. Dr Inderjit Kaur, president of the All India Pingalwara Charitable Society, said several communications have been sent to the government but in vain. “At present there are over 1,500 patients who are destitute and most of them are going to spend their entire life in Pingalwara House only, once this ramp is erected, its tail will hinder our only gate. Besides it will be an obstacle for ambulances. We are dependent on individual donors to meet our daily expense which comes to Rs 2.74 lakh per day. This ramp in its existing state will adversely affect the movement of donors to Pingalwara making it difficult for them to reach here. We have written to the CM, Punjab, the MP as well as local bodies to review it, but all our efforts have proved futile. Once it was decided in our executive meeting to take legal action against the government authorities but a final decision on this is pending,” she said. On the other hand, the entry gate of the International Bus Terminal has been closed and at present the exit gate is being used. Official speak Actually, all the decisions were made before I joined. Still, I will send a technical team to study their grievance and some remedial measure would be taken accordingly. — Dharampal Gupta, Commissioner, AMC
	Snatching incidents on rise near Golden Temple; police clueless Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 5 Yet another incident of snatching near the Golden Temple today points to the fact how vulnerable tourists are near the holy complex. The latest incident involves Parmanand and his wife Amrita from Chennai lost valuable belongings, on Friday. The two were going in an auto rickshaw at 10.15 am, when two motorcycle-borne youth suddenly snatched their bag and fled from the spot taking advantage of the narrow lanes in the area. The couple lost their purse containing a gold chain, Rs 20,000 in cash, a mobile handset, a Cannon make camera besides their house keys. Police station B-division in-charge Kuldip Singh said though no arrest has been made so far but a case under Section 379-B IPC has been registered against unknown persons. Tourists become victims of unscrupulous youngsters who flee after snatching the belongings of hapless tourists and escape in the labyrinthine streets of the walled city. Even as the police authorities recently claimed to have nabbed a snatcher when he was on the run after committing the crime, but it largely remained clueless about the whereabouts of the culprits who manage to escape taking the advantage of great rush. The holy shrine records maximum footfalls as thousands of tourists from foreign countries as well as from various other parts of the country come here to pay obeisance. The increasing number of incidents of snatching involving tourists gave very bad impression about the city as well as the police administration which has failed miserably to control such petty crimes. Four unidentified persons snatched gold chain from Narinder Kaur of Chamber Camp Mumbai just as he was to enter the Golden Temple. “The accused were standing on two motorcycles. One of them snatched her gold chain but her locket fell down,” the victim told the police. Josna Manohar Moonge, a resident of Manohar Rajpal Company, Makhmalabaad, Nasik Maharashtra, was another victim of snatching. In her complaint she said she along with her family was going from Golden Temple to a hotel on a hired rickshaw when two motorcycle-borne boys snatched her purse and fled. The purse had a mobile phone, a camera, two small purses besides cash and a SBI debit card, gold earrings besides other important documents. In a similar incident, two unidentified persons snatched a purse from Pritibala of Jalandhar when she had reached near Longa Wali Devi Chowk near Kotwali police station. She was coming from the bus stand on a rickshaw at the time of the incident. She had an ATM card, PAN card besides Rs 30,000 in cash in her purse. A Spanish national Peelar Dolrose was also robbed while she was going from Harimandir Sahib to the tourist guesthouse on a rickshaw. In a majority of cases, the snatchers target the tourists who were either going on rickshaw or the elderly who could not resist their attempt. A few years back the then police official have busted a gang who used to loot tourists in connivance with rickshaw pullers who used to intimate them about the location of the tourists they can loot these visitors. Satnam Singh Kanda, a hotel owner near the shrine said many such incidents came to light on every other day. The police authorities have failed to nab the culprits. Official speak The police department is very serious about these incidents and has chalked out plans to nab criminals. Hopefully, we will succeed in arresting these petty criminals soon. They will not be spared at any cost. — Sat Pal Joshi, ADCP, city i, Amritsar
	Villagers rise up against bad road conditions GS Paul Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 5 The residents of Chheharta area which comprises Gannupur, Kale and Wadali villages today decided to hold a protest against the “careless” attitude of the civic authorities towards their area. They have been compelled to live in filthy and unhygienic conditions because of the absence of sewerage and water disposal system. As many as 50,000 residents of the area are exposed to water-borne diseases and even road accidents, yet the authorities have turned a blind eye towards their plight. The residents say after the councillors in their area, now the civic authorities have expressed their helpnessness to expediate the laying sewerage line that has been pending for the past many years due to official rigmarole. Dejected over this, the residents today threatened to stage a protest march from November 14 and if need be, traffic on the GT road leading to the Attari-Wagah border too would be blocked and residents would sit on a hunger strike to lodge their protest. The residents also resented that despite assurance by the Amritsar Municipal Corporation (AMC) Commissioner, Dharampal Gupta, to visit their area, he did not turn up. Instead only an XEN reached the spot. Nevertheless, in the absence of water disposal facility, the dirty water remains stagnant on the roads, residents said. Amarjit Asal, the CPI leader who led them, said the residents here have to pass from the muddy pool to reach even the hospital. They call it a satellite hospital, which is surrounded by knee-deep dirty water on its periphery. The patients and attendants cannot reach there before spoiling their clothes,” he said. Hardyal Singh said residents of the area are exposed to various water-borne diseases. “There have been three deaths in our village due to dengue but it was not enough for the authorities to wake up from their slumber. The stagnant water is the perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes and our children are exposed to diseases,” he said. Gurshinder Singh said politicians and the civic authorities say that a sewerage system will be set up in collaboration with a Japanese firm but the official show helplessness in this regard. “We were told by the AMC XEN that since the project is being undertaken by the Japan based firm and the execution process is being taken care of by the Punjab sewerage board, they are helpless. We have decided to intensify our agitation at AMC office”, he said. official speak I sent a team of experts who studied their problem and have submitted a report to me. We will try to find out some alternate solution in the absence of sewerage disposal arrangement. The laying of sewerage system and construction of roads had already been sanctioned under the JNNRUM project. Though it is a time-consuming exercise, yet the sewerage project in collaboration with a Japanese firm is on. — Dharampal Gupta, Commissioner, AMC
	Problems galore at GND Hospital Manmeet Singh Gill Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 5 Rural people think twice before visiting the Guru Nanak Dev Hospital (GNDH) as the hospital, spread in a vast area, lacks signboards in Punjabi language. Difference in the number of patients visiting GNDH and Jallianwala Bagh Memorial Civil Hospital on a daily basis reveals that the former is half popular than the latter. The GNDH gets 400 patients in its various OPDs daily where the number is almost double at the Civil Hospital. In comparison the OPDs at GNDH have better facilities for patients than in the Civil Hospital. Even the seating arrangement is not sufficient for patients at the Civil hospital. A patient, Harmandeep Singh, said: “It’s difficult to find a way here.” In other shortcomings, the GNDH has insufficient number of wheelchairs for the aged and differently abled patients. In absence of sufficient number of wheelchairs, attendants face problems in taking their patients to upper floors or bringing them down. Satnam Singh from Ajnala said, “Even after waiting for half an hour, we could not find a wheelchair to ferry my father, whose leg was broken.” He said they had to carry the old man on the shoulders to bring him down. Further, attendants of patients admitted to the hospital find it difficult to find a comfortable place outside the patients’ wards. Many visitors take meals and take nap on the floors. Some patients even bring beds at the hospital. Jaswant Singh, an attendant, said a rest room for attendants should be constructed. Medical Superintendent Dr Karnail Singh said the hospital provides excellent services to patients. He added that many of the medical institutions in country are even bigger than the Guru Nanak Dev Hospital. He added that doctors at the hospital have lot more duties to perform besides attending to patients. Doctors are also engaged in teaching at Government Medical College. Rural patients find it difficult to navigate in absence of signboards in Punjabi language. The hospital doesn’t have required wheelchairs for needy patients No facilites for attendants of patients
	Court issues notices to Jet Airways, airport authorities Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 5 A local court has issued notices to Jet Airways Limited and Guru Ram Das International Airport after a consumer moved court. Complainant Ranjinder Singh Randhawa, a resident of Cheharrta, said he was to board Jet Airways (flight number S2-0632) from Amritsar to Delhi on October 17 but was cancelled due to inclement weather conditions. He informed the court that merely half an hour later, an Air India flight from Amritsar to Delhi was allowed to take off. "How could the airport authorities allow a plane to take off when it had cancelled a flight citing inclement weather conditions just half-an-hour ago," said Randhawa. He further alleged that Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal was also on board Air India flight that took off. Randhawa said he was to catch a plane to Italy from Delhi. "The flight was connected to the other flight from Delhi to Milan. Moreover, the flight from Amritsar was cancelled after passengers had checked-in and they had fulfilled all the formalities required before boarding a plane," said Randhawa. Randhawa has demanded a compensation of Rs 20 lakh from the airport authority and Jet Airways. Counsel for Randhawa, Vishal Gogna said the court has asked the opposite parties to present their case in court on January 23. Ranjinder Singh Randhawa had complained that though his Jet Airways flight was cancelled due to inclement weather, Air India flight was allowed to take off just half-an-hour later
	Conference on geriatric care begins at GMC Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 5 Two-day international conference on geriatric care to discuss the problems of aged people was inaugurated at Government Medical College here today. The conference is organised by Geriatric Society of India (GSI), an NGO. On the first day of the conference, sessions were organised on the topic of neurology, cardiology, rheumatology and nursing faculty. In his keynote address, GSI president Dr NS Neki said because of the advancement of medical sciences, the average age of human beings has increased worldwide. “In India, the geriatric population of persons above 60 years of age is expected to reach 30 crore by 2030,” he said. The members of the society also voiced the need for a national policy for geriatric care in India. Delivering a guest lecture on ‘Diet and lifestyle guidelines and desirable level of risk levels for prevention of cardiovascular disease and diabetes among elderly’, Dr RB Singh from Uttar Pradesh said these are considered lifestyle diseases and can be avoided if the person changes his or her lifestyle with growing age.” The geriatric experts from the US, Canada, Iran, Ireland and Pakistan are participating in the conference.
	Enhance existing facilities at airports: ACAAI to Aviation Ministry Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 5 The Air Cargo Agents Association of India (ACAAI) has asked the Ministry of Civil Aviation to enhance existing facilities at all airports in the country. The association passed a resolution in this regard on the concluding days of the 38th annual convention here today. Experts from customs department, aviation and cargo sectors were unanimous that they must develop synergy among them to take the cargo industry to newer heights. There was a discussion on ‘Regulation - Aligning Control with Business Efficiency’, which threw light on many regulatory practices introduced recently. Raghu Shankar G of the ACAAI said majority of these regulations were introduced by the customs. He said purpose of these initiatives was to improve efficiency and accountability.
	20 colleges take part in ‘Chemifest’ Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 5 More than 20 educational institutes took part in ‘Chemifest’ held at BBK DAV College for Women today. The fest aims to commemorate the year as the International Year of Chemistry to honour the achievements and contribution of this branch of science towards human-kind. The Department of Chemistry of BBK DAV College for Women organised the ‘Chemifest’ in collaboration with the science departments of various other colleges. The event offered a range of interactive activities like extempore, speech, essay writing, collage making, model display and quiz. Principal of the host college Dr Neelam Kamra said the aim of the event was to increase public awareness towards the contribution of chemistry towards humanity.
	Two held for snatching Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 5 The police has arrested two persons allegedly involved in chain snatching incidents in various parts of the city. The accused have been identified as Saajan, a resident of Sultanwind, and Satinderpal Singh of Gobind Nagar area. The police has also recovered a motorcycle, several gold ornaments, including chains, pendants and earrings and Rs 1,400 in cash. He said the two were arrested at a naka laid by the police. "The accused have a criminal past and had been involved in incidents of snatchings for a long time. Their interrogation has revealed that they had also looted Rs 1,700 from a petrol pump attendant on the 100- foot road a few months ago,” he said. About the rising incidents of snatchings especially near the Golden temple, he said, “A special drive will be conducted around the shrine as well as the interior parts of the Walled city because it has been observed that in most of the cases, the snatchers vanished instantly after the crime taking advantage of the interior of the city," he said.
	Drugs seized Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 5 In one of the biggest seizures of psychotropic drugs over the last three months, the health department has seized 83,000 tablets and 700 injections from an unlicensed medicine godown in Katra Sher Singh area. As per information, the godown at Ganesh Market of Katra Sher Singh area belongs to Sanjeev Kumar. Drug Inspector Amarpal Singh Malhi said Sanjeev could not produce a licence allowing him to store drugs. He said the department has seized two different kids of medicine in quantities of 37,000 and 46,000, besides 700 injections. The health department has seized the drugs and initiated legal proceedings after sending a communiqué to the State Drug Controller. The owner of the godown was later arrested and produced in the court, he added. These tablets are often used as an alternative to the more expensive drugs by addicts belonging to the lower and middle class.