Health dept collects samples of drinking water
Amritsar, November 6
A team of the health department collected samples of drinking water from Chehartta area after the residents complained that the water supplied to them was unfit for drinking. The team collected samples from five different places.

Five boxes of explosives found
Amritsar, November 6
As many as five containers of explosives used in the firecrackers were found from the firecracker shop-cum-godown, which was gutted in a fire on October 23.

Amritsar, November 6
Arrival of state Congress president Captain Amarinder Singh spelled frequent traffic jams all along his route during the Punjab Bachao Yatra here today.

The entire stretch from Kachehri Chowk to the open venue at Ranjit Avenue was filled with Congress workers as welcome hoardings adorned the route. It was a harrowing time for the commuters and the police faced a tough time in regulating traffic, which moved very slowly. Kachehri Chowk remained unmanned for quite sometime. The buses for the rally encroached upon the main road opposite to the office of the Deputy Commissioner, where neither the rallyists nor commuters followed any rules.

For a show of strength, the supporters of local Congress leaders blocked the passage at Hotel Park Point, to make way for Amarinder. Villagers came to attend the rally in large numbers from far-flung areas. Apart from the rural, the urban populace of the city too turned up at the venue to listen to Amarinder.

At the venue, all arrangements fell short due to the swelling crowds which wanted to catch a glimpse of the Congress leader. Supporters of Dinesh Bassi and OP Soni entered into a verbal duel to share the dais with Amarinder Singh.

In his political rhetoric, Amarinder said all sections of the society were alienated and disillusioned with the Akali-BJP government. He concluded his speech with his now popular dialogue "maanja fer dyange" (will wipe them out).

Amritsar, November 6
He is going to be there for you whatever the situation is. He will always listen to you. He will keep your secrets and share your happiness. He will be and probably is man’s most trusted friend. A dog has always been a bit more than just a domesticated pet. And with time, it has become a status symbol.

The most expensive dog was sold in March this year - a red Tibetan mastiff - purchased by a Chinese multimillionaire for a whooping 1.5 million dollars.

In the world of the well-heeled and well-wheeled, a dog has been more of an accessory than a pet. But for some dog lovers in the holy city, pampering their dogs, who come from the list of the most expensive breeds in the world, is way to make them feel like home.

Hear it from Jeetinder Kaur, a homemaker who made it sure that her love for dogs doesn’t come cheap. Having a cockerspaniel and a German shepherd in her home makes it a high maintenance deal.

“But I don’t care about that. I love them like my kids. They are a family,” says Jeetinder Kaur. The seven-year-old cocker spaniel named Mallika is her favourite. “She is very clever and a bit temperamental. She will eat only if she wants and is conscious about her feed, which is includes a lavish meal like eggs, milk, salad, fruits and chicken. The other one, six-month-old Max, a German shepherd, is docile quite unbelievable for his breed. He is afraid of Mallika since she maintains seniority over him in the house,” Jeetinder shares.

She makes sure to provide all the comfort to her dogs. Each one has its own separate room and a full-time servant. Their accessories are elaborate too with shampoos, conditioners and grooming products. “Mallika has recently given birth to a golden and white pup, which is one-of-its-kind cocker spaniel in the city,” shares Jeetinder.

Vikas Mehra, a businessman from the city, too makes sure his pal, Coco, a six-year-old British bulldog enjoys a good life. A gift from a friend from the UK, Coco can’t stand the heat of Amritsar. “He sleeps with me in my room with an AC. His diet too is taken care off as he like eggs and chicken,” says Vikas. Everything has to kept updated for Coco right from his clothes to his bedding and his shampoos. Living in a joint family, Vikas’s two kids are in love with their companion. “Bulldogs are usually considered a ferocious breed, but with Coco we never have to worry. He plays with our kids and everybody is fond of him,” says Vikas.

Amritsar, November 6
A team of the health department collected samples of drinking water from Chehartta area after the residents complained that the water supplied to them was unfit for drinking. The team collected samples from five different places.

District epidemiologist officer Dr Charanjit Singh said apart from taking five samples of drinking water, blood samples of four persons in the locality were also collected.

He said the persons had complained of jaundice.

He said the samples have been sent to the laboratory for tests to the Government Medical College. The reports are likely to come within the next two days, he said.

Amritsar, November 6
As many as five containers of explosives used in the firecrackers were found from the firecracker shop-cum-godown, which was gutted in a fire on October 23.

A police team, headed by SHO Kotwali police station, visited the shop after they were intimated by the nearby shopkeepers.

A five-member team of residents, especially constituted by the district and police administration, to gauge the total loss in the incident, was not taken into confidence before lifting the debris from the shop. It was the employees of the owners who lifted the debris while questions are being raised over the absence of police officials at that time.

Ravinder Kumar Sultanwind, a nearby shopkeeper who was also the member of the five member committee said they were never informed by the police or district administration before lifting the debris. He said it has thus become impossible for them to ascertain the extent of damage.

Amritsar, November 6
The construction work to beautify the temple complex at the ancient ashram (hermitage) of Bhagwan Valmiki, near 14 km from here is going on even as the ten-day long Ram Teerath Mela fair began on November 4. The process to beautify the temple complex, popularly known as Ram Teerath, is still going on much to the chargin of the devotees coming to the temple shrine. Marble slabs are being laid in the 'Parikrama' (circumambulation) of the sarovar (holy pond) here.

Though the number of devotees is yet to pick up at the fair at the temple but the construction work is obstructing their movement and creating hindrances as well. As per a rough estimate 10 lakh devotees visit the ancient shrine during the ten-day fair. The district administration had appointed SDM, Ajnala, Rajinder Pal Singh, as the in-charge of the fair. Singh said in case it was found that the construction could pose an obstruction in the movement of devotees it would be stopped immediately. He said the marble stones were being laid out of the Rs 4-crore grant released by the state government.

As per ancient tradition, an elaborate puja is held at the shrine especially of the holy pool and a gold ring is also offered on the occasion.

With the case of construction of a temple in the holy pond being subjudice, it was without water even during the puja.

However, the authorities keeping in view the religious sentiments and tradition filled a temporary tank with water. The temporary tank is situated next to the original one, Singh said.

The administration had also refused the installation of kiosks around the sarovar. He said an area of 2.5 acres outside the temple complex had been given to the traders to set up kiosks. Devotees not only from across the country but also from all over the world throng the ancient temple during the mela, which will conclude on November 13. The shrine attracts devotees around the year but the state government and the Union Ministry of Tourism is yet to come out with a plan to develop it as a tourist spot.

Amritsar, November 6
Rawal Singh Aulakh, Assistant Professor with the Department of Architecture, Guru Nanak Dev University, will feature in a movie on the Golden temple ‘Revealed: The Golden Temple’, which will be aired on the Discovery Channel in the coming week.

He said he was approached to throw some light on the architectural aspects of the holy shrine in the movie. “I am a part of the movie in the capacity of a research scholar. I will highlight various aspects like the initial topography of the area and what construction techniques were adopted to build the shrine in the movie. I will sum up as to how Sikh philosophy is engrossed in Sikh architectural design,” he said. He said it was a morning to evening shoot as the film crew had already done their entire groundwork.

Amritsar, November 6
Political climate between India and Pakistan notwithstanding, the business community in both the countries is optimistic that trade ties could be the biggest confidence building measure between the two nations said PHD Chamber's Punjab Committee, chairman, Rajiv Bali.

In a statement issued here today, Bali said trade through the land border-Attari on the Indian side and Wagah on the Pakistan side-has increased manifold after trucks were allowed limited access in each other's territory since October 2007.

He said the holy city being an important trade centre in the northern India in the pre-independence era, lost much of the trade and industrial activity after the creation of Pakistan as well as due to strict restrictions along the international border. He said the business communities on both sides of the border were looking forward to the formal grant of Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status to India.

Trade between India and Pakistan is USD 2.5 billion, he said. He said the MFN status would help channalise the huge quantum of indirect illegal trade via Dubai and other Central Asian countries thereby helping the businessmen on both the sides.

"The idea of having Punjab International Trade Expo, PITEX at Amritsar and inviting various chambers of industry from Pakistan is to boost the trade through Amritsar. The city can revive the glory of its trade status with the involvement of the business community of both the countries," Bali said.