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Rain, hail lash holy city
Making hay while the sun shines
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Man tries to end life after killing wife
Amritsar, January 6 Suspicious over the character of his wife, a man today killed her with a sharp-edged weapon today.
Illicit liquor flows to woo voters
Drug-free polls: Police acts on EC directive
Improvement Trust's appeal dismissed; told to pay
Rs 15,000 as fine
Buying vegetables still a costly affair
2 booked on cheating charge
Book on English grammer released
Artists showcase love for nature
Laxmi Kanta Chawla takes a look at paintings during an exhibition 'In the Lap of Nature' at KT Kala Art Gallery in Amritsar. Photo: sameer sehgal
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Rain, hail lash holy city
Amritsar, January 6 City doctors said rain would help in decreasing cold and cough cases among residents as it would wash the suspended pollutants and dust particles in the air. With thick black clouds hovering over the city it was virtually dark in the afternoon, forcing the motorists to switch on the headlights of their vehicles. Even as the traffic on roads was a bit lesser than the normal days, the decreased visibility led to traffic jams at most places. The commuters on roads faced inconvenience as rainwater inundated many of the low-lying areas like Town Hall, Lawrence Road and GT Road outside Khalsa College. The rain proved a blessing in disguise for the shopkeepers and traders as they got a break from routine to spend some time with their families. Nishan Singh, a shopkeeper said, “The rain has forced customers to postpone their shopping schedule. It is better to go home and spend time with kids than idly whiling away time at shop.” With a few customers in the markets, shopkeepers were seen sitting close to heaters. On the other hand bonfires were the only comport for rickshaw-pullers and other economically weaker sections of the society. The power snags that developed during the rain resulted in a virtual blackout at a few places. Even at the railway station the passengers were seen waiting for their trains in the dark as the power went off. The situation led to the delay and cancellation of a few trains. As a result passengers were struck at the railway station. The Shan-e-Punjab Express train was cancelled due to the bad weather conditions. Among the trains that were rescheduled included Hisar-Amritsar Passenger train (eight hours), Saharsa-Amritsar Express (two and half hours), Jansewa Express (two hours), Amritsar Express (four hours), Sachkhand Express (three hours) and Garib Rath (one hour).
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Making hay while the sun shines
Amritsar, January 6 A quilt and mattress trader, Amit Khanna, said his was the oldest shop in the city selling election campaign materials like flags, siropas, caps, pens and badges. He said, “Come election and they shift to the trade.” Amit said candidates of all political parties knew his shop under the Congress office inside Hall Gate very well. Though his shop is packed with quilts, mats and mattresses, yet the workers of political parties were arriving for orders. When Amritsar Tribune team reached Amits’ shop, having opening at two sides, he was busy vacating a part of the shop from quilts and mattresses and replacing them with flags of various political parties made from plastic and fabric and other poll campaign-related material. He added that with the announcement of candidates by political parties the poll scene was gradually turning hotter. Hence, he was stocking campaign material in his shop as inquiries and orders had started pouring in. The majority of the electioneering material is being procured in bulk from markets in New Delhi. The material manufactured at Saharanpur and Muzfarnagar is highly cost competitive due to availability of plenty of cheap labour and bulk production, he said. He elaborated that some printing houses there were into the manufacturing, but majority of them prepared the material on demand. Darshan Singh, another trader inside Ram Bagh Gate, said selling and manufacturing of political campaign material was predominantly a seasonal work. He said as far as printing was concerned, only big houses catering to all over the country stood a chance. He said the Election Commission’s guidelines for limiting the use of campaign material and money in the Assembly polls were not new this time, but they were in force in the previous elections, too. For instance, banners were already prohibited. He added that after the introduction of the rule, only corporation elections were some lucrative as far as the quantum of sale was concerned. He recalled that before the Election Commission’s guidelines came into force, all roads and areas of the city used to be flooded with billboards and hoardings. Printing, painting banners and flags used to be a roaring businesses. These primitive means had been replaced by more refined and mass media like local newspapers and cable TV channels.
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Man tries to end life after killing wife
Amritsar, January 6 The man, identified as Ajaib Singh, resident of Khalsa Nagar, Kot Mit Singh, located on Tarn Taran Road here, hit his wife Manjit Kaur (in her mid 40s) with a “datar”, which led to her death. The incident took place early in the morning. Ajaib Singh then tried to end his life by jumping before the train on the railway track. He was seriously injured as the train hit him. His one arm and leg got chopped in the incident. He was rushed to Guru Nanak Dev Hospital by residents, where his condition is stated to be serious. Dev Dutt, SHO, Sultanwind police station, reached the spot along with other senior police officials and carried out investigations. “As per the preliminary investigations, it is learnt that Ajaib Singh was suspicious over the character of his wife. This remained a bone of contention between the two. This was the second marriage of the couple,” informed SHO, while adding that a case under Section 302 of the IPC was registered by the police. He said the condition of Ajaib Singh, admitted to GNDH, was serious.
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Illicit liquor flows to woo voters
Amritsar, January 6 As barely a month has been left in the Assembly polls, the illicit liquor is being distilled openly in rural belts, especially in the border villages. There are certain villages where it is being manufactured with impunity under the political patronage and if the residents of these villages are to be believed, nobody dare to take any action against the persons involved in the trade. As the parties have announced their candidates, who have started their campaigns at their respective constituencies, the demand of illicit liquors and drugs has seen a significant jump. The cartloads of “gur” are being taken to villages for running the illegal distilleries round the clock. Apart from “lahan”, the cases of whisky are being supplied in bulk to the villages. Even after the recent seizure of a huge quantity of liquor by the Excise and Taxation Department and Punjab Police, the illegal business is continuing as usual. The Excise Department has seized about 4,000 litres of illicit liquor during its raid on various villages falling under Ajnala circle, including Nasar, Nangal, Fatehwal, Khiala, Lopoke and Ghoga villages. The Amritsar (Rural) police claimed to have seized 10,590 kg of “lahan” (a form of illicit liquor) during raids in a number of villages since the imposition of the model code of conduct on December 24, 2010. “This is certainly on a rise. Till now we have seized a huge quantity of illicit liquor and destroyed as many as six indigenous distillery units, while 126 cases have been registered at various police station in this connection,” said RPS Parmar, district police chief, Amritsar (Rural). In addition to this the police has also seized 5 kg of narcotic powder and intoxicant drugs during nakas. Nine cases under the NDPS Act have been registered so far after the imposition of the model code of conduct. The police have also nabbed five proclaimed offenders. He said the raids would continue till the Assembly elections are over and the Police Department would leave no stone unturned to curb the menace. An excise official revealed that almost all the villages in Amritsar were involved in distilling liquor, while inside city areas, bootleggers were ruling the roost. He said every effort was being made nail them.
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Drug-free polls: Police acts on EC directive
Amritsar, January
6 Even the Chief Election Commissioner during his recent visit to Punjab expressed serious concern on the issue and asked various agencies to keep a close tab on the use of liquor and drugs during the elections. While chalking out a plan, the city police has decided to take all the history-sheeters involved in drug peddling in the city in a preventive custody in view of the ensuing Assembly elections. The police has constituted at least 20 teams, led by station house officers of various police stations, to check drug abuse in their respective areas. As many as five constituency wise teams have also been prepared in this regard. Special emphasis would be given in the areas which has been notorious for drug trafficking including Maqboolpura, Chheharta, Anngarh, Putlighar, Islamabad besides slum colonies in and around the city. According to information, there are about 233 history-sheeters listed in the police records out of which 33 are already in jail. Police Commissioner RP Mittal said in order to ensure free and fair elections, squads from all the police stations would remain on their toes. “Several history-sheeters were already taken into the preventive custody. A drive has been launched to arrest the remaining peddlers,” he said. Those who have become aged and are inactive for the past several years would be spared, but they too would be under scanner, he added. A drug addict said during the previous Assembly elections, supporters of different political leaders have approached them to vote in their favour against a daily dose of drugs. It is pertinent to mention here that these villages are nothing less than mini distilleries with a capacity to generate more than thousand litres of illicit liquor or highly volatile liquor with no parameters to check the concentration of alcohol. A large number of indigenous illicit liquor distillery units mushroom in rural belts. The Excise Department has recovered huge quantity of lahan from various parts of rural areas of district in recent raids. “The police will leave no stone unturned to stem this problem of production of lahan,” said a senior official from the Amritsar rural police. He said continuous raids are being conducted in the villages in this connection.
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Improvement Trust's appeal dismissed; told to pay
Rs 15,000 as fine
Amritsar, January 6 The commission has asked the Trust to pay a fine of Rs 5,000 in addition to Rs 10,000, which was imposed by the forum, to Kanwar Rajinder Singh, a resident of Katra Moti Ram. Kanwar Rajinder Singh had moved the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum complained the Trust neither gave him possession nor demarcated a plot owned by him in Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar. Kanwar Rajinder Singh had also complained that the Trust has not provided the basic amenities, such as sewerage, roads, drainage system and lights. Later, the Trust made an appeal before the commission saying the process to provide amenities was on and the owner never approached them for demarcation. Further, the Trust said possession and demarcation was given to one Ghansham Singh, the original allottee. The commission in its orders observed, "It is fully proved that despite repeated requests of the respondent (Kanwar Rajinder Singh), the appellant (Improvement Trust) had failed to demarcate the plot and deliver the possession." Withholding the decision of the district forum, the commission has ordered that the compensation and costs be recovered from the official who was at fault. It has further ordered the Improvement Trust to send a copy of the action taken by it against the delinquent official to the commission within three months of the receipt of copy the order. The Trust has also been asked to pay the fine within 30 days from the date of receipt of the copy of orders.
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Buying vegetables still a costly affair
Amritsar, January 6 Kashmir Singh, a farmer, complained, "Vegetable sellers in the local market buy peas at Rs 4 or 5 per kg. But, they sell the vegetable at Rs 20 per kg in retail market." Similarly, it is the case with other vegetables. Potato, for which the farmers even took to protests to get a better price, is being sold at Rs 6 per kg. Harmandeep Singh Chauhan, a potato farmer, was surprised to know the vegetable sells at Rs 6 per kg in the retail market where as its wholesale price is just Rs 1.50 per kg. Sunita Kaul, a homemaker, said, "Our total budget on vegetables remains unchanged despite food inflation turning negative." "Wholesale merchants charge a mere five per cent commission, besides the government charging a four per cent market duty. But the retailers never slash the prices come what may," said Taneja. He said peas in the wholesale market are sold at Rs 7-8 per kg, cauliflower at Rs 6-7 per kg and potato at Rs 1.60 per kg. But in the retail market, the prices of peas and cauliflower stand at Rs 20 per kg and potato at Rs 6 per kg. When asked about a possible solution, Taneja said, "There should be mechanism to highlight the wholesale prices of the vegetable produce on a regular basis. It will be then that housewives would be in a better position to bargain with the vegetable seller."
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2 booked on cheating charge
Amritsar, January 6 In his complaint lodged with the police, Avtar Singh said the accused took Rs 40,000 from him to send his son to a foreign country. However, they failed to send his son and gave him a cheque of Axis Bank which bounced. No arrest has been made so far.
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Book on English grammer released
Amritsar, January 6 On this occasion, his book (with Balbir Singh as the co-author) on Grammar of the Modern English Language, published by the Cambridge University Press, India was released by Dr Krishnaswamy, Professor (Retd.) of Linguistics & English Grammar, English & Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad.
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Artists showcase love for nature
Amritsar, January 6 “The exhibition has works made by artists during a 10-day workshop organised by the Panchrang Society in association with Centre for Creative Arts J&K in September last year. Since the workshop was held at Sanasar, one of the most beautiful and picturesque places in the country, its virgin location gave inspiration enough for the artistes to come up with the best in nature’s praise,” said Brijesh Jolly, organiser of the exhibition and director, KT Kala Art Gallery. The exhibition which was inaugurated by Social Welfare Minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla has works from artists Kulwant Singh Gill, Mala Chawla, Priyanka Sharma from the city and Rauf Quaysi and M Akram Khan from Jammu and Kashmir. “The more curious art lovers and amateur artists can also interact with the artists at the art studio inside the premises for better insight into the works,” added Jolly.
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In a delightful end to a long and desperate wait, the city got its first showers of this winter season today.
Even as the residents faced the miseries of rain coupled with the hailstorm, the mood still was upbeat.
Amritsar, January 6
The warmth of spring over grey skies, the freshness in the air over the winter chill and colourful blossoms over dry frost. Kt Kala Art Gallery has turned into a nature’s treat with its week-long exhibition ‘In the Lap of Nature’. Bringing together the work of 20 artists from Amritsar and J&K, the exhibition displays oil on canvas paintings.
Harish Taneja, chairman, Food and Vegetable Merchants' Union, admitted the customers have failed to get any respite even as the prices in wholesale markets have gone down.