Amritsar, February 7
The district health authorities today sealed the controversial Sigma Diagnostics, an ultrasound centre, for alleged violation of the Pre-conception Pre Natal Diagnostic Techniques PC-PNDT Act. Sigma Diagnostics, which was opened in November last year, had remained sealed for several years.

The health machinery sprung into action after a complaint from local KD Hospital where a woman was undergoing treatment for Uterine Perforation allegedly caused during abortion.

Assistant Civil Surgeon Dr Arjun Dhawan, who lead the entire operation said, “After the complaint we started investigating into the matter. In the process we discovered Jaspal Kaur, who had aborted the child.” After getting a lead from Jaspal Kaur, the health staff nabbed another midwife, which finally lead them to the controversial centre.

He alleged that the centre indulged in conducting illegal ultrasound scans.

During the entire operation, the health authorities were helped by a decoy posing as a pregnant woman to unveil the entire nexus.

“When we conducted the raid at the centre, we found two women inside the ultrasound room, including the decoy. The centre had not even cared to fill a Form F which is mandatory as per the PNDT Act. The centre could not furnish an identity proof of both the women,” said Dhawan.

Dhawan said a case will be filed in the court under the provisions of the PNDT Act and the midwives and woman who got the scan done will also be booked.

Amritsar, February 7
Following several complaints from patients, a two-member committee constituted by Government Medical College principal Dr SS Shergill conducted raids at two laboratories here today.

After the raids, Guru Nanak Dev Hospital authorities also took the records of clinical pathology and biochemistry laboratories into possession.

The committee comprised Dr Jaswant Singh Chahal and Dr RS Sidhu. Dr Shergill said the records of the two laboratories operating from the room numbers nine and ten of the hospital will be scrutinised.

Dr Shergill said if any anomalies are detected the laboratory staff will be put to task.

Meanwhile, it has been alleged that the employees at the laboratories were forging entries in the registers to show greater number of tests being conducted on a regular basis.

Amritsar, February 7
The police today claimed to have busted a gang allegedly involved in vehicle lifting and theft incidents in raids on two different spots with the arrest of five of its members and one more person.

Acting on a tip-off, a police team, led by in charge of the Civil Lines police post Inspector Sukhwinder Singh Randhawa, conducted a raid in Ranjit Avenue and arrested five members of a gang, namely Amandeep, alias Dhobi, Sahil Kumar, alias Veeru, Hitesh Kumar, alias Petha, Rahul Bhatti, alias Laddu, and Kulwant Singh, alias Tona, and also recovered two .12-bore pistols, four rounds, 500 gm charas, three motorcycles, 12 mobile phones and three sharp-edged weapons from their possession.

Police Commissioner RP Mittal said the gang was involved in lifting of vehicles and selling them using forged documents in states outside Punjab. "After interrogation, it was revealed that they used to rob commuters at gun-point or use sharp-edged weapons and 28 such cases of crime committed by them in posh localities of the city had come to light. Women were their soft targets. They were all booked in various looting incidents and cases were already registered against them in the Kotwali, Maqboolpur, Civil Lines and Chheharta police stations," he said.

In another raid on the Chamrang road yesterday, the CIA staff nabbed Himmat Kumar and recovered a car of Zen make, an engine of a jeep and 105 gm of intoxicants.

CIA official Dilbagh Singh said Himmat Kumar was intercepted on the Chamrang road when he was heading towards Jahaj garh in the Zen car (PB-21-B-9576). He was produced before the court which sent him in remand of the CIA staff for further interrogation.

"When he was stopped near the T-point, an engine of a Gypsy jeep and a gear box were found lying in the car. When he could not give a satisfactory answer he was taken into custody for investigation. It was revealed that he stole the car he was driving from the Civil Hospital Gurdaspur on February 2. Similarly, he also admitted to have stolen a jeep some time ago. The engine and the gear box he had in the car at the time of his arrest were taken out of the same jeep and he was going to Jahajgarh area to sell them off," said Dilbagh Singh. The case has been registered in both the instances.

Amritsar, February 7
Even after over 65 years of Independence, it seems the present day leaders as well as the authorities here are yet to learn how to respect the freedom fighters who laid down their lives for the sake of the country.

Be it a religious or political occasion, the statue of Shaheed Udham Singh at Hall Gate is always subjected to disrespect by tying decorative material to it.

During the celebrations of the birth anniversary of Guru Ravi Dass today, the feet of this life-size statue could be seen tied with decorative strings. The statue seemed “shackled”, who in actual was a witness to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in 1919 and avenged it by killing Michael Francis O' Dwyer, the then governor of Punjab, in England.

Similar treatment was meted out to the statue during the "Jan Chetna Yatra" led by the BJP senior leader LK Advani which passed through the holy city in November. This is not the lone case. Earlier also, on many political occasions, the memory of freedom fighters have been disgraced by tying decorative strings to their statues.

The statues of freedom fighter Saiffudin Kitchlew and prominent BJP leader Dr Baldev Prakash installed on separate roundabouts too get the same treatment when it comes to any political or religious occasion.

Bajeet Johal, a TV personality and a resident of Green Avenue said, “Even after 60 years of independence, it seems our 'worthy politicians' have not learnt how to respect the freedom fighters who laid down their lives for the country. It's an insult to use the statue of these great souls to tie banners."

Another resident of New Amritsar Harcharan Singh said politicians should spare a thought to at least show some grace by not insulting those great souls who sacrificed their lives just for the sake of letting us breathe in a free India.

“They do all this to show their political strength to their opponents, which is otherwise hollow," he said.

Sultan Singh, a lawyer by profession, advocated that there should have been provision in the law to initiate judicial proceedings against those political parties who tie symbols of any kind of propaganda, buntings or erect any kind of hoardings or posters over the statues of these martyrs. “It is in public interest to observe that generally, these statues are erected on the key roundabouts of the city, which are otherwise the busiest spots. There should be a blanket ban put by the administration to allow any kind of posters, hoardings or tying of buntings to these statues because it diverts the attention of the drivers which may lead to accidents,” he said.

Amritsar, February 7
Despite the fact that the Punjab Heritage and Tourism Promotion Board (PHTPB) does not have any source to back its claim on the residence of General O’ Dyer, perpetrator of Jallianwala Bagh massacre and Phansi Ghar in Gobindgarh Fort, yet it is using these names in official documents and communications.

The board has been floating tenders for the conservation and renovation of the bungalow called Dyer's residence and the fort, both located outside the Lohgarh Gate, in various newspapers from time to time.

RTI activist Naresh Johar says Dyer was such a significant character to be remembered and how can his belongings be preserved when there was no material evidence to support the claim. It prompted him to seek the source of claims that it was Dyer's bungalow in the fort from the board under the RTI Act.

In response to the plea under the RTI Act, the board only stated that "the Tourism Ministry had approved the report forwarded by a Delhi-based Conservation architect". He found that the board did not have any source to back its claim yet it went ahead calling it Dyer's bungalow. He reasoned that the board must strive to disseminate history based on facts free from fiction and hearsay. He said the Army had also supported the idea in its report sent to the Defence Ministry.

Similarly, he said, there was no evidence for the existence of a "Phansi Ghar". He said wrong information was being disseminated through other means like the installation of display boards and printed material. He said serious efforts on part of the board were required to correct wrong information. He said if India was to become a super power then it was pertinent to raise a society fed on correct information and not on rumours.

Guru Nanak Dev University's Prof Harish Chander Sharma, a historian, said he was surprised to note that how false names and information go out in the public. He said Phansi Ghar was actually a treasury and the bungalow was part of the military quarters. He said Dyer might have stayed there when he came here from Jalanmdhar. "Then he lived here for a brief period and was transferred out of Punjab immediately after the massacre at Jallianwala Bagh".

Geetika Kalha, Principal Secretary, PHTPB, said Dyer had stayed at the Officer's Mess in the fort during his short stay in Amritsar at the time of the massacre. She said with the passage of time people started calling it Dyer's Bungalow and Phansi Ghar. She said the board was forced to use these names as they were recognised immediately.

She said the bungalow will house a museum to showcase defence equipments incorporated by the Maharaja in his Army. She said the fort will be opened for the public this year.

It may be mentioned that following the state government's request Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh during his visit to the city had personally handed over the keys to the then Chief Minister Amarinder Singh in December 2006.

However, after all formalities were taken care of, the Army garrison stationed in Gobindgarh Fort handed over the possession to the state's Tourism Department on October 6, 2008.

Amritsar, February 7
Even two years after the inauguration of General Sardar Sham Singh Attariwala memorial, a part of India gate, on the Amritsar-Attari road, majority of announcements and demands made by the state government to perpetuate his memory remain unfulfilled.

People complain of lack of cleanliness and damaged lights at the memorial. Manjit Singh, a resident of Chheharta, said an uncared memorial sends a wrong message to the society and foreigners coming to India through the Attari-Wagah Joint Check Post and Attari railway station. He said several lights were broken and required to be replaced. He said green belts around the memorial need upkeep.

General Sardar Sham Singh Attariwala Trust general secretary Col Harinder Singh said despite holding a state-level function on the martyrdom day of General Attariwala every year for the past two years on February 10, no notification has been issued in this regard. He said the maintenance of the memorial and replacement of electrical fittings were required urgently.

He said the road from the city up to Attari was to be named after General Sham Singh Attariwala, a gallant commander in the army of legendary Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Besides, the name of Attari railway station is yet to be named after the General who died while gallantly fighting the British.

He said the memorial which wears a shabby look leaves a bad impression on domestic and international tourists. He recalled that India Gate and the statue of General Attariwala on a mounted horse was inaugurated by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on January 17, 2010.

He said the Trust brought the demands to the notice of the Chief Minister the same year, but rued that they remained unimplemented. Like every year the Trust will hold the 166th martyrdom day of the General on February 10. Wreaths will be laid and shabd kirtan will be recited by Hazoori ragis and dhadis.

Amritsar, February 7
After a gap of 13-years, Government Medical College as the pass-out students will take part in the convocation after a pause of 13 years on February 9.

Ask the insiders at college and they would reveal that indifferent attitude of political leaders and at times political interference held back the college from organising that 'cherished moment' for the pass-outs.

It was in 1999 that the college had last witnessed a convocation ceremony. The then Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had conferred degrees on the students.

However, the then Minister for Medical education was not pleased with the CM conferring the degrees, a senior faculty member claimed. "The minister thought it to be his prerogative to present the degrees. He even went on to reprimand the then Principal for his 'fault'.

Later, for all these years, the subsequent managements considered it better to make it do without the convocation than taking chances of annoying any of the politicians. Then came the golden chance-the post election period when politicians are waiting for the poll results and the entire political machinery is almost inert. “This time the college has not called any of the politicians. This time it will be the Vice-Chancellor of the Baba Farid University of Health Sciences," said another teacher.

The teachers said the college officials had been requesting the minister concerned to take time out of his busy schedule to confer degrees upon the students but for the last two and half years this could not be made possible.

A student said, "The convocation day is such that a student does not want to miss at any cost. We hope that the trend will continue in the years to come." The students are so thrilled that they have decided to hold a cultural evening a day prior to the big day.

Medical college Principal, Dr SS Shergill said, “I do not know the reasons why no convocation ceremony was held for all these years." He said more than 320 students will be receive degrees on the day.

Amritsar, February 7
The city of faith is known for its food. The best way to get under the skin of the city is a taste of its street food. Cheap and best is the tagline and unforgettable is its taste. While the latter enjoys a respectable mention in many global food books and travel guides, over the years Amritsaris too have tasted global recipes, thanks to a number of global luxury food chains that have found success here.

When a five star luxury hotel came to the city, it brought with itself Italian, Japanese, Mexican, Continental and Middle Eastern cuisines. In a city where butter chicken and paneer bhurji find undisputable respect, having a global cuisine meant a huge experiment. But with the coming up of other luxury food chains, the theory seems to be working for now.

"Amritsar already had an established market for local food chains that provide cheap and good quality food. To compete with Amritsari kulchas, bun tikkis and makhan fish is not easy as they have become a staple here," says Vikram Singh, head of sales, Ista.

Luxury or no luxury, the city does find its way to enjoy a sumptuous snack. Whether it's the walled city, Lawrence Road or Maqbool Road, a fish fry or Amritsari kulcha, the holy city holds its head high when it comes to street delights. Some have even found mention and 'recommendation by popular travel channels like Discovery, National Geographic and Lonely Planet. If the city can boast of giving birth to a delicacy that rules the charts, its Amritsari kulcha. The stuffed and soft kulchas with dripping butter on top and yummy chhole and onion salad for company are a foodie's delight.

Served at almost every dhaba and fancy restaurant in city, the best and more rustic versions can be found inside the walled city. At Rs 25 a plate, they easily fit into the cheap and best category of street food. Then there are the traditional recipes like lassi, fried jalebis and firni. Did we mention that the shops which make them are more than five-decade old. "It's a case of old habits dying hard," says Rahul Rohit, general manager, HK Clarks Inn. "The city has such a wide variety of street food that it is hard to avoid it. But there is a demand for luxury fine dining as well. The globe traveling Punjabi now wants a global cuisine and they know their food as well. Our business mostly depends on cuisine other than Punjabi which includes Lebanese and Moroccan delights too."

There have been some failed attempts as well. Celebrated chef Sanjeev Kappor' Yellow Chillies couldn't keep up business due to the strong street food culture in Amritsar. "We failed as there was already an established market of local flavours and it was economical too. Who would want to spend hundreds on a meal when they are getting better service and quality at half the price," said Sanjeev himself.

Well, over the years, Amritsar has not changed in its food habits. In fact, it has just build on it with a lot more variety on its plate now. So, all we can say it that when in Amritsar, eat like Amritsaris do!