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Man strangles wife
Five years on, development project turns into a nightmare
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 Raid effect: MC collects
Rs 8.5 lakh tax
Amritsar, March 12 The team of the Amritsar Municipal Corporation (AMC) today conducted raids at commercial establishments on the GT road, City centre, opposite the bus stand and the focal point. Sushant Bhatia, superintendent, House Tax, MC, seals a factory in Amritsar on Monday. photo: sameer sehgal
Snatchers on prowl, women unsafe
University fellowship for singer Hans Raj Hans
Sports club stands up for girl child
Tree plantaiton drive organised
One of robbers’ gang arrested
then and Now |
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Man strangles wife
Amritsar, March 12 The victim’s father Onkar Singh, a resident of Adliwal village, in his statement to the police said Hermit was married to Jagdeep Singh about eight years back and the couple had two children. He alleged that the accused was a drug addict and used to beat his daughter as she objected to his habit of taking drugs. Jagdeep Singh had also lost his government job due to his addiction to drugs. He used to demand money from Harmit to buy drugs but beat her up whenever she refused, he alleged. Onkar Singh said yesterday he received a call from his daughter that Jagdeep had brutally beaten her up and requested to take her home. “We decided to visit my daughter the next morning. When we were on our way to Chabba we received another call from an unknown person from the village that Hermit had died. On reaching her house we found that her body was lying on the bed. We also found strangulation marks on her neck and body,” he said. The family immediately informed the police which registered a case under Section 302, 34 IPC against her husband Jagdeep besides other family members in this connection. SHO Chhatiwind police station Kamlesh Chander said the accused were on the run since the registration of the case. He said earlier too the woman had moved to her parents’ house following physical assault on her. However, due to the intervention of the village panchayat and the assurance by the family of the accused, she returned to her village. He said raids were being conducted to arrest the accused.
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Five years on, development project turns into a nightmare
Amritsar, March 12 The reason for the frequent sewerage blockage is the rising sewerage pipeline installed by the sewerage board which leaks from various points. The work of laying the sewerage pipeline to connect the sewerage with storm water channel was slated to be completed within three months when it began. Even after the lapse of over two years, the Rs 70-lakh project, the cost of which increased to Rs 85 lakh, could not be completed. Due to the frequent blockage of the sewerage system and the inability of Municipal Corporation authorities to construct a road beneath the elevated road, several traders were forced to sell their commercial establishments at throw away prices. The sewerage water from the Golden Temple and the historic Jallianwala Bagh areas falls in this pipeline. through a disposal plant. “Every now and then, the sewerage in Bagh Ramanand, Pucci Gali, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Road, Chowk Fuwara and Katra Ahluwalia gets blocked. The MC has so far failed to rectify the problem," said Secretary PPCC, Iqbal Singh Sherry. Public money has been wasted by the sewerage board by laying faulty pipelines. The main pipeline installed by the sewerage board has been lying dead while there is no branch line to connect the residential sewerage pipes with the main line, said R K Mahajan, another resident. Putting the blame on the construction of elevated road, Executive Engineer, Sewerage Board, Arvind Mahajan, said the rising main line got damaged during the construction of the elevated road. We are now replacing and shifting the alignment of the main pipeline to rectify the problem." Sherry alleged that the sewerage board authorities should have submitted their layout plan to the company involved in the construction of the elevated road to prevent the problem. He alleged that the lack of coordination among the various departments had resulted in the problem. He said a parallel line should have been given to connect the sewerage pipelines of the residential areas with the main sewerage system.
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Raid effect: MC collects
Rs 8.5 lakh tax
Amritsar, March 12 Sushant Bhatia, superintendent, House Tax Department, AMC, said a plastic manufacturing factory has been sealed for defying the house tax amounting to Rs 51,000. Similarly, a restaurant at Ram bagh was also sealed. Two floors of a SCO at City Centre were sealed but the proprietors paid the pending tax amount of The AMC team collected Rs 8.5 lakh from the defaulters. Sushant Bhatia said the realisation campaign will be more rigorous in the days to come. “From Monday onwards, we will launch a drive and big fish will be targeted. Our target will now be to realise at least Rs 15 lakh everyday from the defaulters. We have shortlisted various MNCs which have never bothered to pay their dues for a long time. I appeal to their proprietors to come up with genuine papers and pay their taxes due to them otherwise legal action will be initiated against them,” he said. The cash-starved AMC has launched the drive to meet its revenue target as its budget is running into a monthly deficit of Rs 2 crore. While the expanses to meet employees’ salaries, maintenance of public service infrastructure like roads, streetlights, petrol, oil and lubricants comes to Rs 12 crore per month, its revenue collection stands between Rs 9 and 10 crore. Big commercial establishments on the Mall Road, Lawrence Road, Majitha Road and various trading shops being run from the Chamrang road, the GT Road, a mall in the Ranjit Avenue and the Gobind Nagar and Chheharta areas are under the MC scanner, sources add. An official of the finance branch, on the condition of anonymity, said the situation has become more serious after the announcement of the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission by the central government. “A whopping Rs 50 lakh was calculated as the DA arrears and other allowances, as prescribed by the commission. A 10 per cent increase in the salaries on board will be another jolt to the exchequer every month. It was the need of the hour to be strict with defaulters,” he said. Sources say that house tax to the tune of Rs 14 crore is being siphoned off by commercial establishments, which include liquor contractors as well. Officials said big mall owners and liquor contractors are among the major defaulters. Out of a total of 119 liquor vendors in city, only 20 to 25 pay their taxes as per the norms whereas others have either paid partially or have never paid at all. Similar is the case with 80 per cent of the malls located on the Mall Road, which house various showrooms, but are enjoying immunity due to the laxity on part of the AMC and owe huge amount as house tax and CLU, despite gulping exorbitant rents from multinational brands. The city has 15 malls that house a number of showrooms, which owe the MC huge money in terms of house tax and CLU (change of land use).
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Snatchers on prowl, women unsafe
Amritsar, March 12 Even tourists, who carry good amount of cash with them, have been targeted by snatchers. Importantly, women have become victims almost in 80 per cent of snatching cases. Though the police has busted several gangs, it has not succeeded to curb the crime. On March 4, Arwinder Kaur Sidhu, a resident of Ranjit Avenue, was looted by two snatchers when she was returning home. The accused intercepted her near Krishan Mandir in Green Avenue and snatched her purse, which contained Rs 45,000 cash, a diamond set and mobile phone at gunpoint. On March 3, a New Delhi resident, Harwinder Kaur, was targeted when she was going to a hotel with her husband on a rickshaw. The culprits snatched her bag, which contained jewellery and cash. On March 1, Mamta Khullar, a resident of Gali Naian Wali inside Hathi Gate, lost her purse to snatchers in Kot Khalsa area. One of the accused was caught by passersby. "We have to take a number of precautions while travelling by a rickshaw or when we are on foot. We are afraid of carrying a purse or wearing any jewellery," said Anuradha, a resident of Guru Arjun Dev Nagar area here. Sometimes, snatchers strike the vehicles of women, leaving them injured. Two women employees of Dr Adlakha Hospital were injured when they fell down from their scooter after it was hit by a motorcycle driven by the miscreants. "Luckily, my employees did not sustain major injuries. But, these acts could lead to serious injuries or even could prove fatal," said Dr AL Adlakha, owner of the hospital. RP Mittal, Police Commissioner, said as far as snatching cases are concerned, we have succeeded in arresting a number of snatchers in the recent past. "This will certainly help curb the crime in the city," he added. "The police is doing its utmost to provide a safe environment to people, especially the women community," he said.
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University fellowship for singer Hans Raj Hans
Amritsar, March 12
“Besides the fact that this university is named after the first Sikh guru Guru Nanak Dev, the other reason for my excitement to be a part of the university was that I won my first prize during the youth festival held at this university’s stage when I was a student of DAV College, Jalandhar,” he said. About his brief stint as a politician, Hans Raj Hans said he has been designed to be a singer and politics was not his cup of tea. Hans Raj Hans contested from Jalandhar (reserve) on the Shiromani Akali Dal ticket for 2009 parliament elections but lost. “I had learnt a lot during those seven months of rigorous campaigning, yet politics perhaps did not suit me. I discovered that I am designed to be a singer only I love to teach music. I am already teaching gurmat sangeet at universities in America and Punjabi University, Patiala. I will now teach the students of GND University,” he said. While talking about the relationship of spirituality, music and science he said all are deeply related to each other. “Music is the diet of the soul while scientific inventions are creation of mind. Good music provides peace of mind,” he said. VC Prof Brar said many more eminent personalities from various fields as visiting professors to enhance the knowledge of the students. “The contribution of Hans Raj Hans in the field of music is commendable especially when it comes to Sufi singing. I hope that his in-depth knowledge will enhance the the knowledge of the students. The university will appoint more subject experts of national and international repute as visiting fellows to benefit the students,” he said. One of the music students Kuldeep Sandhu, who has been doing her PhD research on Hans Raj Hans said the deteriorating standard of Punjabi music has compelled her to explore the contribution of the singer who embodies true Punjabi literature and cultural heritage. Dr Rajinderjit Kaur Pawar, Dean Academic Affairs, Dr Gurpreet Kaur, head of the music department and Dr Jaspal Singh Sandhu and Professor Incharge (Public Relations) were present.
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Sports club stands up for girl child
Amritsar March 12 The sports club has selected over 180 girls from across 35 schools and institutions from the city. The initiative was undertaken to honour and appreciate girls who achieve academic and sporting excellence. “Our club has been running the programme for the past 10 years. This year we got excellent response from schools. The message through the programme is that girls are special. When given opportunity, they can achieve anything,” says Gurinder. The awards would be conferred on winners on March 17 at Virsa Vihar. Amongst the recipients, there are prominent names like Asian Games medalist athlete Manjit Kaur, who will be awarded with Maan Punjab Da, and Jaskaran KAur Laddi, coach of the national women kabbadi team, who will receive Mai Bhaggho award. “Through the initiative, we not only appreciating their efforts and achievements, but also aim to spread the message of saving the girl child and recognising them as important members of society,” says Gurinder.
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Tree plantaiton drive organised
Amritsar, March 12 The director of research Dr AK Thukral inaugurated the camp by planting a sapling at the University Mata Kaulan Botanical Garden. Dr Adarsh Pal Vig, the head of the department welcomed the guests and detailed about the activities of the department. Dr AS Soodan (Taxonomy expert) briefed about the layout of the garden and its biodiversity. Planting saplings is crucial in the age of global warming Dr AK Thukral said. He said everybody should become conscious about the plantation of trees and the environment. Prof Avinash Nagpal, Prof Renu Bhardwaj, Prof Saroj Arora, Prof Satwinderjeet Kaur, Er MS Bhatti and research scholars, students and gardeners of the department were also present. As many as 25 teachers attended the event. In the sharmdaan champ, the students of MSc Environment second year and MSc Botany second year won the joint first position, the second position went to the PhD and M Phil scholars, BSc students and MSc Environment first year students won the third position.
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One of robbers’ gang arrested
Amritsar, March 12 The accused has been identified as Sunny, a resident of street number 3 of Amarkot area. His accomplices --- Rishi of Domuhi Temple, Judge Nagar, Sonu, Chikna and two unidentified persons --- absconded. Acting on a tip-off, the police raided a garden near Sun City park area where the criminals were planning a robbery. The police arrested Sunny while other members of the gang managed to flee. A case under Section 399, 402 of the IPC has been registered against the accused.
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Up for partying: No way it’s Amritsar
Neha Saini Tribune News Service
Amritsar March 12 Our metros exhibit the glam, happening nightlife culture. Closer home, Ludhiana and Chandigarh have become party stoppers' paradise. While the party never stops in our neighbourhood, it never started in Amritsar. Nothing to do with its crowd, it's the culture. The holy city remains true to its tag and is yet to experience clubbing. The fact that Amritsar doesn't have a single nightclub, pub or even an independent discotheque is a proof of it primitive ways of partying. There are those who have made a difference, but the nightlife in Amritsar remains what it always was, asleep. "The city never had a party culture," puts Shubham Dutta, senior manager of a restaurant. The known chain of Chinese and Thai cuisine is the only place where you can get a sneak peek of the city's so-called clubbing. "When we started operations one and a half years back, we brought the concept of clubbing. Later, we were forced to restrict it to private parties. Things couldn't fall in the right place as people here are reluctant and not supportive of the idea of partying with total strangers," says Dutta. So, now every weekend, the restaurant hosts some private parties or some couple kitties. "The problem is not just one but many. Also people don't want to spend generously on their partying ways. Nightlife is successful only at places which have a strong corporate culture, where people are willing to spend on clubbing." Similarly, Jasdev Singh, assistant manager at recently opened discotheque, too jots down some serious issues regarding the lack of a party culture here. "There are strong cultural and political influences in the city and that makes clubbing out of question. One, people are not quite educated about clubbing etiquettes. Second, security, bar brawls and such things make it difficult to have a healthy party culture." It's not that the city lacks young crowd or doesn't demand nightlife. It just happens under the covers. "There are a lot of private underground parties happening in the city. Dj's from Delhi are playing, we have lot of house and trance music playing and young crowd just loves to party but not openly," says Anmol, a freelance professional Dj who has been playing in the city for five years now. What's his reason for this observation? "Amritsar can never be a Delhi or even a Chandigarh as there is no positive environment for such kind of clubbing. But things are not that boring, we do have some good private farmhouse parties happening." But the situation does remain inflexible to the popular culture. "Amritsar is a traditional city and it continues to do so," says Dutta.
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Since construction of the elevated road began here five years ago, the residents of residential areas around Shaheed Bhagat Singh road have been in a living hell owing to the faulty sewerage system.
Amritsar, March 12
Amritsar March 12
