Amritsar, March 31
In a shocking incident, Kewal Singh, a resident of Gopal Nagar area in Ajnala, allegedly strangled his son Naveep Singh (16) to death late last night. The incident came to light in the morning when a resident of the area informed about the incident to the deceased’s mother Kulbir Kaur.

The Ajnala police has registered a case under Section 302 IPC against Kewal Singh on the basis of the statement of Kulbir Kaur.

Kewal Singh was married to Ranjit Kaur, a resident of Sarai village and had four children, including two daughters from the marriage. Navdeep was the eldest of the four children. After the sudden demise of Ranjit Kaur, her family married Kulbir Kaur, younger sister of Ranjit to Kewal so that she could look after the family.

The relationship went sour after a few years of marriage. Kewal began quarrelling with Kulbir and her family members. Tired of this, she left his house and took the children to her parent’s home at Sarai village about a week ago.

Kulbir told the police that Navdeep who was a student of matriculation in a local school had gone back home to appear in the examination. She alleged that Kewal forcibly took him to his house after the examination and strangled him to death in the night.

Inderjit Singh, SHO Ajnala police station, said the accused was arrested following the registration of the case. “Preliminary investigations revealed that Navdeep was strangled to death at 11 pm. His body was found in the bed room. Kewal was not in condition of recording a statement as he has been in an inebriated condition since his arrest,” he said. He said the exact cause of the death will be known after the post-mortem examination, which will be conducted tomorrow at Amritsar. Further investigations were on, he added.

Amritsar, March 31
To ensure the safety of those who live in unsafe century-old buildings in the walled city, the district administration has instructed the Municipal Corporation to conduct a fresh survey to identify such buildings. The exercise is aimed to script the final draft of the rehabilitation policy devised for the occupants living under roofs of danger.

During the last monsoon, a series of old buildings had collapsed in heavy downpour leading to several deaths.

It was then that the district administration, in collaboration with the Municipal Corporation and the Improvement Trust, brought a policy under which the occupants of such buildings were to be offered alternate living arrangement.

Under the agreement a permanent ‘dislocation package’ was devised by offering them multi-storey flats to those with little resources to make alternative arrangements on their own when asked to vacate their unsafe houses.

In lieu of this arrangement, the beneficiaries were to surrender their present old houses, on as is where is basis, and under the barter deal, the Imrovement Trust was to design a payment package after evaluating the market price of the old house.

A communication in this regard was forwarded to the Local Bodies ministry a few months ago, but till date no initiation could be taken in this regard due to the lack of homework done by the authorities. The MC was then told to conduct a comprehensive survey to identify the century-old unsafe buildings, the status of the person, whether he is the owner or tenant of the building, but it all ended in a farce. Nothing could be pursued in the matter as the MC could not continue with the survey nor could any follow-up was done with the Department of Local Bodies.

Deputy Commissioner, Amritsar, Rajat Aggarwal, said fresh directions have been issued to the MC to incorporate the results in the fresh proposal. The district administration has devised a ‘dislocation package’ scheme in collaboration with the IT and the AMC.

“The policy could not be implemented due to leniency on part of the various authorities and the announcement of the elections in-between, but it is a time-consuming process and will take at least two to three years to be executed. We are preparing to be ready with some temporary arrangement before the monsoon to prevent any loss of life,” he said.

Commissioner, MC, Dharampal Gupta, said the process got stalled because the authorities were busy with other official tasks like tax recoveries as the end of the financial year was approaching. He said a meeting of the officials has been scheduled for Monday in this regard. “We will constitute special team to update the list of such rickety structures which were identified a few months ago,” he said.

MC teams, led by Senior Town Planner Shakti Bhatia had identified 113 century-old building which were on the verge of collapse and had even demolished some in Dholi Mohalla on the Sultanwind road, Maini Chowk in Lakshmansar, Tabela Jagatram in Namak Mandi areas. “Most of these buildings were not occupied. It was necessary because these buildings posed danger to the adjoining buildings,” Bhatia said.

“Yet, we were hesitant to do the same with the buildings which were occupied owing to some legal reasons. Most of these buildings are occupied by tenants who have been living here for past more than five decades. Their disputes with the landlords over vacating the buildings have been in the court for years together. Vacating the buildings is possible only if some lucrative policy is made at the administrative level,” Bhatia said. He assured that a fresh survey to identify such houses will be conducted very soon.

Amritsar, March 31
It's party time for Bacchus lovers as liquor vends have slashed prices by 30 per cent. After allotment of liquor vends yesterday the prices were slashed last night to clear stocks. As per the rules, stocks cannot be taken forward to the next year. The result was the liquor vends hanging banners to lure customers with 'cheaper whiskey'.

The attendants at liquor vends said the prices were reduced yesterday night to clear the stock. They said the prices are reduced every year to clear the stocks before new licence holders start their operations on April 1 every year.

A buyer said, "Prices of few of the brands have been slashed by 50 per cent. But beer which is preferred in the summer season has not seen any price fall." He said people are also buying liquor in bulk to store for future consumption.

The vendors said the sale of various brands has increased as more people are purchasing liquor owning to a slash in prices. "Even those who don't drink buy alcohol at the end of fiscal year for their visitors.

Serving alcohol to guests has become a norm," said Amanpreet Singh, a shopkeeper in Putlighar area.

Another resident, Jagtar Singh said, "Many come out to buy alcohol in bulk late in the evening as they know that it will be sold at throwaway prices. People have learnt it from experience that it is better to be late on March 31." He said the shops will be crowded late in the evening.

Amritsar, March 31
The District Transport Office started the allotment of advance high-security registration plates (HSRP) on vehicles yesterday. The move is likely to deter gangs of vehicle lifters as the vehicles with the high security number plates can be tracked down anywhere in the country. Besides, the registration numbers of the vehicles will also be stamped on the chasis to avoid tampering.

About 1,000 vehicles were stolen over the past year and 70 per cent of these vehicles are yet to be traced. This underlines the need to incorporate sophisticated tools to nab the offenders.

District Transport Officer, Amritsdar, Vimal Setia, said the system has been formally launched and claimed that Amritsar will be the first city in the state to initiate work on HSRP. He said a private concern Agro Impact has been given the rights to carry out the work in the state with centres at Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Patiala, Bathinda besides, Amritsar.

The centre at the District Transport Office, Amritsar, will also cater to the neighbouring districts of Tarn Taran, Pathankot and Gurdaspur. Setia said it will be mandatory for all vehicles registered after March 30 to install HSRP. He said vehicles registered before March 30 will have to install the number plates within the next two years. He said rates for various vehicles are being finalised. It will not be more than Rs 400 per vehicle, he added. He said as per the new technology, registration number will be embossed on a number plate made of nickel. Subsequently, the number plate will be stamped on the chasis of vehicles to lock it. Once done, a stolen vehicle can never be registered again, he added.

Besides, he said, Punjab took the lead in engaging a company for the task. Over three years ago the Supreme Court (SC) had issued directives to all the states and Union Territories to implement the High-Security Registration Plates (HSRP). Residents feel that the move may also help curb the menace of snatchings and violations of the Motor Vehicles Act as a number of two-wheeler riders especially youngsters go for fancy number plates. A retired teacher, Gurbachan Singh, said the new system will give an advantage to the police against motor-cycle borne rogue youths who flee after snatching valuables and before their number plates can be read.

As per the rule 51 of the Central Motor Vehicle Rules 1989, specific guidelines have been issued regarding the height, thickness and space in between each letter. Each rear letter must be 35-mm high, seven-mm thick and there should be five-mm distance between each letter. The front letters must be 35 mm in height, five-mm thick and there should be equal distance between each letter.

He said the modern system will be highly beneficial to track violators of the law.

Display of registration numbers in small font is punishable under the Motor Vehicles Act and the authorities can impose a fine ranging between Rs 100 and 1,000 against the violators.

What is HSRP?

The HSRP system, which was made mandatory in some parts of the country in 2008, will have a chromium-based hologram to prevent counterfeiting, an ingress letter 'IND' for a secure national identity, laser-etched seven-digit code to sequentially register individual vehicles, snap lock to make plates tamper-proof, and a chip-system to track the vehicle across the country.

Amritsar, March 31
The city police has arrested a notorious criminal who was wanted in a number of cases including attempt to murder charge. The accused identified as Dilbagh Singh alias Baga (27), a resident of Garden Colony, Patti (Tarn Taran), used to take contracts to commit crimes in various parts of the city as well as its adjoining police districts.

He was also declared a proclaimed offender by the local court in an attempt to murder case registered against him at Sadar police station in 2008 and at Patti police station in 2010. An attempt to murder case was also registered against him at Kamboh police station falling under Amritsar rural police district in October, 2011. The CIA staff had laid a naka near the entrance to city on Amritsar-Jalandhar GT Road. During checking he was arrested by the police along with a stolen motorcycle PB-02-AS-9251. On research, the police team also seized a .32-bore rifle and three live cartridges from his possession.

A separate case has been registered under Section 379, 411 IPC and 25/54/59 of the Arms Act against him. He was produced before the local today, which sent him in two-day police remand.

Vikram Sharma, in-charge CIA staff claimed preliminary investigations pointed out that he was habitual criminal and was wanted in many cases of theft, snatchings, quarrelling, fraud as well as attempt to murder. He said further investigations were on and more recoveries are likely to be made.

The Civil Lines police has arrested Mandeep Singh, a resident of Guru Gobind Singh Nagar, Majitha Road, who was wanted in a snatching case registered on March 14. He was caught during a naka near Company Bagh here today. The police also arrested two Delhi residents Gurmit Singh and Surjit Singh who allegedly possessing a stolen Swift car, said the police.

Amritsar /Los Angeles, April 1
It’s official. After several months of silence and speculations, the ‘madly in love’ supercouple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have finally decided to be the man and wife.

And following in the footsteps of their friends Russell Brand and Katy Perry, the Hollywood’s most viewed and clicked duo has decided to skip their traditional ‘white wedding’ and go for a Hindu-style marriage ceremony. But it won’t be quaint Kerala backwaters, dainty Goa beaches or a royal Rajasthan palace when it comes to the venue for the dream wedding. The vows would be exchanged at a prominent farmhouse on the outskirts of Amritsar, on April 15.

“It’s finally happening. Angelina seems to be quite eager to tie the knot. She’s finally ready to be Mrs Brad Pitt and is actually getting really excited about it,” told a confidante of the couple from Beverly Hills over the phone. “Angie and Brad have given in to the demand of their brood that wants a legal stamp on their relationship,” she added. Although Jolie reportedly wanted the wedding at their $60 million French chateau, Brad had Springfield, Missouri, his hometown, on mind. But after they had a word with their spiritual guru, the couple zeroed in on India and finally Amritsar.

The secret preparations have been now on for some six months and top wedding planners have been hired for the job. Brad flew in on a chartered plane to personally overlook the arrangements on March 1. Since Hollywood director Kathryn Bigelow was shooting for her film in the region then, his visit was linked to the project.

The elaborate ceremony will have all the paraphernalia - elephants, horses, flower decorations, traditional Indian and western food and Bollywood music.

Needless to say, almost the entire Hollywood glitterati would be descending on Amritsar to party. John Travolta is flying down in his private jet with his daughter Ella. Tom Cruise and Katie Homes, Brangelina’s friends, are coming in their chartered plane as well. Special guest, however, remains to be Jennifer Aniston, Brad’s ex-wife.

Among B-town celebs, the Bachchans, King Khan and the Roshans have confirmed their presence for the mega event.

However, the eagerly awaited extravaganza has thrown the government into a tizzy. The first major concern is security of celebrities. Civil Aviation authorities have been flooded with requests to allow permission for landing of so many aircraft in Amritsar. “We have been inundated by requests for private planes to land. I think we may have to use the Army makeshift runway,” says an official, pleading anonymity. “Last March, when Pakistan Air Force flight landed with its Prime Minister, we thought we have had the most strenuous day of life. But, now with so many Hollywood celebrities flying in, we would be literally on our toes for the next fortnight,” he added.

But, there are others who couldn’t thank their stars. Chandu Lal, a sweetmaker in Amritsar, has got a big order for jalebis to be delivered at the venue. “Two foreigners came to my shop a few weeks ago. They tasted my stuff and returned after some days to place a massive order. I have got all the money in advance. What’s more, I may get to see the wedding,” gushes Chandu. The biggest secret is the couple’s trousseau. While names of Vera Wang and JJ Valaya are doing the rounds, no official announcement has been made so far.

(Fairytale wedding? Definitely not on the first day of April. Brangelina will walk the aisle but not sometime soon. Happy Fool’s day Folks! Let’s celebrate the spirit.)

Amritsar, March 31
With several departments failing to meet their targets, the Amritsar Municipal Corporation has extended its revenue collecting schedule till Monday evening.

Though today was the last day of recovery, the departments, except municipal town planning, could not achieve their set targets. Moreover, substantial number of cheques getting dishonoured made the matters worse. The staff of different departments remained on its toes till evening.

Barring the municipal town planning department, the other revenue-earning departments including the house tax and water supply, fell short of their annual targets.

The MTP department managed to collect Rs 15.50 crore against the set target of Rs 15 crore. The house tax recovery department which was to recover at least Rs 18.5 crore till March 31 was at least Rs 4 crore behind the target. Similar was the case with water supply department, which could achieve only 90 per cent of the target amounting to Rs 17 crore.

Senior town planner Shakti Bhatia said since his department had achieved more revenue than the target, all the files pertaining to tax collection have been closed.

House tax superintendent Sushant Bhatia held meetings with his team members in the morning and the teams recovered Rs 26 lakh from defaulters. "Cheques worth Rs 35 lakh were dishonoured," he said.

Amritsar, March 31
A 15-member team of students from Northfield Mount Hermon School, Western Massachusetts (USA) today visited Khalsa College of Education (KCE) campus. The aim of the visit is to help them learn about Punjabi culture, history and education.

Led by their teachers, Laurie Brian and Lara Freeman, the students showed keen interest in the history of Punjab, including the partition of India. They appreciated prevalent religious harmony in the Punjabi society. The team arrived in India on March 25 and would stay here up to April 5. During their stay in the country they visited Delhi, Agra among other cities. They also paid obeisance at Golden Temple and will leave for Dehradun tomorrow. Khalsa College of Education, Ranjit Avenue, principal and Dean Education, GNDU Dr Surinderpal Kaur Dhillon welcomed the students. Prof Gurjeet Kaur gave a power-point presentation on Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism and Jainism etc prevalent across the Indian subcontinent and especially in Punjab. The second lecture was delivered by Associate Professor, Surinder Kaur. She gave an in-depth analysis of the Sikh religion and its teachings in comparison to the other religions of the world. KCE vice-principal Dr Harjeet Kaur presented the vote of thanks.

Laurie Brian said the students had an interactive session with the KCE faculty and students. She said aim of their visit to India is to understand the Indian culture, history and even political developments. She said the children of their school were on a mission to gain understanding of major issues and flash points in the history of Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims to broaden their knowledge about the history of Punjab after 1947. “This visit to India is a capstone to a humanities course that looks at both history and religion, so a bit about how the tenets of Sikhism, Hinduism and Islam, respectively, form the various stakeholders,” she said.

Amritsar, March 31
With the police taking action against “erring” establishments, including banks, which have not provided ample parking space to their customers in Ludhiana, the residents here say a similar move is required in the holy city too.

In a recent move, Ludhiana police has started serving notices to banks which have not arranged for parking space. As a result of lack of parking space outside these banks, especially in old city areas, the customers have to park their vehicles on roadsides thus causing a hindrance in traffic flow.

Even in crowded areas such as Hall Bazaar area where both private and government banks have their branches, roadside parking is quite prominent. Jagpal Singh, a visitor to a bank, said, "If cinema halls and shopping malls can be asked to have parking slots for their customers, why cannot the banks be penalised for this."

He said banking too is a business, which charges its customers for various services. Thus these establishments should also be asked to provide the parking facility to its customers.

Swaroop Kumar, another resident, said, "Not only the banks, but each and every shopkeepers and business house should have parking space for its customers. The traffic police must take cognisance of the violation."

Residents also felt that a strict dealing with the parking violators can solve the traffic problem in the city to a great extent.