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MC POLLS
Heatwave claims two more lives, toll reaches nine
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Fire at paper mill a wake-up call for administration, MC
11-year-old boy kidnapped
Batala resident found murdered
Health dept raids medical stores
Sikhs for Justice launches campaign
Speaking Out
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MC POLLS
Amritsar, June 13 Meanwhile, in another twist to polling, an Independent candidate, Dinesh Kumar, from the ward today switched loyalty to the ruling SAD. Dinesh Kumar was also the Youth Congress president from Amritsar West constituency. A strong Congress candidate from the ward Surinder Chaudhry joined the SAD a couple of days back at Chandigarh. Now the position of SAD candidate from the ward, Raj Kumar Jolly, has become stronger. Among others who were contesting the polls from the ward as Independents include Randhir Singh, Avtar Singh, Tarsem Singh, Pawan Kumar, Baljot Singh, Varinder Kumar Sharma and Mahesh Kumar. But, the fight was considered mainly between Jolly and Chaudhry. In view of the SAD's possible victory from the ward, the party may get an edge in the new Municipal Corporation House over its alliance partner BJP. If the SAD wins, its tally in the new House would go up to 25, one more that of the BJP. There is sense of confusion among Congress workers and supporters as to whom they should vote during re-polling as Chaudhry has switched his loyalty to the SAD. Jugal Kishor Sharma, president, District Congress Committee, said they have told Congress supporters and workers to refrain from voting as we have no candidates in the fray now. On Dinesh joining the SAD, he said he was already expelled by the party after he filed papers as Independent against the party candidate. Meanwhile, Chief Parliamentary Secretary and MLA Inderbir Singh Bolaria welcomed the new entrants into the Akali Dal. Speaking on the occasion, he said it was due to wrong and anti-worker policies of the Congress party that a large number of its workers had joined the ruling alliance. "I decided to join the SAD due to its pro-people policies," said Dinesh Kumar in a brief interaction with the media. It is pertinent to mention here that the result of Ward 3 was withheld following the reports of booth capturing and alleged hacking of electronic voting machines in booth numbers 9 and 11 during the MC polls on June 10. The district administration has sent a report to the State Election Commission seeking further directions following the complaints from the presiding officers of the respective booths. The Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Election Officer, Rajat Agarwal, informed that the State Election Commission has ordered re-polling in two wards. "In a communiqué to the district administration, the State Election Commission has directed to conduct re-polling in booth number 9 and 11 on June 15. New polling staff would be recruited for the voting. Polling will start at 8.00 am," informed the DC while adding that the liquor vends and restaurants falling under 500 meters of the two booths would remain shut. SAD gets boost
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Heatwave claims two more lives, toll reaches nine
Amritsar, June 13 One of the deceased was found lying on a roadside near a park near C-division police station; the body of another deceased was found near Shaheed Udham Singh Nagar area under Gate Hakima police chowki. Police officials investigating the two incidents said from appearance, they seemed to be beggars or mentally disturbed people. Although, the exact cause of their death could be ascertained from the post-mortem report, preliminary investigations found that they had died due to extreme hot weather conditions. It is pertinent to mention here that the temperature in Amritsar is hovering between 41 to 45 degree Celsius. Earlier, as many as seven deaths were reported in the city due to intense heat wave. The Met department has claimed that the city has witnessed the hottest summer season in the past one decade. Majority of persons who fell prey to sweltering conditions were destitute or beggars.
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Fire at paper mill a wake-up call for administration, MC
Amritsar, June 13 The fire machinery of the Amritsar Municipal Corporation proved totally inefficient in controlling the situation. Thanks to administrative officials, who were successful in arranging the additional help from neighbouring places, to control the fire up to some extent (60 per cent) and avert the major loss of life. If not controlled, it could have caused enormous damage because several residential colonies were located adjacent to the destroyed part of the mill. There are only four fire stations, which cater to entire Amritsar and Tarn Taran districts, to deal with any untoward incident. This most important wing has always been ignored. Staff shortage
Amritsar with a population of over 11 lakh, at present has a staff of 58 firemen and officials, including one Assistant Divisional Fire Officer- in charge, and one Fire Station Officer on its disposal, whereas the sanctioned strength of the fire department is 130. Ironically, this strength was stipulated in 1980s, when the city's population was just 7 lakh. At present, against the 78 sanctioned posts of firemen, the department is managing with just 32. Out of nine sanctioned posts of sub fire officers, only six are filled. Similarly, nine posts of driver and three posts of leading firemen are lying vacant for a long time. This scant 'fire-fighting and disaster response force' is also supposed to take care of Tarn Taran, Khem Karan, Baba Bakala, Patti, Ajnala Mehta and Beas too which have a population of 10 lakh. Shockingly, not a single recruitment has been made in the fire department against those who got retired since 1980. There are four fire stations in the city at Town Hall, Gilwali Gate, Civil Lines and near Beri Gate. Teams on duty in each station comprise just 14 employees, including one officer in charge, leading firemen, firemen, drivers and other supporting staff. Due to staff crunch, they are put on eight-hour duty schedule on a rotational basis, in three shifts.
The firemen have no uniforms, safety jackets and other alternative fire extinguishers. The fire manual says that for 50,000 citizens, there should be one fire station comprising at least 24 firemen each. But the actual situation is very different. Here against 20 lakh population, there are just 4 fire stations, with 14 persons each. Infrastructure blues
Most importantly, the city has insufficient water filling points. With the overhead water tanks becoming obsolete, the existing hydrant points in various parts of the city got nonfunctional and over 50 per cent of the total tubewells in and around the city are nonfunctional. If a fire breaks out in the Ranjit Avenue area, the water in the fire tender would be filled up from Town Hall station only. The Gillawali Gate station has a reservoir that had a capacity of 20,000 litres of water. However, this too demands renovation, which was never thought of, till date. Another demand for two water bousers (large tankers) of 25,000 litres capacity each, that could be used to provide water to fire engines at the spot, has not been met, despite reminders. Similarly, against the requirement of at least 25 fire tenders, there are only 11. Except for four (two 2002 model and two 2009 model), the remaining seven have outlived their age. The department has no small tender which can manoeuvre through the interior narrow lanes of the walled city. The fire department has no uniform, no wireless, no hotline at present. They use their own personal mobile phones. Similarly, multi-storey malls are coming up in holy city, but the fire station has a ladder that reaches only 35 feet. It has been learnt that in 2005, a proposal to purchase the hydro-platform vehicle, which had a capacity to reach 150 feet, was passed, but it never got materialised. Lack of planning
The Central Government had sanctioned an amount of Rs 157 crore to the Punjab Government in 2009 for the purchase of equipment for disaster management. Amritsar was granted Rs 15 crore as its share from this head. Ironically, this was an opportunity for revamping the system in the district, but till the lapsing period of funds (March 31, 2010), nothing concrete could be done by the authorities, except for forming discussion panel and holding meetings. Ideally, the Municipal Corporation is bound to incorporate 5 per cent of the total tax collection to the fire department as 'fire-cess', but here, never a single penny was ever spared for the purpose. What needs to be done?
Official Speak The intensity of fire at Khanna Paper Mill was too high and we have provision for pooling in the resources from outside which we did in this case. But it is true that the fire wing required due attention. The Amritsar Master Plan, which was notified recently, has elaborately described the disaster management plan for the city and everything would be streamlined shortly — Rajat Agarwal, Deputy Commissioner
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11-year-old boy kidnapped
Amritsar, June 13 Sushant Arora, a resident of Gali Tilleyan wali in the walled city had gone to play cricket in the evening, but he did not return home. When he failed to return, his family searched him in the area. Anil Arora, the victim's father, in his complaint said late in the evening he received a call from unidentified persons who said that the boy was with them. They asked to wait for another call for ransom. He immediately informed the police which started investigation in this connection. The police has registered a complaint under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code. RP Mittal, Police Commissioner, said separate teams have been formed to investigate into the case and rescue the boy safely. "Our priority is the safety of the boy and no stone would be left unturned in this regard. The police is investigating into various angles to trace the accused," he said.
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Batala resident found murdered
Amritsar, June 13 He was driving the vehicle. His body was found near Chauhan village under Tarsika police station in Amritsar rural police district. The Tarsika police has registered a case under Sections 302, 392, 397 and 34 of the IPC against the unidentified accused on the complaint of Sanjiv Kumar, the owner of the vehicle. Sanjiv told the police that Avtar had taken his vehicle PB-06-N-0034 a day before yesterday, but did not return. Yesterday, he received a call from the police that Avtar was found dead near Chauhan village. Natha Singh, SHO Tarsikka police, said as per the initial investigations, the accused looted the vehicle in Batala and threw his body at the highway near Chauhan village. The police found the body in a mutilated state. "From the condition of the body, it appeared that it was hit by speeding vehicles several times," he said.
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Three arrested with heroin
Amritsar, June 13 The police authorities said the accused were involved in as many as 10 such cases in Ranjit Avenue, Basant Avenue and other areas. They said more recoveries are likely to be made. The Majitha police today nabbed a woman for possessing 10 gram of heroin. The accused was identified Karamjit Kaur, a resident of Daburji. The police has also recovered Rs 60,000 from her possession. A case under Section 22, 61 and 85 of the NDPS Act has been registered against her. She was intercepted at a naka when she was going on her scooter. The police authorities said when the police tried to search, she threw a pouch which was recovered by the police. Further investigations were under progress, said the officials. Meanwhile, the CIA staff has arrested one Rajesh Kumar of Sundar Nagar for allegedly possessing intoxicant drugs. The accused, a resident of the walled city, used to sell intoxicants to drug addicts in various parts of the city. The police recovered 1,250 capsules from his possession. He was declared a proclaimed offender by the court in the vehicle lifting case, which was registered with the Civil Lines police in March 2002. The police authorities said a case under Sections 22, 61 and 85 of the NDPS Act has been registered at Kotwali police station in connection with the seizure of intoxicants.
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Health dept raids medical stores
Amritsar, June 13 Dr Hardip Singh Ghai, officiating Civil Surgeon, in a press statement issued here today, said the officials seized intoxicant capsules of parvon spas and a wrapper of 100 capsules hidden in a black polythene bag from the owner of the medical store identified as Rani. He said there was no pharmacist present in the shop at the time of the raid. He said the team recovered 11 different types of banned medicines from the shop. The licence of the shop was in the name of Rani and her husband Rajkumar. “The owner of the store could not produce the record of sale and purchase,” said Dr Ghai. He said it was up to the court to either suspend or cancel the licence of the medical store. The health also visited and took samples from Inder Medicos, RS Medicos and Tuli Medicos. Dr Ghai said appropriate action would be taken against the medical store owners who were found indulging in selling intoxicant and banned drugs.
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Watch it as you flaunt it
Amritsar, June 13 If diamonds are for women, diamond-dial watches are definitely for men. Of course, men don’t choose to step out in kilos of gold or diamond jewellery (Bappi Lahiri is an exception here), but they don’t mind flaunting an expensive, designer label on their wrist for the same impact. Whether it’s a formal or a casual weekend with friends, there is a watch for every occasion. “Ever since the generation became fashion conscious, or we should say label conscious, watches have become a status symbol. The most essential and basic accessory for men has taken a glamorous makeover, thanks to the connoisseurs,” says Rajeev Gulati, a jewellery designer from the city. “Given the choice, men can choose between stylish and suave with major brands offering exclusive time pieces,” he says. Well, the exclusivity comes at a whooping price of anything between Rs 75,000 to Rs 2 lakh. “Designer watches have become a luxury, an investment and a collector’s item. Most people who buy them, know they are worth the value,” shares Noor Inayat, Chandigarh-based designer who owns a premium watch boutique. “For them it’s not just a watch, it’s a piece of art,” he says. Sure, who knew diamond, ruby, emerald-studded dials, tachymeter scale for time readings, GPRS, steel and rhodium finish and leather straps would become art? An ensemble of brands like Dior, Rado, Tag Heuer, Cartier and Rolex, the designer watch market has become quite complicated. Some offer to give you precision with 1/1000 of a second, some offer ceramic work. But be warned - neither is designer label equal to precision nor expensive price equal to perfect. “For casual clothing, you could pair trendy leather watches in the mold of Fossil styles that cost relatively little, but deliver absolutely bigger results. For formal ensemble, you will shine in leather watches with silver faces like Cartier and Rolex that are still the best designer watches for men anywhere in the world. Or at least, the most popular and the most affordable in the luxury line if you are working towards those million dollars,” says Inayat. Sports watches are just what its name denotes - watches for sports activities. “The popular brands in the category have features like GPS sensor, barometric pressure and altitude reader and time precision. That is if you get around to the point of actually using these features,” he adds. The bottom line is that you should choose only the best designer watches, that go with the demands of your lifestyle, occasion, and of the purpose. But then even the most expensive of designer watches will not save you from a style faux pas!
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Sikhs for Justice launches campaign
Amritsar, June 13 As per a release issued by Gurpatwant Pannun of the
SFJ, a website will also be launched to connect the Sikh community worldwide and to attract the support of Jewish, Armenian, Bosnian and Rwandan people who have been victims of genocide.
— TNS
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Speaking Out
Amritsar, June 13
Rampant drug addiction in the city is a major problem, which has given rise to lawlessness. The younger generation is becoming a victim of drug abuse. Incidents of snatching and petty crimes are rising with the each passing day. Our political representatives should also look into this and take best possible measures in this
direction — Dinesh Bhardwaj
Women become major victims of snatchings and eve teasing. The law and order situation is terrible in the city. The authorities concerned have failed to stem the problem. The corporations should shift the liquor vends to city outskirts. Cleanliness is another issue which these Municipal Corporation councillors should look
into — Anu Rani
We constantly face the problem of improper lifting of garbage. Instead of lifting garbage, MC employees set it on fire. New councillors should not make lame
excuses — Manoj Kumar
Unfortunately, environment did not feature as an important issue during the civic polls. The plants planted by the MC on the dividers have dried up in the absence of proper care. The corporation should also look into the problem of inefficient garbage lifting. The solid waste management project should also become operational as soon as
possible — Gurbhej Singh
Traffic management is poor. Repeated efforts to improve the situation have not bore results. We want the MC to take appropriate steps to solve the
problem — Vinod Gupta
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