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Amritsar to be developed as IT hub
Seven expressways for state in 3 yrs
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Infant’s death in civil hospital
Infant among five dead in accidents
Nurturing hockey talent in backwaters of Punjab
Double whammy for Gurdaspur’s hotel industry
Two sisters die of poisoning
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Amritsar to be developed as IT hub
Amritsar, August 3 In an interactive session organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry on Thursday night, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal told city-based industrialists and entrepreneurs that the government has formed a high-level committee, which would be headed by him, for the planned development of the sector here. “Over a period of time, the city has acquired all the ingredients to become an ideal IT hub. For instance, it has got a range of hotels catering to different segments, excellent road network connecting with neighbouring cities, state capital Chandigarh and Delhi. It has got the international airport.” Besides, he added, the operationalisation of the Integrated Check Post (ICP) has provided impetus to trade from Central Asian countries. He said another thing required for the industry is power. He reiterated that the state would be surplus in this regard by the end of 2013. He said the government has 1,000 acres of land in the holy city to establish a knowledge hub where a university of international standards would be roped in to churn out employable candidates. The Deputy Chief Minister said in order to ensure overall and holistic development of the city and resulting urbanization, there is a need for planned development. He informed that from now onward he would head the Amritsar Development Authority (ADA). The city’s master plan would aim at guided development of the city. He promised inclusion of two local industrialists on the board of the ADA following the demand made by the entrepreneurs. He said funds would not come into the path of city’s development as the state government was arranging Rs 10,000 crore from various sources including a soft loan from NABARD for ensuring civic amenities in various parts of the state in the next four years. Meeting a long-pending demand of various industrialists, he said the government would set-up world-class ‘Trade Fair Centre’ here on 20 acres while another centre would be established at Mohali. MP Navjot Singh Sidhu, Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia, Chief Parliamentary Secretary, Education, Inderbir Singh Bolaria and others participated in the interactive session.
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Seven expressways for state in 3 yrs
Amritsar, August 3 He said the seven expressways would be Ludhiana-Ferozepure four-lane, Chandigarh-Patiala four-lane, Patiala-Bathinda, Chandigarh-Ludhiana, Chandigarh-Phagwara-Jalandhar, Amritsar-Tarn Taran-Faridkot-Bathinda and Ropar-Doraha expressway. He said these would be completed within the next three years and their maintainance for a limited period of time would be handed over to private concerns. Besides, he said the under-construction Amritsar-Pathankot four-lane project would be completed by next year. The Deputy CM also announced that the government was arranging Rs 10,000 crore to fund urban development of the state as per which all major and small towns would be provided civic amenities over the next four years. |
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Infant’s death in civil hospital
Jalandhar, August 3 Talking to The Tribune, this afternoon, Director Health Services Family Welfare Dr Karanjit Singh today said, “The report will be sent to the Principal Secretary, Health, this evening and a copy of the observations made by the CPS have been attached to it.” The baby death issue had sparked a row with the Health Minister Madan Mohan Mittal and Chief Parliamentary Secretary Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu sparring over the issue of the formation of a new committee. While Dr Sidhu wanted a new probe to ensure fairness and a look into all the technical aspects of the case, the HM insisted that the CM’s probe committee cannot be countered by a new or parallel committee. But the health authorities, for the time being, seem to have found a middle path to counter the controversy, by attaching Dr Sidhu’s observations with the inquiry report. However, even as Karanjit Singh made it clear that the report was finally being sent to Principal Secretary, Health; Mahajan remained tight-lipped on the matter. It has been a week since the baby’s death and two days since the initial deadline for the Principal Secretary to make the report public passed but Mahajan still refused to divulge the future plans of the health department on the report. When asked this evening whether she had received the report, Mahajan said, “It hasn’t reached me yet, must be on its way.” When asked when the report will be made public, Mahajan said, “We haven’t thought about it so far. Normally, we do not make such reports public and those interested to know the details can always file an RTI query.” |
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Infant among five dead in accidents
Hoshiarpur, August 3 Hundreds of members of the Gujjar community held demonstration at the Civil Hospital, where the bodies of the two victims were brought for a postmortem examination. They demanded that a case be registered against the accused. In a separate accident, Nirmal Singh of Mugalpura, was crushed to death while his son Amarjit Singh was seriously injured when a rashly driven car hit them at Nalion Chowk today. Amarjit Singh was admitted to the Civil Hospital. Nirmal Singh and his son Amarjit Singh were sitting in front of a shop at Nalion Chowk at the time of the accident. Pathankot: A woman was crushed to death and her son was injured in an accident on the Pathankot-Gurdaspur Road here on Thursday. The victim, identified as Nirmala Devi of Bani Lodhi village, along with her son Ajay Kumar was going to Mamun town on a motorcycle when a car hit their bike. As a result of the collision, Nirmala Devi fell down on the road and she was crushed to death under a JK Roadways Bus coming from the opposite direction. Both car and bus drivers fled the scene leaving their vehicles behind. The police has registered a case of causing death due to negligence. Phagwara: A woman lost her life after her dupatta got stuck in the tyre of a motorcycle, driven by her husband. The victim was identified as Chandrakanta. The incident happened when she along with her husband Bhan Ram was returning on the motorcycle to Ludhiana after celebrating Raksha Bandhan at Phagwara. The woman was taken to a private hospital from where she was referred to the Civil Hospital where she was declared brought dead. The police has registered a case and handed over the deceased’s body to her family members after the autopsy at the Civil Hospital.
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SAFMA demands peace park on no man’s land
Amritsar, August 3 Addressing a joint press conference here today, SAFMA secretary general Imtiyaz Alam, who specially came to Amritsar for the purpose, elaborating the concept of a peace park, said it would have centres for activities like trade, business, exhibitions, seminars and sports. He said the purpose would only be achieved if the people from both the countries are allowed access without visa. He stressed that it would be a giant step towards achieving the cherished goal of bonhomie and close relations between India and Pakistan. When asked about the movement not gaining the desired result, Alam held the strict visa regime as the major stumbling block. He anticipated that the free trade agreement would be implemented in this part of the South Asia which would bring a sea change to the inhabitants of the region. Hind-Pak Dosti Manch general secretary Satnam Singh Manak said veteran journalist Kuldip Nayyar, who is a brainchild behind the annual feature of lighting candles on border, would not be attending this time as his wife was not well. He said a cultural programme would be held at Attari near Attari-Wagah Joint Check Post on August 14 to remember nearly 10 lakh people who died during communal riots following the Partition. He said folk singers from both nations will perform to bring people closer. Ramesh Yadav, president, Folklore Research Academy, Amritsar, said a seminar on the role of Sufism would be held at Naatshala on August 13. Tributes will be paid to martyrs at the Jallianwala Bagh on August 14 and subsequently candles will be lit on the both sides of the border at Attari-Wagah Joint Check Post on the intervening night of August 14 and 15, as per the practice kept alive for the past 16 years. |
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Nurturing hockey talent in backwaters of Punjab
Khadur Sahib (Tarn Taran), August 3 Baba ji, as he is fondly called in the area, launched his hockey initiative in the form of Baba Uttam Singh National Hockey Academy here in 2006 for training both boys and girls in the sport. He roped in a retired Army man, Balkar Singh, to coach the budding hockey players in the academy and since then there is no looking back. Today, Jaspreet Kaur of the academy is a standby goalkeeper in India’s under-21 women hockey team. She was among the four girls from the academy to have attended under-21 national camp. Amandeep Kaur, Gurpreet Kaur and Sandeep Kaur are the other three. Similarly, four boys from the academy --- Gurpreet, Navraj, Jugraj and Harmandeep --- have also made it to under-18 national camp. Not only this, six out of 16 players of Punjab team, which participated in the last year's national championship organised by the Indian Hockey Federation in Mumbai were from the academy. The under-15 boys’ team of the academy was the runners’ up in Jawahar Lal Nehru Hockey Tournament in 2008 and stood third in the tourney in 2009. Talking to The Tribune, Balkar Singh said, “At present 36 boys are getting training in various categories like under-14, under-15 and under-17 in the academy. Girls getting training at the academy are from Guru Angad Dev College, Khadur Sahib.” He said they prefer to admit boys in their early teens into the academy so that they get enough time to nurture the talent. He said those who clear the prerequisites for admission in the academy are extended full exemption in school fee, besides they are free hostel and mess facility. “The players are provided special diet in view of their daily fitness and sports regimen. They practice for around five hours everyday - from 5 to 7 am and again from 5 pm to 7.30 pm.” The academy has students not only from Tarn Taran, but also from as far as Ludhiana and Ferozepur as well. “The maximum number of boys we have is from Marar village in Gurdaspur, the native place of Olympian Harcharan Singh,” he shared. According to him, the academy’s doors are open for young talent from across the country. Apart from the academy students, Balkar Singh is also training 70 more budding hockey players from the nearby areas. “Some of them are very talented and can be a part of the academy.” He said the academy intends to undertake foreign tours in the future so as to provide more exposure to “hard competition” to its players. It will boost their confidence level, he added. However, the academy is facing a tough time training its players, as it only has ‘six side’ astroturf, which is one-fourth of the actual size of a proper hockey ground. Balkar Singh said they had urged the then Sports Director Pargat Singh for providing a full size astroturf to the academy when the latter visited it around a couple of years back. He said apart from being smaller in size, the condition of their astroturf has deteriorated. He said a new astroturf will cost around Rs 1.5 crore.
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Double whammy for Gurdaspur’s hotel industry
Gurdaspur, August 3 To add to their woes, the hoteliers are being charged luxury tax at 4 per cent notwithstanding the harsh reality that the inflow of tourists to this district has come down heavily for an assortment of reasons following which the occupancy rates too have dropped to as low as 20 per cent. The Gurdaspur Association of Hotel and Restaurant Owners fear that if corrective measures are not taken, a majority of establishments may face closure. If high VAT and luxury tax and erroneous billing of power bills are knotty issues, the use of domestic LPG cylinders instead of commercial cylinders by hotels is also turning out to be a major problem. An SOS has also been dispatched to the Union Government pleading for subsidising the rates of commercial LPG cylinders which are mandatory to be used by hotels and restaurants. Romesh Mahajan, President of the Association, said the association has also urged the Principal Secretary, Department of Food and Civil Supplies, Punjab Government, to reduce the VAT being levied from 13.75 per cent to 4 per cent. “In Haryana, VAT on hotels and restaurants is being levied at 4 per cent instead of 13.75 per cent. If this tax is not reduced we may have to close shop.” said a leading hotelier.
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Two sisters die of poisoning
Hoshiarpur, August 3 Her sister Pooja, a Class IX student, was also admitted to the PHC, Hariana, and later referred to the Civil Hospital, Hoshiarpur where both sisters breathed their last. Civil Hospital SMO Dr Sardool Singh said it was suspected that both the girls died of poisoning. Their viscera have been sent to the government laboratory in Chandigarh for test. |
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Amritsar, August 3
Khadur Sahib (Tarn Taran), August 3
Gurdaspur, August 3
