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MC plans to auction roundabouts
Health centre runs from unsafe building
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 Health insurance scheme for BPL familiesHealth dept continues enrolment process Amritsar, September 2 The district health department would continue the process of making smart cards for BPL families under the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna. BJP leader Rajinder Mahajan (in red shirt) inquires about problems faced by agency employees in Amritsar. photo: Sameer Sehgal
3 mobile phones recovered from jail visitors
Indian Idol
Decreasing exposure limit for radio frequency fields
Silver, the new gold for women in city
Development works worth
Rs 1 crore inaugurated
All-India Tennis Academy Talent Series
‘Need to create awareness among women about bone health’
Poster-making contest on AIDS awareness held
NGO, Easy Day launch clothes contribution drive
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MC plans to auction roundabouts
Amritsar, September 2 The MC has proposed to enter into a contract with business houses and other private establishments like educational institutions, banks and hospitals to adopt the roundabouts. The MC would go for auctioning of roundabouts. The project would not only give a new look to the city's crossings, but would also serve as a source of revenue generation for the cash-starved MC. MC Commissioner Dharampal Gupta said a proposal had been framed, but it would be implemented only after it gets approval from the house. "It is actually a revitalisation move of an earlier proposal wherein we had given a few roundabouts on the same basis. Now, we are going to introduce this concept on wider scale. We had deliberations with the officials concerned before finalising the draft plan. But, it would be implemented only after the house approves it," he said. The MC has proposed to get the roundabouts auctioned. The aspiring firms can hire the roundabouts and would be liable to maintain and beautify them. It has been learnt that the MC has identified 23 roundabouts under this proposal. Sources said the MC had already done the homework before re-drafting the fresh proposal and that the response to this project had been encouraging as a host of private parties had already offered to develop and beautify some of the roundabouts. In return, they would not only be given credit for it on the respective roundabouts, but would also be allowed to advertise their company or services they provide. But no third-party advertising would be allowed on the roundabouts, they added. Revenue generation
Official Speak It is actually a revitalisation move of an earlier proposal wherein we had given a few roundabouts on the same basis. Now, we are going to introduce this concept on wider scale. — Dharampal Gupta, MC Commissioner
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Health centre runs from unsafe building
Amritsar, September 2 Employees at the centre fear for their lives as portions of the plaster from the roof have fallen down in most of the rooms. They have restricted their operations to two rooms only. All other rooms lie abandoned at the centre. The building was opened in 1942 as Rai Bahadur Lala Rattan Chand Anti-Tuberculosis Clinic. Mainly catering to newborn as an immunisation centre, it also treats tuberculosis patients surrounding the localities near the Golden Temple. The employees said the condition of the building deteriorates during rains as water leaks from the roofs. “We are using only two rooms. Parts of roofs in all other rooms have fallen down,” said an employee. The employees said they were hopeful of getting better facilities in the new building block. “But till then we are not safe here,” said an employee. The furniture is the building is also rotting because of shortage of space. Furniture has been stacked in rooms that are somewhat in better condition. But the employees felt that the leaking roofs could cause damage to the furniture.
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Health insurance scheme for BPL families Manmeet Singh Gill Tribune News Service
Amritsar, September 2 Deputy Medical Superintendent Dr Prabhdeep Kaur said the agency engaged to make the cards had been persuaded to make cards in the district for another 15 days. “It is hard for them to spend more days as they had been given a roadmap under which they had to visit various districts. But we have felt here that more days are required to enrol maximum number of people,” said Dr Kaur. As per the national census conducted in 2001, the district has around 32,000 BPL families. Out of these 62 per cent of the families were already covered under the RSBY scheme which had begun in 2010. In the current drive, the district administration plans to cover at least 80 per cent of BPL families. “The work load on the teams making these cards is high. Now, they have to deliver the card on the same day the family reports to them,” said Dr Prabhdeep Kaur. She said as the lists available with the agency are from the census conducted around 10 years ago, there is a difficulty in locating BPL families in various areas. “In all these years many of these families have changed their residences. Some have even gone to places outside the district. So it is not an easy job to locate all of them,” she said. She said the job would become a little easier if the lists from the census conducted recently are made available to the agency. She said the decision to enhance days for enrolment was taken after such a demand was received from residents. ‘Address’ problemsA person named Surjit Singh has written Majitha road in his address column. Local BJP leader Rajinder Mahajan said, “There are over a dozen localities on the Majitha road. With thousands of residents living on this stretch, it is hard to identify Surjit Singh.” He said as members of BPL families were mostly illiterate, they were not even aware of the RSBY scheme. “Even if we try to help people in our areas we cannot find them using the list,” said Mahajan adding that more detailed lists should be made available to the agency. Further the list available with the agency does have any BPL families at Nanoke village. Deputy Medical Commissioner Dr Prabhdeep Kaur said she had asked ANMs and LHVs to help in the identification of BPL families. “I will also take up the matter with the higher officials,” she said. Official Speak The lists available with the agency are from the census conducted around 10 years ago. That’s why there is some difficulty in locating BPL families in various areas. It will be better if we get the latest census figures. — Dr Prabhdeep Kaur, Deputy Medical Superintendent Problem areas
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3 mobile phones recovered from jail visitors Amritsar, September 2 Kulwant Singh, a jail official attached with the Deputy Superintendent, Jail, said these mobile phones were concealed in a meal box. While two mobile phones had SIM cards, the third was without any SIM card. A case has been registered against two persons with the Sultanwind police station in this connection. “During a routine checking, we found three mobile phones which were smartly placed in the last compartment of the meal box,” he said. — TNS
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City flies high on Vipul’s singing success
Neha Saini Tribune News Service
Amritsar, September 2 As the grand finale of the popular reality singing show reached its climax, celebrations started at Shakti Nagar, where Vipul’s resides. His supporters, friends and family watched Vipul declared winner on a giant screen put up near his home and celebrations erupted as soon as the decision was announced. “All his supporters gathered at our house in the evening and didn’t leave till wee hours the next day. We celebrated with dhols, unending bhangra sessions and loads of sweets being distributed. It was nothing short of a mela,” shared Vipul’s brother-in-law, Mayank Kapoor. Vipul’s parents were with him in Mumbai. But Vipul’s greatest inspiration, his grandfather, was ecstatic and sure of his win. “Vipul has been working hard on the show. He has dedicated his life to singing and the passion he has for it is unmatched,” he shared with pride. Vipul had admitted on the show that his grandfather is his lucky charm and dedicated his performances to him. If not for his family, his friends and peers from DAV College, from where he did his graduation, were amongst the cheerleading squad. “We had heard him during his early stage shows, but on the show he was definitely the strongest contender. It feels great to know that he is now the Indian Idol and a popular personality of the city,” said Ajay, one of his friends. Learning classical singing when he was eight, Vipul is perceived as a happy person. And his versatility is no secret as he impressed Asha Bhonsle, Salim Merchant and Sunidhi Chauhan with his powerful performances. A fan of Mohd Rafi, Vipul did his bachelor’s in mass communication and apart from singing, his passions include photography, cars and sound engineering. Before Indian Idol, Vipul was also a finalist in Voice of India season 2. With the Indian Idol title by his side, his long-term dream of becoming a playback singer seems to be coming true. “Congratulatory messages have poured in from all over and we would like to thank all of his fans and supporters who voted for him. Vipul is expected to return by Tuesday, so a grand welcome awaits him. But for now, we are happy that he made his city and family proud,” said Mayank. He wants to sing like Rafi, whom he consider as second god, and wants to give voice for actors like Akshay Kumar and Abhisek Bachchan. Earns Minister’s praise
As Vipul Mehta became a first singer from Punjab to bag the title of Indian Idol, Bikramjit Singh Majithia, Revenue and Public Relations Minister, Punjab, praised Vipul on his win. In a congratulatory message to his family, Majithia said it was not easy to win the title amidst tough from singers coming from across the country. “Amritsar has already given top icons to Indian cinema, including actors Rajesh Khanna and Dara Singh, and legendary singer Mohammad Rafi. And now Vipul is going to add a new feather in the cap,” he added. “It was a matter of great pride for Punjab as the other two finalists were also from Punjab and Vipul’s victory will boost the music industry of Punjab.”
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Decreasing exposure limit for radio frequency fields Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service
Amritsar, September 2 They anticipated that the move might not only bring respite to human beings but also to birds, especially sparrows, who had almost disappeared from the urban part of the city. There is a common perception that there is radiation from mobile towers. But the radiation is emitted from base stations atop mobile towers and is called radio frequency field (base station emissions). However, what perturbs the citizens is the installation of mobile towers with base stations atop on buildings situated in the densely populated areas of the city. With an aim to increase their income, educational as well as health institutions in the city have rented out their roofs for the installation of these towers. The trend is continuing unabated despite various studies of medical experts warning that the people living around these towers are exposed to harmful emissions. Yet these private institutions are turning their rooftops into a money spinner as it assures them monthly inflow between Rs 10,000 and Rs 25,000 per tower. Dr AL Adlakha said: “Mobile phones emit signals in the form of radio waves. It is feared that radio waves can cause changes to the cells in our brain. If the DNA in the brain cells gets damaged, they may cause serious ailments. Studies conducted have revealed that sparrows have declined in the most contaminated electromagnetic fields”. He said: “Modern constructions deny space for birds as fast urbanisation leaves very little space for them and result in non-availability of food.” Sparrows feed on insects and to an extent helped to reduce the usage of pesticides, he said, adding that greenery had become a rarity in the urban areas, forcing birds to struggle for food. He claimed that many studies in developed countries indicated that radiation from mobile phone towers were one of the major reasons for dwindling sparrow population. Deepak Babbar, another citizen, said the Punjab and Haryana High Court in response to a bunch of petition seeking the removal of mobile towers from Chandigarh’s residential areas stated that mobile companies would have to publicly display the amount of radiation a tower will emit and its harmful effects thereof on the health of people. He added that similar efforts were needed to be implemented here.
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Silver, the new gold for women in city
Amritsar, September 2 Considering its steep hike, which has surpassed the growing inflation rate, with 14-40 per cent rise in the past two years, the news brings concern for the already aggrieved Indian consumer, whose fascination with the yellow metal has taken a serious hit. Price rise and the relative factors have forced the consumer to look for more economic options, which in this case has been silver. When it comes to jewellery, silver is the new gold. The white metal has become a favourite with women in Amritsar, who don’t want to compromise with style, without digging deep into their pockets. “With such a surge in gold prices, it is becoming almost impossible to buy gold jewellery. Though it still remains a good investment, one has to go for other cheaper options in the market when buying jewellery,” says Renu Aggarwal, a housewife from the city. Sterling silver jewellery and imitations with semiprecious stones are saving the day for women. “Since hike in gold price, I have been spending on designer pieces made from silver and precious stones like polki, tourmaline, coral, turquoise and other stones. They come for anything between Rs 5,000 and Rs 20,000, which is still way cheaper than gold,” shares Aditi Chahar, another collector from Amritsar. Even some city-based jewellery designers have shifted focus on the white metal as it becomes a must-have fashion accessory. “Silver is a soft metal and can be blended easily with precious stones to create interesting and designer jewellery pieces. Popular jewellery comes encrusted with polki, kundan and meenakari works, whereas antique look pieces or oxidised silver jewellery are also a good option,” says Radhika Chanana, whose label ICE excels in designer sterling silver and gold jewellery. As gold becomes dearer and silver makes a good replacement, silver prices have also increased by Rs 1,000 as it stands at Rs 57,000 per kg. However, jewellers are hopeful that all this would work out just fine as the festival season peaks, which would be followed by the marriage season. “The rise in gold prices has minimal effect on branded jewellery as we have fixed the prices throughout the year. Our prices are set by the international market trends and we hope the season will commence soon and sales will shoot through the roof this year,” said Mandeep Kaur Kalsi, assistant manager, marketing, Punjab, Pranda Jewellery, a Singapore-based jewellery brand.
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Development works worth Rs 1 crore inaugurated Amritsar, September 2 Addressing residents of the ward and party workers, Dr Sidhu promised that she would not leave any stone unturned for the development of the constituency. She claimed that within six months of becoming MLA, she had managed to get funds worth Rs 20 crore from the Amritsar Improvement Trust for development works in her constituency. In Ward 28 of the constituency, works worth Rs 48 lakh for cc-flooring of streets and re-carpeting of roads would be initiated. In Ward 21, Dr Sidhu laid a foundation stone for works worth Rs 38.55 lakh. A tubewell worth Rs 18.55 lakh would be installed and cc-flooring of streets worth Rs 20 lakh would be carried out in the ward. — TNS
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All-India Tennis Academy Talent Series Tribune News Service
Amritsar, September 2 The tournament for boys and girls in the age groups of U-12 and U-14 years is being held at Maharaja Ranjit Singh tennis complex and it will conclude on September 7. In another match, Manav Bhrany of the host state slugged out Sagar Sehrawat of Delhi (8-4), while Jaskaran Thapar beat Nawan Sehrawat (8-3). Siddhart Mahala of Rajastha got the better off Nishant of Punjab by 8-4 and Mohit Sherawat beat Tanvir Singh (8-3). Navneet Singh of Delhi drubbed Alokik of Punjab 8-1. Daksh Yadav of Delhi failed to open his account against Sahishnu Sharma and was miserably defeated by 0-8. In boys’ u-12, Ishan of Punjab, Jaguar Arora of Haryana, Atif Sheikh of Madhya Pradesh, Shreelesh of Karnataka, Naman Sharma and Shourya Piplani, both from Delhi, managed to reach the main draw.
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‘Need to create awareness among women about bone health’
Amritsar, September 2 Dr Shweta said the total amount of this project was about Rs 29 lakh and this would be a collaborative project by the Punjab State Council for Science and Technology (PSCST), Chandigarh, and Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar. She said three villages, Verka, Majitha and Chabbal, of this region had been shortlisted for conducting the research on bone health of womenfolk under this project. “Bone health of rural women is very poor irrespective of age because of ignorance, poor diet, stress, lack of exercise and financial reasons, which results in osteoporosis disease. Osteoporosis is a disorder of bones wherein bones lose strength and become fragile,” said Shweta. “The number of osteoporosis individual is projected to increase to 36 million people by 2013. Fragile bones increase the risk of serious fractures, which are associated with high mortality and morbidity. This research will primarily target on rural women lifestyle only and later the collected data will also be compared with urban women lifestyle. To conduct study in these villages, a portable unit will be purchased and properly standardised to find the correct data,” she said. Shweta said there was a dire need to create awareness among all women, especially rural women, about the bone strength health. “There is a plan to distribute pamphlets and organise mass counselling to create consciousness about diet and exercise in villages for awareness among women in villages,” she added.
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Poster-making contest on AIDS awareness held
Amritsar, September 2 Monica Sharma and Jaya Devgan, both from GD Goenka School, were the key resource persons. Monica said Punjab had almost 18,000 persons suffering from HIV-AIDS with the highest number of over 6,200 from Amritsar. While Barnala was the least affected district where the number of HIV positive cases was 85, Bathinda has 344, Faridkot 571, Gurdaspur 778, Ludhiana 1,285, Patiala 2,333 and Sangrur has 523 HIV positive cases. Already three anti-retro viral treatment centers had been set up in Amritsar, Ludhiana and Patiala. Navaldeep Kaur of BCA second year bagged the first position in the poster-making competition, while Kanwaljit Singh and Abedha Aslam of BCA second year and B.Sc (biotech part I) secured second and third positions, respectively. Jaya Devgan acquainted the students with the dreaded disease and advised them not to look down upon these patients, but help them to recover from the trauma. Dr KN Kaul, principal of the host college, welcomed the guests. The principal said drug addiction was one of the major causes of AIDS. Dr Kaul motivated the students to embrace healthy habits and stay safe.
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NGO, Easy Day launch clothes contribution drive
Amritsar, September 2 A press release issued here today stated that the initiative aimed at helping the community in the vicinity of Easy Day
stores to connect with underprivileged people in the city. By contributing old clothes, people will help the lesser privileged get access to a basic need
for living-clothing in addition to helping them economically, improving their living standard
and fostering inclusive growth. Employees of Easy Day stores will participate in the collection drive and encourage the customers to contribute as well. The collected clothes will be used to motivate underprivileged people to develop infrastructure in their communities like repair roads, dig wells, clean villages, among other possible activities.
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‘Parshad’ manufacturers heave sigh of relief
Amritsar, September 2 Imposition of 5 per cent VAT of sugar and recent surge in its prices at the national-level has hit the manufacturing of locally-made ‘parshad’ items. Brij Mohan Arora, a wholesale sugar merchant, welcoming the reversal of the decision, said it would bring down the prices of sugar. Upon its impact on trade with other states, especially Rajasthan, he said there was a difference of Rs 3 per kg of sugar in the wholesale markets in Punjab and Rajasthan. He said now with the passage of time, the entire picture of business would be clear. Instead of manufacturing these products, the traders who continued with the centuries old trade had started buying these items from Jaipur. Traders said the markets of Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir were gradually slipping out of their control. Hardip Singh, a manufacturer of ‘mishri’ and ‘makhana’, said it was a good move and its impact would soon reflect on their trade.
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Taking a cue from Chandigarh, the Amritsar Municipal Corporation (MC) is planning to go the private way in order to beautify the roundabouts.
Though the construction of a new block is underway, the Urban Training Health Centre at Phawara Chowk near Jallianwala Bagh continues to run from an “unsafe” building, which was set up before Independence.
Smart cards