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Nalanda School Students hold protest
Mayoral election postponed
Owners keep shoe shops closed, hold protest
Hike in diesel prices elicits widespread criticism from residents
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BJP criticises govt
Members of the Sports Cell of the BJP burn effigies of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi to protest against the hike in prices of diesel and LPG in Amritsar on Friday. Photo: Sameer Sehgal
No delay in tourism projects, says Phillaur
PCMS Association rues ‘illogical’ notification by government
Bank holds vigilance conclave
‘Environment Week’ observed at Khalsa College
Defence pension adalat ends
Northern Region Athletics Meet starts at St Francis School
Girls take part in an athletics meet at St Francis School in Amritsar on Friday. Photo: Sameer Sehgal
Intoxicants, cell phone seized from three undertrials in jail
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Nalanda School Students hold protest
Amritsar, September 14 The school has been running from the upper floor of shops in front of Durgiana Mandir’s Darshani Deori since 1959. It has been receiving aid from the state government since 1967. School manager Salig Ram Bhardwaj said, “Even as the land held by religious places is left untouched, is it not possible that a school is given exemption. Even if the school is given a place at some other place, the students who are mostly from nearby localities would be harmed.” However, he added that so far nothing about the allotment of land or building at some other place had been communicated to them. He said even as shopkeepers (tenants) had been assured of shops in a commercial building, the place was not appropriate for running
a school. The school is being run from a rented building and the administration had earlier assured the owners as well as tenants of an alternative space. At present around 325 students from the nearby localities are studying in the school. The school has 12 teachers of various disciplines. The president of the Nalanda Educational Society, Hans Raj Vasisht, said in view of the loss of education to the students, the school should be allowed to operate. “Or else we should be given a place that is appropriate for constructing a school building. The place should not be too far from the existing place, otherwise it would be problematic for pupils,” added Bhardwaj. The Land Acquisition Department had acquired nearly eight shops, Geeta Bhawan and a dera of mahants, all situated on the periphery of Durgiana Temple to execute the proposed beautification project on September 12. A final design for the beautification of 3.03
acre around Durgiana Temple has already been approved and work has already begun.
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Mayoral election postponed
Amritsar, September 14
Commissioner, MC, DP Gupta, confirmed the development. Though the MC office was being spruced up for the oath-taking ceremony of the new Mayor during the day, the news of its postponement broke out in the evening. Both the alliance partners have also appointed their respective party observers for the elections. While the BJP has appointed Cabinet Minister Chunni Lal Bhagat and Kamal Sharma as its observers, the SAD has appointed Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia and MP Rattan Singh Ajnala as the party observers for the Mayoral polls in the city. The SAD-BJP combine had swept the MC polls in Amritsar by winning 49 out of the 65 seats with the SAD capturing 25 seats, one more than its alliance partner BJP’s tally of 24. The opposition Congress had suffered a major jolt as it’s strength was reduced from 21 seats last time to a meagre four seats. The Independents fared better than the Congress by bagging 11 seats, while the CPI scored victory on a single seat. The term of the former Mayor, Shwait Malik, had expired on September 6.
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Owners keep shoe shops closed, hold protest
Amritsar, September 14 Raising slogans, members of the Wholesale and Retail Shoe Merchants Association also took out a protest march. On the call of the All-Punjab Shoe Merchants Association, they held a strike and protest to seek rationalisation of the rate of tax on shoes and footwear. They concluded their protest after handing over a memorandum at the Excise and Taxation office. Chairman of the local association Rupinder Kumar said all the footwear shops remained closed today in the city. Finance secretary of the association Rajesh Sachdeva stated that the shoe merchants were paying VAT at the rate of 5.5 per cent and 13.75 per cent as applicable on the sale of footwear. He said comparatively it was a very small trade and about 20,000 families in the city were involved in it. He added that there was no exemption from VAT to any sale price of a pair of shoes. The district unit president of the association, Girdhari Lal Pandhi, said as per the latest classification, VAT at 5.5 per cent plus 10 per cent surcharge (totaling 6.05 per cent) up to the sale price of Rs 250 and thereafter VAT of 13 per cent plus 10 per cent surcharge (totaling 14.30 per cent) was excessive and they would have to pass its burden on customers by raising their prices.
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Hike in diesel prices elicits widespread criticism from residents
Amritsar, September 14
In the local market diesel prices recorded a rise of Rs 5.47 per liter as its cost jacked up from Rs 40.49 to Rs 45.96. On the other hand, branded diesel was dearer by Rs 18 per litre as it is now available at Rs 63.97. This came as a second blow for the residents after the state government recently levied fresh taxes on various essential items. The city residents feel that it will add more burden to them as diesel is widely used by transport companies and farmers. Punjab Petroleum Dealers Association president JP Khanna lambasted the government’s defence of raising the price on account of mounting losses to the PSUs and added that people must look at their balance sheets to know the truth. “The government only wishes to pocket a fat cheque at the end of the financial year,” he said. He added that soon its impact would be seen on almost all essential items from textile and cosmetics. Amritsar Retail Karyana Association president Kuldeep Rai Gupta said the impact of diesel hike would be far reaching as it would cause the increase in prices of almost all items used in kitchen. He reasoned that the majority of these essential items came here from different parts of the state primarily using trucks run on diesel for transportation of these. He mentioned that cereals were procured from Delhi, spices from South routed through Madhya Pradesh and oil from Rajasthan. Fruit and vegetable merchant Harish Taneja said prices of vegetables and fruit were set to increase after the hike in diesel as all these crops came from various parts of the country. Transporters today increased the freight charge on a box containing 10 kg apple from Rs 13 to Rs 15. On an average a truck carried 500 boxes, which meant Rs 1,000 freight rise on a truck. Currently, apple was being procured from Chamba. He added that more clear picture would emerge within a couple of days as tomato was being procured from Maharashtra. Amritsar Milk Halwai Association president Charanjit Singh Pappu, also proprietor of Gian di Hatti, famous for lassi (butter milk), said nearly Rs 5.50 hike per litre of diesel was very high and it would cause prices of milk and its allied items to increase. He said its impact would be known only next week. Automobile dealer Rajat Kumar said the hike in the prices of diesel might have limited impact on the sale of cars. He said the consecutive increase in the prices of petrol had tilted the balance in favour of diesel cars and the sale of cars in the latter segment increased considerably. An employee, Kusum Malhotra, said over 14 per cent hike in the prices of diesel in the city might be aimed at shoring up a weak fiscal position, but it would increase people’s kitchen budget considerably. A housewife, Ruchika, said it was strange that the government offered coal mines to its ministers and favourite companies and burdened “aam adami” with inflation. “I receive a limited sum from my husband to run the chores of the house and family, including kitchen and school fees of students, and am unsure how to adjust the domestic budget, which is set to rise”, she rued. She demanded that at least 12 cylinders on subsidised rate must be ensured to each family. She added that a cylinder hardly lasted even a month and how could the government expected it to last for two months. A company secretary, Arvind Bajoria, said the country’s wholesale price index (WPI) rose 7.55 per cent, higher than expected in August from earlier year, mainly driven by higher food prices due to poor monsoon rains and in this light hike in the diesel prices would only add to the inflationary trend. He commented that the increase in diesel prices was anticipated to add 60 basis points to inflation. A woman entrepreneur, Mirudala Bhardwaj, flaying the unprecedented increase of over Rs 5 in the diesel prices and limiting the number of subsidised LPG cylinders to six said the Union Government must spare a thought for the middle and lower income group families.
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BJP criticises govt
Amritsar, September 14 He said the Congress-led UPA government was facing allegations of corruption and instead of clearing itself of these charges it further undertook an anti-poor, anti-people decision of hiking the prices of the commodities of basic daily needs. Chhina said in a press note issued here that the Union Government often attributes the hike in prices of petroleum products to the international price rise of crude oil. “Why it does not take measures to correct the domestic issues instead of banking upon the international markets?” asked Chhina. He said now the transport charges would go up due to rise in diesel prices, which would further lead to inflation of all the consumer goods.
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No delay in tourism projects, says Phillaur
Amritsar, September 14 Addressing mediapersons here, Phillaur said as soon as a project was announced the people started expecting its early completion, but they did not realise that even if the blueprint was prepared a project could only materialise after receiving funds from the agency concerned. About Gobindgarh Fort, he said it was handed over to the Tourism Department in 2008 and the Centre provided the state government funds for its restoration in 2009. However, the project could not be completed due to paucity of funds. He said the funds were later received in May, 2012, and now the work on Gobindgarh Fort would be executed at a fast pace. He said the fort would be opened for tourists in March, 2013, when they would be able to see a light and sound show, besides the bungalow of General Dyre there, while the work would be fully completed by the end of 2014. He said the work on the heritage village was 70 per cent complete and it would be over by January, 2013. He said Amritsar had ranked 28th among major tourist destinations in India a few years back, but due to the efforts of the Tourism Department it reached the 12th spot. “We will try our best to bring Amritsar among top 10 tourist destinations in the country by the next year.” For promoting tourism in Amritsar, Phillaur said they would soon be putting up special campaign material like hoarding and signboards along the main roads leading to key points like airport, railway station, bus terminus, Golden Temple and Durgiana Temple. He claimed that their initiatives like Heritage Walk and Panj Sarovar Walk have evoked great interest among tourists, though maintaining cleanliness on the route had become a major issue. He said keeping the route clean was not possible without the help of local residents and therefore the department had launched a drive to sensitise the people about it. Besides, Baba Kulwant Singh and his volunteers had come forward to help maintain cleanliness on the route. Phillaur said they would also revamp the outer look of the old heritage buildings falling on the route of the Heritage Walk with the permission of the building owners. In the first phase, they would refurbish the outer look of Gurdwara Chaurasti Attari and Gurdwara Saragarhi with the consent of the SGPC. The department would also lend a fresh look to Thakur Dwara and Jalebiwala Chowk, he added. Phillaur revealed that Amritsar would host a Sufi Festival, being organised by SAARC on October 20, which would witness participation of artistes from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. He said they had also launched an awareness programme with the help of the United Nations Organisation (UNO) under which school and college students would be sensitised about tourist destinations.
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PCMS Association rues ‘illogical’ notification by government
Amritsar, September 14 As per the notification, dated September 10, the Health and Family Welfare Department has decided to give five annual increments (equivalent to 15 per cent hike over the basic pay) to specialists (doctors with extra PG qualification over MBBS). Addressing a press conference here, PCMS Association vice-president Dr Ranjit Singh Buttar said, “The very nature of decision is discriminatory. What about those who had acquired the degree before the date. Is it means that there PG degrees are not recognised.” The association said the department should be thankful to the senior specialists in the department as they were providing services without any recognition for all these years. Terming the notification as “half-hearted attempt” to fulfil the association’s demand, Dr Buttar said, “Only a few specialists would be benefited as a little recruitment in the public health sector in the state was made after 1998. The seniors would be at a loss.” At present as per the guidelines of the Sixth Pay Commission, specialists in the state are getting merely Rs 660 more than the MBBS doctors as higher qualification allowance. “As those who acquired specialisation before May 23, 2001 would continue to get Rs 660 as specialisation allowance and has been kept out of the ambit of new notification, only the juniors would get a 15 per cent hike. This way they would draw more pay than their seniors,” said Dr Balbir Singh Dhillon, another member of the association. Claiming that the Chief Minister had earlier admitted to giving five increments to all specialists along with other demands, Dr Buttar said, “The protest would be the last resort, when all others means failed. We do not want to make poor people visiting government hospitals suffer.” He said the government had still not fulfilled all the other demands that it had admitted to accept in principle. Demands of PCMS Association *
Five increments for specialists (even if they are on the verge of retirement).
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Bank holds vigilance conclave
Amritsar, September 14 Harpal Singh, DGM, said officials from branches across the state attended the function. It helped in learning about the problems faced by officials at local branches as solution were also proposed, he said. A separate meeting of the Banks Advisory Committee, chaired by Deputy Commissioner (DC) Rajat Aggarwal, was held. The DC said the branches in the district had extended Rs 688 crore more loans than the previous year. He said a total of Rs 4,837 crore had been given as loans by the various banks till June this year. He added that the loans to the agricultural sector had also been increased by around 172 per cent. He said from April to June around 2,169 farmers were issued Kisan Credit Cards.
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‘Environment Week’ observed at Khalsa College
Amritsar, September 14 Principal of the college Dr Daljit Singh emphasised on planting more and more trees and appreciated the drive undertaken by the NCC. He said the environment degradation would play havoc with the lives on earth if the corrective measures like these were not taken on time. NCC Assistant Officer Prof Iqbal Singh presented vote of thanks. Second Punjab Naval Unit NCC officials AS Shergill, JK Pandey and Head, Department of Physics, Dr Harvinder Kaur were present.
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Defence pension adalat ends
Amritsar, September 14 Remaining 121 cases have been forwarded to the authorities concerned for taking requisite action and these would be pursued by the DPDO till the redress of the complaint and the pensioners would be informed accordingly.
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Northern Region Athletics Meet starts at St Francis School
Amritsar, September 14 They presented a colourful march. Host school Principal Sr Maria Dias along with staff members welcomed chief guest Dr Sukdev Singh, Associate Professor and Head of Department of Physical Education, GND University. Among others, ASISC president Nirmal Kaur, secretary Rita Maria and coordinator, ASISC, North Region, Father Roby
were present.
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Intoxicants, cell phone seized from three undertrials in jail
Amritsar, September 14 Investigation officer SI Prabhjot Singh said a case under Sections 22, 61 and 85 of the NDPS Act and Section 42 of the Prisoners Act was registered against undertrials Sukhjinder Singh and Davinder Singh. Another case under Section 420 of the IPC and Section 42 of the Prisoners Act was registered against undertrial Sawinder Singh, from whom a mobile phone along with a SIM card was recovered.
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Amritsar, September 14
Expressing discontentment over the state government’s “illogical” notification of giving five increments to the specialists, who have acquired higher qualification after May 23, 2001, in the Health Department, the PCMS Association has termed it as discriminatory and decided to take up the matter with the Chief
Minister.
Over 200 students from 25 schools drawn from Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Chandigarh participated in the two-day first Northern Region Athletics Meet, organised by the Association of Schools for the Indian School Certificate
(ASISC) at St Francis School
here today.
