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Tough time for visitors to Golden Temple
11 PCR teams to patrol Golden Temple area
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Farmers at Bhagtanwala grain market a harried lot
Amritsar, October 13 
Farmers at the Bhagtanwala grain market are a harried lot due to the lack of proper arrangements. Besides slow lifting of their produce, rat menace and threat of grain theft do not allow them to leave their paddy produce unattended.A labourer at work in Bhagtanwala grain market in Amritsar. Photo: Vishal Kumar
Mystery shrouds death of cop
An enriching experience for city students in Seoul
Demand to shift X-ray machines
Activists burn effigy of Union Law Minister
3 nabbed with narcotics
DAV College principal felicitated
Seminar on research methodology in applied economics concludes
Annual orthopaedic conference from Oct 27
CBSE athletics meet begins
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Tough time for visitors to Golden Temple
Amritsar, October 13 Even as the deadline to complete the project was September 5, as confirmed by the Punjab Heritage and Tourism Promotion Board (PHTPB), the work is far from completion. A pilgrim from Asansol (West Bengal) Gurupdesh Singh lambasted the government and the SGPC for not making adequate alternative arrangements to provide a hassle-free passage to devotees from Ghanta Ghar Bazar to the Golden Temple complex. He said the authorities had failed to ensure a hassle-free visit of devotees to the shrine, which had been acknowledged among the 10 most-visited spots in the world. Another devotee Surjit Singh said a narrow path from Main Sewa wala Bazar through the railway ticket centre leads to the Golden Temple. He said a toilet set was also situated at a side of the path. The situation turns worse when langar stalls were placed over the little open space. Food and water spill onto the narrow path while devotees have to jostle their way to the Golden Temple. It may be mentioned here that Chief Minister Parkash Singh, before the formal announcement of the project, had announced that a detailed capacity and movement plan of the Sangat, especially during Gurupurbs, would be chalked out so that there was no blockade in the path of devotees. Another devotee Harbhajan Singh said the patch of road from Jallebiyan Wala Chowk to the entrance of the Golden Temple at Main Sewan Wala Bazaar was narrow yet the traffic police was allowing four wheelers to ply on the road. He demanded that the four-wheelers should not be permitted on the route. In response to queries by RTI activist Naresh Johar, the PHTPB said the plaza was being built on 8000 sq m and the work started on September 6, 2011. He said it stated it would have facilities like a public lodge with kitchen and pentry to accommodate 100 people, a visitor interpretation centre, information office, public conveniences, VIP Block and security services in addition to Jora Ghar (shoe deposit room). He opined that the all these facilities would be primarily for VIPs yet common pilgrims are facing the inconvenience. He said he failed to understand the governments which are invariably in a hurry to announce new projects without adopting mechanism to monitor and review the progress of the already taken-up projects. He said a similar mistake was being committed with undergoing restoration and development of tourist places in the holy city. He pointed out that ramps of the elevated road were still under construction, while major roads like Shera Wala Gate and Gheo Mandi Gate, both leading to the Golden Temple, were full of potholes, but the government was again promising magnetic pods. He said the government should be pragmatic in its approach. Johar demanded that before the start of any development project, there should be a display board near the construction site announcing its name, duration to complete it, name of contractor, cost of project and names and contact numbers of monitoring agency. This will facilitate the public to have easy information flow. SGPC secretary Dalmegh Singh said the decision of permitting the langar at the particular spot would be reviewed, while the plying of four-wheelers on the narrow stretch of road would be taken up with the authorities.
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11 PCR teams to patrol Golden Temple area
Amritsar, October 13 The police department has deputed 44 police employees, besides 10 policemen in plain clothes near Harimandir Sahib to keep a close eye on the anti-social elements involved in snatchings and robberies. Ram Singh, Police Commissioner, today said that the police teams would work in collaboration with task force of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC). He said that three motorcycles of the PCR teams would patrol the area round the clock, while the remaining teams would be deputed at Ghee Mandi Chowk, Sherawala Gate, Mahan Singh Gate, Ram Singh Chowk, Hall Gate, Sikandari Gate, Katra Jaimal Singh and Shastri Market. He said the 10 policemen had been appointed in the visit the areas adjoining to holy shrine. During the recent visit of Sukhbir Singh Badal to the Golden Temple, several local residents and pilgrims had approached him and complained about the rising petty crimes, especially snatchings. Tourists and pilgrims have become the prime target for the snatchers, while the police department failed to end the menace. Following this, Badal held a meeting with police officials and pulled them up. He also instructed them to initiate immediate steps to improve the law and order situation, especially around the Golden Temple.
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Farmers at Bhagtanwala grain market a harried lot
Amritsar, October 13 The farmers today apprised Ajmer Singh Lakhowal, chairman, Punjab State Agricultural Marketing Committee, of the difficulties they have been facing at one of the largest grain markets in the border region. Ajmer Singh visited the grain market to listen to the problems of farmers coming to the market to sell their produce. Narinder Behal, president of the Commission Agents Association, also submitted a memorandum to the chairman complaining about the dilapidated condition of roads, construction of boundary walls and construction of railway over bridge at Bhagtanwala railway crossing, which usually witnesses huge traffic jams. They also raised the issue of dumping of garbage by the local Municipal Corporation alongside the grain market. Sardul Singh, a farmer, said there was no proper eating joint or dhaba from where farmers could eat food. Besides, there is also shortage of drinking water facilities in the market. “Food joints and dhabas are located outside the market. But, it is very difficult for us to go out to satiate our hunger,” he said. “Garbage from the adjoining dump and piles of dirt get mixed with the produce whenever a tractor trolley passes through the area," said another farmer, Fauja Singh, adding that rats also damaged their produce. Ajmer Singh held a meeting with Manjit Singh, secretary of the Market Committee, about the possible solution of the problems being faced by various associations and farmers. After this, he said the Mandi Board was determined to provide every possible help and facility to the
farmers in grain markets. He said there were about 1,770 grain markets from where paddy was being procured. If farmers were facing any kind of problem, they could contact the control room of the mandi. He said the basic reason behind the slow lifting of paddy was the strike of rice shellers over some dispute, which had now been resolved and it would pick up in the next couple of days. He also took notice of the delay in the payments by procuring agencies and said he would take up the matter with Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in this connection.
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Mystery shrouds death of cop
Amritsar, October 13 He was posted with the Amritsar rural police and had been deputed in the security team of a local industrial unit. The accused reportedly decamped with his service revolver, besides the purse containing about Rs 10,000 cash. Preliminary investigations have found that Gurdeep was first shot at by the unidentified assailants and later they took away his belongings, including the service revolver. It appears to be a looting incident, but the police authorities said the exact cause of the incident was yet to be investigated. The Sultanwind police has started investigations after registering a case under Section 302 of the IPC and Sections 25/54/59 of the Arms Act against the unknown persons. According to information, the incident took place between 8 PM and 9 PM when he was returning home after paying obeisance at Gurdwara Baba Deep Singh Shaheed located near Chatiwind gate. He was spotted by his son Sandeep Singh, who was also returning with his uncle Gurtej Singh from the Gurdwara. Sandeep Singh, a resident of Patti
Khuh, Guru Arjan Dev Nagar, Verowal road, Jandiala Guru, stated to the police that Gurdeep, along with his friend Kulwant Rai, had met them at the Gurdwara and after paying obeisance at the shrine, his father returned home. He said when he, along with his uncle, was returning home after doing some shopping, he saw his father lying on a roadside. Some unidentified persons had shot at him at the back of his neck due to which he died on the spot. Parvesh Chopra, SHO, Sultanwind Police Station, said investigations had been initiated after the postmortem examinations at Government Medical College here. He said they were yet to investigate whether Gurdeep was having arms or he had deposited it with the department concerned. He said they did not find any arms from the spot.
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An enriching experience for city students in Seoul
Amritsar, October 13 The three were part of the team representing India at the International Folk Dance Festival in Seoul, South Korea, and have just returned from an eight-day fiesta. The annual event that brings together several countries across the globe to fight it out in a battle of cultures was an experience of a lifetime, they all agreed. “We never felt so proud of our culture," shared Navdeep Sandhu, who is a member of the faculty at Springdales. “We got to spent eight days with talented dancers from all continents, 24 teams from across Africa, Europe, Asia and lived under one roof as a big family. It was amazing to soak in all the uniqueness and creativity provided by these teams,” she said. The three were part of a bigger group from Punjab, comprising 12 dancers, hailing from Ludhiana, Kapurthala and Amritsar. And boy did they enjoy making their global audience dance to the tunes of "dhol" and "tumbi". “We did. We got the maximum applause and were the most colourful team on stage. Also, ours was the most energetic performance by popular choice,” said Navdeep. The fact that they couldn’t capitalise on their presence by getting a position fades away in front of the scale of the exposure and growth they achieved. “Most teams had performances based on love and romance, but ours was about happiness, larger emotion and celebration,” she added. And being judged on not just their choreography, but punctuality, team organisation and costumes was one thing that kept them focused. “Being there opened a lot of possibilities for us, in the sense that we saw the world beyond the four boundaries of our school. As a teacher, I learnt a lot of things I’d like to inculcate in my students and for the students. It was something that brought them closer to their cultural identity,” said Navdeep. Also the fact that they got to live, eat, sleep and breathe music. “There were lots of dances and traditions that we found similar to ours. Like a lot of percussion instruments being used, gestures, movements, rhythm and music. Every team had to display its stalls and we pulled a lot of crowd with our phulkaris, dhol and pakhis,” gushed Navdeep. The one team they were impressed with was Turkey. “Music is in their blood. Whether on-stage or off it, they were like a family and made everyone part of it.” With the patriotic spirit and competitive mode in full swing, they also had their fun with impromptu practice sessions, random performances and enjoying the South Korean hospitality. “Most fun was when some team would start playing randomly and everybody else would join in, turning it into a big jamming session. Korean people are very warm and when I got my ankle twisted while performing, I was really taken care of. It felt home away from home,” said Navdeep. It was all about celebrating the uniqueness of cultures on world stage. “We used to wear suits and traditional clothes all day long since we were being judged all the time. During the street parades, we walked distances, giving impromptu performances in between, feeling like celebrities.”
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Demand to shift X-ray machines
Amritsar, October 13 The residents said as per the orders of the Punjab State Human Rights Commission, the X-ray machines could not be allowed to operate from the residential areas. They alleged that despite the orders, the X-ray centres had not been removed by the municipal corporation (MC) from the area. The machines had not been removed despite the PSHRC explicitly ordering so, said Amrit Lal Jain, a resident. He said two such centres were running from the residential localities in the area. The X-ray centers are running in the residential area of Sant Avenue near Radhaswami Satsang Bhawan. The MC had earlier asked these to be shifted from the residential area. The residents said the centres should be removed, as these were harmful to the people. Besides, the dera was visited by hundreds of devotees every week and these machines posed a great danger to their health, said Jain. Jain alleged that even as the residents had complained a number of times, these centres had not been shifted out from the area. Residents of the area near Radhaswami Satsang Bhawan had filed a petition before the commission in February, 2008, that several people had installed X-ray machines in the area without taking adequate safety measures as per the guidelines of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), Government of India. In the judgment, the PSHRC had directed the Commissioner to get the machines shifted in accordance with the law.
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Activists burn effigy of Union Law Minister
Amritsar, October 13 Local leaders of the IAC, including Ashok Talwar, Vijay Mehta, Jagdeep Singh, Vijay Mehra, said the Union government was resorting to high handedness against the peaceful protests of Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi. They said Kejriwal and his associates had brought out facts against the Law Minister to the notice of the public. They demanded that the government instead of instituting inquiry to uncover the entire truth was resorting to arm twisting methods.
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Amritsar, October 13 Those arrested have been identified as Jasbir Singh of Jora Majra village, Patiala, Rohit Kumar of Gali Lamba Wali here and Sunil Sharma of Kot Baba Deep Singh. The police seized 230 grams, 250 grams of narcotic powder and 400 capsules of habit-forming drugs from their possession, respectively. During the interrogation of Rohit Kumar, police found that he was involved in vehicle lifting also. On his information, the police recovered four motorcycles and a car. He had stolen these vehicles from various parts of the city. — TNS
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DAV College principal felicitated
Amritsar, October 13 The results of the elections were disclosed recently. Four members of the DAV College Managing Committee participated in these elections and all of them have been chosen. Dr Kaul, who got sixth position in the senate, is already a syndicate member and had earlier also remained a senate member from 2008-2012. He has an experience of 35 years in teaching and seven years as the principal.
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Seminar on research methodology in applied economics concludes
Amritsar, October 13 KS Pathania, Chief Commissioner of Income Tax, was the chief guest at the valedictory session. He applauded the efforts of the institution for organising a seminar on the theme, which will promote research among the young scholars. He also congratulated the principal and the staff of the college for organising the seminar. Dr RS Bawa, Vice-Chancellor, Chandigarh University, delivered the valedictory address in which he highlighted the importance of research. He emphasised the adoption of right methodology which should be followed for successful research. Further speaking on the topic, he said values like honesty, integrity and sincerity were prerequisite for completing research. Earlier, on the final day of the two-day UGC-sponsored seminar, the first academic session was chaired by Dr Gian Kaur, Professor, Punjab School of Economics, GNDU. In this session, Gursharan Kaur and Dr Paramjeet Kaur Dhindsa, Anita Gogna and Nayya Mahajan, Anjana Khanna, Rachita, Naveen Sharma, Dr Anupreet Mavi, Dr Vani Arora and Dr Parminder Singh, Dr Amarjeet Singh Sethi and Anu Bajaj presented the papers. The second academic session was chaired by Dr Vikram Chadha, Head and Professor, Punjab School of Economics, GNDU. In this session, Ritu Arora, Navalpreet Kaur, Dr Veena Sharma, Sukhman, Jasveen Walia, Dr Ikander Pal and Kanwarpal Singh, Sanjeev Sharma and Swati Kansara presented papers on the theme of the seminar. Earlier, a detailed report of the seminar was read by Poonam Kohli, Head, Department of Economics, in which she presented the deliberations and resolutions brought out from the discussion of delegates and paper presenters. Dr Neelam Kamra, principal of the host college, welcomed the guests and appreciated the Department of Economics for making this event a success. Sudershan Kapoor, chairman, LMC, presented the vote of thanks.
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Annual orthopaedic conference from Oct 27
Amritsar, October 13 The conference will be inaugurated by Dr SS Gill, Vice-Chancellor, Baba Farid University of Health Sciences, Faridkot, on October 27 on the campus of the institute. On the first day of the conference, there will be two hands-on workshops for imparting practical training to postgraduate students and orthopaedic surgeons on the subject of pelvic injuries and arthroscopic repairs of knee joint. The workshops will be conducted by pioneer orthopaedic surgeons who are subject experts and authorities in their respective fields. The second day of the conference will include guest lectures from national and international faculty on current orthopaedic problems.
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CBSE athletics meet begins
Amritsar, October 13 Events under-14, 16 and 19 age groups are being held in shot put, javelin throw, discuss throw, triple jump, high jump, long jump and track events (5,000m, 3,000m, 1,500m, 800m, 400m, 200m, 100m & 4 X 100m). CBSE observer Parveen Kumar inaugurated the meet, while renowned sportspersons Brig Harcharan Singh (retd), also hockey Olympian, Kabul Singh Lali and Kashmir Singh Khiala graced the event. Sandeep Rishi ADC, Dr Sukhdev Singh, director and overall in charge of the meet (Head of the Department), Physical Education, Dr Amandeep Singh, technical director (Professor) Physical Education, Dr BS Bal, Technical Professor, Department of Physical Education, all from GNDU, were present on the occasion.
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Tourists visiting the Golden Temple are having a tough time due to the ongoing work at the Golden Temple entrance plaza.
Activists of the India Against Corruption (IAC) here today burnt the effigy of Union Law Minister Salman Khurshid and raised slogans against
the Congress-led UPA Government. Local leaders of the IAC, including Ashok
Talwar, Vijay Mehta, Jagdeep Singh, Vijay Mehra, said the Union government was resorting to high handedness against the peaceful protests of Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi.
