|
|
|
|
With Navratras, festivities begin
500 kg of polythene carry bags seized
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Unauthorised auto-rickshaws flout norms
 Amritsar, October 16
Unauthorised auto-rickshaws, often overloaded, continue to have a free run in the holy city. Their drivers flout traffic norms and put the lives of riders as well as other commuters in danger. Auto-rickshaws parked illegally adjacent to the ISBT on the GT Road, obstructing the normal flow of traffic. Photos: sameer sehgal
Five held for possessing smack, illegal liquor
Diwali, Karva Chauth exhibition begins in city
Vegetable vendors fume over Market panel stand
Workshop on Internet-based colour matching held
Officials of the Wool Research Academy, Mumbai, interact with local industrialists in Amritsar. Photo: sameer sehgal
'Set up industries to check rising unemployment’
DAV school wins first prize
Students learn art of cartoon making
Help admn in turning city green, DC tells citizens
|
|
With Navratras, festivities begin
Amritsar, October 16 The Langoor mela Along with the Navratras, come langoors. Well, not the real kind, but small kids, who dress up as langoors to participate in the famous Langoor Mela. The-10 day festival celebrated in Amritsar has significance as it is celebrated at Pracheen Sri Bara Hanuman Temple. The complex is thronged by groups of "langoors" - children clad in glittering red dress and wearing a special conical cap and holding silver sticks. Many people come from across the world to attend the festival. Like this, a couple from Canada, Sanjeev Kumar and his wife Priya, have made their sons, Sagar (5) and Prince ( 3) langoors. "It's a very important festival as it is believed that those who are blessed with son should come and dress him up as a langoor and pay obeisance,” says Sanjeev. Thousands of "langoors" come to attend the festival from the length and breadth of the country. Fast and feast Now, Navratras is about showing devotion through fasting. But who said that fasting can’t be turned into feasting? Ask those who are part of the league and they’ll tell where to get the savouries. Though fasting is in for the season, it also means one can enjoy various Navaratra recipes. While the specifics include kuttu or singhara flour, potatoes and milk delicacies, the satvik menu gets a makeover with all major restaurants coming up with tempting options. It includes snacks and savouries such as kuttu poori served with kaddu ki sabzi, aloo dahiwale, paneer makhani, aloo saboodana ki tikki, raita, salad and saboodana papad. Of course, there are special offers for those with a sweet tooth, like parsi malai kulfi and makhane ki kheer inside the busy bylanes of the walled city. While Nvaratras means gorging on loads of fruits and greens, it is an absolutely perfect time to loose the extra kilos, that is if you are not tempted. Dandiya Nite Thank the Gujratis for showing the world how to celebrate during Navratras, for they have given the world dandiya nite. So, for those who desire to groove to some Gujju beats and celebrate Navratras, Avaas has come up with Dandiya Nite, where a DJ will spin out live music. The event is on October 19.
|
|
500 kg of polythene carry bags seized
Amritsar, October 16 The team confiscated over 500 kg of plastic carry bags from four shops and recommended to lodge FIRs against the shop owners for not complying with the prescribed norms. Later, the team raided Kundan Dhaba and found its kitchen and store in a deplorable state. As per the Punjab Plastic Carry Bags (Manufacture, Usage and Disposal) Control Act-2005, there is a ban on polythene bags below 30 microns in width, having dimensions less than 8X12 inches or not complying with specified colours. Health officer Dr Yogesh Arora said the special drive was conducted after receiving a tip-off that substandard polybags were being used by some shopkeepers. “The carry bags being put in use by these shopkeepers were beyond the permissible limits. We have recommended the higher authorities to lodge FIRs against them,” he said. About the raid conducted at Kundan Dhaba, the health officer said the room where the raw food products were stored was in a dilapidated condition. “There are certain guidelines of storage, which were being flouted with impunity here. Similarly, unhygienic conditions prevailed in the kitchen area. Also, the staff was not provided with proper uniform and no medical facility was made available for them by the management of the dhaba. They will be issued notices”, he added.
|
|
Unauthorised auto-rickshaws flout norms
Amritsar, October 16 Even the high court directions hold little significance for them. Political patronage and the lack of any other public transport helps their cause a lot. The District Transport Office records say that there are 9,342 officially registered rickshaws plying in the city, but the DTO is also aware of the fact that over 25,000 other autos have been plying on the city roads in an illegal manner. The generally overloaded autorickshaws are mostly driven by underage and inexperienced drivers without driving licences. Ferrying eight to 10 persons in an auto-rickshaw blatantly makes it overloaded, which is another punishable crime. The transport law as well as the high court limits the number of passengers or school children in an auto to six, but here the space beside the driver is used to carry passengers. To maximise their profits, a section of them resort to using kerosene as a fuel, which adds to environment pollution in the city. Many a time, the Herculean task of managing the autorickshaw menace was initiated by the local traffic police, the municipal corporation, but it yielded no results. Recently, BJP MP Navjot Singh Sidhu, along with his wife and Chief Parliamentary Secretary, Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu, and Police Commissioner Ram Singh jointly released a traffic plan prepared by the city police. How far these steps would be effective is yet to be seen but the core problem of multi-fold increase in the illegal autorickshaw operation in the city needs to be addressed. Even as multi-lane bridges and elevated roads are there on Amritsar’s entry point, you would find extreme traffic chaos. Auto-rickshaw drivers apply brakes anywhere in between the road to pick passengers unmindful of the heavy traffic flow coming from behind, leading to serious road accidents. As per the transport norms, auto-rickshaws could only be operated within the limits of the municipal corporation of the district where they are registered, but in gross violation of the transport norms, auto-rickshaws are carrying tourists from the city to the Attari Wagah Joint Check Post (JCP), nearly 36 km from the holy city. On the other hand, the district administration and the Transport Department are oblivious of the trouble in waiting, which could prove disastrous.
Post police drive, auto union goes on strike
Following the recent drive launched by the police, one of the local auto-rickshaw unions today adopted agitational mode and remained off road till this evening. They conducted a rally at the Chheharta chowk, under CPI leader Amarjit Singh Asal. They alleged that the policemen unnecessarily harassed them and also demanded the rollback of the enhancement in taxes, which were increased from Rs 300 to Rs 563 per auto annually. It was only after the intervention of the ADCP (traffic)
Baljit Randhawa that they called off their strike. The auto-drivers agreed to furnish the documents and abide by the traffic norms.
|
|
Five held for possessing smack, illegal liquor
Amritsar, October 16 In the first instance, the police arrested Mangal Singh, a resident of the Anngarh area, and recovered 10 gm of smack from his possession. In the second instance, the police arrested Narjinder Singh, Jagraj Singh and Gurwail Singh, alias Shera, and seized 19 boxes of Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) and 150 gm of intoxicant powder from his possession. A case under Sections 22/61/85 of the NDPS Act and Sections 61/1/14 of the Excise Act has been registered against them. In the third case, the police arrested Rajinder Singh, a resident of Majitha road, under Sections 61/1/14 of the Excise Act for possessing 48 bottles of IMFL.
|
|
Diwali, Karva Chauth exhibition begins in city
Amritsar, October 16 Wedding gowns, designer Pakistani suits, formal Indian outfits, Lucknowi chikan suit, gold, silver and imitation jewellery, bags, footwear, home accessories, kids wear, etc, are on display at the exhibition. A mehandi artist from Mumbai is a special attraction of the exhibition. Noted names like Kavi’s touch, MNY Jewels - Jaipur, Ayesha creation - Mumbai, Attire - Mumbai, Divya Sharan - Ludhiana, Radhika Jewels - Delhi, Knack Creation - Chandigarh, Rose creation - Ludhiana and Collection 21 - Delhi are showcasing their products at the exhibition. Binti Kumar, owner of "Wedding Mantra" and the organiser, said the purpose of the exhibition was to bring designer products from across the country at one place so that the residents of the city could welcome the festive season with the best of products. “We have been organising fashion exhibitions since 2006 and have put more than 20 exhibitions in Amritsar and across Punjab. With every exhibition, we try to bring in different products and new concepts for our visitors,” she said. She added that a Christmas carnival would be held in December in which products and activities for kids would be organised. The event would give a chance to parents and children to spend some fun time together.
|
|
Vegetable vendors fume over Market panel stand
Amritsar, October 16 The market is caught in a wrangle as it falls under the area of an ammunition depot of the Army in the Vallah area. Perturbed merchants have decided to approach Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, who recently announced to expeditiously develop the holy city by heading Metropolitan Council of Amritsar. Kanwaljit Singh Pahwa, a trader, said the Market Committee, in a written communique addressed to a trader of the Vallah market, stated that although a road was available at the place where 31 plots for raising shops had been provided, but it was only 20 feet wide, which was insufficient to accommodate the entry and exit of vehicles. He said as per PUDA rules, only those residential areas were approved, which have at least 25-feet road. On the other hand, the commercial area was being offered 20-feet wide road where even loading and unloading of vehicles also took place. He pointed out that there was nearly 1 km difference between the 40 shops allotted in 2003 and 31 shops allotted in 2009. He said the physical separation between these shops hampered easy transaction and smooth exchange of business. He said the business at the 31 shops had also dipped as buyers and sellers returned from the advantageously located shops in the front of the market. He said the space for the shed provided near the 31 plots allotted for raising shops was also insufficient. There was no ventilation on the back side of the shops as was provided to the previously allocated shops. He demanded providing of full amenities in the market, which supplies veggies and fruits to the entire city. Bhupinder Singh Kohli, another trader, said the Punjab Mandi Board failed to provide basic amenities and trade facilities to promote business and assure quality fresh fruit and vegetable to the common people at the wholesale vegetable and fruit market at Vallah. Amenities like toilet, bathrooms, potable water, stay houses for growers and farmers visiting the market from far-off places and facilities like cold storage for preserving fresh farm produce and raised platforms for auctioning the produce were still missing. He said there was a need for bank, post office, canteen and weighing bridge. He recalled that before the shifting of traders from the Old Sabji Mandi to Vallah, they had been lured with the promise of providing them the state-of-the-art market. Farmers, traders and shopkeepers dealing in vegetable and fruit are annoyed at the deplorable condition of infrastructure. Jagtar Singh, a farmer, who supplies vegetables from the nearby villages to the market, said agriculturists faced innumerable troubles in supplying the fresh produce at the market. He said roads in and around the market were teeming with potholes. After showers, these potholes turned into puddles and aggravated the risk of accidents.
|
|
Workshop on Internet-based colour matching held
Amritsar, October 16 CK Acharya, director of the association, said the WRA had developed many software and machineries to get accurate colour scheme, which diminished the chances of difference in the pattern of two shades. He said the arrival of retail major Marks & Spencer, Walmart and other companies was expected to generate the demand for quality products. He said companies offering quality product would manage to win contracts. He said the processing houses of the textile industry could expand their facilities by manufacturing sports goods and technical textile like agro, road, unwoven fabrics used in automobiles. He said the demand for these textiles was likely to pick up in the near future. PL Seth, a local textile manufacturer, while sharing his experience after participating in the workshop, said it expanded the horizon of the local manufacturers. He said they could expand their manufacturing and take guidance of the association.
|
|
'Set up industries to check rising unemployment’
Amritsar, October 16 He claimed that unemployment rate was comparatively higher in border districts of Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Gurdaspur, Pathankot and Ferozepur and governments, both state and Centre, must make efforts and provide new avenues of employment through certain specified policy. Welcoming the statement of Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal for setting up an education hub in Amritsar, he said rural areas of border districts also needed specified industrial hubs. He said the Deputy Chief Minister must take up the matter with the Centre to press for tax-holidays and other incentives to woo the industrialists to make investments in the border areas. Apart from education, agro-based industries and tourism had a great potential to develop in the area. There were fewer jobs available in the government and private sector due to the lack of industrialisation, he said. The growth of the agriculture sector was dismal and the sector could not absorb the large number of workforce any more. Thus, the youth from here were migrating to other states and abroad.
|
|
DAV school wins first prize
Amritsar, October 16 The competition was held on the theme of “Energy: Explore, Harness and Conservation”. In the event, a team of 5 students of the school participated. They along with their mentors conducted a survey on the environmental problems and prepared a presentation on the theme of “Energy: Explore, Harness and Conservation”. Dr VP Lakhanpal, chairman of DAV International School, and Neelam Kamra, Regional Director, congratulated the staff, students and principal on this occasion.
|
|
Students learn art of cartoon making
Amritsar, October 16 He excited students with his deftness at making simple cartoons like caricatures of people and animals. Over 395 students from class IV to class VI imbibed the rare insight into the cartoon world. It was aimed at developing creative skills to open up the gates of presenting a point of view in a new way, he said. Narayan, who is teaching students of various schools and has been drawing for various newspapers and publishing houses for over 16 years, has also been an educator for over nine years. Addressing the students, he said firstly it was important to appreciate the art of cartoon making before trying your hand at creative skills. Later, the very art could be used professionally whether with the use of multimedia or freestyle drawing. He stressed on the need to understand humour in figures and looking at things differently, besides using birds and animals as human caricatures.
|
|
Help admn in turning city green, DC tells citizens
Amritsar, October 16 He said this after planting saplings at Shahid Madan Lal Dhingra Park here yesterday. He said the district topped in planting maximum saplings in the state last year. He urged the citizens of the city to assist the administration in turning the city green. Among others, Municipal Corporation Commissioner Dharam Pal Gupta, District Forest Officer Nirmal Singh Randhawa, Pollution Control Committee president PS Bhatti and others took part in planting saplings of various kinds.
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | E-mail | |
For most Indians, the month of October means a hole in their pockets, as all the major festivals mark their annual attendance in the same month. To begin the festivities are Navratras. The nine days of fasting and feasting have begun and so have the celebrations.
Plastic Carry Bags Control Act and food safety control in the district, a special squad, under the supervision of Amritsar Municipal Corporation health officer Yogesh Arora, raided various shops in the Katra Baghian area.
Amritsar, October 16
Fruit and vegetable merchants of the notified wholesale Vallah Mandi are peeved at the Market Committee after the latter spurned their majority of the demands on the pretext that many amenities were already available in the market.
The Wool Research Association (WRA), Mumbai, held an awareness programme-cum-workshop on sportech and Internet-based colour matching here yesterday.
CK Acharya, director of the association, said the WRA had developed many software and machineries to get accurate colour scheme, which diminished the chances of difference in the pattern of two shades.
Amritsar, October 16
