Players in action during the CBSE Cluster XVI Volleyball Tournament being played at Sri Guru Harkrishan Senior Secondary Public School in Amritsar on Thursday. Photo: Vishal Kumar

Looter arrested, country-made pistol recovered
Amritsar, October 18
The Amritsar rural police today arrested a notorious looter, identified as Gurbir Singh of Khairdeenke village. The police recovered a country-made pistol of .12 bore from his possession.

Centenary of Bollywood celebrated
Amritsar, October 18
Students of The Senior Study celebrated the centenary of Bollywood on the school premises here today.

Use innovative methods to avoid burning of crop residues, farmers told
Amritsar, October 18
The District Agriculture Department has appealed to the farmers to use innovative methods to avoid burning of crop residues in the fields after the harvest.

GND varsity organises poetry film show
Amritsar, October 18
The Department of English of Guru Nanak Dev University organised a poetry film show in collaboration with a voluntary organisation, Sadho.

 

Mandira Bedi (centre) who was in the city recently to launch "Forevermark jewellery brand" at Khurana Jewellers. Photo: Sameer Sehgal

 

 

Amritsar, October 18
The District Health Department today confirmed four dengue cases in the city. The department has further got 26 suspected cases. The blood tests of all suspected dengue cases have been conducted.

Talking to The Tribune, Civil Surgeon Yash Mitra confirmed that four dengue cases had been reported from the city. He said reports on the suspected dengue patients would arrive in one or two days.

Dr Mitra said all four patents were being treated properly and were out of danger. He said private hospitals had been instructed to report any new case to the department as and when it comes.

He said: "The department has prepared an isolated ward for dengue patients at the Jallianwala Bagh Memorial Civil Hospital. The department also provides treatment, which requires blood platelets at subsidised rates".

Dr Mitra has advised the people to drain out any water standing in the unused pots, utensils or other such things. “People should not throw used tyres, utensils and other suchlike things which can hold water in the open. The stagnant water becomes a breeding ground for mosquitoes,” he said.

Dr Mitra said spraying would be done in the localities from where the cases had been reported. He said the department was closely monitoring the situation.

He said the people should get the tests for dengue done if symptoms like headache and retro-orbital pain appear.

Amritsar, October 18
On the call of the All-India Postal Gramin Dak Sewak Employees Union, over 300 Gramin Dak Sewaks of the Amritsar Division held a sit-in outside the General Post Office building today. Their indefinite strike entered the third day today.

They sought raising the bonus ceiling to Rs 3,500, service to the next of the kin of deceased employee on compassionate ground, filling up of vacant posts and implementation of the National Health Insurance Planning Scheme.

Holding red colour flags, the agitating employees also raised slogans against the government.

Baljit Singh and Jasbir Singh, president and secretary of the Amritsar Division, respectively, said about three lakh Gramin Dak Sewaks across the country had been on the strike for the past three days. They also flayed the anti-employee policies of the Central government.

Among others, Darshan Dard, chairman, Central Government Coordination Committee, Ramesh Kumar, Circle Treasure and Gulab Singh took part in the agitation.

Amritsar, October 18
Following the challan presented by the district police on the basis of an FIR lodged on March 31, 2011, for allegedly creating ruckus on the Khalsa College premises during the agitation launched against the Khalsa College Managing Committee’s (KCMC) move to elevate the college into a university, all 22 teachers appeared before a local court today.

The teachers were granted bail and the next date of the hearing has been fixed as November 14.

A section of the teachers said they were not given sufficient time to present themselves in the court and that when a mutual agreement between the KCMC and the teachers was inked, they were unnecessarily being harassed due to the "hasty" move taken by the management.

Meanwhile, teachers associated with some local government-aided colleges also stopped teaching for two hours between 11 am and 1 pm on the premises of their respective colleges, to lodge their protest.

The KCMC maintained that it was a legal course of action through which the teachers would have to pass through and that the KCMC was firmly committed to its agreement with the teachers and had no intention to prosecute any teacher.

Showing solidarity with the agitating teachers, the general secretary of the Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers Union (PCCTU), Dr Kuldip Singh, said the teachers were being treated shabbily.

The president of the PCCTU, Dr JR Prashar, said when the teachers had reached an agreement with the KCMC on June 16, 2011, wherein it was clearly written that the FIR against the 22 teachers would be withdrawn, it was tantamount to moral degradation that the teachers had to appear before court like criminals. On the other hand, Khalsa College Governing Council’s honorary secretary RS Chhina told that the cases would have to be quashed while adopting proper legal procedure.

“Every one here was bound with the legal course of action. From our side, I must clarify that we are committed to the agreement that was held with the teachers, but everything ultimately would be settled in the court itself.

The question does not arise about victimising or harassing any teacher as we have absolutely no intention to take any sort of action against teachers booked in the case,” he said.

Amritsar, October 18
A special programme dedicated to Gurta Gaddi Diwas of Sri Guru Granth Sahib was organised by the Centre on Studies in Sri Guru Granth Sahib in the Guru Nanak Bhawan auditorium of Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), today.

Giani Gurbachan Singh, Jathedar, Sri Akal Takht Sahib, presided over, while Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti, former Jathedar, Sri Akal Takht Sahib and Sant Baba Sewa Singh, Khadoor Sahib, were the guests of honour on the occasion. Eminent music personality Bhai Baldeep Singh from Delhi recited traditional Shabad Reet.

Prof AS Brar, Vice-Chancellor of GNDU, welcomed the guests and inaugurated the function. Prof Balwant Singh Dhillon, director of the centre, delivered a special lecture on the occasion. Prof Gulzar Singh Kang, organising secretary, presented the vote of thanks.

Giani Gurbachan Singh in his presidential remarks blessed the organisers and the university. Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti appreciated the spiritual music and “Traditional Shabad Reet Gayan” presented by Bhai Baldeep Singh.

“The present Sikh generation has forgotten its traditional rituals and this type of efforts and programmes should be organised by the universities to revive our cultural heritage among the youth,” he said.

Prof Brar, in his inaugural address, said money would not be a constraint for any religious seminar. “Guru Nanak Dev University will extend full support for all kind of research on Sri Guru Granth Sahib,” he said. Later, he honoured all dignitaries who participated in the function.

Prof Balwant Singh said: “The role of institution of “Guruship” is very vital, which literally means Guru, a divine teacher". He said the status of Guru assigned only to God, Guru Nanak Dev and Sikh Gurus in his tradition, “Sabad” or “Bani” as enshrined in the Guru Granth Sahib.

He said the nature of “Guruship” was not personal but impersonal in character.

He said during the 18th Century, Guru Granth Sahib was the prized possession and Sikhs continued to seek consul from it as eternal Guru.

Amritsar, October 18
The District Agriculture Department has appealed to the farmers to use innovative methods to avoid burning of crop residues in the fields after the harvest.

The department has said by using the modified straw reaper, fields could easily be prepared for vegetable production without burning the straw.

Assistant agriculture engineer Ranbir Singh Randhawa said: “Crop residues can be converted into hay for animals by using the modified machine. Winters usually see the scarcity of dry fodder for animals, but the shortage can easily be overcome if farmers use the new machine.”

He said the demonstration of the new machine was held in the Attari block for the farmers. Kamboj Mechanical Works in Ramdas were selling the machine under the guidance of the Agriculture Department.

He said farmers would incur a cost of Rs 1,800-Rs 2,000 on the process while they could get the dry fodder costing around Rs 5,000-Rs 6,000. He said if the farmers were to sow wheat, then they could use ‘happy seeder’ machine. “The fields wherein this machine is used see less growth of weeds and more production. The farmers can also save costs incurred on spraying weedicides when weeds are less,” he said.

“Crop residues act as nourishment for the crop when they are left to rot in the fields. The farmers can get 3 tonnes to 4 tonnes of organic manure for the crop. Besides, they can save Rs 1,800 to Rs 2,000 on preparing fields through traditional methods,” he said.

Randhawa said it had been proved by agricultural scientists that farmers get more yield from the fields where crop residues were not burnt. “If we burn the residues, we kill thousands of microorganisms and insects that are helpful for the crop,” he added.

Amritsar, October 18
The Department of English of Guru Nanak Dev University organised a poetry film show in collaboration with a voluntary organisation, Sadho.

Nine short duration finest poetry films based on the poems of renowned poets of the world were presented and sign language poetry films were shown to the students. This was part of the 3rd Sadho Poetry Film Fest (2011-12).

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Sukhdev Singh, Head of the Department, said this show was a unique experience and a rarely seen genre of cinema.

He said the department would organise a series of lectures, workshops and shows on different media of art, language, culture and communication.

Jatinder Ram Parkash, a well-known media personality and founder of Sadho, explained the art of poetry making as a genre and described the content and context of films.

Earlier, Dr Gurupdesh Singh welcomed the chief guest and others, while Dr Yubee Gill presented a vote of thanks and Dr Sumneet Kaur introduced the chief guest.