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Mystery shrouds dentist’s death
GNDUTA alleges ‘tampering’ with proceedings during promotions
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Civil Surgeon told not to take clerical work from paramedical staff
Yearender - entertainment
'Radio classes' for border schools
YEARENDER 2012 health
Two booked for blackmailing
YEARENDER 2012 Development |
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Mystery shrouds dentist’s death
Amritsar, December 21 Ravinder Singh, husband of the deceased, said they had returned late in the night after attending a function, where they had drinks. He told the police that she had slept in a separate room and this morning he found her body hanging from the
ceiling fan. Mohit, an employee of the clinic, said Dr Ritu was under stress following several phone calls from a mobile number, which he had given to the police. “Dr Ritu was a very efficient and good doctor,” he said. He said today when he along with Sunny, another employee, opened the clinic and called at her home, the family told them that she was not well and asked them to cancel all the appointments. They said Dr Ritu had a fight with a person, known to her, a few days ago in
the clinic. KS Gill, ADCP (Headquarters), said, "As the circumstantial evidences are pointing towards some foul play, we are getting the postmortem of the body conducted." He said investigations were under progress and anything concrete could be said only after the postmortem report.
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GNDUTA alleges ‘tampering’ with proceedings during promotions
Amritsar, December 21
Addressing mediapersons here today, GNDUTA president Dr Davinder Singh maintained that the Selection Committee for promotion, headed by GNDU Vice-Chancellor AS Brar “tampered” with the proceedings for the promotion of two university teachers. He said members of the GNDUTA would hold protest before the Selection Committee to stop ongoing interviews for promotion. Meanwhile, when contacted, Vice-Chancellor AS Brar refuting the allegation said it was not more than a malicious campaign. He said the Selection Committee comprised eight members, including Chairman. The committee included a Chancellor’s nominee, three experts, a representative of women, SC/ST, Dean of the Faculty, Head of the Department. He said in the presence of all these senior officials everything was done as per the guidelines of the UGC and unanimously. When contacted Rajinder Kaur Pawar, who was member of the committee, which interviewed both the candidates, said there was nothing wrong in writing the date as it was addition and not "tampering" as was being projected. She said when the committee found that the candidate was not eligible then a new date was given. Secretary of the GNDUTA Lakhwinder Singh Kang alleged that in the absence of lack of any objective and transparent criteria and irregularities in the selection process, promotion to four teachers was denied and date of eligibility of five teachers was changed, which was unfair and illegal. He said the university administration must communicate the criteria to the faculty to make selections transparent and objective. He claimed that teachers, who had got 50 or above marks after considering all the components, including, contribution to research, assessment of domain knowledge and teaching practices, besides interview performance, yet the date of eligibility was changed.
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Civil Surgeon told not to take clerical work from paramedical staff
Amritsar, December 21 The department had earlier on November 1 ordered to send two employees, namely Satish Kumar, pharmacist, and Navdeep Singh, multipurpose health worker, to their place of posting.The Tribune had in a news item published on December 4 revealed that the orders were not complied with and the two persons mentioned in the orders were still serving at the Birth and Death Registration Office in the Civil Surgeon’s Office. The state department in a separate letters to all the districts has ordered to send a certificate that no paramedic is deputed at any of the ministerial staff posts in their offices. The Punjab Health Department Subordinate Clerical Association had taken up the matter with the department stating that it is unjust to put paramedics at such posts. General secretary of the association Jagdish Thakur said, “Instead of complying with the orders, the district department has posted another paramedic at the Birth and Death Registration Office after the orders were issued.” He said if the Civil Surgeon failed to comply with the orders from his superiors, their association would launch an agitation to sets the things right. He said these postings had been made to please a few close associates. Otherwise the trained heath employees could serve better in their own field, instead of at clerical posts. Civil Surgeon Dr Yash Mitra had earlier said he had taken permission from the higher authorities before making such postings. He had said the workload at the office had forced him to depute extra men.
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Big stars to small ones kept visiting the holy city in 2012
Neha Saini Tribune News Service
Amritsar, December 21
From Ajay Devgn to Akshay Kumar, Ranbir Kapoor to "rapster" Honey Singh, each got the taste of Amritsar's hospitality and hostility equally. The year started off with "Mr Perfect" Aamir Khan making his presence felt in the holy city. As always, he kept it simple and secretive, though the paparazzi caught the better off him. The next in line was actor Sanjay Dutt, who came to fulfil a promise, offered prayers at the Golden Temple and did seva. But his co-star from "Son of Sardar" Ajay Devgn had some other reasons to visit the holy city. Caught up in a controversy which made him re-shoot and edit some of the scenes in his film "Son of Sardar" that came under scanner from Sikh religious and cultural organisations for presenting the community in bad light in his big budget movie, the actor finally managed to soften the ground for himself. His second visit was with actor Sonakshi Sinha before the release of his film "Son of Sardar". Another star stuck in controversy from head to toe was Punjabi "rapster" Honey Singh. The Punjabi musician and singer who has become a phenomenon with his loud music and attitude looked quite mellowed when his concert got almost cancelled in the city. Honey Singh along with his group "Mafia Mundeer" had a tough time convincing cultural groups in the city, who decided to go all out protesting against his concert. The star finally managed a few minutes on the stage, that too with accusations and slogans flying around him. Actor Akshay Kumar, too, became the topic of controversy when his film "Oh My God" was banned from being screened in the city and across Punjab. Disappointed the actor shared his feelings by saying that he is a true blue Punjabi, son of Amritsar and didn’t expect such hostility from the city fans. The Bollywood biggies got bouquets and brickbats, but there were some local heroes who brought fame and limelight in their own way. First thing’s first, the city gave India its sixth Indian Idol with Vipul Mehta. The city boy, along with Amit Kumar, made Amritsaris proud by winning the prestigious title. Another Punjabi who made the city proud was director and filmmaker Gurvinder Singh, by making "Anhe Ghorey Da Daan". It was the first Punjabi film ever to win the Golden Peacock award at the International Film Festival this year. While some took back home the desired spotlight, others bid adieu from a lifetime under the arc lights. Superstar Rajesh Khanna and Dara Singh passed away this year, leaving many fans heartbroken. From the dizzying heights of fame to quiet shadows behind the arc lights, the city mourned the loss of its stars for quite long. Bollywood's original superstar died at 69. Born Jatin Khanna on December 29, 1942, in Amritsar, Rajesh Khanna was raised as an adopted child and he spent his childhood and college life in the holy city. His lifelong friendship with Ravi Kapoor, whom we know as Jeetendra of the Indian cinema, too started in Amritsar. The demise of an actor who holds the record of delivering 15 consecutive solo hits between 1969 to 1972 and who introduced the term "superstardom" to the film industry, has left his fans and admirers shocked. Dara Singh, too, left his admirers bereaved with his demise. While the big names had all the limelight, the smaller stars, too, descended in abundance. Tushar Kapoor, Kulraj Randhawa, Rajpal Yadav, Gracy Singh, Paintal, Mandira Bedi and Ashmit Patel are to name a few.
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'Radio classes' for border schools
Amritsar, December 21 School Education Director General KS Pannu said the project aimed to bring qualitative improvement in the primary education. The government anticipated to upgrade primary education and decided to adopt various mediums to develop more interest for education amongst tender minds, he said. After comprehensive study it was found that the use of radio medium would help to explain tough concepts in a simple manner and the special radio classroom initiative would help the young minds to concentrate on studies. Under this programme, a special 20-minute education programme would be telecasted through the regional centre of FM Jalandhar, FM Rainbow, Jalandhar, Local Radio Station, Bathinda and Patiala from 2:30 pm to 2:50 pm for primary education. This new initiative was aimed to impart education on selected subjects in a simple but an interesting manner by using the strong medium of radio. Last year, a similar initiative under the Pado Punjab Project was held in over 150 government elementary schools where syllabi education through radio broadcast was imparted. The majority of these students come from the lower and middle income groups. For a long time, parents of these students have been demanding quality education at par with the public schools.
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Infrastructure developments looked up
Manmeet Singh Gill Tribune News Service
Amritsar, December 21 Even as patients and general public continued to lament about lack of facilities at government health institutions, upgradation and infrastructural developments did take place. On the negative side, the year witnessed two manhandling and misbehaviour instances with the fraternity. The most shameful being the one in which a female doctor was harassed by the relatives of a subordinate staff. Even a doctor at the emergency ward of the Civil Hospital was manhandled and bundled up into a vehicle by the relatives of an injured patient. The health and police administration came into a direct conflict when doctors boycotted writing medico-legal reports to get a case registered in the first instance. Even as the holy city was officially declared smoke-free city during this year, the administration failed to curb the menace of smoking at public places. It began challenging smokers initially but could not keep up the temperament as a result the ground reality remained unchanged. However, the organisations as 'The Voice of Tobacco Victims' played a role in creating awareness about the cause. The year also witnessed the strike of Class IV workers when they failed to get salaries for nine consecutive months at Guru Nanak Dev Hospital. In a startling revelation, the year also witnessed discovery of at least six hospitals for indulgence in insurance frauds. The year also witnessed thefts at government hospitals; first theft of LCDs from Civil Surgeon Office and then computers from the ESI hospital. On the positive side, the year also witnessed spectacular deeds from the medical fraternity. The most interesting being the Thyroplasty surgery by the doctors of Guru Ramdass hospital wherein they helped a young boy attain a masculine voice and lose the feminine voice. Though the surgery was not first of the kind but it was an effort to make costly treatments available for the poor. Dr Baldev Singh and his team of the ENT specialists had made the treatment possible at ten times less cost. The year ended on a happy note as the department could effectively contain dengue and malaria cases. A few cases were reported in the city. The department also became more assertive in checking food adulteration and sale of habit-forming drugs. In a rarity department's crackdown on famous and well-known joints was daring fete. The department was able to establish that no one is above law; big or small. The noose was also tightened around the necks of chemists selling proscribed drugs with the department seizing them in huge quantities. The Health Department also shifted its focus on checking the eateries at the educational institutions. Around half-a-dozen ultrasound centres were sealed during the year, some for indulging in sex-detection tests and others for not complying with the regulations. major Tasks * The administration needs to curb the menace of smoking at public places. The city has already got the status of a smoke-free city * Lack of facilities at government health institutions
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Two booked for blackmailing
Amritsar, December 21 The accused were identified as Satbir Singh and Sukhwinder Singh. The police had registered a case under Section 66-A of the IT Act, 2000. However, no arrest had been made so far. The police said, "Satbir and the girl became friends through a social networking site. However, soon after he started harassing and pressurising her for marriage. As she refused to bow before his demand, Satbir allegedly started calling her parents, who came under stress. The accused had hacked their photograph and started blackmailing her."
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Chairman's vacancy hits work on developmental front
Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service
Amritsar, December 21
Meanwhile, the trust has conceptualised various development projects targeting economic and age groups. It has also been involved in the construction of over 60 projects, including road repairs, installation of street lights, development of residential colonies and the construction of flyovers. With a view to fulfill housing need of the people from the Economic Weaker Sections (EWS), the trust has conceptualised a project of raising low-cost dwellings for the slum dwellers and has got approval from the Union government. It has unveiled the plan to construct about 1,328 flats at a cost of over Rs 58 crore at Mall Mandi and new Amritsar areas. The dwellings would be ready for possession within the next two years. Each unit would contain two rooms, a bathroom and a kitchen. People from the Economic Weaker Section would be given a flat at a cost of Rs 4.04 lakh. Thus, the beneficiaries of the scheme would pay in all Rs 5.37 crore and the rest of the project would be borne by the trusts, Union and state governments. The Central Government would release Rs 29.10 crore through its agency HUDCO while the state government would chip in with Rs 11.69 crore and the rest of the investment would be made by the trust itself. Targeting the high income group, the trust has got technical approval for raising super-deluxe flats at new Amritsar. Each unit spreads on about 2,500 sq ft area, would be auctioned at around Rs 65 lakh. After five years of delay, the trust has literally progressed to materialise the Durgiana Beautification project this year. Following one delay after another, the cost of the beautification project, notified in 2007, raised from Rs 36 crore to Rs 50 crore. Real progress was achieved this year when the land was acquired at Rs 18,000 per sq yard for the residential and Rs 60,000 per sq yard for the commercial purpose. Unfortunately to raising multi-storey building in the temple complex it had to axe about five trees, which earned the wrath of environmentalists. Meant to provide relief to the commuters and ease traffic flow at the busy Saifuddin Kitchlew Chowk flyover project is nowhere near complete. The 16 metre-wide and 680 metre-long flyover is expected to solve the traffic chaos. The SAD-BJP coalition government appointed Deputy Commissioner Rajat Aggarwal as the chairman of the trust, which became headless after the term of Sanjiv Khanna came to end, this July. In a first of its kind move, Aggarwal got installed a complaint registered and a dedicated phone line for lodging complaint at the trust office in September 12. However, the trust’s move to widen busy Bhandari Railway overbridge, commonly known as Uchcha Pull, to resolve the persisting traffic chaos, came cropper as the railways turned down its proposal. As a result, the trust has to incur the loss of losing its advance of Rs 12 lakh submitted to the RITES to carry out the feasibility study. This year, a five-member committee of the trust had approved a final design for raising a modern indoor and outdoor sports complex at posh Ranjit Avenue locality of the city. Though it is yet to take a final call on its financial bid but as per the selected design, a total play field area of 5,95,624.24 sq ft containing about 55.90 per cent of the total area. Besides, the rest of the area would include ground coverage covering 16.77 per cent green area, including semi-paved pathways 17.13 per cent road area would include 10.20 per cent and ground coverage will include 16.77 per cent of the total area. Flexing its muscle against errant advertisers, it abrogated the agreements with four private advertising companies to install advertising panels on unipoles in its various commercial schemes this year. The trust took this decision after finding these companies unable to honour its agreement of maintaining them. The trust held only one auction this year and earned a sum of Rs 21 crore by selling limited number of residential and commercial properties situated in its various schemes. The Amritsar Improvement Trust superintendent engineer Bharat Bhushan Sharma said unfortunately pace of many projects was either slowed down or got halted for various external reasons. He said otherwise the year was good for the trust as work on various held up projects like Durgiana beautification scheme, 211-acre Sri Guru Teg Bahadur scheme. He said the trust earned handsome revenue which enabled it to fund various development projects for the city even falling out of its jurisdiction.
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