Amritsar, February 2
Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal has announced to set up driver training schools in various parts of the state under the Punjab Technical University with an investment of Rs 100 crores.

Addressing a meet on ‘Road Safety-Challenges Ahead’organised by the All-India Motors Transport Congress (AIMTC), he said these driving schools would churn out about 5,000 drivers every year.

He invited major automobile companies in the state to set up integrated mechanic courses along with these schools.

Members of the All-India Motors Transport Congress (AIMTC) sought the formation of a separate directorate for road safety and budgetary allocation for its affairs to save lakhs of precious lives lost every year in accidents in the country.

AIMTC president Malkit Singh Bal said the number of road accidents and resultant fatalities and injuries continue to be on the upswing year after year.

Quoting the World Health Organisation (WHO) report, he said India accounts for more than 10 per cent of the global road accident deaths.

According to the ministry report, the number of deaths in accidents was over 1.42 lakh in 2011, while total of 4.97 lakh road accidents were reported in 2011.

He said as a novel step the AIMTC was distributing breath analysers to distribute them at transport areas in many cities of the country.

He anticipated that this self-regulatory measure would send the message firmly for not mixing drinking with driving. He said another biggest violation need to be checked is overloading of trucks.

Ravi Satpathi, another member of the AIMTC from Odisha, said the country was annually losing its lakhs of citizens greater than even claimed in a calamity, but the policy makers were reluctant to form a policy to check deaths.

He said a majority of the road accidents happen due to negligent and rash driving.

He said it was high time that the government must constitute a directorate with adequate funds to undertake projects to study reasons behind accidents. He said accidents take place at many spots frequently, but the faults are never rectified as no department is responsible for the mishaps.

Madhu, another member of the AIMTC from Uttar Pradesh, said around 10 per cent of total trucks were lying unused for want of drivers. She said the dearth of drivers was hitting the industry as they are victimised by all the government authorities and people on the road without even fixing the responsibility of the accidents.

Reacting to the demands of the office-bearers of the AIMTC, Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal said the Punjab Government was laying special stress on road safety. The Punjab Police in coordination with the District Local Bodies have drawn up a coordinated plan for improving road engineering, installation of signage, construction of overbridges, railway over bridges and under bridges, deployment of special electronic devices to check overspeeding etc.

He said reflectors on front and rear portions of each vehicles besides automatic dippers in the states would soon be made compulsory in the state.

He said speed cameras would be installed on all highways of the state which would ensure that the violators would be caught immediately.

He said these driving schools would churn out about 5,000 drivers every year. He invited major automobile companies in the state to set up integrated mechanic courses along with these schools.

He assured that the idea of setting up rest areas along highways for drivers would be considered.

He reiterated that in the next three years all cities of Punjab would be connected either by four-lanes or six lanes and said Delhi-Jalandhar expressway at a whopping cost of Rs 22,000 crore has also been approved. 

Road safety Dy CM Sukhbir says these driving schools will churn out about 5,000 drivers every year. He invites major automobile companies in the state to set up integrated mechanic courses along with these schools. Members of the All-India Motors Transport Congress (AIMTC) seek the formation of a separate directorate for road safety and budgetary allocation for its affairs to save lakhs of precious lives lost every year in accidents in the country

Amritsar, February 2
A city woman attempted suicide by setting herself ablaze after her ‘boyfriend’ cheated her and refused to marry her.

The victim was rushed to Guru Nanak Dev Hospital with serious burns. Her condition is stated to be serious.

The woman had divorced her husband after she developed a relationship with the accused who had promised to marry her.

A case under Sections 493, 417 and 506 of the IPC has been registered against the ‘boyfriend’, identified as Tarsem Singh, who is the president of the Fruits’ Vendors Association at the bus stand. He was absconding since the incident. Raids are being conducted to nab him, said Jatinder Singh, investigating officer.

In her statement, in presence of a magisterial officer, she said she was married to one Navraj Singh, a resident of Delhi.

However, she developed an affair with Tarsem Singh who promised to marry her after she got a divorce from her husband. She said following the divorce, the accused started dating her. She said the accused later started avoiding her and then refused to marry her. Therefore, she said she stopped meeting him.

She alleged yesterday she got a call from him who threatened to pour some acid on her face and kill her. Perturbed over the issue, she decided to take the extreme step of ending her life.

“As per the doctors, she suffered 60-65 per cent burns and currently not in a position to talk and give further statements,” said Jatinder Singh. He said the investigations would be continued after the victim recuperates from the injuries.

Amritsar, February 2
With the Animal Husbandry Department launching a fortnight-long anti-rabies vaccination drive today, city residents grappling with menace of stray dogs would heave a sigh of relief.

Several parts of the city are in the grip of stray dog menace. Instances of dog bites and attack on commuters are frequently reported in the city. Dog population is believed to be over 30,000. According to 2007 census, the population of stray dogs stood at 25000.

Dr Jagdish Chander Shori, Deputy Director, Animal Husbandry, said the government supplied anti-rabies vaccine to the district to vaccinate 5,000 stray dogs and pets. Pet owners would be charged Rs five per vaccine.

The same vaccine cost Rs 100 in the open market.

He said the vaccine has been distributed in various parts of the district.

He said all 60 stray dogs with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) were vaccinated today.

Meanwhile, the department had been using Brucella vaccine in female calves to develop immunity to Brucelloses disease. Miscarriage occurs in those cows afflicting with Brucelloses disease. The department is charging Rs two per vaccine. The department is also administering Thelaria vaccine on female cross-bred calves at a cost of Rs 10 per animal.

Amritsar, February 2
Artists are somewhat like history, using narrative to define, analyse and represent the past to the present, though the narrative takes liberty with the subjective analyses here. And just like history it needs to be preserved and well-served.

Taking a cue and doing his bit to preserve the history and works of artists from the holy city, Brajesh Kumar Jolly, an artist himself and director of KT Kala Art Gallery, has come up with a book.

The book is a compilation of the life, works and biographies of 50 artists from Amritsar.

In a gala event, the book was launched by Padma Shri Surjit Patar, a noted writer, in the presence of the who’s who of literary and art circuit from the region at Virsa Vihar.

The book features contemporary and known artists from the city, including sculptors, photo artistes, calligraphers, poets, writers and digital artists. “It is the first-of-its-kind effort, where in 300-odd pages one will find every possible information about the prominent artists from the city," said Jolly about his book.

The book has more than 500 photographs, essays, history and critical articles about art and its known names from the city, penned down by Jolly and contributory articles by noted artist Nita Mohindra, Jaspal S and a tribute to noted artist Sardar Avtar Singh, popularly called Bauji.

"My initiation was the lack of a common platform for artists from Amritsar. We have talented artists who lose out to the metro crowd because of poor marketing and exposure. My book will be like an encyclopaedia on city's art talent and will be sent to all major art schools, galleries and collectors across the country," says Jolly.

Speaking on the occasion, Nita Mohindra, noted theatre person and artist, who features in the book, said, “There is a need for artists from the city to be highlighted and their work be presented and preserved for the generations to come. They can learn a lot from the book as prominent artists with their best works find a place in it.”

Surjit Patar said, “It is a step in the right direction as artists from the region and city will get noticed and remembered. For an artist, his work is his greatest achievement and advertisement and this book has highlighted the achievements of some important names in the art history.” He hoped that more such initiatives were taken by the artists, for the artists.

Kewal Dhaliwal, director, Virsa Vihar and theatre person from the city, too felt that such recognition was much awaited. “One amongst us taking the responsibility to highlight and capture 50 artists in a single book is commendable.”

Amritsar, February 2
Two youths broke open the windowpanes of a sports utility vehicle (SUV) and decamped with a bag containing Rs 3 lakh cash.

In his complaint to the police, Manjit Singh, a resident of Gopal Nagar area, claimed that the incident occurred on Friday night when he was returning home. He parked his Innova car near Bhandari hospital on Majitha road and went across the road to buy something.

However, when he returned after about 15 minutes, he found the windowpanes of his car broken and the bag containing cash and important documents missing.

He said the eyewitnesses at the spot told him that two youths who were driving a motorcycle (PB-02-A-2860) had committed the crime.

The Civil Lines police has registered a case under Section 379 of the IPC in this regard while no arrest has been made so far. The police authorities said investigations were under progress and claimed that the accused would be nabbed soon.

In another incident, a tailor was robbed by two motorcycle-borne youths near Daduwal village drain. The area falls under the jurisdiction of the Amritsar rural police district.

In his complaint, Ashwani Kumar of Bhagtanwala village, Majitha, informed the police that the miscreants took away Rs 20,000 from him. He said he had borrowed the money on interest from a person from Ajnala and was returning home on his bicycle.

Weapons stolen

Two weapons besides gold jewellery were stolen in two separate burglary instances in the city.

In the first incident, miscreants entered a house belonging to Canada-based NRI Onkar Singh in posh Diamond Avenue on the Majitha road.

In his complaint, Parkash Singh, the complainant, said unidentified persons stole a revolver of .32 bore, 25 cartridges, gold jewellery and two gas cylinders from his house. The Sadar police has registered a case under Sections 457 and 380 of the IPC in this regard.

In another instance, a .12 bore rifle was stolen from the residence of Rajinder Singh of Guru Ki Wadali. He told the police that he had cleaned his rifle and put it on a table. He went out for some work. When he returned after an hour, he found the rifle stolen. A case under Section 380 of the IPC has been registered in this connection.

Travelling a distance of about three and half kilometres from the Inter State Bus Terminus (ISBT) to Guru Nanak Dev Hospital (GNDH) on the Majitha road is nothing less than a nightmare.

Especially, patients coming from border districts and other parts of Punjab who visit the hospital especially during peak hours face the heat due to frequent traffic snarls.

In absence of proper planning, traffic police personnel (who are also understaffed) deputed at various points on this road find it difficult to bring the situation under control.

If the police administration is to be blamed for the mess due to the poor traffic management, the civic authorities are also equally responsible for dismal traffic scenario in the holy city. The MC too has failed on many fronts (removing encroachments etc), which has left clogging on the stretch.

Amritsar is one of the major religious and tourist destinations in the world. Thus a large number of tourist and devotees flock the city everyday. Moreover, the vehicular traffic has increased manifolds in the past decade and the roads have become narrower thanks to encroachments on either side of the road.

Hukam Singh Road: Encroachments by shopkeepers have eaten up footpaths.

Although the police administration, which has come out with a plan to decongest the roads and streamline the traffic, has asked the civic authorities to remove encroachments, the MC has miserably failed to address the problem.

The problem starts as soon as we move towards the Majitha road from ISBT. The haphazard parking and stoppage of auto-rickshaws (which often stop right in the middle of the road to pick up passengers) creates ruckus. The footpaths have been encroached by vends, which have been permanently stationed there leaving no space for pedestrians. The pedestrians have to move on the road adding to the chaos.

Hundreds of vehicles including mini-buses, auto-rickshaws, four wheelers and two wheelers passed through this road to move towards Majitha and Batala road.

Hussain Pura Chowk: Traffic moves at a snail’s pace at Hussain Pura Chowk, which is the main converge point of the stretch.

Tribune staffers covered the 3.5-km stretch in about 30 minutes during peak hours. Whereas it just takes five to 10 minutes to cover the distance during normal hours.

Stretches between the bus stand to Hussainpura chowk and further from Hussainpura chowk to Sant Singh Sukha Singh (SSSS) chowk (popularly known as Four S chowk) witness huge rush of traffic hence consumes maximum time. The vehicle speed comes to naught at Hussainpura chowk which is the main transaction point as traffic flow from Bhandari Bridge and Hussainpura chowk converge here for its onward journey towards the bus stand. Besides auto-rickshaws, buses coming out of the bus stand (for their journey towards Batala or Majitha side stops at Hussainpura chowk) become a cause of often traffic jams at the chowk.

Hussain Pura Chowk: Buses occupy a major portion of the road leading to chaos.

Shortage of traffic personnel
There is a shortage of staff in the traffic wing of the police. There are around 150 police personnel to streamline the traffic on various roads in the city having a 10-lakh plus population. Though the police administration has initiated certain steps by shifting the woman staff from police stations to the traffic wing, it still needs more staff for efficient traffic control. Even VIPs' frequently visits to the city put an extra burden on the traffic police.

Choke points
Hussainpura chowk, Hukum Singh Road chowk, SSSS chowk, Ghalamala chowk, near Guru Nanak Dev Hospital

Kind of vehicles

Buses, trucks, cars, SUVs, auto-rickshaws, two-wheelers, cycle rickshaws, school buses, cycles and carts.

Flyover proposal hits a wall
The proposal of construction of a flyover over Four S chowk to decongest areas and solve the traffic problem at this crucial road intersection took a hit following the objections raised by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) which has been protecting the historic monument of Ram Bagh belonging to legendry Sikh ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The project was to be executed by Amritsar Improvement Trust at an estimated cost of Rs 30 crore.

What Should be done
Entry of heavy traffic vehicles including buses, trucks and tractor trolleys should be restricted on this route. The authorities should designate points for auto-rickshaws to stand and pick up passengers. The authorities should check illegal auto-rickshaws which are plying on the roads.

officialspeak
The police has been working very hard to control and streamline the traffic in the city. Auto-rickshaw drivers have been challaned for various violations. As I am new to the city and its traffic problems, I am at present observing the problems being faced in order to check the chaos.

Ketan patel, 
Assistant Commissioner of Police

COMMUTERS speak
Encroachment of footpaths by second-hand motorbike dealers on the Hukum Singh road have left no space for pedestrians while the traffic policemen play mute spectators to the dismal traffic scenario at Hussainpura chowk. There is no planning for streamlining the traffic in the holy city. The police and civic administration has to deal with traffic rule violators with iron hand to solve the grim traffic scenario on this road
Brij Bedi

Majitha road is one of the busiest roads in the city where buses to cycle rickshaws and horse carts move in a haphazard way. Auto-rickshaws on the main entrance gate of Guru Nanak Dev Hospital are a big nuisance. The police station near the hospital hardly pays any attention to this problem.
Ravinder Kumar

At SSSS chowk, traffic signals and rules are followed till the police personnel are present at the site. As soon as they leave the scene, people give scant regards to the traffic norms
Heera Singh

The menace of auto-rickshaws at Hussainpura chowk and the road leading to the bus stand is the main reason of traffic chaos. We hardly see any traffic policemen at this vital chowk controlling or regulating the traffic
Ramesh Kumar

Amritsar, February 2
The Directorate Recruiting Office of the Army has announced to organise an Army recruitment rally for aspiring youngsters of Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Pathankot and Gurdaspur districts from February 6 to 13 at Tibri cantonment in Gurdaspur.

Addressing a press conference here today, Colonel NA Seethi, director, recruitment, said the recruitment rally at Tibri is going to be organised after three years.

He said in view of the ugly scenes created three years ago, better security arrangements have been made.

The Army had earlier decided not to take candidates with tattoos. Colonel Seethi clarified, “Sometimes the aspiring candidates try to remove tattoos with acid wash or other unscientific methods. The best way is to consult a doctor.” He said tattoos on hand palm and on knuckles are allowed as many in the state use these for exhibiting their religious symbols. 

Amritsar, February 2
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) celebrated World Wetland Day in collaboration with Forest and Wildlife Department at the world-renowned Harike wetland.

Deputy Commissioner Ferozepur along with Deputy Commissioner Tarn Taran and District Forest Officer M Sudhakar besides Gunbir Singh, chairperson, WWF, Punjab chapter, and students and environmentalists participated in the programme.

Gunbir Singh, in a press note issued here today, said the wetland at Harike mops up over 60 per cent of the pollutants coming to this confluence of rivers --- Sutlej and Beas. Therefore, various other wetlands in Punjab including Kanjli, Shalla Patan, Keshopur and Ropar are indeed invaluable and constitute natural wealth of the state.

"It is heartening to see that various stakeholders including the government, NGOs such as WWF are collaborating for the preservation and protection of one the most vital wetlands in the region,” said Gunbir Singh. He said researchers from the federation have been camping in Punjab for the past three years and they had already covered rivers Beas, Sutlej and Ravi. He said the WWF has recently carried out a bird census at Harike wetland with the help of expert birders from Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai, besides from Delhi and Chandigarh.

“The Harike wetland, an internationally acknowledged site under the Ramsar Protocol, is an integral part of WWF’s project in Punjab for preserving, conserving and coexist with nature. The efforts initiated by the federation and the government over the years have already paid off with the discovery of dolphins and star turtles. Other species evident are hundreds of thousands of hibernating birds, mammals and animal species such as the otters, wild boars, jungle cats, deer etc,” he said while expressing hope that many new species would be discovered during the future surveys.