Amritsar, March 28
The teaching staff of Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) is not happy with the varsity’s move to issue show-cause notice against Dr GS Bhalla and demote him from the post of professor to reader.

Sources in the university said a strong resentment is brewing among the faculty members who called it a “very harsh decision” as the professor had tendered a written apology in which he concurred that he committed the mistake inadvertently.

Dr GS Bhalla of Commerce and Business Management Department has been given a 15-day show-cause notice to explain his position as to why his services should not be terminated as he displayed gross negligence while granting internal assessment to students. In another notice, Dr Bhalla has been demoted from the position of professor to reader for allegedly attempting to procure information under the RTI Act on a forged name.

The Guru Nanak Dev University Teachers Association (GNDUTA) in its meeting held today took a serious note of the move and announced to hold an emergency meeting at 3 pm on April 2.

Dr Davinder Singh, Guru Nanak Dev University Teachers Association (GNDUTA) president, said there was no rule of law prevailing in the university.

“The Vice-Chancellor himself is flouting all the UGC and university guidelines and running the university as his personal fiefdom. The GNDUTA has already exposed the gross irregularities committed by the Vice-Chancellor in the promotion of teachers. The copies of the selection proceedings were found to be tampered with,” he claimed.

GNDUTA secretary general Dr Lakhwinder Singh said the university authorities had been denying the information which about various departments on one pretext or another.

“If the Vice-Chancellor is making all the decisions on merit, then why was he afraid of providing information being sought by GNDUTA?” Lakhwinder Singh said.

“It is ridiculous that a university professor has been demoted and a show-cause notice to dismiss him has been issued by the university authorities. The Vice-Chancellor expressed his ignorance on the matter and denied he was party to it. GNDUTA is determined to expose all the wrongdoings of the Vice-Chancellor and reiterates its stand to fight tooth and nail against any injustice done to any teacher of the university,” he said.

Amritsar, March 28
About 70 per cent of the 52 food samples collected by the District Health Department this month have failed quality test.

The District Health Department had collected 55 samples and sent them to the Food Testing Laboratory, Chandigarh. The reports of three samples are still awaited.

Of the 38 samples which have failed the quality test, the food laboratory has categorised 18 of them as “unsafe for human consumption”.

“The failed samples also included products that contain tobacco. There are malpractices in manufacturing substances, which are medically unsafe for human consumption,” said District Health Officer Dr Shivkaran Singh Kahlon.

Three samples of sausages were found to have remains of dead insects and one had human hair, said Kahlon. Other samples of noodles, burger, cake and leechi juice also failed to clear the quality test.

Kahlon said the adjudicating officer might impose a fine of up to Rs 10 lakh on the guilty shopkeepers. Criminal proceedings may be initiated against those found guilty, sources said.

“Punishing the guilty will help checking food adulteration and curbing unhygienic cooking practices,” Dr Shivkaran Singh Kahlon added.

Failure of such a large number of samples on quality parameters indicates that the administration still has to do a lot of work to check the menace. The District Health Department had collected most of these food samples from near the local bus stand in Amritsar city, an official said. 

Amritsar, March 28
Two youths were crushed to death when the motorcycle they were riding was hit by a speeding bus near Gujjarpura village last evening. Reports said the bus belonged to a ruling party leader and was coming from the wrong side.

The victims have been identified as Rambo and Sajan Bhatti. Another man identified as Vicky was also injured in the incident. They were going to Amb Kotli village. The bus driver fled.

Robert Bhatti of Nirankari Colony in Fatehgarh Churian Road, told the police that Rambo, Vicky and Sajan were driving another motorcycle.

He said when they reached near Amb Kotly village, a bus belonging to the Baba Budda Bus Service hit their motorcycle. Rambo and Sajan died on the spot while Vicky sustained serious injuries and was rushed to the Civil Hospital, Ajnala. Ajnala SHO Ravinder Singh said investigations were on. —TNS 

Amritsar, March 28
The police has booked six employees of a private finance firm for alleged fraud of Rs 4.2 lakh.

Anna Puram Finance’s Area Relationship Manager Ashok Kumar Sharma said Sunny Jaga, Mandeep Singh, Prince Gupta, Pardeep Kumar, Assistant Manager Suresh Kumar and Assistant Branch Manager Krishan Kumar cheated the company. He alleged that the accused showed fake identity proofs and pledged fake gold for withdrawing money. —TNS

Amritsar, March 28
With a view to attract tourists to the 18th century Gobindgarh Fort, Punjab Heritage and Tourism Promotion Board (PHTPB) is raising a parking lot and administrative complex at the Dussehra Ground.

Situated opposite the fort, the building is expected to be completed by the end of this year. Spread on two acres, it will provide an organised parking lot and office to operate the flow of tourists, a heritage hotel and other features inside the fort.

The delay in opening the fort has raised eyebrows of hoteliers and other hospitality players. For, they think that they are not able to make the stay of tourists visiting the holy city longer.

Though successive governments in Punjab promised to develop Amritsar as a tourism hub, their action never seemed to be matching their words. The restoration work at the Gobindgarh Fort, which the Army handed over to the state government in October 2008, is moving at a tardy pace, rues hotelier Surinder Singh.

He said tourists visiting Amritsar have no other attraction to prolong their stay apart from the Golden Temple and the retreat ceremony at the Attari border. He stressed on the need to extend more facilities to tourists as well as measures to extend their stay in the city.

The hospitality industry, guides and art lovers are peeved over the delay in the opening of the fort to the public. They complained that the delay had hit their business interests and slowed down investment in the industry.

The Punjab Heritage and Tourism Promotion Board (PHTPB) is raising the administrative complex and undertaking restoration work. The property now belongs to the Punjab State Tourism Department (PSTD).

They say once the fort is thrown open to the public, it will increase the inflow of tourists and help prolong their stay here.

Following the state government’s request, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh during his visit to the city had personally given the keys to the then Chief Minister Amarinder Singh in December 2006. After the conclusion of all formalities the Army garrison stationed in the Fort handed over the possession to the state’s Tourism Department in October 2008.

The Punjab Government had allocated a sum of Rs 25 crore last year. At present, conservation work under the supervision of Punjab Heritage and Tourism Promotion Board to the tune of Rs 26 crore was under progress. Funds have been arranged partly from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Central government.

Conservationists and officials associated with the project dispelled the fear of the project being delayed. Deepinder Singh Sandhu, a civil engineer associated with the project, said restoring a historic project requires plenty of time as minute details are to be kept in mind.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is funding the project worth crores of rupees. The approaching road from the entrance will be landscaped and moat walls will be constructed.

Project Incharge AR Mishra said no date had been fixed to open the fort for public since the restoration was still underway. 

Amritsar, March 28
The second meeting of the Finance and Control Committee (F&CC) of Municipal Corporation which was held here today since the inception of the new house mainly focused on strengthening the dilapidated firefighting infrastructure and expediting long-pending development projects.

The meeting was chaired by Mayor Bakshi Ram Arora. The development projects worth over Rs 2.5 crore were passed in the meeting.

The MC authorities said the quorum of the meeting was complied in the presence of Commissioner Bhupinder Singh as agenda secretary and other members which included Senior Deputy Mayor Avtar Singh Trukkan Wala and Deputy Mayor Avinash Jolly, councillors Aman Aerry and Rama Mahajan along with executive engineers and senior engineers.

An amount of Rs 70 lakh was sanctioned for the purchase of two chassis of fire brigade tenders. Besides, Rs 1.5 crore has been passed for revamping and rejuvenating the sewerage system in the area that falls under the Truck Stand Scheme.

The committee also sanctioned an amount of Rs 1 crore for beautification of Company Bagh, laying tubewells at Tagore Colony and Guru Gobind Singh Nagar.

Mayor Arora said an amount of Rs 15 lakh had also been spared for marking the yellow lines on the road at key locations in the city.

Amritsar, March 28
While the city was busy celebrating the festival of colours, Virsa Vihar became the venue for the who’s who of theatre in the region on World Theatre Day yesterday.

Theatre artists gathered to recognise and honour the best in the genre. With prominent names like Balwant Thakur, Mannat Singh, Ajmer Aulakh, Swaraj Gill, Hardeep Gill and many others were part of the celebrations, honorary awards were conferred on those who contributed to theatre through the Virsa Vihar Society.

“We started the tradition of celebrating the World Theatre Day in 90’s when Punjabi theatre was in need of change. Today, theatre in the region has the best of playwrights, actors and productions. Every year, we hold celebrations to honour those who excel in theatre and drama,” said noted theatre personality Kewal Dhaliwal, director, Virsa Vihar.

Noted director Padamshree Balwant Thakur was honoured with Gursharan Singh Theatre Award for his commitment to quality productions. He is one of the youngest directors in theatre to receive the honour and conferred with Padamshree this year for his brilliance in innovative theatre.

He heads the Jammu-based Natrang group. He emphasised on the fact that north India has the best theatre talent in the country. “We have excellent playwrights, artists and productions which are compatible with the best in the world. Theatre groups from the north region have experimented with new forms of theatre successfully but lag behind in receiving their fair share from the government. The government agencies should recognise the potential and support by giving adequate infrastructure and funds to budding theatre groups to sustain its quality growth in north,” he quipped.

Playwright Swaraj Gill was conferred with Virsa Vihar Rangmanch award along with Hardeep Gill. Sharing the podium with them were Punjabi theatre artists from Canada Paramjit Singh and Latt Bhinder.

One of honoraries for the day was Uma Gurbaksh Singh, the first female actor of Punjabi theatre. The artist debuted on stage in 1939 and was also put behind bars during the British Raj for her revolutionary plays. Uma is currently associated with the South Asian Foundation along with her brother Hridaypal Singh in Preet Nagar.

Mannat Singh, popular Punjabi actor, too shared her experiences on the stage. She also donated Rs 1 lakh to Virsa Vihar for uplifting infrastructure.

Amritsar, March 28
The state government’s move to make the registration of properties mandatory by March 31, levying of high taxes on transaction of property above Rs 50 lakh and the proposed property tax has led to a slump in the realty sector of the city.

But Narinder Sharma, president of the Amritsar chapter of Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India (CREDAI), dispelled the fears that the local real estate investors are moving out of the state or investing in towns around the holy city.

He said a majority of the approved colonies and townships had been developed by the real estate players, who had come from Punjab. Only a handful of locals had developed approved townships. The implementation of stringent township rules had thrown out the dubious players from the field and now, only small players are part of the game.

“The real estate investors are waiting for the unveiling of the government policy on sale and purchase of property. The government had sought opinions and suggestions from the real estate investors. The policy can revive the sector,” he said. Subhash Kumar, a real estate developer, says practically, it is difficult for local real estate investors to venture out of the city or invest in the National Capital Region (NCR) and other fast developing cities.

He said the highest residential rate was found in the Civil Lines area, which is at most Rs 45,000 per square yard.

Experts consider that tax deducted at source (TDS) is another factor, which is holding back the property trade here. As per the new norms, both buyers and sellers have to deposit one per cent of TDS over the sale and purchase of property value over Rs 50 lakh and above. Besides, the proposed property tax would weigh on the investment of the investors.

Deputy Commissioner Rajat Aggarwal said all these moves were aimed at providing affordable housing to residents.

Failure of covering buyers from the middle and low income group of families under many government schemes is a cause of concern. So, there should a room for affordable housing for these families in the private townships in the future, he said.

Amritsar, March 28
Local lad Bandanjot Singh has made the city proud by being a part of a 65-member team that visited Antarctica recently on a research expedition.

Bandanjot Singh is son of Labh Singh, BSNL general manager. He had been on the mission from February 28 to March 15. Bandanjot said “The team was chosen by Sir Robert Swan, the first person to walk both the North and the South poles. I considered myself to be lucky to have met such wonderful personalities.” He said the team members visited 15 islands of Antarctica to study global warming and climate change.

He has done Masters in Physics from BITS Pilani and planning to work on a renewable energy mission in India.

He said though a few Sikhs have visited Antarctica on tourist expeditions, he was the first one to go on an official project.

Amritsar, March 28
A team of experts at the Pingalwara Charitable society activated a cochlear implant on Amanpreet Kaur (3), who had undergone the surgery four weeks ago.

ENT surgeon and vice- president of the society Dr Jagdeepak Singh said the cochlear device was implanted on February 16. It was activated today after the incision had healed and the swelling had subsided. The child would be in a rehabilitation programme, under the supervision of audiologists and speech therapists, for the next few months.

This was the third free cochlear implant surgery, which costs Rs 7.5 lakh at private hospitals, conducted at the Pingalwara society.

The cochlear implant is an electronic device that helps deaf people to restore hearing.

President of the Pingalwara society Dr Inderjit Kaur has appealed to the general public, philanthropists and NGOs to come forward with donations for the help of deaf persons.

Others present on the occasion included Mukhtiar Singh and Rajbir Singh; both members of the society, Col Darshan Singh Bawa, administrator and Hindol, an audiologist.

Amritsar, March 28
Punjab Natshala celebrated its 15th anniversary with Punjabi theatre artists and its patrons. The celebrations doubled as the natshala shared its foundation day with the World Theatre Day. The two-day celebrations to mark its anniversary culminated with a gala event in the evening that saw popular stand-up comedian Bharti Singh and Rajiv Thakur as star guests.

The event offered special honours for those associated with the Punjab Natshala since beginning, bringing the nostalgia back with an audio visual presentation that captured the 15-year-old journey of the natshala from its humble beginnings to becoming the epitome of theatre and its cause in the region. With special honours conferred on Ajmer Aulakh, Kewal Dhaliwal, Nita Mohindra and other guest and theatre artists of the city.

To double celebrations with a heavy dose of comedy, Bharti Singh entertained the crowd. She called the natshala her home, shared her experiences doing theatre with popular plays like Mirch Masala and Faasle. “Amritsar and the natshala have been the foundations on which I have built my career. Even if I become the most popular and successful artist in the industry, I would never forget my roots that are firmly grounded at the natshala,” said Bharti.

She was accompanied by actor Smita Singh, who expressed that she really wanted to come to Amritsar for a reason. “With all these talented bunch of comedians and artists from Punjab, especially Amritsar, taking the television industry by storm, I really wanted to see for myself the secret behind their success. After today, I can really understand where the passion and dedication comes from,” she said.

Rajiv Thakur, another of the city’s talented bunch of stand up artists too shared the role of Punjab Natshala has played in his journey.

“We started with an aim of promoting the assimilating art with technology to make it more popular among the masses. We have been constantly working to align with the world theatre movement and enlightening the audience about the discipline and aesthetics related with it,” said Jatinder Brar, patron of Punjab Natshala.

The evening concluded with “Aap ko kaunsa rang pasand hai”, a play by The Theatre Persons which showcased a complexity of human emotions, and multiple colours of human mind becoming a reality of a modern man.

Amritsar, March 28
Despite medical advancement, there remains a substantial treatment gap, defined as the proportion of people with epilepsy who require treatment but do not receive it due to lack of awareness.

This was pointed by Dr Ashok Uppalduring a programme organised to mark Purple Day — the global day of epilepsy awareness. Such awareness programmes are the need of the hour, he said. — TNS

Amritsar, March 28
The Amritsar rural police has booked two persons in molestation cases reported at the Bhindi Saida and the Beas police stations.

According to complaint lodged with the Bhindi Saida police, the victim who is a resident of Mehndiah village was sleeping at her house when the accused secretly entered the house. She said she immediately raised an alarm following which her father caught the accused, identified as Labh Singh, a resident of the same village. A case has been registered in this regard.