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Heritage Village yet to see the light of day
4 held for posing as journalists, duping people in Ajnala
Petrol price cut brings relief to city residents
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Punjabi Samvaad comes to the rescue of poor girls
The girls from poor families who were awarded scholarships by the Punjabi Samvad in Amritsar on Wednesday. A Tribune photograph
ACP (South) faces suspension
Minor’s kidnapping: Family alleges police inaction
Amritsar Diocese still awaits ~8-crore claim from J&K government
Labourers rally for better working conditions
Labourers collects wheat at Bhagta Wala Grain Market in Amritsar on Wednesday. Photo: Sameer Sehgal
Odissi exponent Kavita enthrals staff, students
Protest over teachers’ detention
Five arrested for possessing drugs and liquor
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Heritage Village yet to see the light of day
Amritsar, May 1 A team of Amritsar Tribune recently visited the premises and found labourers engaged in work. Two separate concrete structures have been raised, while the open ground it is still muddy. A hotelier, Satnam Singh Kanda, said the then Punjab Tourism Minister SS Phillaur, during his visit to the holy city last year, had promised to open it to the public by January, 2013. He said the holy city ranked 12th among major tourist destinations in the country and undue delay in opening the project was hitting the business here. He urged the government to open it during this summer, as it brings a stream of Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir-bound tourists. Another hotelier Surinder Singh said the location of the village on the road to the Attari-Wagah joint check-post would come in handy for the thousands of tourists heading to witness the Retreat Ceremony to stay here for some hours and even live for a night in the village. Officials of the Punjab Heritage and Tourism Promotion Board (PHTPB), associated with the project, said the heritage village would revive the old charm of Punjab’s villages which used to showcase various religions. It would include shops of potter, blacksmith, carpenter, dhaba and an akhara, a traditional wrestling place. These shops would not only prepare traditional items but would sell these to the interested visitors. A block had been reserved for holding a mela, which used to be an integral part of the rural life. Interested tourists could also stay there, as nearly 20 rooms are being constructed for staying purpose. An interesting feature is "Barat Ghar", where people could also solemnise the marriages their near and dear ones in a traditional way with even "doli" at As per the ancient tradition of Punjab, the village would have a "khera" (first house dedicated to God with no idol inside) and "Gugga Marri" (snake shrine). These shrines used to be built first before the setting up of a new village. Same features would be visible here. Tourism Secretary Geetika Kalha said it was not possible to give a time-frame for the completion of such a project in which minute details were to be taken care of. She said new additions like auditorioum, handicraft and convention centers would be established in the Heritage Village. Project history
The ambitious project was conceptualised nearly 10 years ago with the aim of prolonging the stay of tourists in Amritsar. Even as the holy city is among one of the most visited cities in the world, its hospitality industry wanted the opening of more tourists sites to prolong the stay of pilgrims and tourists. A joint project of the Punjab Government and Guru Nanak Dev University, it took concrete shape when Vice-Chancellor, GNDU, AS Brar inked the MoU on behalf of the university with Principal Secretary (Tourism) Geeta Kalha on behalf of the state government on September 25, 2009. Following this, a coordination committee was constituted, with the Vice-Chancellor as its chairman. For the project the university has given 11 acres, while the state government had allocated Rs 10 crore for its construction.
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4 held for posing as journalists, duping people in Ajnala
Amritsar, May 1 The accused were identified as Anil Singh (49), a resident of New Azad Nagar, Sultanwind Road, Rajinder Kumar (51), a resident of Chheharta; Gurpardeep Singh (30), a resident of Islamabad and Davinder Kaur (25), a resident of Sultanwind. The police has registered case under Sections 420/506 of the IPC against them. A black Alto car (PB-02-BT-1012), along with a camera, fake ID cards and some currency, was also confiscated by the Ramdas, Ajnala police. SSP (Rural) Manmohan Singh said there were constant complaints against a group of persons, posing as journalists in the area, who used to threaten the general public and extort money from them. Their nefarious practices came to light when there were three consecutive complaints, submitted by Bhajan Singh, Lovedeep Singh and Gurbhej Singh, that a group of persons, calling themselves as journalists of print and electronic media, had duped them a couple of days ago. The complainants said the accused intercepted their truck and trolleys laden with sand and extorted an amount of Rs 8,500 from Bhajan Singh, Rs 4,500 from Lovedeep and Rs 2,500 from Gurbhej Singh. SHO Harjit Singh said, “They were loitering in the Ramdass area for the past over a week or so, posing as ‘patarkaar’. They used to stop any commercial vehicle on the road and started questioning the occupants about the goods loaded in their truck or trolleys. After threatening them, they used to extort money between Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000. Similarly, reports were received that they also threatened local residents and extorted money from them on different occasions,” he said. After their interrogation, it was revealed that they were associated with a channel, but were dismissed some months ago. “We inquired from a Patiala-based media house, the management of which told us that they were associated with them for two months, but their services were terminated soon after. After that, they kept on using their old Identity cards which, otherwise, stood invalid, for intimidating the public,” he said.
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Petrol price cut brings relief to city residents
Amritsar, May 1 The Punjab Petroleum Dealers Association president JP Khanna said there would a cut of Rs 3.27 per litre in petrol in Punjab, as the state government charges 30 per cent VAT on petrol, which is the maximum in the country. Chandigarh charges 22 per cent VAT, while neighbouring Haryana levies 20 per cent VAT on petrol. However, the Rs 3 reduction came as a surprise to oil dealers who construe it as politically motivated. He said the Union Government, which has been in the dock on major national and international issues, seemed to have taken this decision to deflect the people's attention. This was the fourth reduction in petrol rates since March as the price cut came after three consecutive rate reductions on the back of falling international oil prices. He said that in the local market the price of a litre of petrol is now Rs 70.11 per litre, which was Rs 78.88 in January. An employee with a private concern Manjit Singh said, “The steep reduction in oil prices may usher in savings for inflation-hit middle and lower income groups.” He felt that the government must check that the prices of other essential items must fall in consonance with the declining petrol rate. A farmer Kuljit Singh said, in tune with declining fuel prices, the state government should cut taxes on fuel to give respite to people. He said high 30 per cent VAT was a blow to the purchasing power of the common man. Company secretary Arvind Bajoria said improvement in the rupee-US dollar exchange rate from Rs 54.51 to a US dollar to Rs 54.26 also prompted the PSU oil companies to take this decision. He welcomed the PSU companies’ move to hold a meeting after a fortnight and stressed that the benefits must be passed on swiftly to improve the economy.
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Punjabi Samvaad comes to the rescue of poor girls
Amritsar, May 1 Selecting the candidates for the scholarship through a detailed screening process, which included written tests and interviews, the NGO shortlisted girls, specifically from poor or families with limited means. “We want to help girls from families with limited economic means to spread their wings without having to think about resources. The scholarships are designed to provide education to anybody who wants to achieve big in life. Through our programme, which is called Shamli, we are not only sympathising with the girl child, but supporting her to make her life better," said Jyoti Bawa, founder member of the Punjabi Samvaad. Girls aged between 10 and17, also showcased their talent in singing, dancing and prose at the event. The chief guest on the occasion was Deputy Commissioner, Rajat Aggarwal. Coming from humble backgrounds, some of these girls have to fight everyday for their education. Like 17-year-old Baljeet Kaur, daughter of a labourer from Islamabad. “It's become difficult to sustain my studies with such limited means, when you have two other siblings and a family to provide. I was scared everyday that my education would be stopped because my father could not afford it. That’s why, I applied for the programme,” said the aspiring doctor. Another one with a similar story is Manpreet Kaur, who has three sisters and two brothers, struggling to have their fair share of education. “In a time when most people consider girls as a burden and kill them at birth, to expect an education is a big deal. But my parents were convinced the scholarship programme had helped them tale some burden off.” The Punjabi Samvaad has been working in association with the Rashtriya Bal Shiksha Kendra, a school run by Markas Pal Gumber, to provide aid to girl education and help the families with more than one girl child. And it finds support from Dr Gurbilas Singh, who is also running a vocational course training centre for women and girls to support a livelihood. “We work with families who have more than two girls, supporting their needs and education, so that the families do not neglect their overall development. Most these families have already developed a favourable attitude towards the girl child, and do not think them as a liability,’ she says. “We have also been working with them to create awareness about issues like rape, eve-teasing and women's rights,” she adds. Meanwhile, the evening, too, touched these issues through musical and drama. Ibadat, a school for special children, too, received some grant on the occasion.
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ACP (South) faces suspension
Amritsar, May 1 There are also reports that the hotelier has gone underground. Commissioner of Police Ram Singh said ACP Rajbir Singh had been suspended on disciplinary grounds. “I have issued suspension orders of ACP Rajbir Singh on the disciplinary grounds subject to the approval of the higher authorities”, he said. It has been learnt that ACP Rajbir Singh has been facing disciplinary action because he had obtained gunman Mehar Singh on temporary grounds without seeking permission from the competent authorities. The said gunman was allegedly found involved in some illegal activity. On Saturday, Prabhjot Singh the owner of Bhole Shah Guest House located near Parag Das Chowk, alleged that Mehar Singh along with ASI Gurvinder Singh and Head Constable Kulwant Singh, was extorting money from him. He had also captured them on CCTV camera wherein the accused cops were demanding bribe from him in lieu of letting him do business. Subsequently, the three were dismissed from service by the Commissioner of Police.
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Minor’s kidnapping: Family alleges police inaction
Amritsar, May 1 Showing solidarity with the aggrieved family, former Congress MLA Harjinder Singh Thekedaar today announced that if the police failed to take any action within 15 days, he would accompany the family to stage a dharna outside the Police Commissioner’s office. Reports say that the police took around one-and-half months to register a kidnapping case. The 14-year-old boy, Varun Kumar had gone missing on March 5. He was taken away by a truck driver when he was working on his father’s cloth stall. The boy’s father, Shashi Pal, a resident of Himmatpura, had lodged a complaint with the Gate Hakima police, which just completed the formality by lodging a missing report. The main accused truck driver, Kulwinder Singh, is still at large whereas the other co-conspirators Janak Raj and Shakuntala, both residents of Tibber village, Gurdaspur, were never questioned till date. Uma Rani, mother of the abducted child, resented that the police had not taken any action due to political pressure. Shashi Pal said, “On March 5, I went home for lunch after Varun arrived at the stall. Later, when I returned, I found him missing from the shop. A vendor near my stall told me that a truck driver, later identified as Kulwinder Singh, had taken him away.” He said on March 16, his brother-in-law Vijay Kumar received a call from Varun, who secretly called him from the driver’s phone, at 12.25 pm. But, before he could tell anything, the driver snatched the phone and since then the mobile number had been switched off. Kulwinder Singh’s identity was revealed with the help of the mobile number from which Varun had made a call, the reports said. The family alleged that instead of helping them in tracing Varun, the SHO sarcastically passed baseless remarks whenever they approached him. The case
The 14-year-old boy, Varun Kumar, had gone missing on March 5. Shashi Pal, father of the boy, lodged a complaint with the Gate Hakima police, which just completed the formality by lodging a missing report. The main accused truck driver, Kulwinder Singh, is still at large. On March 16, Vijay Kumar, uncle of the boy, received a call from Varun, who secretly called him from the driver’s phone, at 12.25 pm.
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Amritsar Diocese still awaits ~8-crore claim from J&K government
Amritsar, May 1 The diocese operates many health and educational institutes across Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir. Amritsar Diocese Bishop Pradeep Samantoroy said the diocese had forwarded a claim of Rs 8 crore to the Jammu and Kashmir government. The government did not release funds to rebuild the school except for a grant of Rs 1 crore to set up hutments and relocate the school. Similarly, the insurance claim of Rs 1.29 crore, as the school was insured with a nationalised insurance company, got entangled in technical rigmarole. He said in this scenario the school continued to impart education to the students in pre-fabricated huts installed on the place where once a three-storied wooden structure stood. Principal director of the Mallinsons Education Society, which administers Tyndale Biscoe School, Parwez Samuel Kaul had submitted a comprehensive plan, including design and estimate to rebuild the school, to the Omar Abdullah government but the J&K government paid no heed to it. A demand for incorporating a 20-kanal vacant plot adjacent to the school site was also made but it also met same fate, he added. Tyndale Biscoe School at Tangmarg, nearly 12 km from Gulmarg, was burnt to ashes on September 13, 2010, following a communal frenzy. At that time, an emotional spur misguided people who resorted to the inhuman act as they believed that a priest in the USA had burnt a copy of the Holy Quran. However, they were unaware of the fact that seven copies of the Quran were in the school when it was burnt, he said. Socio-Economic Development Project (SEDP) president Daniel B Das, also a member of the Amritsar Diocese, said earlier they had thought of withdrawing from Tangmarg which is a rural area. However, he said, it would have given a wrong message to the forces which were inimical to the pluralistic character of the country. Instead, the Amritsar Diocese had now decided to build a grand structure at the place. The History
Tyndale Biscoe School at Tangmarg, nearly 12 km from Gulmarg, was burnt to ashes on September 13, 2010, following a communal frenzy. At that time, an emotional spur misguided people who resorted to the inhuman act as they believed that a priest in the USA had burnt a copy of the Holy Quran.
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Labourers rally for better working conditions
Amritsar, May 1 A textile weaver said deplorable working conditions, salary less than the statutory minimum wages and long working hours are dissuading the youngsters from joining the profession. “I am working here (a manufacturing unit at Nawan Kot) for the past 30 years, but I have never seen an inspection by the supervisors of the Labour Department,” he said. He said they are paid on the basis of the length of manufactured cloth. The wages paid to them failed to match sky-rocketing price hike. His meagre income is insufficient to meet the basic needs of his six-member family. Similar situation prevails in industries like nut, bolt manufacturing units, blanket manufacturing units, pharmaceutical and other industries in the city. Another labourer said most of them were working more than the stipulated eight hours a day but their wages were not increasing. A labour leader, Amarjit Singh Assal, said it was a matter of a concern that the government and its agencies were unable to implement the minimum wages. He accepted that actual income of weavers and other labourers were less than the minimum wage at Donear machine. A minimum wage for an unskilled labourer is Rs 5,695, skilled worker is Rs 7,372 and highly skilled is Rs 8,404 for eight working hours. Assal said about 5,000 weavers were working in 800 looms manufacturing textiles of various kinds in the city to earn a living. Textile units with annual turnover of Rs 1,000 crore, with Rs 500 crore share of the shawl industry, are major employer in the city. Barring some big industrial houses, many units do not even provide basic amenities like clean and comfortable working condition, toilets and social welfare schemes to their employees. Rallies mark May Day
Various organisations arranged rallies and functions to mark World Labour Day in the city today. Labourer unions organised a motorcycle rally from Ram Teerath road to Hall Gate. Union leader Rajinder Kohri said workers are under paid and forced to work for 10-14 hours in the country. Though the government had framed various rules for the benefits of the workers, the zeal to implement them is missing. The trade unions, AITUC and CITU, furled flags at various places in the city to observe the day. Communist leader Joginder Dayal, addressing a rally at Putlighar Chowk, said public sector enterprises had failed to perform because of wrong policies of UPA and NDA leaders. He demanded that Rs 10,000 as a minimum wage should be fixed for skilled labourers and the MGNREGA scheme should be extended to urban areas as well. The workers employed in government departments on the contractual basis should be given the facilities as given to regular employees. A welfare board should be formed for domestic workers and its enrolment requirements should be relaxed for construction workers so that more workers could be brought under its ambit.
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Odissi exponent Kavita enthrals staff, students
Amritsar, May 1 She enthraled the audience with her performance at a programme, organised under the initiative of the SPICMACAY, at Springdales here today. The versatile dancer, who is known for her acting, performed along with artistes Prafulla Kumar Mangaraj on Pakhawaj, Suresh Sethi (Vocalist) and Agnimitra Behera on Violin. Kavita Dwibedi, founder director of Odissi Akademi, New Delhi, says, “This dance is not just about moving rhythmically to music. It has so much to teach in terms of mathematics, history, art and literature.” Giving some tips to future prodigies, who enjoyed her poses at the function, she says, “Dance gives a feeling of peace when you performed with heart. With new forms of dance being introduced and fused with classical forms, it’s a whole new world for those who want to be professional dancers. She is known for developing new choreographies like Ritu’s Rang (Seasons of Love) and Proshitapatika (Naayika longing for her beloved Naayak) in Odissi. With a career spanning over 10 years during which she has participated in almost all the major dance festivals in the country, including the Khajuraho Dance Festival, Konark Music and Dance Festival, Natyanjali Dance Festival and Soorya Dance Festival. She has also toured UK, Italy, Sweden, Finland, Latvia, Estonia, Denmark, Ireland and Norway as a part of a performance tour sponsored by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR). A Junior Fellowship by the Department of Culture, Government of India, was conferred on her in 1997. She has also received a scholarship from the Human Resource Development, Government of India, in the field of music and dance. Rajiv Kumar Sharma, Principal of Spring Dale Senior School and SPICMACAY coordinator, said students gained several valuable insights into various facets of the dance. “The aim of the SPICMACAY is to bring students closer to these ancient dance forms, not just to preserve and promote them, but also to use these as an instrument to help students emerge as balanced, thinking and sensitive individuals,” Kavita said.
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Protest over teachers’ detention
Amritsar, May 1 Addressing the agitators, Jatinder Singh Bal of the union said the union members had gathered at Bathinda to show their resentment against the government for its anti-people policies. He claimed that the police detained about 600 members of the union at different police stations. He said 250 members of the union were again arrested from the DC office, Bathinda, on April 29. They had gone to express their displeasure with the government. Union president Gurpal Singh also addressed the union and impressed upon the government to fulfil their long pending demands. — TNS
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Five arrested for possessing drugs and liquor
Amritsar, May 1 In first instance, the Sultanwind police has arrested Manpreet Singh, a resident of Ram Singh Colony, and Prince, a resident of SUS Nagar, and recovered 210 capsules of Parvon Spas each from their possession. Separate cases under the NDPS Act have been registered against them. In second case, the Chheharta police has recovered 520 capsules of Parvon Spas from Jatinderpreet Singh, a resident of Sardar Patti, Kot Khalsa, Chheharta. He has been arrested and a case has been registered under the NDPS Act. The Raja Sansi police has arrested Gurbej Singh, a resident of Balgan village, with 170 capsules of Parvon Spas, 200 tablets of Microlit. The Bhindi saida police has arrested Amarjit Singh, a resident of Bhindi Saidan and recovered 7500 ml illicit liquor from his possession. Later, he was released on bail. A case under section 61/1/14 of the Excise Act has been registered against him.
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customers, while there was no perceptible benefit from cutting Rs 54 on the non-subsidised LPG cylinders, as many residents are yet to exhaust the quota of their nine subsidised refills per year.
Punjabi Samvaad, a cultural NGO working to support women and girl child in the city for the past 10 years, has awarded scholarships to 15 girls from families with limited means. These scholarships, awarded at a cultural evening at the Punjab Natshala, were aimed at supporting their education and encouraging their families in the process.
Even as various city-based organisations and educational institutes have been busy in observing World Labour Day for the past many years yet they failed to bring any perceptible change to the lives of thousands of labourers employed in micro small medium enterprises here.
She has given memorable performances at various international dance festivals, performed at every national dance festival whether its Konark or Khajoraho or
Puri, and mastered the maneuvers of acting and style, but Kavita Dwibedi says that classical dance is much more than just a performing art.