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MC building to be vacated
Passport Kendra offers new service for online appointments
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Cop’s son booked for minor’s rape
One booked for forgery
State heritage and tourism promotion board tells DC to prepare report
Shifting GNDU College, Jalandhar, a wise decision, says principal
Prime accused in Rs 67 lakh robbery still at large
Army man accuses wife of poisoning him
City lad earns a name in fitness modelling in Oz
Contractual pharmacists threaten to disturb Deputy CM’s function
Woman accuses daughter of theft
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MC building to be vacated
Amritsar, June 13 The foundation stone of the MC’s new premises, spread in around 2 acres, will be laid by Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal tomorrow. As per plan, the Town Hall building will be transformed into a multiple tourist site under an agreement with the Punjab Heritage and Tourism Promotion Board (PHTPB). Designed by the architectural wing of the GNDU, the new MC building at Ranjit Avenue will be prepared in a span of two years. It will have all its branches in a seven-storeyed building, which will have a heritage-look architectural splendour. Its exterior will have exposed bricks and don the same century-old contours. It will cater to the modern times needs like adequate parking place and office environs. There will be a separate provision for the councillors’ meeting hall, besides a modern general meeting hall. The pink U-shaped British-era building, the present location of the MC house, will be leased out through the Punjab Infrastructure Development Board (PIDB) to make it a mega tourist destination. It will house an underground museum spread in 5000 sq m area for showcasing articles pertaining to the Punjabi cultural heritage, in general, and Amritsar’s historical significance, in particular. Besides, there will be a well-stocked library with rare books.
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Passport Kendra offers new service for online appointments
Amritsar, June 13 The change in the system has been done to ensure that all those applicants who secure appointments online are present for the personal interview on the stipulated day. Earlier, applicants complained of not getting appointments, while those who had obtained the appointment failed to come for interview. Regional Passport Officer JS Sodhi said it had been observed that while the 500 appointment slots available online were taken away by applicants within a few minutes, only around 350 actually visited the Kendra. Sources in the passport office said earlier touts and agents could manipulate the system by securing appointments on the basis of fake applications and, thus, created a virtual scarcity of slots. As now an applicant would have to deposit the fees, the chances of these touts manipulating the system would be negligible. Under the new system, the applicants would also be able to secure appointment anytime and these would be granted on a first-come first-serve basis. In the earlier system, the appointment slot could be selected by applicants at 5pm daily. Sodhi said applicants could deposit the requisite fee using credit or debit cards through Internet banking or using the challan available on the website. Sodhi said they had also proposed to the External Affairs Ministry to allow applicants from Pathankot district to file applications at the PSK in Hoshiarpur. He said the PSK at Hoshiarpur had a capacity to deal with around 600 applications per day, while at present it was getting only 200-250 applications. The Amritsar PSK, on the other hand, was catering to the needs of eight districts. The passport officer said they had also proposed to open another PSK at Ferozepur so that people from far-off districts did not have to come a long distance to Amritsar.
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Cop’s son booked for minor’s rape
Amritsar, June 13 The 15-year-old victim, in her compliant to the B-division police station, stated that the accused was her classmate and used to stalk and harass her. The accused started visiting the street where her residence was situated. She alleged that on June 1, he entered her house and finding no one at her home, he raped her and threatened her with dire consequences if she told about the incident to anybody. Not only this, when she complained this to his father, who is a policeman, he also threatened her on her mobile. She said on June 4, the accused again entered her house and committed the same crime while threatening to kill her. The victim then narrated the whole story to her mother, who lodged a complaint with the police. Janak Raj, investigating officer, said a case under Sections 376 and 506 of the IPC had been registered against Harpreet Singh in this regard after the medical examination of the victim. No arrest has been made so far, as the culprit was on the run, he added. He said Harpreet’s father Mohinder Singh was earlier posted in Ludhiana and was recently transferred to Amritsar.
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Amritsar, June 13 The Ramdass police station has registered a case under Sections 419, 420, 467, 468, 471 of the IPC against him. However, no arrest has been made so far. Paramjit Singh, a resident of the same village, lodged a complaint with the police that Rashpal Singh had forged the documents of another person having the same name. Following this, an inquiry was conducted by a DSP-rank official which found him guilty of forging documents. — TNS
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State heritage and tourism promotion board tells DC to prepare report
Amritsar, June 13 In a letter written to the DC, the additional project director of the department referred to a letter which the department had received from the office of the Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal while asking him to forward the report at the earliest. "It is requested that the monument comprising five temples be examined at the district level and a comprehensive proposal with the recommendations as deemed fit be forwarded at the earliest for further action," it reads. The department has also sought the revenue details of the land with a rough sketch and area. The copy of the letter was also sent to Principal Secretary Tourism and PA to Director (Culture). Rajnish Khosla, a heritage lover and conservationist of centuries-old hand-written manuscripts, welcomed the step and said the heritage structure which was still in a good shape and had beautiful frescoes of Hindu deities should be preserved, as it would also help in attracting tourists to the place. The district tourist department had also recommended for the preservation of the historical temple. District Tourism Officer Balraj Singh, along with technical experts, had visited the temple and later submitted a report while strongly recommending its conservation and bring it on the tourism map so that tourists from across the globe could witness the splendid frescoes at the temple. In his report, the tourism officer had pointed out that the temple was a beautiful blend of Mughal, Hindu and Sikh architecture. The temple consists of the main sanctum sanctorum in the centre, while four temples of Hindu deities - Lord Shiva, Goddess Durga, Lord Ganesha and Sourya (sun) - are situated at four corners. Though the temple owner has whitewashed the Shiv temple due to lack of awareness, frescoes are very much intact in other temples. He had pointed out that after proper conservation, it had the potential to become one of the main tourist attractions in future as there is, perhaps, no other temple which has such a unique architecture in Punjab. The temple is approximately 150 years old. The invaluable frescoes have been decaying due to the lack of knowledge among area residents. The temple was built during the reign of Sikh ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh. It has been a rich treasure trove of resplendent frescoes of Hindu deities, besides Guru Nanak Dev along with his two disciples Bala and Mardana. The plight of the temple was first highlighted in The Tribune on August 1, 2011. Later, a team of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Chandigarh circle, visited the shrine and recommended the preservation of historical structures and frescoes to the ASI authorities in New Delhi.
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Shifting GNDU College, Jalandhar, a wise decision, says principal
Amritsar, June 13 Randhawa said the allegation made by the Punjab Human Rights Organisation that the decision to forgo the property was uncalled for, was in contempt of the judgement of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. “Some individuals with vested interests are trying to tarnish the image of the university, especially at this time when admissions are going on, so that certain private institutions could benefit of this,” the principal said. The university was running the college from an old dilapidated rented building in Basti Nau in Jalandhar for more than 40 years. The varsity, the principal said, was never the owner of the building as it was owned by an NRI family besides Bimla Devi and some other NRIs. The university was paying rent of Rs 1,750 per month from 1970 to the owners regularly. The owners had been asking the university to vacate the building and had been contesting the case in the courts since 1995. The university had already lost the case in different courts. The situation took a new turn in the year 2001 when the Rent Act was amended by the Government of Punjab and a new Section “13-B” was inserted to help NRIs to safeguard their interests. The owners of the building filed new petition for getting the building vacated from the university. The High Court, after hearing both the parties, pronounced that the university would have to vacate the building. However, keeping in view the interests of the students, it allowed the university to stay on the premises for one more year. “The university had no option but to obey the orders of the honourable court. A high powered meeting held on June 30, 2011, under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal allotted eight acres of land in Jalandhar city, adjoining to Government Educational College at Ladowali Road. The Principal Secretary, Education, vide letter no. 13/47/2000-6E1/2140-41 dated 27-10-2010 had asked the college to get possession of this land to implement the orders of the honorable Punjab and Haryana High Court,” the principal said. “The new location of the college is more approachable as compare to the previous one. Keeping in view the requirements of the students and their parents, new need-based courses will start from the new building soon. At present, MBA and MCA courses are already running in this college and from this academic session, B.Com, B.Com (professional) and M.Com courses will be introduced,” he informed. The issue
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Prime accused in Rs 67 lakh robbery still at large
Amritsar, June 13 Amarinder is the mastermind of the fraud and he was the person who had escaped with the money. Mohkampura police station Station House Officer (SHO) Amrik Singh said police parties had been conducting raids at various suspected hideouts of Amarinder. A case of robbery and fraud has been registered against eight of his accomplices at the Mohkampura police station. The police has raided at various places in Ropar, Mohali, Jalandhar, Jafarwal without any success. The police has arrested three persons, including Amarinder’s mother, in the case. Those arrested were identified as Sukhbir Singh, Sukhwinder Singh and Paramjit Kaur. It is pertinent to mention here that four families were allegedly d uped by an education company after assuring seats for their wards. The deal was settled at Rs 72 lakh per seat and they were called outside the SGPC-run Sri Guru Ram Dass Institute of Medical Sciences and Research. They were called in a restaurant located just opposite to the institute. Rs 67.50 lakh were robbed from two families on gunpoint. The accused ran on three separate vehicles. The Crime Trail
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No clue of four-year-old missing girl Amritsar, June 13 Following the compliant of the family, the police has registered a kidnapping case against some unidentified persons. Preet Kaur, the victim, had gone to play outside her house. However, she did not return till late in the evening. Parvesh Chopra, SHO, Gate Hakima police station, said there was no clue about the alleged kidnapper or the whereabouts of the girl. He said probe was under progress and efforts were afoot to locate the missing girl. — TNS
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Army man accuses wife of poisoning him
Amritsar, June 13 Lovepreet said he was married to Jasbir Kaur, a resident of Gobind Nagar, Sultanwind road, in 2003 and has two children with her. The Army man said Jasbir told him few years back that her parents had purchased a residential plot, which was in the name of her mother Joginder Kaur, after taking loan from Punjab and Sind Bank. She said due to financial problems, her family could not give the installments of the said plot. She told him that her mother had agreed to transfer the plot in their name if he gave the remaining installments. Lovepreet, who originally hails from Suropadda village, said he agreed on the same and gave the installments from year 2009 to 2011. He said when he asked his wife to convince her mother and other family members to get the land transferred in their name, they backtracked on their promise saying the market rate of the land in question has increased considerably. Lovepreet Singh said they often had quarrels on the issue. He alleged on June 10, his mother Palwinder Kaur and brother Harpreet Singh went to take some medicine. He also went out of the house for some work while asking her to be ready to go to his in-laws' house to discuss the matter of transferring the plot on their name. The Army man said when he returned home and took his meal, his wife offered him lassi. He said a few minutes later after consuming the lassi, he started feeling uncomfortable. His wife, Lovepreet Singh alleged, had laced some poisonous substance in the drink. He said when he wanted to come out of the house it was bolted from outside. The Army man said he frantically knocked at the door but his wife did not come. He was rescued after his mother and brother returned and immediately took him to the hospital. Rajinder Pal Singh, investigating officer in the case, said Jasbir Kaur has disappeared since the incident while investigations were under progress. The investigating officer said a case has been registered under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against Jasbir Kaur in this regard.
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City lad earns a name in fitness modelling in Oz
Amritsar, June 13 Sameer, who is studying in Australia, wants to be a role model for the state youth who are into drugs. Hailing from Chheharta in Amritsar, Sameer clinched the title of Mr Masculine in boys’ category at Mr and Ms Magnificent 2013 held at Melbourne on May 31. Talking over phone from Melbourne, Sameer said. “You never know your limits unless you push yourself towards them. I want to be a fitness idol for the Punjab youth. The general perception about them is that they are into drugs despite being hardworking. Through my achievement, I want to divert their mind in a constructive direction,” he said. Sameer also competed in “L’Oreal Asia Pacific” runway show in March and “Blush Hot Hunk 2013”. He was among the top 12 contestants chosen by public voting out of 35 best-looking men. In 2012, he competed in the Australia Natural Bodybuilding (ANB), a fitness model championship, where he was among the top five contestants. “It was after this (ANB) that I started doing workouts to tone my body as a professional. At present, I am doing fitness modelling and commercial modeling (print) and also start acting and making short movies. I am also acting in Australia’s famous TV series "Neighbors", “Winner and Losers". I am also preparing for my next fitness competition which is scheduled in October,” he said. He did his schooling through Madhav Vidya Niketan from pre-nursery till Class XII before moving to Australia for further studies in 2009. “I am still a student and doing business management in Melbourne. I was a chef in the beginning but since I started fitness modelling, I became part-time personal training and did fitness photo shoots to meet my expenses,” he said. Sharing his experiences and routine in Melbourne, Sameer said, “Well, it was really hard at the beginning - a different country, different people and entirely different culture and language. As a fitness model, it was harder for me because I am strictly a vegetarian. I have to eat at least five-six small meals a day. I don’t take drinks, soft drinks or junk food. I have to cook my meals which take a lot of time besides preparing university assignments, examination,” he said, adding it is worth it at the end of the day. Fitness runs in his family which runs two fitness gyms - King Health Club at Chheharta and Sun Health Club in Amritsar, near Lohgarh gate. “My parents motivated me a lot and I also met so many nice and positive people in Australia who helped me in my acting career. Being a known face now, I feel like I make one big family in Melbourne as well,” he said. His father Kuldeep Kumar Vashishat and mother Poonam Vashishat said Sameer was a focused child. “Fitness is in our blood. Now my younger son Samarveer who is 19 years old, is also a fitness freak.
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Contractual pharmacists threaten to disturb Deputy CM’s function
Amritsar, June 13 The Deputy CM is scheduled to lay the foundation stone of the upcoming Municipal Corporation office at Ranjit Avenue on Thursday. The employees held a protest rally at zila parishad office here today and disrupted the traffic. The association leaders said they were protesting for the past 11 days to get their posts regularised but the authorities concerned took no notice. The district has around 91 health and veterinary dispensaries working under zila parishad. Vice-president Kamaljit Singh Chauhan said they were planning to disrupt the foundation ceremony. He said the contractual employees were working for the last six years, adding they were paid Rs 7000 salary per month. The employees complained that their counterparts in regular service were drawing more salaries for the same work. Chauhan said they had a meeting with the Principal Secretary to Chief Minister who had assured to get their matter resolved. The association has warned that they would gherao the Panchayat Minister to get their demands fulfilled. Others who participated in the protest were Kawaldeep Singh Kang, Sukdev Singh, Saranjit Singh, Munish Kumar, Rohit Sharma, Balwinder Kaur, Navjot Kaur and Bikramjit Singh.
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Woman accuses daughter of theft
Amritsar, June 13 Ravita, a resident of Guru Ram Dass Nagar, Sultanwind Road, told the police that she had gone to the market when her daughter Aarti who is married in Palampur, Himachal Pradesh, was at home. She said when she came back, her daughter was not present at home while gold ornaments and cash worth Rs 2.50 lakh was stolen. She suspected that Aarti had stolen these. A case under Section 380, 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered in this connection.
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The Amritsar municipal corporation (MC) will have a new address. For, the MC will vacate the 140-year-old Town Hall and shift to a new location at Ranjit Avenue.
Amritsar, June 13
