|
|
|
|
Chaos rules roads in walled city
Vehicles parked on the roadside in Amritsar. Tribune
photo: Sameer Sehgal
Gazetted employees demand promotion on seniority basis
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Plan for proposed sports stadium revised again
The site of the proposed multi-purpose sports complex in Amritsar. A Tribune
photograph
Appointments in GNDU made on merit, say faculty members
A file photo of the recent protest by GNDU teachers held against the VC.
Rise in number of road mishaps reveals city’s grim traffic scenario
Consumer forum directs firm to pay compensation of Rs 25,000 to
resident
Man shot dead, prime accused held
The wailing family members of the deceased; and a policeman (right) shows the empty bullet shells recovered from spot where Harjinder Singh was shot dead by three armed assailants in Amritsar. Tribune Photos: Vishal Kumar
Residents resent petrol price hike
Mobile phone, SIM cards recovered from 2 undertrials
Auditioning new talent for Comedy Circus, Bharti gets nostalgic
Comedians Sudesh Lehri and Bharti Singh in Amritsar on Sunday. Photo: Vishal Kumar
Cong offended as party leader’s name missing from Trust tender
Vehicle lifters
arrested
49,935 children administered polio drops
|
|
Chaos rules roads in walled city
The introduction of towing away the wrongly parked vehicles has hardly brought any change. A couple of months ago, when the police department had conceptualised the idea of engaging private players for towing away the wrongly parked vehicles, the residents were a delighted lot as such a move was the need of the hour to deal with parking woes in the city. But after a while this exercise proved to be a temporary relief, courtesy the casual attitude of the police department. The city police has engaged eight privately-owned hydraulic tow-away vehicles which are hardly spotted performing their job. The on-duty policemen avoid calling the tow-away vehicles thinking the job has been outsourced by the department. Had this move been taken in letter and spirit, it would have had helped generating revenue besides teaching a lesson to those who care two hoots to the parking norms. In major commercial areas such as Mall road, Queens Road and Hall Bazaar among others, there is no provision of organised parking spaces which results in a parking chaos. Even as the city has designated parking lots in posh areas like Lawrence road, Nehru Shopping Complex, the situation is moreover dismal. Due to wrong parking of vehicles on city roads, the traffic flow often gets disturbed. It has been highlighted umpteen times in these columns that at Nehru Shopping complex, some of the shopkeepers have permanently encroached upon the parking lots meant for four-wheelers by erecting their billboards. Similar scenario is seen on the roadside opposite Crystal Chowk, in front of malls and banks on Mall Road, opposite shops located on Albert Road, not to forget the mess created by auto-rickshaws opposite the Bus Stand and the main GT road near Railway Station. As most of the vehicles are parked along the roads, the effective road width gets drastically reduced. This causes traffic congestion, time loss, and inconvenience to commuters and tourists alike. A proper parking facility is available at the Golden Temple and Gurudwara Shaheedan only. The traffic congestion is even more visible at fish, iron and furniture markets at Katra Sher Singh and Bagh Akalian, iron and steel market at Cheel Mandi, timber market at Bakarwala-Ghee Mandi as people start loading and unloading vehicles on the roadside. With no available parking lots, visitors to most of the government offices in the city are forced to use roadsides to park their vehicles. Parking is a major problem in the District Courts complex and Deputy Commissioner's office complex where most of the public offices (treasury, suvidha centre, patwar khana and many others) are located. Most of the designated parking lots do not have separate space but have line demarcation on the roads itself which is a regulated form of on-street parking which again reduces the effective road width. This is seen at Court Road, ICICI Bank-Mall Road and Telephone Exchange parking lots. In the case of Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhya parking lot which was constructed by the MC to decongest traffic, especially in Hall Bazaar and its surrounding areas, it is lying vacant because people have to walk longer distances to reach places. Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP-Traffic) Ketan Patil said, "We are doing our best with the inadequate force we have to streamline the parking problems. Moreover, the citizens themselves should have civic sense to park their vehicles in a proper way. We can only enforce the rules by issuing them challans or towing away their vehicles, if wrongly parked." Dismal parking scenario
Inadequate parking at Govt offices
Towing away ineffective
Official speak We are doing our best with the inadequate force we have to streamline the parking problems. Moreover, the citizens themselves should have civic sense to park their vehicles in a proper way. We can only enforce the rules by issuing them challans or towing away their vehicles, if wrongly parked. — Ketan Patil, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Traffic)
|
|
Gazetted employees demand promotion on seniority basis
Amritsar, June 16 In a communication to the Chief Minister, the association stated that the resentment was brewing up among the teachers. The members cited the instances of recent promotions carried out in Amritsar and Tarn Taran and added that these were setting wrong precedent. “The Education Department elevated junior teachers as DEOs in Amritsar while ignoring a number of seniors. Similar action has been taken in Tarn Taran also,” said an association member. They cited a notification by the department dated 22.12.2004 that stated that senior-most educationists must only be appointed DEOs and claimed that the appointments were in contravention of these rules. The Education Department recently appointed Satinder Bir Singh and Paramjit Singh (secondary) DEOs, Amritsar and Tarn Taran, respectively. Satinder was given the charge of DEO for both secondary and elementary levels. In the communication, they quoted the appendix B of the notification that stated, “It is made clear that in view of the norms of official propriety, only the senior-most officials holding any of the post mentioned under column-2 shall be posted as DEO.” The column-2 states that Principal, District Institute of Education and Training, Principals of secondary schools, assistant director, evaluation officer, subject matter expert (State Council of Education Research and Training), survey officer, deputy circle education officer, deputy DEO, district science supervisor, senior lecturer, senior guidance counsellor and others, who have a minimum experience of 10 years, could be considered for the position. Members of the association, including Jaspal Singh, Joginder Kaur, Kewal Singh, Kuldeep Singh and Nirmal Singh, demanded that seniority be restored. They said even the edited notification on January 15, 2011, and October 31, 2012, explicitly said the senior-most Principal must be elevated to the positions of DEOs (elementary and secondary). He said the appointment of juniors as DEOs while ignoring the seniors smacked of political patronisation. They also demanded amended pay scale to the DEOs, mandal education officers and deputy director. The association has urged the Chief Minister to set up an enquiry committee to make public the reasons of these elevations. They felt that these development signalled towards a scandal. They demanded cancellation of these elevations and appointment of the senior-most principals as DEOs. Other demands
|
|
|
Plan for proposed sports stadium revised again
Amritsar, June 16 Cricket will no longer get a dominant space as the earlier amendment in the design was flayed by leading sports personalities of the region. The entire complex that is spread over 21 acres of land was supposed to get an international-level cricket stadium on 16.5-acre land. The stadium was proposed to be a part of the outdoor sports stadium. Improvement Trust chairman Sandip Rishi said Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal directed the Local Bodies Department to consult the Sports Department to finalise the games. He said the sports disciplines were decided during the recent visit of the Deputy Chief Minister to the holy city. As per the recent decision, the outdoor sports complex would have a practicing cricket ground, athletics track, football, lawn tennis courts and kabaddi courts among others. The indoor stadium will have swimming pool with 2,000 seating capacity, a multipurpose hall to facilitate boxing, wrestling, volleyball and basketball as per Olympic standards. He said that technical experts were devising ways to adjust different games as the plot was in a linear shape. He said the estimates would be prepared in the next fortnight following which the tender would be floated. He added that as per directions, the multi-purpose sports stadium would be ready by the next one year. Brigadier Harcharan Singh (retd) welcomed the decision. He said their goal should be to transform India from a cricket-playing nation to a sports-loving one. Singh said a positive wave of securing more medals in the Olympics, Asian Games and other championships was picking up among the countrymen. Stadiums would provide greater opportunities to youngsters to explore other sports disciplines, he added. There are many games which require minimum investment from its players, their parents and the government. It was in these games that the government must provide infrastructure, he demanded. The design of a Panchkula-based architect Renu Khanna was approved under the technical bid category by an expert panel of the Trust. Her design got her a prize of Rs 1 lakh. As per the selected design, the total play field area would be 55.90 per cent of the total 5,95,624.24 square feet. Besides, the rest of the area would include ground coverage of 16.77 per cent, green area, including semi-paved pathways. There would be a provision of parking for 270
cars outside the campus and for 45 cars on the campus. Additional facilities like guestrooms with attached toilets, sports mall, lecture hall, food courts, exhibition halls, gymnasium, billiards
|
|
|
Appointments in GNDU made on merit, say faculty members
Amritsar, June 16 The faculty members of Computer Science and Engineering Department said every appointment in the department had been made strictly on the basis of merit and competence. They said it had been done with the consent of the selection committee and the Syndicate as per the norms of the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) and the University Grants Commission (UGC). The department, they claimed, had already proved this to the satisfaction of students by getting them excellent placements. Reacting to the allegations that favours have been made by the Vice-Chancellor to some faculty members during selections and promotions, the faculty said it was an act of creating a false propaganda to tarnish the image of the university. Moreover, as admissions process was going on, they said, these allegations were being made to affect the admission process adversely to serve the purpose of certain private educational institutions with vested interests, they added.
|
|
Rise in number of road mishaps reveals city’s grim traffic scenario
Amritsar, June 16 Various plans made by the authorities have proved inappropriate as the situation still remains the same. Those riding two-wheelers are the ones who bear the brunt of
such mishaps. In the recent instance, Khushdeep Kaur, a resident of the Golden Avenue area, was returning home with her uncle when a speeding truck hit them and crushed the girl to death. In the police records, this is the fourth such instance in this month. On May 4, two incidents were reported in which a youth was hit by a vehicle while he was walking on the road. Another youth from Taragarh
(Majitha) village was killed when his motorcycle collided with a speeding truck. Jaswinder Singh, a resident of
Daburji, was hit by a truck near Vallah. As per the police records, 32 deaths have been reported, while 18 persons have sustained injuries in 39 road mishaps occurred this year. In the corresponding period last year, 36 persons were killed and 41 persons were injured. The year 2012 took lives of 75 people, while 70 sustained injuries in 131 road mishaps. Underage driving, increase in the number of vehicles, rash driving by truck driver, drunken driving as well as unrestricted entry of heavy vehicles inside the city premises are several reasons behind the rise in the road mishaps. The encroachments on both sides of the roads, besides the absence of pedestrian footpaths for the movement of pedestrians, were also some of the reasons behinds these accidents. Recently, the city traffic police has conceptualised a plan to smoothen the traffic chaos prevalent on the city roads. It clearly sought cooperation of the civic authorities for removing the encroachments, but it was not to be. Thanks to the lackadaisical approach of the civic authorities. The traffic police is ill-equipped to check the traffic violations due to staff shortage and continuous political interventions. Dr Kaustubh Sharma, Deputy Commissioner of Police, claimed that the traffic scenario had definitely changed a bit during the past several
years due to the efforts made by the police administration. But several problems
are there due to the ever increasing number of vehicles in the city. He said the number of deaths due to road accidents was reduced marginally. He, however, admitted that it was
not a significant development. As far as the entry of trucks in the city
limits during day times was concerned, he said loading of materials could not be avoided due to
the involvement of a number of government agencies. Taking advantage of
this, several unscrupulous truckers gain illegal entry in the city limits. More steps would be taken to curtail their illegal entry and smoothen
the traffic in the city, he added.
|
|
|
Consumer forum directs firm to pay compensation of Rs 25,000 to
resident
Amritsar, June 16 Earlier, Krishan Sharma, a resident of Gate
Hakima, had approached the forum stating that he had taken a loan of Rs 72,000 from the company on August 21, 2011. The borrower was required to pay the loan in monthly instalments of Rs 3,320 till September 5, 2014, and had paid Rs 23,240 through instalments in total. He said the company had taken a cheque from him as a security. He had been paying the installments regularly through the ECS but could not pay two installments on time, as his father was ill. He later paid the two instalments in cash, he said. He complained that the company encashed the cheque for Rs 68,596 in June 2012 itself even though the entire loan was to be cleared by September 2014. He complained that even after recovering the amount, the finance company continued to charge Rs 350 as check bouncing charges and Rs 150 as due charges for not paying subsequent
instalments. While on notice, the company stated that it had encashed the check as per the law but added that subsequent charging for non-payments of instalments was because of an error in the system. The forum observed that as the finance company had not issued any notice before getting the cheque
encashed, it amounted to not giving any opportunity to consumer to explain. It stated that the act of charging cheque bounce expenses and due charges after settlement of the loan amounted to unfair trade practice on the part of the opposite party. The forum said when the company had got withdrawn a lump sum amount from the account of the complainant, ie Rs 68,596, then it was not entitled to get the installments through ECS for which he was fined. Case file
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum observed that as the finance company had not issued any notice before getting the cheque encashed, it amounted to not giving any opportunity to the consumer to explain. It stated that the due charges after the settlement of the loan amounted to unfair trade practice on the part of the opposite party.
|
|
|
Man shot dead, prime accused held
Amritsar, June 16 Sukhwinder Kaur, the deceased's wife, in her complaint to the police alleged that they returned after paying obeisance at Baba Budha Sahib yesterday. When her husband was repairing some electricity wire, the main accused Gurdip Singh started hurling abuses at him, she said. The argument took an ugly turn when Gurdip opened fire with his .12 rifle. Gurdip is reportedly cousin of the deceased. The splinters of the bullet hit Harjinder who ran inside the house to save himself. The accused again fired at him from the rooftop which hit his head killing him on the spot. The accused fled from the spot after committing the crime. The deceased’s wife further said day before yesterday her husband had a dispute with the accused over parking of motorcycles in the street. The police has recovered three empty shells of the .12 bore rifle. The police said a case under Section 302, 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 25/27/54/59 of the Arms Act had been registered against the accused. Harjinder was arrested this evening by the police. Further investigations were on in the case, the police said. The rest of the accused would be arrested very soon, the police added.
|
|
|
Residents resent petrol price hike
Amritsar, June 16 That petrol prices must not be increased every second month, the residents complained that they were already paying more price for petrol than the residents of Ambala and Chandigarh. The residents have also demanded from the state government to cut taxes on petrol to provide a respite to the common man. The residents rued that petrol and diesel prices were burning a hole in their pockets. They said the government should keep control over the oil companies in view of the public interest. Avneet Singh, a shopkeeper, said, "The government needs to keep a check on fuel prices. The companies cannot be allowed to increase prices at their will." He said the increase in fuel prices impacted the prices of other essential goods as well. Many residents feel that they have lost count of times the rates have been increased in the past few months.
|
|
Mobile phone, SIM cards recovered from 2 undertrials
Amritsar, June 16 Jail Deputy Superintendent RK Sharma said a mobile phone had been recovered from barrack no. 3 from Pandey, whereas two SIM cards were recovered from Jorawar Singh. On June 12, five mobiles were recovered from the possession of inmates during a surprise checking by the jail staff. Three mobiles were recovered from Lovjit Singh of Tarn Taran, Dharminder Masih of Jajje
in Amritsar and Ramesh Kumar of Jalandhar. Similarly, two mobiles were recovered from Kamaldip Singh and Ranjit Singh
of Tarn Taran, and Navdeep Singh of Amritsar. “We have been conducting multi-tiered checkings of the inmates and X-Ray machines have also been installed to scan the inmates when they return after court appearances, hospital visits etc.,” said Sharma. Growing menace On June 12, five mobiles were recovered from jail inmates during a surprise checking. Three phones were recovered from Lovjit Singh, Dharminder Masih and Ramesh Kumar, while two were recovered from Kamaldip Singh, Ranjit Singh and Navdeep Singh.
|
|
Auditioning new talent for Comedy Circus, Bharti gets nostalgic
Amritsar, June 16 The city girl, who found fame and stardom by tickling the nation’s funny bone, is gearing up to start an innings in films. “It is almost nostalgic watching these guys giving audition just like we did. If people loved to see a few Amritsaris perform on the television, I bet a whole new lot would definitely do better,” she said. Sudesh, her co-star on the show who also is from Amritsar, too feels proud over the fact that the city has contributed significantly to comedy genre. “Amritsar has a lot of shining jewels hidden from the Indian audience. With a healthy theatre culture and lots of talented artists, the city has immense potential and we just want to encourage and promote it.” Life on personal and professional front is going good for both the actors from city. Bharti, who has already made her debut with Akshay Kumar-starrer Khiladi 786, will again be seen in his production. She will also be seen making her Punjabi film debut with upcoming film Yamley Jatt Yamley. Sudesh will be seen in Salman Khan’s Mental soon. “After television, Bollywood was a natural progression. The film industry is positive towards Punjabi artists, they say.
|
|
Cong offended as party leader’s name missing from Trust tender
Amritsar, June 16 DCC (urban) president Jugal Kishore Sharma, in a communication to the Trust, has reminded its officials that the old premises was named Gian Chand Kharbanda Bhawan as he had participated in the freedom struggle, remained minister in the state Assembly and was a senior Congress leader. He resented that the auction notice published recently in various national and regional dailies mentioned the building as the old Improvement Trust office. He said it not only hurt the sentiments of the partymen, but also of families of freedom fighters. Over a period of time, a number of hotels and lodges have come up in the area to cater to pilgrims coming from all over the world and the country to pay obeisance at the Golden Temple. The Trust is auctioning the constructed building having a hotel, a restaurant, offices, showrooms and shops in a single unit.
|
|
Vehicle lifters
arrested
Amritsar, June 16 Three teenagers have been arrested for lifting vehicles and two motorcy recovered from their possession. The accused have been identified as Mani Kumar, Babbu Masih and Aman Masih. In-charge of the Majitha road bypass police chowki Harjit Singh said a case had been registered against the trio. He said being minors, they had been sent to a juvenile jail in Hoshiarpur. Meanwhile, the Civil Lines police has arrested three persons involved in stealing of LPG gas cylinders. They have been identified as Mohan Lal, Raju and Sagar, all residents of the Gawal Mandi area.
— TNS
|
|
49,935 children administered polio drops
Amritsar, June 16 The District Immunisation Officer, Dr Rajan Verma, said 76,692 houses were covered in the door-to-door campaign today. He said the department’s target was to administer polio drops to 1,14,203 children during the drive. The teams were focusing on slums, factory premises and farm houses. The department aimed at covering 8,69,254 houses in the three days. All health workers in rural and urban areas had been mobilised for the drive, he added.
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | E-mail | |
Even as Deputy Chief Minster Sukhbir Badal recently talked about introducing robotic parking in various cities, Amritsar is crying for basic parking facilities in many of its localities.
Amritsar, June 16
Amritsar, June 16
Harjinder Singh, a local resident, was shot dead over a minor dispute over the parking of motorcycle in the Chheharta area here late last night.
The police has booked three persons identified as Gurdip Singh, Bottu and Manjit Singh, all residents of Ghanpur Kale area, in this connection.
Amritsar, June 16
Amritsar, June 16