The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	MC apathy killing off saplings on city road dividers Manmeet Singh Gill Tribune News Service Amritsar, July 1 The saplings on wide dividers on roads in the city are dying for want of regular watering by the Municipal Corporation (MC) authorities. Most of the plants on the road leading from the Hathi Gate to the Khazana Gate have dried up. The plants on the road from Chita Gumbad, near Ram Bagh Chowk, to the bus stand have met with the same fate. At places as the saplings dried, the tree guards, too, have disappeared. The tree saplings, which were planted for beautification and air purification purposes, have died because of the apathy of the MC authorities. Area residents complained that while water tankers of the Municipal Corporation watered greenbelts and saplings planted in a few posh areas and on the GT Road on regular basis, their areas were being neglected. Municipal Corporation vehicles were seen watering plants on the GT Road, Ranjit Avenue, Green Avenue and other such localities, but are seldom seen on roads leading to not-so-posh colonies. Residents demand that the administration should come up with an effective plan to nurture the saplings planted on city roads. They said smaller saplings need more attention and should be watered on daily basis. Ram Kumar, a shopkeeper near the Hathi Gate, said, “If all the saplings dry up, it will be shear wastage of money. The authorities will surely plant new ones, but they, too, will dry up if proper care is not given. This is the reason why the city roads do not look green as the plants die every summer." At places these greenbelts-cum-dividers on roads give a barren look. “The plants have dried in large numbers. At places no sapling can be seen for almost 100 m or more,” said a local resident, Balwant Singh. He added that while bigger plants had deeper roots and could take their portion of water from the soil, the smaller ones had to be cared for.
	Greenbelts turn into parking spaces Manmeet Singh Gill Tribune News Service Amritsar, July 1 Greenbelts in various localities in the city are fast disappearing as more and more people are using these for parking vehicles. An example in this case is along the road leading from Court Chowk to the airport. The greenbelt area here has been paved with cement and is used for parking vehicles along the entire stretch. The residential area has fast grown into a commercial one and so has arisen the need for parking space. A simple solution at hand was to use the greenbelt for the purpose and administration was not least bothered. Vehicle owners outside a hospital in the lane are also being charged for parking vehicles. While the areas meant for greenbelts on most of the city road have not been developed, residents of posh colonies have enclosed these installing fences. A few have even extended gates of their houses to the greenbelt while fencing the side towards the road. As such these greenbelts are being used more as a personal kitchen gardens. While the state government is all bent upon announcing various projects for development and beautification of the city, these greenbelts needs to be maintained and looked after. The condition of the greenbelt alongside the road from Court Chowk to B Block of Ranjit Avenue is also pitiable as high grass is standing on it. Residents demanded that these places should be maintained. An RTI activist, Sandy Randhawa, who had earlier raised the matter of commercial buildings in greenbelts and use of greenbelts as parking areas, said, "The Municipal Corporation needs to wake up for the cause. All tall claims of the beautification of the city cannot be realised if the place earmarked for greenery is used for parking."
	Historic Ram Bagh goes to dogs GS Paul Tribune News Service Amritsar, July 1 The stray dog menace and unscrupulous elements threaten morning walkers at the historic Ram Bagh. Incidentally, Mayor Bakshi Ram Arora has his camp office on the garden premises. The garden is also often frequented by Punjab Industry Minister Anil Joshi, but the menace could not catch their attention. The practice of dumping garbage inside the garden also added to the menace of stray dog and abandoned animals on the premises. Indeed, this 84-acre summer palace set up by Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1819 is a prime example of negligence towards the rich heritage. The sorry state of saga starts right from the Deori of the Ram Bagh and the main entrance to the summer palace complex from where on is greeted by hoards of ferocious stray dogs sitting in groups. Not only dogs, in the absence of any check, it appeared more to be a "convenient place" for abandoned horses and cattle to graze. Now, what attract the canines to the Ram Bagh? There are three clubs in the Company Bagh. Most probably, the kitchen waste and the leftover food items of visitors dumped there attract stray animals, who roam about in the Bagh. The real culprits are the sanitation men of the MC who do not remove the garbage heaps for days together. Their another damaging role is yet to come. One fine morning they would set the garbage heaps on fire, without bothering about the harm caused to the environment. The residents, who stroll there in the morning or evening, pointed towards the laxity on the part of the authorities concerned in dealing with the problem of stray animals. The place has also become synonymous with unscrupulous elements. "Apart from stray animals, every evening or early morning you can find people smoking, gambling in groups and some couples sitting in objectionable manners, etc. This has prevented us from coming here. It is ridiculous? said Naresh Johar, a city resident for the past over 55 years. "We avoid going there when it turns dark in the evening as you would often come across people who are drunk," said Kalpana, another resident. "This heritage, which, for its artistic and architectural importance, has been declared as a protected monument of national importance, hardly seems to carry any importance for the local authorities," said another resident Jagdish Singh.
	Youth commits suicide Tribune News Service Amritsar, July 1 A 27-year-old youth, identified as Varun Kapoor, a resident of Katra Dullo, allegedly committed suicide by consuming poison. He was rushed to Guru Nanak Dev Hospital late last night where he died this morning. Varun's father stated to the police that a couple of persons were harassing him over some monetary transactions. The police has also found a suicide note from a diary of the deceased in which he stated that he had been falsely implicated in the criminal case. In his suicide note, he alleged that he was booked due to the personal rivalry between two BJP leaders, one of which is very close to a former Cabinet minister from the area. His father alleged that two youths, identified as Tarun Arora of Bhagtawala, alias Money, and Harsh Goswami, alias Ballu, used to pressurise him for returning money. Ashok Kumar, SHO, D-Division police station, said on the basis of the complaint by the victim's father a case of abetment to suicide was being registered against Tarun, Harash and several other unidentified persons. He said further investigations were under progress. The allegations mentioned in the suicide note by the deceased would also be looked into.
	Rs 70,000 looted from hospital Tribune News Service Amritsar, July 1 Two unidentified youths looted around Rs 70,000 from the reception of a private hospital early this morning. The whole incident has been captured by the CCTV camera. The police has registered a case and initiated action to identify the robbers. Rajwinder Singh, who was handling the reception counter, told the police that an unidentified youth entered and started inquiring about a patient, who obviously was not admitted to the hospital. A few minutes later he along with another youth, whose face was covered, came and pointed a pistol at him and asked to give them whatever cash he was having. He said he got afraid and handed over the amount of Rs 70,000 to them. Gagandeep Singh, SHO, Majitha Road police station, said sketches of the accused were being prepared and CCTV footage had been procured from the hospital. He said further investigations were under progress. An insider's hand could not be ruled out in the incident, he added.
	Police finds vital clues in cheating case Tribune News Service Amritsar, July 1 The police during its investigation has found vital clues in the incident in which a fly-by-night firm, Balaji Enterprises, located in the B Block of Ranjit Avenue, duped unsuspecting youths of money under the pretext of sending them abroad on work permit. The police investigation revealed that the company officials had opened account numbers in the name of the girls employed in their company and used to do major transactions through that accounts only. The police has also recorded the statements of the girls and other employees of the firm. Sukhwinder Singh, in charge of the Economic Offence Wing, said the whereabouts of the two company officials, identified as Pardeep Kumar and Mandeep Singh, were being ascertained, while the investigating team also confiscated some important documents from the office of the company located in the B-Block of Ranjit Avenue. He said the process for the registration of a case was initiated.
	Thieves try to break UCO Bank ATM Tribune News Service Amritsar, July 1 Unidentified thieves tried to break an ATM of UCO Bank at San Sahib Road in Chheharta last night in the absence of any security person. Though they could not take away any cash, they damaged the machine badly. The Chheharta police has registered a case against unidentified persons following a statement of SM Sharma, Branch Manager, UCO Bank. Sushil Kumar, SHO, Chheharta police station, said a case under Sections 457, 380, 511 and 427 of the IPC was registered in this regard. He said he had asked for the CCTV footage of the ATM from the bank. Further investigations were under progress. Earlier, unidentified persons had tried to break an ATM of Punjab National Bank in Ghee Mandi on May 29.
	MC implements outdoor ad policy, frames norms for new bidders Gets strict with those putting up illegal hoardings, billboards GS Paul Tribune News Service Amritsar, July 1 An advertisement policy for the city sounds good at a juncture when it is losing its charm due to the messy hoardings, billboards, political posters and banners scattered all over. Plugging this menace, the Amritsar MC has implemented the Punjab Municipal Outdoor Advertisement Policy, 2012, in toto. To start with, the MC has drafted the proposal to hire the designated sites for putting up hoardings or advertisement boards in the city. A dedicated team under the tutelage of Assistant Commissioner Surinder Singh has been constituted which would ensure that the stipulated norms of the policy are adhered to. According to the new norms, these unipoles and advertisement sites would be auctioned for duration of three months. A decision to conceptualise an ad policy was taken by the state government at a meeting of the council of ministers held couple of months ago under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. The move is a result of stern directions issued by the high court to the Secretary and the Local Bodies Department. The HC ordered removal of all illegal hoardings put up either by political leaders, parties or commercial organisations on rooftops or walls of residential complexes. Elaborating further, the Assistant Commissioner said the move had been taken to avoid the misuse of unipoles and designated advertisement or hoarding sites. “Earlier, no norms were followed while awarding contracts to the firms for displaying advertisements. This led to a total mess. Even the vacated sites were being misused by advertisers and political bosses. Nonetheless, the term of majority of the hired unipoles has expired and would completely lapse by the October end. Now when the government has devised a policy, we have got a way out. We will be adopting a thorough, transparent and uniform policy in auctioning the sites for advertisement,” he said. Official records reveal that there are 112 government and 150 non-government hoardings in different parts of the city. Out of 112, the validity of around 95 unipoles has already expired. Despite this, hoardings can be seen at various places. Similarly, owners of both residential and commercial properties, defying all rules, have been earning a handsome amount by leasing out their rooftops to private firms for putting up hoardings. All these attempts clearly violate the HC directions. Defacement of public property MC has drafted proposal to hire the designated sites for putting up hoardings in the city A team has been constituted to ensure that norms are adhered to Unipoles and advertisement sites will be auctioned for three months
	Amritsar airport forms Facebook page to keep passengers updated Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service Amritsar, July 1 Shri Guru Ram Das Jee International Airport, Amritsar, has become the first Airport Authority of India-governed airport in the country to have made a Facebook page with a helpline number and photographs of the airport. This was stated by Director of the airport Suneel Dutt here today. “The page has already received over 1,500 likes. Our helpline number is 19888 3 98888 and it will be working 24x7,” said Dutt. The international connectivity from the airport may have been hit, but there has been a considerable increase in the number of domestic flights. The Amritsar airport recorded a domestic footfall of nearly 5.52 lakh during the fiscal 2012-2013, which was 4.94 lakh in 2011-2012. It was a big leap from 2010-2011 when the footfall was 2.96 lakh. Dutt said the domestic footfall at the airport had surged by 80 per cent in the past three years. He said with modern infrastructure, architecture and equipment, the Amritsar airport offered state-of-the-art amenities to the airlines and global ambiance to the passengers. Many domestic flights were introduced in the past one year which improved the connectivity and footfall at the airport increased. Budget airline career SpiceJet started its maiden operation from the airport on July 12, 2012. It introduced a flight on the Amritsar-Delhi route thrice a day. It filled in the space vacated by the exit of the cash-strapped Kingfisher from the route. SpiceJet is now running three flights between Amritsar and Delhi. Besides, the budget airline introduced a to-and-fro flight between Mumbai and Srinagar with a halt at Amritsar. The air service restored the air connectivity with Srinagar after many decades and also linked the holy city with the commercial capital of the country.
	Pilgrim returns from Uttarakhand but without his daughter Along with his wife and two daughters, he had left for Char Dham yatra on June 9 PK Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, July 1 The Char Dham Yatra turned tragic for Suraj Kumar Jaiswal, who lost his younger daughter to the devastation caused by the recent flash floods in Uttarakhand. Like others who returned safe to their homes, Jaiswal also criticised the Uttarakhand government for its inability and casual approach in helping the pilgrims who were left stranded at Kedarnath and other religious places. He alleged many people in Uttarakhand were looting the stranded pilgrims by selling eatables and water at exorbitant prices. A bottle of water was sold for Rs 1,000 and a packet of biscuits for over Rs 100, he said. Narrating his tragic tale, he said he had started his journey from Haridwar on June 9 from where he, along with two other families from Gujarat and Jharkhand, hired a taxi for the yatra. After paying obeisance at Jamnotri and Gangotri, they reached Kedarnath Dham on June 15. “I, along with my wife and two daughters- Raj Nandani (18) and Damini (14), paid obeisance at Kedarnath on June 16 and started the return journey on the same day. As we reached Rambada, we witnessed the nature’s fury that left thousands dead,” he said. “Amid confusion, my younger daughter and I got separated from my wife and the elder daughter. Damini had not eaten for long and became unconscious. When I was about to pick her up, she slipped and fell off the hill. She got hit against a huge rock and died on the spot. I could do nothing to save her. I had to throw her body in the river,” he said, as tears rolled down his cheeks. “For almost a week, we were there without food. It was on the seventh day that bread and other eatables were dropped from helicopters. After a couple of days, we were taken to Guptkashi and then to Rishikesh where I finally met my wife and elder daughter,” said Jaiswal. He said they performed the last rites of his daughter in Haridwar.
	Fall in value of rupee disappoints students aspiring to study abroad Neha Saini Tribune News Service Amritsar, July 1 If you have been studying hard for GMAT or applying for popular courses in the US this year, the declining value of rupee should worry you. As the rupee has fallen to its lowest ever against the US dollar, students seem to be the worst-hit. With higher education getting costlier in the US, including the visa expenses, travelling and cost of living, students are a worried lot as their dream to study abroad is becoming hard to achieve. “Every year, a large number of students travel abroad for study purpose and this will hit their budget. From course application fee to visa expenses and cost of living, every aspect of staying in the States will become expensive,” says Gurvinder Madaan, who runs TOEFL and IELTS centre at Putlighar. “Students who have taken loans to fund their foreign education will be worst effected as their expenses will be paid in dollars,” he says. Thousands of aspiring students in the city share this cruel fate. 21-year-old Rashpal Singh Kathuria, who is working his way out to study MBA at a reputed B-school in the US, says he will now have shell out way more than he thought he would. The situation has made many students look for other options. “Students are now seeking education opportunities in Canada, New Zealand and Australia. The mindset here is that a foreign degree ensures easy settlement abroad, so they do not mind shelling out money for it. Since most of the students going abroad from here for higher education are from the agricultural background, it will not be difficult for them to manage the extra expenses, but those from middle-class families will have to bear the brunt,” says Vivek Parasher, branch manager, WWICS, Amritsar. But like every cloud has a silver lining, Amristar youths also hope in the heart of hearts that the situation will not prevail for long and their dream of studying oversees will not be too hard on their pockets. Expensive dreams Every year, a large number of students travel abroad for studies and this will hit their budget. From course application fee to visa expenses and cost of living, every aspect of staying in the United States will become expensive — Gurvinder Madaan Students are now seeking education opportunities in Canada, New Zealand and Australia. Since most of the students aspiring to study abroad are from an agricultural background, it will not be difficult for them to manage the extra expenses, but those from middle-class families will have to bear the brunt,” — Vivek Parasher, branch manager, WWICS, Amritsar
	gndu results Abhishek, Jeevan do DAV College proud Tribune News Service Amritsar, July 1 Abhishek Bedi of BSc III (non-medical) and Jeevan Jyoti of BSc III (computer science) of DAV College have achieved merit positions in the Guru Nanak Dev University examination. The college Vice-Principal, Prof Baldev Sachdeva, and the Registrar, Prof HS Walia, congratulated the two. They said the college was proud of their achievement and motivated them to keep up the good work. BBK DAV girls have again proved their worth by grabbing stupendous positions in the GNDU results. Rajdeep Kaur of BBK DAV College for Women grabbed the first position in the university in BSc economics III with 1866 (out of 2400) marks. Madhuri Uppal and Monika Mitruka of the college stood 4th and 7th in the university, respectively, in BCA-III. Raminder Kaur of the same college secured 13th rank in the university in BSc non-medical-III. College Principal Neelam Kamra felicitated the students for bringing laurels to the college. She said it was a moment of great pride for the college.