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MC expedites recovery of pending dues
AIT asked to remove encroachment made by SSP (Rural) office
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Police holds public meetings, asks residents not to hold ‘theekri pehras’
Three arrested in ASI murder case
MC to raise Rs 150-cr loan for development works
Differently abled kids enthral audience
Sword-making gains momentum in city
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MC expedites recovery of pending dues
Amritsar, August 9 The fresh move is the outcome of the Local Bodies Ministry’s recent directions to the Municipal Commissioners of Amritsar, Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Bhatinda to stimulate their revenue generation to improve their declining financial health. Similarly, those departments and officials who fail to meet their recovery targets too would face disciplinary action. As per the latest guidelines, officials of the departments of House Tax, Municipal Town Planning and Water and Sewerage have been given the deadline of December 31 to achieve their recovery target, estimated to be around Rs 30 crore. Besides this, a review meeting would be mandatory to be conducted every month. The major share is of House Tax Department which has been calculated to be around Rs 22 crore. But around Rs 10 crore is considered to be “non-recoverable”. The reason for this is that the amount had been kept “pending” for decades. Most of these properties have changed many hands since while several were occupied by the government for running various offices and institutes. Many proprietors are untraceable. In such a scenario, it would really be difficult for the department to meet its recovery target. Officials said the House Tax Department is eying a target of Rs 12 crore which it feels can be recovered. Out of this, Rs 2 crore has already been recovered. The department is planning a foolproof strategy to recover the remaining Rs 10 crore. It has been learnt that the House Tax Department is also mulling over to realise taxes from various properties which have been utilised for running banks, hospitals, hotels and even ATM booths. Municipal Commissioner DPS Kharbanda said, “No relaxation would be given to any offender. Teams have been directed to meet the targets set on monthly basis. No influence would earn the offenders any immunity. The residents should take it as their moral duty to pay the taxes. Similarly, those officials who fail to achieve the set targets would face action.”
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AIT asked to remove encroachment made by SSP (Rural) office
Amritsar, August 9 Deputy Commissioner Rajat Aggarwal in a communiqué dated August 6 to AIT chairperson Sandeep Rishi said the encroachment and illegal structure constructed by the office of SSP (Rural) on the 60-foot road leading to Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar (Mall Mandi) B-block should be removed immediately. The same road also leads to the city bus stand which has been awaiting plying of low-floor buses. Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar Welfare Forum Mall Mandi president Prem Sagar, also one of the plot holders, requested the AIT chairman to act upon the direction to provide relief to hundreds of plot holders. He said under the 211-acre scheme, also known as Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar, about 700 plots were allotted in 2006 and around 500 were given in 2009. He said the entire residential colony was divided in two blocks. He said the scheme was planned over a decade ago but faulty planning led to the delay in inhabiting the area. This was despite the fact that Rs 150 crore was earned by the Trust from allottees. He said about 1,200 people could not raise their dwellings even after paying for the plots. Even the demarcation is yet to be completed. He said the plot holders were awaiting setting up of amenities like sewerage, electricity, water, road and streetlights in the locality. He said a verandah, entrance gate and some other parts of the office were part of the encroachment made by the Amritsar rural police. Though the colony is far from being developed, it has become all the more significant as the proposed city bus service is anticipated to take off in the near future. Under the project, as many as 150 buses, including 30 low-floor buses, 25 non-AC semi-low floor buses, 70 non-AC buses and 25 mini AC buses, are anticipated to be stationed in the proposed bus stand. The AIT chairman said the executive engineer of the Mall Mandi area project had been assigned the job to coordinate with the SSP (Rural) office to demolish the structure. He said the SSP (R) office has already in principle agreed to remove these structures. On the development of the colony, he said work on levelling and laying of roads had been initiated and the rest of works would follow.
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Police holds public meetings, asks residents not to hold ‘theekri pehras’
Amritsar, August 9 Three persons have lost their lives while a number of residents faced the wrath of the residents holding theekri pehra after they were mistaken as members of robbers’ gang. People coming late from work, especially the migrants, are feeling unsafe during late night hours. Besides, mentally challenged people were also assaulted and thrashed by the mobs. In the garb of rumours, many people in rural areas are targeting their rivals. In Pandori Waraich village, one person identified as Kulwant Singh was shot dead while in Sangha village of Tarn Taran, two persons sustained bullet injuries when their rivals opened fire at them following the rumours of the arrival of Kala Kachha gang. Kulwant Singh in Pandori Waraich village was beaten to death in Maqboolpura area. In another instance, a watchman deputed at a government school in Khasa area died after he slipped from the stairs while trying to climb to the roof after hearing such rumours. The police has taken a tough stance and decided to lodge criminal cases against those holding thikri pehra. “There is no need to organise theekri pehras as the police force is already conducting regular night patrolling. If the residents suspect the movement of anti-social elements in their area, they should inform the control room,” said ACP Gurnam Singh during a public meeting in Majitha road area. “We are not opposed to thikri pehras but the area presidents or sarpanches of the respective villages should prepare a list of people deputed for night patrolling and inform the police station concerned in this regard. They should also take a policeman with them,” said another police official. Rattan Singh Randhawa, a farmer leader, said they had started holding meetings in various villages.
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Three arrested in ASI murder case
Amritsar, August 9 The others arrested are Jaswinder's minor daughter Harnoor Kaur and her sister Paramjit Kaur, a resident of Shaheed Udham Singh Nagar. Harnoor has been sent to Nari Niketan being a juvenile. Investigating officer Baldev Raj said the remaining two accused were sent in two-day police custody for further investigations. He said the preliminary investigations suggested the accused poisoned the ASI to death. He, however, the exact cause of death would be ascertained after the post-mortem examination. He said the call details revealed that the ASI was in touch with Jaswinder Kaur and Paramjit Kaur. Paramjit was also present on the spot when the ASI was reportedly killed by the accused. Harjit Kaur, the deceased's wife, had alleged that Jaswinder had borrowed Rs 2 lakh from her husband and was not returning the money. A case under Section 302, 201 of the IPC has been registered against them. ASI Prem Singh was found murdered near his residence a couple of days ago.
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MC to raise Rs 150-cr loan for development works
Amritsar, August 9 Sources said the MC is getting a loan of Rs 50 crore from Bank of India by mortgaging one of its property located near the bus stand. It will get another loan of Rs 100 crore from the Housing and Urban Development Corporation Ltd. (HUDCO). Earlier, Bank of India officials had underestimated the value of the property and agreed to pay just Rs 30 crore but after getting clarification, it has accepted the loan application for Rs 50 crore. The MC is mortgaging Guru Nanak Bhawan located near the bus stand against this loan amount. The MC would have to pay back this amount at the rate of 11.25 per cent. Similarly, the HUDCO has given its consent for granting Rs 100 crore loan to the MC at the rate of 10.5 per cent. Confirming this, Municipal Commissioner DPS Kharbanda said the initial hurdle had been removed after the officials of Bank of India were convinced with the present market value of the property. "They mistook the property rate as Rs 35 crore and were ready to give us just Rs 35 crore but they had little idea about its prime location. We got them acquainted with the fact that its market price is anywhere near Rs 87,000 per square yard," he said. "Both the proposals have been sent to the government for approval. As soon as we get the government nod, it will be done. As the MC is already grappling with cash crunch, it was the only way to start the projects related to basic amenities or complete some of the projects which have been hanging in the balance for want of funds," he said.
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Differently abled kids enthral audience
Amritsar, August 9 An established centre for musical and performing arts education for physically impaired kids, Ibadat has been serving to the interests of special kids by making them independent through music and dance therapies. “Teaching special kids might look tough in the beginning, but they cover it up with their hard work and enthusiasm,” shares Sahil Arora, a musician, who is a part of the group of artistes giving free education to special kids. Taking workshops and classes in government run schools for physically impaired and running a programme called Saaz, helps disabled kids to build a career in performing arts, Sahil believes that the learning capabilities in these kids is far better than ‘normal’ kids. “I have been associated with them since past one year and never had any student miss a class. They learn better as they are eager to prove that they are not limited by their impairments.” Ibadat offers all year round courses and education for special kids. “We have different programmes for special kids such as classical, fusion, gurmat and other music forms,” informs Shilpi.
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Sword-making gains momentum in city
Amritsar, August 9 The price of a sword reflects the variety and the workmanship. One can find all types of swords from inexpensive machine-made replicas for as little as Rs 50 to hand-crafted masterpieces that cost a mind-boggling Rs 20 lakh or more. Many factories are engaged in sword-making that find their way across the country, besides distant lands. With annual turnover in crores, the cottage industry of kirpan and other traditional sharp-edged weapons in the city caters to the needs of the domestic as well as the foreign markets. About a dozen big manufacturers and scores of small units are involved in manufacturing and trading of swords and other traditional arms like dagger, gupti, khukri, khanda, tega, samurai and many more. These conventional weapons are prepared in various cities across the country for religious and customary purposes but Amritsar is famous for the superior quality of the products. Hence, the local industry has its clientele in NRIs, tourists, traders across various states, including Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. A manufacturer and a trader of sharp edged weapons Jiwanjot Singh said around 500 pieces of sword are sold to Army every year. He said Army places requirement for straight swords. Meanwhile, advancement of technology has changed the age-old art of preparing swords. Before the partition, majority of the artisans were Muslims. An artisan used to take almost a day to prepare a kirpan. However, introduction of ultra-modern electronic devices have drastically reduced the human involvement. The industry has absorbed the new-age mantra of professionalism diligently and has implemented it in letter and spirit. Parts of sword are made by different experts, which increase efficiency. All the big units employ about 12 to 15 persons and roughly 10,000 people are involved in this profession directly or indirectly. Each unit produces about 150 swords a day, which are largely prepared for religious ceremonies. Its usage has changed from being a vital weapon in battlefield to merely performing religious rites and to adorn the walls as a showpiece, says Mohan Singh, a trader. Generally, iron and other metal sheets are given to traditional sharp-edged weapons makers, who give it the desired shape. Subsequently, it goes through grinding, polishing, embossing of trademark, nickel-chrome plating and buffing for sparkle-like shine. Eventually, various parts of the sword such as grip and sheath are fitted together and a piece of velvet cloth is covered over it for an impressive look. Blacksmiths of Dhapai village, on the outskirts of the city, have been involved in the manufacturing of swords and other iron weapons for centuries.
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from
schools and colleges Tribune News Service
Amritsar, August 9 Exam results Rajbir Singh of DAV College bagged 12th position in BSC (IT) in Guru Nanak Dev University. Bachelor in Multi Media student Manveet Singh got seventh position in the university. Congratulating the students Principal Dr KN Kaul wished them success. Registrar HS Walia and college administrator Prof RK Jha felicitated the merit holders and motivated them to scale heights. Prof Amardeep Gupta, head, Department of Computer Science & IT, also expressed his pleasure over the results. Quiz competition Zonal inter ICSE schools quiz competition for Amritsar and Tarn Taran Sahib was held at Sri Guru Harkrishan Public School, Basant Avenue. The primary objective of this event was to encourage students to engage in developing aptitude and knowledge through a learning process. Nirmal Kaur, principal, Sri Guru Harkrishan Public School, Basant Avenue, in her welcome address shared the secrets of developing love for sciences, social studies and general awareness. Mrs Gurmeet Kaur, facilitator - senior wing along with the team of science and social studies teachers coordinated this event. First position was bagged by the team of Sri Guru Harkrishan Public School, Basant Avenue, which will now be participating at the regional level. Second position was bagged by the team of Holy Heart Presidency School. Merit certificates The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Friday awarded Certificates of Merit to 18 students of Spring Dale Senior School in various subjects. The Board confers these certificates in different subjects to recognize their merit and outstanding performance in its Senior School Certificate Examination.
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Amritsar, August 9
