The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Parking woes worsen in key areas of city Walled city cries for basic parking facilities; Deputy CM's idea of robotic parking still a pipedream GS Paul Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 15 Even as Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal recently talked about introducing robotic parking in the cities of Punjab, the walled city is crying for basic parking facilities in its key localities. While haphazard parking is seen in the city areas as well as key locations on the suburbs such as Mall Road, Lawrence Road, Crystal Chowk, the traffic police looks the other way. The introduction of tow-away vehicles to remove wrongly parked vehicles has hardly brought any change. When the police department conceptualised the idea of engaging private players for towing away the wrongly parked vehicles a couple of months ago, the residents were a delighted lot. They felt it was necessary to deal with the parking problem in the holy city. The on-duty policemen usually do not call the tow-away vehicles assuming that the job is outsourced by the department to private hands. Had this move been implemented in its letter and spirit, it would have helped generating revenue, it would have helped teach the violators a lesson. The police department has engaged as many as eight private hydraulic tow-away vehicles which are seldom performing their job. There are no organised parking spaces in major commercial areas such as Lawrence Road, Nehru Shopping Complex, Mall Road, Queens Road and Hall Bazaar as a result of which people park their vehicles on the streets. Even as parking lots have been designated in Lawrence Road, Nehru Shopping Complex, the normal traffic flow gets disturbed due to haphazard parking of vehicles. Some of the shopkeepers have encroached upon the parking lots meant for four-wheelers at the Nehru Shopping Complex by erecting temporary billboards which the police has not bothered to remove. The scenario remains messy as ever on the roadside opposite Crystal Chowk on Mall Road, outside the shops on Albert Road and on GT Road opposite the bus stand and railway station. Most of the vehicles are parked along the roads, thereby reducing the effective road width. This causes traffic congestion, time loss, and inconvenience to tourists. Organised parking facility is available only at the Golden Temple and Gurudwara Shaheedan. But even this is inadequate. At the wholesale markets in Katra Sher Singh, Bagh Akalian, Cheel Mandi and Bakarwala Ghee Mandi, transporters load and unload on the roadside creating traffic congestion. In absence of any check, the city residents too have developed a tendency of parking on the streets. This can be seen at the parking lots in Court Road, ICICI Bank-Mall Road and Telephone Exchange. The Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhya Parking lot, which has been constructed by the MC to decongest traffic in the city, especially Hall Bazaar and areas surrounding it, usually remains vacant as people refrain from walking longer distances to reach the markets. Baljit Singh Randhawa, ADCP Traffic, said, “We are trying our best to rectify the parking blues. From Monday onwards, the tow-away vehicles would be pressed into service in key areas of the city.” Parking scenario There are no organised parking spaces in major commercial areas such as Lawrence Road, Nehru Shopping Complex, Mall Road, Queens Road and Hall Bazaar as a result of which people park their vehicles on the streets Even as parking lots have been designated in Lawrence Road, Nehru Shopping Complex, the normal traffic flow gets disturbed due to haphazard parking of vehicles Some shopkeepers have encroached upon the parking lots meant for four-wheelers at the Nehru Shopping Complex by erecting temporary billboards Inadequate parking facilities Most of the vehicles are parked along the roads, thereby reducing the effective road width This causes traffic congestion, time loss, and inconvenience to commuters as well as tourists Organised parking facility is available only at the Golden Temple and Gurudwara Shaheedan. But even this is inadequate Tow-away vehicles yield little The police department has engaged as many as eight private hydraulic tow-away vehicles which are seldom found performing their job The on-duty policemen usually do not call the tow-away vehicles assuming that the job is outsourced by the department to private hands
	Local SAD leader held for posing as Badal's OSD Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 15 The Amritsar rural police has arrested a local Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader for allegedly impersonating as the Officer on Special Duty (OSD) attached with Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to get a criminal case cancelled registered against his acquaintances. The accused has been identified as Major Singh, a resident of Cheema Bath village here. According to information, Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Hardeep Singh, who is reader with an SP-rank official, received a call on his mobile. The caller identified himself as Sawinder Singh Brar, OSD of Punjab Chief Minister. He asked Hardeep Singh for getting a criminal case registered under Section 452, 323, 342, 34 IPC at Beas police station against several persons belonging to his village. The case was being investigated by an SP-rank official. Hardeep Singh said he got suspicious of the caller and immediately brought the matter to the notice of his seniors and alerted the cyber cell officials and asked them to locate the call and identify the owner. The cyber cell during investigation found that the number actually belonged to Major Singh, who is an ex-serviceman and associated with the ruling party. Harkrishan Singh, Station House Officer (SHO) of Beas police station, said the accused has been arrested and sent to judicial remand. He said a case under Section 419 (cheating by impersonation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and 66-A of the Information Technology (IT) Act has been registered against him. The case The accused impersonating as the Officer on Special Duty attached with Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal wanted to get a criminal case cancelled, registered against his acquaintance The accused has been identified as Major Singh, a resident of Cheema Bath village
	City residents strongly resent second hike in petrol prices in a fortnight Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 15 The city residents are resenting the yet another hike in petrol prices by the state-owned oil companies. Though the public sector undertaking (PSU) firms effected a hike of Rs 1.63 per liter on petrol, the actual increase after adding state taxes in the border district will be Rs 2.12. This hike pushed the price of a litre of petrol to Rs 84.31 at local filing stations whereas it cost Rs.76.06 a litre in the national capital. Punjab Petrol Dealers Association (PPDA) president JP Khanna termed the move of PSUs as "strange" which, he said, was contrary to the downward expectation in line with the global trend. He said in prices of crude oil fell by US $2 of a barrel the international market the rupee appreciated against dollar at home. Ignoring these indications to bring down the crude prices which would have assisted in improving the domestic economy, the government adopted otherwise. He further said this was the second hike within a fortnight as earlier petrol prices were last increased by Rs 2.35 a litre on September 1. The consumers are being taxed multiple times by the Centre and state governments, he said. First, there is a tax on income in the form of income tax, then the Centre imposes 40 per cent custom duty on the import of crude oil and then the state governments impose state VAT. Khanna added that the Punjab government charged maximum 30 per cent VAT on petrol. Whereas the Union Territory of Chandigarh charges 22 per cent VAT and neighbouring Haryana levies 20 per cent VAT on petrol. He said if there were no custom duty and state VAT, petrol will be available at around Rs 46 per litre in the market. Petroleum dealers affiliated with the PSU oil companies are peeved at the high investment cost, which is rising constantly. Khanna said the rising investment cost was making it difficult for them to sustain their business. A 12,000-litre oil tanker, which would cost about Rs 8.25 lakh three months ago, now costs over Rs 10 lakh. High investment and limited return are turning the profession non-lucrative, he added. Gurpreet Singh, a market executive with a private concern, said constant rise in the petrol price was eating out a considerable share of his salary. "Similar, constant rise in the prices of essential commodities like milk and vegetables are eventually reducing the share of savings".
	Local artisans are busy preparing effigies for Dussehra Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 15 As Dussehra draws near, local artisans are busy here preparing effigies for the festival. Bamboo sticks procured from different pockets of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are being used to prepare effigies of Ravana, Kumbhakarna and Meghnath. Harbans Lal, a city-based artisan, said bamboo sticks were being sourced from the neighbouring states. He said there is about 7 per cent increase in the cost of raw material this time in comparison to the last year. He said big buyers like religious societies and mohalla committees have placed orders. "The height of effigies varies according to the demand and buyers' affordability, adding that eventually the choice of customers is paramount. Orders are being placed for 50 to 80 feet high effigies. The cost of bamboo logs, normally found between 22 to 24 feet high, recorded nearly 7 per hike in its prices. A bamboo log can be procured between Rs 160 to Rs 275 depending upon the quality. Similarly, prices of rope, jute string, paper and fabric have also risen. A piece of colour paper sheet which was available at Rs 4 a year ago is now being sold at Rs 5. Even inferior quality cloth used for preparing high effigies is not available less than Rs 18 a metre. These articles are used to make effigies. Rise in their prices could escalate the cost of an effigy by at least 10 per cent from the previous year, said Hira Lal, another artisan preparing effigies outside Lohgarh gate. He said high-rise effigies were prepared only on orders as their cost runs in thousands of rupees. Effigies are made at various markets in the city, including Kasereyan Wala Bazaar, Passiyan Wala Bazaar, Maha Singh Gate and Shivala Bhaiyan. These traditional bazaars located inside the walled city remain agog with activities ahead of the festive season. Heaps of canvass and bamboo sticks tied with rope and other material can be seen placed on the roadside here. Unlike other districts of Punjab, master craftsmen involved in the preparation are locals keeping the age-old art alive passing from one generation to other. Artisan families, which prepare most of the effigies in the city, reside outside the Lohgarh gate. Harbans said his son Shyam and grandson Sonu were involved in the profession. Shyam said the entire locality had received orders for preparing many large and small effigies. A majority of the artisans are vegetable and fruit vendors. Due to the rise in costs, effigies as small as four-foot high have become more popular. Besides, artisans and sellers have found a new way to produce these effigies commercially. He said there was a new trend catching fast among people to procure small effigies and set them afire at their houses and localities. So the artisans keep ready colourful effigies on roadsides to attract customers. These eye-catching effigies are available between Rs 400 and Rs 2,000 depending upon the firecrackers and other material used in them.
	Husband, in-laws booked for dowry Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 15 The Amritsar rural police has booked the husband and in-laws of a Haria resident on charges of dowry and marrying fraudulently. The case was registered following an inquiry conducted by a DSP-rank official. Among those booked are the victim's husband Kamaldeep Singh, father-in-law Satnam Singh and mother-in-law Jasbir Kaur. Ranjodh Kaur, the complainant, told the police that she was married to Kamaldeep in 2011. She alleged that the accused used to harass her to bring an SUV. She alleged when their demand was not met, they threw her out of the house and disposed of all the articles given during the wedding as dowry. She said after the marriage, she learnt that the accused was already married and married her by keeping her family in the dark.
	Insurance firm asked to pay Rs 50,000 Complainant was earlier denied the claim for not submitting the non-traceable report Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 15 The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has directed an insurance company to pay Rs 50,000 to a local resident along with an interest of nine per cent. Earlier, the insurance company denied the claim because the complainant had not submitted the final “non-traceable report” from the court. The forum has also ordered the National Insurance Company to pay Rs 2,000 as litigation expenses to Baldev Krishan, a resident of Shastri Nagar. Baldev Krishan in his complaint had stated that he had got his car insured for Rs 50,000 from the insurance company. The car was later stolen and he reported the matter to the police. He alleged that the company did not settle his claim even though he submitted all the relevant documents. In its reply to the forum, the company submitted that the complainant had not furnished the requisite documents and the non-traceable certificate to be issued from the court of Judicial Magistrate, as the certificate of not-traceable issued by the SHO of Police Station, Civil Lines, was not sufficient to settle the claim for the car theft. The forum observed that the complainant had produced on record the untraced certificate issued by the police and the report sent to the NCRB, New Delhi, by the Commissioner of Police, Amritsar, to the effect that the said vehicle was stolen and could not be traced by the police. It stated that the complainant cannot be denied his claim on the ground that the final police report was not forthcoming. It was further held that when the complainant had lodged an FIR immediately but did not receive the final report from the police, there was no contractual obligation under the policy of insurance for the insured to produce the final investigation report from the police. DISTRICT CONSUMER FORUM’S OBSERVATION The forum observed that the complainant cannot be denied his claim on the ground that the final police report was not forthcoming. Also, when the complainant had lodged an FIR immediately but did not receive the final report from the police, there was no contractual obligation under the policy of insurance for the insured to produce the final investigation report from the police.
	Central Jail inmates, staff fighting hard to get rid of garbage GS Paul Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 15 With no helping hand from either of the civic authorities, be it the Municipal Corporation, the Amritsar Improvement Trust or the Public Health Department, the garbage dumps continue to mount inside the Amritsar Central jail premises. Even as the jail authorities had written to the MC Commissioner and have apprised the Deputy Commissioner as well as the Sessions Judge about the alarming situation around 15 days ago, but the authorities are yet to respond to their plea of clearing the jail premises. The MC authorities evaded the matter by saying that the jail premises come under the jurisdiction of the Public Health Department and that they are not liable for it. On the other hand, the Public Health Department officials' said that their liability is restricted to rectify the sewerage or waste water disposal problem and the garbage disposal liability is of the MC. Nonetheless, with the dumping pits reaching their saturation level, the jail authorities have now started burning the refuse to dispose it off inside the premises only. As many as 3,600 inmates and over 250 staff members of this high security jail have been exposed to such unhygienic conditions as the dumps created for garbage disposal are overflowing with waste. Deputy Superintendent of jail RK Sharma said the jail authorities had requested the civic authorities to provide them with garbage trolleys so that the waste could be cleared. "The pits dug up inside the jail to dump the garbage too had filled up to their capacity and the refuse kept on piling up in every nook and corner of the jail. With no other solution, we have started the practice of burning the garbage inside the jail premises in spite being well aware of the fact that it can cause environmental hazards," he said. "We have been repeatedly pleading with the authorities to clear the garbage from the jail premises but to no avail. I am sorry to say that but it seems that the authorities are waiting for some epidemic to break in the jail before swinging into action," Sharma said. The Public Health Department XEN Narinder Singh said, "The garbage disposal is the responsibility of the MC authorities. We are liable to rectify the sewerage and water disposal snags, if any. That service too is now a paid one as per the recent government instructions." OFFICIALSPEAK Our liability is to maintain and clear the public places. We are responsible for the areas outside the jail premises whereas it was the responsibility of the Public Health Department to maintain the areas inside the jail premises. We have already informed them about it. Moreover, a garbage dump has been placed outside the jail and we frequently get it cleared. — DPS Kharbanda, MC Commissioner
	Sell medicines with bills, minister tells chemists Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 15 A general body meeting of the Amritsar Chemists’ Association was held here today. The meeting was presided over by Industry Minister Anil Joshi who asked the chemists not to buy medicines without procuring the bills and to avoid selling them further. Punjab Chemists’ Association president Surinder Duggal apprised the minister about several problems being faced by the chemists. He also highlighted the various social services done by the association. Joshi assured the chemists that he would take up their problems with the officials of the departments concerned. He also requested them to help the state government in its drive against the misuse of drugs by drug addicts. The members of the association were also informed about the new decisions of the All India Organisation of Chemists and druggists (AIOCD). Duggal said the association would only support chemists who take it as their moral responsibility to keep the business clean by not selling proscribed drugs.
	Residents apprised of human rights Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 15 The International Human Rights’ Organisation (IHRO) organised a programme to create awareness about the human rights among the residents. During the function, Gurinder Singh Dhillon was appointed as the president, Amritsar district (rural), IHRO. Speaking on the occasion IHRO's state president Kanwalpreet Singh Kaku said the people of the state, especially in rural areas, needed to be educated about their rights. He said the IHRO would soon initiate a campaign to educate rural people about their rights as most of the human rights’ violation were reported from these areas. The others present on the occasion included general secretary Nirmal Singh, Gurheet Singh Sher, Raminderpal Singh, and Tarn Taran IHRO president Sukhdev Bhargav.
	18 held with narcotics, illicit liquor Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 15 In its drive against drug abuse, the police has arrested 18 persons for possessing narcotic substances and illicit liquor. The city police arrested nine persons in the past 24 hours while remaining drug peddlers were nabbed by the Amritsar rural police. Gian Chand of Guru Nanak Pura, was arrested with 250 gm of Charas while Amit Kuma of Pawan Nagar, was held with 100 gm of narcotic powder. Also, Salwinder Singh of Gujjarpura with 5 gm of heroin, Ravi Khosla of Rajiv Gandhi Nagar with 115 capsules, Davinder Singh of Ibban Kalan with 100 gm of narcotic powder and 5 gm of heroin, and Sagar, alias Ajju, of Rajiv Gandhi Nagar with 4 gm of smack were arrested. Besides, Judge Singh of Tung Pai, Manjit Singh of Mohkampura and Bunty of Ram Nagar Colony were nabbed with 1500 ml of illicit liquor each. The Amritsar rural police arrested Sarabjit Singh of Tarsikka, Gurpreet Singh of Jandiala Guru and Deepak Singh of Jandiala with 300, 200 and 100 capsules of habit-forming drugs, respectively. Others held with narcotic powder were Deepak Kumar of Jandiala Guru (60 gm), Gurpreet Singh of Dashmesh Nagar (200 gm), Sewa Singh and Harinder Singh of Chhidan (100 gm each) and Bhupinder Singh of Bachchiwind (150 gm) while Manjit Singh of Khabbe Rajputa was arrested with 40 gm of heroin.
	10 booked for physical assault Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 15 The Sadar police has booked 10 persons for allegedly assaulting a person after a minor dispute over a small road mishap. Gurlal Singh, a resident of Sunder Nagar, said, “On the eve of September 5, when I was standing near the residence of my relative Kuldeep Singh, Babbal alias Love of Mustafabad and Raja of Banke Bihari Gali hit me with their motorcycle.” He said when he expressed his resentment the accused entered into an altercation with him. The accused threatened him of teaching a lesson and went away. Around 20 minutes later, the accused accompanied by their accomplices, who were armed with blunt weapons, barged into the residence of Kuldeep Singh and thrashed them. They fled away after the incident. Gurinder Singh, the investigating officer, said a case under Sections 452, 325, 323, 506, 148,149 of the IPC has been registered against the accused. Besides Babbal and Raja, among those who have been booked, include Bali, Ankur and Ajay Kela and five unidentified persons. No arrest has been made so far as the culprits were absconding since the registration of the case.
	REGULARISATION OF ILLEGAL COLONIES CPI to launch protest on October 3 Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 15 CPI activists declared to launch a rigorous protest against the imposition of huge taxes in the name of regularisation of illegal colonies on October 3. This was announced during a flag march in Haripur, Damgunj, Lahori Gate and Putlighar. The CPI activists said they would court arrest, if required. The volunteers also organised public meetings on various issues such as inflation, minimum wages and pension for widows. They expressed their concern over theissue of drug menace in the state. Amarjit Asal, district secretary, CPI, said the economically weaker sections should be given houses on the pattern of Chandigarh and minimum wages of Rs 200 should be ensured by the government. “We also demand that widows, physically challenged and elders should be given Rs 3,000 as pension per month. Besides, families belonging to the economically weaker sections should also be given 35 kg foodgrains at the rate of Rs 2 per kg and a house at reasonable rates to live in,” he said Amarjit said, “We will also launch a campaign against the government’s faulty policies and would ask for court arrest.”
	PBN School win gymnastics tourney Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 15 PBN Senior Secondary School won the District Gymnastics Tournament in the under-14 and under-17 categories while its under-19 team was adjudged the runners up. In all, 12 teams from various schools of the district participated in the tournament. School principal Rajeev Kumaria said, “Six gymnasts of the school, namely, Khushi, Rajan Kumar, Sajan Kumar, Satpal Singh, Bharat Sharma and Pushpinder, were selected by the Sports Department for gymnastic wing under which these players would get a daily diet of Rs 100.” He thanked their coach Balbir Singh, who had been an international gymnast himself, for shaping up and guiding the players to give their best in all situations.