Amritsar, October 11
After having skipped several deadlines, the Amritsar Municipal Corporation authorities have finally completed the formalities for floating the tenders for roping in the firm to execute the much-awaited solid waste management project in the city.

The tenders for this will be floated on Sunday.

Meanwhile, a section of Municipal Corporation employees were divided over the issue contending that the government should have a stake in the solid waste management plant so that the employees have job security.

Citing some “unpleasant experience” in the past, they argued that a private firm engaged to lift the garbage (as part of first phase of the project) had left the contract midway last year after it had a tussle with the MC officials, thus leaving the workers in the lurch.

Brushing aside the fears of the employees, Municipal Commissioner DPS Kharbanda said that even as the Rs 72 crore solid waste management project would be executed by private hands, the civic body would govern its functioning with workers’ interest on its agenda.

“The multi-crore project needed a thorough homework before floating the tenders. It is a very important project for Amritsar. It hardly matters that the tendering process got delayed for a few days. We were able to furnish all the requisite conditions after conducting a thorough study. We are doing this well within the timeframe set by the High Court. We have called a meeting tomorrow and the tenders will be floated on Sunday,” Kharbanda said.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court had directed the civic body on July 23 to engage the execution firm within six months.

Following BJP MP Navjot Singh Sidhu’s outrage against the government for overlooking the development of the city (with the solid waste management project being a prominent issue), it was on September 14 that the MC had announced September 23 as the date for floating the tenders.

Later, a Delhi-based consulting firm was engaged to finalise the tenders and it took 10 more days to do the job. The date then was set as October 3 for floating the tenders to hire the firm.

This delay again upset Sidhu and then the government had to announce the date as October 7. It again missed it and the next date was set as October 10 and now the new date is October 13.

The city desperately needs the solid waste management plant to efficiently deal with the city’s garbage disposal problems. Under the project, about 700 tonnes of garbage would be collected from Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Jandiala and Patti.

Banto Sabharwal, chairman, Punjab Safai Mazdoor Federation, said, “We are not against installing the plant but hiring a private firm for a multi-crore project like this needs to be reviewed.”

“We want that the government should install such plants on its own so that the workers’ interests are not defeated,” he added.

With the intervention of Local Bodies Minister Anil Joshi, a statewide strike by a section of MC’s safai sewak unions against the process of installing the solid waste management plant in Amritsar and Jalandhar was called off. Joshi will holf a special meeting with the representatives of the agitating safai sewaks on October 15 to discuss the issue 

Amritsar, October 11
With a view to improve the emergency services in the Guru Nanak Dev Hospital (GNDH), Medical Education and Research and Local bodies Minister Anil Joshi today directed the officials to ensure 24-hour presence of a senior resident and assistant professor-level doctors in its emergency ward.

Joshi along with Director, Medical Education and Research, visited the Government Medical College and Guru Nanak Dev Hospital to take stock of situation.

One of the oldest and prestigious hospitals in the region, the GNDH has the highest footfall of the patients in the city. After the construction of Bebe Nanaki Mother and Child Healthcare Centre, besides shifting of Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital to its premises, the number of patients here has increased manifold in the recent past.

Joshi said in order to ensure complete healthcare and better treatment at the hospital, the authorities should ensure the presence of a senior resident and assistant professor-level doctor from medicine, surgery and orthopaedic department on rotational basis.

Junior doctors, who were sometimes assigned duties in the emergency ward, find it difficult to handle the emergency situation which often leads to protest by family members of the patients.

Interacting with the doctors, Joshi also stressed on changing the approach towards the patients at the hospital. He said the doctors should satisfy the family members of a patient in case they refer them to private hospitals. He said the hospital staff should work diligently and honestly so that health services provided by the Punjab government reach people at the lower level. He said the state government was dedicated to provide top-class healthcare to its people and he would ensure funds for the hospital development.

Dr Karnail Singh, GMC principal and Dr KS SIdhu, GNDH Medical Superintendent, said they would hold a meeting with the heads of the medicine, orthopedic and surgery departments for deputing specialists and senior staff at the emergency ward. 

Amritsar, October 11
Tejinder Singh of Jandiala who is posted with the Home Guard committed suicide by consuming some poisonous substance.

The police has booked four persons, including a journalist belonging to a vernacular newspaper, following a complaint lodged by Amarjit Kaur, the victim's sister-in-law. A suicide note purportedly written by the accused was also found, the police said. Those booked have been identified as Davinder Singh, his wife Davinder Kaur, Kuldeep Singh (the journalist) and his wife Rajbir Kaur.

Amarjit told the police that Tejinder was mentally upset after Davinder lodged a false complaint of molestation against him. She alleged that the accused started blackmailing him and took money from him to reach a compromise. —TNS

Amritsar, October 11
The Health Department today seized 12 quintals of spurious khoya from Lohgarh market early this morning. The khoya was found unattended and nobody from the nearby shops came forward to claim it.

Dr Shivkaran Kahlon, District Health and Family Welfare Officer, claimed this was the biggest seizure in the past several years. He said the synthetic khoya was meant to be supplied to various sweet shops in the city.

With the festival season approaching and sale of sweets increasing manifold, the arrival of synthetic khoya too has swelled in the local market.

If health officials are to be believed, the supplies of synthetic khoya arrive from UP, Haryana and Rajasthan in bulk. Many people were also found involved in illegal manufacturing of spurious khoya on the outskirts of the city.

Senior BJP leader and the then Health Minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla during the tenure of the previous SAD-BJP government had taken up the issue with her counterparts in UP, Haryana and Rajasthan to crack a whip on people involved in preparing synthetic khoya.

Officials say that synthetic khoya is made by using washing powder, urea and other harmful chemicals, besides refined oil and sugar. Urea is added to give white colour while sugar is added to give sweetness and refined oil adds fat to it.

Sources in the department said majority of sweet shops in the city and rural areas were found to be using spurious khoya for preparing sweets in order to meet the rising demand during the festival season. Even samples of many sweetshops have failed in the past.

Last year, the Health Department had confiscated quintals of adulterated khoya. Dr Kahlon said the Health Department would intensify its drive against adulteration and would raid sweetshops in the near future. He appealed to the residents to provide tip-offs to nail the culprits involved in the illegal business.

The department also confiscated huge quantities of pouches of tobacco products from a paan shop located opposite the B-division police station. Dr Shivkaran Kahlon said the accused was selling the products about twice their rate. The department also took samples of two flour mills located in the Gujjarpura area. 

Amritsar, October 11
At least five persons, one of them seriously, belonging to two Akali factions were injured today in a cross-firing after a clash in Ajnala.

The injured were rushed to the Civil Hospital, Ajnala, while one of the victims, identified as Baljinder Singh of Sarangdev, was shifted to the Guru Nanak Dev Hospital here.

Among those injured are Lakhbir Singh Kala, Anup Singh, Joga Singh, Kala Singh and Ajit Singh, all residents of the same village. On the statement of Ajit Singh, a relative of Baljinder Singh, the police has registered an attempt to murder case and under the Arms Act against six persons, including Lakhbir Singh Kala, Anup Singh and Gurdip Singh of Sarangdev village, Babbu of Fattewal village.

Reports said Jarwinder Kaur, wife of Baljinder Singh, had won the recent panchayat election defeating Jaspal Singh who died under mysterious circumstances after the polls. 

Amritsar, October 11
Long queues are being witnessed at the ticket counters of local railway station and special counter near the Golden Temple with the onset of festive season.

A railway employee at the inquiry window of the railway station said there was no reservation available for any train from the city, barring the Superfast and Shan-e-Punjab Express. The Railways has so far introduced a special train for Saharsa once in a week.

Suresh Kumar, a passenger, said he had been trying to get a ticket to Rai Bareily either in Howrah Mail or Howrah Duplicate. A foreman at a factory at Batala road, he wanted to reach home to celebrate Diwali with his family.

He said he found it difficult to get tickets for trains to UP, Bihar and West Bengal.

Santosh Kumar, another passenger, said he wanted to get five tickets for two families to travel to Chhapra in Bihar. "Since no direct ticket was available from here I got it booked from a town in UP to Chapra," he said.

He said he would first travel to Delhi by another train and from there he would have to take bus to reach UP and then get the final train to Chhapra.

A portion of roof started leaking today at the railway station after rain as a result of which passengers had to face inconvenience.

Vendors at the railway station said that general compartments in the trains to eastern India, including UP, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal, were over-occupied. 

Amritsar, October 11
Even 66 years after attaining Independence, India has drastically been lagging behind in the field of education on international map and 33 per cent of the population is living below poverty line (BPL). This was stated by Prof Ved Prakash, chairman, University Grants Commission (UGC), New Delhi, while addressing the principals of the affiliated colleges of the Guru Nanak Dev University, Deans of various faculty and heads of various departments of the university.

He said, “We are living in a country where dropout percentage is much higher and only a few per cent of the youth can reach the institutes of higher learning.” He said the institutes instead of being knowledge transmitters should focus on producing talented workforce which could cater the society in its true sense.

The UGC chairman said the talent was still hidden in rural areas, which unfortunately, was still not connected to the main stream of education.

“There is a need to trace them, give them equal opportunity to learn. The need of hour is to widen the axis of our universities to reach the real remote and backward areas. The curricula need to be simplified in languages which are accessible by all,” he said.

While talking about Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) Prof Prakash said it was a centrally sponsored scheme to ensure holistic planning at the state level and the enhancement of funding for the state institutions, within a span of two Plan Periods (Xl and XII).

“It has a prime attention on higher educational institutions of the country. This flagship scheme would be catering to the needs of 316 state-run public universities and affiliated colleges spanning over the whole country. There are schemes worth Rs 25,000 crore in RUSA’s programme,” he informed.

He said RUSA scheme was set up to revamp the examination system of the higher institutions by introducing long needed reforms in assessing the merit of students.

He said UGC provides funds to the institution that comply with the norms and come within the purview of Section 12B and 2F of the UGC Act.

He said for RUSA special workshops and training needed to be organised to get the maximum benefit of this scheme.

OFFICIAL sPEAK

The talent of the country is still hidden in rural areas. There is a need to trace them, give them equal opportunity to learn. The need of hour is to widen the axis of our universities to reach the real remote and backward areas
—Prof ved prakash, chairman, university grants commission

Amritsar, October 11
Professor Ved Prakash, chairman, University Grants Commission, New Delhi formally inaugurated newly constructed Academic Staff College Guest House,} here today in the presence of the Vice-Chancellor, Professor AS Brar, Dean Academic Affairs, Dr MS Hundal, Registrar, Dr Inderjit Singh and other senior faculty members and officers of the Guru Nanak Dev University.

The newly constructed guest house covering about 15,425 square feet area has two VIP rooms, two semi-deluxe rooms and 26 ordinary rooms all equipped with state-of-the-art infrastructure.

The building is conglomeration of RCC and brick work along with vitrified tile flooring to keep cleanliness. The building is placed in a green area adjacent to the botanical garden of the university. 

Amritsar, October 11
The Folklore Research Academy in association with Akhil Bhartiya Rachnamak Samaj would celebrate the birthday of noted Gandhian and peacenik of South Asia Didi Nirmala Deshpanday by holding an international seminar in Patiala on October 17.

Academy president Ramesh Yadav said Patiala chapter would hold the seminar on “Exit of NATO Forces from Afghanistan and its impact on Indo-Pak relations” at Harpal Tiwana Centre for Performing Art, Model Town, Patiala. Eminent scholars and peace ambassadors of India, Afghanistan and Pakistan would deliberate on the complexities of the issues and probable outcomes. SAFMA secretary general Imtiaz Alam will be the key note speaker.

He said an annual award of Rs one lakh with citation would be conferred upon Karamat Ali, director, Pakistan Institute of Labour, Employment and Research, for his untiring efforts to get the Indian fisherman released from various jails of Pakistan during the past 25 years.

He said the papers of the participating scholars and the recommendations emerging during the seminar would be sent to the governments of the three countries. Besides, these papers would be published in the book for the general public and researchers for ready references.

Amritsar, October 11
The Amritsar rural police booked 11 alleged drug peddlers today. Among those booked include Ranjit Singh Rana and Gurinder Singh of Malluwal village; Suba Singh, Punjab Singh, Kulwant Singh of Rajatal, Gurminder Singh of Cheecha village; Harjinder Singh of Daoke; Dilbagh Singh of Bharobhal; Harjinder Singh of Moude; Yonus Singh of Bhaini Rajput and Tasveer Singh of Dhanoe Kalan.

Sukhwant Singh, SHO Gharinda police station, said there was specific information that the accused residing in border villages were in contact with Pakistan-based peddlers and were involved in cross border smuggling of narcotics, fake currency and arms and ammunition. He said according to intelligence inputs, the accused used to illegally cross over the border fence.

A case under Sections 411, 414, 489 IPC, 25/54/59 of the Arms Act and 3, 34, 20 of the Indian Passport Act, Section 14 of the Foreign Act and Sections 21/22/61/85 of the NDPS act has been registered. He said no arrest has been made so far while raids were being conducted to nab them.

Amritsar, October 11
To enliven the spirit of Dasehra, a special assembly was conducted in Ryan International School here today.

Rhyme recitation by montessori classes on ‘Dussehra Aya’ was held, followed by an enactment on Ramayana by students of Classes I and II was the special highlight of the event. Significance of Dasehra which symbolises the victory of good over evil was also told to the students through a thought enactment.

Ravana mask-making competition was also organised for Classes I to X to boost the festive mood of Dussehra. All the students participated with great zest and religious fervour. Little minds showed their artistic skills by making various masks, and enhanced the appearance of masks by decorating them with colourful paints, designs and stones.

The creativity of the students inspired many others to learn the art of mask making. Principal Rajni Kalra felicitated the children for their outstanding creativity and gave away the prizes to the winners.