Amritsar, October 28
After a local RTI activist recently brought to light the irregularities in the buying of dialysis kits at three times the market price at the Government Medical College (GMC) here, the authorities concerned have displayed reluctance in verifying the allegations.

Ravinder Sultanwind, who blew the lid off the scam through a RTI inquiry a fortnight ago, said, “Besides highlighting the matter in front of the media, I had filed written complaints to the Principal Secretary Health, Director Research and Medical Education and Principal of GMC.”

Sultanwind said the officials have not even marked a formal inquiry to ascertain the validity of the complaint.

“They have not even reacted to it. If my complaint is false, they should at least file a complaint against me for levelling allegations against the institute and its officials,” he said.

"As many senior officials of the college are involved in the scam, the authorities are trying to hush up the matter," he added.

Ravinder had got a quotation from the same company from which the GMC had bought the dialysis kits. The company, however, had offered to sell him the same kit at a price of Rs 612. The college, on the other hand, had bought the same material at Rs 1,750 per kit in September last year. The college thus spent Rs 17.5 lakh for material which was available at Rs 6.12 lakh in the market.

“The public money was siphoned off by those involved in the deal. Not only this, even these kits were sold to the patients at a higher price,” he alleged.

When reached for comment, GMC Principal Dr Karnail Singh said, “The inquiry can be conducted only if we receive instructions from senior officials of Department of Research and Medical Education.”

“I have gone through the file of the case after the allegations were made and found that everything has been done according to the norms,” hesaid.

Director Research and Medical Education Dr Tejbir Singh said, “I have instructed the Government Medical College Principal to submit the report in the matter. We would go through the issue and question the officials concerned.”

Amritsar, October 28
With a view to counter the operational changes made by the Border Security Force to curb the drug trafficking bids, the smugglers across the border seem to have changed their strategy also.

Such elements are now making attempts to push in the contraband as soon as the dusk descends instead of the wee hours of the day.

Besides they are now increasingly armed with sophisticated weapons while executing their plans.

This was perhaps for the first time that an AK-47 rifle has been recovered from smugglers in the recent past. The seizure of the AK-47 has baffled the BSF authorities. Earlier, they used to make smuggling bids during midnight taking the advantage of darkness and standing crops. But now it has been observed that smugglers are trying to push in the contraband at around 21:00 hours.

On October 4, the BSF had recovered 17 kilograms of heroin from the Pulmoran outpost at about 9.30 pm. On Friday night (October 25), three smugglers were shot dead while pushing in the contraband near Mullankot border outpost in Amritsar sector at around 9.05 pm.

MF Farooqui, DIG BSF, said the smugglers have changed their strategy following the operational changes made by the BSF to counter such bids.

"In order to counter the anti-national elements based in the neighbouring country, we had made certain operational changes. We are now making our patrolling and border guarding strategies depending upon the topography, such as forest area and riverine belt. We have intensified patrolling and we continue to change our timings of duty," said Farooqui.

"We have added some surprise element by eliminating the predictability of patrolling by the BSF jawans. The operational changes, which we had made in the recent past, have produced excellent results. The recent confiscations are testimony to the same," said Farooqui.

In Saturday's incident, the smugglers were found to be armed with an AK-47 and two China-made pistols.

A top BSF official said the majority of the smugglers shot across the border fence were couriers belonging to economically weaker section of the society. The big fish in Pakistan gave them Rs 40,000 to Rs 60,000 per kg for pushing in the contraband inside the Indian territory.

Amritsar, October 28
The Amritsar Municipal Corporation today awarded letters of appointment to 75 persons who were recruited on compassionate grounds.

In a function organised at Panorama here, Local Bodies Minister Anil Joshi handed over the appointment letters to the beneficiaries.

Officials said other cases would also be considered in due course. After the persuasion of various workers' unions, the MC had shortlisted 92 cases and interviewed around 90 candidates a week ago.

Jagjit Singh (21) was on cloud nine after getting the appointment letter. After passing his Class XII examination, he was unable to find a job. He got recruited as a peon on the basis of his father's contribution to the MC as beldaar. "Now, I would be able to support my family and get my three sisters married," he said.

Anil Joshi sensitised the residents about property tax dues. He said it was the Opposition which launched a false propaganda against the property tax and misguiding the residents.

"As a matter of fact the money which we are charging in the form of property tax would be ploughed back to give the residents a quality life," he said.

Joshi said taxes are not as much when compared to the services which the government is committed to provide to the residents. The owner of a 50 square yard plot would have to pay Rs 50 per annum. Those having a plot of 100 square yards would have to pay Rs 150 per annum. "Those having bigger plots would not have to shell much. I appeal to the residents that they should take it as their moral responsibility to clear their property tax dues by November 30 after making self-assessment of their taxes," he said.

Others present on the occasion were Mayor Bakshi Ram Arora, MC Commissioner DPS Kharbanda, Senior Deputy Mayor Avtar Singh. 

Amritsar, October 28
The Action Committee (Bharat), an umbrella organisation of various Dalit unions, today alleged that the state government laid foundation stone for raising Valmiki Temple at the Ram Tirath area on the land which a dera has been tilling for the past 27 years.

In a communiqué to Deputy Commissioner Ravi Bhagat, the representatives of various organisations claimed that about 11 acres of land belonged to the panchayat of Kaler village. The panchayat has given the land on contract to the Gian Ashram Dera, the dera in question.

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal laid the foundation stone for raising Valmiki Temple at Rs 115 crore to mark the birth anniversary of Maharishi Valmiki at a state level function on October 18.

Amritsar, October 28
Commuters and tourists had to undergo huge inconvenience today as members of the farmer organisations blocked the vehicular traffic to the Golden Temple by holding a protest at Dharam Singh Market Chowk.

On the “rail roko” call, the agitating farmers stopped the traffic at the intersection from where Jallianwala Bagh and the Golden temple are located at a stone’s throw.

Among their demands included procurement of paddy by the government, end to exploitation by rice millers and commission agents, increase in present MSP.

The road to the Golden Temple was closed and the traffic was diverted to nearby roads. All roads leading to the shrine were clogged and experienced heavy rush.

Tourists were at loss as they did not have any idea of alternate routes. Saragarhi parking is situated at Dharam Singh market cross. Tourists and people coming from Hall Gate, Town Hall, Maha Singh Gate, Shera Wala Gate were inconvenienced too.

The police closed the traffic flow from Queen’s Road to Bhandari Bridge and diverted it to Ram Bagh railway crossing and Hukam Singh Road railway overbridge. 

Amritsar, October 28
A section of Municipal Corporation employees continued their strike alleging that the civic body has failed to protect their interests.

To strengthen the agitation, the women employees of the civic body also joined their colleagues who have been conducting a chain hunger strike against the alleged pathy of the authorities concerned.

Sanjay Khosla, convener of Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh Zila Action Committee, said the MC's moves were nothing but political stunts.

"We do not condemn the jobs awarded on compassionate grounds but our contention is that the MC authorities have failed to keep up with its promises made earlier," he said.

They rued that the MC was yet to pay two-month salary of 700 employees who were appointed on DC rates and Mohalla Sudhar Committee. Besides, the dearness allowance (DA) of permanent employees to the tune of Rs 2.5 crore is also pending. They have also not been paid for uniforms.

"We were being paid half of what the class IV employees of Jalandhar MC were getting as uniform allowance for the whole season. After the High Court's intervention, the Jalandhar MC had released Rs 3,400 as uniform allowance whereas the uniform allowance is just Rs 1,734 here," said Narinder Kumar, general secretary of Safai Mazdoor Union.

"We were fighting for those safai karamcharis who were hired on DC rates. They have not been paid salaries for the past two months. It will be but a black Diwali for them," he added.

The protesting employees threatened to go on fast unto death in the days to come if the MC authorities did not listen to their demands.

"We would gherao the offices of Mayor and MC Commissioner who could not bring any respite to us except for making tall claims on the political dais," he added.

Amritsar, October 28
Though the state government has been making tall claims about completing various development projects in Amritsar on time, it is silent on how the funds will be generated for them. Besides, there are a few projects for which funds are available, but they have not been implemented on ground.

After MP Navjot Singh Sidhu’s row over lack of development in the holy city and his subsequent revolt against the government by even announcing a sit-unto-death, the government released a list depicting the deadlines for various development works, subject to the condition that there should not be any legal hurdle or delay on the part of the Centre as many projects are Centre funded.

With the Amritsar MC grappling with fund crunch, as it is facing tough times paying the salaries of its employees also, the only ray of hope is through the sale of its properties.

Even as Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal categorically declared recently that the economic health of the state was quite sound, it was subsequently observed that the fund crunch at the local MC level could have erupted due to the faulty policy matters which should be mended at the local level only.

Amritsar, October 28
Taking up the task of ‘Diwali cleaning’ of the holy city, several eco-NGOs have initiated cleanliness drives in the city. At a time when de-cluttering, cleaning and scrubbing our homes clean becomes mandatory, the eco-warriors are up in arms to swipe the holy city clean for festivities.

Initiating the campaign, Voice of Amritsar marked the areas that had become a sight of neglect, owing to heaps of garbage and severe sanitation conditions. Their ‘dustbin campaign’ had the volunteers clean up Rattan Singh Chowk, identified as the filthiest area in city. Taking note of the problems of sanitation and garbage disposal in the area, the NGO took upon itself to clean it up, educated people and installed dustbins at various places.

Recently, their volunteers took to street outside the Railway station and cleaned up the overbridge which had become a dumping ground. “We cannot let the lack lustre and negligent attitude towards maintaining the greenery and cleanliness of the city mar the image of Amritsar. The authorities know about the problem areas and yet no solution or effort towards a solution is on the cards. So, why wait?” says Dr Rakesh Sharma, president of Voice of Amritsar.

The NGO has adopted certain areas for maintenance and has been constantly installing dustbins in posh colonies like Basant Avenue and Ranjit Avenue. Next on their list is Railway station parking lot, Nehru Shopping Complex and certain spots across the Race Course Road stretch. “We have also joined hands with the shopkeepers at Nehru Shopping Complex to continue our cleanliness drive before Diwali festivities,’ he added.

Another NGO to come up with a ‘festive cleaning campaign’ is Mission Aghaaz. Taking a cleanliness procession from their Kot Khalsa centre, they have been educating and asking people to not just clean their homes this Diwali but also their surroundings. “We have requested each household to clean at least a stretch of 500 metre around their home to get them involved. If each person makes an effort to clean or plant sapling, adopting 500m of the stretch surrounding their house, imagine why the entire city could not be swiped clean of the garbage and filth?” says Dipak Babbar, general secretary, Mission Aghaaz.

Not depending on the authorities for the upkeep of the city, these campaigns have found support from many residents also. The railway overbridge cleanliness drive had students, GNDU professors and even housewives joining hands. 

Amritsar, October 28
Local Bodies Minister Anil Joshi has directed the officials of all the Municipal Corporations in the state to approve the residential building plans and Change in Land Use (CLU) within 15 days of submission of the files.

Addressing the first-ever 'suwidha camp' for approval of residential building plans and CLU, held by Amritsar Municipal Corporation, Joshi said there was a need to accelerate the system and ensure transparency at the same time. He said similar camps would be held in other cities of the state soon.

The officials concerned would accept the files for initiating the process approval of residential building plans and CLU after verifying the documents. Any objection at a later stage would not be entertained and action would be taken against the concerned employee for any delay in approval of these plans, he added.

Municipal Commissioner DPS Kharbanda said a three-member committee, comprising MTP, DTP and SE (civil), sanctioned building plans while the government gave technical sanction for the CLU and the corporation endorsed it by approval. He said there was no pendency of any case with the MC. — TNS

Amritsar, October 28
The demand of 'petha' goes up during the festive season as there is little chance of adulteration in it.

Ahead of festive season, reports of adulteration in the sweetmeats intensify, which hold back people from indulging in pampering their sweet tooth.

Situated in the vicinity of the Golden Temple, the Pethewala Bazaar comes alive ahead of Diwali. People prefer it over other sweets, which are more prone to adulteration before the festival of lights.

Made from white pumpkin, also called ‘chitta petha’ in common parlance, expert artisans from generations have been rolling out petha in the narrow lanes of the centuries-old Pethewala Bazaar situated in the walled city.

Barring introduction of some machines, the process of petha making has remained unchanged for centuries. “It takes about 72 hours to prepare a lot of nearly 60 kg petha”, said Baljit Singh, a third generation petha maker. It was his grandfather Sohan Singh who had started preparing petha a quarter century back in the alley of the holy city.

Even as the ‘papar and warriyan’ of Amritsar became world-famous, its petha did not earn the repute it deserved, he rued. He reasoned it to the limited number of houses involved in petha preparation. He wistfully recalled that once there was a time when both sides of the alley were dotted with piles of pumpkin. Now, the shops could be counted on fingertips.

Interestingly, most of the people learn about these items through the word of mouth. A decade ago, there was just one variety of petha. However, with the changing times, new varieties like dry fruit petha, angoori petha, goli petha (in shape of tiny balls) have been introduced. But the oldest variety continues to be the most popular.

These varieties of petha can be procured from Rs 90 to Rs 120 per kg. “When other sweets are found in the range of Rs 200 to Rs 450 a kg, petha is apparently a frontrunner. Affordable pricing makes it popular among all strata of society and it is a durable sweet, as it can last longer than other sweets”, said Baljit.

Another petha manufacturer Harjinder Singh said apart from its delicious taste, petha also provided nutritional value to the consumers, which can hardly be matched by other sweets. White pumpkin contains sulphur, iron, phosphorus, vitamin A, B, C and E, besides protein, he said. He added that the combination was rare to find in any other vegetable.

“This is the only pure sweet which has no side effects whereas all other sweets require to be mixed with ghee, artificial colours and various other things,” he added.

Amritsar, October 28
A mobile phone was recovered from an inmate at the Amritsar Central Jail.

Reports said the undertrial, Jaspreet Singh, alias Sherry, a resident of Jujhar Singh Avenue, had a mobile phone and a SIM.

Jail Deputy Superintendent RK Sharma said a Nokia phone was recovered during a routine search. A case under Section 420 of the IPC, 42 of the Prisoners Act has been registered at the Cantoment police station.—TNS