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Cracker market venue
Traditional bazars come alive on festival of lights
Big haul of illicit liquor in city
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For them, duty first, celebrations can wait
Families of firemen Lovpreet Singh and Sukhwinder Singh Dhillon come together to celebrate Diwali in advance in Amritsar as both of them would be on duty on Diwali. Photo: Sameer Sehgal
Health institutions ready for Diwali
CIA staff nabs seven drug traffickers
School takes out anti-firecracker rally
Students of Bhavan’s SL Public School participate in a rally against bursting of firecrackers on Diwali, in Amritsar
on Saturday. A Tribune photograph
Jalandhar college wins overall trophy in GNDU youth festival
From other
Punjab towns
Contractual nurses continue protest
4 suspects nabbed for pickpocketing
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Admn, traders’ impasse ends
Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service
Amritsar, November 2 A firecracker trader said they were given appointment by the administration to meet at the Jahajgarh market site last evening. However, traders kept waiting at the place and no official turned up at the site. Subsequently, irate traders raised slogans and threatened to block traffic. Meanwhile, the situation was brought under control as the Amritsar Police Commissionerate appointed a three-member committee headed by ADCP Parampal Singh and issued rules to be adhered before opening of the market. It ended the confusion prevailing among city residents, as they were earlier allocated the space to put up their shops in the Ranjit Avenue area. The traders also found themselves in a tight spot as their business was hit due to the goof-up as there was only a day left to go for the festival of lights. The Amritsar Improvement Trust (AIT), on the intervention of the district administration, has already permitted the setting up of 65 temporary kiosks for selling firecrackers in the posh Ranjit Avenue. The decision was taken after the matter for the setting up of cracker shops in the Jahajgarh area was sub judice. The district administration permitted them to hold makeshift shops of crackers at Ranjit Avenue for the first time so that the people did not face inconvenience in getting firecrackers. Besides, big firecracker distributors and traders who have their godowns on the outskirts of the city, like Chheharta, Dhapai and Tarn Taran road were selling firecrackers to retailers. All these traders were required to seek licences from the Police Commissioner under the Explosives Act to permit them the sale of firecrackers. As per the norms, the Police Commissioner has the power to issue licences for a certain time period to allow the sale of firecrackers, which fall under the category of explosives. Similarly, the Union Government issues licences under the Petroleum and Explosive Safety Act for their storage. The Deputy Commissioner has already prohibited the sale of firecrackers at places other than the designated spots in the city to avoid any untoward incident. Earlier, the wholesale cracker market used to be situated at IDH Market, near the bus stand, and Pappar Wala Bazaar, near the Golden Temple. However, these markets had to be shifted to Jahajgarh in 2000 after a massive fire had broken out at IDH Market in which material worth crores of rupees got perished and loss of human life was also reported in 1999. Permanent market
The final decision to set up a permanent market for firecrackers as per the court orders would be taken after two months. At present, the setting up of a temporary market has been permitted while ensuring adherence to the norms as per the Explosives Act. Two fire-tenders each have been pressed into service in the Jahajgarh and Ranjit Avenue areas. The shopkeepers in Jahajgarh market have been instructed to place sand bags and maintain at least 3m distance between two shops, besides other
instructions. — Parampal Singh, ADCP
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Traditional bazars come alive on festival of lights
Amritsar, November 2
Located in the narrow winding roads inside the walled city, shops in the bazar offering confectionery, cosmetic products, stationery, ready-made garments and other merchandise turn to selling terracotta objects which are required to perform puja. Come Diwali and the old market is once again a place full of hustle and bustle and a visit to it showed that the people jostled to buy beautiful and chiselled idols of Ganesha and Lakshmi, besides earthen lamps. The market gets congested around the festival, as the vendors install stalls on either side of the road to attract customers. Nirmal, a shopkeeper, said only a limited number of families make idols of gods and goddesses and earthen lamps these days since the demand was waning. Feeling the pulse of the changing trends, a majority of the houses involved in the trade have shifted to other vocations to earn a living. However, almost all of them come to selling terra cotta items during these two auspicious occasions, he quipped. Similar is the story of Mishri Bazaar where expert artisans are engaged in rolling out “khand khidone” (edible sugar toys). However, in the present times only a handful of shops prepare these as their demand has diminished drastically. Rajinder Singh of Sunder Singh Jeet Singh firm said once preparing edible sugar toys used to be a roaring business, but now a couple of shops make these to sell in the city and villages. He said the age-old market now prepares "mishri" and "meethe channe" for gurdwaras while "phuliyan", "makhane", pickles, jam and "murabbe" were sold across the state and neighbouring states of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.
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Big haul of illicit liquor in city
Amritsar, November 2 Recently, the Amritsar rural police confiscated a whopping 9,000 litres of alcohol from Chhapa Ram Singh village, which is infamous for illicit liquor. The accused, identified as Bakshish Singh, and his son Sunny managed to escape from the spot after seeing a police party. They were booked under the Excise Act and under Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code. Investigations revealed that the accused used to dilute the alcohol by mixing it with water and later sold it by claiming it as countrymade liquor which could adversely affect the health of people or even prove fatal in several cases, said a police official of the Amritsar rural police. The D-division police station intercepted a vehicle carrying around 105 litres of alcohol. The driver of the vehicle, numbering DL-3-C-AJ-2073, slipped from the spot, leaving the car behind. This was to be supplied in the Anngarh area. Earlier too such instances had occurred in which the police had seized a large quantity of alcohol and illicit liquor. The narcotics cell of the city police had confiscated nine drums containing alcohol in May. The CIA staff had busted two such gangs involved in bootlegging. Police officials said due to Diwali, there was a rise in the smuggling of alcohol and illicit liquor in slum areas of the city. According to them, the bootleggers procure alcohol at very cheap rates and later sell it at higher rates by diluting it. 3 held for stealing mobiles
The CIA staff has arrested three persons, identified as Amar Singh of Ram Nagar Basti, Sangrur, Sandeep Kumar of Ramamandi, Jalandhar and Rajinder Singh of Uttam Nagar, Delhi, for allegedly stealing mobile phones and selling drugs. The police recovered 150 gm of narcotic powder and 10 stolen mobile phones from their possession. Arvinder Singh, in charge, CIA staff, said the accused used to steal mobile phones from crowded areas, including religious places and railway stations. He said further investigations were under progress.
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For them, duty first, celebrations can wait
Amritsar, November 2 The Tribune team talked to professionals who will be on duty on Diwali and will celebrate the festival away from their families. Fire officer Sukhwinder Singh Dhillon has been in the job for the past 23 years and has never celebrated Diwali with his family at their house. The good thing is that it does not disturb him at all as he performs his duty with glee. It is not that his family does not complain about the same, but he ensures that they are provided all necessary things to enjoy a ceaseless celebration. His family comprises his wife, elder son doing BTech and younger son studying at a public school in Dalhousie. They came together with his colleague Lovpreet Singh’s family to celebrate the festival in advance. “Our job is to ensure the safety of residents and public property during Diwali. Sometimes we feel sad that we could not remain with our family during festivals, including Diwali, but what can we do. Duty comes first,” remarked Lovpreet. Fire station officer Krishan Kumar Kakkar said fire safety staff needed to be highly vigilant during the Diwali celebrations to avert any tragedy. Monika, wife of a police personnel of the Amritsar Police Commissionerate, feels that it was rare to see his husband celebrating Diwali with the family. She does not even remember a single instance when he celebrated Diwali at home. In the next breath she says “duty is all above. Duty becomes all the more significant during the festive season when there are more chances of untoward incidents.” Elaborate arrangements have been made for the festivities as majority of the police staff would be out on duty on Diwali. Over a period of time, the ambulance services have become a life saviour for victims of road accidents. Its staff remain on their toes 24x7 to tackle any situation. It will be the third Diwali for the 108 ambulance squad as the wing was established in 2011. They have decorated their city office and planned to celebrate the festival there. They have also made arrangements for performing a special Diwali puja. Gurcharan Singh, an ambulance driver, said he was always happy to sacrifice the celebration of festivals for the sufferings of people. Doctors, paramedic and other staff posted at the local Civil Hospital on the emergency duty during late hours on Diwali feel that nature of their profession made it natural to perform their duty first. Emergency Numbers Fire: 101
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Health institutions ready for Diwali
Amritsar, November 2 He said more number of doctors had been assigned the duty than any general day to cater to the rush of burn patients. He said: “The number of patients with burn and other injuries in hospitals after Diwali has increased during the past few years as people are using big firecrackers.” He said skin specialists, eye specialists and orthopaedic physicians would also remain present at the hospital. The Employees State Insurance (ESI) Hospital also has put on duty extra employees for the night. Meanwhile, the doctors have advised residents to take precautions while bursting firecrackers. Child Specialist at Civil Hospital Sandeep Aggarwal said: “Children should not be allowed to burst firecrackers in the absence of elders in any case.” Arrangements were also made at Guru Nanak Dev Hospital to attend such patients on the night. Safety Measures
Ensure ear safety
Ensure eye safety
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CIA staff nabs seven drug traffickers
Amritsar, November 2 Among those arrested included Gurpreet Singh of Patti, Lalit Kumar of Patti (Tarn Taran), Tehal Singh of Sarhali Mand (Tarn Taran), Gurmail Singh of village Lakhna (Tarn Taran), Harjap Singh of Sarai Amanat Khan (Tarn Taran), Prem Kumar of Gilwali gate and Inderjit Singh of Lohgarh Chowk here. The police also confiscated a digital weight machine and Safari vehicle PB-02-BS-0575. Harjit Singh Brar, ADCP (Crime) in a press release issued here today said they were intercepted near the Kot Mit Singh level crossing on the Tarn Taran road. He said the accused used to pool in money, procure heroin and other contraband and sell the same to their customers in retail. The profit, thus earned, was later distributed among themselves. He said further investigations were on to unearth the nexus and arrest the traffickers from whom they used to get the supply. Meanwhile, in another instance, the police arrested two more persons for possessing 1kg of charas and 50 gram of heroin, besides seizing Rs 45,000 Indian currency and Mahindra vehicle PB-11-BF-9893. Those arrested were identified as Sikander of Nangali village, Fatehgarh Churian road and John Masih of Mission Compound, Tarn Taran. Brar said the accused had been involved in selling charas for a long time. Sikander was wanted in a similar case in which 1kg of heroin was seized in the Maqboolpura area.
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School takes out anti-firecracker rally
Amritsar, November
2 Students of Spring Dale Senior School reached out to the students of Citizens’ Forum Vidya
Mandir, a school sponsored by the Spring Dale Educational Society (SDES), in the drug-ravaged Maqboolpura area, to share the joy of
Diwali. The students distributed chocolates and biscuits among the students of Citizens’ Forum Vidya
Mandir. Donations were collected from all students of Spring Dale Senior School. The eco club of the school also apprised the students with the evils of bursting
firecrackers. NSS volunteers and members of the student council of BBK DAV College, Amritsar, celebrated Diwali with special children of DAV Red Cross
School. GD Goenka Public School held a special assembly on the eve of Diwali to celebrate the festival with devotion, enthusiasm and excitement. The tiny tots of the school presented an item that depicted the importance of the festival, followed by a short skit, which conveyed a message of safe
Diwali. DAV International School stressed its students to avoid firecrackers as they cause noise and air pollution. Classes were decorated with candles and
diyas. Several competitions like diya decoration, card-making and rangoli were also organised on the occasion.
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Jalandhar college wins overall trophy in GNDU youth festival
Amritsar, November 2 Finance Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa, who was the chief guest, gave away the prizes to the winners during the concluding session. Vice-Chancellor Ajaib Singh Brar presided over the function. Dhindsa congratulated the university authorities for the all-around development of the university in the field of academics, culture and sports. He said the state government would release the remaining grant to the university shortly. Memories of the days spend by people as students have long impact in their lives, he said and exhorted students to participate in co-curricular activities for their overall development. Sucharita Sharma, Principal, APJ College of Fine Arts, and its student-artistes received the overall championship trophy from the chief guest. It became the only college affiliated to the university that won this trophy for a record 14 times consecutively. Anadi Mishra of the college is the first student-artiste to win 10 first positions in various events during the festival.
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PPCB to monitor pollution levels
Manav Mander Tribune News Service
Ludhiana, November 2 When fireworks will light up the skylines of the city, devices installed in major areas of the city will be monitoring the pollution caused during the festival. As part of its annual exercise, the department has made arrangements to monitor the air and noise pollution levels during the festival. The level of noise pollution will be checked by a DV meter while that of air pollution will be recorded with filter papers. The authorities have divided the city into three major zones, commercial, residential and sensitive. The sensitive zones include hospitals, educational institutions and religious places. Harbir Singh, a senior official from the department, said like every year, the board has installed pollution-monitoring devices in residential, commercial and sensitive zones. RSPM concentration highest in city According to the last year's data with the PPCB, the concentration of respirable suspended particulate matter (RSPM) in the main cities of Punjab has declined. The residential areas of Ludhiana topped in terms of RSPM concentration last Diwali. The RSPM concentration in Ludhiana was 365 microgram per cubic metre, much higher than the permissible limit of 100 µg/m3.
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Contractual nurses continue protest
Amritsar, November 2 Members of the association said Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had called them for a meeting on November 8. Minister for Medical Education and Research Anil Joshi has also invited them for a meeting on Sunday. Ritu Kumari, chairman of the association, said: “The association will continue its protest till the government accepts our demands in writing.” She said the contractual employees had been paid Rs 7,500 per month as salary which was very less. She said the contractual workers had same qualifications and responsibilities as that of regular workers but they were being discriminated against while compensating for the services. She said the government should stop the recruitment of employees on a contract basis as it leads to their exploitation.
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4 suspects nabbed for pickpocketing
Amritsar, November 2 Sajinderpal Singh, a resident of Patiala, who along with his family, had come to the shrine for paying obeisance yesterday, complained about the theft of his purse. Going through the CCTV footage, the SGPC authorities and the police department got suspicious about the movements of four persons, including two women, belonging to Rajasthan. Today, another similar instance was reported by a devotee and the CCTV footage again showed the presence of the four suspects. They immediately arrested them and later handed them over to the Galliara police chowki. A police official at the chowki said they were investigating the matter, while no case had been registered against them so far.
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Amritsar, November 2
Bhavan’s SL Public School organised an anti-firecracker rally to make people aware about various problems caused due to the bursting of firecrackers like asthma, skin allergies, breathing problem and severe burns.
