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Licence or no licence, hospitality units have free run
Theft case solved, maid's boyfriend held
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State to provide specialised training to medal prospects, says Majithia
Amritsar, November 24 Felicitating the World Shooting Cup winner Heena Sidhu today, the president of Punjab State Rifle Association and cabinet minister, Bikram Majithia, promised full support to the shooter.
Woman held with 7 kg poppy husk
Two held for robbery
Youth found murdered in fields
Man robbed of Rs 1 lakh
Drug addict strangles wife
Cultural exhibits attract visitors during GNDU Foundation Day
Students urged to learn from lives of gurus
Teachers seek role in decision making
Local talent hits jackpot as Bollywood chooses Amritsar for celluloid bid
Majithia inaugurates Capital Bank branch
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Licence or no licence, hospitality units have free run
Amritsar, November 24 As many as 98 applications for licences are pending with the Police Commissioner while three had been rejected. A licence under the Serai Act, which was enacted in the 19th century by the British, is given by the Amritsar Police Commissionerate (APC). The police department is empowered to release the licences under the Act after the Commissionerate system was introduced couple of years back here. Earlier, the same fell under the jurisdiction of Deputy Commissioner. The Police Commissionerate has made the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) licensing authority under the Act. All related documents are handed over to the office from Deputy Commissioner’s office after the commissionerate system got introduced. Under the Serai Act, the Police Commissionerate has so far issued only three provisional licences to Hyatt, Clark Inn and Ramada. It has already rejected requests for opening three hotels. As per the norms, the Police Commissionerate issues licences only after a hospitality project obtains a no objection certificate (NOC) for building design from the Town Planning department besides getting NOCs for hygienic certificate, fire safety, CCTV, availability of expert swimmers for swimming pool, medical certificates of employees, staff trained in disaster management etc. Surinder Singh, president, Federation of Hotels and Guest Houses Association of Amritsar, an umbrella organisation of commercial hospitality units, said, “There have been drastic changes, both technologically and socially, in the hospitality sector since the Serai Act came into force long ago. Officials in the Ministry of Tourism, Tourism Department and district administration should understand that it is an archaic law. There is a need to bring new law to govern the hospitality sector.” He said they had given a representation to the Central government in this regard. Besides, the Punjab Tourism Department has framed a new tourism policy which is yet to be released, he added. The walled city where these hotels and guest houses are situated is mixed land-use area and as per the building bylaws the area is non-scheme area which can be used for residential and commercial purposes. Surjit Singh, a hotelier, said, “Many hospitals have sprung up in the old city. Guest houses, serais and hotels here are paying house tax, conservancy tax, licence fee, electricity bills, luxury tax, service tax, income tax, VAT etc on a regular basis.” “Majority of the guest houses and hotels in the walled city do not have kitchens. Hence, these were discharging less sewage than residential buildings,” he added. Surjit Sharma, Deputy Chief Warden, Civil Defence, and an expert in disaster management, said, “Adherence of rules can minimise casualties, injuries and loss to property during a disaster. Since the walled city is characterised by narrow winding lanes, the implementation of norms is highly desirable.” Municipal Commissioner DPS Kharbanda said, "According to the procedure, one can construct the building only after getting the building plan sanctioned for commercial activities. After obtaining a licence under the Serai Act from the Police Commissioner, a hotel can be made operational." The procedure
There have been drastic changes, both technologically and socially, in the hospitality sector since the Serai Act came into force long ago. Officials in the Ministry of Tourism, Tourism Department and district administration should understand that it is an archaic
law Adherence of rules can minimise casualties, injuries and loss to property during a disaster. Since the walled city is characterised by narrow winding lanes, the implementation of norms is highly
desirable According to the procedure, one can construct the building only after getting the building plan sanctioned for commercial activities. After obtaining a licence under the Serai Act from the Police Commissioner, a hotel can be made
operational
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Theft case solved, maid's boyfriend held Amritsar, November 24 The accused has been identified as Rahul who is allegedly the boyfriend of the maidservant of the house where the theft occurred. The Civil Lines SHO said Aman Dhawan of White Avenue had lodged a complaint with the police stating that an unidentified person had stolen gold and silver jewellery besides other valuables worth Rs 15 lakh from his house. The footage procured from the CCTV camera installed in the adjoining building revealed that a youth who came on a scooter had entered the house along with Kusum, the maid servant. The police said Kusum's role in the crime was yet to be ascertained. Rahul was arrested after a tip-off and the stolen jewellery was recovered from him. —TNS
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State to provide specialised training to medal prospects, says Majithia
Amritsar, November 24 The minister said the Punjab government would evolve a special policy to train the champions in various competitions for bigger sports events. Heena Sidhu, the gold medalist in the pistol category in Germany earlier this month met Majithia and discussed at length the achievements of Punjabis in the field of shooting. She also stressed on the need for greater governmental efforts for better performance of shooters from the state. Before winning the world cup, Heena had won the Hungry Open, SAFF Games, Asian Shooting Championship, National Championship and many more competitions. In the recently concluded world cup, she defeated the Olympic champion to win the contest. She was accompanied by her father Rajbir Singh Sidhu. Setting up of international-level shooting ranges in the state is on the agenda of the government. Besides jobs and promotions for sports personnel, on pattern of Maharashtra and Haryana, the Punjab government is contemplating special training session for budding players to enable them for the international competitions like Olympics. Besides Heena, others who made the state proud are Abhinav Bindra, Ranjan Sodhi, Manavjit Sandhu, Zorawer Sandhu and Avneet Sandhu in the field of shooting. "Around 80 per cent of the shooters winning medals for the country in international competitions belong to Punjab. Heena's achievement is a beacon for budding players," Majithia said. It is a matter of great pride that the first Indian ever to have won in pistol shooting belongs to Punjab, he added. "Being president of the Punjab State Rifle Association I will discuss the needs of shooters with Sukhbir Badal for lending immediate support to shooters," he said Around 80 per cent of the shooters winning medals for the country in international competitions belong to Punjab. Heena's achievement is a beacon for budding
players
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Woman held with 7 kg poppy husk
The Chheharta police said the accused was involved in drug trafficking for some time. Further investigations are under progress and efforts are being made to identify her accomplices and where drugs were procured from.
A case under Section 15/18/61/85 of the NDPS Act has been registered against her.
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Two held for robbery
Amritsar, November 24 Those arrested are Rahul, alias Piddi, a resident of Kot Baba Deep Singh and Sonu, alias Kalu, of Guru Arjun Dev Nagar in Tarn Taran Road. Raids are being conducted to nab their third accomplice Nishan Singh, alias Shana, of Guru Arjun Dev Nagar. The Sultanwind SHO said the accused had confessed to their involvement in a couple of snatching cases that took place in Sultanwind and D-division police station areas. “More cases of similar nature are likely to be traced during the further course of interrogation,” said the SHO, adding the accused were brought on two-day police custody. Meanwhile, the Sultanwind police also arrested Vikram for his involvement in a robbery incident in which an old woman was robbed by three unidentified youths. The police had arrested Manish Kumar, alias Bablu, who turned out to be victim Charanjit Kaur’s grandson. Sharma said Vikram along with another youth had executed the robbery on the instance of Bablu.
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Youth found murdered in fields
Amritsar, November 24 The police have registered a case under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against unidentified persons. The deceased, who was in his mid thirties, is to yet to be identified. Mangal Singh, investigating officer and in-charge of Kot Khalsa police post, said the agricultural land where the body was found belonged to one Meharban Singh who lives abroad and has given his land on contract to Sakattar Singh of Niwi Patti village in Kot Khalsa. Sakattar found the body at around 9 pm and informed the police about it. Preliminary investigations revealed that the youth was killed a few yards away from the spot where his body was found. Blood stains and other marks were found in nearby fields. A dog squad was pressed into service this morning which did not help find any clues. The post-mortem examination of the victim revealed that he was killed a couple of days back.
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Amritsar, November 24 The victim, identified as Inderjit Singh (60) of Bhalojala village, had withdrawn the amount from the Punjab National Bank and was returning home on his bicycle. Inderjit told the police that the unidentified youths came from behind and snatched the money, his mobile phone and his bank passbook. Investigating officer Naresh Kumar said Inderjit, a farmer, was carrying the amount in his pocket. He said a case under Section 382 of the IPC has been registered. The police were yet to identify the accused involved in the robbery. Meanwhile, the Ajnala police today claimed to have arrested two snatchers and recovered a .12 bore country-made pistol, one live cartridge, a sharp-edged weapon and a snatched mobile phone from their possession. They were identified as Ranjit Singh and Sunny, both residents of Rekhon village. — TNS
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Drug addict strangles wife
Amritsar, November 24 Lakhbir Singh, who reportedly worked as labourer, was an acute alcoholic and drug addict. His wife used to object to his habit of drinking. Yesterday, the couple had a quarrel. Enraged Lakhbir strangled his wife and later committed suicide by hanging himself with the roof of his house, said Sub Inspector Harjit
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Cultural exhibits attract visitors during GNDU Foundation Day
Amritsar, November 24 The students had themselves arranged most of the artifacts and equipment. As many as 20 affiliated colleges of the university participated in the competitions. NN Vohra, Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Prof Deepak Pental, former Vice-Chancellor of Delhi University, Prof Rattan Singh Jaggi, professor emeritus, Punjabi University, Patialam and Vice-Chancellor Prof AS Brar gave away cash awards and trophies to the winners. In the folklore competitions, Sri Guru Angad Dev College, Khadoor Sahib, stood first and BBKDAV College for Women, Amritsar, and the Mata Gujri Memorial College of Education, Balwanda, stood second. GNDU College, Narot Jaimal Singh and Bebe Nanaki University College, Mithra, Kapurthala, secured third position. SSM College, Dina Nagar, and GNDU College, Verka, were awarded the consolation prizes. In painting, Sunil Kapoor of the MGN College of Education stood first while Nancy Vijan from Apeejay College of Fine Arts, Jalandhar, was second while Sarabjit Kaur from Government College of Education, Jalandhar, finished third. The stalls, including the one installed by Atam Public School, Islamabad, displayed rare coins, jewellery, household items and artifacts.
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Students urged to learn from lives of gurus
Amritsar, November 24 Rendition of religious hymns by students and teachers created an aura of mysticism and spirituality. Speaking on the occasion, CKDCS president Charanjit Singh Chadha urged students to get lesson from the life of Guru Teg Bahadur, who sacrificed himself for Kashmiri Pandits and gave the message of secularism to humanity. Honorary secretary Santokh Singh Sethi shed light on the life of the ninth guru. He motivated students to follow in the footsteps of the Sikh Gurus, who sacrificed their lives, comfort and families to serve the humanity. Annual Day at Cambridge International
Students displayed their talent at the Annual Day celebrations of Cambridge International School. The theme of the celebrations was “Aspire”. Schoolchildren gave scintillating performances on themes like unity, flavours of Punjabi folk and aim for excellence. Tiny tots won hearts of the audience with performances like ‘Nani teri morni’ ‘Raghupati raghav’. Little Krishnas in Mukunda charmed the gathering. The chivalry of the Punjabi folk was expounded by the gatka. Beauty of Punjabi dances was brought out by tender feet tapping to the rhythm of sammi and bhangra. The dance and music show overwhelmed everyone’s senses. DAV school holds annual award ceremony
DAV International School wore a festive look during its annual award ceremony here today. Chairman of the school and chief guest, Dr VP Lakahnpal, gave away awards. School manager KN Kaul and Principal Anjana Gupta were also present on the occasion. The celebration started with the welcoming of guests by Kaul and lighting of a traditional lamp. Bouquets were presented to dignitaries. Vedic mantras created a pious and spiritual environment. Principal Anjana Gupta presented the annual report highlighting achievements of the school and future goals. An earth song was presented by students. A musical drama, ‘The song of India, a saga of Indian glory’ left spectators mesmerised. Dr Lakhanpal gave away prizes to meritorious students for scholastic and co-scholastic achievements. Lakhanpal congratulated students and applauded their efforts. He expressed satisfaction over school’s achievements and growth.
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Teachers seek role in decision making
Amritsar, November 24 A unanimous conclusion of the delegates attending the conference was that teachers’ voice should be heard in the decision making process related to teachers’ education. They said instead of bureaucratic implementation of rules and regulations and setting up of apex bodies, more autonomy should be given to educational institutions in decision making. National Institute of Open School Chairperson, Dr SS Jena, was the chief guest at the valedictory function of the conference. He said teachers’ education needed to be streamlined. “There is mushrooming growth in teachers’ education, but we have to ensure quality of education too,’’ said Dr Jena. Experts, who presented their papers today, sought more autonomy for universities. They said the role of teacher’s in taking decisions related to the education was minimal. “We need to strengthen the role of teachers in deciding matters on education,’’ said IATE president, Prof PK Sahoo. Dr Jena said bodies like the IATE could play a pivotal role in framing of rules and regulations in education. Dr Jena and Prof Sahoo were honoured on the campus by KCE Principals, Dr Jaswinder Singh Dhillon, and Dr Surinderpal Kaur Dhillon. Dr Dhillon said education was passing through a transition phase, which posed new challenges. He said such conferences, in which 227 delegates from across the country and neighbouring nations, including Nepal, Bhutan and Thailand participated, helped in understanding the nuances of the issue. The role of statutory bodies in teacher’s education also needed to be reviewed as monitoring was required for assuring quality and not putting hindrances in the way of spreading education. IATE also honoured Dr Dhillon and Dr Surinder Pal Dhillon for organising the conference. IATE vice-president, Dr Jaipal Singh Vyast, in his thanksgiving lauded the role of institutions like the KCE for contributing immensely in teacher’s education. Dr Anamika Tiwari, Dr Fauzia Khan, Prof Vidya P Aggarwal, Prof Avinash Grewal, Prof Ramnath Kishan, Prof DN Singh and Prof Anita Rastogi were among those who took part in deliberations.
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Local talent hits jackpot as Bollywood chooses Amritsar for celluloid bid
Amritsar, November 24 But a few have also made an impact behind the camera. As Punjab becomes popular destination for film tourism, the local talent has hit a jackpot. With big productions in Punjabi and Hindi film industry picking up talent from Punjab, Amritsar too has its share. Karanveer Sharma, a 27-year-old production professional, started young by making independent cultural documentaries. He has worked in two major Punjabi film crews. “I have worked as sound assistant in Punjabi films like Viyah, 70 km and Kabbadi. I used to do a lot of theatre in Chandigarh, Jalandhar and back home. I helped in stage productions and sound engineering,” said Karanveer. While most young artistes are attracted towards acting, Karan was always clear with his chosen line of production assistant. He said, “My ultimate goal is film direction and since nobody invests their trust and money in an amateur director, my experience behind the scenes will help me graduate towards my goal. There is a lot to learn with each technical aspect of a film production, let aside direction.” Another such production man, who has taken up the professional road is Emanual Goerge, a city-based media professional. A passout from Chandigarh’s Government College of Arts, Emanual has come up with his maiden music video production Mehramman, which has been a hit with Youtube audience. Directing and also coming up with his own production crew, he is now working with some big projects. “The city lacks any avenues for independent work. But with film crews and banners coming here for shooting and location hunting, it’s an opportunity for local talent to get their due chance. And we need to be prepared,” Emanual added. As most of the recent Punjabi films have been shot in and around Amritsar, more local talent has been able to attach themselves with film productions. “Right from Taur Mitran Di, RSVP, more and more films are coming to Amritsar. So there is a need and requirement for more production crew,” says Emanual. “Amritsar doesn’t have any dearth of talent, but opportunities are always lacking. But now the gap has been filling, with prominent talent shows coming here for auditions, theatre artistes getting recognition and even behind the camera professionals are making their gradual foray into films,” said a city-based actor Jas Arora, who was seen in films such as Mausam, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and Firangi Bahu.
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Majithia inaugurates Capital Bank branch
Amritsar November 24 Talking to media, Majithia said he had a deep regard for Amarjit Singh Samra. He said hard work of his family had made the bank a successful venture. Capital Local Area Bank after successfully running in urban areas has now started providing services in rural areas. It has a turnover of more than Rs 1,800 crore. The RBI and the Ministry of Finance had permitted the bank to open two branches in Amritsar and Ludhiana respectively. Bank’s MD Samra said the bank forayed into banking sector in 2000. It had 31 branches in the state with nearly 2,37,000 customers. Mayor Bakshi Ram Arora , Congress leaders RL Bhatia, OP Soni, Jasbir Singh Dimpa and local dignitaries were also present on the occasion. Earlier, former Union minister and Congress Rajya Sabha MP Ashwani Kumar had invited Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to inaugurate the multi-facility Elder Retreat Home at Jeeyanwal Babri village, near Gurdaspur in October. He had kept away the PPCC chief and Gurdaspur MP Partap Singh Bajwa and all five sitting Congress MLAs of the district from the inauguration ceremony. The MP’s decision not to invite his own party MLAs had created a flutter in the Congress circles.
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Amritsar, November 24
Amritsar November 24
Amritsar, November 24