Postgraduates can try for posts of Senior Resident in govt medical colleges
Amritsar, January 6
For the first time in the state, positions of Senior Resident in government medical colleges in Patiala and Amritsar have been opened for freshly passed out postgraduate students.

Amritsar, January 6
“Being a single earning hand in my family, I am passing through a state of severe financial crunch. The festive period passed without any celebrations,” lamented a teacher, NN Saini.

Similar is the fate of as many as 4,200 employees working in 484 aided-schools in the state as they have been working without salary for the past three months.

The Aided School Teachers and Other Employees Union, president, Gurcharan Singh Chahal, reacted to it as the height of insensibility on the part of the Education and the finance departments.

He said the treatment was being meted out to them despite the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court to the Secretary Education, Director Schools and the school managements to release the salaries of the aided schools employees by seventh of each month.

The state government provides 95 per cent grant-in-aid while the rest five per cent is shared by the managing committees of the respective schools. The teachers of these schools are complaining of being overburdened as 60 per cent of the posts are lying vacant.

The union members were of the view that the service rules for the employees of aided schools were similar to their counterparts in the government schools.

They were paid salary for the last time after a gap of six months in September.

The Union announced to take up the matter with the Punjab Chief Minister, Parkash Singh Badal, in the forthcoming meeting to be held at Chandigarh on January 8. Besides, the union would raise the demand of merger of aided schools with government schools. They said it was in 1967 that the then Chief Minister, Lachchman Singh Gill, had brought all the private schools under the grant-in-aid system on Delhi pattern. He said as many as 9,468 posts were sanctioned to 508 schools in the state. He claimed that 24 schools had either been closed while many others were on the verge of closure.

In 2003, Capt Amarinder Singh’s government stopped their pension and also put a ban on filling the vacant posts in these schools. These steps have deteriorated the imparting of education in these schools, he said.

They opined that it would reduce the burden on the judiciary first of all because so many cases of aided schools are in courts. Many employees of the Education Department, including clerks and officials, attend court proceedings which adversely affects their regular office work. The provident fund of these employees amounting to nearly Rs 200 crore would also get shifted to the government treasury. 

Amritsar, January 6
The SGPC, the Chief Khalsa Diwan and other Sikh organisations today held a Nagar Kirtan on the eve of Parkash Purab of the 10th Sikh master, Guru Gobind Singh, the founder of the Khalsa panth.

The SGPC, in collaboration with various Sikh organisations, carried out a Nagar Kirtan which passed thorugh various markets of the walled city.

Meanwhile, a massive Nagar Kirtan by the Chief Khalsa Diwan began this morning from Sri Guru Harkrishan Senior Secondary Public School, GT Road, Amritsar, after the ardaas performed by Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh and Singh Sahib Giani Jaswinder Singh.

The Chief Khalsa Diwan felicitated the Akal Takht Jathedar, Member Parliament, Canada, Tim Uppal, Gaini Jaswinder Singh and Angrej Singh. A large number of students and teachers from all schools and colleges of the Chief Khalsa Diwan, Sikh scholars and other social personalities took in the function.

With prayers on their lips, a large number of faithfuls took part in the Nagar Kirtan. It culminated at the Golden Temple. En route refreshment stalls were put up.

The Nagar Kirtan was led by Palki Sahib and Panj Piyaras followed by gatka parties, kirtan parties and band teams from different schools. The atmosphere was filled with spirituality and Bhakti Ras. The school Director, Dr Dharam Veer Singh, welcomed the Saadh Sangat. Charanjit Singh Chadha, President of the Chief Khalsa Diwan, threw light on the life of Guru Gobind Singh and appealed to all to reach Golden Temple to celebrate Gurpurb. 

Amritsar, January 6
While a chaotic traffic scene remains a bane for the city, residents point out that the administration should remove the rampant encroachments by the shopkeepers and vendors in order to streamline the traffic. The traffic police should stress on regulating the traffic rather than going on a challan-issuing spree.

A Tribune team talked to residents for suggesting remedial measures. They pointed out that the inhabitants of the city should change their mindset and behave in a responsible manner by following rules.

Brij Bedi, a noted social worker, who crusaded against the rampant traffic chaos, said: “Even though the residents are as much responsible as the administration, the traffic police also not willing to improve their functioning. They should be trained with the knowhow of technology and traffic norms. Instead of stressing only upon challanning they should lay more emphasis on regulating the traffic. Of course, removing the encroachments would do well for improving the traffic scenario.”

He said traffic wing behave in discriminate manner by only issuing challan to two-wheelers while the repeated violations by buses, trucks and other heavy vehicles was overlooked by them.

Dr Balwinder Singh, professor and former HoD of the Guru Ram Dass School of Planning, Guru Nanak Dev University, said the authorities should formulate a Traffic System Management after carrying out a thorough study and survey instead of adopting ad- hoc approach of diverting the traffic on alternate routes. This rather than solving the problem would result only in traffic chaos on the alternate routes after diversion of traffic. The administration should make short and long term solutions after conducting a study and then implement it and should not remain on papers only.

Dr Naresh Chawla, District TB officer and president of an NGO Help for Under Privilege School Going Children (HUGS), said: “The government should create adequate parking spaces and not allow residents to park the vehicles on the road sides. The roads in the city are wide enough for the free flow of traffic. But due to rampant encroachments it has narrowed down. The authorities should also get free the footpaths encroached by shopkeepers.”

Naresh Johar, a local resident, said: “Around 70 per cent of the auto drivers are running three-wheelers without requisite documents and licenses. With the launch of public transport system like city bus service, the administration should also nail the auto-rickshaw drivers plying their vehicles illegally and limit the number of three-wheelers on the roads.”

He said the authorities should shift the truck repair shops from the road adjoining to the PSPCL office at the Hall Gate area to Jahajgarh market and construct a new flyover towards Aanaam theatre chowk which would reduce the traffic on Bhandari Bridge.

Dr Rakesh Sharma, teacher, Government Medical College, said: “The authorities should adopt zero-tolerance attitude towards encroachments and should not allow their political leaders to influence their work, especially which are in the interest of the general public.”

“There is also a need to change our mindset. Why we obey rules only when there is fear of law? We should behave in a responsible manner. The law enforcing agency should also be strict in their approach,” said Dev Dard, an artist.

Amritsar, January 6
For the first time in the state, positions of Senior Resident in government medical colleges in Patiala and Amritsar have been opened for freshly passed out postgraduate students.

Stating this here today, Anil Joshi, Medical Education and Research Minister, said the government had issued a notification indicating the terms and conditions for the selection of Senior Residents wherein in addition to the doctors from the PCMS cadre, post graduates under a five-year contract with the state government, contractual doctors under the NRHM and doctors from other departments like Rural Development and freshly passed out postgraduates are eligible to apply for senior residency in about 15 super specialities and 41 specialities. He said there were 466 positions of Senior Resident in both the government medical colleges. The last date for receiving online applications was January 17. 

Amritsar, January 6
Even as the municipal corporation has removed iron frames from the poles at Bhandari bridge and Hall Bazaar, it has failed to move the same to an appropriate place for the traffic to flow smoothly.

These large-sized iron frames were seen lying on the roadsides, thus covering space which could be used by the vehicles. The Bhandari bridge area is one of the busiest stretches and with the iron frames occupying the road, the situation has further been deteriorated.

Even Hall Bazaar is the busiest traffic route as the passage leads to the Golden Temple. The MC has removed these frames so as to follow the directions of the High Courts about illegal hoardings and advertisements.

The commuters on the Bhandari bridge said the traffic police and district administration were continuously experimenting with traffic routes to curtail the chaos of the bridge but they have simply failed to take notice of these frames which have no use lying here and should be removed so as to provide space for vehicles.

“Ideally, these should have been transported as soon as they were removed from the poles. However, as these are still at the place, it means that officials have simply not taken notice of the problem,” said a driver.

The MC, in a drive recently, had removed all the iron frames from the poles so as to end the possibility of these being used again in future for advertisement purposes. Mayor, Bakshi Ram Arora, said he would instruct the concerned officials to make arrangements for transportation of these frames so that roads are made clear.

Amritsar, January 6
Even as the cantonment police have launched a manhunt to nab Amandeep Singh, an accomplice of former SAD youth leader Ranjit Singh Rana for providing an iron blade to him for cutting iron bars, the accused was still out of the reach of the police.

During the interrogation of Rana, the police had booked Amandeep Singh of Chheharta area.

Amandeep, who was earlier nabbed with narcotic substances, was released on parole. But he never returned and was wanted by the police.

Rana is facing trial in the district court for killing an ASI Ravinder Pal Singh who was shot dead by him in broad daylight in Chheharta in December 2012.

Rana was lodged in the high security barrack number 12. On January 1 he along with his cousin Sewa Singh tried to escape from the jail by cutting the iron bars. However, they were caught by the jail authorities.

During investigations, Rana told the police that it was Amandeep who had provided him with the iron cutter. The police raided his residence besides his other suspected hideouts but failed. 

Amritsar, January 6
A national pulse polio round would be conducted on January 19, 20 and 21 said Civil Surgeon Dr Usha Bansal. A meeting of the senior officials was conducted today to make arrangements for the round.

District Immunisation Officer, Dr Jaspal Kaur said the action plan to conduct the round had been prepared. She said the department would start an awareness campaign to ensure participation of the general public.

Amritsar, January 6
Even as the police have started a helpline to register complaints against the sale and use of Chinese kite strings, it has come out that the general public is still indifferent to the issue.

The district administration has started a complaint centre for reporting the use and sale of the harmful string which has injured many residents. Even Nayab Tehsildar, HS Gill, is addressing the complaints on his cellphone number 8146518090.

The use of this string by children in the city indicates that elders in their families are insensitive about the issue and have not forbidden them from using it. “The administration and residents would have to tell people for not buying the string,” said Swaran Lata, a senior citizen.

Talking to The Tribune, Gill said he received three calls to report sale of the string in different city areas. He added that on the basis of these calls, the respective SHOs at Sadar, Cantonment and Rambagh police station were instructed to investigate the matter and take action accordingly.

The Rambagh police has also seized seven rolls of Chinese string. Gill said, the complaints can also be registered on phone number 0183-2226162.

Furthermore, to curb the sale of the Chinese string, the district administration has also constituted a seven-member flying squad which would be coordinated by the Additional Deputy Commissioner (Development), Pradeep Sabarwal.

Amritsar, January 6
A jail inmate, Harjinder Singh, resident of village Dhanoe Khurd today dodged the jail guards and escaped from the district courts complex here.

He was being produced in the court of Shilpi Guta, Judicial Magistrate when the incident took place. Besides Harjinder Singh, the police have also booked Assistant Sub inspector Gurdeep Singh for dereliction of duty.

According to information, Harjinder Singh was held around a month ago for injuring a person. He was facing trial in the court of Shilpi Gupta. The police team opened his handcuffs and ASI Gurdeep Singh took him inside the court. As there was rush in the court, Harjinder dodged the ASI and slipped away, said Gurbhej Singh, in charge Court Complex police chowki.

He said a case under Section 223, 224 of the IPC had been registered against them while ASI Gurdeep Singh was released on bail. 

Amritsar, January 6
Popular Punjab Naatshala, a house of performing art in the city, is all set to undergo a comprehensive change to make it more intimate for its viewers by installing a new technically-advanced chairs with an inbuilt sound system and special effects to commensurate with the stage scenes in its 15th year of existence.

Shiromani Natakar Jatinder Brar and founder of the Naatshala said in all 225 chairs would be installed to bring the action on the stage closer to each individual viewer. Each chair would have inbuilt audio, mosquito repellent and resting hands to serve tea, water and snacks.

The Naatshala was established in 1998 with the objectives of equilibrium in art, culture and technology to promote theatre. Viewers at this theatre enjoy the opportunity to absorb in the scene on the stage by feeling sunlight, shade, rain, aroma and other effects.

He said a mechanism was also being developed to elevate the passage in the sitting gallery to join the stage. He added that it would offer an opportunity to the performers to act amidst the viewers. All these changes would be completed in February.

Spread over 2,500 sq yards, Punjab Naatshala has become a pilgrimage for theatre artistes from both India and Pakistan as theatre groups from both countries performed here.

Equipped with a revolving stage and various other features, the theatre can accommodate around 225 spectators and has a multidimensional entry system.

The theatre provides special effects like rain and fragrances through water sprinklers fitted in the ceiling.A movable platform fitted on a trolley is used to give upward and downward movement to the stage which has become a craze among creative directors.

Amritsar, January 6
It's winters and a sudden chill in the air often contradict with wardrobe fashion. Since each season brings some fresh fashion guidelines, this season, too, is all about warming up with some style. The best thing about winter fashion is that its gender-neutral. The trend for this year -- winter collections from Dolce & Gabbana, Chanel, Tommy Hilfiger, Balenciaga et all -- has spelt it out for the ‘fashionistas’.

But let’s hear it from some city-based designers about what works in the coming year.

“This season is all about keeping it simple and stylish. Whether shrugs, thrown ins, short dresses or evening gowns, the mantra is to get the detailing right with rich fabrics. The winter fabrics usually include velvet, suede, lycra and tweeds, shares Sargun Seth, who runs designer label. The closet in city along with Kanika Madaan.

Women sporting turtle necks, checks, masculine colours, wide collared mannish shirts too works well. Sport boots, ankle length or long and hats to complete the look. Load up on kimonos, kaftans and shrugs in prints, checks and neutral designs.

“Though texture overload was quite seen last year, this time simple accessories and metal fabrics fit in the picture. Add pleats of frills with stoles and scarfs, winter accessories to make the statement you want,” said Sargun.

Sequins too are in for the season. “Sequined short dresses make for a simple elegant fashion must have. One could go in with some embroideries thrown in innovatively, but the look works even without the embellishments,” says Sarika Sharma from LYCRA . “The fabric works well with indo-western as well as short dresses. Also, the focus will be on rich fabrics and detailing,” she adds.

Agrees Sargun, “Since wedding season will be on as well the styling and detailing is crucial. Accessories are important and will give that extra edge.”

Colours like grey, beige, cream, navy are a safe bet. But gold and silver will be defining the trend. “Get edgy with bold colours in neons, reds, greens and purple. Men too can experiment with reds, pinks and blues to add colour to their wardrobe,’ says Sarika. “Silver and gold are the global colours for the season. Go with single tones or mix them up with black and neutral colours, the look will definitely work,” said Sargun.

Amritsar, January 6
With the Municipal Corporation (MC) extending the deadline for depositing the property tax with 10 per cent rebate till March, it has prompted the people to resort to lax approach. This is evident from the falling property tax collection at the counters opened by the MC.

Even as the MC had identified 3 lakh units (40,000 commercial) in urban area to pay the property tax, but still there are around two lakh residents (both residential and commercial) who are yet to pay their dues. The MC had set a target to collect between Rs 40-50 crore till March.

Besides, introducing the facility of online acceptance through debit or credit cards, the MC has been initiating several steps to sensitise residents about the property tax, applicable since April 1. This included holding awareness-cum-realisation camps, erecting hoardings and billboards in the streets.

Even as this move was looked upon as a huge respite for the residents as it relieved them from standing in long queues to wait for their turn to deposit the dues, but this queue automatically got curtailed after the announcement to extend the deadline (with 10 per cent rebate).

Superintendent Shushant Bhatia endorsed the lukewarm response of residents in clearing their property tax dues once again. “It is true that the collection went on deteriorating with each passing day. From crores, it has declined to just thousands. Most of the collections are in small denomination between Rs 50 and Rs 150. The problem is that with the announcement of extension of last date, the residents have once again become lethargic, “he said.