Amritsar, February 1
Even as foggy and cold weather conditions are back in the city, the destitute are not keen to take shelter at the night shelter facility being provided by the district administration. Around a dozen people, mostly beggars, have lost their lives due to the cold wave in the city this winter season, according to police records.

The district administration had set up a night shelter, Raen Basera, at an abandoned area of old Dr Karam Singh Ward, around three years ago. But even after a long gap, there are only a few takers for it.

According to officials of the Red Cross Society, which manages the shelter, a majority of the destitute in the city are drug addicts. In the shelter, they were not allowed to indulge in such activities and therefore, preferred to stay on roads.

The society has provided enough facilities like free food brought from the community kitchen at the Golden Temple, hot water for bath, TV facility besides bed and blankets to them. Efforts were also initiated to rehabilitate them, but they were not found to be interested and returned to roads after a few times.

Randhir Thakur, an official of the Red Cross Society, said the district administration has initiated drives to pick up beggars from roads and lodge them at the night shelter. “But you cannot keep them forever as they return to roads,” he said. “As a number of them are drug addicts, it is very difficult to handle them. This year too, the district administration in collaboration with the society distributed them blankets,” Thakur added.

On asking why they didn’t have any facility for women beggars, Thakur said it could create unsavoury conditions as a number of inmates are drug addicts and they do not have ample security measures to ensure their safety. Various philanthropists of the city also contribute by providing the homeless with blankets. But in the next couple of days, they sell it to garner money to satisfy their need for drugs.

At night, those who are in the habit of begging, go to unknown places while rickshaw pullers and those who came from the other states could be found near the religious shrines.

“We have repeatedly appealed to the homeless and the destitute to put up at Raen Basera shelter. But they hardly care to stay and prefer to stay at their places as they earn from there. It is up to them to avail the facility,” said Amritsar DC Ravi Bhagat.

Amritsar, February 1
The authorities at Amritsar Central Jail are finding it difficult to curb the use of mobile phone inside the jail premises as another inmate was found in possession of a mobile phone. This time, the mobile phone was recovered from a notorious gangster and drug peddler Bhupinder Singh alias Sonu Kangla, who was arrested by the police in October 2012.

He is the son of a former councillor of ward number 37.

Kangla was wanted in as many as nine different cases, including drug peddling and attempt to murder. The court had declared him a proclaimed offender in all the cases. According to police officials, Bhupinder had formed a gang comprising a dozen drug peddlers who used to sell smack and other intoxicants in vulnerable areas where drug menace was rampant. These areas included Anngarh, Gujjarpura, Himmatpura, Maqboolpura, Haripura and Meharpura.

He was arrested by the police in August 2012. However, at that time, his mother Dalbir Kaur along with residents of the Anngarh area got him freed after attacking the police team headed by an ACP rank officer.

RK Sharma, DSP, Amritsar Central Jail, said they were suspicious about his movements and had information in this regard. After was locked up, a search operation was launched in the evening during which a mobile phone without SIM was confiscated from his jacket, the DSP said.

Amritsar, February 1
The city police have booked a youth for allegedly raping a minor girl. Though the incident occurred in July last year, the victim’s father lodged a complaint with the police on Friday.

The C-division police have registered a case under Section 376 of the IPC against the accused who has been identified as Sunny, a resident of Fateh Singh Colony. The accused works as a cable operator.

The complainant stated to the police that his daughter had gone to her maternal uncle’s home during the summer vacations. He said on July 7, the accused called his daughter and took her to his residence where he served her tea laced with intoxicants.

He said his daughter fell unconscious and the accused raped her. He said in the morning, when she regained her consciousness, she protested and the accused then left her near Gurudwara Shaheed Baba Deep Singh.

Karanjit Singh, investigating officer, said that the girl had an affair with the accused. Earlier, when the incident took place, the girl had denied having any sexual relationship with the boy. However, a few days later, the family again filed a complaint with the police following which an investigation was carried out.

The investigating officer said a case was registered after the medical examination of the girl which confirmed rape. He said raids were being conducted to nab the culprit who is at large. 

Amritsar, February 1
A man was robbed by an unidentified motorcycle-borne youth at the Liberty Market here today.

The victim has been identified as Vishal Dogra, who works in a private company.

Vishal claimed that the accused took away his bag containing Rs 2.35 lakh besides other documents.

He said he had come to KR mobile showroom located in Liberty Market situated on the Railway Link Road for receiving payments. As soon as he came out of the shop, an unidentified youth snatched his bag and fled from the spot.

Vishal said a security guard who was present on the spot tried to stop the accused. But the accused attacked him and fled. A shopkeeper also hit him with a table before he escaped.

It is evident to mention here that this is the third instance of robbery in the last four days. The police authorities reached the spot and started their investigations. A case has been registered. — TNS

Amritsar, February 1
To own something out of interest that becomes rare and important for the world to share can be said about some of the literary collectors in the city.

Preserving, restoring, reviving and researching on some of the first edition books, rare and priceless volumes published in history, these collectors are not just proud owners but restorers as well.

A city-based collector, Rajnish Khosla, popularly known as manuscript man, a status he inherited along with over 35,000 odd ancient and rare manuscripts from his forefathers, is using his mammoth collection of ancient history for the good of society.

“The hand-written manuscripts in Sanskrit and Persian are over 300 to 400 years old. Many of these manuscripts have excerpts from the Vedas,” said the collector.

Khosla has preserved them with the unique window-cut-mount technique that uses ancient Egyptian and Indian method of preservation by preventing any air and moisture contact through eight manual processes before binding them in attractive Bhojpatra style using silk and copper.

He has taken a cue from the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and the national mission on restoring manuscripts and is working with scholars and professionals to research on the contents of these manuscripts.

“I have been working alongside doctors and scholars to research the contents of some of these manuscripts that contain important information on ancient medicines and Ayurvedic healing processes. Some of these ancient techniques can be a breakthrough in medical science,” he said.

Kewal Dhaliwal, another literary face from the city, also shares the passion for having some first editions in his personal library, which has over 200 books.

“I have the first edition of a collection of Punjabi and Urdu poetry published in early 1900s. Also, my collection includes the earliest published books on theatre. Though I do not have much collectors’ editions, yet one or two books are my prized possession,” he said.

Another such patron and collector is Simar Onkar Singh, a retired government employee, who now owns a limited but valuable collection of paintings and first edition books.

The 65-year-old art lover has names like Sir Sobha Singh, Bheem Malhotra, FN Suza and miniature Kangra paintings to name a few and also art works from the European contemporary artists.

Calling it a “childhood disorder”, Simar says books have always been his best friends. Apart from the paintings, he also has some first edition books like a collection of novels by Egyptian writer Nawal El Saadawi and some coffee table pictorial books on the famous royals of Punjab.

But his passion is not just collecting, but also sharing it with others. “I have given some of the paintings from my collection to private art galleries in Delhi and museum in Dharamsala as I realised that they were too valuable to be wasted for my personal collection,” he says.

He is currently working with prominent art galleries in Chandigarh and Delhi, learning new techniques to restore and preserve art works.

“I started collecting art for my passion. But I realised that preserving art is more important than collecting it.”

He works in collaboration with various artists to research and restore art, his current subject being Kangra paintings.

Amritsar, February 1
Advocate Vaneet Mahajan, who was booked by the Civil Lines police for allegedly transferring a weapon belonging to a drug trafficker Rajesh Kumar Danny to his name in an illegal way, has claimed innocence.

Congress party leaders, including Karamjit Rintu and Jasbir Singh Dimpa, had come in his support.

They threatened to launch an agitation if the police failed to cancel the FIR registered against him. During a press conference, Vaneet Mahajan produced a telephonic conversation between a police official and his colleague Sandeep Gorsi a day before the registration of the case in which the police official was asking them to withdraw the cases which they had filed against the Cabinet Minister. Otherwise, a case would be registered against Mahajan, the official allegedly said.

They also produced the telephonic conversation between Rajesh Kumar Danny, the drug peddler currently lodged in Gurdaspur Jail and his brother Dimple in which they named the Cabinet Minister for filing a complaint against Mahajan. The only motive he (Danny) had was to seek divorce from his wife, who was made co-accused in the case registered against Mahajan, they said.

“Before the registration of a forgery case against Mahajan, at least two inquiries were conducted by two SHOs of Civil Lines police station and in both he was found not guilty,” claimed Gorsi. Now suddenly, a case has been registered against him and that too, without involving them in the investigations, he said.

Interestingly, Danny was in touch with the police officials and politicians through a mobile phone. Dimpa said the party was standing like a rock behind Mahajan and Gorsi and urged the DGP and the Police Commissioner to cancel the case failing which they would be forced to launch a stir.

Anil Joshi, on the other hand, refuted the charges and said his name was unnecessarily being dragged into it only to take certain benefits in court cases. He said it was the Police Department which registered a case against him after a probe.

Amritsar, February 1
Deputy Chief Minister, Sukhbir Singh Badal, today said the work on prestigious Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) would start by mid-February and would be completed by 2016. Besides, the work on Solid Waste Management Project would also be kicked off this month.

Reviewing the status of ongoing development projects in holy city after paying obeisance at Golden Temple, the Deputy Chief Minister said, “In a bid to attract more tourists and ease traffic congestion, the BRTS project costing Rs 491 crore is being initiated by the state government.” He also announced that physical work on Solid Waste Management Project at the cost of Rs 72.49 crore would also be launched this month. In a high-level meeting, the Deputy CM directed the concerned officers to ensure the completion of both projects within stipulated time frame. He said Amritsar has already got a fleet of 40 city buses while 110 more buses would be added in the fleet to facilitate commuters. To rejuvenate and conserve the traditional ambiance of Company Bagh, Sukhbir asked the Municipal Corporation and Tourism Department to make arrangements for light and sound, installation of musical fountains, pathways, tree plantation and land-scaping in the historical garden.

Reviewing the status of restoration and conservation of Town Hall building at a cost of Rs. 65.5 crore, Sukhbir asked the implementing agency to construct world class convention centre and exhibition hall, besides good quality food court, craft bazaar and open air theatre. He also directed to maintain the traditional ambiance of Town Hall building as holy city is widely regarded the focal point of tourism in India and abroad. Earlier, the Deputy CM also visited the Golden Temple Entrance Plaza project and asked the officials to expedite the remaining work of underground plaza. He said the plaza would also have world-class auditorium depicting rich cultural heritage of Sikhism to be displayed through an audio-visual information system.

Stating that Amritsar city would get have a complete face-lift, Sukhbir said huge and attractive sculptures of great personalities would be installed at all major roundabouts in holy city. He asked the Municipal Corporation to submit a draft plan at the earliest, which would be implemented in this year. He also said all major roads leading to Amritsar would have underground electricity cables and thickly populated areas to have overhead cables instead of electricity poles. He said "designer poles" would be erected for street lights on these roads to give traditional look to the holy city.

Meanwhile, he also inspected the ongoing work at historic the Gobindgarh Fort and asked the concerned officers to complete its first phase at the earliest. He said a light and sound programme, depicting the historical background associated with Maharaja Ranjeet Singh, would also showcase the historical aspects of Punjab.

Amritsar, February 1
The district Health Department has asked for help from the police authorities in tackling the problem of smoking at public places in the city. Even as the department has started challaning shopkeepers, who had set up shops within 100 yards periphery of educational institutions on regular basis, the fact that these shops are still working at the same place has forced the department to seek help from the police department.

In charge of the team formed to challan smokers and shopkeepers flouting the guidelines by the Health Department, Jai Karan Singh said, “We have a college here outside which there are four cigarette vendors. We have issued challans to them twice, but still they have not moved from the place.”

He said, “We have requested the police authorities to help them in removing the vendors. Next time when we go there we will be accompanied by a police party and remove the vendors forcibly from the place,” said Jai Karan Singh.

Another employee associated with the team Baljinder Singh said, “We have issued around 55 challans in this week. As per the new guidelines, the vendors cannot provide a match box or a cigarette lighter to a person, who buys cigarette from them. If the same is happening, it means that the buyer is smoking at the same place, which is a public space.”

He said a fine of up to Rs 10,000 can be imposed on vendors who are found selling or lending match-boxes to their customers.

The new guidelines also stated that no vendor can display the cigarette cases or the posters of the cigarette brands.

The display of such advertisements is prohibited and guilty can be sentenced upto two years of imprisonment and a fine of Rs 10,000.

Amritsar, February 1
Dr Sujata Sharma has been given additional charge as the Principal of Government Medical College (GMC) here. Orders were issued yesterday evening by Directorate of Research and Medical Education.

The position of the Principal at Government Medical College had become vacant yesterday as Principal, Dr Karnail Singh, retired from the position.

Dr Sujata Sharma was recently elevated to the position of Medical Superintendent of the Guru Nanak Dev Hospital of the medical college for imparting clinical training to medical students.

Even as she has been given additional charge of the post as per the orders of the DRME, few of the faculty members said that the college has many senior faculty members, who were ignored.

“Atleast nine faculty members in college are above her on seniority list but all were ignored. This is not a good trend,” said a teacher pleading anonymity.

Amritsar, February 1
Ryan International School, Amritsar, today organised a annual sports day for classes VI to X in the school premises. District Congress president, Gurjit Singh Aujla was the chief guest.

The function commenced with holy verses from the Bible. Special prayer, praise and worship songs by a colourful march past and band display by all the participants followed.

Students of classes VI to X participated in various races. The celebration also witnessed a sports tableau which showcased various games.

A cultural programme consisting group songs, re- mix songs, aerobics dance was presented. Various fields and track events were held.

In the presentation ceremony medals and trophies were given to students and houses.

Championship Trophy was awarded to Violet House.

Participation certificates were given to all.

The entire event was a beautiful display of fitness, goodwill and sportsmanship and was appreciated by all the guests. Headmistress, Rajni Kalra, gave her blessings to the students and congratulated them for putting up a brilliant show.

Amritsar, February 1
With the employees of ART (antiretroviral therapy) centre, and other institutes in district dealing with HIV and AIDS patients continuing their protest, general patients are at the receiving end. The association has announced to continue protest.

The AIDS Control Employees Association members refusing to attend to the regular patients, they are fending for themselves.

On the other hand, the association said the employees were pushed to the wall to hold protest as their long pending demands as regular services, enhanced salaries and better working conditions were being overlooked for a long time.

Dr Jyoti at the center said employees were working in bad conditions and government should fulfil their demands. She said the association members had proceeded on strike.