Amritsar, February 5
The dispute over the president's post of the local arhtiya (commission agent) association at the Bhagtanwala Grain Market today took an ugly turn when the opposite group opened a fire at Narinder Behal, the present president of the union, and his associates.

Two persons, including Behal and his brother Varinder Kumar, were injured in the incident. They sustained injuries caused by some sharp-edged weapons and were later taken to Guru Nanak Dev Hospital for treatment.

The election for the office-bearers of the union was held on January 15 in which Behal was re-elected as president. However, his presidentship was opposed by Balkar Singh alias Bholi, who claimed himself to be the president of the union.

Behal said today the union called a general house meeting at its office located in the Bhagtanwala grain market here. When he along with other members and commission agents reached the office, they found it locked while Balkar along with over 24 persons who were armed with firearms and sharp-edged weapons were standing there.

He alleged as soon as they reached the office the accused fired upon them and also attacked the former with sharp-edged weapons.

"They fired around six bullets, but fortunately we had a narrow escape. However, my brother sustained an injury on his forearm and I also got injured my forehead and left hand caused by sharp-edged weapons," he said while showing the injuries.

Besides Balkar, among others who attacked them include his son, his nephew Surjit Singh, Harpal Singh, Sonu Kakkar and Balwinder Singh and around 12 other unidentified persons, he added.

Another commission agent who accompanied him said the incident occurred around 10am. He said the opposite group, led by Balkar, did not filed his nominations during the elections following which the commission agents unanimously elected Behal as the president of the association. Behal was heading the union for the past few years.

Police personnel in a large number was deputed near the office and the entry and the exit points of the grain market after the incident.

The DSP, Harjit Singh, said both groups were claiming that the other was responsible for the incident.

Their statements were being taken and further action in the matter would be taken accordingly.

Amritsar, February 5
Even as the Punjab and Haryana High Court has issued directions to constitute a three-member panel to probe into illegal hotels/guest houses/inns around the Golden Temple, Senior Town Planner (STP) Hemant Batra has also issued orders to proprietors of these units to comply with the norms and demolish the illegal part of their structures within six months.

There are 131 illegal hotels/guest houses/inns located close to the Galliara project area around the Sikh Shrine.

The STP’s orders, produced and duly approved by the HC Bench, were taken following the special personal hearing sessions conducted by the MC with the hoteliers under the banner of the Federation of Hotel and Guest Houses on December 16, 23, 24, 26, 27, 30 and January 3.

After hearing them and scrutinising various records, it was found that scores of these commercial units seldom comply with the Municipal Building By-laws, 1997, and Revised Building By-laws, 2010.

Keeping it in view, the STP had released the orders on January 23 to make amendments in their existing buildings to conform the latest bye-laws within a span of six months from the date of orders, otherwise action would be initiated against them in accordance with the law.

A separate list of violations/discrepancies which were in existence has been prepared by the MC and the same has been displayed in the notice board of the Municipal Town Planner, MC, Amritsar. These can be seen by the objectors on any working day from 10am to 4 pm.

MC Commissioner DPS Kharbanda said the three-member special investigation team (SIT) would be constituted by the state government as per the HC directions.

“The latest building norms would have to be complied with and the violators have been given six months to remove the objectionable portions of their buildings. This arrangement has also been approved by the HC. These orders were issued after conducting a personal hearing session with the violators by the MTP Department,” he said.

During the hearing session, the proprietors of illegal hotels/inns/guest houses said a majority of these buildings fall under the non-scheme area that allowed its mixed use of land.

Further, they submitted that the prevalent municipal building by-laws, 1997, and 2010 were implemented to control the growing urbanisation of the city, could not be applied to the existing buildings within the walled city area. These by-laws were more appropriate for modern style of construction which was in total contrast to the historical and ancient style of construction. Therefore, it could be suitable to the building by-laws prevalent before 1997.

They had appealed to the Local Bodies Ministry to frame a policy for regularisation of these units as the existing lodging and boarding arrangements available at present in the holy city would not be ample to accommodate pilgrims, tourists, businessmen, if these establishments around the Golden Temple were made un-operational.

Amritsar, February 5
The women cell of city police today booked a policeman for allegedly raping a married woman on the pretext of sending her to Singapore. The accused, identified as Kanwaljit Singh, who is reportedly reader of an ADCP rank official here, allegedly continued to rape the woman for several months. He even made a movie and blackmailed her into a physical relationship with him, it is alleged.

Ironically, the victim had to take the help of 181 helpline after the city police failed to take any action on her complaint, submitted to Verka police station, around a couple of months ago.

The 31-year-old victim told the police that the accused, Kanwaljit Singh, took Rs 1 lakh from her husband for sending her to Singapore and also took several blank cheques for the purpose.

While insisting to her husband that her signatures were required in the embassy for completing the visa formalities, she asked her husband to drop her in Kanwaljit Singh's house.

"Instead of taking me to Delhi in the embassy, Kanwaljit Singh took me to a village in Pathankot where he served her cold drinks laced with some intoxicants, following which she fell unconscious," she alleged while adding that the accused raped her and made a movie.

She alleged that the accused threatened her to upload the video on a social networking site and asked her to do what he wanted.

"I was frightened as he had taken all my documents including the passport, voter ID card, Aadhar card besides gold jewellery and mobile phone," she alleged.

In her complaint, the victim stated that on June 2, 2013, the culprit took her in a hotel and then to Singapore where he forcibly entered into a physical relationship with her. She said a few months ago, the accused called her husband telling him that she required three months' training in a Delhi church to get a permanent visa to Singapore. But instead he took her to a church in Dalhousie and continued his immoral activities. She alleged that the accused kept her there by showing her as his wife and during that period she became pregnant. She said as the owner of the house where he had kept her got suspicious, he brought her back and kept her at a house in the Kot Khalsa area.

The complainant, a resident of Verka here, said the accused compelled her for a compromise and threatened her of dire consequences saying that he had close links with senior police officials and nobody would listen to her. He then left the victim at her home in November, she said.

"As he had said, no action was taken by the Verka police even as my family members submitted a complaint to it in November in this regard," she said.

Paramdeeep Kaur, SHO, women cell and investigating officer, said the police had registered a case under Sections 376, 328 and 506, IPC, in this regard. She said the medical examination of the woman was being conducted and steps had been initiated to arrest the culprit. Jatinder Singh Aulakh, Police Commissioner, said he would investigate why it took so long to register a case.

"I came to know about this last evening and I immediately ordered that a case be registered. Appropriate action will be taken against police officials if found guilty of deliberately delaying registeration a case," he said.

Amritsar, February 5
The authorities have directed the firm operating the city buses to comply with the route plan; otherwise a penalty of Rs 1,000 per bus could be imposed on it.

This decision came following resentment expressed by private mini-bus operators who were up in arms against the running of city-bus service beyond the city-route plan.

The city buses will not ply beyond the municipal limits of the holy city. Several buses were spotted running in the Khasa and nearby areas. This clashed with the mini-buses routes being operated privately.

The minu-bus operators under the banner of Mini Bus-Operators/Workers Union, Amritsar, today submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner who forwarded it to the offices of the MC Commissioner and the City Mayor, confirmed Baldev Singh Babbu, district secretary of the union.

City Mayor Bakshi Ram Arora said the Karnataka-based firm, which had been entrusted with the responsibility of running the newly introduced city bues, had been directed not to ply buses beyond the three routes, chalked out under the agreement.

"As soon as it came to our notice that the city buses were being run in the Khasa area, these were immediately withdrawn. This route was never in the plan and only privately owned mini-buses will be run according to the earlier arrangement. Defying these orders will invite penalty on the part of the Karnataka-based firm," he said.

The mini-bus operators argued that it would affect as many as 600 mini-buses and several families or individuals who had been associated with the mini-bus service.

Amritsar, February 5
As it has came to light again that government health institutions are not serious about the proper disposal of bio-medical waste, the Biomedical Waste (Management and handling) Rules, 1998, state that it should never be mixed with the general waste.

Further, it has been revealed that safai karamcharis at the Government Medical College are time and again resorting to burning of garbage, which is again a violation of the environmental laws.

In a report published in these columns on February 4, it was revealed that how bio-medical waste generated at Jallianwala Bagh Martyrs’ Memorial Civil Hospital and Guru Nanak Dev Hospital was thrown outside in the open along with other waste.

Guru Nanak Dev Hospital has went a step further by setting on fire these heaps of garbage.

The bio-medical waste thrown with other waste included blood-stained cotton, surgical gloves, syringes and other wastes generated during the medical procedures. The hospitals are required to send the biomedical waste generated on their premises to incinerators for the proper disposal.

The handling rules for biomedical waste state that it was required to be segregated at the point of generation prior to its disposal. The hospitals are required to place baskets of different colours for collecting general waste, syringes and injection bottles and items like stained cotton and bandages.

Though the hospitals have placed different coloured dustbins, the staff are not much serious about its segregation.

Balkar Singh, a visitor at Guru Nanak Dev Hospital, said: “A common man cannot understand the hazards of biomedical waste thrown in the open but surely the burning of garbage heaps is disturbing.”

Amritsar, February 5
The Land Acquisition Department has served notices on the occupants of shops and residences on the Durgiana Temple premises to vacate these in order to facilitate the beautification of the surroundings of the shrine.

Land Acquisition Officer Pardeep Sabhharwal, confirming the serving of notices, sad the occupants had been given a deadline to evacuate their premises by February 19.

Earlier, the Land Acquisition Department, with the help of the local police, got vacated 1,650 square yards of land at Dashnami Akhara near the Durgiana Temple complex from over 70 tenants on September 4.

According to the norms, after acquiring the land, the department will hand over its possession to the Improvement Trust for beautification of the Durgiana Temple. The land will be acquired under the Durgiana Beautification Project, Phase-II, which is expected to be finished before the end of the year.

A multi-storey commercial complex, being raised under phase-I, was being given final touches. It has been proposed to build a "joda ghar" over 2,725 square yards besides landscaping of the area. The third phase of the project, envisaging beautification of the surroundings of the temple, will see demolition of shops, houses and structures on the left side of the Durgiana Temple (at the post-office entrance) up to the crematorium. This will widen the approach road to the temple. Besides, an open-air theatre and auditorium will also be constructed there. A proposal to operate battery-operated cars is also there.

Amritsar, February 5
Members of the AIDS Control Employees Union have decided to suspend their protest till February 14 after getting an assurance from the Director-General of the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO).

Government employees working at all institutions in the district, including the ART centre at Government Medical College, providing treatment for HIV and AIDS, had proceeded on strike on January 30 demanding regularisation of the contractual staff and enhancement of salaries.

The members of the association held a protest outside the ART centre here today. They said if NACO fails to take any decision to fulfil their demands, they would resume the strike.

General patients who have been coming to these centres for treatment heaved a sigh of relief with the announcement of suspension of the protest.

"We have been visiting the centre repeatedly for the past six days hoping that we would get some medicines. It is better if they have decided to call off the strike," said a patient at the ART centre.

Amritsar, February 5
With the aim of providing sand at control rate, the district administration has identified five spots where sand would be sold to the public.

District Mining Officer, Surjit Singh said the District Transport Officer has been assigned the responsibility to float tenders to engage contractors to procure sand in bulk and sell the same to the people.

It has also been decided as to which district would get sand from the quarries of another district. Amritsar would receive sand from the quarries of Hoshiarpur. This district has got environmental clearance for only one quarry situated at Wazir Bhullar village in the Beas area. However, no longer can the quarry be mined as its permissible limit has already been realised. Surjit Singh said the mining of each quarry has been fixed and mining beyond it would attract strict action. Revenue from the auction of quarries has been increasing steadily after the real estate boom in the state. It attracted the attention of sand mafia that wanted to make quick bucks.

The annual revenue from sand mining was Rs 54 crore during 2002-07 under the Congress rule when 527 quarries were being exploited. It jumped to Rs 154 crore during 2007-12 under the SAD-BJP rule when only half of the total quarries were being excavated.

Even as the District Transport Officer has been engaged to float tenders to select sand contractors, officials of the Mandi Board would look after its sale as five spots have been identified at grain markets. 

Amritsar, February 5
A joint delegation of three farmer unions — Jamhoori Kisan Sabha, Kirti Kisan Union and Bharti Kisan Union (Ugrahan) — today met the Chief Engineer (Powercom), NK Gandhi and submitted a charter of their demands.

The farmer unions were seeking waiver of charges for allotment of tubewell power connections for agricultural land, decrease in the rates of domestic power supply and reduction in the amount for increasing power loads in villages.

The PSPCL authorities have assured them that their demands would be forwarded to the state government.

Rattan Singh Randhawa, senior leader of Jamhoori Kisan Sabha, pointed out that the government had announced the allotment of tubewell power connections, which costs at least Rs1 lakh to Rs 3 lakh. He said earlier, the government used to give the connection free but now, the farmers have to bear the burden of laying power lines from the existing transformers. He said the small and marginal farmers are badly hit by this.

The delegation also urged the government for decreasing the power rates of domestic supply like in Delhi.

Further, he said the PSPCL should also lower the rates for increasing the power load from Rs 5,200 at present to Rs 1,200.

Amritsar, February 5
The city police have booked six persons on the charge of attempting to murder. The police action was a follow up of the firing incident that occurred last evening during a meeting of the cable operators at the Sun City Amusement Park located on Batala road here.

Among those booked are Shiv Kumar of Gate Hakima, Ram Singh Nagpal of Laxmansar Chowk, Bhupinder Singh of Guru Amar Dass Nagar and Balbir Singh of Pawan Nagar, besides other unidentified persons. However, no arrest has been made so far by the police.

A case under Sections 307, 323, 506 and 120-B of the IPC and Sections 25/27/54/59 of the Arms Act has been registered against them at the Mohkampura police station here. Sarabjit Singh alias Raju, owner of Fastway cable network and a resident of Dayanand Nagar, Lawrence road, told the police that the accused reached the spot during the meeting and created a ruckus.

He said the accused snatched the mike and started using abusive language against them. Later, they started firing which led to panic. He said in order to save him, his gunman Sher Singh started firing with his AK-47 rifle following which the accused fled.

Later, the police recovered a .32 bore revolver belonging to one of the accused, Shiv Kumar besides four live cartridges, two shells and seven cartridges of an assault rifle.