Admn plans to woo first-time voters 
Amritsar, March 7
The district administration is working on a proposal with hotel and restaurant associations to grant considerable rebate on food to the first-time voters.

Traffic Police face staff crunch, cops being used for challaning
Amritsar, March 7
Even as the city is grappling with traffic chaos, the Traffic Police has pressed its limited staff to check vehicle documents and challan violators against traffic regulation and management.

Workshop on data dissemination 
Amritsar, March 7
Punjab School of Economics and Guru Ramdas School of Planning, Guru Nanak Dev University, jointly organised a workshop on data dissemination in the university today. Eminent scholars from various educational institutes attended the workshop. The workshop was organised in association with the Directorate of Census Operations, Punjab.

Amritsar, March 7
Two motorcycle-borne persons were killed while a couple of others were injured in a fatal road accident on the elevated road here today.

The mishap occurred when a speeding car went out of control and hit another car from the rear while running over two motorcycle-borne persons. The victims, identified as Gurmeet Singh and Laddipal Singh, both residents of Majhpur village, were killed on the spot. Severe head injuries are said to be the reason behind their death. Laddipal was a journalist with a vernacular daily and a television channel. Preliminary police investigations revealed that Jasdeep Kaur, who was driving a car (PB-10-EL-3653), first hit the motorcycle and then collided with another Maruti 800 car (PB02-AJ-7899) being driven by Jaspal Singh Nagpal, a resident of the New Amritsar area. They also sustained injuries in the mishap.

The police officials said that a few cars were already parked on the left side of the elevated road following a minor accident involving two cars minutes before the other mishap took place. The incident occurred when Nagpal tried to overtake vehicles parked on the roadside. "Just as the Maruti car was taking over, another car driven by Jasdeep came from behind at a very high speed. She lost control and hit the motorcycle and then the rear of the Maruti car,” said Varinder Kumar, investigating officer and in charge of the Bus Stand police chowki.

The impact was so strong that the motorcycle-borne Gurmeet and Laddipal were thrown several feet in the air before hitting the divider of the elevated road. It then hit the Maruti car which jumped from the divider, fell on Jasdeep’s car and dragged it several feet before it turned turtle.

The people immediately gathered on the spot and took out Jasdeep and Nagpal from their respective cars. Gurmeet and Laddi who were critical were shifted to the hospital after police officials reached there. The accident victims were declared dead.

Varinder Kumar said the police had registered a case under Section 304-A and 279, IPC, against Jasdeep Kaur following the statement of Dilbagh Singh, brother of Laddi. He said no arrest had been made so far and Jasdeep had also sustained injuries. The people who gathered on the spot were criticised the pathetic condition of the road, which often led to road mishaps.

Amritsar, March 7
Today's fatal accident has once again brought to the fore the negligent attitude of the local authorities towards the dilapidated condition of the elevated road, located on the Amritsar-Jalandhar GT road.

The accident occurred on the same stretch which is always in the news for having deep pits and broken patches on its surface. This appeared to be the cause of the accident primarily, which claimed two lives.

It is an irony that the state government had spent around Rs 230 crore on the construction of the Amritsar-Jalandhar GT road, a 3.5-km stretch of the elevated road, but due to lack of maintenance, it has become a risky ride for travellers.

The main reason for a damaged road surface is waterlogging that continues unabated during the rains. Even after spending crores of rupees on the road, scant thought was given to devise a mechanism to prevent water from accumulating on it.

Besides, the bad shape of the road is also because the drains remain choked due to want of cleanliness. The problem has been aggravated because the 3.2 km-long rainwater harvesting pipe that had been laid beneath the incline was stolen a few months ago. The authorities have not bothered to replace these.Even as MC officials claimed that they got the road repaired from time to time, the ground realities speak otherwise and accidents continue on the elevated road.

Perched on 17.2-metre wide single pier, the road was constructed in 2010-11 to benefit tourists and pilgrims visiting important places in the city, including the Golden Temple, the Durgiana Temple, Jallianwala Bagh and the Wagha Border, yet far from serving its purpose of easing traffic snarls, the road has proved to be a death track with commuters losing their lives in accidents.

Past instances

In October last, a commuter named Mohit Khanna, a resident of Gali Jattan Wali, had been killed in a freak road accident on the elevated road after his scooter hit a parked truck. The truck had a punctured tyre and was parked in the middle of the boulevard, which could not be spotted by the deceased, apparently due to inadequate lighting arrangements 

Amritsar, March 7
The District Congress Committee (Urban) has accused Local Body Minister Anil Joshi of violating town planning norms by diverting the Improvement Trust funds for development works in the rural area of the Amritsar North Assembly constituency .

Addressing mediapersons here today, DCC (Urban) president Rajiv Bhagat alluded towards the investment made in Daya Nand Nagar, Naushehra, Baba Deep Singh and Gumtal. He said a majority of these villages fall under Joshi's constituency.

He alleged that the Local Bodies minister had flouted the norms according to which the Improvement Trust funds could only be invested for the development of areas falling under the MC limits.

Expressing his anguish, Bhagat said there were already many agencies funding development projects in rural areas.

He said there were many slums in the city where investment was required to improve civic amenities.

When contacted, Anil Joshi said the funds were diverted by adopting a proper procedure and the permission of the state government was taken before making the investment. 

Amritsar, March 7
The district administration is working on a proposal with hotel and restaurant associations to grant considerable rebate on food to the first-time voters.

Deputy Commissioner Ravi Bhagat said the offer would be limited to the first-time voters in the age group of 18 to 19. He said they would be issued appreciation certificates at the polling booths on exercising their franchise in the Lok Sabha poll.

The quantum of rebate would be decided in consultation with hotel and restaurant owners and a meeting in this regard would be held soon, the DC said.

Meanwhile, Amritsar Hotel and Restaurant Association (AHARA) president APS Chatha said keeping in view the high inflation and tax rate, it was not possible to offer discount on food without government support. He added that they were already paying about 26 per cent tax on food and beverages.

There are about 35,548 voters the age group of 18 to 19 in the district. Amritsar has the second highest number of first- time voters after Ludhiana, which has about 53,527 voters in the age group of 18 to 19 years.

About 66 per cent voters in the district had exercised their franchise in the previous Lok Sabha elections. The administration wants to touch the magic figure of 80 per cent this time. In the last Assembly elections, about 73 per cent voters in Amritsar had exercised their franchise.

Various other ways are being adopted to encourage the residents to vote. A van fitted with an audio-visual projector is being prepared to attract electorates. The van will cover the rural areas. A Punjabi song has also been composed to encourage voters to exercise their franchise. Caps and T-shirts will also be distributed among the electorates. 

Amritsar, March 7
Even as the city is grappling with traffic chaos, the Traffic Police has pressed its limited staff to check vehicle documents and challan violators against traffic regulation and management.

A senior citizen, NS Gabahria, said a commuter who drove his vehicle with lapsed insurance did so at his own risk while parking a vehicle wrongly and encroachments on roads caused nuisance at large.

Gabahria said the young constabulary comprising women was a welcome sign. Dr Balwinder Singh, Professor and former Head of the Department of the Guru Ram Dass School of Planning, Guru Nanak Dev University, said the authorities should formulate a system to manage traffic.

A noted social worker, Brij Bedi, who has been a crusader against rampant traffic chaos, said the Traffic Police should stress on regulating the traffic rather than going on a challan-issuing spree. Residents were as much responsible as the administration or the Traffic Police for not being willing to improve the traffic situation.

Repeated attempts to contact Traffic Police officials failed.

Amritsar, March 7
Punjab School of Economics and Guru Ramdas School of Planning, Guru Nanak Dev University, jointly organised a workshop on data dissemination in the university today. Eminent scholars from various educational institutes attended the workshop. The workshop was organised in association with the Directorate of Census Operations, Punjab.

Prof MS Hundal, Dean, Academic Affairs, was the chief guest while JS Bhatnagar, Joint Director, Directorate of Census Operations, inaugurated the workshop. CK Datta, Associate Director, and Shayam Madhav were the special guests.

Dr Sharanjit Singh Dhillon, head of the Punjab School of Economics, welcomed the chief guest. Gopal Kumar Johari, head of the Guru Ramdass School of Planning, conducted the stage and presented a vote of thanks.

Bhatnagar expressed views on the demographic trend in Punjab with a focus on the rural-urban composition as per the 2011 Census. "There is tremendous growth in the population of the country after Independence. A lot of things have been done in physical planning and in the economics sector but more needed to be done keeping in view the present scenario," he said.

Professor Hundal appreciated efforts of the Directorate of Census Operations and said India was fortunate to have such an organisation, which was collecting data for policy making. 

Amritsar, March 7
Educational institutions, universities, and national laboratories can play an important role in innovation and enhance professional competence of the youth.

These views were expressed by Punjab Governor Shivraj Patil while presiding over the 40th annual convocation of Guru Nanak Dev University here today. The Governor conferred the Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) degree on Prof Ved Parkash, Chairman, University Grants Commission, New Delhi, and Doctor of Literature (Honoris Causa) degree on Prof Rajmohan Gandhi, an eminent social worker and grandson of Mahatama Gandhi.

Prof Ajmer Singh Aulakh, a prominent playwright, was also honoured. Prof AS Brar welcomed the chief guest and other dignitaries while Prof MS Hundal, Dean, Academic Affairs, presented a vote of thanks.

More than 600 degrees and medals in various disciplines were awarded on the occasion. During his address, Patil said the convocation was an important milestone in the life of a student.

"We learn many things outside our educational institutions. We need to be ready to learn throughout our lives as knowledge is limitless and nothing could be as powerful as knowledge," he said.

He called upon academicians, educationists and intellectuals to develop action-oriented and progressive programmes to encourage the youth to achieve brilliance in academics and take the state ahead. He said apart from curriculum-based education, moral values should also be inculcated in the future generation. He said parents and teachers should mould the minds of youngsters and encourage them to know spiritual values and the inner knowledge.

Prof Ved Parkash said today’s higher education required focus on the four "Es"- expansion, equity, excellence and employability.

“We need to increase the gross enrolment ratio (GER), create new infrastructure, strengthen state institutions and enhance teachers' ability. We also need to ensure gender parity, bridge the urban-rural divide and address the educational needs of all social groups.

He said educational schemes for all backward classes should be publicised properly. The UGC Chairman advocated the need to attract foreign scholars. Prof Brar said, “ The university has earned the status of the university with potential for excellence as it is bracketed with the top 15 universities of India. We hold an enviable position in sports and have won the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy for 22 times. We have also won the All-India Inter-University Youth Festival." Prof Brar said with the sanctioning of a large number of research projects by various educational bodies like UGC, DST, DBT, CSIR and BARC, the university had risen to the13th position in terms of scientific research papers. Due to this achievement, the university had received 180 crore in grant for research during the past few years, he added. 

Amritsar, March 7
A dispute broke out between a city resident and the PSPCL staff over the alleged "theft" of his electricity meter, which was installed outside his commercial establishment.

The PSPCL kept on blaming Bharat Bhushan, who runs an STD/PCO booth near the Jallianwala Bagh, for the theft till they found the truth. The resident kept on saying that the meter box was locked by the PSPCL staff, therefore, he could not be held responsible for the theft.

On the other hand, the PSPCL officials remained adamant and continued to blame Bharat Bhushan till they discovered that it was their own mistake. The PSPCL officials had removed the meter by mistake. They had come to the area to cut the power supply of a resident who failed to pay power charges for quite some time at about 3 pm yesterday. Later, Bharat Bhushan found that power supply to his booth was disrupted.

He informed the junior engineer, Prem Singh, about it. Prem Singh, along with a linesman, reached the spot to rectify the fault. When they opened the main power supply box, which was locked, they found that the meter was missing.

Bharat Bhushan said, he was paying electricity bills regularly. Despite the fact that the box was locked and the key was with the PSPCL department, the officials were reluctant to take the responsibility for removing the wrong meter.

Admitting to the mistake, Prem Singh said it was the mistake of the bill collector who removed the wrong electricity meter. 

Amritsar, March 7
About 3,000 students from more than 50 technical, management and other colleges spread across the country are participating in the two-day mega event Udaan-2014 to showcase their talent and the cultural heritage of the country through many colourful performances.

Held at Global Institutes, students took part in dance, giddha, bhangra, bridge building, sudoku, mobile typing, rangoli making, paper dance, essay writing, bug buster, group discussion, paper presentation and many more items.

The renowned ‘hasya kavi’, Chakachaundh Gyanpuri, and his team entertained students. The festival had a slot for the western performances, including high energy pack fashion show.

The chief guest at the function was SS Bedi, zonal manager, Punjab and Sind Bank, who in his inaugural speech advised the students to take part in sports and various cultural events.

He also laid an emphasis on time management and its importance for students.

Prof BD Sharma, Dean, Academics, welcomed the distinguished gathering and various teams from different engineering and management colleges.

Global Institutes director Dr Arvind Bhardwaj in his address said the institutes took care of all round development of students by giving equal importance to academics and extra-curricular activities. He said Udaan-2014 had a blend of all the aspects, which contribute, towards the balanced development of students.

Global Institutes chairman Dr BS Chandi extended a warm welcome to the chief guest and other guests.

The vice-chairman of Global Institutes, Dr Akashdeep Singh, said the Indian education system had undergone many changes over the past few decades.

He said while professional and technical courses had become popular these days, overall learning of cultural and ethical aspects had declined. 

Aruna Sharma from DAV Public School bagged the first prize in an art competition organised by Doon Valley Public School, Saharanpur. As many as 150 artists and teachers participated in the programme. Aruna's painting bagged the first prize. She was given Rs 5,000 in cash and a trophy.

Amritsar, March 7
One person lost his life when a speeding truck run over him in the Gate Hakima area late last evening. The deceased has been identified as Gurdial Singh of Kirtangarh village. Parmider Singh, son of the deceased, said he, along with his father, were on their bicycles when the truck hit them. The truck driver has been identified as Captain Singh of Lehindi Patti Fatahpur. He said his father died on the spot.

The Gate Hakima police have booked Captain Singh under Sections 304-A and 279 of the IPC.