Amritsar, March 9
The leader of the Opposition in the Municipal Corporation, Raj Kanwal Preet Pal Singh Lucky, said the government’s move to constitute a special investigation team (SIT) under Rahul Tiwari, Principal Secretary to Deputy CM, to look into the illegal construction of hotels near the Golden Temple was a mere eyewash.

The government has formed the special investigation team following the HC orders.

The Congress leader said earlier, too, Tiwari was entrusted with the responsibility of conducting an inquiry into two cases against Mayor Bakshi Ram Arora and a relative of Local Bodies Minister Anil Joshi, but he never bothered to initiate the proceedings.

Lucky said, “Even after a month, the files, pertaining to the two cases have not been opened. Tiwari did not turn up to conduct the inquiry. He was supposed to visit Amritsar on February 7, which was postponed to February 13. However, the day never came."

Suspended Municipal Town Planner Des Raj had alleged that the Mayor had pocketed the token money of Rs 50 lakh for a 4,000 sq yard plot in the Joshi's colony.

Challenging his suspension, Des Raj had filed an affidavit in the Punjab and Haryana High Court against MC officials and the Mayor for torturing him mentally by suspending him.

In another case, a private filling station, owned by councillor Aman Aery, who happened to be a close relative of Joshi, was hired for providing fuel to 135 MC vehicles. The move had invited the wrath of the MC staff.

“As per the Municipal Act, 1976, the contract could not be given to any councillor, an employee of the corporation or their relatives. But, these norms were bypassed in Aery's case," the Congress leader said.

Amritsar, March 9
The city police today nabbed four proclaimed offenders (POs) wanted in cases of theft and quarrel. Those arrested are Kashmir Singh of the Maqboolpura area, Sukhwinder Singh of Baba Deep Singh Colony, Harjit Singh of Vallah and Sandhu Singh of Fatehgarh Shukarchak.

Kashmir Singh was wanted in a case of causing grievous injury while Sukhwinder Singh and Harjit were wanted in different cases of theft registered in 2011 and 2009 respectively. Sandhu Singh was nabbed in a case registered in 2009.

Amritsar, March 9
Manohar Lal Bajaj, a city resident, has alleged that his son, daughter-in-law and their one-year-old daughter could not catch the Delhi to Melbourne flight as their flight from Amritsar did not reach Delhi on time.

Bajaj, in a complaint to the Airports Authority of India (AAI), has urged it to penalise the private airline and direct it to pay the financial losses incurred by them due to their fault.

He stated that his son Karan Bajaj, daughter-in-law Sandhya and their one-year-old daughter Anika were stranded at the Delhi airport on the night of March 5.

He said they were issued boarding passes from Amritsar to Melbourne at Sri Guru Ram Das Jee International Airport. Their flight from Amritsar reached the Delhi airport at 12:05 PM instead of 11:35 am on March 5. They failed to board the connecting Malaysian Airlines flight to Kuala Lumpur and then to Melbourne.

He said the ground staff of the airlines did not cooperate and was the least courteous.

Bajaj said they had procured the tickets at a cost of Rs 92,000 for travel from Amritsar to Meloburne. His family had to buy the tickets again for Rs 90,000.

Amrtisar, March 9
The Civil Lines police have booked two persons, identified as Hardeep Singh and Munna of Karampura, on charges of attempt to murder. Heera Singh, a resident of Theke Wali Gali, Navi Abadi, had complained to the police that the two had fired at him. He said he was critically injured in the incidents as a bullet hit his leg. He said the accused fled after his friends raised an alarm. He was rushed to Guru Nanak Dev Hospital.

The police have registered a case under Sections 307, 341 and 34 of the IPC and 25/54/59 of the Arms Act. Malikat Singh, investigation officer, said they had an altercation over a minor dispute, which turned ugly. He said no arrest has been made so far as the accused were on the run. — TNS

Amritsar, March 9
With the initiative of the district administration, proprietors of city-based hotels, restaurants and dhabas have agreed to extend 30 per cent rebate on food and one-night stay to the first-time voters to increase the participation of voters in the coming general election.

Sandeep Joshi

The decision was taken following a meeting with the representatives of hotels and restaurants and the district administration under the chairmanship of Additional District Election Officer Pradeep Sabharwal.

He added that not only maiden voters but their relatives could also avail a similar discount for night stay in any hotel and lodge in the city from May 1 to May 31.

Deputy Commissioner Ravi Bhagat originally mooted the idea here recently to jack up voters' participation. In order to avail themselves of discount, first-time voters have to show their finger marked with ink and voter identity card to the manager of a hotel, restaurant or dhaba.

He said the offer would be limited to first-time voters only in the age group of 18 to 19 years who would be issued appreciation certificates upon exercising their franchise at the polling booth.

There are about 37,286 voters, including 24,103 males and 13,183 females, in the age group in the Amritsar Lok Sabha constituency, whereas there are over 4.85 lakh voters in this age bracket in the state. Amritsar has the second highest first-time voters after Ludhiana, which has over 53,000 of them. About 66 per cent electorates in the district had exercised their franchise during the previous Lok Sabha elections held in 2009.

An ambitious objective of the administration is to realise the magic figure of 80 per cent votes on April 30 when the electorates here will cast their votes. In the last Assembly election held in 2012, about 73 per cent voters of Amritsar exercised their franchise.

Besides, various other ways are being adopted to encourage participation of maximum people. A van fitted with an audio-visual aid, projector for display and other relevant paraphernalia is being prepared to attract the electorates.

The van will cover rural areas as well and a Punjabi song has been composed to encourage voters to exercise their franchise. Caps and T-shirts will also be distributed among the electorates.

Amritsar, March 9
There are a number of pits on the main Amritsar-Jalandhar elevated road that are yet to be repaired. Ironically, half-hearted efforts have been made by the administration to repair the patches following a fatal accident on the road a couple of days ago. The accident had claimed two lives.

It was only after the media raised the issue that the authorities woke up from their slumber.

However, the pebbles used to fill the pits were found scattered all over the road, posing danger to commuters' lives.

Similarly, the other side of the elevated road (from Bhandari Bridge-Alpha One Mall) need an immediate attention. However, it seems as if the authorities are waiting for another disaster to happen.

Tourists, officials and VVIPs visitng the city pass through this route. Though the state government is busy making tall claims of transforming Amritsar into a world-class city, there is a need to improve basic amenities.

After passing through the dilapidated elevated road, there is the link road between Hall Gate and Bhandari Bridge, which is in a shambles. This stretch connects the old city with Civil Lines.

Being the busiest stretch, it bears the heavy load of traffic from the Hall Gate and the elevated road.

The area residents as well as traders alleged that they had requested the authorities to repair the road several times but the administration did not pay heed to their problem.

Ironically, many MC officials and the Mayor cross this stretch every day to reach the office but the dilapidated road hardly bothered them.

Amritsar, March 9
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has directed Punjab and Sind Bank to pay Rs one lakh as compensation to a city resident for failing to return the original sale deed submitted by him as security against a house loan. The forum has also directed the bank to pay Rs 2,000 as litigation expenses to the resident.

Gurbax Singh Kairon, a resident of Sant Avenue, in a complaint to the forum had stated that he had taken a house loan by depositing the sale deed as security with the Civil Lines branch of the bank in 1984 . He further added that before retirement, he had settled the entire loan amount with the bank and was entitled to get the security documents back, which the bank failed to return despite repeated requests.

In reply, the bank stated that it had returned the documents but the signatures of the complainant were not taken on the title deed returning register. The bank admitted that the complainant had requested several times for the documents and they tried their best to locate the documents but these could not be found as the complainant was already in possession of the documents.

Amritsar, March 9
Juvenile driving has become rampant not only in the city but all over India. Availability of wide range of bikes and easy flow of money has contributed to the practice. It is a common sight to come across a bunch of boys driving bikes at a breakneck speed.

Oblivious of the law, underage drivers can be seen whizzing on the city roads. Inspired by Bollywood flicks and TV shows, their unreasonably high speed puts not just their own lives, but lives of all others on the roads at high risk.

High speed along with drunken driving adds up to the number of road accidents. Unrestricted entry of heavy vehicles in the city, a sharp rise in the number of vehicles and inefficient traffic management are some other reasons behind increasing road mishaps.

Blatant violation of traffic norms by schoolchildren remains unchecked. It is often found that most of these students are underage and they drive vehicles without any valid documents.

A school teacher said it had become a fad among students to own scooters and bikes. “These teenagers love to flaunt their vehicles,” he said.

Various researchers have observed that teenaged drivers are four times more prone to accidents. They are more likely to overspeed, jump red lights, make illegal turns and indulge in drunken driving.

Deputy Chief Warden, Civil Defence, Surjit Sharma, is of the view that inexperience is the reason why these drivers are more likely to underestimate hazardous situations.

He suggests that parents and even schools must provide an insurance cover to students, at least to those coming from the lower income group families as the cost of medical care is very high.

He said the Transport Department officials must impart training and conduct practical and theoretical tests before issuing driving licences. He opined that parents, teachers and the police must join hands to stop youngsters from violating traffic rules and risking their lives.

Sharma said in developed countries, parents are held legally accountable for violations that vulnerability of children may cause. The accountability of parents has not been brought under any legal provision in India. “As a result, we have come to believe that it is the duty of every driver on the road to ensure the safety of children in the age group of four to 18 years,” he said

However, when it comes to fixing the responsibility for underage driving, school administrations pass on the buck to parents and the police.

Parents are comfortable with the excuse that they allow their kids to ride two-wheelers as they undergo a pressing schedule - apart from attending schools, they have to attend tuitions, sports and other activities in different parts of the city.

School authorities say they often discourage students from bringing vehicles to schools. But this effort on the part of schools has proved futile. “The students park their vehicles at nearby parking places. In such a situation, we can do little,” a principal of a public school said.

In view of the phenomenal increase in vehicular traffic, road safety has become a multi-sectoral and multi-dimensional subject.

Frequent guidance regarding traffic rules to youngsters at educational institutions is the need of the hour. The administration must ensure that these young drivers must be law abiding.

Amritsar, March 9
The annual All-India Art Exhibition began at Thakar Singh Art Gallery with more than 140 paintings on display. Works of senior and amatuer artists will be on display during the week-long exhibition.

"This year we have focused on promoting artists from Punjab as our theme highlights contemporary and traditional art of the state. The aim is to promote budding artists, including students," said Rajinder Mohan Singh Chinna, president, Indian Academy of Fine Arts.

The exhibition is one of the initiatives planned by the IAFA to directly involve the public in art. The exhibition has provided a platform to unacknowledged artists. Artists from Patiala, Mohali, Ludhiana and other small towns of Punjab will participate in the exhibition. The exhibition will be open for the public from 10 am to 6 pm.

Amritsar, March 9
Specialist doctors working with the Health Department have complained against the policy to give them salary that is at par with MBBS doctors, despite of the latter’s higher qualification.

They have complained that they spend a lot of money and time to do specialisation in different fields but they do not get any special remuneration.

The PCMS Specialist Doctors Association president Khusbinder Singh said, “The specialist doctors perform both duties - of general doctors along with the duties of specialists. But the government has not recognised their hard work.”

Khusbinder Singh said the government must provide an extra allowance of 50 per cent of the basic pay to all specialists from the date of completion of their post-graduation.

The association has also demanded that name of the non-practicing allowance should be changed to special medical pay and it should be considered as a part of the basic pay.

Association general secretary Neeraj Malhotra said doctors were being paid an academic allowance of Rs 250 per month since 1988 and it has not been revised since then.

Malhotra said doctors had to use their own vehicles for government duty. He said a conveyance allowance of 15 per cent should be paid till the time the government does not provide them official vehicles.

The association has also demanded a 15 per cent rural area allowance and 5 per cent academic allowance.

Dr Khusbinder Singh said because of the unrewarding policies of the government, the doctors have been forced to take the extreme step of resigning from the services.

He said even walk-in interviews for specialists had failed to attract candidates as nobody was ready to work in such an environment.

Singh said the government must address the problems of the doctors to if it wants to improve medical services.

Amritsar, February 9
Punjabi Samvad, a voluntary social organisation, held a seminar on learning habits of students and teaching styles of teachers in the city. The seminar discussed the learning tools adopted as a wholesome development strategy for young minds with choices given by alternative learning methods.

Simran Puar, a city-bssed educationist, conducted the seminar and emphasised on teaching with an open mind. "Including mass media tools like plays, presentations and communicative devices into teaching helps widen the perspective and thought process of students," she said.

The event organised at Sri Guru Teg Bahadur College of Education, Khanot, was attended by students as well as prominent academicians and scholars.

In their effort to promote alternative learning, Punjabi Samvad staged a play on female feoticide that included student actors from various cities. Last month a book ‘Khoo Bolda Hai’ was released at Tagore Theatre by S Gurkeerat Singh, Secretary for Social Welfare and Empowerment.

There focus is on students who are lack behind due to lack of confidence and are unable to adopt to new teaching methods.

Parminder Kaur, offficiating Principal of Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Public School was the guest of honour.

Amritsar, March 9
A seminar on 'Role of Boarding School Education for Girls in India' was organised by Dehradun-based Vantage Hall Girls Residential School here today.

School Principal Preeti Singh Rathore, with 24 years of experience in education, provided valuable insight in forward-looking and diverse teaching methods to engage children and facilitating their all-round development through the Programme for Active Learning. She said the school was spread across 12 acres of land.

Miri Piri Academy Principal Kirandeep Kaur and Dr Bhawana Arora, a former student, Lawrence School, Sanawar, also addressed the gathering. They removed apprehensions of the parents in sending girl students to boarding schools.

Amritsar, March 9
As many as 267 graduate and post graduate students received degrees while 286 were given prizes for their outstanding achievements in academics at a convocation ceremony of Sri Guru Teg Bahadur College for Women.

College Principal Nanak Singh said an amount of Rs 1.14 lakh was distributed among meritorious and needy students.He emphasised the role of women's education in society and their economic empowerment.

Since the music team of the college has been the winner of the Guru Nanak Dev University Youth Festival for the past five consecutive years, its music teacher HS Sohal, was felicitated. Besides, Arvinder Bhatti, who has working at Doordarshan Punjabi for the past five years, was also felicitated.

Amritsar, March 9
A woman is four times more prone to depression in the postpartum period after delivery, said renowned psychiatrist Dr Gurpreet Inder Singh, during a seminar on ‘Women and Depression’ at Gurpreet Hospital here.

Dr Singh warned that depression is increasing in women these days. “In present times at least 23 per cent women suffer from depression at one time or other of their life,” he said adding that stress at work and at homes is a major reason behind this.

He said hormonal changes also predispose them to depression. Talking about the symptoms of depression, he said lack of sleep, lack of interest in daily work and headache are the most common symptoms. — TNS