Amritsar, March 19
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has taken a serious note of illegal encroachments in Amritsar and issued stern directions to the Municipal Corporation recently to initiate stringent action against the violators, besides ensuring accountability of the officials concerned. The directions came after a city resident, Parbodh C Bali, had filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the court.

As per the court orders, photographs of the site, where an unauthorised construction is detected, must be taken. They must be enclosed with the notice to avoid any situation in which the violators get a chance to plead ignorance later on.

Taking cognizance of vague notices, the court said, “It appears that vague notices are sent deliberately to prevent appropriate action and for unnecessarily creating litigation. The official concerned should be held liable in case of extending any immunity to violators. It would be his duty to gauge each and every corner of the under-questioned site. If vague notices are sent without specifying the offending construction and its nature -compoundable or non-compoundable, it will be assumed that the concerned officer is acting at variance with the statute and deliberately obfuscating the issue by disobeying the orders of the court. Natural consequences will thus follow.”

Bali had challenged in the court that the Municipal Corporation of Amritsar, Jalandhar and Ludhiana, issue vague notices against illegal constructions to violators while rarely specifying the quantum of offence whether it is compoundable or non-compoundable.

Secondly, wherever required, adequate police force must be made available for enforcement of orders and removal of unauthorised constructions.

Staff crunch

The court also snubbed the Municipal Corporations’ excuse about inadequate staff. On January 21, 2013, the Special Secretary Local Government, Punjab, who had filed an affidavit in the court on behalf of all the three Municipal Corporations contented that there were 46 sanctioned posts of building inspectors (Technical) and 20 new posts would have to be created to meet the required strength of 66.

It is an irony that except for two building inspectors in Amritsar, the other corporations don’t have any. The court had given a maximum period of four weeks to fill up the required strength but it was not done.

Bali again knocked at the door of the court and ultimately, 48 building inspectors were deputed by direct recruitment while three were promoted to the post of building inspector. The court again ordered to fill up the remaining 15 posts through direct recruitment. The case was listed again for hearing on May 19, said Bali.

Pending action

The court also pointed towards pending action on notices, which had been issued to violators in the past. Bali told that an affidavit was filed by the Municipal Town Planner (MTP), Amritsar, stating that for the year 2008-2009, a total of 191 notices were pending, out of which 66 notices were for irregular construction in authorised colonies and 125 in unauthorised colonies.

The MTP Department had said 187 notices had been compounded with recovery of Rs 25.12 lakh and four cases were pending in court litigations. For the year 2009-2010, there were 233 notices pending, out of which 105 notices stood adjudicated and Rs 41.96 lakh was recovered as compounding fee. 

fact file

* The Punjab and Haryana High Court took a serious note of illegal encroachments in Amritsar and issued stern directions to the Municipal Corporation on March 10 to initiate stringent action against the violators, besides ensuring accountability of the officials concerned

* The directions came after a city resident, Parbodh C Bali, had filed a PIL in the court. 

Amritsar, March 19
As per the new guidelines, the chemists will have to retain a copy of the prescription slip for buying certain category of medicines and will also have to maintain a separate record register for this purpose.

Drug Inspector Sukhdeep Singh said as many as 46 medicines, which include antibiotics and anti-TB drugs, apart from other drugs, could not be sold without retaining a copy of the prescription slip.

The instructions had come into force after March 1 and many chemists in the city have started following them. Earlier, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had notified amendments to the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, according to which, Schedule H 1 drugs cannot be sold over the counter without maintaining a record of the patient and the prescribing doctor.

Sukhdeep Singh said the decision was taken to check the indiscriminate use of drugs which are mostly third and fourth generation antibiotics, anti-TB drugs and a few other drugs. He said chemists would have to keep the record register for three years and thereafter, they can destroy it.

Sukhdeep Singh said they were working to make the chemists aware of the new guidelines. Meanwhile, a few chemists complained that the procedure would only add to their workload. — TNS

fact file

* Drug Inspector Sukhdeep Singh said as many as 46 medicines, which include antibiotics and anti-TB drugs, apart from others drugs, could not be sold without retaining a copy of the prescription slip

* He said the decision was taken to check the indiscriminate use of drugs which are mostly third and fourth generation antibiotics, anti-TB drugs and a few other drugs. 

Amritsar, March 19
Even as Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal announced on Octobar 19 to double the number of beneficiaries under the flagship Atta-Dal Scheme from 15 lakh to nearly 30 lakh, there are many applicants who have not got their blue cards yet.

Opposition leaders allege that the ruling party will distribute them at an opportune time. Congress leader Gurjeet Singh Aujala said his party workers were vigilant over the matter. He said the distribution of cards would be brought to the notice of officials concerned.

Sources said now, the officials of the District Food and Civil Supplies (DFCS) Department have been given verbal orders to compile a data of blue card holders after visiting the houses of beneficiaries to authenticate the veracity of their eligibility and put the same online.

The exercise is certainly aimed at curbing the misuse of the scheme which entitles beneficiaries to Re 1 per kg atta and other eatables at subsidised prices, but the Opposition leaders suspect the motive behind its timing.

Verbal orders have been issued to put information regarding all newly prepared blue cards online.

It must be mentioned here that applications for blue cards were invited in December. Rural beneficiaries submitted their applications at respective Block Development Offices while those falling in urban areas submitted their applications at Suwidha Centres.

The Deputy Commissioner’s office got the survey of these applications done to cross-check the eligibility of the applicants for drawing benefits under the scheme.

Officials, who carried out the survey, submitted their report at the DC office. Subsequently, the DFCS officials endorsed it by signing the blue cards.

In rural areas, Panchyat officers distributed the cards while in urban pockets, it was done by the DC office.

What irked the Opposition leaders was the deployment of the state machinery for the SAD-BJP flagship scheme during the election time, said Aujala.

DFCS official Tarwinder Singh Chopra rubbished the claims that his staff had been given any kind of instructions for any work regarding the preparation of blue cards.

Amritsar, March 19
Except for the Orthopaedics Department, which has seen two new appointments recently, all other departments at Jallianwala Bagh Martyrs Memorial Civil Hospital continue to face a shortage of specialist doctors. The Orthopaedics Department is still short of one doctor.

The officials at the hospital said two new specialists had joined the Orthopaedics Department, but as far as the Medicine Department was concerned, the Health Department arranged for only two doctors and that too on deputation.

One of these two doctors comes for only three days as he has also been deputed at Lopoke for the rest of the week. The other doctor, who is posted at Baba Bakala, was recently asked to work at the hospital for six days till a permanent appointment is made. The Medicine Department has a total of three posts of doctors.

The Paediatrics Department is also left with only one doctor as the other one has been appointed as an Assistant Professor at the Government Medical College. The hospital has only two surgeons and one of them is expected to join the Medical College to pursue senior residency in the next few days.

Patients also suffer at the ultra-sound centre as the hospital has only one radiologist. Sources said the radiologist had to go for evidence in two court cases yesterday and in one case today.

“As the doctor has to perform other odd jobs along with attending to the patients, the medical services suffer,” said a doctor.

The hospital is grappling with the shortage of staff for the past three months and the Health Department has failed to find a permanent solution to the problem.

Senior Medical Officer Dr Balbir Singh Dhillon said, “New appointments will be made soon. The senior officials are aware of the situation and hopefully, the vacant posts will be filled.”

Amritsar, March 19
A candle light protest march was organised by the PSEB Engineers’ Association in the city today. As many as 125 engineers participated in the march. The protesters walked from the City Circle Office Hall Gate (via Town Hall) back to Gandhi Gate with lighted candles to awaken the public regarding the wrong policies of the PSPCL (Punjab State Power Corporation Limited) management and the state government.

They were protesting against the decision of the state government to go out of the way to give extension to the PSPCL’s CMD (Chairman-cum- Managing Director) by violating tripartite agreement by extending his upper age limit from 62 to 65 years.

Recently, the state government has unilaterally changed the upper age limit of the CMDs of power companies without mutual understanding, thereby violating the letter and spirit of the tripartite agreement.

The association said the bureaucracy undermined the importance and spirit of the word ‘understanding’ contained in the tripartite agreement by towing the line of political leadership that a meeting with signatories was sufficient to change any clause.

The tripartite agreement was also not being honoured in other issues such as common seniority/cadre and differential in pay scales of the employees. The association has been constantly pursuing the matter with the state government and the PSPCL management for more than a year.

“The government has violated these commitments and has granted lower pay scales to newly recruited AE’s than their existing counter parts. It is totally illogical, unethical, and unjustified,” said Mandeep Singh Babra, regional secretary, PSEB Engineers’ Association, sub-urban circle, Amritsar.

The engineers also deplored the management for issuing threats and pressurising them to sign resolutions favouring age extension.

“Impressive strength in today’s protest march has given a befitting reply to such nefarious designs of the management,” said Baldev Singh Sran, president of the association. “We will intensify our stir if our demands are not met,” he added. 

Amritsar, March 19
The local unit of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) organised an awareness walk in the city to educate youngsters and first time voters about the right to vote. The event was attended by party workers and the general public.

The walk started from Lohgarh Gate and went through various localities of the walled city. Ashok Talwar, Amritsar unit convener of the AAP said, “The youngsters must cast their vote so that a change can be ushered.”

He said AAP would soon announce its candidate from the constituency and party would work to eradicate drugs, corruption, unemployment, politicisation of the police and the VIP culture.

Advocate JS Gill, Vijay Mehta, Gurbhej Singh, Sardara Singh, Princepal Singh, Vinod Kumar, Manmeet Kaur were among those present on the occasion. 

Amritsar, March 19
A 72-year-old retired Intelligence Bureau (IB) official, Prem Sagar, has been running from pillar to post to get his rented shop vacated from a trader, who allegedly has political links. The trader is also not paying any rent to the septuagenarian.

Prem said even after marking of inquiry a fortnight ago by Jatinder Singh Aulakh, ACP (North), no action has been initiated against the culprit. Prem had approached the Police Commissioner with his complaint on February 25. He was allotted diary number 670-PC-COP-ACP/North.

Prem is suffering from various ailments, including sugar, for which he takes insulin injections twice a day. He said he had rented out his shop at the basement of his building situated at Doctor Complex, opposite Government Eye Hospital, Majitha Road, on September 2 last year to a resident of Basant Nagar at Rs 12,000 per month for 11 months. He said the individual never paid the rent except three cheques in the name of his son, which were dishonoured by the bank.

Prem alleged that the occupant of his shop threatened him when he attempted to get iron grills installed to secure the sewer lids, which were stolen twice. When contacted, ACP Balkar Singh confirmed that the inquiry was marked to him. The ACP said he has instructed the SHO of the Majitha police station to take necessary action. There was no political pressure and he would soon ask the SHO to expedite the inquiry, added the ACP. 

Amritsar, March 19
The teaching and non- teaching staff of SR Government College for Women sat on a dharna for two hours from 11.30 am to 1.30 pm on the call given by the Government College Teachers Association (GCTA), Punjab. The teachers were protesting non-payment of their salaries for the past three months.

Addressing the gathering, Sarbjit Kaur Randhawa and Amrik Singh, president and secretary of the association, criticised the policy of the state government due to which the employees were passing through financial crises. They raised slogans against the state government.

The association decided that the entire staff would block the traffic if their salaries were not released. — TNS

Amritsar, March 19
Uber-chic hot pink Atsu pants, or be ultra stylish in the summery and easy-breezy green kaftans. Shorts, palazzos or skirts, the extra short ones as well. Or if India-inspired is your style, then pleated Khadi numbers would be a better pick. Come summer and the fashionites are ready for minimalist look, with the dose chutzpah.

Models display dresses by city-based designers in Amritsar. Tribune Photographs

With most labels bringing ethnic, western and Indo-western wear ahead for the spring-summer fashion season, city-based designers too are ready to chic up your outing in the sunshine. Pastels being dumped by most as the favourite summer hue and going bold with cuts as the warm temperatures allow, the collections spell out trends for the season. Read on...

Go subtle with softer hues of yellows, aqua, peaches or pinks, but the real trend setter will be bolder colours. “Bright colours like red, yellow, blue, hot pinks will be in this season. White of course will remain a summer basic, but with generous splash of colours,” shares Sargun Seth, from The Closet. Coming out with a spring-summer collection of shorts, skirts, palazzos, cut-out tops, hot pants and summer dresses, The Closet designs are for a cool, casual and chic summers.

“Lot of digital prints and minimal embroidery suits the season. Also, since summer’s means less accessories, bright colours work best for the look,” adds Sargun.

Georgettes and chiffons are the season specific fabrics while cotton is everyone’s favourite. The women in city seemed to have better fashion sense and so hot pants and shorts are must have. “Though light and flowy palazzo pants are stylish and cool summer look. For ethnic chic, long ghagra styled skirts in cottons too are popular,” says Sargun.

“Stripes, trimmings and graphics give a distinct casual lifestyle appeal fit for summers. But vibrant and colourful collections of silk, chiffons, georgettes and jute cotton, seem to have hit bang on, judging the clientele in Amritsar. Women here prefer colorful vibrant clothes, traditional wear especially the salwar-kameez combination. Cottons are best suited for summer chic look,” shares Kanika Sharma from Knack creations. Pakistani suits are all season favourite, but ethnic style works best with Khadi. “Jute cotton, Khadi and organic cotton provide stylish options with trousers and stoles. They are naturally cool 
and casual fabric,” emphasises Kanika.

If you have to pick a summer wardrobe from the likes of Manish Arora, Gaurav Gupta, Nachiket Barve and James Ferera, then Ruaab, one stop shop in city offers the summer collections from celeb designer labels. 

Amritsar, March 19
In what can be termed as an embarrassing incident for the police, an undertrial managed to escape from Guru Nanak Dev Hospital, Amritsar, where he was admitted for treatment.

The accused has been identified as Sammi, son of Rajinder, a resident of Bihar. He was lodged in Kapurthala jail but was admitted to the hospital two days back. In the wee hours of March 18, he managed to dodge the three police guards of the Kapurthala police, which included head constables — Khajan Singh, Jatinder Singh and Gurmeet Singh. They too have been booked for dereliction of duty.

According to Khajan Singh, “The accused asked to go to toilet at 4.30 am. I went along with him till the toilet door. As he came out, he banged his handcuffs on my forehead which made me unconscious and I fell down. When I came to my senses after a few minutes, he was nowhere in sight,” he said.

The investigating officer, Sub-Inspector Niranjan Singh of Majitha Road police station, said a case under Sections 323 and 324 of the IPC was registered. “The three cops have been booked for being negligent on duty. The undertrial is still at large,” he said. 

Amritsar, March 19
Some unidentified persons broke into a bank and decamped with arms and ammunition kept in a steel enclosure. The accused are still at large and a case under Sections 457, 380 and 120-B has been registered at the Civil Lines police station.

Keemti Lal, assistant manager of Punjab and Sind Bank branch at SSSS School, said the shutter of the bank was found broken yesterday in the evening, as was informed by peon Jagjit Singh.

Some unknown persons had stolen one DBBL No. SV 8700329 gun with its 15 cartridges and one .12 bore No. 5112 gun with 10 cartridges, he said.

The investigating officer, ASI Harjinder Singh of Majitha Road police station said the accused had snapped the wires of the CCTV cameras before committing the crime. “We have interrogated some suspected persons but the accused are out of reach,” he said.