The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	AMRITSAR VOTES 2014 Police identifying sensitive areas Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 30 For the Lok Sabha election, the police department has started the exercise to identify sensitive and hypersensitive polling stations in the city as well as the rural areas. Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Electoral Officer also held a meeting with the city police officials, including Police Commissioner, DCP and ADCP-rank officials and the Amritsar rural police in this regard. The police officials have already started holding meeting with lower rank officials directing them to start identifying the sensitive and vulnerable areas in their respective areas. "During the meeting it was decided to add two more categories, including 'vulnerable' and 'critical' other than sensitive, hypersensitive in the current set of categories to ensure free and fair elections," said a police official. "We wanted to create an atmosphere where the people can exercise their franchise of vote without any fear and in a transparent manner," he said. He said under the vulnerable category, the areas where some crime had occurred in the past or during the previous elections would be taken into consideration. Police Commissioner Jatinder Singh Aulakh said, "It is early to give the number of sensitive or hypersensitive areas as the process has just started and a number of things are to be looked into before declaring an area sensitive or hypersensitive." He said, "Appropriate security arrangements are being made in view of the parliamentary polls." Deputy Commissioner Ravi Bhagat said no stone would be left unturned in conducting the general polls in a peaceful and a transparent manner. He asked the police authorities to implement the election code of conduct in letter and spirit.
	AAP candidate visits Chheharta, Ghannupur Kale Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 30 A noted eye surgeon and AAP candidate, Dr Daljit Singh, has identified drug-infested areas in the city for canvassing and seeking mandate in the upcoming elections. He visited Chheharta and Ghannupur Kale today and found that drug menace was rampant in the area. Dr Daljit said he would visit Maqboolpura area soon, which was infamous for having maximum number of drug deaths. He criticised political parties for doing nothing to stem the problem of drug abuse. Accompanied by the Aam Aadmi Party volunteers, Dr Daljit took out a "Jhadu Chalao march" in Chheharta and Ghanupur Kale. The area residents welcomed the AAP candidate and joined the march. Overwhelmed by the response of the residents, Dr Daljit said people were fed up with the regime of the SAD-BJP and the Congress. They were now well aware about the nefarious motives of these traditional parties, he said. Dr Daljit said AAP was a people's movement, which turned into a huge tsunami and would wash away the corrupt and drug lords from the nation. He said his party was committed to the highest standards of integrity and had zero tolerance policy towards drug trade, corruption, exploitation, adulteration and crime against women. The residents of the area lamented that the so-called mass leaders only showed up during the election season and went into hibernation once elected to power. They said even after six decades of Independence, they lacked basic amenities like proper roads, sanitation, quality education and health facilities. The residents said, "In the absence of adequate avenues of employment, the youth goes wayward and indulge in drugs and other criminal activities. This is certainly not the kind of independent India envisioned by the great martyrs, who laid down their lives during the freedom struggle."
	Run, signature campaigns for youth to vote Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 30 With a view to encourage people, especially youth to cast their votes in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, the district administration organised "Run for Vote". It was flagged off by Divisional Commissioner R Venkatratnam at the historic Ram Bagh today. He appreciated the local administration for getting signature of over 23,000 voters over a piece of 516-meter cloth to pledge to cast their votes in the ensuing election. Venkatratnam along with Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Election Officer (DEO) Ravi Bhagat and other officials of district administration distributed caps and t-shirts to the youth. Besides, stickers were pasted over auto-rickshaws and other vehicles to spread the message. Bhagat said the campaign has been designed with a vision to roll out specially created methods for each class of voters such as rural, urban, young and old. The powerful reach of social media, has come up with a Facebook page titled "Amritsar Go Vote" for targeting the youth. He said three motivational songs have been uploaded on YouTube. Lyrics of the songs appeal to the young voters to uphold the dignity of the democracy by exercising their hard - earned right to vote. A van, transformed into an Election Express, housing a projector and a motivational video CD displaying poll related songs as well as the ECI clippings has been prepared to encourage people to vote. The clippings are especially designed to showcase women and youth as very important sections among the electorate. It will cover the rural areas, suburbs and urban pockets of the city while focusing on colleges and malls. Rural people are being attracted by informative performances of artistes in a traditional style. Local buses being plied under the city transport service are playing special songs to spread the message of right to vote. Display boards of various malls/corporations are carrying motivational slogans. Going a step ahead, a noble concept has been evolved that appreciation letters are to be given to all the 37,286 first time voters after casting their vote. 30 per cent discount on food and accommodation is being offered to the first time voters as well as to their kin in various food joints and hotels. Food discount will come into effect from April 30 while discount on accommodation will last up to May 31. Added to this is the signature campaign being run in all colleges under campus ambassadors wherein students vow to vote on huge bill boards declaring "I shall vote!" and thereafter sign. The Suvidha Centre at the DC Office is putting in its bit too by sending motivational messages and slogans on each of its communiqué be it a receipt or SMS. Bhagat said over 50,000 handout urging voters to utilise their franchise would be dropped by air on April 3. He said talks were on to give 30 per cent discount to first time voters for getting training in computer course and beaty parlour courses. He shared that AlphaONe shopping and multiplex mall announced to give Rs 200-value food platter at Rs 99 to the first time voters.
	Wife among 3 arrested on charge of murder Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 30 The city police today cracked the blind murder case of Sukhdeep Singh, personal assistant of Tarn Taran MLA and Chief Parliamentary Secretary Gurmeet Sandhu, with the arrest of three persons, including wife of the deceased. Those arrested include Gurlal Singh, Nishan Singh and Navpreet Kaur, wife of the deceased. Parampal Singh, ADCP (City I), said Navpreet Kaur had illicit relations with Gurlal Singh. Gurlal, a resident of Uthian village, along with accomplice Nishan Singh took Sukhdeep near the UBDC canal near Vallah. They later attacked him with the sharp edged weapons and threw his body into the canal. Sukhdeep had gone missing on March 22. The family had filed a missing report with the police. His body was later found in the canal at the Maqboolpura area. Following the complaint of Jaspal Singh, brother of the deceased, the police had booked Gurlal and Nishan Singh. During the interrogation, they got suspicious over the role of Navpreet Kaur and her illicit relation with Gurlal.
	No breakthrough in attack on liquor vendor case Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 30 The police are yet to make any breakthrough in the attack on liquor vendor Baljinder Singh Chahal in which the police have booked SAD leader Rajinder Kumar Pappu, alias Pappu Jaintipuria, and his accomplices on charges of kidnapping and attempt to murder. Parampal Singh, ADCP (City), said raids were being carried out at the suspected hideouts of the accused who have been evading arrest since the incident. The police have booked Pappu Jaintipuria, his son Aman, Bhola, Kala, Goni, Laddi and around 20 unidentified persons in the case registered under Sections 364, 307, 342, 506, 295-A and 120-B of the IPC and 25,27,54,59 of the Arms Act. Chahal stated to the police that the accused kidnapped him from outside his residence and took him in a car at pistol and rifles’ point, pulled his beard and even took off his turban. Chahal said he got the allotment of liquor vends in Majitha and Jaintipur area which did not go well with the Pappu Jaintipuria who previously had got the allotment. He alleged that the accused was threatening him to hand over the allotment to him which he refused. Parampal Singh different police teams headed by two ACP rank officials and 7 SHOs of various police stations have been conducting raids at the suspected hideouts for arresting the accused who had been absconding till now.
	Two booked for molesting minor girls Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 30 The police have booked two persons, including a cement trader for allegedly molesting two minor girls in New Jawahar Nagar located on the Batala road area. Among those booked include Pawan Agarwal and Vinod, a cement trader. The police have registered a case under Sections 354-A and 323 of the IPC against the accused following the complaint of the mother of one of the victims. In the complainant the mother stated that the accused took her eight-year-old daughter and her friend's nine-year-old daughter to their house and allegedly molested them. Manjit Singh, investigating officer, said Vinod, a cement trader, had come to the spot for 'resolving' the dispute. However, heated arguments led to an unsavoury situation. He said Vinod has been booked for physical assault while Pawan Aggarwal was booked on charge of molestation. He said no arrest has been made so far as the accused were on run.
	Better amritsar public libraries-I City libraries devoid of infrastructure, upkeep Neha Saini Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 30 On a recent visit to the holy city, celebrated author Rukhsana Khan (Wanting More fame) said, “Any civilization is as good as its libraries as they are a great learning centre and equaliser.” As far as Amritsar is concerned, the only lesson learnt while in a library is that they need help. An important education and culture hub, the city has only two major public libraries in place, and eight reading rooms. Pandit Motilal Nehru Municipal Library inside the walled city and the District Library at Rani ka Bagh, the two of the oldest and state-funded public libraries in city, share over thousands of books between them, but are in shambles. Visibly lacking basic infrastructure and upkeep of the large collection of books, on paper the libraries have reading rooms, subscribe over 250 periodicals and magazines, a separate children’s zone and a projector for exhibiting films, but the reality is different. Pandit Motilal Nehru Municipal Library, Hall Gate Built in 1920s, it is one of the biggest and oldest libraries in the district. It has over 50,000 books and runs 25 reading rooms. Despite that, it wears deserted look given the lack of amenities and upgradation of books. Run by the local Municipal Corporation, Moti Lal Library has been the breeding ground of legendary writers like Sadat Hasan Manto. But over the years, the footfall has declined considerably and its update has been in shambles. “Even the board meant to give information about the timings of the library and holidays’ is not updated regularly. So, one can imagine what happens to the rest of the space,” shares GS Gabaria, a lifetime member of the library. According to most of the members, the library has not updated the collection of books and does not even have a proper online directory if needed. “There is no help or guidance in case one is looking for a specific book, though a librarian is supposed to be present all the time in the library. Also, the books, some of the old copies, need restoration. Being a regular visitor to the library, I have not noticed any developments or initiative to make it better resourced by the corporation,” he shares. Reading rooms too lack visitors since there is no motivation from the library staff. District Library, Rani ka Bagh From an un-kept lawn outside to the broken chairs inside, the District Library is a picture of utter neglect. It also lacks basic infrastructure and proper resources. Though, located at a favourable spot, it fails to attract readers, given the state of affairs. “Every once in a while I come here, but have to wait for hours sometimes just to be attended,” shares Pushpinder Singh, a writer from city and a member of the library. A fact proven by our visit to the library, the only attendant present at the time was a maintenance guard. “Going through the books is a confusing task and one can hardly find any bestsellers or good reads. There is no professional to take care of the books as some are even torn,” he says. Talk of e-books, the library does not even have latest copies of updated editions. Apart from the two state libraries, some private- run small libraries too function in city, but lack promotion and popularity amongst readers. Sri Guru Ramdas Library, Marwari Pustakalya are two such libraries. But most of the city readers do not know about them as their services are limited. The only other public library, Dhani Ram Chatrik Library at Virsa Vihar, too lies deserted most of the time. “It’s a sad truth of Amritsar that despite its rich literary background and home to literati, it doesn’t have a healthy book culture. Having book clubs or book café’s is a long shot considering that the two public libraries fail to attract readers and keep up with times,” says Parminderjit, editor of Akhar magazine and a renowned poet. He said, “There is no dearth of book lovers in city except the places dedicated to books and reading.” One Up Library Among the privately run libraries in the city, One Up at Ranjit Avenue, is probably the only salvation. With a limited space, it has a decent collection of books for adults as well children. It has brought popular authors like Sir Mark Tully, Dr Ayesha Jalal, Ellen Booth Church and many more to the city through its interactions and workshops. Housing international bestsellers, it also provides learning centre for children with active book clubs, reading sessions and extra-curricular activities. It also runs online books club and has organised storytelling and graphic books workshops periodically to involve children as young as two- year-old to encourage reading habits.
	Cast of Punjabi flick ‘Honour Killing’ in city Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 30 An issue-based film maker, Avtar Bhogal, has come with his latest offering “Honour Killing Rabba Maaf Karin” with debutantes Zara Sheikh and Sundeep Singh. The director along with the lead actor Sundeep Singh came to the holy city to promote the film set to release on April 4. As suggested, the film is based on a love story, and the tragic social evil of honour killing. The movie also casts veteran actors Gulshan Grover, Prem Chopra and Tom Alter playing vital roles. The film also sees some foreign faces like Chloe Wicks. Set in the UK, the story revolves around three friends, an Indian, a Pakistani and an Englishman. The storyline progresses with the children of the Indian and the Pakistani friends falling in love. This is where the problems begin and the friendship turns into bitter enmity. Despite advise from the British friend, the Indian and the Pakistani chums are rigid and do not accept the love of their children. Eventually, the children elope. “The movie tries to answer the debatable question of whether honour killing is the answer to all problems, issues based on hatred and religion and whether the end will justify the means,” explains actor Sundeep Singh. Avtar Bhogal says, “I was very hurt when I used to read news like my daughter deserved to die for falling in love; Man stabs his 16-year-old daughter to death because he disapproved of her Christian boyfriend; Sister is stabbed to death for loving the wrong man; Children were made to watch an attack on a woman who was forbidden to marry outside her caste. These are some of the horrific but true comments on the burning and topical issue of honour killing. Majority of victims are women and the sad part is that sisters and mothers also sometimes play a part in some of the crimes. It is impossible to know how widespread it is around the world because in many cases it involves a cover up by other family members or the wider community.” Zara Sheikh, a Pakistani model, actress and singer is playing the female lead. Sheikh has acted in films such as “Tere Pyar Mein”, “Salakhain and Laaj”. Sundeep Singh, the UK-based actor, is confident about his debut success. He says, “The topic of the film is sensitive and significant. With actors like Tom Alter, Prem Chopra and Gulshan Grover, it’s a blessing to be part of such big project.”
	Civil Hospital facing acute staff shortage Manmeet Singh Gill Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 30 Despite the clean chit given to the Civil Hospital staff by the local health administration regarding allegations of negligence in a recent case in which a woman had delivered a still born child, the incident has again brought to light the government apathy and the staff shortage. There was no one at the hospital to convince the pregnant women to undergo an ultra sound scan as her child was dead in the womb. The Civil Surgeon had earlier stated that though the hospital staff had informed the pregnant woman, Kulwinder Kaur, of the status of her child, she remained unconvinced. It was because of this reason that an ambulance was called and efforts were made to shift the woman to Bebe Nanki Mother and Child Care Centre. However, Kulwinder complained of labour pains when she was about to board the ambulance. She was rushed to the delivery room of the hospital. Failure to conduct scan in the late evening hours to convince the patient resulted in delay of removing the dead foetus from the womb, which could have posed a risk to the woman’s life. The hospital has only one radiologist on its rolls and it is practically not possible for the radiologist to work throughout the day and night. It is certain that the public expects a district hospital to be equipped with enough manpower to tackle all emergencies before referring them to Government Medical College. The hospital at present is facing an acute shortage of doctors and other paramedical workers because no new appointments have been made despite the transfer of earlier staff. The problem is expected to aggravate further as more doctors from hospital are expected to join senior residency at the Government Medical College in the coming days. Civil Surgeon Usha Bansal said they had written to the state department for filling up all vacant posts in the college.
	Chief Khalsa Diwan passes fiscal budget Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 30 The Chief Khalsa Diwan (CKD) Charitable Society today passed over Rs 105 crore budget for the fiscal 2014-15, which was over Rs 83 crore in 2013-14. A special meeting of the general body was held at Chief Khalsa Diwan Gurdwara to present the budget of schools, colleges and other institutions run by the CKD charitable society. The meeting was presided over by CKD president Charanjit Singh Chadha. CKD honorary secretary Narinder Singh Khurana presented the budget. There was overall increment of 26.7 per cent in the budget. As much as Rs 4 crore was earmarked for the CKD Institute of Management and Technology, Tarn Taran, Rs 1 crore for Sri Guru Harkrishan Public School in Kapurthala, Rs 2.40 crore for other new school at Sri Guru Harkrishan Public School in Shubam Enclave, which is to be constructed shortly. Stressing on the need to promote rural areas schools, Khurana set aside Rs 1 crore for the development of schools in the rural areas and Rs 1.23 crore for free education, books, uniforms, mid-day meal for the state government’s Adarsh Schools allotted to Chief Khalsa Diwan. CKD Institute of Management and Technology, Tarn Taran, to be constructed at the cost of Rs 8 crore, is scheduled to open this session. Another state government-aided Adarsh School at Ucha Pind, Kapurthala, is also going to be added to the list of CKD. The construction of new Sri Guru Harkrishan Public School at Shubam Enclave in Amritsar will begin this year. Khurana said, “I hope that the CKD budget for 2014-15 will prove to be helpful in upgrading the graph of development and prosperity of the Chief Khalsa Diwan in the coming year.”
	Interactive session held for ortho patients at Fortis Manmeet Singh Gill Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 30 The Orthopaedic and Joint Replacement Department of Fortis Escorts Hospital conducted an interactive session of senior citizens and patients, who had earlier undergone joint replacement surgeries. Patients were educated as how to take care of their implanted joint. More than 200 senior citizens and patients participated in the session. The purpose of the session was to provide ex-patients a platform to interact with their doctors and learn about the advancements in the area of treatment, said Dr Mohit Arora of the hospital. He said senior citizens were educated about the need for early treatment of arthritis, preventions to be taken care of and latest techniques of joint replacements surgery to increase the life of the joints. He said as the need and acceptance of joint replacement surgeries had increased, it was important for patients to understand that the quality of knee and hip implants used was critical, an equally important factor was the environment in which the surgery was performed and the procedure adopted for the same. Dr Arun Chopra, director of cardiology, Dr Pinak Moudgil, facility director were also present at the session.
	Craft exhibition showcases culture Tribune News Service Amritsar, March 30 A two-day art and craft exhibition concluded at the DAV International School here on Saturday. Traditional designs from all the states of the country were the highlights of the show. Each and every item of the exhibition was made to suit the temperament of the beholders. Indian Police Service Officer MF Farooqui was the chief guest on the occasion. He was given a floral welcome by Principal Anjana Gupta. Farooqui applauded the efforts of students. He said displayed items were exquisitely crafted by students. Every item gave a substance of Indian culture and brought together a blend of customs and rituals of various states, he added. The goal of the exhibition was to provide a new insight into the diversity of India and its unity. The visitors were enamoured by presentation and creativity of the students. Principal Anjana Gupta said the exhibition was an outcome of untiring efforts of students and faculty members.
	Addl charge for Niari college head Amritsar, March 30 Prof AS Brar, Vice-Chancellor of Guru Nanak Dev University, has given the additional charge of Principal, Guru Nanak Dev University College, Narot Jaimal Singh, Gurdaspur district, to Dr Rakesh Mohan Sharma. Dr Sharma took over the additional charge of the college on Friday. Dr Inderjit Singh, Registrar, said, Dr Sharma would perform this additional duty along with his previous assignment as Principal, Shaheed Ram Singh Pathania Memorial Guru Nanak Dev University College, Niari, Pathankot district, till further orders. — TNS
	FEEDBACK Amritsar Tribune invites feedback from its readers on issues of public concern relating to Amritsar city and the nearby areas. Readers can email their views to feedback.asr@gmail.com They can also send their views to: Feedback, Amritsar Tribune, Sector 29, Chandigarh - 160029. Letters sent by post must mention 'Feedback for Amritsar Tribune' on the envelope and it should be signed and must contain the address and telephone number of the sender. It should not be more than 150 words.