Men fashion designers carve niche in small cities
Amritsar, May 7
No longer selling only to the metro crowd, most designer labels have found loyal clientele in small cities. Be it Rocky S or Manish Arora, cities like Amritsar, which were not on the fashion map a few years ago, have now discovered the power of labels. And while the national fashion map is designed and routed by the men in business, back home, men designer labels have created their niche in no time.

The men in fashion industry in Amritsar have made their mark with independent labels. A Tribune photograph

Stray dogs haunt locals, authorities ‘helpless’
Amritsar, May 7
The MC has failed to check the population of stray dogs in the city. Their number has gone up considerably in the past few years. Residents of posh localities like Ranjit Avenue, New Amritsar, Green Avenue have complained repeatedly about the problem but to no avail.

Admn fixes reflectors, speed-breakers at Kitchlew Chowk flyover
Amritsar, May 7
The district administration has fixed reflectors and temporary speed-breakers at the end point of the Kitchlew Chowk flyover as a precautionary measure to prevent mishaps. Five youths had lost their lives because of the "faulty design" of the flyover recently. However, the residents demanded that the flyover be closed for traffic until the faulty design was rectified.

Cool showers: The weather took a sudden turn as rain lashed parts of Amritsar on Wednesday. A Tribune photograph

First open-heart surgery conducted at GNDH
Amritsar, May 7
The first open-heart surgery at a government health institution in Punjab was successfully conducted at Guru Nanak Dev Hospital (GNDH) here two days ago. Doctors said the patient was recovering well. A team of doctors from the PGI, Chandigarh, had helped the GNDH team, led by Dr KS Sidhu, in carrying out the surgery. Dr Sidhu said, “It was like a dream come true. We have been working on the modalities of the surgery for the past few years.”

Eight GNDU students clear PCS (Basic) exam
Amritsar, May 7
Eight students of Guru Nanak Dev University have passed the PCS (Basic) examination. The result of the examination was declared recently. Earlier, an equal number of students had qualified the PCS (Judicial Services) examination.

Pak trade show begins today
Amritsar, May 7
The PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry is all set to open the "The Pakistan show", a trade exhibition by Pakistan’s traders and entrepreneurs tomorrow. The workers were seen erecting stalls for traders at Trillium Mall here today. The organisers of the event said that over 200 visas had been cleared by the Ministry of External Affairs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Birth, death certificates in new form
GS Paul
Tribune News Service

Amritsar, May 7
The municipal corporation’s Birth and Death Certificate Department has issued a circular to all hospitals especially privately run clinics, nursing homes in the city to furnish them the exact date of birth of children or death of a patient admitted to them. Otherwise, it caused great inconvenience in issuing certificates. There were a number of complaints where the applicants have complained of shelling out extra money to get the dates rectified in the official records.

The circular has directed all hospitals and private nursing homes to lodge the correct date of birth or death with the designated zonal offices within 21 days so that an appropriate certificate could be issued. The department also warned them of legal action if they still violated the norms.

The apparent reason could be that the hospital staff either out of leniency or even deliberately commit mistakes in noting down the exact antecedents of the newborn baby or the one who die in their hospital.

It is learnt that a group of Birth and Death Certificate Department had entered into a nexus with the lower staff of private hospitals to harass applicants. Sources said the modus operandi was to issue death certificates with a wrong date and then demand "under the table" payment to correct the 'fault'.

Superintendent Shushant Bhatia did not deny that this practice existed and added that at least three to four cases came to his notice when the applicant did not find the correct birth or death date in their official records.

“In the absence of correct birth or death dates, we face difficulties in issuing official certificates. Unless the hospital concerned or the nursing home do not furnish the requisite information from their side, we cannot move in the direction of issuing such certificates. Consequently, we ask the applicant to get it corrected and they fall victim to the malpractice prevailing in the department in connivance with the staff of these hospitals,” he said.

Official names of children

The Birth and Death Certificate Department has called upon parents to get the official names of their children registered with the department and obtain fresh birth certificates, according to the government’s guidelines.

The Superintendent of the department said an arrangement had been made for those parents who had obtained birth certificates of their children earlier, but these were without the kids' names on these certificates.

These certificates were issued in parents’ name at the time of the birth of their children, but never carried the names of the children. “Now, according to the government’s notification, parents have been advised to apply separately for inserting the official names of their children on certificates after furnishing a paltry fee of Rs 10. The parents will have to submit a copy of the old certificate (at the time of birth) along with the proof of name registered with the school their wards have been studying in,” he said.

ASI nabbed for taking bribe
PK Jaiswar
Tribune News Service

Amritsar, May 7
The Amritsar rural police have arrested an Assistant Sub-Inspector on the charges of possessing heroin and corrupt practices. The accused, identified as Udham Singh, was posted as in charge, Buttar Kalan police post falling under Mehta police station. He was arrested by DSP, Jandiala, Suba Singh, following a tip-off.

According to information, Udham Singh had intercepted three persons who were driving an SUV during a naka and confiscated heroin from their possession. However, he let them go, allegedly, after taking a bribe.

Suba Singh, talking to The Tribune, said the matter was settled at Rs 80,000. The accused gave him Rs 40,000 as advance and promised to give the remaining sum later on. However, he kept their vehicle numbering PB-02-BE-5006 and asked them to take the vehicle away after paying him the remaining Rs 40,000.

In the meanwhile, senior police officials got a tip-off about the incident following which Suba Singh raided the Buttar Kalan police post. He recovered the vehicle and Rs 40,000 from Udham Singh's possession.

The police have registered a case under relevant sections of the NDPS Act and 7/13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act against the accused and he has been placed under suspension, said Suba Singh.

He said the three accused, who were intercepted by Udham Singh, had been identified and raids were being conducted to arrest them, adding that more heroin was likely to be seized from them. He said further investigations were under progress.

Snatching incidents continue unabated
PK Jaiswar
Tribune News Service

Amritsar, May 7
The unabated snatching instances continue to trouble local residents because all efforts by the Police Department failed to yield desired results. The snatching incidents also put the lives of the victims at risk because sometimes they fall from a rickshaw or other vehicles by which they are travelling sustaining injuries. Some time ago, in a similar instance a woman lost her life in a snatching bid.

Though police officials maintain that drug abuse is the main cause behind the rise in petty crimes, they added that snatchers restarts their nefarious activities after coming out of jail on bail.

In the latest instance Kanchan Chawla of Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar was robbed of her gold chain when she had gone to Kabir Park market located opposite Guru Nanak Dev University along with her son for some domestic work. The incident occurred at Kabir Park market at around 7pm. The robbers were riding a motorcycle who came from behind and snatched her chain. A case has been registered in this regard.

The snatchers have become so daring that they have no fear of policemen. Jasmeet Kaur, a resident of Sultanwind Road, became a victim just outside the B-division police station. The robbers, who were riding a motorcycle numbering PB-02-BV-3066, snatched her earring due to which she was injured. She was returning from Guru Ram Dass Hospital after taking medicines.

In a similar instance on May 5, a Tehsilpura area resident was robbed of her earring by a youth who was riding a scooter bearing number PB-46-P-1561. The victim's daughter stated to the police that she along with her mother was going from Sultanwind Road to their house by a two-wheeler. The accused came from behind and took away her mother's earring near Chamrang Road. A case has been registered.

A couple of days ago, two motorcycle-borne youths tried to snatch imitation jewellery from a woman. But their attempt was foiled as they lost balance and fell from the motorcycle. The people captured one of the youths while the other one escaped. The arrested youth was identified as Daljit singh of Gobind Nagar, Sultanwind road. Rajwant Kaur, a resident of Moga who had come to visit her relatives at Majitha Road said she was going in the Golden Temple direction when the incident took place. The accused was thrashed by people before he was handed over to the police.

Police Commissioner Jatinder Singh Aulakh said that the matter was brought to his knowledge and a special campaign was being launched to curb snatching instances.

Men fashion designers carve niche in small cities
Tribune News Service

Amritsar, May 7
No longer selling only to the metro crowd, most designer labels have found loyal clientele in small cities. Be it Rocky S or Manish Arora, cities like Amritsar, which were not on the fashion map a few years ago, have now discovered the power of labels. And while the national fashion map is designed and routed by the men in business, back home, men designer labels have created their niche in no time.

Ruling the trend charts, established designer studios like Vavci, Creatersvilla and Maahi by Mukesh Mehra have brought in the creative swerve in men's fashion industry. Inspired, many aspiring and upcoming men designers are following the success story.

"Thirty per cent of our fashion design students are guys, some even the next generation of families in tailoring business. Studying the nuances of fashion designing, they have experimented and taken the famuly business to next level," says Neelu Malik Gauri, centre head, INIFD, Amritsar. Since the institute has been awarded as a Centre of Excellence recently, Neelu says some of the students have also had the priviledge of studying in Milan campus.

Talking about independent labels, Gurmit Gunjan, one of the students of INIFD Amritsar, has already started online retailing, taking orders from clients based in the US and Canada. "Similarly, we have men designers working their labels from Batala and Gurdaspur," says Neelu.

Harmilap Sandhu, another city-based budding designer has been running his own label of men's accessories. Already supplying to clients based in Phagwara, Jallandhar, Chandigarh and Pathankot, he feels that the scope for male designers is unexplored in small towns. "Most of the celebrated labels in the country and globally are run by men, whether its Rohit Bal or Yves Saint Laurent. Though the region has limited men designers to crowd the male fashion and accessories market, expanding the concept will be good for upcoming male designers from Punjab."

Stray dogs haunt locals, authorities ‘helpless’
GS Paul
Tribune News Service

Amritsar, May 7
The MC has failed to check the population of stray dogs in the city. Their number has gone up considerably in the past few years. Residents of posh localities like Ranjit Avenue, New Amritsar, Green Avenue have complained repeatedly about the problem but to no avail.

Of the 25,000 stray dogs in the city, only seven per cent could be sterilised according to a survey conducted in 2007. There has been a sharp rise in the number of dog-bite cases. Meanwhile, the authorities say that there are only 9,000 stray dogs in the city.

Lack of coordination

Ironically, the municipal corporation is facing a shortage of dog-catchers. The lack of coordination among the MC, Animal Husbandry Department and NGOs like the People for Animals (PFA) and the Society for Prevention of Cruelty towards Animals (SPCA) have led to an increase in their population.

Efforts end up in discussions

Many a time, the issue was discussed by the Punjab Cabinet and the MC House but no concrete policy was formulated. The much-hyped Advanced Minimally Invasive Vas Occlusion Technique (MIVOT) Programme was introduced five years ago but was discontinued after disapproval from the Animal Welfare Board of India.

Similarly, the Rs 1.26-crore Animal Birth Control (ABC) Project of the Animal Welfare Board of India could not lead to its logical conclusion.

The Municipal Corporation had devised a programme known as CNVR (catch, neuter, vaccinate and release) project in collaboration with the Animal Husbandry Department to tackle the rise in canine population at that time. Five clinics were set up exclusively for sterilisation of dogs at Polyclinic, Chattiwind, Khalsa College and the Hathigate area but competent surgeons could not be arranged. At present, there are only two doctors in the whole district to carry out sterilisation of stray dogs.

Official speak

No system to ascertain number of dogs

The ill -preparedness on the part of the MC, can be gauged from the fact that it has not developed any system to conduct the census of stray dogs or to sterilise them. This came to light when Gurmeet Singh, chairman of the Shaheed Bhagat Singh Youth Front, received a reply to his queries under an RTI. AMC officials admitted that they failed to maintain a record about the dogs who have been sterilised. Even government hospitals in the city are not fully equipped to provide anti-rabies vaccine to patients.

Admn fixes reflectors, speed-breakers at Kitchlew Chowk flyover
PK Jaiswar
Tribune News Service

Amritsar, May 7
The district administration has fixed reflectors and temporary speed-breakers at the end point of the Kitchlew Chowk flyover as a precautionary measure to prevent mishaps. Five youths had lost their lives because of the "faulty design" of the flyover recently. However, the residents demanded that the flyover be closed for traffic until the faulty design was rectified.

Indu Arora of the NGO Voice of Amritsar said the area was accident-prone due to which commuters were at the receiving end. "The administration should close the flyover so that precious lives are not lost due to road accidents," she said. "The administration should recognise more such accident-prone points in the city and take necessary action to prevent road accidents," she added.

Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Ravi Bhagat said he had asked border & road management officials and the Improvement Trust authorities to fix speed-breakers and reflectors on the flyover besides putting up signs to aware commuters about the accident prone area.

He said as far as the rectification of the faulty design was concerned, this could be done only after going through the final report of the three-member committee, headed by SDM Tajinderpal Singh. The committee will ascertain the exact cause behind the accident that claimed five lives.

“The administration will take a final call on the issue after going through the report, which would include medical reports of the deceased, opinion of technical experts and the sequence of events,” said Ravi Bhagat.

First open-heart surgery conducted at GNDH

Amritsar, May 7
The first open-heart surgery at a government health institution in Punjab was successfully conducted at Guru Nanak Dev Hospital (GNDH) here two days ago. Doctors said the patient was recovering well. A team of doctors from the PGI, Chandigarh, had helped the GNDH team, led by Dr KS Sidhu, in carrying out the surgery. Dr Sidhu said, “It was like a dream come true. We have been working on the modalities of the surgery for the past few years.”

Dr Sidhu said the ability to conduct open heart surgeries at government hospitals would be a boon for the patients who were unable to bear treatment expanses at private hospitals. “The cost of the surgery was around Rs 75,000. It is much less than the fee charged in private sector,” he said.

The hospital is also coming up with a cath lab to conduct all kinds of heart-related surgeries. Dr Sidhu said the patient, Ram Singh, had a hole in his heart.

College Principal Dr Santokh Singh said the college had received a grant of Rs 180 crore for the promotion of super speciality services at the institute under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) in 2009. The state government had also provided funds for the purpose, he added."The Punjab Government has recently signed an MoU with the PGI, Chandigarh, for assistance in open heart surgeries," he said. He said under the MoU, a team of experts from the PGI would visit the hospital every fortnight. He also congratulated the medical team at the hospital. — TNS

Eight GNDU students clear PCS (Basic) exam
Tribune News Service

Amritsar, May 7
Eight students of Guru Nanak Dev University have passed the PCS (Basic) examination. The result of the examination was declared recently. Earlier, an equal number of students had qualified the PCS (Judicial Services) examination.

Dr Daljit Singh Arora, Director, All-India Services Pre-examinations Training Centre and the Centre of Preparation for Competitive Examinations said Samar Pathania, Hemant Sharma, Vipan Kumar, Jaswant Singh, Sonu, Jasmeen, Sarabjit Singh and Naveenjot Kaur have passed the PCS (Basic) examination.

“Our student Sumit has passed the assistant district attorney exam. Apart from this, Axis Bank has appointed Chandni as an assistant manager," he said.

Guru Nanak Dev University released the date-sheet of postponed examinations of May 16 and 17.

New dates for exams released

Guru Nanak Dev University has released the date-sheet for its annual theory exams of May 16 and 17, which were postponed keeping in view the counting of votes.

Students can contact their colleges for the new dates.

Dr RK Mahajan, Professor in-charge (Exams) said the revised date-sheet could be downloaded from the university website www.gndu.ac.in.

He said the venue and the time of the examinations would remain the same.

Pak trade show begins today

Amritsar, May 7
The PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry is all set to open the "The Pakistan show", a trade exhibition by Pakistan’s traders and entrepreneurs tomorrow. The workers were seen erecting stalls for traders at Trillium Mall here today. The organisers of the event said that over 200 visas had been cleared by the Ministry of External Affairs.

“A few exhibitors have arrived in the city and the remaining will be coming early in the morning tomorrow,” said Surjit Kaur, Deputy Director, PHD Chamber.

She said a total of 75 stalls will be put up. The five-day exhibition will display the popular Pakistani onyx marble, textiles, dry fruits, carpets, jewellery, home appliances, crockery, quilts, besides wrought-iron furniture and artificial flowers.

A food court for the general public has been set up. Surjit Kaur said the entry to the event was free for the general public. Dalip Sharma, Director, PHD Chamber, said, “Fashion and textile goods from Pakistan are a craze among local residents. We expect to see huge rush at all stalls.” — TNS