Amritsar, June 4
In a collaborative effort, missionaries of the NGOs — Khudai Khidmadgaran and the Pollution Control Committee, Amritsar — have initiated a plantation drive to make Punjab pollution-free.

A special team of volunteers was today flagged off by Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh from the Batala road here today.

The Akal Takht Jathedar also planted a sapling on the Batala road as a token of kicking off the drive under which environmental activists will go to the rural Punjab to plant trees on the link roads, state highways and Guru Gobind Singh Marg from Anandpur Sahib to Talwandi Sabo.

A special endorsement letter, too, was presented to Parkash Singh Bhatti, president of the Pollution Control Committee, by the Akal Takht Jathedar. The letter addressed to the managements of various gurdwaras, falling on the way, asked them to accommodate and provide 'langar' to these volunteers because they have undertaken a special mission to enhance the green belt and also replace the broken footpath tiles on their way.

Meanwhile, Kusum Bhatty made all arrangements and 'krah' prasad was distributed after the ardas by the Akal Takht Jathedar.

Dr Daljit Singh, eye surgeon and the AAP party's leader, Dr Dhaliwal, a surgeon of Dhaliwal hospital, Parnam Singh, Maninder Singh, Narinder Singh Balagan, Jaspal and other activists accompanied the team led by Parkash Singh Bhatti and Prabhdyal Singh Randhawa, general secretary of the Pollution Control Committee.

Bhatti said that the Deputy Commissioner, Ravi Bhagat, had given them a go-ahead for the drive.

"It is our joint effort. We are committed towards increasing the green cover and this time it's our statewide mission on environmental strategies to enhance the green cover. This kind of movement will motivate environmental activism by the citizens of the country once it inspires them," he said.

Amritsar, June 4
A day after a fire broke out at the wholesale vegetable and fruit market in Vallah, the market committee demolished several illegal kiosks encroaching upon the land, near the main entrance gate of the bazaar.

The kiosk owners resisted the move, but the Mandi Board authorities gave clear cut instructions that no encroachment would be allowed at the wholesale vegetable market.

Amritsar, June 4
The special investigating team (SIT) conducting a probe into advocate Vaneet Mahajan murderous assault case today arrested another person, Tarsem Singh, alias Pardhan, a resident of the Sanjay Gandhi Colony, allegedly involved in the attack. With his arrest, the SIT claimed to have arrested all accused wanted in the case, including BJP councillor and a close aide of Cabinet Minister Prabhjit Rataul. Tarsem Singh was arrested from near the railway station following a tip-off.

The city police have booked around 11 persons regarding a murderous assault on Mahajan on May 9. The police have registered a case under various sections of the IPC in this connection.

However, the investigations were later handed over to State Special Operation Cell headed by IG, Counter Intelligence, following the orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The High Court Bar Association had filed a petition before the high court after the murderous attack on Mahajan and alleged that a false case was registered against Mahajan's colleague, advocate Sandeep Gorsi.

The two advocates had dragged Joshi to the court in the dual-vote controversy. They had alleged that the murderous attack and the attempt to murder case against Gorsi were masterminded by Joshi. AIG, Counter Intelligence, in a statement issued here today said that investigation was being carried out to ascertain the involvement of the other accused in the case. — TNS

Amritsar, June 4
Continuing its drive against drug abuse, the city police today held an awareness rally in the Islamabad area which is one of the major drug- affected localities in the city.

The rally started from the Dam Ganj area and passed through various streets and bazars of different localities. The people along with police officials were carrying banners and posters spreading awareness against drug addiction.

The police officials urged the people to inform them about the drug peddlers active in their respective areas while assuring them that their identities would remain confidential. Parampal Singh, ADCP, said that the main objective of the rally was to motivate people to join hands with the Police Department in this war against narco-terrorism.

"We are also encouraging the drug consumers to approach the Police Department which will de-addict them after proper medication in a de-addiction centre," he said. This is the first awareness rally organised by the police in its drive against drug abuse. A seminar was also organised in the evening. He said more such awareness programmes would be organised in the near future.

Amritsar, May 4
The city police have arrested 18 persons in the past 24 hours for allegedly possessing narcotic substances and indulging in bootlegging. Separate cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and the Excise Act have been registered against them.

The Division A police have arrested three persons, Rahul Sharma of Mohindra Colony, Juj Singh of Vallah and Baljit Singh of Patti Baggewali, Verka, for allegedly possessing 200 gm of narcotic powder, 35 bottles of illicit liquor and 5 gm heroin, respectively. The Kotwali or Division E police station had confiscated 100 gm intoxicant powder and 5 gm heroin from Shiva of Gilwali Gate and Amarjit Singh of Shaheed Udham Singh Nagar, respectively.

Similarly, the Sadar police have arrested Davinder Kumar of 88-foot road located on Majitha road with 50 intoxicant tablets while Deepak Kumar, residing near the Mental Hospital, and Sandeep Singh of Guru Har Rai Avenue with 5 gm heroin and 150 intoxicant tablets, respectively.

The Cantonment police have arrested Pawan Kumar of Green Avenue, Vijay Kumar of Gawal Mandi and Sikander Masih of Roriwala with 200 gm narcotic powder, 200 narcotic capsules and tablets and 15,000 ml of illicit liquor.

The Civil Lines police have arrested four persons. They were identified as Amritpal Singh of Lalit Kalan, Ludhiana, Tajinder Singh of Badowal, Ludhiana, Harnam Singh of Navi Abadi and Deepak Singh of Sanjay Gandhi Colony. It has recovered 110 gm, 115 gm, 50 gm and 100 gm of intoxicant powder from their possession, respectively.

Besides, the Chheharta police, the Gate Hakima police and the Airport police station arrested Hardeep Singh of Litta Bhulath village, Kapurthala, Balkar Singh of Fateh Singh Colony and Ram Singh of Himmatpura for allegedly possessing 100 gm intoxicant powder, nine bottles of illicit liquor and 5 gm heroin from them, respectively.

Amritsar, June 4
Begging in the holy city continues to flourish and has not been checked due to multi-dimensional problems. The local administration has devised an intensive programme to tackle the menace, but the desired results cannot be achieved until the police, the NGOs and de-addiction centres are taken into confidence, as a large number of beggars are drug addicts.

Ironically, due to lack of communication, the Police Department, too, could not implement the Prevention of Begging Act in the city. Till date, not even a single case has been registered by the police under this Act.

Though the administration has recently announced formation of special teams, equipped with cameras, to photograph the beggars so that a record of their identification could be kept, in the absence of their address, it will still be difficult to trace them, if they indulge in petty crimes like snatching or looting.

Crime reports testify that a number of migrants, who loiter around the Golden Temple, the Shivala temple and the Durgiana temple, have been found to be involved in looting or lifting of belongings of the devotees.

The possibility of an organised begging nexus also cannot be ruled out at these places. The police showed its helplessness in the absence of any complainant.

A year ago, the police had busted a gang and managed to release over 10 Nepali children from its clutches. The children were made to beg around the Golden Temple complex. On interrogation, it was found that they were taught tricks to draw the attention of the people.

On the other hand, the administration’s hospitality by way of providing them with free shelter at the old Karam Singh Ward Building did not yield the desired results.

It is an irony that after providing them with three square meals a day besides clothing and medicines at the Rain Basera, there has been no change in the mindset of the beggars. They are always back on streets or at traffic signals as they claim to earn anything between Rs 250 to 300 daily by begging.

The impediment is that the administration does not have any programme to make them self-reliant. A number of children can still be seen begging at busy traffic intersections in the city, not only causing nuisance to the commuters, but also risking their lives amid the heavy flow of vehicles.

A few years ago, a plan was chalked out under which the beggars were employed in tasks related to NREGA or were enrolled in skilled job learning programme run by the Local Bodies Ministry. It, too, came to an end probably for the want of any follow-up action.

Deputy Commissioner Ravi Bhagat said a special drive, with the joint effort of the district administration and the Police Department, would be launched soon.

“I have already spoken to the Police Commissioner about the drive and we shall take action jointly against the beggars. FIRs, too, will be registered against them. Policemen will accompany the teams during the raids to nab the beggars. As of now, we will not touch those who sell petty products at traffic light points. Our focus will be on those who ask for alms. The children accompanying them will be admitted to schools and the adults, who are physically fit, will be absorbed in small-scale industries. Those who are outsiders will be sent back to their native places,” said the DC.

Amritsar, June 4
The city police have booked a dhaba owner, BK Dutt, for allegedly raping a woman on the pretext of providing her a job at his food joint. Dutt had unsuccessfully contested the recent parliamentary elections as an independent candidate.

The victim, in her complaint to the police, alleged that on June 2, she received a call from Dutt asking her to come for work at his dhaba. She said when she reached his dhaba, he bolted the doors from the inside and committed the crime. She alleged that the accused also threatened her with dire consequences if she told anyone about the incident.

The police have registered a case under Sections 376-A and 506 of the IPC against the accused, who is at large. — TNS

Amritsar, June 4
The local DAV International School (DAVIS) now holds the much sought after Central Board of Secondary Education-international (CBSE-i) accreditation, thus adding another feather to its cap and rising toward attaining a global vision.

Addressing a press conference organised on the school premises here today, principal Anjana Gupta said, “With this achievement, our institution has become the first school in Amritsar and the third in Punjab to receive the CBSE-i approval.” She said the CBSE-i was a pioneering approach of the Board to impart education with a global outlook.

Launched in 2010, it is a pilot project of the CBSE, introduced in 25 schools in South Asia and the Middle East. With key subjects like English, second language, science, mathematics and social science, the Board aims at promoting critical and creative thinking skills, effective communication skills, interpersonal and collaborative skills besides information and media skills. Under the accreditation, students are allowed to opt for any foreign language, replacing Hindi. Its entire course is online and is taught through e-books. It is actually a cheaper alternative for students, who in order to get into good universities abroad, have to either clear the IB or the IGCSE after Class XII.

The principal said a team from the CBSE visited the school last month to judge it on various parameters. The team found the school perfect for the CBSE-i accreditation learning options with features like smart classrooms, e-library, activity rooms, resource centre, language lab, computer lab and class library etc, added the principal.

The school is yet to introduce the newly adopted CBSE-i curriculum. It will give an option to its students whether to opt for a regular board curriculum or the international board curriculum. The school will keep this alternative open for parents who want their wards to learn as per the international standards.

Principal Anjana Gupta said the announcement for the commencement of registrations would be made shortly. She said orientation sessions to educate parents about the new curriculum would be conducted soon. Chairman of the school VP Lakhanpal and manager KN Kaul were also present on the occasion. Lakhanpal congratulated the staff and the students and wished them luck for the future. Kaul lauded the efforts of the DAVIS faculty and the students and congratulated the principal for the achievement.

Amritsar, June 4
Students doing MBBS internship at the local Government Medical College (GMC) continued their protest for the second day today to press for the release of their stipend.

The protesters blocked the OPD registration counters for the patients due to which the services were affected. Later, the students met the principal, Dr Santokh Singh, for sorting out the issue.

The interns said their counterparts in other medical colleges of the state had received the payments recently, but their allowance was being delayed for the last five months.

The protestors said they would continue their strike till the amount was paid to them. As per the Medical Council of India norms, an MBBS student has to undergo one year of internship after completion of the four and half years of the academic course. The MBBS internship students are paid a monthly stipend of Rs 9,700.

The students alleged that postgraduate students were paid stipend a few days back to lessen the impact of the strike as they, too, were planning to join MBBS interns on the issue.

Manish Siloliya, an interns’ leader, said, “We will be meeting Medical Education and Research Minister Anil Joshi on Thursday.” He complained that stipend money to junior doctors was never paid on time despite pointing out the issue on numerous occasions.

GMC principal Santokh Singh said he had held a meeting with officials in Chandigarh yesterday and requested them to release the funds. He said hopefully they would receive the money soon, which would be distributed among students doing internship.

Amritsar, June 4
Adding to the city's status as the food capital of Punjab and a global food destination, city-based specialised chefs and bakers are taking things forward with elan. After preparing succesful flavours with celebrated chefs, they are cooking a different recipe, with words.

Conceptualising books on local and regional flavours, traditional recipes or latest designer food which look fetching to the eyes, city-based culinary experts have lots in the store to offer to the food aficionados. Arundeep Singh and Jyoti Arora, two popular names in the city's food business say.

Arora, who was a contestant on Masterchef, has expanded her culinary knowledge beyond the kitchen. Conducting workshops, food festivals at several five star hotels, Arora is currently working on compiling her own cookery book. "I had worked in association with celebrity chef Vikas Khanna on one of his books on local flavours, which he dedicated to his grandmother. That's when I conceptualised my own book," says the culinary expert. Arora has maximised her family food legacy from her grandmother and mother's recipes, her connection with Kashmir and Punjabi roots to come up with her book.

Not revealing much about it though, since it's being adapted for a food travel show by a popular channel, Arora says,"All I can say is that it's based on traditional, age-old recipes from the region, from the undivided Punjab. Some of the recipes that are tedious to cook have been simplified and resurrected in the book."

Similarly, city-based baker Arundeep Singh is also working on a book on specilised bakes. A participant on Sanjeev Kapoor's cooking reality show, "Kitchen Ke Khiladi", he earned the title of King of Bakes in Amritsar by Sanjeev Kapoor. After coming up with his online portal 'Cakealicious', which serves as a selling and sharing platform for recipes, interaction and sharing concepts of designer bakes, he is reasearching in the process of compiling his book on bakes. While Arora's book is to resurrect culinary traditions, Arundeep Singh believes in international concepts in baking.

His mother, PK Singh, a popular culinary expert in the city is his guide and mentor. "She has been into professional cooking since 1973 and a lot has changed since then. "I want to share various innovations and creative improvisations that can go into bakery products. The city has quite a few experts meeting international standards of baking and I want to share my knowledge and skills of the subject," he says.

Amritsar, June 4
A 21-day refresher course in pure sciences (physics, chemistry and mathematics), organised by Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), concluded at Academic Staff College, here today. As many as 36 university and college teachers from various parts of the country participated in the course.

Prof Harjit Singh, professor emeritus, Department of Chemistry of the GNDU, was the chief guest at the valedictory session. Prof Harjit, in his address, asked the teachers to feel proud of this noble, respectable, prestigious and highly responsible profession. He asked the teachers to perform their duties diligently to live up to the expectations of society. “Today’s teachers will have to rise to the occasion and act as a role model for society in order to bring about the desirable changes,” he added.

Talking about the flaws in the current education system, he emphasised that the need of the hour was to undertake remedial measures rather than rejecting the whole system outrightly, which has produced world renowned scientists like Hargobind Khurana, APJ Abdul Kalam, CN Rao and a few others.