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Police strategy to deal with drug menace
Jail authorities launch de-addiction programme
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Regularised Colonies
The Revenue Department wears a deserted look in Amritsar
on Tuesday. Photo: RK Soni
Traditional cooking allures young: Experts
Crackdown on sale of
drugs
Nadira Babbar's play focuses on life in a metro city
Dry bed of UBDC littered with waste
Civil Hospital to get 24-hour power supply
28-day orientation course concludes at GNDU
7 held for possessing narcotics, illicit liquor
Lal pleads for execution of GST
One booked for bid to rape
Mobiles recovered from jail inmates
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Police strategy to deal with drug menace
Amritsar, June 10 During this public-police-civic campaign against drugs, meetings will be held with the chemist associations, local village and mohalla doctors, RMPs and it will be ensured that no medical representative who is not qualified or not certified from a competent authority will sell psychotropic drugs to any one. In case of medical need, proper prescription of a doctor, not less than an MBBS or an equivalent-degree holder, will be required. All such local medical practitioners will be asked not to
prescribe such drugs. The IGP, Border Zone, Amritsar, Ishwar Chandar, said that the objective was to crack down on the supply chain of proscribed drugs in every village or mohalla. “Such a tour of a village will be completed within three days. If there are addicts, it will be the liability of the designated police force to help them rehabilitate, accompany them to the de-addiction centres with the help of the civil administration and Chief Medical Officers for their treatment." Due to their high rates, hard drugs like heroin and smack are beyond the reach of the common man in Punjab. The order says that the activities of big smugglers coming out on bail are to be strictly monitored. “The supply chain of hard and commercial drugs like heroin, smack and ice has been broken to a larger extent in Punjab. The availability was mainly of poppy husk and chemical drugs like capsules and tablets smuggled in from Rajasthan." Hard drugs like heroin and smack are smuggled in from Pakistan and the J&K border. These are further supplied to Delhi, Mumbai and other metropolitan cities. These drugs used to come back to Punjab as part of redistribution and use”, he said. The SSPs, DSPs and SHOs have been directed to keep dossiers on them and monitor the attendance of such bailed out criminals in the police stations on everyday basis. “Only those bailed out suspects will be spared for whom the whole mohalla or village will be ready to endorse that they were leading a peaceful life, free of crime. Police officials’ brief
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Jail authorities launch de-addiction programme
Amritsar, June 10 Jail Superintendent RK Sharma said that these inmates were kept isolated for a 15-day course designed according to the recommendations of the PGI, Chandigarh. They are not allowed to go out even for court hearings, after obtaining special permission. Neither are they allowed to visit a gurdwara or a temple located inside the
jail premises. "The idea was to keep them under a stern vigil during the de-addiction course. To divert their attention towards constructive activities, we have devised meditation and yoga programmes. Besides, they play various games, including carromboard, basketball, badminton, etc. The 50-bedded drug de-addiction centre inside the jail premises falls short of accommodating such a large number of addicted inmates. This has compelled the jail authorities to spare a separate barrack for them. This barrack has a capacity to accommodate around 400 persons. Since May 24, during the statewide anti-drugs campaign, around 250 persons were admitted to the jail who were either addicts or drug peddlers. Owing to the withdrawal symptoms, it would be their unpredictable behaviour which the jail authorities would have to contend with. In some instances, the addicts do not even hesitate to harm themselves for want of their daily dosage. Deputy Superintendent BS Bhullar said that the jail had been overcrowded with around 4,300 inmates, whereas it had a capacity of just 1,650. "On an average, around 100 prisoners are lodged here daily, out of which 70-75 per cent are hooked to prohibited drugs like heroin, smack, hashish and charas," he said. Medical staff crunch
At present, the jail hospital has got only one medical officer against the sanctioned posts of five. There is no single lady doctor in the jail to take care of women inmates. Out of the present lot of around 250 drug addicts who are jail inmates, there are seven women. Dr Amrit Pal Singh, the lone medical officer, said, "With the recent grant of around Rs 5 lakh, the medicines and other equipment have been arranged but with no nursing care and other supporting staff, we
face difficulties. "Such inmates are given the synthetic form of pain-relieving drugs. Besides, we give them multi-vitamins, antacids and other medicines to prevent dehydration. The motive is to stabilise them on substitute medication to alleviate the withdrawal symptoms," he said.
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Registries at revenue office declines from 200 per day to 30
ADA refuses to issue mandatory NoCs Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service
Amritsar, June 10 The government has time and again extended the deadline for facilitating the regularisation of the properties. The deadline has been extended four times and is likely to be extend for the fifth time. According to the regularisation policy, defined last year, the deadline was to end on October 7, 45 days after the notification of the policy. However, those who were left out of this were now pleading with the government to further extend the deadline. Sources in the department said that the government was likely to once again open the scheme for the plot holders and the residents of the unregularised colonies. Many plot-holders said that they were unable to register their properties as the ADA was not issuing them NoCs without which the Revenue Department did not issue registries. Its impact was apparent on the number of registries being done at the local revenue office. The sources said that the daily rate of registries had plummeted from over 200 a day to nearly 30 per day. There used to be registeration of about 250 properties in Amritsar I and Amritsar II sections of the Revenue Department daily before July last year. ADA Chairman Sandeep Rishi said that the ADA received about 15,000 applications for regularisation of properties. Of these, 11,000 were issued NoCs while the remaining 4,000 were depositing the regularisation fee in instalments. Hence, the latter would be issued the NoCs once the entire payment was deposited. In the district, the municipal corporation is collecting the regularisation fee from the public in its jurisdiction and the ADA is doing so from the residents in the rest of the district. The enhanced fine for illegal colonies is 25 per cent and for plots, it is 10 per cent. After the conclusion of the extended deadline, the fine will gallop to 50 per cent for the unapproved colonies and 20 per cent for the plots. There are about 405 illegal localities in the city. Of these, 242 illegal colonies are under the municipal corporation and 167 are under the ADA. The composition fee for the regularisation of the unauthorised colonies, constructed before August 17, 2007, is 0.5 per cent of the collector rate as on April 1, 2013, subject to a minimum of Rs 25,000 and a maximum of Rs 1 lakh per acre. For unauthorised colonies constructed after August 17, 2007, the fee will be 2 per cent of the collector rate, subject to a minimum of Rs 1 lakh and a maximum of Rs 5 lakh per acre.
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Traditional cooking allures young: Experts
Amritsar, June 10
“I started the classes on a casual note when some bride to be girls knocked at my doors for cooking guidance and tips so that they can conquer the hearts of their future husbands. Later, I converted this goodwill note into a profession as it gave me independence, kept me near to what I love most and allowed me to explore more,” says Tarvinder Kaur. She along with Veenu Singh, her daughter-in-law, has been at the forefront of cooking and food trends since its inception and has witnessed all sorts of taste bud revolutions in the city. Her classes today offer more than 500 recipes, collected over years from the Indian, continental, low calorie to self innovations, for aspirants. With innovation, they make sure that the age-old traditions, too, are passed over to the younger generation. Hence, they impart forgotten skills like making butter and cheese at home. From a time when cooking was restricted to home and not much packaged food was available to today’s competitive cooking, Tarvinder says her teaching has adapted to various changes in culinary habits of the city. She avers, “I get students who want to take cooking as a profession and don the cap of chefs abroad, youths who want to learn the art of cooking and yes men too, who want to cook so that they don’t lag behind women in this field. Each one of the cooking aspirant wants food that is similar in taste and presentation to the starred luxury restaurants’ or hotels.”
Veenu, a home science graduate, helps in running classes during the year converting
every amateur cook into a chef. She, being from the same profession, joined her mother-in-law in 1993, with her contemporary ideas and approach as an asset. “She is the executive chef of our ‘Kitchen’ and I am the chef at work. We have together explored global flavours in Amritsar. We get students from all walks of life and profession. The best thing about our class is that we get students who are third generation of mama’s students,” says
Veenu. Cooking for them is a technique of creating a mood. They firmly believe that when people cook together they forget to feel awkward. “That’s what we used to do in age-old kitchens and community kitchens popular in Punjab. I want to offer a cooking experience that isn’t about just doing everything perfectly, but about enjoying yourself, the company of other people and loving the art of serving food to display hospitality,” says
Veenu. She honed her son’s skills and he recently won Sanjeev Kapoor’s “Kitchen ke
Khiladi”, a food-based reality show on Sony TV. Tarvinder’s apple recipe paved the way for her student Khyati Hari to be among the top 10 contestants on “Amul Junior Master Chef”, a food-based reality show on Star Plus. Recreating exotic recipes in Thai,
Mediteranean, Lebanese, Continental cuisines, sizzlers, nachos,
tampura’s, puddings, souffle’s, pasta’s, pizza’s, shakes, mocktails etc, her courses are customised for children as well.
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Chemists oppose move to allow cops to raid their shops
Manmeet Singh Gill Tribune News Service
Amritsar, June 10 “The policemen are not trained to check medicine shops. They do not know anything about drugs and they will end up harassing shopkeepers,” said Duggal, adding that the Health Department already had drug inspectors for monitoring the trade in medicine in the state. Duggal said that their association appreciated and welcomed the concerns of the state government in eradicating the drug problem in the state. “I assure the state government on behalf of the association and the industry that 95 per cent of the traders are doing business with sincerity and honesty.” Duggal said that the Central Government had made the Drugs and Cosmetics Act to cover the medicine trade and it had provisions to deal with the chemists who were found selling or possessing banned drugs. The Chemists Association had already announced that it would close their shops alleging high-handedness on the part of the administration against the chemists on June 12.
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Nadira Babbar's play focuses on life in a metro city
Amritsar, June 10 On a tour with her critically acclaimed and successful play in collaboration with the North Zone Cultural Centre, Babbar spoke on a few facets of her productions, her husband and Amritsar. The play about a group of people living in Mumbai, struggling, striving, celebrating life, its successes and failures in one of the most happening cities of the world recieved the best play award last year. "It's not just a story of Mumbai but any metropolitan city -- the hopes and aspirations of people living in it and the quality of life it gives to them," said the director. The two-hand-a-half hour play kept the audience hooked to their seats becaus of its humorous yet emotional approach towards life in a metro. Feeling inspired from her actor-politician husband, Raj Babbar, Nadira said she sought his critical advice on her work. "He watches every theatre production during rehearsals and gives inputs on improvisations." While in the city, (Nadira) Babbar praised the quality and attention given to art and culture here. "Amritsar is a city full of art and artistes, and I am glad to be a part of it every time I am here. Though I belong to Lucknow, I consider myself half-Punjabi because of my husband." She also praised theatre spaces like the Punjab Natshala for promoting art in the region. She will travel now with her play to Shimla.
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Dry bed of UBDC littered with waste
Amritsar, June 10
Environmentalist PS Randhawa said different plastic objects were thrown into the canal. Out of religious beliefs, flowers and other articles were also thrown into the canals. Unscientific disposal of plastic objects causes clogging and choking of canals. Besides, it has a negative impact on the health of the people who take a bath in the canal water. Randhawa suggested that the UBDC network could be used as a source of water supply after treating it, as the water table is depleting. At present, the sub-soil water is the only source of potable water in the city. He underlined that the state government had already stated that potable water would not be used for construction work. To prevent the depletion of the water table, there was an urgent need to exploit the known sources of surface water. After the annexation of Punjab, the British built the UBDC canal network to irrigate land. Sources in the Irrigation Department stated that the de-silting of the UBDC, originating from Madhopur headworks, was done during 2001-2012 at a cost of Rs 57 crore. The canal passes through Vallah, Jandiala (Tara Wala Pul), Sultanwind, Chatti Wind and other areas. A resident of Pratap Nagar, Bhupinder Singh, said he along with his friends visited the canal along Tara Wala Pul to enjoy a whiff of fresh air every morning. “But the stoppage of the canal water and its dry bed strewn with all kinds of garbage depressed us instead," he remarked. He said apart from human beings, many birds used to be seen here. However, these birds have also become a rare sight since the flow of water was stopped from the headworks. The XEN of the Irrigation Department, P Kalia said that efforts were being made to educate people to not dispose of waste in the canal.
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Civil Hospital to get 24-hour power supply
Amritsar, June 10 Freezers are required to maintain cold temperature for blood preservation. At present the hospital has to refer patients requiring blood transfusion to other hospitals in the city. Civil Surgeon Rajiv Bhalla said the problem was highlighted by the hospital staff during his recent visit to the hospital. The department would spend Rs 32 lakh for procuring a 24-hour power line for the hospital, he added. Bhalla said the proposal had been sent to power corporation officials, who had assured to do the needful. The Health Department had already paid Rs 12 lakh to the power corporation and the work on the electricity supply line would begin soon, added
Bhalla.
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28-day orientation course concludes at GNDU
Amritsar, June 10 Prof AS
Brar, Vice-Chancellor of the GNDU, was the chief guest at the valedictory session. Prof Brar in his address portrayed the current educational scenario in India. He said there was a dire need to revamp the present educational scenario in order to make it competitive in the wake of
globalisation. Highlighting various lacunae in the field of education, he underlined that as an early and earnest beginning, a creative, innovative and out of the box teaching techniques had to be incorporated in order to prepare the younger generation for the challenges posed by the global world. The VC rued that most of the students churned out by educational institutes were unemployable graduates. “Dissemination of knowledge is more important than the mere distribution of degrees,” he said. Prof Avinash Kaur
Nagpal, director, Academic Staff College, felicitated the participants on successful completion of the course. Earlier, Prof Brar also released the maiden annual newsletter of the Academic Staff College. The participants were of the view that they were motivated to excel in their respective discipline.
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7 held for possessing narcotics, illicit liquor
Amritsar, June 10 In a major catch, the Amritsar police arrested two persons with 5 kg of heroin. The Cantonment police arrested Harjinder Singh, resident of Behlian and Harjinder Singh, resident of Ramdass village, in this connection. Investigating officer Gurbinder Singh of the Cantonment police station said both the accused booked under the NDPS Act were being questioned. In another incident, the E Division police arrested two persons identified as Mukadar and Sunny Kumar, both residents of Godam
Mohalla, Katra Sher Singh, and recovered 150 gm of intoxicant powder from each one of them. Meanwhile, Aman Kumar, resident of Sunder
Nagar, was arrested with 220 gm of intoxicant powder. The Gate Hakima police nabbed Suraj Kumar of Fateh Singh Colony with 10 intoxicant injections. Investigating officer Sub-Inspector Joginder Singh said these injections were without any label on the vials. The Gate Hakima police recovered 50 bottles of illicit liquor from Jasbir Singh, resident of
Anngarh, Gali No 3. He was booked under Sections 61,1 and 14 of the Excise Act. The Sadar police arrested Vishal Sharma, a resident of Sandhu Colony, Khu Kundian
Wala, with 120 intoxicant tablets.
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Lal pleads for execution of GST
Amritsar, June 10 A former state Congress leader, Lal joined the BJP in the presence of Jaitley just a few days before the Lok Sabha elections. He appealed to the Finance Minister to implement the proposed uniform tax system across the country. He said the implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST) had been hanging fire for the past eight years. It would bring relief to traders, who were filing 40 returns and liasoning with 14 departments, he added. Lal said it would increase the government’s revenue and accelerate the pace of development. The Union government could earn huge revenue by disinvesting its stake in PSUs and using the same amount in bringing down the inflation. Lal said steps should be taken to bring down the subsidy, which was 2.2 per cent of the present GDP. “The government must explore new avenues, apart from industry and agriculture, to bring down the high unemployment rate,” added Lal.
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One booked for bid to rape
Amritsar, June 10 The victim in her complaint has stated that on June 5 at 8.30 pm, the accused took her to a secluded place on the pretext that her father was in trouble. She alleged that when she was about to leave with the accused, he threatened to kill her father. The victim stated that thereafter, the accused took her to a remote place and made her smell some intoxicant after which she fell unconscious. She woke up after several hours and narrated the incident to her father, who lodged a complaint against the accused, who is still at large, said SI Harjeet Kaur.
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Amritsar, June 10
