Amritsar, July 31
The Municipal Corporation (MC) has been facing difficulties in the collection of house tax from the defaulters. As per official estimates, the MC is yet to recover Rs 9 crore from 10,000 defaulters.

The Municipal Commissioner had repeatedly announced that the imposition of property tax did not exempt the defaulters from paying their house tax dues but they seldom paid any attention to it.

The house tax realisation has suffered as the staff entrusted with the responsibility of collecting the tax is busy recovering property tax.

An official said house tax collection is an onerous task as a number of big industrial houses owed a major part of the house tax collection target. Earlier, many industrial houses had issued cheques against their house tax dues, which were dishonoured. Many such cases are still pending with the MC. “We have been directed by the Municipal Commissioner to restart the collection of house tax from the defaulters. The lukewarm response to the drive will not help in meeting our targets,” said the official.

Earlier, the MC had initiated the “name and shame” drive by beating drums in localities of the house tax defaulters. The exercise had yielded good results but with the imposition of property tax, it was discontinued. Several private units, including a school on Albert Road, will have to pay Rs 6.5 lakh. Another school on the Verka bypass owes Rs 22 lakh to the MC in house tax while a hotel in Ranjit Avenue will have to pay Rs 26 lakh.

A palace on Batala Road owes Rs 16.91 lakh to the MC and a cloth showroom on Lawrence Road will have to pay Rs 4.3 lakh as house tax.

Municipal Commissioner Pardeep Sabharwal said, “The defaulters are at fault if they think they can be exempted from paying the tax. The house tax dues will have to be cleared despite the imposition of property tax. Its amended version will be implemented after August 31. But before that, house tax and property tax dues for 2013-2014 will have to be cleared.”

“Till now, we have achieved half of our target and I appeal to the residents to pay their dues before time,” he added.

Amritsar, July 31
A newly born girl was found abandoned near Government Polytechnic College in Chheharta late last night.

The infant was found by Jaspal Singh, a resident of the staff colony of the college, when he was returning home from work. He heard the cries of the infant and immediately informed the police that sent the girl to Babe Nanaki Mother and Child Healthcare Home in Guru Nanak Dev Hospital.

Investigating officer Balwinder Singh said the girl was healthy.

He said they would hand over the infant to the Red Cross Society under the panghura scheme.

Amritsar, July 31
The city police is awaiting the narco-analysis report of three suspects in the murder case of 10-year-old Gurkirat Singh. The suspects had undergone polygraph test at Karnal this year. While two of them had successfully undergone the test, the third accused failed to complete it.

The police had claimed that Jagwant Singh, Harpal Singh and Jaspal Singh, residents of Verka village, were evading answers to the queries besides trying to mislead the investigating officials, which prompted them to conduct the test.

Gaurv Garg, ACP (East) said the report had reached Chandigarh. “As soon as we get the report, we would take action in this regard,” said Garg.

He added that the report would also clear why narco test of the third suspect could not be completed.

Gurkirat had gone missing on November 7, 2012, while playing near his residence. On November 16, his body was found from a building a few metres away from his residence.

Initially, the suspects had not given their consent for polygraph test, but later they agreed. The city police had sought the permission of the court for conducting the test to find the veracity of their statements.

This year, the city police restarted the investigation into the case and handed it over to ACP Gaurav Garg. The case is lying pending in the Punjab and Haryana High Court as the family of the victim had filed a petition to transfer the case to the CBI. 

Amritsar, July 31
Rich tributes were paid to freedom fighters during various functions organised by different associations to commemorate the death anniversary of Shaheed Udham Singh today. During a function organised by the BJP at Hall Gate, Laxmi Kanta Chawla said there was a need to tell the masses, especially youngsters, about the sacrifices made by the martyrs to free India from the British.

She said the energy of the youth should be channelised for the development of the country. In another function, National SC Commission Vice-Chairman Raj Kumar Verka said young drug addicts should draw inspiration from the martyrs and shun the habit.

The Kamboj Sabha also paid floral tributes to the martyr during a function at Hall Gate. Sabha president Anoop Singh said the picture of the martyr should be installed in the state Assembly and Parliament. He criticised the subsequent governments for ignoring Udham Singh who, according to him, restored the pride of the Indians by avenging the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.

Meanwhile, the Shaheed Bhagat Singh Naujwan Sabha and the Punjab Students’ Federation organised a convention against drugs at Chehharta in the memory of Udham Singh.

Presiding over the convention, Gurdayal Singh Ghuman said the government has failed to ensure the freedom for which the martyrs sacrificed their lives. 

Amritsar, July 31
The Amritsar Central jail authorities recovered an intoxicant powder from a visior trying to sneak it in to his acquaintance lodged in the jail.

As per the information, Rohit, alias Ravi, a resident of Sharma Colony, Tarlok Jandhghar, on the Tarn Taran road, was arrested by the police on the basis of a complaint lodged by Jail Superintendent RK Sharma.

Sharma said the accused tried to pass the intoxicant powder to Sagar, an undertrial, on July 30. Sagar is in jail in a drug case. “Rohit was caught with 9.98 gms of intoxicant powder. Before he could do that, he was nabbed,” Sharma said. Investigating officer SI Prabhjot Singh of Gumtala police station said a case under the NDPS Act had been registered against Rohit and they were trying to find out from where he procured the intoxicant powder. 

Amritsar, July 31
Amritsar Mayor Bakshi Ram Arora is at loggerheads with Local Bodies Minister Anil Joshi for ignoring him and the projects announced by him for the holy city. Besides, he is irked over the treatment meted to him in an ad campaign launched by Joshi.

The Mayor has brought the matter to the notice of Punjab BJP president Kamal Sharma. The Opposition and the SAD councillors have showed solidarity with the Mayor over the issue. Meanwhile, the Mayor called a meeting of the BJP councillors in the evening to discuss the next move.

The issue gained momentum when several hoardings were put up in the city with Joshi shown with folded hands appealing to the public to contact the Municipal Commissioner if they are troubled by any civic issue. Nothing has been mentioned about Mayor Arora. “I was pained at the ill-treatment meted out to me. I have brought the matter to the notice of senior BJP leaders,” he said.

Leader of the Opposition in the MC House Raj Kanwal Preet Pal Singh Lucky said, “The Mayor is like the ‘father of the city’. He should not have been insulted this way. Joshi’s undue interference has been hampering the progress of the city. All doors of revenue generation were closed by Joshi, who changed his statements about the realisation of taxes many a times to gain political mileage. How can the MC run under such a dictatorial set-up? The Mayor should resign in protest.”

Meanwhile, SAD councillor Surinder Sultanwind said, “I failed to understand what Joshi wants to convey by adopting such tactics. He has done nothing to improve the fiscal health of the MC. Instead, he resorted to cheap publicity moves by snubbing his own party men.”

Mayor Arora had already faced the wrath of the councillors for making tall claims of carrying out development works worth Rs 30 lakh in every ward. He has repeatedly expressed his helplessness in carrying out development works in the absence of funds.

Earlier, the MC had raised a loan of Rs 4 crore from HUDCO out of the sanctioned amount of Rs 50 crore but the Mayor withdrew the move as the MC was unable to repay the loan.

According to sources, the MC’s total monthly expenditure is Rs 16 crore whereas its income is just Rs 10 crore. The salary bill of the MC employees is close to Rs 12.50 crore per month while the electricity and fuel expenses stand around Rs 2.5 crore and Rs 90 lakh per month, respectively.

Amritsar, July 31
A three-week refresher course in social sciences concluded at the Academic Staff College of Guru Nanak Dev University, here today. An eminent social scientist and thinker, Prof HK Puri, who retired from the Political Science Department of the university, was the chief guest on the occasion.

Prof Puri in his valedictory address laid emphasis on the selection of good books and literature for reading, especially in the times, when the cheap, vulgar literature was available in plenty. Commenting on the emerging scenario all over the world, he said social scientists had to burden more responsibility towards society at large, when it came to various socio-political, economical, cultural, ethnic issues. “We need to develop an analytical mind and keep our eyes and ears open as society at large expects answers to various complex issues from us,” he added.

Expressing his deep concern over social evils like domestic violence and increasing divorce rate, professor opined that social scientists needed to play a pivotal role in stemming this rot. He said, “Hypocrisy has been lying at the root of the democratic system throughout the human history. Prof Avinash Nagpal, director, Academic Staff College, enthralled the audience with thought-provoking quotes. She said, “I hope teachers have augmented their existing knowledge during the course.”

Prof JS Sekhon, head, Department of Political Science and course coordinator, outlined the contents of the course in brief. Teachers who participated in the course thanked the Academic Staff College for its endeavour and expressed satisfaction over the smooth conduct of the course.

Certificates were also given away to the participants. Dr Mohan Kumar proposed a vote of thanks. 

Amritsar, July 31
Stray dogs continue to roam inside Government Medical College, ESI Hospital and TB Sanatorium in the city. A visit to these government health institutions revealed that there was no check on stray animals entering the hospital buildings. Food wastes thrown around by attendants of patients attracted a large number of canines at these hospitals.

The outer walls of these hospitals, which is broken at various places, gives a free passage to dogs. The TB Sanatorium has the maximum number of stray dogs. Most buildings at the sanatorium are worn out and not being used, provide a safe haven to stray dogs .

In last September, a pack of stray dogs had mauled a person at Government Medical College in late night hours. Visitors at the hospital said stray dogs could be found in abundance in the entire city. The problem was graver at health institutions. Visitors said patients and their attendants were at a risk as these dogs could attack them any time.

“Dogs can be seen sitting in front of doors in the pack of six or seven. In case they attack a person, it will be hard for anyone to shoo them away,” said Kirpal Singh, a visitor.

The visitors and employees demanded that the local administration must make arrangements to end the problem. “Killing of dogs is unethical and illegal. The administration can make arrangements for their sterilisation as it will help in controlling their population,” said a doctor.

Stray dogs on city roads are also pose a threat to the lives of two wheeler drivers. Bodies of stray dogs are found almost daily on roads as most of them are killed in accidents with vehicles. 

Amritsar, July 31
The city police claims to have vital clues about unidentified robbers, who hypnotise their targets before robbing them of their belongings, but there has no significant development in the case so far.

Three consecutive instances, which occurred in the busiest parts of the city, have created a panic among the elderly women, who are the prime target of the culprits.

The four-member gang, including two women, robbed Vijay Kumari of Katra Moti Ram locality inside Hathi Gate area when she was going to buy vegetables from the market on July 19. A woman approached her and asked her to meet her mother-in-law, who was sitting in a car. Vijay said she first resisted, but the woman insisted her to meet her mother-in-law. When she approached the car they hypnotised her and decamped with her gold bangles weighing around 30 grams.

In the second incident, Prem Lata, a resident of Jujhar Nagar, became a victim of the gang. She was coming out of Mata Lal Devi Temple when a woman took her to a nearby car on the pretext of meeting her mother. She said the accused made her sit in the car and later hypnotised her and took away her gold bangles.

In a recent incident, an elderly woman fell prey to the gang at Lawrence Road area when she was going for satsang. The modus operandi of the gang was same. The victim identified as Prem Lata, a resident of Lawrence Road area here.

Police Commissioner Jatinder Singh Aulakh said they had got some vital clues about the gang and continuous attempts were being made to nab the culprits. He said the accused would be behind the bars soon. 

Amritsar, July 31
The executive of one of the oldest private clubs in the city, AGA Heritage Club, thanked the district administration for accepting its long-pending demand for the provision of an elected secretary of the body.

Club members stated that ever since the inception of the club, a government official posted in the district, was made its secretary. AGA Heritage Club’s vice- president Pradeep Saini said the executive had nominated Rohit Kumar Lakhanpal as the new secretary of the club.

Lakhanpal was earlier elected as the joint secretary by club members. Lakhanpal was elevated to the position of secretary yesterday after the administration accepted their demand. Saini said appointment of secretary would help the executive in taking quick decisions regarding the problems faced by members and development of the club. 

Amritsar, July 31
Rescheduling of academic calendar, support for innovative courses, practical examinations, starting of guidance and counselling cell, besides the migration of other state students were the main items on the agenda of the meeting of the College Development Council of Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), which was held in the syndicate room, here yesterday.

The meeting was organised by the College Development Council under the chairmanship of Vice-Chancellor of GNDU, Prof Ajaib Singh Brar.

The Dean, academic affairs, Prof MS Hundal, Registrar, Dr Inderjit Singh, Dean, College Development Council, Prof RK Mahajan and member Principals of various affiliated colleges were present in the meeting.

Prof Brar said the need of the hour was to have a re-look at the syllabus keeping in view the present scenario. He said the syllabus would be amended by the university for 2015 academic session on the recommendation of a ten-member committee constituted by the university. The process of evaluation needed to be geared up with the support of colleges, added the VC.

He thanked principals of affiliated colleges for making the semester system a success. He also appreciated Principals for their valuable suggestions regarding the smooth functioning of the university.

In the meeting, it was decided that the practical examination would be conducted before the theory examinations and eligibility cases of students seeking admission in various colleges would have to be submitted before August 10.

From this academic session, all those students with compartment in X+II would also be eligible for admission in any undergraduate diploma course, provided they submitted result of previous class before January 31.

It was also decided in the meeting that the university will hold workshops for career guidance and counselling to update teachers about job opportunities in various fields so that they could guide students accordingly.

Amritsar, July 31
The city-based Chief Khalsa Diwan (CKD) will soon have its office in New Delhi. This was stated by CKD president Charanjit Singh Chadha here today. He said during recently organised kirtan darbar at Sri Guru Harkrishan Public School, GT Road, Manjit Singh GK, president of the Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Managing Committee, had offered to allot an office space to the local committee of the Chief Khalsa Diwan, Delhi, at Rakabganj Gurudwara Sahib, New Delhi.

Chadha said it would be easy to manage institutes run by the Chief Khalsa Diwan after opening its office in Delhi. “Besides this, it will also prove helpful to improve the performance of the Delhi Local Committee regarding panthic and religious activities, upgrading education in Delhi and its nearby areas,” he added.

He said the CKD was making efforts to unite Sikh community in Punjab, India from all over the world through World Sikh Conference, scheduled to be held from November 14 to 16 in Tarn Taran. 

Amritsar, July 31
City-based designer duo, Sargun Seth and Kanika Madaan, have returned from a month-long fashion tour in Switzerland. The Amritsar girls were the only Indian designers invited at the lifestyle exhibition, organised by a popular Swiss brand, SEM. The duo hosted the exhibition of Indo-western fashion in collaboration with Indian-origin designers in Switzerland. Their stint at the European circuit has bolstered their confidence. “It was definitely very exciting to be part of a prestigious fashion event where clients come from Milan, Paris and European fashion capitals. Our collection was a mix of Indo-western and traditional Indian outfits, lot of saris, lehengas and wedding essentials. We were blown away by the popularity of Indian hand embroideries in Europe,” said Sargun.

Their homegrown label, a mix of ethnic and western wear, The Closet, has already been part of exhibitions in the region and fashion hubs like Delhi and Mumbai.

Their latest collection is rich and elaborate like the Punjabi wedding. “With an increased demand of Indian clothes among the NRI population and even others, we have realised the potential for retailing ethnic wear in Switzerland. We have also tied up with SEM, a Swiss multi-designer outlet to retail our collection in its stores,” said Sargun. Their best-seller item was sari with heavy stone work, “We have lots of clients from Italy and France for our saris. Since Europe is the fashion hub, they have their own fabrics, but the Indian workmanship and embroideries are fascinating for them,” added Sargun.

The exhibition was a first for the duo on a global stage and they made the most of it. “We run the label under India House Group, and also retail shawls, carpets and handlooms. We are in talks with the SEM people to showcase our collection at their upcoming Morocco store,” said Sargun.

Amritsar, July 31
The police have nabbed six robbers involved in snatching and robbery incidents in various parts of the city. Six expensive mobile phones and six sharp edged weapons were also recovered from their possession.

Those arrested were identified as Karan of Hussainpura, Shiva of Kot Atma Singh, Balwinder Singh of Ghah Mandi, Krishna of Ghah Mandi, Vicky and Tikka of Maqbloolpura.

Investigating officer Varinder Kumar said they were held from the parking of Amritsar International Hotel, which was lying closed. They were probably planning another robbery when they were nabbed by a police party. Varinder said a case under Sections 399 and 402 of the IPC has been registered against them and further investigations have been launched in this regard. He said till now they had confessed to have snatched expensive mobile phones on six occasions. More recoveries were likely to be made in near future, he added.