The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	2 killed, 24 injured as bus turns turtle PK Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, August 17 Two persons were killed and 24 persons, including children, women and elderly people, were injured after the bus in which they were travelling, skidded off the railway overbridge near Vallah this morning. The incident occurred when the bus driver, identified as Jaimal Singh, lost control over the vehicle. According to the passengers, Jaimal Singh was talking on mobile phone which led to the incident. The injured were rushed to Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC)-run Sri Guru Das Institute of Medical Sciences and Research at Vallah. The condition of two of the injured were said to be critical. The deceased were identified as Gurjit Singh of Mehsanpur village and Kashmir Singh of Saido Lehal village. The bus (PB03-Y-9082) was going from Amritsar to Dera Saidpur near Tarsikka when the incident took place. A majority of the persons travelling in the bus were going to the Dera. One of the passenger said the driver lost control over the bus when he was talking on mobile phone. The bus was coming down the railway overbridge. As the driver lost control, the bus came off the road and turned turtle from the slant. Though the police have registered a case against the driver under Section 304-A and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code for reckless driving which led to the death of two innocent lives, it has also brought to the fore the violation of traffic norms and reckless driving. The police said that raids were being conducted to nab the culprit. The residents observed that the drivers of the private buses which especially run in the rural belt besides the school bus driver never follow the traffic norms and indulge in reckless driving which results in loss of innocent lives due to road mishaps. ADCP (Traffic) Shailander Shelly said the city police have even organised workshops for private drivers in order to train them for safe driving while a number of other steps were also taken inside the city limits to regulate the traffic. But still, they indulge in reckless driving. Senior Superintendent of Police (Rural) Jasdeep Singh said the matter was in their knowledge and they would now impound the buses if they fail to follow the traffic norms.
	Jaitley to visit holy city today Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service Amritsar, August 17 As the officials of the district administration and the police have been pressed into service to welcome Defence Minister Arun Jaitley on his proposed visit to the holy city tomorrow, a section of the residents recalled his promises made to the residents during the Lok Sabha polls. A leading dry fruit importer, BR Bajaj said, "Jaitley is a great statesman. He has an old relation with the holy city and it is the right time to deliver his promises made during the Lok Sabha elections." Bajaj recalled that Jaitley touched upon various aspects of local trade, industry and suggested measures to revive these. He said his vision stressed on the requirement for the expansion of the official border trade between India and Pakistan. Tourism and trade (including international trade) have a singular ability to revive and strengthen Amritsar's economy. A local resident, Naresh Johar, said Jaitley had rightly touched upon the need to have main industrial activity around the creation of a textile cluster, the agricultural implements industry, rice mills, embroidery, jewellery, decorative items and footwear. The district administration has been urged to make special efforts to welcome the union cabinet minister by deploying police personnel in and around his residence in the posh Green Avenue locality. The road to his residence was re-laid and tiles have been installed on the footpath. The Corporation officials also carried out fumigation drive in the area. Meanwhile, Punjab Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia today thanked Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitely for paving the way towards making Amritsar a world-class city. On the eve of Jaitely's proposed visit, the revenue minister thanked the Union cabinet minister for including Amritsar in the Rs 500-crore union heritage project, besides announcing the extension of the national industrial corridor to Amritsar and allocating an IIM (Indian Institute of Management) to the city. He appealed to the union minister to ensure the resumption of international flights from Amritsar.
	Councillors, hoteliers oppose MC closure notice GS Paul Tribune News Service Amritsar, August 17 Several councillors and hotel associations have come out to oppose the move of imposing closure notices on several hotels, guest houses and religious inns located around the Golden Temple by the Municipal Corporation. Terming it as the double standard of the government, they said it would not only pollute the peaceful environment of the holy city but also affect tourism. At the instance of Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the MC had slapped a 72-hour notice on over 10 such commercial hospitality units under Sections 345 and 349 of the Punjab Municipal Corporation Act, 1976, directing them to stop functioning as these never complied to the building bylaws. The operation of over 100 such units was challenged by a local resident Sarbjit Singh Verka in the High Court. The next date of hearing has been fixed for August 22. The SIT had identified 21 units which were being operated illegally and never complied with the stipulated norms. Since the management of six among them had procured stay orders, the Deputy Commissioner, Amritsar, Ravi Bhagat, who is one of the members of SIT, had asked the MC that before the date of court hearing, the operation of the remaining 15 units must be stopped 'at any cost'. Otherwise, the notice says, the properties would be sealed. Mayor Bakshi Ram Arora said, "The notices were issued as per the recommendations of SIT, which is functioning under the High Court." He said the MC had submitted their regularisation proposal under one-time settlement policy. "The MC is an executing agency in this case as the SIT had asked it to take action," he said. Councillor of ward 25 Jarnail Singh Dhot said this type of attitude would not be tolerated. "On our part, we will oppose the sealing drive if the MC intends to conduct it. The MC's notice also targeted several inns run by the SGPC or other religious bodies. It is nothing but a direct attack on the religious sentiments of the people," he said. Endorsing it, another councillor of ward 43 Amarjit Singh Bhatia said the decision of SIT was biased. "The High Court had directed the SIT to take action against illegal hotels running both within the walled city as well in the civil areas. But the SIT had hit only humble hoteliers, guest houses or religious inns located within the walled city area. The violations by Civil Lines hoteliers were overlooked," he said. President, Federation of Hotels and Restaurant Association Surinder Singh said it was just in contrast to what was passed in the MC's own house meeting. "On the one hand, the resolution was being passed to regularise them, while on the other, such dictatorial moves are being initiated by the government's own men. We will not allow any sealing drive to be successful", he said. Congress councillors Raj Kanwal Preet Pal Singh Lucky and Gurinder Rishi stated that the confusing situation had cropped up because the proposal was drafted without doing any homework. Now that the government felt it could lead to contempt of HC orders, it had ordered its men to issue notices just to save its skin before the high court bench. "We are in favour of regularising them, but a proper channel was needed to be exercised to put it into practice," they said.
	4 mobile phones, narcotics recovered from snatchers Tribune News Service Amritsar, August 17 The Civil Lines police today nabbed two accused who had allegedly injured a student and snatched his mobile phone on the Court Road here yesterday. The accused were identified as Ashwani Kumar and Harpreet Singh of Gumtala. The police have recovered four mobile phones, sharp weapons and narcotic powder from their possession. The police have also impounded the car in which they were travelling. Two car-borne youths injured and snatched a mobile phone from a student, identified as Anmoldeep Singh, a resident of the Sultanwind Road area. Before fleeing from the spot, the snatchers injured another youth, who came to the victim’s rescue. ACP (North) Balkar Singh said the culprits were travelling in a car (PB-O2-BV-5505). They had snatched around four mobile phones from different spots by brandishing weapons. Following the information, the Ranjit Avenue police intercepted them and recovered a sharp-edged weapon and four mobile phones from their possession. The police also recovered 180 grams of narcotic powder from their vehicle.
	Husband, in-laws booked for dowry, attempt to murder Tribune News Service Amritsar, August 17 A woman has lodged an attempt to murder and dowry case against her in-laws, including her husband. Nancy, a resident of Katra Moti Ram, said she got married to Vishal Sehgal in 2008 and since then, was being mentally and physically harassed by her in-laws for bringing insufficient dowry. She alleged that accused made her eat some poisonous substance after a dispute following which she was hospitalised. Those booked include Vishal Sehgal, his father and mother, all residents of Katra Moti Ram. The police said no arrest has been made so far as the case was still under investigation. The accused are still at large.
	Better amritsar heritage monuments—I Historic Ram Bagh Garden faces utter neglect PK Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, August 17 Even as the Union Ministry of Tourism has released a grant of Rs 2.32 crore for accelerating the conservation work of the historic Ram Bagh Garden — the Summer Palace of legendary Sikh ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh – it continues to remain one of the most neglected heritage sites. The tussle between the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the Department of Tourism and Culture, Punjab, over of the possession of this immensely significant historic structure has adversely affected its maintenance. The historic Ram Bagh Garden was declared a monument of national importance in October 2004. However, even after the notification, the ASI does not have possession of the whole premises. It is carrying out the conservation work only on the entrance gate, four watch towers, Hamamghar, Small Baradari and Machhighar. The remaining structures, including the main summer palace, are under the possession of the Punjab Cultural and Tourism Department. The alleged illegal construction of the parking lot, skating ring and pavements has irked the ASI, which claims that it has only dented the heritage value of the structure. The MC authorities on the other hand approached the court for de-notification of a major chunk of the garden’s land. The inordinate delay in the restoration of the garden has become an issue of public outcry. Heritage lovers are disappointed with the progress as even after passing of several years neither the ASI nor the Tourism Department have complete the conservation work. This has resulted in delay in the opening of the Summer Palace for tourists. Hospitality industry has also been pressing for its early opening to prolong the stay of tourists in the holy city. During the conservation work, workers found some resplendent frescoes on the terrace of the palace. The only room on the terrace had been out of the reach of the visitors as it remained locked for several decades. The wall paintings display intricate floral patterns and episodes from the ‘Raas Leela’ of Lord Krishna. The priceless frescoes are an invaluable part of Punjab’s heritage. Morning and the evening walkers often complain that the MC safai karamcharis burn the garbage in order to escape from the process of disposing them of at the designated place. This not only affects the health of visitors but also damages the flora and fauna of the 84-acre garden, which is an important part of the green belt of the city. A corner of the garden has become a dumping ground for the MC staff or privately engaged garbage- pickers. Stray dogs and abandoned animals have also made it their home. Dr Suresh Chauhan, a regular visitor of the garden, condemned the apathetic attitude of the authorities. He said originally, it was planned to restore the original form of the garden, which was constructed on the lines of Shalimar Garden (Lahore). But it is unfortunate that illegal constructions have not stopped. Ironically, Mayor Bakshi Ram Arora’s camp office is located on its premises and Cabinet Minister Anil Joshi is also a regular visitor of the place, he added.
	Sikh body trains volunteers for campaign on drugs Amritsar, August 17 Akaal Purkh Ki Fauj (APKF), a Sikh religious organisation, today held a training session at Bhai Gurdas Hall for volunteers, who would undertake the task of weaning away the youth from drugs through a door-to-door drive in the state. The volunteers converged under the “Galwakdi” campaign initiated by the APKF. APKF director Jaswinder Singh informed that in order achieve the objective of drug-free Punjab, the volunteers would try to connect the youth with the rich Sikh culture and heritage. He said the campaign was started as a pilot project on the martyrdom day of Shaheed Bhai Mani Singh last year. “The success of the campaign prompted us to take it across the state,” he added. Singh said drug addicts were a threat to the law and order situation as they could go to any extent to fulfil their needs. He resolved to approach each Sikh family in the state under the campaign. APKF convener Harpreet Singh said 500 teams with five members each had been constituted and the volunteers would meet 50,000 families in six months. He said the volunteers who have adequate knowledge of Gurbani, Sikh Rehat Maryada (Sikh religious code of conduct), communication skills and knowledge of computers, had been selected for training. Deputy Commissioner Ravi Bhagat also addressed the volunteers on the occasion.
	City pays tributes to Shaheed Madan Lal Dhingra Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service Amritsar, August 17 Addressing a state-level function organised today to commemorate the martyrdom day of Shaheed Madan Lal Dhingra at BBK DAV College for Women, Cabinet Minister Anil Joshi announced that the SAD-BJP coalition government has incorporated a chapter on the life and sacrifice of “son of the soil” in Class IX syllabus from this academic session. He said the state government was committed to educate the young generation about the sacrifices made by Punjabis. “For this, memorials are being built to keep youngsters awaken and linked to their past,” he added. The minister said the sacrifice of Madan Lal Dhingra was duly acknowledged by the state government. He said the martyr challenged the mighty British Empire in their own land. Though he was hanged, his sacrifice inspired the coming generations to continue the struggle to free the country, he added. Joshi felicitated Punjab Shiromani Hindi Sahitkar Dr Harmahinder Singh Bedi, who has researched and written about the contribution of Punjabis, including Dhingra, to the freedom struggle. Bedi has also written a book ‘Rashtrawadi Shaheed-E-Azam Bhagat Singh’. Dr Bedi delivered a speech on the life and sacrifice of Dhingra. Earlier, the Cabinet minister paid floral tributes to the martyr. At the beginning of the programme, a documentary on the martyr was telecast. Students of various schools sung patriotic songs and presented choreography. Anita Devgan theatre group presented a play “Balidan” on the life of the martyr. Nehru Yuva Kendar gave away 50 sports kits to different youth clubs. The families of freedom fighters present during the function were also felicitated. Painting and declamation contests were held. Meanwhile, in a separate programme, Shaheed Madan Lal Dhingra Smarak Samiti spearheaded by Lakshmi Kanta Chawla, paid tributes to the martyr at his statue at Town Hall. She said Dhingra was the first Indian to be martyred overseas in England. He was born on February 18, 1887 in the city. In the course of the freedom struggle, he gunned down Sir William Curzon Wyllie in England. He was executed in London on August 17, 1909 at the age of 26. Besides, All India Students Federation held ‘Young Girls Convention’ to commemorate the sacrifice of the martyr. The federation held a march from Hall Gate to the ancestral house of the martyr, situated at Sikandari Gate. Executive member of Desh Bhagat Yadgar Committee, Jalandhar, Prithpal Singh Marimegha, called Dhingra the first Punjabi martyr in the Indian freedom struggle movement.
	Madan Lal Dhingra park poorly maintained Tribune News Service Amritsar, August 17 Even as Madan Lal Dhingra Memorial Park, situated on the GT Road, was revamped with a grant of Rs 15 lakh last year, overgrown grass and heaps of garbage suggest that it is poorly maintained. No official function was held at the park this year. The park is situated near the International Bus Terminal and adjacent to Dhingra Housing Complex. Two stones have been laid in front of the martyr’s statue. One of them reads: “Shaheed Madan Lal Dhingra, born on February 18, 1887, the fearless freedom fighter, who was hanged for shooting Sir Curzon Wylie in London (England) on July 1, 1909. This brave son of India happily kissed the gallows and sacrificed his life at the altar of freedom.” The green belt developed by the Municipal Corporation in front of the park has not been maintained properly. Overgrown grass and unwanted vegetation growth are seen at the place.
	Insurance firm told to compensate for charging excess amount Manmeet Singh Gill Tribune News Service Amritsar, August 17 The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has directed an insurance company to refund Rs 18,000 charged in excess from a customer. The forum has also directed the company to pay a compensation of Rs 5,000 for causing mental harassment to the complainant. The company has also been directed to pay Rs 2,000 as litigation expenses. Earlier, Ashwani Kumar Sharma, a resident of Katra Mahan Singh Gate, had filed a complaint against Exide Life Insurance stating that he had purchased a policy on the name of his minor daughter. The complainant said he made a payment of Rs 18,000 as premium through ECS from his savings bank account with Oriental Bank of Commerce. He said later, he started paying the instalment through ECS from his account with Punjab National Bank. The company had confirmed the change in the mode of payment through a message on his mobile, he added. Sharma said he paid the next yearly instalment through a cheque but he was surprised to know that the company got the instalment from his other account also. His repeated requests to refund the excess amount were not acknowledged, he added. The company, in its reply, stated that the reason behind the delay in refunding the amount was that the complainant had not submitted the requisite documents for the process. The forum observed that even after knowing that the complainant had already made the payment, the company was not justified in charging the amount from the customer’s second bank account even as he had changed the mode of payment and company had acknowledged the change.
	Illegal food factories must be sealed, say residents Tribune News Service Amritsar, August 17 Chief Parliamentary Secretary Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu’s raids at illegal manufacturing units of packaged drinking water and soft drinks has once again brought to light the business of spurious food flourishing in the city. The incident has evoked a sharp response from residents and officials. Strict action The large number of illegal food factories raided by the department and the results of the tests conducted on samples of well-known food manufacturing units have revealed that the food available in the market is not safe. The government should take strict action against such units. Avneet Singh, a resident Cancellation of licences Poor quality food is a cause of many health problems. If the government really wants to improve the health of citizens, it should cancel licences of all food manufacturing units who sell substandard foods. The food laws should to be made more stringent. BR Preenja, general secretary, Citizens Welfare Forum Need for being vigilant Customers need to be more vigilant. One should not forget to read manufacturing date, batch number, expiry date and other details on the label. Illegal food factories were sealed in the past and the department should not be lenient towards unscrupulous elements involved in making spurious food. Dr Rajiv Bhalla, Civil Surgeon Harmful effects The harmful effect of a food depends on the quality of taste enhancers, preservatives and other chemicals used in its manufacturing. It is generally observed that illegal food factories don’t take any pain to know the harmful effects of ingredients used in the process. There is a need to check the business of illegal food manufacturing. Dr Shayam Sunder Deepti, head of Community Medicine, Government Medical College Official duty We have been taking action against all the illegal food factories and even legal manufacturers who provide sub-standard food. The large number of illegal food factories raided during the last year reveals that department officials are very serious about performing their duties. Amit Joshi, food inspector
	Heroin recovered from undertrial Amritsar, August 17 The Amritsar Central Jail authorities have recovered more than a gram of heroin from an undertrial, Ajaib Singh, son of Narinder Singh, a resident of Phagu, Sirsa. Ajaib Singh was lodged in the jail (FIR number 49/07) under Section 15, 61 and 85 of the NDPS Act, said jail superintendent RK Sharma. “We have recovered 1.560 gm of heroin from him during the routine checking,” he said. A case under Section 22, 61 and 85 of the NDPS Act and 42 of the Prisoner Act has been registered against the accused at the Cantonment police station. An inquiry has also been marked in this regard. — TNS
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