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Illegal hotels around Golden Temple
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City-based shutterbug wins award in fashion photography
Amritsar, August 19 On World Photography Day, city-based photographer Manmohit Singh made the city proud by winning the award for ‘Best Fashion and Wedding Photographer in Punjab’ at Global Lifestyle Awards held in Delhi.
Hoteliers’ strike puts tourists to hardship; SGPC sarais come to rescue
Tourists were inconvenienced as a result of the strike call given by the hoteliers’ association in Amritsar on Tuesday. photo: Vishal Kumar
Hostel inmates return as GNDU reopens, security up
GNDU students return to their hostel as studies resumed from Tuesday in Amritsar. photo: R K Soni
Flute sisters captivate audience
Flute sisters Suchismita and Debopriya perform at a concert in Amritsar on Tuesday. A Tribune photograph
Power lifter to compete in Moscow championship
Family members protest man’s arrest in ‘false’ drugs case
Meritorious school catches on with students
A class in progress at the meritorious school in Amritsar on Tuesday. PHOTO: RK Soni
Jaitley invited to inaugurate management institute
NGO writes to PM regarding felling of trees
ESI Hospital runs without radiologist
Lok Adalat to be held on Aug 30
Passengers suffer as railway station sans proper seating arrangement
KVS sports meet begins
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Illegal hotels around Golden Temple GS Paul Tribune News Service
Amritsar, August 19 The action against them was recommended by the Special Investigation Team (SIT), which has to submit a report in this regard in the Punjab and Haryana High Court on August 22. The SIT had identified 21 commercial establishments, which did not comply with the stipulated bylaws, the action, however, has been planned against 15 units only as the proprietors of the remaining six units had procured stay orders from the high court. A local resident, Sarbjit Singh Verka, had challenged the functioning of illegal hospitality units around the Golden Temple. It was on the recommendation of the high court that the SIT was formed comprising Principal Secretary Rahul Tiwari, Amritsar Deputy Commissioner Ravi Bhagat and Chief Administrator of the Amritsar Development Authority Sandeep Rishi. The MC authorities have already written to the Deputy Commissioner and the Police Commissioner to provide assistance in the sealing drive. Meanwhile, the hoteliers of the walled city today held a meeting and decided unanimously to “wait and watch” the action that would be taken by the authorities tomorrow. The 72-hour notice served upon them came to an end this evening. Around 125 hotel and guest house owners in the vicinity of the Golden Temple have closed shop indefinitely to protest against the government’s move to displace them. Surinder Singh, president of the Federation of Hotel and Guest Houses Association of Amritsar, condemned the “harsh” step taken by the government. “On the one hand, announcements were being made to regularise us, while, on the other hand, such insensitive steps are being planned. We will react only when the authorities take concrete action,” he said. Officialspeak
MC Commissioner Pardeep Sabharwal said, “We are firm on sealing illegal commercial units, which are included in the SIT’s report. We have asked the Deputy Commissioner to depute a duty magistrate and the Police Commissioner to deploy police force to assist us during the sealing drive. Hotels, guest houses, inns that may face action
Hotel CJ International, Hotel Indus, Temple View Guest House, Swagat Guest House, Sachdeva Guest House, Hotel Sita Niwas, Jai Bir (Sakhi Inn), SGPC-run Sri Guru Gobind Singh Sarai, Hotel Heritage Inn, Dera Baba Jagtar Singh Sarai, Alagh Guest House, Nishkam International Sarai, Hotel Golden Paradise, Mata Kaulan Sangat Niwas Sarai, Sindhi Niwas Dharamshala, Guru Angad Dev Implal Sangat Niwas, Hotel Mercury Inn, Hotel Hari Darshan, Hotel Sapphire, Hotel Le-Golden.
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City-based shutterbug wins award in fashion photography
Amritsar, August 19 A gold medalist in concept-based photography, Manmohit, who studied in Delhi and is now based in the city, was presented the award in the presence of eminent persons such as former finance minister Anil K Shastri, Col Sudha Yadav, former MP, MB Athreya, Padma Bhushan recipient and renowned management advisor and Justice JD Kapoor, former Judge, High Court of Delhi. Running his studio — Golden City Studio at Lawrance Road, Manmohit shared his passion for the lens and the growing curiosity for concept photography. “Ït’s a vast industry and every click may not be a winning one. But I attempted innovative photography and it seems to have worked,” he said. He said his maiden award had come as a surprise and encouragement. In the field as a professional photographer for some time now, Manmohit primarily does wedding and commercial photography. He has done a few shoots for prominent corporate houses and designer labels in the city. His photography was also a part of the exhibition at International Film Festival this year. He had also travelled to Canada to shoot for concept-based themes. “But fashion photography is all about out-of-the-box ideas,” he said. “I use my own models and locations for shoots. I have been shooting special features for city-based five star hotels, jewellery brands and hospitals. Photography is not just limited to weddings and moods, it’s about a visual representation of any product of service today,” he said.
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Hoteliers’ strike puts tourists to hardship; SGPC sarais come to rescue
Amritsar, August 19 However, hotel industry insiders say that the call to shut hotels, guest houses and inns has not received the desired response from hoteliers and many of them continue to rent out rooms to visitors. The strike call, however, has pushed up room rents as those allowing visitors to check in are charging more, making them believe that they are doing a favour to them as the association has the hoteliers’ association has given a call for strike. The SGPC employees at serais inside the Golden Temple complex said that the rush had increased at the serais, but they had managed to tackle the increased flow of pilgrims. “Usually, shortage of space surfaces on weekends and when religious congregations are to be held. There is not much rush these days and serais are coping well,” said an employee. A tourist from West Bengal, Rajsekhar, said, “We have been told that the tariff has gone up as hoteliers are on a strike. We have a plan to stay and visit the Wagah border in the evening and visit the Golden Temple again early in the morning.” He said that finally they found accommodation at the SGPC’s serai. The tourists generally prefer to stay near the Golden Temple as it makes their early morning visits easier. The Golden Temple is surrounded by hundreds of hotels and guest houses where one can easily find a decent room for a few hundred rupees. A hoteliers’ association insider said on condition of anonymity, “Only around 70 per cent of the 125 hotels and guest houses, which are stated to be illegal, have closed shop indefinitely on the association’s call.” He said not much impact had been seen as summer holidays had just come to an end and it was considered a lean month by the hoteliers.
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Hostel inmates return as GNDU reopens, security up
Amritsar, August 19 Following a number of incidents of intruders sneaking in in the girls’ hostel, the boundary wall of the hostel is being raised up to 12 feet and patrolling along the wall has been intensified. The lighting arrangements on the campus, too, were being improved. Similarly, the estimate for installing CCTV cameras has been finalised. If university officials were to be believed, it will take another 10-12 days to get the cameras installed in all crucial nooks and corners. The process of recruiting staff in the security team has been completed. Six women security guards, especially for the hostel premises, have been deployed. At present, there are 140 security guards on the campus. Col Harbans Singh, the Security In Charge of the GNDU, said that three additional security guards for night shifts had been put on duty for the girls’ hostel besides the women guards who would be deputed in late hours. The powers of Col Harbans Singh, too, have been enhanced. It has been learnt that from now onwards, he will have direct control over the security management staff, which include Dean, Students Welfare, wardens and assistant wardens. “Now, there will be four guards, who will keep a vigil from 5 pm to 9 am, and the women guards will be deputed from 8 pm to 5 am in the hostel’s corridors and students’ accommodation. The security around the boundary wall has been enhanced. There will be two guards patrolling on both sides of the wall. The idea is to keep a vigil on the road passing along the boundary wall as the girls had complained that some notorious elements often pass obnoxious remarks and make indecent gestures while passing by,” he said. Col Harbans Singh said that one-third of the boundary wall had been raised and work was still under progress. “Around 100 labourers have been pressed into service to get the things done at the earliest. The CCTV cameras will be installed within 10 days as all formalities have been completed.
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Flute sisters captivate audience
Amritsar, August 19
A day after Krishna Janamashtami celebrations, the Society for Promotion of Indian Classical Music and Culture Amongst Youth (SPICMACAY) brought Suchismita and Debopriya to regale the connoisseurs of Indian classical music here. Accompanied on the tabla by Mithilesh Kumar Jha, the sisters began the recital with raag Ahir Bhairav. The flute sisters attributed their choice of flute as an instrument to the encouragement they received from their parents, who were musicians in Allahabad. They began training under Pandit Bholanath Prasanna and later went on to take flute lessons from Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia. In response to a question, both sisters stated in unison that there was no competition between them when they were on the stage. This harmony between the sisters was visible at the performance here when they played flute on classical ragas. They held raga Yaman as a complete raga.
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Power lifter to compete in Moscow championship
Amritsar, August 19 His coach, Vishal Khanna, who is also an international powerlifter, expressed his happiness and hope for the young athlete. “He has been training continuously for months. Power lifting is all about passion and hard work as it is double the challenge, lifting heavy weights without any protective gear or equipment,” he said. This will be the first time that Lovedeep Singh will be participating professionally in the international arena. With his mentor by his side, Lovedeep Singh hopes to promote and popularise the sport by a successful competition run. “Power lifting, too, has no takers in the country, there are no state-sponsored training centres for the sport in the country, which is sad considering the game is becoming popular in Europe and Asia. Agreed Khanna, “The difference is not just with the infrastructure, but the attitude. Professionals sportspersons in countries outside India pursue sports for passion while here people are more concerned about securing a job and the amount of money that comes with the sport. The Indian Olympics Association has recognised the sport, but still we go on organising events without any sponsors and financial aid.” Khanna is sure the game will pick up pace, once it becomes popular.
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Family members protest man’s arrest in ‘false’ drugs case
Amritsar, August 19 According to the police, a case registered against Gurparkash Singh Sunny, a readymade garments seller in the market opposite to the railway station, was arrested on June 29 while he was going from Tarn Taran to Patti. The FIR states that 500 gm of smack was recovered from Sunny’s possession. However, the family members said the police had concocted a story as Sunny was arrested from the market on June 26. “A local newspaper had published the news on June 27 that a youngster named Sunny was arrested from opposite the railway station on the basis of suspicion,” said Satnam Singh, Sunny’s uncle. He alleged that the police officials who had picked Sunny had threatened to register a case against him, if their demand for money was not met. “The police registered the case after three days as the family failed to meet their demand,” he alleged. The family members stated that they had met the Inspector General on July 16 and requested him to get an inquiry conducted. They said the police officials had not taken notice of the request made by the family and the enquiry had not started yet.
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Meritorious school catches on with students
Amritsar, August 19 With a special liking for Mathematics, she is looking forward to carve out a future in the subject. She scored 86 per cent in the subject in the matriculation examinations. Another student Harchand Singh found the standard of English very high and he accepted it as a challenge. A resident of Madar Mathra Bhaji village in Tarn Taran, he is residing away from his family for the first time. And so are majority of the students in the school. Another student Taranjan Kumar of Kot village in the Pathankot district is all praise for the rigorous study schedule. Staying in a family, it was difficult to get study culture around as each individual has different priorities, he said. In contrast, here all students are focused towards study, he added. Similar views were echoed by Navneet Kaur of Kandla village in the Gurdaspur district. All of them are out of bed at 5 in the morning. At 5:30 am, they converge on the ground for a 30-minute exercise. Fifty minutes are reserved for breakfast starting at 7 am. At 8 am, the school starts its regular teaching, which lasts till 1:50 pm. The teaching hours include a short break. An hour is kept for lunch from 2 pm to 3 pm. Another two hours in the evening are reserved for extra classes and 45 minutes for games followed by dinner. At 8:10 pm, the students go back to their rooms in the hostel for self study. Another student Savita of Amritsar said she scored a little over 91 per cent in mathematics. She feels that getting admission to the school has paved way for her dreams of joining a leading engineering institute in the country. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s ambitious project of model school started functioning here in the first week of August. Even as 371 students were admitted to the school, 19 of them did not join for personal reasons. Most of the students admitted to the school are girls. The faculty has multiple tasks of teaching and counselling as majority of students are away from their families for the first time. Initially, the state government hired 19 faculty members for the school. Four teachers each have been hired for physics and chemistry, two teachers each for biology, mathematics, English, Punjabi and physical education. Arrangements are made for stay of the teachers on the campus as it would also help in striking a bond between the teachers and students.
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Jaitley invited to inaugurate management institute
Amritsar, August 19 Chadha said this in a meeting with Jaitley during the latter’s visit to the city yesterday. Chadha acquainted Jaitley with the glorious history of the CKD, its welfare projects and achievements in social and educational spheres. In turn, Jaitley applauded the selfless services and contribution of CKD in decreasing the illiteracy rate in the region. He assured support, assistance and co-operation to CKD.
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NGO writes to PM regarding felling of trees
Amritsar, August 19 The communiqué has stated that unabated, rampant and mindless cutting of trees (including several sacred peepal and bargad trees) was being carried on to facilitate the Bus Rapid Transport System (BRTS) project. He said, “The state government is bent upon eroding the green cover of the city in the name of the BRTS project without analysing the performance of City Bus Service (CBS).” The CBS was started amid much pomp and show just 7 months earlier. More than 1,200 fully grown trees, including peepal and bargad, which are of immense environmental as well as religious value faced the axe within last six months. Though it is a prerequisite to obtain the approval of the House of Councillors while making important decisions regarding the property of the Corporation, the NOCs for cutting trees valuing crores of rupees were issued clandestinely by throwing all rules to the wind.
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ESI Hospital runs without radiologist
Amritsar, August 19 The officials at the hospital said they had sent repeated requests to the senior authorities for appointment of a radiologist. In the absence of the ultrasound facility, the patients have to get the scans done from private diagnostic centres. As per the user charges rate list revised by the state government recently, a patient has to pay Rs 200 for ultrasound scan. However, the private centres charge Rs 450 onwards. Patients said they can save money and time if the scans are available at the hospital. “The machine at the hospital is rusting, as it is not being used. On the other hand, people have to pay more at the private centres. The hospital should start the facility at the earliest,” said Kamaljit Kaur, a patient. Officials at the hospital said apart from a radiologist, posts are also vacant in many other specialities. The government must fill the vacant posts to provide better services at the institute, they added.
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Lok Adalat to be held on Aug 30
Amritsar, August 19 “Any person, having a pending case in the court, can make a request to the concerned court or can approach the office of Secretary, District Legal Services Authority, Amritsar, at Alternative Dispute Resolution Centre,” said Aggarwal. “Settlement of cases through the Lok Adalat provide speedy disposal of cases, and in case, a matter is settled in the Lok Adalat, the entire court fee paid by the party is refunded. Moreover, the award of the Lok Adalat is deemed to be a decree of the Civil Court and is final, as no appeal can be filed against the same,” he added. He said not only pending cases were taken up in the Lok Adalat ,but the pre-litigative cases could also be taken up in the Lok Adalat.
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Passengers suffer as railway station sans proper seating arrangement
Amritsar, August 19 Elderly and women said as the authorities had set up escalators and food plaza, they should also focus on creating basic facilities. In fact, the new food plaza has occupied a large portion of the railway station. “A large number of tourists visit the city daily. It creates a bad impression, if people sit on the ground. Setting up of more waiting halls at the station would ease the problem,” said Jagjit Singh, a passenger. The passengers said there are concrete benches at the local bus stand for the convenience of the passengers which can be provided at the railway station too. “The railway station, too, can construct concrete benches so that passengers are not forced to sit on ground,” said another passenger.
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KVS sports meet begins
Amritsar, August 19 As many as 194 players and 25 escorts from 20 Kendriya Vidyalayas are participating in the meet. An impressive march past was the main attraction of the day. It was followed by a colourful cultural programme organised on the occasion.
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Amritsar, August 19
Amritsar, August 19
Amritsar, August 19
Amritsar, August 19
Amritsar, August 19
