Amritsar, September 7
Unidentified robbers broke open an ATM machine of the State Bank of India located near Rajasansi on Amritsar-Ajnala Road and decamped with Rs 26.50 lakh. The armed robbers first overpowered the security guard Harpal Singh and blurred the CCTV cameras with a spray.

Later, they broke open the ATM machine with the help of a gas cutter and took away the cash.

Kanwalpreet Singh, SHO, Rajasansi police, said the incident occurred at around 2.30 am.

Harpal Singh informed that around five unidentified persons armed with sharp weapons and iron rods thrashed him before taking him away from the ATM machine.

After they left, Harpal Singh went to a nearby Gurudwara for help and informed the police.

Kanwalpreet Singh said following the statement of the bank manager, a case under Section 392 of the Indian Penal Code had been registered at the Rajasansi police station in this connection while investigations were under progress.

As per the preliminary probe, the accused seemed to be professionals who first sprayed the CCTV cameras with some substance and later damaged the hard disk to conceal their identities.

This is the perhaps for the first time that a security guard was attacked and an ATM was looted by the armed robbers. Earlier, there were instances wherein the robbers struck at ATM machines which didn’t have any security guards. They took the help of gas cutters to break open the machines and decamped with the money.

In January this year, an ATM of Punjab National Bank was broken open and the robbers decamped with Rs 9.18 lakh. In September last year, some unidentified persons had looted Rs 15 lakh after breaking open an ATM machine of Punjab National Bank at Naushehera Pannuan (Tarn Taran) while in another instance, miscreants took away Rs 10.78 lakh from the State Bank of Patiala ATM at Harsha Chhina in Rajasansi.

Incidentally, no breakthrough has been achieved in these cases even after a year.

Amritsar, September 7
Even as the rain fury has halted in the region, the administrative teams today reviewed the vulnerable sites in the Ajnala area to take preventive measures in the wake of the rising water level in the Ravi river.

ADC (General) Bhupinder Singh, Ajnala SDM Surinder Singh and naib tehsildar Ramdass Robinjit Kaur paid a visit to the Dhusi bandh located along the river near the Shahpur post of the Border Security Force (BSF).

All the officers concerned of the Drainage, Revenue and Police departments have been directed to maintain a round-the-clock vigil.

As per information, there was a flood-like situation near the Ravi flowing along the India-Pakistan border, due to heavy rains recently.

The former sarpanch of Ghonewal village, Jaswant Singh Wala, said around 33 villages are located along the river and the rain has caused damage to the crops, which included paddy, sugarcane, fodder and cauliflower in Ghonewal, Kassowal, Machiwal, Raji Saharan, Shehjada, Mansur and Pachhian villages.

ADC Bhupinder Singh said the water table, which was noted at 4. 90 lakh cusecs, had risen to 5.50 lakh cusecs by the afternoon.

“Yet the situation was not tense as it seems to have receded by late in the evening today,” he said.

SDM Surinder Singh said a detailed report of the damage to the crop was being prepared.

“This report would be sent to the government. As soon as we receive directions, we will start an exercise for a special girdawari to compensate the aggrieved farmers,” he said.

Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Harpartap Singh Ajnala also conducted a tour of the area today and briefed Member of Parliament from Amritsar Capt Amarinder Singh about the situation.

While expressing his sympathies for the affected farmers in Ajnala and Rajasansi areas, he urged the government to assess their losses and provide adequate compensation.

The former Chief Minister said the floods had become a regular feature and it was important to construct embankments on the Ravi river from Dharamkot to Saharan to check danger in future.

He said he would also take up the matter with the Central government so that embankments are built at the earliest.

Amritsar, September 7
The SGPC has constituted a three-member committee to look into the damage caused to Sikhs living in Jawahar Nagar and Mahijur Nagar in Jammu and Kashmir, which have been hit by floods.

In a statement issued here today, Daljit Singh Bedi, additional secretary, SGPC, said floods had wreaked havoc in the Valley and a number of Sikh dominated areas have been badly affected.

He said a three-member delegation would leave for Jammu and Kashmir tomorrow. The Sikhs living in the affected areas have appealed to the SGPC for help.

The committee would submit its report to SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar, following which, action would be initiated accordingly.

Amritsar, September 7
Even as the restoration work of the historic Bunga Ramgarhia seems to have come to a grinding halt, the SGPC authorities say the work has slowed down a bit and is all set to enter its final phase soon.

Talking to The Tribune, SGPC officials, who are looking after the project, said the restoration work would soon enter into the third phase in which the work on flooring would begin.

Besides, the work on lighting on its four floors will also commence along with it. The authorities are planning to put up special lights to properly project different parts of the historical monument.

According to sources, the plan to have a museum inside the Bunga Ramgarhia has been changed.

It will now be preserved as a heritage building and will be thrown open to devotees once its restoration work is complete.

The Bunga’s basement accommodates a hall where Maharaja Jassa Singh Ramgarhia used to hold his court — ‘Diwan-e-Khas’. The royal seat of the Maharaja at ‘Diwan-e-Khas’ has been kept much lower than the Harmandar Sahib, which testifies the faith and respect he had in the Guru.

The basement also has a prison and a treasury room, besides a well. The middle basement and the lower basement have a room each.

Meanwhile, the Ramgarhia community leader Onkar Singh Sandhu said they would like to see an entry point leading to the Bunga through the ‘parikarma’ of the Golden Temple so that the pilgrims may see it while paying obeisance at the holy shrine.

He said it would turn out to be a big draw among the pilgrims just like the Central Sikh Museum. He felt that if its entry point was made from some other side, it would affect the number of people visiting it.

He also demanded that a museum be set up inside it as per the previous plan to depict the history of Maharaja Jassa Singh Ramgarhia.

Those associated with the project say they are making it sure that the originality of the structure is retained as much as possible. However, the left wing of the building has already suffered on this count as a few years back the roof was built afresh by a baba performing the ‘kar sewa’.

Those engaged in the ‘kar sewa’ had also built walls under the arches on the ground floor and fixed doors to convert verandahs into rooms. The brickwork (Nanakshahi bricks) was plastered and painted at many places.

However, now, the restoration work is being carried out in consultation with conservation experts. The work on the project started on April 18, 2008, and those working on it attribute the delay to intricate work involved in restoring the structure.

About Bunga Ramgarhia

Built by eminent Sikh warrior Maharaja Jassa Singh Ramgarhia in 1794, Bunga Ramgarhia is a fine piece of architectural marvel and civil engineering expertise.

It is structurally supported on parabolic arches decorated with cornices and the projections are supported by architraves and brackets.

Two minarets of 156 feet each, which were constructed for surveillance in and around the Golden Temple, are also a part of it.

Royal prisoner

A joint Sikh army known as Dal Khalsa, comprising forces of Sardar Jassa Singh Ahluwalia, Sardar Jassa Singh Ramgarhia and Sardar Baghel Singh, attacked the Mughal ruler in Delhi and occupied the Red Fort in 1783.

During the brief occupation by the Khalsa army, Sardar Ramgarhia removed the royal throne. He fettered it with chains and ropes and brought it to Amritsar to present it before the Almighty as a war prisoner.

Presently, the seat of the throne measuring six feet in length, four feet in breadth and nine inches in thickness is placed in a tilted position, symbolising its surrender before the Golden Temple, on the ground floor of the Bunga Ramgarhia.

The roof of the ground floor is supported by 44 red stone pillars brought by Maharaja Ramgarhia from the Red Fort.

Amritsar, September 7
Instead of resenting the loss of historic gates, the All India Sardar Jassa Singh Ramgarhia Federation (AIJSRF) has set up an example of community participation for a cause as it is busy raising Darwaja Ramgarhia at Chattiwind Chowk.

The AIJSRF was committed to raising Darwaja Ahluwalia at Gheo Mandi Chownk as well, said Onkar Singh Sandhu, president, AIJSRF.

He held the government responsible for wasting 10 years making promises of raising the historic gate at its expense.

He recalled that a green signal for the construction of Darwaja Ramgarhia and Darwaja Ahluwalia was given by the Municipal Corporation way back on January 17, 2003.

The promises by the Tourism Department to raise the gates proved only to be a lip service as nothing came out, he added.

He said members of the AIJSRF were pooling in their own resources to fund the construction of gates, besides a grant of Rs 2 lakh from the DSGMC.

The AIJSRF got the approval to construct these gates, yet various government and non-government agencies were creating hurdles to prevent its construction, he added.

He informed that the construction would be complete within the next six months.

The holy city was historically walled and had 12 gates. These are believed to have been built during the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The wall has almost vanished with time and many gates have also disappeared.

The place with old architectural buildings and narrow streets called as the Walled City has its wall fast crumbling as the archaeological preservers and the administration have chosen to ignore it. The wall has collapsed at many places. At other places, people have set up illegal shops making it hardly visible to an outsider.

The two gates were believed to have been demolished after the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The rich heritage was vandalised when the Sikh leadership was totally demoralised after the annexation of Punjab by the British, following the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

Though the British administration had tried to reconstruct some of the historical gates, they named most of the sites after English administrators.

A map of the Municipal Committee, Amritsar, published before the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, depicts 12 historical gates, including Darwaza Ramgarhia and Darwaza Ahluwalia.

These gates were mentioned in the map of the Amritsar Corporation in 1849. Similarly, Bhagtanwala, Lohgarh, Shera wala and Ram Bagh gates exist only in records rather than reality.

Pillars at Hakima Wala and Sulatanwind intersections remind the existence of these gates, which once stood over these places.

Amritsar, September 7
Though the state government is making tall claims of transforming Amritsar into a world-class city, yet the basic commuting infrastructure calls for immediate attention. Poor planning and workmanship have been exposed during the incessant rains that hit the city recently.

Key road stretches, which include the main elevated road on the entrance of holy city, the stretch between Hall Gate and Bhandari Bridge is in shambles.

Ironically, the newly laid road leading to Guru Ram Dass Ji International Airport and the road on Kitchlew Chowk have developed cracks. According to information these roads were constructed a few months ago.

The entrance point of the elevated road on the Amritsar-Jalandhar GT Road shows the faulty planning by the authorities concerned. The exit point too, near Alpha one Mall, can be cited as another case of flawed planning. Knee-deep water collects at both these points whenever it rains. It is quite astonishing that over Rs 200 crore has been spent to build the elevated road, but no one pondered over the idea of providing proper drainage of rain water. Commuting on the elevated road, which leads to the city, and a part of it also connects to the Golden Temple, has become quite risky.

Rain water stagnates over the elevated road as the water outlet channels often get blocked. At many places on this road potholes have come up due to seepage of rain water. Despite recent repairs after many accidents were reported from this stretch, these potholes emerged again. It has exposed the half-hearted exercise of repairs being carried out by the authorities concerned.

Similarly, the road leading from Hall Gate to Bhandari Bridge, which acts as a city’s life line as it connects the old city with the rest of the Civil Lines area, besides catering to the traffic flow coming from the walled city area, is broken at many places. Being the busiest stretch, it has to bear the load of heavy traffic coming from Hall Gate as well as from the elevated road, which takes a U-turn to reach Bhandari Bridge.

The locals, who use this route daily, are well aware of these rough patches and manage to steer clear of these potholes. But the outsiders, who have no idea of the road condition, have no choice except applying sudden brakes after noticing rough patches. This is quite risky as there are fair chances of vehicles colliding from behind on applying sudden brakes. Ironically, officials of the Municipal Corporation and the city Mayor cross this stretch daily to reach their office, but the dilapidated condition of this road seldom catches their fancy. 

Amritsar, September 7
Guru Nanak Dev University has formally launched the integrated system of enterprise resource planning (ERP). It will enable students to fill their admission forms online from anywhere. However, this facility, at present, will cater only those students, who will appear as private candidates. It will be extended for the regular students at a later stage.

With the computerisation of the whole system, which includes the admission process, results, students’ inquiry, it will become much easier for the staff to do their job.

Any private student can check details relating to fees etc by using the system. The programme was introduced by Infinite Computer Solutions (India) Limited, Bangalore, in the presence of Manoj Chawla and Satinder Singh, representatives of the company.

Vice-Chancellor, Prof Ajaib Singh Brar, who formally inaugurated the system, said the main objective of this programme was to improve transparency and efficiency, which would assist the planning process through relevant and timely information.

“It will facilitate users with self-service capabilities through web-enabled application, besides provide support to administrative and departmental management. It will also minimise human efforts and provide single data entry and validation capabilities to maintain sophisticated functioning of the unit,” said the Vice-Chancellor. 

Amritsar, September 7
Various city-based NGOs have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to start India’s first bullet train on the Amritsar-Ahmedabad-Mumbai via Ferozepur route.

They said it would provide better and speedy connectivity to the entire stretch of the western sector bordering Pakistan.

The representatives of various NGOs, including, Khudai-Khidmatgaaran, Mission Aagaaz, Brick Kiln Association and Progressive Farmers, have asked the Prime Minister to link the holy city with prominent western cities such as Mumbai and Ahmedabad.

Dr AL Adlakha, project advisor, Mission Aagaaz, said a bullet train would be of immense utility for defence purposes such as fast movement of troops and arms and ammunition to Amritsar in difficult times.

It would be a major step in our country’s defence preparedness, he said.

He said operationalisation of the rail link between these two districts would reduce the distance between Ferozepur and Amritsar from the present 196 km by road to 82 km by train.

He opined that the same line would shorten the distance between the holy city and Mumbai-Ahmedabad by 240 km. Even the distance between Jammu and Mumbai would be shortened by 267 km.

Inderjit Singh Makkar, a member of the Brick Kiln Association, elaborated that from the business point of view, it would be a tremendous boost to trade as it would considerably reduce transportation expenses.

Running of a bullet train from and to Amritsar would immensely boost tourism and would help tourists all over the world to visit the most sacred Sikh shrine — Golden Temple, he said.

The bullet train would act as a booster to the textile industry in Amritsar as the industrialists and traders can visit Ahmadabad and Mumbai, which are the hubs of textile industry, he said.

Besides, the first bullet train running between Amritsar and Mumbai via Ahmedabad, would be a suitable memorial to the martyrs of Jallianwala Bagh, said PS Bhatti, president, Khudai-Khidmatgaaran.

Amritsar September 7
District Congress Committee (Rural) president Gurjeet Singh Aujla today met the families who suffered loss of life and property due to the incessant rains that lashed the city for around 72 hours.

To take stock of the situation, Aujla visited Manawala village, Jassonangal, Preet Vihar and Gali Bania (Chowk Lashmansar).

Offering his condolences, Aujla conveyed Amritsar Member of Parliament Capt Amarinder Singh’s message to the bereaved families. He said the Congress MP’s office would ensure that these families would get support for reconstructing their damaged houses.

Three houses in Manawala village had collapsed but luckily, there was no loss of life. A family at Jassonangal lost 5 members. Four members lost their lives due to roof collapse whereas the fifth could not bear heart seizure while he was trying to rescue two other members stuck under the collapsed roof.

A lady lost her life in Preet Vihar while she was trying to shift her belongings as the roof of her house collapsed upon her.

Aujla also visited a bereaved family in Gali Bania (Chowk Lashmansar) who lost its young son.

“We assured all the families that Capt Amarinder Singh and Congress are working for the compensation and reconstruction of the houses they owned. The data of loss of life and property will be sent to Capt Amarinder Singh by evening as he is abroad for another 2 weeks. Capt Amarinder Singh has conveyed us that he himself would see to the matter so that the families could get the required support to restart their lives,” he said.

Amritsar, September 7
Member of Parliament from the city, Capt Amarinder Singh, today expressed grave concern over the increasing attacks on members of the Sikh community, living in the restive province of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan. He said urgent measures were needed to be taken to restore the confidence of the Sikhs living in a minority there.

He appealed to the External Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj, to convey India’s concern to the Pakistani government as the Sikhs were feeling unsafe and insecure after repeated attacks, in which many member of the community were killed and injured.

In a statement today, Capt Amarinder said another Sikh businessman was shot dead in Peshawar yesterday. This was the third attack in one month, which has created panic among the Sikhs. Two people died while many others were injured in these attacks in a span of less than a month, he added.

“What is concerning us the most is the impunity with which the people are being killed and the perpetrators going scot-free,” Capt Amarinder said, adding that, “Till now not a single culprit has been identified leave aside being arrested or prosecuted for these attacks.”

The former Punjab Chief Minister hoped that both the federal and provincial governments in Pakistan would ensure the security of the minorities there, particularly the Sikhs, who had come under increased attacks. He said the Government of India must flag the issue for the attention of authorities there.

“This is cause of concern in India as the Sikhs are being selectively targeted in the recent attacks at an alarming regularity,” he added. Captain urged the Central government to convey a firm message to Pakistan that there was growing concern in India over what was happening in Peshawar for the last one month. 

Amritsar, September 7
In order to spread awareness about healthy eating and balanced diet, especially amongst the younger generation and wean them away from junk food, Amandeep Hospital celebrated “National Nutrition Week” on its premises today.

The main aim of the event was to educate youngsters about better eating habits and good nutritious food. An open poster making contest and cooking competition on the theme of ‘balanced diet’ was also organised at the OPD Clinic of the hospital. As many as 21 students of seven educational institutes participated in competitions, which included on-the-spot poster making and preparation of dishes.

Sunnia of SR Government College, bagged second prize in cooking competition and third in poster making.

The first prize in the cooking competition was won by Tripjot Kaur of SR Government College. Rohit from Amritsar College of Hotel management and Technology was placed third in the contest.

Students prepared betroot biryani, channa stuffed idli, sambar, nutri palak with macroni salad, soya granules, dahi shorba soup, fat-free dal and pumpkin soya soup.

In the poster making competition, Sandeep Kaur and Mandeep Kaur, both from Khalsa College for Women, won the first and second prize while Sunnia bagged the third place.

The seven colleges, which participated in the competitions, include Amritsar Engineering College, Khalsa College for Women, Swami Satyanand College of Management, Hindu Sabha College, BBK DAV College for Women, Global Institute of Management and Saroop Rani Government College for Women.

Dr Neeta Goenka, organiser, nutritionist and clinical dietician of Amandeep Hospital, addressed the students. She said, “Sedentary lifestyle coupled with decreasing physical activity amongst youngsters hooked to internet, mobiles and TV is a cause of concern. Rich Punjabi diet is not healthy. Junk food leads to high incidence of health problems along with obesity.”

Nivedita Kapoor, a nutritionist and Ravneet Kaur, a CDPO, were the judges in the cooking competition. Dr Kamaldeep Sharma, a dental surgeon, was the chief guest on the occasion. 

Amritsar, September 7
Thieves decamped with gold and silver jewellery, besides other valuables in two separate burglary incidents reported from the Batala road area last night.

Sudesh Kalia, a resident of Khuh Kundian Wala, located in Sandhu Colony, Batala Road, in a complaint to the police stated that she and her family had gone to attend a marriage function of her nephew at a resort. Sudesh said at 3.30 am, when she along with her family returned from marriage, they found the locks broken and house ransacked. She said unidentified persons decamped with gold and silver ornaments worth several lakh, besides clothes and other expensive household items.

In another case some unidentified persons took away mobile phones after breaking open locks of a shop located at Vishal Vihar. Keshav Gupta, a resident of Vishal Vihar, said the accused also took away cash besides mobile phones .

The police have registered a case under Sections 457, 380 of the IPC at Sadar police station in this connection.