22042022-ATR-01.qxd 4/21/2022 11:41 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar TRIBUNE INDIAN CIRCUS STRUGGLES TO SURVIVE IN THIS DIGITAL ERA PAGE 2 AKSHAY STEPS DOWN AS BRAND AMBASSADOR OF TOBACCO FIRM Animal welfare concerns and the lockdown woes have steadily chipped away at the foundations of circus biz. FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY SKY INBRIEF DENGUE TASK FORCE MEET HELD PHOTO: SUNIL KUMAR Amritsar: A meeting of the district task force in view of the dengue season was held here at the District Administrative Complex. It was attended by the officials of the MC, Local Bodies, Punjab Roadways, Education Department, Water Supply Department, government and private medical colleges, fisheries, panchayats, food supply, mandi board and IMA representatives. Presiding over the meeting, DC (general) Sanjeev Sharma instructed all departments to work as a team with the Health Department to prevent dengue. He said focus should be on checking the breeding of dengue mosquito by raising awareness. TNS CITY’S 1ST E-AUTO UNDER RAAHI Amritsar: To improve public transportation in the city and check rising pollution, the first e-auto, under the Smart City project’s Rejuvenation of AutoRickshaw in Amritsar through Holistic Intervention (RAAHI) scheme, was handed over to Narinder Singh Chaudhary, vice-president, Amritsar Auto Rickshaw Transport Cooperative Society. The keys were delivered by Amritsar North MLA Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh and MC Commissioner Sandeep Rishi. Rishi said two private transport companies have been enlisted under the scheme. He said any autorickshaw driver who wants to exchange his old auto with an e-auto can file his application with the two companies — Mahindra and Piaggio. He said the driver would not only get a subsidy of ~75,000 but also an easy loan from SBI. MLA Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh said the new e-autos would not only help in checking pollution, but also decrease running cost of drivers. He claimed that the cost of travelling a distance of 1-km in a diesel auto is over ~4, but with e-auto it gets reduced to 68 paisa per km. TNS PLAY ON GURU NANAK’S LIFE Amritsar: Students of the department of theatre of Khalsa College staged a play “Vismaad” on the concluding day of Rangmanch Utsav, a three-day theatre festival, at GNDU. Directed by Immanual Singh, a noted theatre person, the play was inspired by Guru’s life. The play had earlier been staged at Singhu Border during farmers’ protest and at various other platforms. It talked about the life and teachings of Guru Nanak Dev and depicted the history of Punjab. Written by Divender Singh, it attempted to give a message to follow Guru Nanak’s teachings and principles as a way of life. Immanual said since theatre possessed the power to engage and empower, plays based on social issues must be encouraged. Another play based on social issues ‘Jooth’ was staged by Awaaz Rangmanch Toli, Gurdaspur. The play was an autobiographical account of ‘Om Prakash Valmiki, a poet and short story writer. Om Prakash through his work highlights the importance of literature in providing a platform for disseminating knowledge about Dalit lives and their experiences. His work stands out as extraordinary for its sheer realistic detail on caste oppression and struggle of weaker castes to get included into the mainstream literature in the country. TNS SAISHA SHINDE TO DONATE FOR WELFARE OF TRANS COMMUNITY Akshay Kumar was recently seen in an advertisement of elaichi for a brand that also makes tobacco. MAX 39°C | MIN 24°C | YESTERDAY MAX 35°C | MIN 26°C Divine shine PAGE 3 SUNSET FRIDAY 7:04 PM She is a fashion designer, who is the woman behind Harnaaz Kaur Sandhu, Miss Universe 2022’s winning gown. SUNRISE SATURDAY 5:53 AM FRIDAY | 22 APRIL 2022 | AMRITSAR Now, spl teams to check fee, other violations by pvt schools 15 committees in each block to hold inquiry into irregularities Tribune News Service During a congregation held at the historic Gurdwara Manji Sahib, Diwan Hall, Amritsar, on the Parkash Purb of Guru Tegh Bahadur, officiating jathedar of Akal Takht, Giani Harpreet Singh, said to gain the trust of Sikhs, the Centre should sincerely fulfil every promise made to them since Partition. “The motive of the martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur was to provide the right to practice any faith/religion to everyone, but today in India, the religious beliefs of minorities are being suppressed. Sikh issues are not being resolved. The promises made to the Sikhs since Partition have not been fulfilled so far and that is why there is an environment of disbelief among the Sikhs,” he said. Two cellphone snatchers held Amritsar, April 21 The CIA staff nabbed two snatchers and recovered 10 mobile phones besides a bike from them. The accused have been identified as Gobinda Singh of Chabba village and Jasvir Singh of Chattiwind Lel village on Mehta Road. Sukhwinder Singh, in charge, CIA staff, said the accused were active near bus stand, The Mall of Amritsar, Chamrang Road and Tarn Taran road. He said the duo were arrested following a tip-off and nine more mobile phones were recovered from them. He said the accused were drug addicts and habitual offenders. They had a number of snatching cases registered against them. — TNS Amritsar, April 21 Taking note of protests and complaints by parents of school students over exorbitant hike in fee and other charges and malpractices by private schools in the sale of books and uniform, the district Education Department has formed 15 monitoring committees in each block in the district to carry out a check and hold inquiry into any irregularities found. In the recent orders issued by DEO Jugraj Singh, threemember committees have been deputed to inspect private schools in the block to check complaints of institutions defying government orders and harassing parents and students on fees and other charges. These committees have so far conducted inspection at 87 schools in the district, issuing warnings or further inspection at 47 private In case parents want to complain against the irregularities or malpractices by any private school, they can directly contact via WhatsApp or call nodal officer, district monitoring and redressal control room, Dharminder Gill on +91 98888 87666 schools. Amid the growing unrest among parents over irregularities in the fee structure of various private schools in the city, these inspections are a part of initiatives by the Education Department to find a solution to harassment of parents by the school managements. Dharminder Singh Gill, the nodal officer of the control room set up by district Education Department to assist these monitoring teams, said each block has been assigned Personal enmity reason behind violence at Anayatpura, says JAS Tribune News Service MARCH 21 INCIDENT Amritsar, April 21 Jamhoori Adhikar Sabha (JAS), an organisation working for human rights and fundamental rights, on Thursday made public its report regarding the violence at Anayatpura village, near Majitha, in which two persons were killed. JAS secretary Yashpal Jhabal, while presenting the report that a four-member committee had visited the village to gather the facts, said the incident was a result of personal enmity between the two groups and had nothing to do with caste or regional differences. Two persons — Suram Din (22) and Ali (32) — belonging to the Gujjar community were killed in a clash with a local farming community on March 21. Residents of Anayatpura village and two groups had a minor alteration earlier after an accident involving a cart and a tractor-trailer. The cart driven by members of the farming community overturned after a tractor-trailer, owned by Gujjars, hit it on a narrow passage. Though none from the two groups were injured, it led to an altercation. A few hours later, the two groups clashed leaving two from Gujjar community dead. He said: “Some communal organisations tried projecting it as a clash between Sikh and Muslims, while others tried to turn it into a conflict between natives and migrants.” The report also raises questions on the functioning of the police. It alleged that the kin of the deceased Gujjars claimed PAGE 4 that they had handed over 130 bullet shells to the police after the firing, but cops claimed they have recovered only six. The committee members including Dr Parminder Singh, Amarjit Singh Bhalla and Gurbachan Singh also demanded immediate action against the persons involved in the firing. a team comprising a principal of the local government school, Block Education Officer and centre head teacher. “Private schools have been asked to display the list of books prescribed in their syllabus and in case of any change, along with their price list to facilitate parents and check any exorbitant amount being charged out of their knowledge. Also, schools have been asked to adhere to the norms while implementing fee hike, as not more than Two killed in road mishaps Amritsar, April 21 An e-rickshaw driver Rakesh Kumar, (65), of Gilwali gate, lost his life when a speeding SUV hit him. He was rushed to a hospital, where he died. SUV driver Sukhwinder Singh of Partap Avenue was arrested but released on bail. Raj Kumar, bus stand, chowki in-charge, said Rakesh was standing on the roadside near Sangam Theatre Chowk, while his son had gone to a shop to buy something. He said the SUV came from behind and hit him due to which his e-rickshaw flipped. Rakesh sustained critical injuries. He was rushed to the Civil Hospital from where he was referred to GNDH, but he died. — TNS 8 per cent fee hike is allowed in the annual fee. Every day, the teams are conducting visits to private schools,” he said. The department is also working out a solution to ensure that private schools follow NCERT books. “The problem is mainly of CBSE and ICSE-affiliated private schools as they do not adhere to NCERT prescribed books. We are looking into the matter,” Dharminder said. The department has also written to the DC office regarding complaints received against a popular private school in regard to charging exorbitant fee during the pandemic. “We had asked the school to waive off the fee of students, whose parents cannot afford to pay, up to 30 per cent or as per the regulations. But the school failed to do so. So, we have written to the DC office to recommend further action,” Gill said. Rajasthan woman raped, one booked Tribune News Service Amritsar, April 21 A resident of Rajasthan was booked by the Beas police for allegedly raping a woman, also from the same state. The incident occurred a month ago, but the complaint was lodged only on Wednesday. The accused has been identified as Satya Narayan, a resident of Shangari in Rajasthan. The victim belongs to Ajmer in Rajasthan. She told the police that she went to a dera here with her family and the accused’s family also used to go there. He used to come to her house as well, she said, alleging that he lured her and brought her to Beas, where he raped her for around a month. She said now, he was threatening her that he will kill her in case she told this to anyone. Perturbed over this, she lodged a complaint with the Beas police, where a case under Section 376 and 506 of the IPC was registered against Satya Narayan and further probe was on. The police said raids were on to nab the suspect while medical examination of the victim was being conducted. Woman hurt in firing, 6 booked for murder bid Tribune News Service Amritsar, April 21 Several armed persons barged into a house and attacked a family leaving a woman injured at Taharpur village, under Mattewal police, here on Wednesday. A case was registered and six persons, including woman sarpanch Baljit Kaur, were booked. Among others booked are Gurjit Singh and his two sons — Arshjot Singh and Yadwinder Singh. Joga Singh told the police that he had filed an RTI plea with the BDPO regarding the account details of funds issued to the Taharpur village panchayat. He alleged that the accused barged into his house on Wednesday and fired several gun shots, which hit his mother leaving her injured. He said as he raised an alarm, the accused fled threatening them of dire consequences. He said he rushed her to Baba Bakala Hospital, where she was under treatment. The police said a case under Sections 307, 506, 452, 323, 120-B (2), 148 and 149 of the IPC and Sections 25/27/54/59 of the Arms Act has been registered against the suspects. SI Emanual Mall, Investigating Officer, said raids were on to nab the culprits. Overcharging at airport parking irks visitors Four months on, hardly any visitor at Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Amritsar, April 21 Visitors at Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport (SGRDJI) are a harried lot, as the parking contractor has been allegedly overcharging. In a recent complaint, a local resident highlighted the practice. Abhit Khurana, a resident, filed a complaint with the airport authorities against the parking contractor and his workers at the airport. Khurana is a regular visitor to the airport and claimed that he was closely monitoring the overcharging practice at the parking. “On the intervening night of April 14 and 15, I visited the airport with my relatives in four cars to drop off a relative. Around 11:15 pm on the 14th, we parked the cars at the airport parking and left around 2:20 am on the 15th. When I reached the barrier of the parking exit, the attendant asked me to pay ~330 per vehicle. I asked him how did he calculate that three hours’ parking charges are ~330? He claimed that it was as per the rate list of the parking,” Khurana said. On the intervening night of April 14 15, visited ❝airport with my relatives in four carsanddropIoff a the to relative. Around 11:15 pm on the 14th, we parked the cars at the airport parking and left around 2:20 am on the 15th. When I reached the barrier of the parking exit, the attendant asked me to pay ~330 per vehicle. I asked him how did he calculate that three hours' parking charges are ~330? He claimed that it was as per the rate list of the parking Abhit Khurana, A RESIDENT ❞ AIRPORT PARKING CHARGES ~20 ■ 30-120 minutes ~55 ■ First 30 minutes ~105 ■ 7 hrs to 24 hrs ~165 ■ 2 hrs to 7hrs Meanwhile, another employee joined the attendant and they entered into a heated argument. “I asked them to call up their manager, to which they said you go and see the manager, but only after paying. c m y b Later, I called the office-bearers of a local NGO to call the airport director. After hearing airport director’s name, the workers asked to pay only ~60 for each vehicle,” Khurana said. “Being a vigilant citizen, it is my duty to bring the matter to the notice of the authorities and demand proper action against wrongdoers. With such false practices, the parking contractor is not only maligning the image of Amritsar airport, but also bringing disgrace to the city. Despite repeated complaints, no action has been taken against the contractor,” he said. The airport officials have assured Khurana that his complaint would be investigated and appropriate action would be taken. “I have written to MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla to conduct a vigilance inquiry into the matter against AAI officials as well as the parking contractor because they are not taking any action despite repeated complaints. If no action will be taken, then we will take this matter to the Aviation ministry,” Abhit said. govt-run ayurvedic de-addiction centre Lack of awareness, shortage of staff to blame PK Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, April 21 Only a few patients have approached the Government Yoga and Ayurvedic De-Addiction Centre that opened at Verka here four months ago. It is country’s first government-run five-bed day boarding de-addiction centre that was inaugurated by the then Deputy Chief Minister OP Soni in December last year for treating drug addicts with Ayurvedic system and medicines without any sideeffects. However, due to lack of awareness among patients, coupled with shortage of staff, the centre is not being utilised to its full potential. Dr Ranbir Singh Kang, District Ayurvedic Officer, said the government-run centre focusses on treating patients not only through Ayurvedic medicines, but also yoga, exercise, meditation and counselling. “We are hoping that the required strength of the staff will be fulfilled in the near Over 7 lakh drug patients in Punjab alone * future as the government has issued the advertisement for the same,” he said. At present, there are two medical officers against three post and two pharmacists. The centre requires two staff nurses and two massagers for treatment of patients. Dr Kang said so far, around 10 patients have recovered through Ayurvedic treatment, that also includes fivestep Panchkarma therapies for complete de-toxification of the body. The therapies also help in rejuvenation of the mind and body. Yoga and psychological counselling of patients is also part of the treatment. Patients are put on treatment after diagnosis on the basis of history and symptoms, he said. Setting up ayurvedic de-addiction centres in the border state is considered significant, as it has been grappling with drug abuse, which has assumed alarming proportions. According to estimates, there are over 7 lakh drug patients in Punjab alone (*). “Ayurvedic method of treatment provides an alternative treatment options to drug abuse patients. At present, they were being treated using Opioid Substitution Therapy (OST) by offering buprenorphine. But it is not considered the right method, as it hooks a patient from one addiction to another resulting in huge number of patients making a beeline outside OAAT centres,” a health official said.