03122022-ATR-01.qxd 12/3/2022 12:21 AM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar TRIBUNE GOVT TRYING TO GRAB FARM LANDS, ALLEGE PROTESTERS The leaders holding the pucca morcha have alleged that the govt is trying to grab farmers’ lands. FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY PAGE 2 PAGE 3 AJAY DEVGN, ROHIT SHETTY TO REUNITE FOR SINGHAM AGAIN COMEDIAN JAMIE LEVER SET FOR ACTING DEBUT WITH CUDDLES The director-actor duo has forged a strong bond while working together in franchise like Golmaal and Singham. MAX 24°C | MIN 10°C | YESTERDAY MAX 25°C | MIN 10°C SUNSET SATURDAY 5:26 PM PAGE 4 Starring Jamie Lever, Viveck Vaswani & Komal Chhabria, it will be streaming live on Disney+ Hotstar from Dec 3. SUNRISE SUNDAY 7:14 AM SATURDAY | 3 DECEMBER 2022 | AMRITSAR city MC shifts vends to designated spot Haphazard parking onjams roads leading to traffic 50 moved from bus stand to vending zone outside Suraj-Chanda-Tara complex Street market outside ❝old vegetable market the Tribune News Service Amritsar, December 2 In the wake of the regular traffic jams, the Estate Wing of the Municipal Corporation (MC) shifted vends from bus stand area to vending zone outside the Suraj-ChandaTara here today. The vendors protested the action and kept their kiosks closed in protest. The MC claimed that the vending zone in front of Suraj-Chanda-Tara is ready and as part of the campaign launched by the MC and the police to remove street vendors from roads and footpaths, the MC today shifted some vends to vending zone. Estate Officer Dharmendrajit Singh and Rambagh police station SHO Rajwinder Kaur, along with their respective teams visited Rambagh, Mansingh Chowk bus stand and removed the vends from the roads. During the drive, about 50 vends were shifted from these areas in front of the Suraj-Chanda-Tara complex. Estate officer Dharmendrajit Singh said all vendors from Rambagh to hall gate and in front of Suraj Chanda PVR has almost been prepared. Street vending zones will be set up in other areas of the city as well. ❞ Sandeep Rishi, MUNICIPAL COMMISSIONER Vehicles parked in a disorganised manner on roadsides in Amritsar on Friday. PHOTOS: SUNIL KUMAR (Clockwise from top) MC officials seize the furniture of vendors; cops try to pacify street vendors and Rehri and Fari Union members bang utensils to protest MC’s action in Amritsar on Friday. VISHAL KUMAR Mana Singh Chowk and from the entry gate and exit gate of the bus stand will be shifted to the vending zone. He said the MC will continue the campaign together with the police. The MC officials claimed that Smart market was being developed by the MC in front of Suraj-Chanda-Tara. Municipal Health Officer Scarcity of vehicles hits garbage collection in city Dr Kiran Kumar, along with his team, also reached the spot. He inspected the cleanliness in the market. He told the street vendors that the MC would ensure cleanliness in the vending zone and vendors should also cooperate in this. He said from tomorrow big and small dustbins will also be installed there and street vendors should put the garbage in the dustbin only. Municipal Corporation Commissioner Sandeep Rishi said the street market outside the old vegetable market hall gate and in front of Suraj Chanda PVR has almost been prepared. He said street vending zones will be set up in other areas of the city as well. STRETCH OF PROBLEMS Neeraj Bagga Amritsar, December 2 Setting up of a large number of commercial establishments without adequate parking facilities in the city is causing congestion on city roads. The vehicles parked outside these establishments have become bottlenecks for the smooth flow of traffic. During the past two decades, a number of shopping malls, outlets, showrooms, etc, have come up on the main roads. A large number of these establishments do not have parking TANGLED MESS PHOTO: SUNIL KUMAR Tribune News Service The numbers of all vehicles, the name of the driver and the mobile number of the driver were taken. After checking continuously for one and a half hours, a total of 198 vehicles were able to run in the city from all three parking lots. The company claimed that 244 vehicles are used for door-to-door garbage collection. There are 48 vehicles are on reserve duty in case of any vehicle breakdown, it can be replaced. Due to plying fewer vehicles by the door-to-door garbage collection company, garbage collection was not being done properly in the city. Moreover, garbage is also dumped outside by the people on roads. The practice affects the ranking of city cleanliness survey of the year 2023. Kumar said a report has been submitted to the higher authorities. “After the physical verification by the teams a report has been given to the higher authorities. Appropriate action will be taken against the company as per the rules,” he said. lots of their own. Those do have the space it is insufficient to accommodate adequate number of two wheelers and four wheelers. For instance, a massive store selling grocery items on the Lawrence road does not have space to park four wheelers. Yet a number of cars can be seen parked not only on the roads outside it but also on the adjoining roads. Similar, scene can be found outside a hospital on the GT road and the Mall road. Similar situation can be seen Maze of power cables in colonies threat to residents Neeraj Bagga Garbage collection vehicles in a shambles in Amritsar on Saturday. a number of shopping malls, outlets, showrooms, hospitals, ration stores and establishments have come up on the main roads. However, these either do not have parking lots of their own or have insufficient space to accommodate vehicles. Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Amritsar, December 2 The Health Wing of the Municipal Corporation (MC) conducted an inspection of the door-to-door collection vehicles and found that a large number of vehicles are off road. The MC had been regularly receiving complaints about the irregular service by the solid waste management company, hired by the MC for collecting door-to-door garbage in the city. On the directions of MC Commissioner Sandeep Rishi, three teams were formed by the MC’s Health Department to check the garbage collection vehicles by the company yesterday. The vehicles were parked by the company at Ranjit Avenue, Narayangarh in Chheharta area and Bhagtanwala area. Under the supervision of Health Officer Dr Kiran Kumar, the vehicles were sent for door-to-door collection of garbage in the city. LACK OF PARKING SPACE MAJOR ISSUE ■ During the past two decades, Amritsar, December 2 Dangerously dangling low wires, especially the hightension variety passing over houses, are a problem for the residents. These houses can be found in unregulated colonies, most of which were approved during the erstwhile SAD-BJP regime. The occupants of these houses live under constant threat. Many accidents, including those which resulted in deaths, have been reported due to these electricity wires in the recent past. The residents have been demanding the relocation of these power transmission lines at the earliest. Peeved locals even raised an alarm which elicited quick assurance from the political leaders but the work to remove high-tension wires proceeded only at a snail’s pace. Unable to pay for the skyrocketing cost of housing, families in need but with little High-tension wires over a residential area in New Dashmesh Nagar, Jodda Phatak, in Amritsar on Friday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR means get trapped in buying these houses. High-tension 11,000 kW electricity wires running close to rooftops are a bane for the residents of many city areas. One can see high-tension electricity wires passing over localities such as New Dashmesh Nagar, Indira Colony, Mohkampura, Azad Nagar and other areas. Officials of the PSPCL washed their hands of saying that in most cases, the poles and wires were installed long before the localities came up. The residents have often requested the government to shift the wires but each time the power corporation asked them to bear the shifting charges. The cobweb of electricity wires visible in the walled city is attributed to the area being developed centuries ago. The entire area is a mixed-use locality meaning no distinction between residential and commercial areas. However, a large number of unapproved colonies developed later in other parts of the city are battling similar problems like narrow streets, existence of mixed-use areas besides passing of wires, including hightension cables over the houses. These houses can be found in localities situated on the Batala road, Majitha road, around Jodda Phatak and in other parts of the city. Many accidents involving high-tension wires were reported in which people either lost their lives or were maimed and critically injured. For instance, two school children of Government Elementary School in the Mustafabad area on Batala road sustained injuries when they came into contact with high-tension wires passing over the school’s rooftop in 2013. A youth was killed while another sustained injuries when they touched high-tension wires accidentally passing over the roof of a godown in the Gilwali Gate area in February 2012. Some years ago, a three-year-old girl, Diya, lost her hand after coming into contact with high-tension wires. on Mall Road, Lawrence Road, Batala Road, GT Road, Majitha Road. Vehicles can be seen parked on both sides of Queens’ Road, categorised as a prime commercial stretch, leading to traffic congestion. Adjoining, Mall road is another example of unauthorised parking of vehicles on its one side which has a number of commercial outlets. Mayor Karamjit Singh Rintu said he would direct the staff concerned address the issue. drone mapping on cards p2 Cops get 5-day remand of two drug traffickers Amritsar, December 2 The preliminary investigation into the arrest of two gangsters following cross firing and 4-km chase on Thursday, has revealed that they were targeting another alleged drug trafficker, Harpal Singh, of Chheharta. The police had arrested Baldev Singh alias Ravi of Kapatgarh area in Chheharta along with Robin Singh aka Robin of Tarn Taran with five sophisticated weapons on Thursday. They had a dispute with Harpal over drug money. Both were produced before a local court, which sent them to five-day police remand. A senior police official privy to the investigations revealed that it was suspected that Baldev Singh alias Ravi was also involved in the snatching case in which a jeweller was looted from Rigo bridge in mid October this year. However, it was yet to be confirmed and investigations were on in this regard. — TNS Minister’s heritage trail promise keeps hope alive for Thatheras Not part of Brar’s panel, ❝There are a few buyers for thatheras Neha Walia Tribune News Service Amritsar, December 2 Cabinet minister Harbhajan Singh ETO, MLA from Jandiala Guru, recently announced that the government would develop a heritage trail along the Thathera bazaar in Jandiala Guru to promote the famed craft before the city hosts the G20 summit. While the announcement sends a hope among the handful of Thathera artisans left in the Jandiala, it is definitely not the first attempt to support and help the age-old traditional Thatera craft survive the onslaught of globalisation and capitalism. The Thatheras of Jandi- utensils. Despite several attempts to popularise it, people have become used to polymer-based and plastic utensils. Sadly, not many families are keen to pass on the art to the next generation. ❞ Pratap, A RETAILER AT HALL GATE ala Guru, who represent the traditional technique of making hand beaten, brass and copper utensils in Punjab since Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s time, have been endorsed in the National List of Intangible Culture Heritage 2020 after, they had received the UNESCO’s coveted tag of intangible cultural heritage back in 2014. Since then, several projects to revive the craft and help the artisans community have been announced. A handful of families are left to carry the legacy of rich craftsmenship that was once known for its intricacies and shear skill. “There are a few buyers for thatheras utensils, despite the several attempts to popularise it as people have become used to c m y b the plastic and other polymer-based utensils, which are cheaper and have flooded the market. The fact is that not many families are keen on passing on the craftsmanship to their next generation shows the struggle,” shared Pratap, a retailer of thatera and other utensils at Hall Gate. Pratap’s grandfather and is family were thatera artisans but he got into selling utensils and not making them as it offered better income. Today, the average cost of a bottle or a bowl made in Thatera technique costs somewhere between Rs 800-1500, even more for a set of cutlery. For most artists, the cost of making is not covered let alone feeding their families. The average cost of making thatera utensils, commonly used in kitchen till 80s and 90s, has also increased with respect to its selling price. In recent time, due to private curators and stakeholder involvement, thatera utensils have been made popular with overseas crowd given their sustainability factor and vintage appeal. Limited visibility through exhibitions and sponsored, curated displays have ensured that thatera doesn’t fade from our memory. But the efforts seem short of giving a fresh lease of life to the community of artisans and their craft, which is on ventilator. saysSADleaderPakhoke Amritsar, December 2 Senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Alvinderpal Singh Pakhoke today denied having any connection with the coordination committee formed by party rebel Jagmeet Brar. “I have been a loyal soldier of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) for 45 years and am not part of any anti-party activity,” Pakhoke clarified. Alwinderpal Singh Pakhoke, who served as the senior vice-president of SAD and acting head of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, said he was surprised that Jagmeet Brar had included his name in the coordination committee without his consent. He made it clear that neither had he met Jagmeet Brar, nor ever had a phone conversation with him. Brar also had not taken his consent to include his name in the coordination committee, he said. No matter how many parties Brar himself has changed, I have worked only for the Shiromani Akali Dal for 45 years on different positions in the party, he said, and added that the leadership of the party remained undisputed. Pakhoke criticised Jagmeet Brar for shifting his loyalty frequently saying he has never stayed in any party for more than a year. — TNS