15112023-ATR-01.qxd 11/15/2023 12:09 AM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR CAMPAIGNING FOR CIVIC BODY POLLS YET TO BEGIN IN CITY PHYSICALLY ATTRACTED TO WOMEN, SAYS SINGER BILLIE GUNEET, VIKAS COLLABORATE FOR FILM AMERICAN SIKH Despite the announcement of Municipal Corporation poll, political activity in the city is negligible. P2 Singer Billie Eilish says she is physically attracted to women and also intimidated by their presence. P3 The amazing true story of Vishavjit Singh, a Sikh man who was born in America and wears a turban. P4 » » MAX 26°C | MIN 13°C YESTERDAY MAX 26°C | MIN 13°C SUNSET WEDNESDAY 5.31 PM SUNRISE THURSDAY 6.59 AM » WEDNESDAY | 15 NOVEMBER 2023 | AMRITSAR Cops fail to deliver, no FIR lodged against violators of cracker rules Man shot at, injured on Diwali night Tribune News Service Our Correspondent Amritsar, November 14 Though a large number of firecracker enthusiasts flouted the government orders allowing the bursting of firecrackers only for two hours, the local police have not registered even a single case for violating the orders. The government orders had restricted the bursting of firecrackers to two hours on Diwali from 8 pm to 10 pm. However, a violation of the orders was witnessed in the city as high decibel noise of firecrackers could be heard till midnight on the day of Diwali. On the directions of the Supreme Court, the state government had ordered to burst firecrackers for only two hours. It was aimed at curbing air and sound pollution. However, the orders failed to bring any visible change as a celebratory mood took over environmental concerns. Sharanjeet Singh, a local Tarn Taran, November 14 Prabhjit Singh, a resident of the local Kajikot road, was shot at by his neighbour on Diwali night. He has been admitted to a private hospital in Amritsar where his condition is said to be stable. Jhilmil Singh Fauji, neighbour of the injured, has been booked under Section 307 of IPC read along with Section 25, 27, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act. Prabhjit Singh, in his complaint to city police, Tarn Taran, said that on Diwali night, he was displaying lights on the roof of his house when the accused Jhilmil Singh opened fire as a result of which he was injured and had to be admitted to a hospital in Amritsar. The two had entered into an altercation some time back and were not on good terms. The accused is absconding, said police. CKD to hold workshop to revive Gurmat music soon A few youngsters kept bursting fireworks well past midnight on Diwali in Amritsar. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR resident, said in their area, a few youngsters continued bursting crackers till 3 am of next day. “They started bursting crackers after around 11pm and continued well past midnight,” he said, adding that the local administration should have implemented the orders strictly as firecrackers caused huge air pollution. Deputy Commissioner of Police Parminder Singh Bhandal said, “Apart from set- ting up special nakas to ensure security on the festival night, we had conducted extensive patrolling in most of the city areas.” He said the police along with the local administration had appealed to the residents to adhere to the government guidelines. The DCP said they had not received any reports regarding violation of the government orders either from the patrolling parties or local residents. Cricket fervour Gurbaxpuri Tarn Taran, November 14 A case of embezzlement to the tune of Rs 35.24 lakh has been unearthed in the working of Community Health Centre (CHC), Mianwind, in the district. Following an inquiry report by the Civil Surgeon, Verowal police have booked Ravinderpal Singh, Senior Assistant, and Balkar Singh, peon of the CHC, under Section 409 and 120-B of IPC on Monday. Civil Surgeon Dr Gurpreet Singh Rai said the inquiry conducted in this regard by the department was sent to the district police months back for further action against the accused but the police registered the case only on Monday. The Civil Surgeon said that the Senior Assistant has Our Correspondent The Community Health Centre at Mianwind in Tarn Taran. already been suspended. Regarding the case, police said here on Tuesday that the embezzlement process started from December 12, 2020 and lasted till May 5, 2023. Sources said the accused Ravinderpal Singh and Balkar Singh, in connivance with each other, credited in their own accounts the payment which was to be made in the accounts of nine employees. The amount related to the arrears of salary or other payment due to the employees which had not been made. The employees had been protesting against the embezzlement but the administration did not give them a hearing. Police said the accused Ravinderpal Singh credited Rs 18.77 lakh in his account and Balkar Singh Rs 14.46 lakh. The amount was to be credited in the accounts of nine employees. Officials of the department said the defalcation had perturbed senior officials. Senior CHC officials too have been booked in the case registered previously in this respect. Officials said the total amount is worth Rs 35.24 lakh which had been siphoned off jointly by Senior Assistant Ravinderpal Singh and Balkar Singh, a Class IV employee. ASI Avtar Singh, investigating officer (IO), said further proceedings had been initiated after registering the case. The amount of Rs 35.24 lakh was part of salaries, arrears and GPF . Inadequate parking space leads to traffic jams in city Charanjit Singh Teja A cricket fan flies a kite decorated with pictures of Indian cricketers ahead of the semi-final match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in Amritsar on Tuesday. TRIBUNE PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR Gas pipeline work in Hall Bazar affects traffic movement in city Amritsar, November 14 Commuters are undergoing extreme inconvenience as congestion on the main road in Hall Bazar has escalated after the roadside was dug up for laying of underground gas pipeline. It led to traffic snarls with traffic management plans proving to be thoroughly inadequate. The road leading to the Golden Temple and leading commercial markets inside the walled city remains jampacked. To top it, the pipe-laying work exacerbated the situation with traffic on alternative routes having doubled. Traffic flow has now shifted to adjoining roads which are narrow. Harjit Singh, a vendor, said long queues of vehicles were witnessed throughout the day. Due to the pipe- laying work, traffic jams become frequent and motorists continue to honk which causes extreme noise pollution. Police book Senior Assistant and peon of Mianwind CHC Sessions Judge visits Patti jail, talks to inmates Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 14 The Dharam Prachar Committee of Chief Khalsa Diwan has announced a twoday workshop dedicated to the forthcoming Parkash Utsav of Guru Nanak Dev. This was decided in a meeting held under the chairmanship of CKD president Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjar. The workshops will be held with the aim of reviving the ancient kirtan tradition with tanti saaj, adopted and propagated by the Gurus. “These workshops have been designed to create awareness and educate about the traditional tanti saaj which were string instruments used for kirtan. During the workshop, the students would be trained about Gurmat music using these tanti saaj,” informed Dr Nijjer. The Sikh scholars addressing the workshop will also educate students about the four Sahibzadas and prominent events in Sikh history. ~35L CHC funds for payment of salaries, arrears embezzled Centre releases funds for road repairs in SAD MLA’s area Tribune News Service Traffic moves at a snail’s pace on the road in Hall Gate in Amritsar on Tuesday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR Residents lament that the authorities should have carried out the pipe-laying work at night to avoid traffic hassles. Besides, they added that tourist buses should not be allowed on the road to avoid heavy traffic. The traffic problem has spilled over to adjoining roads like inside of ring road along the walled city, road along the Gol Bagh and Ram Bagh. Officials of the gas pipeline laying company said they were aware of the high traffic flow on the popular road. So, a small machine was engaged for the job which occupies only a small space while traffic can move on the road. It may have slowed down the movement but at no point of time was vehicular traffic stopped, they pointed out. — TNS Amritsar, November 14 Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) legislator Ganieve Kaur Majithia today inaugurated the Rs 10.31 crore project to repair the Majitha-Fatehgarh Churian road under the Central Road and Infrastructure Fund (CRIF). Ganieve Majithia had earlier taken up the issue in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha while detailing how the road, which was repaired and widened during the time of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) government in 2013, had virtually turned into a death trap. She had also highlighted the fact that the road was not repaired in 2018-19 as scheduled and was not being repaired with state funds by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) continued on page 2 c m y b Tarn Taran, November 14 Priya Sood, District and Sessions Judge-cum Chairperson District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), along with Pratima Arora, Chief Judicial Magistrate-cum-District Secretary DLSA and Shilpa, Chief Judicial Magistrate, paid a surprise visit to sub jail at Patti. She interacted with inmates to redress their problems and grievances. The District and Sessions Judge visited the barracks of the jail and took stock of the sanitation conditions. The judge ordered the jail authorities to medically examine the inmates regularly. The judge also inspected the kitchen. She also apprised the inmates of their rights and said from the lower to the Supreme Court free legal aid was being provided to the under-trial inmates in case of their need. The forms of needy inmates were filled for free legal aid to be given to them. The Judge also advised the inmates to be responsible and law-abiding citizens of the country. Tribune News Service Amritsar, November 14 Though residents and visitors to the city have been facing long traffic jams since the beginning of the festival season, the Amritsar Municipal Corporation has failed to provide adequate parking space to the parking of vehicles. In a recent auction, the MC had invited tenders for operating eight parking lots in the city. Private contractors had shown interest in four out of the eight parking lots, but even after opening the technical bid several days ago, the MC has not allotted the contract yet. Of these new parking lots, the MC is going to allot the contract of parking at Old Sabji Mandi outside Hall Gate. It will provide a major relief to residents as there is no parking lot around the walled city area and everyone has to go inside the walled city on their own vehicle. There are around 15 parking lots of the municipal corporation across the city. During the past few years, the MC has Scooters parked illegally outside a private hospital in Amritsar on Tuesday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR changed the terms and conditions for the parking contractors and now it demands the fund in advance along with bank guarantee. Despite reducing the contract money, only five parking lots of the MC are functional till date. Recently, the MC had conducted e-bid of 8 parking lots, but still there was no taker for four parking lots. There are some parking lots, including Parwati Hospital, Dukh Niwaran Hospital and Court Road, which are not functional. Now, the MC may finalise four parking lots — Guru Nanak Bhawan, Old Sabji Mandi, DTO office and KD Hospital — soon. “Inadequate parking space leads to traffic jams on roads. Visitors park their vehicles haphazardly on the roadside, leading to a chaos on roads. The MC should make all its parking lots functional to manage vehicular traffic in the city. More parking lots should be constructed around the walled city,” said Harmanbir Singh, a resident. Amusing tale of a grandma’s recipes for kitchen Amritsar, November 14 Of the many family legacies that most of us have inherited (willingly or otherwise), the most common is our grandma’s secret recipes that have stood the test of time. While most enjoy indulging in this culinary treasure trove every once in a while, award winning celebrated author Natasha Sharma has in fact derived inspiration from her grandma’s recipes, not just for kitchen but also for life, to pen down a short and impressive book, Biji’s in the Kitchen! Natasha was hosted for a book reading session of Biji’s in The Kitchen by The Language Lab in city. Natasha Sharma, who was born in Amritsar, has vividly taken cues from the city’s food heritage and painted a lively, engaging narrative through the story of her grandmother, Biji, as we say in Punjabi, is a bad cook, loves to create food mishmashes, but never gives up. “The book has been inspired Author Natasha Sharma (in blue) and Navreet at the book reading session on ‘Biji’s in the Kitchen!’ in Amritsar on Tuesday. by my own grandmother, who was way ahead of her time. She couldn’t cook, but could ride a bike through the narrow bylanes of Amritsar. She was someone who would not conform to society’s norms about how women should behave or do,” shared Natasha. Through recollections of her Biji, Natasha Sharma narrated the bond she shared with her and how she would politely taste all her mishmashes without any complaints. Biji used to take her to taste the famed street delicacies like jalebis or lassi; she would tell her to keep trying to achieve her goals and never give up, despite the odds, quite like Biji’s own attempts at cooking a delicacy for the kids. With 25 odd books to her credit, including the History Mystery series and others, Natasha shared how it is always hard to begin a new book, especially for kids. “I have always tried to bring in my own experiences as a child growing up in Amritsar and things around me, to tell a story. So, most of my books somehow find a connection with Amritsar. I feel humour is one thing that finds instant connection with kids and when you tell them something without being preachy, it gets their attention.” Navreet Kapoor from The Language Lab said such storytelling sessions are a great literary resource for children. “Reading opens up a world of imagination, knowledge and helps build up vocabulary of kids. It not only helps in expanding their knowledge but also introduces them to new concepts. The Language Lab is a literary studio that engages children of different age-groups in reading, storytelling and building vocabulary through creative exercises.” — TNS