The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Probe begins in stamp duty evasion scam Kulwinder Sandhu Tribune News Service Moga, November 11 Revenue department has begun investigation into a alleged scam of evasion of stamp duty and registration fee on sale of immovable property on powers of attorney and due to non-registration of agreements for sale, which came to light in audit reports in the Moga district. The director of land records of the revenue department based at Jalandhar has issued notices dated October 31 to many deed writers and some officials of the revenue department seeking explanation from them within 15 days. It may be mentioned that a scrutiny of the records of deed writers in an audit in the sub-registrar office revealed that one person made an agreement of sale of land measuring 68 kanal 10 marla on February 26, 2008 with a coloniser for a consideration of Rs 5.99 crore and received the full consideration. This instrument (agreement) for sale was not got registered with the registering authority though the same was required to be registered under Article 5 (cc) of Schedule 1A (for Punjab) of the Indian Stamp Act, 1899. The seller instead executed and got registered another instrument of power of attorney on the same day February 26, 2008 authorising the purchaser to develop the land for all purposes or sell it to any other person for consideration and get the land (in full or part) registered as deeds of conveyance. The instrument of power of attorney was not stamped as required though it contained both the averments specified therein. Further, the deed writers did not submit or report to the registering authority about the instrument of agreement to sell as this instrument was evidencing the delivery of possession of the immovable property agreed to be sold and the receipt of full consideration. When these instruments were cross linked by the auditors, it was proved beyond doubt that provisions related to the power of attorney were being misused resulting in loss of revenue to the State Government. Further, it was observed that the attorney holder subsequently sold this property to other persons by undervaluing the property as against its value mentioned in the sale agreement, which was higher than the value disclosed in the sale deeds. Meanwhile, investigations made by The Tribune had revealed that evasion of stamp duty and registration fee is a common practice being adopted by the colonisers in this district in manipulation with the local authorities resulting into huge revenue losses to the state government, thus, benefiting the land mafia holding stakes in the real estate business.
	Exam, election both important for this ex-MLA Balwant Garg/TNS Malout (Muktsar), November 11 While 55 MLAs in the Punjab Assembly out of a total of 117 have their educational qualification as class XII qualified or less, a former MLA in Malout, Baldev Singh Balamgarh, is all set to improve his qualification, that too after a gap of over 40 years. Moreover, Balamgarh is sure of getting his graduation degree before jumping into the electoral fray in the next state assembly elections. After he failed to clear his economics paper of BA-III (final) in April 2011, some days back, Balamgarh had appeared in the compartment exam. He is sure of clearing the exam before jumping contesting the assembly election with improved qualification. A strong claimant for the Congress party ticket from Malout seat, earlier, Balamgarh had won the Malout seat in 1992. A state president of the Punjab Students Federation during his college days, Balamgarh said he discontinued his study when he was in BA second year in Government College, Muktsar, with the begining of a prolonged students’ agitation in Moga in 1972. “Once I was out of college and joined active politics, I gave no thought to anything else but politics,” he said. “But two year back, when my son graduated as an engineer and my daughter started her computer engineering course in Toronto, there was a sudden urge within me to complete my graduation which I left 40 years back,” said Balamgarh. “I approached the vice- chancellor of the Panjab University, Chandigarh, and expressed my desire to complete my degree course. The VC told me that I had to make a start from BA first year and I made up my mind to resume studies,” said the former MLA. “I chose Political Science, Economics and History as my optional subjects and appeared in the exam. In BA first and second year, my aggregate score was 57 per cnt but I stumbled in BA III year as I failed to clear the economics paper.” “Now I have appeared in the compartment exam and hope to get the result in the next two months,” he said. Political Science and Marxism are his favourite subjects since student days but economics was a new subject for him. So, he failed to clear the paper in his first attempt this time. Punjab Election Watch and the Association for Democratic Reforms, which are civil society organisations working for electoral and political reforms in Punjab, in their recent report about the educational background of MLAs in Punjab, disclosed that a total of two MLAs in Punjab 2007 assembly elections were illiterate, two MLAs were class V pass, 13 are class VIII pass, 21 are class X pass and 17 have class XII qualification. While the number of graduate MLAs is 29, the postgraduate members of the assembly is 14, one has a doctorate and three MLAs did not disclose their qualification to the poll panel.
	Captain to address Abohar rally on Nov 29 Abohar, November 11 Punjab Congress president and former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh will address a rally here on November 29 under the final phase of “Punjab Bachao Yatra”. Local legislator Sunil Jakhar today convened party workers meeting to chalk out arrangements for the same. Notably, Captain had addressed mammoth rally here on December 19, 2006 that proved decisive for the party poll prospects. The meeting, today, was also attended by district youth Congress president Sandeep Jakhar besides presidents of all wings. — OC
	Safai Sewaks call off strike Tribune News Service Bathinda, November 11 Safai Sewaks of Bathinda today called off their eight-day long strike. The city turned into a garbage dump as workers did not pick up waste from market places and residential areas. The piling of garbage exposed residents to serious health hazards. Despite repeated requests by the senior functionaries of the corporation and local political leaders, the workers remained adamant over their demands. The demands of the 381 safai sewaks included regularisation of their job while 75 others sought status of the daily wagers under the Municipal Corporation. A resolution was passed on November 4 by the Municipal Corporation for regularisation of the 381 safai karamcharis. Now a case of their regularisation is pending with the Punjab Government. Councillor from ward number 21, Krishan Kumar Garg said that the safai karamcharis would resume work on Saturday.
	ITBP martyr yet to get his due Anirudh Gupta Ferozepur, November 11 For the last three years, since January 3, 2008, when constable Desha Singh belonging to the 12 battalion of the Indo- Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) attained martyrdom during a suicide bomb attack in Gurguri town of Nimroj province of Afghanistan, where he was posted to provide security cover to the Indian engineers working with the the Border Road Organisation (BRO) on a multimillion dollar road project in Zaranj, his family has been waiting for the state government to fulfill its promise to erect a memorial in his memory at his native village Middha, situated along the Indo-Pakistan border in the district. However, notwithstanding all promises made to his family including the renaming of a village school in his name and construction of a memorial, nothing has moved ahead. “When my father died, many assurances were given to us by the leaders of all parties who had come to our village to pay condolence. However, none have been fulfilled until now,” said Nirmaljit, his son who regretted that several attempts to contact the Chief Minister in this regard have proved to be futile. “We even shown the Shaurya Chakra awarded to my father for his exemplary courage and bravery to the policemen on duty during the CM's visit but they did not pay any heed either,” he said. Harjinder Kaur, the wife of Desha Singh, said though the ITBP gave us the due respect and recognition but all promises made by the State Government proved to be hollow. Subhash Kumar, ex-Sarpanch of the village, said that Sher Singh Ghubaya, who was the Chief Parliamentary Secretary that time, had promised to construct a befitting memorial in the memory of Desha Singh, but it seems he too has forgotten all that. While the ruling SAD seemingly faltered to live up to the expectations of the martyr's family, the Congress legislator Rana Gurmeet Singh Sodhi, on Thursday laid the foundation stone of the welcome gate in his memory at village Middha. Sodhi said that the entire expenditure on the construction of this memorial gate will be borne by him.