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| Saturday, January 1, 2000, Chandigarh, India  
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More funds ‘needed’ for farm research Jagir Kaur bereaved Engineers cry for promotions |
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Upbeat mood at Swaagat-2000 Police drive against drugs Penning odes for martyrs PHRO Dy Chairman flays SGPC action
Lab technician, ahlmad arrested Rape case takes new turn CBI probe sought into murder case 70 militants held in 1999
Row over shops’ price revision Proposal pending for 8 years Need for economic reforms stressed
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Punjab Ministry expanded CHANDIGARH, Dec 31 — The strength of the Punjab Council of Ministers rose to 41 with the induction of 15 new members here today. In the much-awaited expansion, Mr Parkash Singh Badal has elevated 10 Ministers of State to Cabinet rank and added five new ones, namely Mr Adesh Partap Singh, Dr Baldev Raj Chawla, Mr Natha Singh Dalam, Mrs S.K. Sandhu and Mr J.S. Garcha. At the same time, at least 10 MLAs were inducted as Ministers of State, all for the first time. They are Mr Sujan Singh, Master Tara Singh Ladal, Mr Ranjit Singh Ballian, Mr Gobind Singh Longowal, Mr Ajaib Singh Mukhmailpur, Mr Tikshan Sud, Mr Balbir Singh Chaudhary, Mr Gulzar Singh Ranike, Mr Sohan Singh Thandal and Mrs Mohinder Kaur. The oath of office and secrecy was administered at Punjab Raj Bhavan by the Governor, Lt-Gen J.F.R. Jacob (retired). The swearing in was done in batches of five each after the Chief Secretary, Mr R.S. Mann, read out the warrants of appointment. Going by statistics, Mr Badal has inducted 13 Akali and two BJP MLAs into his Council of Ministers. This raises the strength of Akali representatives to 34 (out of 74 MLAs in a house of 117) while the number of the BJP, SAD’s coalition partner, ministers now is seven. Thus, Punjab now has a council comprising of 31 Cabinet rank and 10 Ministers of State. This is the first expansion since February 1997. The allocation of portfolios is expected in a day or two. It would mean reshuffling of some of the existing portfolios to adjust the new entrants and also those elevated to Cabinet rank. Mr Badal said there would be no more expansions. But he did not rule out adjustment of some MLAs and non-MLAs in various boards and corporations. Mr Badal does not subscribe to the generally held belief that a 41-member-strong ministry was unwarranted or it would mean additional financial burden on the State, which is already facing acute financial crisis. Talking to medipersons at Raj Bhavan after the swearing-in ceremony, Mr Badal said the numbers commensurate with the "workload". It would lead to better "monitoring" of the administrative and development works. The expenditure would be curbed. But he did not say how much a Minister cost the exchequer every month. Independent observers said the expansion was a "political reward". Some others called it "political bribe" to those who had enabled Mr Badal consolidate his position in the religio-political domain of Sikh politics. Another view was that those left out could be wooed by the dissidents, who are down but not out, despite the action already taken against Mr G.S. Tohra and the "suspension" of Mr Ravi Inder Singh, MLA from Morinda. Demand for his expulsion from within the SAD is being voiced everyday. Mr Badal has tried to give due representation to all districts, barring smaller ones like Nawanshahr, Mansa and Fatehgarh Sahib. He was confident the 41-member ministry would work for the "welfare of the State". He ruled out any dissensions, referred to the "cohesive" functioning of the SAD and spoke of orderly law and order in the State compared to other political parties and states. At the swearing-in ceremony, prominent among those present was former Chief Minister, Mr Harcharan Singh Brar, and former Congress MP Mr Surinder Singh Kairon. After all, Mr Adesh Partap Singh, son-in-law of Mr Badal and son of Mr Surinder Singh Kairon was being inducted in as a Cabinet Minister. The Ministers of State who have been elevated to Cabinet rank are Mr Sewa Singh Sekhwan, Mr S.S. Langah, Mr Gobind Singh Kanjla, Mr J.S. Sekhon, Mr Sikandar Singh Maluka, Mr Ajit Singh Kohar, Mr Chiranji Lal Garg, Mr Swarna Ram, Mr Nusrat Ali and Mr Surjit Jiani. Many eyebrows have been raised over such a large ministry, which will mean an additional 15 Contessa cars and escorts, furnishing of ministerial bungalows and offices, complete with air conditioners etc., secretarial staff and of course, the expenses on telephones, travel, petrol, oil and lubricants and the usual perks etc. |
Tohra criticises expansion CHANDIGARH, Dec 31 — Former SGPC President, Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra, today described the expansion of the Badal ministry as an attempt to buy stability through sheer political manipulation. Talking to TNS from Amritsar, Mr Tohra, who leads the rival Akali Dal, said the burden on the already depleted exchequer apart, Mr Parkash Singh Badal had indulged in the worst kind of political thuggery. Mr Tohra said ministry of 41 members when the state had no money to spend on development was a cruel joke. " What had we promised to the people of Punjab who had suffered for such long years and what have we given them.? Mr Badal had described the large ministry under Congress Chief Minister Harcharan Singh Brar as Ali Baba Chalis Chor. What should this expansion be called"? he asked. Mr Tohra saw a deeper game in the expansion. "Very soon you would find Bibi Jagir Kaur quitting her seat and Mr Sukhbir Singh, son of the Chief Minister, trying to enter the assembly. He would then be the Chief Minister. This is the real game. I was thrown out and later others were thrown from the Akali Dal by Mr Badal who treats the Akali Dal as his personal property, to pave the way for his son to become the Chief Minister", Mr Tohra said in an angry tone. According to Mr Tohra, each minister would cost Rs 5 lakh a month. He would have a bungalow, full staff, two cars and the security staff with extra jeeps, besides telephone and travelling allowances. Mr Badal in one go has added a burden of Rs 75 lakh per month on the hapless state which had no money to pay bills and salaries. "Mr Badal is a coward and a scared person and he has purchased peace by luring MLAs. He will add more and appoint many as chairmen of the boards and corporation", he added. |
Punjab ministry expansion flayed BATHINDA, Dec 31 — Mr Hardev Arshi, a CPI member, today condemned the induction of 15 MLAs into the Cabinet by the Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal. In a press note issued here, he pointed out that induction of such a large number of MLAs into the Cabinet at a time when the state was facing financial crunch was unwise step of Mr Badal. He pointed out that the state would be burdened more financially with the increase in the number of ministers. AMRITSAR: A former SGPC President and chief of the SHSAD, Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra, on Friday criticised the expansion of the Punjab ministry. In a statement issued here, Mr Tohra remarked that this amounted to political corruption to keep disgruntled legislators at his back. Mr Tohra questioned the expansion saying that when the state government was not able to pay salaries to its employees what was the need to put extra burden on the state exchequer. He further accused Mr Badal for accommodating his family members and close relatives in the Cabinet thus making the Akali Dal as party of his family members. |
More funds ‘needed’ for farm research CHANDIGARH, Dec 31 — As Punjab steps into the New Year, there is a word of caution. Since the economy of Punjab is predominantly dependent upon agriculture, therefore, stepping up production and sustaining it is imperative. This is required to be achieved for three purposes — rural development, poverty reduction and for food security. Today, though Punjab’s agriculture, in terms of production, has shown impressive progress but the economic condition of agriculturists is a major concern, both for agricultural scientists and the policy-makers. Particularly, Punjab has to protect 45 per cent of the farming population, owning less than two hectares of land. Their number continues to increase at an alarming rate — 10,000 every year. The question is how to augment their income, increase rural employment and resuscitate agro-economy. It is in this context that Punjab Agricultural University Vice-Chancellor, Dr G.S. Kalkat, has sent a word of caution, warning, if one may say, to the State Government. In a communication to the Financial Commissioner, Development, Mr Y.S. Ratra, he has referred to the acute paucity of funds to continue much needed research. If the government failed to provide the money research labs would be adversely affected and so would demonstrative technologies. Dr Kalkat has suggested a way out. He has come up with the proposal that "additional fund at the rate of Re 1 per quintal of marketed agricultural produce of major farm commodities (to begin with wheat and rice) should be placed at the disposal of the PAU and earmarked specifically for demonstrating new technologies and no part of that should be spent on salaries or other allowances." The government is still examining the proposal. In fact the World Bank too in a document, titled "India towards rural development and poverty reduction" has focused on what is required to be done in the farm sector. It has expressed concern that agriculture growth is less well distributed across regions. "It is declining in star performing states (Punjab, Haryana and to a lesser extent West Bengal), and deteriorating in the Eastern states and Uttar Pradesh, where rural poverty is concentrated, the document says. Dr Kalkat, on the other hand, has also cautioned on challenges ahead — fragmentation of holdings is one since small holdings are less profitable. Unless Punjab were to adopt "need-based programmes, institutional mechanism and policy initiative" to effectively and expeditiously address new challenges, Punjab would suffer. |
Upbeat mood at Swaagat-2000 PATIALA, Dec 31 — A dense fog and a delayed start acted as a dampner on the new millennium celebrations titled Swaagat-2000 organised by Rajindra Gymkhana Club in its premises here late last evening. While the schedule announced the start of the variety programme at 7.00 p.m., the events actually began after 9.00 pm. Till then the crowd braved the chilly evening, made more harsh by the presence of a dense fog getting thicker every minute. However, the patience ran out by about 11 by which time the main participants — Manpreet Akhtar of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai fame and Pammi Bai, an upcoming Punjabi folk singer gave their performance. The crowd did enjoy malvai gidha and bhangra presented by a cultural troupe of Punjab police, a force more popular for harsh policing than in the field of music. While the cultural troupe set the mood for the evening, it were the fillers presented by Mantokling Club in the form of fast dancing tunes and songs which brought the audience on its feet. Those who could not control themselves assembled on the dance floor which was soon overcrowded. Yet, everyone found room for dancing. The most enthralling feature was of the performance of a team of eunuchs. One is used to see them performing on streets. But to watch them on stage backed by colourful lights and propel music instruments was a novel experience. The troupe presented folk songs sung on happy occasions. Finally, Pammi Bai, an upcoming folk singer, began performance at about 11 Duniya to jann nun jee nee karda was well received. Another one Majhe Malwe Doabe dian bolian also evoked good response. When Manpreet Akhtar, the Chief attraction of the evening, presented herself at about midnight, only a handful of people were left. The audience, however, supported her in each rhythm. Akhtar’s popular number Tujhe yaad na meri aayee of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai movie held the crowd spellbound. She also sang some folk numbers like Akhe lag ja lal meri pat rakhiao and ended with a mirza folk song. By the time the evening came to an end, dense fog had penetrated deep into the shamiana, making visibility very poor. At the end of the programme the newly elected team of the club management was introduced. The organisers explained that they had organised Swaagat-2000 on December 30 instead of the last day of the year so that the residents had time to celebrate the new millennum in their own personal way. |
Police drive against drugs BATHINDA, Dec 31 — The district police authorities have launched a campaign here today to make the district drug-free by the end of year 2000 in association with the non-government and voluntary organisations. Addressing a press conference here Mr Jatinder K. Jain, SSP, said that police would try to smash illegal business of the smugglers of poppy husk and opium. He added that a campaign would also be launched from tomorrow for the verification of the licences of chemists having shops in the district. Mr Jain pointed out that to check the inflow of poppy husk and opium from Haryana and Rajasthan, he would take up the matter with the police heads of Sriganganagar and Hanumangarh districts of Rajasthan state of Sirsa and Hisar districts of Haryana state. He said that the police with the help of NGOs and voluntary organisations would also check the sale of organic and inorganic intoxicants at the chemists’ shops. He disclosed that for the campaign of drug-free Bathinda in 2000, weekly and daily de-addiction camps would be organised at Talwandi Sabo, Rampura Phul and in this city. The panchayats would be motivated to play a positive role in bringing the addicts of their respective areas into the mainstream of better and dignified life. The police would also make arrangements for rehabilitating the persons who would give up taking intoxicants by educating them and making them self-sufficients. The police would deal as per law against those tyring to impede the campaign. In the three drug de-addiction camps organised in connection with the drug-free Bathinda campaign, about 800 drug addicts registered themselves with the concerned authorities for leaving their bad habit. Mr R.D. Gupta, President, Punjab Chemists Association pledged on the occasion that no chemist shop owner would sell intoxicants without prescription slip of a medical practitioner. The addicts in the camp were addressed by Mrs Raj Gupta, president, District AIDS Control Organisation, Mrs Sundershan Sharma, in charge, De-addiction Centre and Dr Bawa Ram, Civil Surgeon, Bathinda. |
Penning odes for martyrs BATHINDA: "Ajay, tumhe hamara naman, tumhe hamara salaam, Hind ka shaheed de gaya, shahadat kaa paigaam" these were the lines of the poem penned by Mr Narinder Kumar, an employee of Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB), Bathinda, following the death of fighter pilot, Ajay Ahuja, in the Kargil conflict. Mr Narinder Kumar, has been penning poems for the last many years on issues which are relevant to society to awaken the masses at a particular time. Name the problem of society and Mr Narinder Kumar has written a poem on that issue in Hindi. Be it AIDS, drug abuse, dowry, women power, corruption, poverty, killing of Christians in Orissa and frequent elections, he has expressed his feelings in the shape of poem. He has also written poems on subjects like the National flag, tree plantation, eye donation, polio and patriotism. Besides, he has penned poems on personalities like Mother Teressa, Chacha Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi and Swami Vivekananda. Associated with various voluntary organisations and donor of blood nine times, Mr Narinder Kumar does not miss any issue which is significant for the public and writes on it. He has also been contributing his mite for promoting the spirit of eye donation among the masses. "The pen provides me an outlet for my pent-up emotions on issues concerning the society most. I shape my emotions in words by writing some lines," he says. He does not know how he started writing poems. But a poem on Bapu Gandhi was his first one. He has written about 80 poems so far and plans to publish a book after penning 101 poems in the next mellennium. Most of his poems have been broadcast by All India Radio. He has written poems on undivided ‘Hindustan’, life of a soldier, population and motherhood. Mr Narinder Kumar has also rendered his services for collecting funds for families of Kargil martyrs by arranging movie shows, for compiling a book on the educational institutions in the country, for organising rallies for eye donation and other social causes. He was appointed observer by Unicef for the pulse polio programme. Recently , he motivated people to donate liberally for the residents of super cyclone-hit Orissa state. Mr Narinder Kumar has been honoured by various social and voluntary organisations of the state. |
Jagir Kaur bereaved KAPURTHALA, Dec 31 — Mr Balbir Singh (43), a brother-in-law of Mrs Jagir Kaur, President of the Shiromani Gurudwara Parbhandak Committee, reportedly died today in New York where he went on a private trip due to cardiac arrest. The news of his death was confirmed by Mr Jagir Singh, President of the Nagar Panchayat, Begowal. Mr Balbir Singh leaves behind a widow, a son and a daughter. He was manager of Dera Sant Prem Singh, Begowal, and was associated with many religious educational and social institutions in the Bholath Assembly constituency, which is being represented by Mrs Jagir Kaur. Mrs Jagir Kaur has gone to USA and she will return to Kapurthala with the body. |
CM's New Year greetings CHANDIGARH, Dec 31 — The Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, has extended his warm felicitations to the Punjabis living within country and abroad on the eve of New Year 2000. In a message of good wishes issued here today, Mr Badal said that the dawn of the year 2000 would bring new hope of peace, progress and prosperity. |
Engineers cry for promotions HOSHIARPUR, Dec 31 — The Punjab Irrigation Department has no regular Chief Engineers in all its wings as a result of which the functioning of the department has been suffering. Mr Ram Kishan Chaudhry is the only regular Chief Engineer of the department, currently serving in the BBMB, Talwara. According to reliable official sources, some of the Superintending Engineers have dual charge as Chief Engineers in addition to their duties. The sources said 14 Executive Engineers of the department have also been promoted as Superintending Engineers on December 10. They are still holding charge as Executive Engineer. Three of these Superintending Engineers are retiring today. The sources said there was resentment among engineers over the delay in giving them regular promotions. |
Shiv Sena to block bus service PHILLAUR, Dec 31 — The Punjab unit of the Hindu Shiv Sena (Dogra group) will block Delhi-Lahore bus tomorrow if the hijackers of the Indian Airlines plane at Kandahar (Afghanistan) did not release the passenger by today. This was announced here by the Sena’s state President, Mr Surinder Dogra, and the General Secretary, Mr Pawan Parbhakar, while talking to mediapersons here today. They urged the government to declare Pakistan as terrorist’s state and immediately stop Delhi-Lahore bus service, besides all types of diplomatic relations with it. |
New scales for IAS officers CHANDIGARH, Dec 31 — The Governor of Punjab has placed the following IAS officers (1991 batch) in the Junior Administrative Grade of Rs 12750-375-16500 (non-functional), with effect from the January 1, 2000. Mr B. Vikram, Mr A. Venu Prasad, Mrs Seema Jain, Mr S.R. Ladhar, Mr S.S. Dhillon, Mr S.S. Puri, Mr S.S. Sandhu, Mr Babu Lal, Mrs Usha R. Sharma, Mr B.S. Sudan, Mr B.R. Banga, Mr Mandeep Singh, Mr Iqbal Singh and Mr Ranjit Singh. |
PHRO Dy Chairman flays SGPC action AMRITSAR, Dec 31 — Mr Kirpal Singh, Deputy Chairman of the Punjab Human Rights Organisation, has described the SGPC action in preventing the Congress President Sonia Gandhi from paying obeisance at Akal Takht during her visit to Amritsar on December 28 as a "historic blunder". In a statement, Mr Kirpal Singh said the SGPC act had prevented Mrs Sonia Gandhi from seeking pardon for "Operation Bluestar". On the other hand, the SGPC has denied that it had prevented Mrs Sonia Gandhi from going to Akal Takht. |
No uniform ST in states from today LUDHIANA, Dec 31 — The uniform sales tax floor rates in the states will not be imposed from January 1, 2000. This was disclosed by Mr Ashok Juneja, Vice-Chairman, Punjab Pardesh Beopar Mandal, after meeting Mr Sudhir Mittal, Excise and Taxation Commissioner, and Mr A.S. Kaleka, Additional Commissioner, Punjab, today. |
Lab technician, ahlmad arrested GURDASPUR, Dec 31 — The police today arrested Manjinder Singh Laboratory technician of the local civil hospital at present posted at Kalyanpur village under Dhariwal police station for his involvement in cheating persons with a promise to get them admission in Industrial Training Institutes for electrician course. The accused who is a resident of Sohal village has cheated 30 persons in this regard and extorted Rs 10,000 to 15,000 from each person, said the district police chief, Mr Varinder Kumar. The SSP said Balbir Singh, resident of Mastkot, had complained that the accused had taken away Rs 15,000 from him to get his son Sandeep Singh admitted in ITI for the said course. A case under Section 420 of the IPC was registered against the accused yesterday at the Dhariwal police station. The police yesterday arrested Ajit Singh ahlmad, resident of Gurdaspur, for misplacing and keeping the court case files with him. The accused was earlier posted in the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge, here and was found guilty of misplacing the court case files and was dismissed from service. According to Mr Varinder Kumar, SSP, 33 court case files and 14 judgements and decrees have been recovered which were concealed by the accused in the house of relative. A case under Section 409 of the IPC was registered against the accused on December 9. In another case, the police on Wednesday arrested Papou, resident of Palear in Himachal Pradesh, and recovered 1.3 kg of charas from his possession. The SSP said the accused in connivance with another smuggler of his village was engaged in selling charas in Himachal for the past five years. It was his first attempt to enter Punjab to expand his market but was caught. A case under Section 20/61/85 of the NDPS Act has been registered against the accused at Pathankot police station. The Dorangala police arrested Bandu resident of Uttar Pradesh for his involvement in cases of theft. According to the SSP one .12 bore pistol along with one live cartridge were recovered from his possession. A case under Section 25-54-59 of the Arms Act was registered against the accused at Dorangala on December 29. |
Rape case takes new turn BATHINDA, Dec 31 — The case of rape of a teenaged Dalit girl in Nihalsinghwala village of this district has again taken a new turn with the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes issuing summons to five officials, including Mr S.R. Ladhar, former Deputy Commissioner, Mr H.S. Sran, former SSP, Mr Jaspal Singh, Deputy Commissioner, Mr J.K. Jain, SSP, and Mr Harbaz Singh, SP (Headquarters), to appear before it in person with all documents of this case for its examination on January 4, 2000 in Delhi. In the summons issued to these officials by the National Commission for SCs and STs, they have been warned that in case of their failure to appear in person before it, they would be liable to the consequences as laid down in the Code of Civil Procedure. The case of the teenaged Dalit girl, who allegedly was raped by Malkit Singh, Nambardar, in June in his house, took a new turn earlier, when the police exonerated the suspect Malkit Singh from rape charges in the challan presented before the judicial magistrate on September 22. The police, while presenting the challan, also exonerated the suspect from the offence made out under Section 3 of the Prevention of Atrocities against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes act. Sources said the National Commission for SCs and STs had taken a suo motu notice of the alleged denial of justice to a Scheduled Caste teenaged girl due to ‘deliberate’ negligence of the district police. Mr Harbaz Singh, SP (Headquarters), has already said after investigation into the case he had written in his ‘zimni’ orders on September 19, ’99 that rape had not been committed with the girl. He had claimed that his report was based on the chemical examination of the rape victim. The chemical examination report suggested that there was no spermatozoa in vaginal swap and only blood stains were found. The sources said after the presentation of challan the accused was granted bail by the judicial magistrate which he otherwise not entitled to. The sources said offence of rape under Section 376 of the IPC was deleted from the police challan despite the fact that Mr G.S. Dhaliwal, District Attorney, in his legal opinion given in this case, had mentioned that "from the facts narrated in the application (of victim) and from perusal of copy of the MLR of the victim in my opinion, prima facie offence under Sections 376 and 374 of the IPC read with Section 3 of the Prevention of Atrocities against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are made out". Mr J.K. Jain, SSP, when contacted, said he would obey the directions of the National Commission of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, which it would give on January 4 when he would appear in person before it. Mr Jaspal Singh, Deputy Commissioner, when contacted, said the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes had summoned the record relating to the case which would be given to it when he would appear before it in person on January 4. |
CBI probe sought into murder case AMRITSAR, Dec 31 — A veteran CPI Leader, Mr Satyapal Dang, has urged the Union Home Minister, Mr L.K. Advani, to direct a CBI probe into a murder of the Senior Branch Manager of Oriental Bank of Commerce, Mr Naresh Mahajan, here on October 22, 1998, which remained unsolved till today. Mr Dang in a letter to Mr Advani expressed fear that the murder case might be hushed up as bigwigs were allegedly involved in this. He said during the past 14 months the case was shifted to six investigating officers. "Knowing well that law and order is a state subject but in this case some officers of a nationalised bank have been named as culprits and there are serious allegations regarding parallel banking. The Government of India should therefore be very much concerned about the whole matter," Mr Dang pleaded. He urged the Union Home Minister to take up the matter with the Chief Minister, Punjab. |
70 militants held in 1999 CHANDIGARH, Dec 31 — The Director-General of Police, Punjab today in a statement said that crime under major heads of the Indian Penal Code remained under control during the current year. The number of murders came down to 764 from 780 last year and crime with regard to property disputes came down from 3,334 to 3,295 cases. On the other side there were successful anti-terrorist operations during the year. As many as 70 militants were arrested and a lot of arms and ammunition recovered. As many as 74 gangs were busted and 320 members of such gangs arrested. Control over crime was being given top priority. Important religious functions, including tercentenary celebrations, were conducted smoothly. |
Row over shops’ price revision PATIALA, Dec 31 — The stand-off between the Municipal Corporation and tenants of its shops has taken a new turn with the government deciding to constitute a committee to fix the prices at which the shops are to be sold off to tenants. Most tenants had refused to take shops at the prices fixed by the corporation which they claimed were not based on ground reality and the authorities had not taken into account their long occupation of the shops. Repeated notices had been issued to the tenants in the past one year or so but most of them had refused to come to terms with the government offer. Only a few shops had been brought by tenants at the rate fixed by the government. While a dispute had arisen about the prices fixed for the sale of shops, there was also a controversy about the fee being announced for transfer of shops. More than half of the 625 shops have been sub-let in various markets of Sheranwala Gate, Rose Garden, Lahori Gate, Arya Samaj, Sabji Mandi, Ghas Mandi and Anardana Chowk. Talking to Tribune News Service, Corporation Commissioner K.S. Kang said the new committee, which would fix the reserve price of the shops, would include himself, the Mayor and a representative of the Revenue Department. He said this step was being taken as people felt the earlier reserve price fixed for shops in different markets was on the higher side. Mr Kang, however, said there was no move to reduce the transfer fee which had been made equivalent to 10 years’ rent of a particular shop. He said this demand was being twisted by the shopkeepers who had earlier requested that they be made owners of their shops. He said if the sub-lettees could pay a pagri amounting to a few lakhs of rupees, there was no reason why they should not pay a transfer fee to the corporation. Municipal Tenants Welfare Association President Surinder Singh Arora said that the new committee being formed to fix reserve prices of shops should also have a representative of the tenants. He said besides this, the manner in which the corporation was charging transfer fee equivalent to 10 years’ rent was wrong. He said while a few shops had a rent of Rs 100 to Rs 200 per month, there were also shops whose rent was Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000 per month. He said the transfer fee for those paying less rent was nominal, while for those paying Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000 per month was beyond their means. One tenant in Sheranwala Gate gave an example of how he would have to pay an astronomical amount of Rs 6 lakh, including transfer fee of Rs 2 lakh, if he bought his shop at present. He said the market value of his shop was around Rs 3 lakh. Mr Arora said, besides this, the tenants were also agitated that they were being asked to pay transfer fee along with 50 per cent of the reserve price of their shops. He said small shopkeepers could not do this and they must be given time to buy their shops after getting them transferred to their name. He said a blanket transfer rate between Rs 15,000 and Rs 20,000 per month should be kept for all shops. He even cited a 1983 committee resolution which fixed the transfer fee between Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000 according to area and subsequent resolution of 1986 fixing it between Rs 10,000 and Rs 15,000. Mr Arora said the system of valuing shops itself was wrong. He said there were also irregularities in valuing leasehold plots and constructed shops. He gave the example of how leasehold plots in Ghas Mandi and Raghomajra had been valued at Rs 6,000 per square yard, while the rate for shops constructed in the same locality was Rs 10,000 per square yard, excluding material expense. He said the corporation had no right to fix higher prices for shops which it had not repaired or maintained since 1976. |
Proposal pending for 8 years PATIALA, Dec 31 —A proposal to upgrade three police posts and redemarcate areas coming under all police stations in the city for a better vigil and convenience of the public has been hanging fire since 1991. There has been a growing demand from the public for a fresh demarcation of police stations. Even though the district police prepared a proposal eight years ago, yet nothing has been done in this regard. A modified version of the proposal was sent to the state government about three years ago, but in spite of keen interest shown by the Badal government the proposal remains in the file. According to sources, red tape and a financial crunch are the main causes for the delay in the implementation of the proposal. The sources said the police looked forward to the acceptance of the proposal as it would ease vigil over a given area and would make manning of colonies easier. According to the proposal, three police posts — Tripuri, Division No 2 and Division No 4 — would be upgraded as police stations. The proposed Tripuri post would include the surrounding areas, including Anand Nagar, Dasmesh Nagar, Rattan Nagar, Mehar Singh Colony, Prem Nagar. The Division No 2 police post, to be renamed as Raghomajra police station, would include Kesar Bagh Colony, Mohindra Colony, Modi College, Lower Mall, Arjun Nagar and Officers’ Colony. The Division No 4 post, to be called Lahori Gate police station, would include areas near the railway station and the bus stand and also the outer colonies like Gurbax Colony, Rajpura Colony, Bishan Nagar, Lahori Gate, Tafazalpura and Guru Nanak Nagar. The main sufferers are the residents of Dasmesh Nagar, Anand Nagar and others around Tripuri and Bhadson octroi posts. The residents of these areas have the nearest police station in the form of Civil Lines and a police post of Tripuri, but for lodging complaints they have to travel all the way through the crowded city to the Sadar police station which is 15 km away from certain places. Mr Shankar Gautam of Dasmesh Nagar says: “The existence of a police station at such a distance leads to loss of time and energy of the residents. Further when the police is needed immediately a lot of time is wasted in its arrival.” He said if Tripuri police post, which is 3 km away from any end of the area, is made a police station the problem will be solved. He said last year the city and the outer colonies faced a spurt of robbery incidents. By the time the police arrived at the scene the robbers had fled. Similarly, Mr Pritpal Singh of the Tafazalpura area, said the nearest police station to his colony was Kotwali but he had to go to the Sadar police station to lodge complaints. Residents of Officers’ Colony, who have to go to Civil Lines police station, share the same problems. They demanded if the Division No 4 police post was upgraded, they would not have to travel around 10 km for police help. SSP Harpreet Singh Sidhu said the police would also welcome the redemarcation of the police station. “It is not only convenient to the public but would also help the police in monitoring the city.” However, he said the proposals were pending due to a procedural delay. He said he was in touch with the government and hoped that the proposal would be accepted soon. According to sources, finances could also be a problem as the new police stations would also require more staff, infrastructure, communication and transport facilities. |
Need for economic reforms stressed AMRITSAR, Dec 31 — The 82nd annual conference of the Indian Economic Association has highlighted the need for economic reforms with human face and stressed for an appropriate framework based on wage goods strategy. The conference which was hosted by the Punjab School of Economics of the Guru Nanak Dev University on the eve of its silver jubilee celebrations concluded here today. It was attended by more than 800 delegates from different parts of the country and abroad. It was inaugurated by former finance minister Dr Manmohan Singh. The conference argued that the "wage goods" approach had the potential of proving as a panacia for solving the problems of poverty, unemployment and inflation in the Indian economy. It was suggested that besides essential commodities for survival the concept of wage goods should include items like education, health and transport facilities. It was claimed that it would lead to "civilised pattern of development with human dignity." On the banking and financial sector reforms, the conference said that implications of the different components of the reforms like dismantling certain directed credit programmes, lowering cash and liquidity requirements, reducing barriers to entry in the sector, privatising public sector banks and adopting international standards in different aspects of the sector were discussed threadbare. Hard decisions have to be taken to resolve the huge backlog of non-performance assets. For the success of financial sector liberalisation macroeconomic stability... containing the rate of inflation and institutional reforms have to go hand in hand. Reforms in legal system, improvement in the supervisory mechanism, control of risk profile of the sector and gradual movement for direct to indirect instruments by the Reserve Bank of India was stressed. Proper sequencing of reforms, macroeconomic stability, control of fiscal deficit and effective supervision of the financial system were suggested as measures to control exchange rate fluctuations. It was suggested that instead of distribution of free food there should be provision of employment at basic wage during the period of famines. Further, it was opined that sustainable management of natural resources was a matter of major concern in the theory of social choice. It was also argued that Gandhian tilt be given to ethical value judgements so that the poorest of the poor become the basic unit of welfare and development. It suggested that programmes which directly benefit the poor be strengthened to reduce poverty and inequalities. Participants highlighteed the role of voluntary organisations in socio-economic development in different states like Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Punjab. West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. It was argued that since government was unable to provide even the basic services due to paucity of funds, the voluntary and cooperative ventures can help in providing health education, housing and other infrastructural facilities. |
Punjab decision on sales tax CHANDIGARH, Dec 31 — The Punjab Council of Ministers at a meeting held today under the chairmanship of Mr Parkash Singh Badal approved in principle a proposal based on the national level consensus regarding adherence to floor rates of sales taxes on about 210 items. As per consensus, industrial incentives are also required to be dispensed with from January 1, 2000, by all states in the country, according to a press note issued by the state government today. However, it was specifically decided by the Council of Ministers that floor rates would be implemented in Punjab only when other states in the country implemented these. The Council of Ministers also approved in principal the inclusion of some villages of Hoshiarpur district in Nawanshahr districts due to their geographical nearness to Nawanshahr. Those villages would be included in Nawanshahr which would opt for the same. |
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