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Mega projects: plot booking only after Chandigarh, January 13 This was made clear today by the Punjab Government. A senior officer of the government said that PUDA, which would play the role of regulatory authority in the case of these projects, had been given clear instructions in this regard. Though the mega projects had been cleared by the Empowered Committee headed by the Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, these companies would have to submit the relevant documents to PUDA for the completion of formalities. PUDA had been told not to allow any advance booking of plots and commercial sites till the prospective buyers were clear about what would be constructed where, said the officer. This issue had come up at yesterday’s meeting where these projects were cleared. There would be no major fiscal exemption for any real estate project of these companies. The periphery policy recently cleared by the state government would be applicable, the officer said. The EMAAR-MGF group, which would develop townships and trade and entertainment centres in Mohali, Ludhiana and
Jalandhar, had submitted a long list of fiscal and other concessions which it had sought from the Empowered Committee to which it had submitted its project reports for approval. However, most of the concessions had not been allowed, it is learnt. For instance, in the case of the Mohali trade and entertainment city project, the EMAAR-MGF group had sought exemption from the payment of land use conversion charges, external development charges, 100 per cent exemption from entertainment tax in the case of a multiplex and luxury tax in the case of hotels and clubs for a period of 10 years. Besides, it had sought 100 per cent reimbursement of stamp duty (including cess) paid on the registration of land on which these components were to be developed and exemption from basic stamp duty (including cess) on the first sale of property within the multiplex. The group had also sought licences for hotels, restaurants and pubs with 100 per cent waiver of the licence fee and exemption on basic electricity duty for a period of 5 years from the date of release of the connection by the PSEB to the multiplex. Sources said exemption from stamp duty in the case of first purchase and first sale of multiplexes had been given. Details regarding other concessions given in the case of multiplexes were not available. The integrated township with a special education and wellness zone project spread over 1,000 acres in Mohali will take 10 years to complete. It has been divided into five phases, each covering 200 acres. The first phase will start with residential plots, town houses and villas along with convenient shopping, landscaping and civic amenities. The group has already acquired 500 acres and the remaining land it intends to buy by June, 2006. The project will be located at Lakhanpur, Nanu Majra, Landran, Behrampur, Manak Majra, Raipur Kalan, Sambalkhi and Dhol villages as extension of Mohali. The group has claimed that the state government will earn Rs 610 crore in the form of stamp duty and taxes and Rs 2,000 crore as foreign exchange. The group has estimated an expenditure of Rs 670 crore on buying land from farmers. That means, it has paid about Rs 60 lakh per acre, on an average, to buy land from the farmers of the villages concerned. The total development cost of this project will be Rs 3,819 crore. Property dealers and other real estate developers say that the group will make a huge earning from this project. The township project in Jalandhar will be completed in five years by this group. Of the 200 acres required for the project, already 125 acres has been purchased at Kot Kalandn, Khajural and Kot Khurad villages near Jalandhar by the group. The group claims that the state government will earn Rs 120 crore in the form of stamp duty and other fees from this project. The group is to spend Rs 660 crore on the development of this project. It appears that the group has paid an average price of Rs 70 lakh per acre to farmers there.
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Houses allowed on 33 pc plot area at 2
Chandigarh, January 13 With this announcement, this facility would now be available to nine out of the 26 focal points in the state. The other areas where industrial plot holders can use 33 per cent of their land for residential purposes are Ludhiana, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Bathinda, Batala and Phase VIII B of Mohali. The plot holders will have to pay a conversion fee for the change calculated at the rate of 10 per cent of the current reserve price of the industrial plots in the area fixed by the PSIEC. For example, at Tarn Taran, the reserve price of an industrial plot is Rs 600 per square yards. Here the conversion fee would be Rs 60 per square yards. Similarly, the reserve price for industrial plots in Patiala is Rs 1000 per square yard.
Here, the plot holders will have to pay Rs 100 per square yard as conversion fee. Sources said the conversion fee would be payable in four equated quarterly instalments without any interest. They added that this had been done following a strong demand from the local industrialists. Welcoming the decision, Mr Harbhajan Singh Kairon, President of the Focal Point Association, Tarn Taran, said this would give a boost to setting up of pollution- free industrial units in the area.
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister has sanctioned Rs 3 crore for the up-gradation of roads, sewerage, water supply electricity and beautification of the Focal Point,
Patiala. It has also been handed over to the Municipal Corporation for future maintenance. A commercial pocket would now be developed in the
area, the sources said.
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Splinter Akali groups project themselves as third front
Muktsar, January 13 Addressing the SAD (Amritsar) rally, party chief Simranjit Singh Mann claimed that his party was the third front as it didn’t have breakaway leaders from Mr Parkash Singh Badal’s party. He said their target was not only to wipe out the SAD but also to defeat the Congress and the BJP. He advocated opening of borders of Hussainiwala, Wagah and Dera Baba Nanak so that Sikh pilgrims could visit places of religious importance across the border. Expressing concern on the debt-ridden farmers, he demanded that the debt on the farmers and Dalit families be waived off. He also sought a thorough probe into the Chief Minister’s foreign visits. He attributed conversions among Sikhs to lack of preaching by the SGPC. He flayed the “devastation” of Sikh farmers in Kashipur and said it was third such action after 1947 and 1984. On the other hand, Prof Prem Singh Chandumajra of the SAD (Longowal) attributed the state’s problems to opportunism and non-seriousness of the SAD and the Congress. He alleged that the state government had failed to provide employment to 40 lakh jobless youths and the farmers were unable to bear the rising expenses of farming. LBP President Balwant Singh Ramoowalia said in the wake of fraud and corruption by leaders of the successive state governments, the electorate should reject the Congress as well as the SAD in the coming poll.
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Relief package for riot-victims inadequate,
Muktsar, January 13 Mr Badal alleged the Congress was misguiding people on the basis of a “forged survey”, but the fact was that the electorate would defeat the Congress in next elections. The former Chief Minister alleged that the Congress government wasted past four years in tarnishing his family’s image and now they were misleading people by talking of development. He said if the government was serious about development it would have got down to work right from the first day like the previous SAD-BJP regime. He alleged the CM was “enjoying privileges of power” to demoralise Akali workers and cover up failures the Congress government implicated his party workers in false cases. But it could not succeed. His party brought Bathinda refinery project to the state, but the state government could not make any progress in the matter. He accused the ruling party of not fulfilling a single promise of poll manifesto. All sections of society were unhappy with the Congress regime. He alleged the quashing of the appointment of a minister’s son proved irregularities in appointments. Addressing the gathering, BJP president Rajnath Singh alleged that on one hand the Congress described itself as champion of minorities but on the other it had oppressed them the most during its regimes. He termed the recent Rs 715 crore package for 1984-riot-victims inadequate and said the Congress could not run away from the issue merely by apologising for the riots. He said the previous NDA regime had prepared out crop insurance scheme for farmers hit by natural calamities, but the UPA government was silent on it. He said the BJP would make all efforts for the rehabilitation of farmers in Kashipur. BJP MP Navjot Singh Sidhu urged the electorate to defeat the Congress regime of the state out. Akali leaders Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, B.S. Bhunder, Sukhbir Badal and Mr Manpreet Badal were also present.
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Reunited siblings celebrate Lohri
Amritsar, January 13 Rabia Bibi, who was earlier Agya Kaur, was left behind in Pakistan during the Partition. She embraced Islam there. The entire family of two brothers consisting sons, daughters, grand children and others had gathered under one roof to celebrate the occasion with high spirit. The euphoric scene emphatically conveyed the message that they had put the painful feeling of separation behind and wanted to enjoy each moment to its optimum provided by the Almighty. Rabia Bibi said she had never thought of such a beautiful Lohri and would cherish it as long as she lived. Thanking God, she felt that may peace and harmony prevail among the two countries forever. People celebrated the festival with fervour and gaiety and greeted one other. Kites were flown all over the day. Umpteen numbers of kites of different hues and shapes dotted the sky and people took pleasure in yelling after cutting one other’s kites. Dr Harish Puri, former Professor and Head of Ambedkar Chair, Guru Nanak Dev University, and his wife Ms V. Puri, Principal, DAV Public School, celebrated the festival with students of Citizen Forum Viya Mandir, a school for the children of drug addicts.
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Home they returned in coffins
Kharar, January 13 Heart-rending scenes were witnessed as three coffins were brought home from Ropar this afternoon after postmortem. Not only relatives and member of Mr Jamal Masih’s family but all those who had gathered there were in tears. Mr
Masih, a retired BSF Inspector, broke down as he bade farewell to his grandson,
Nonu, whose body lay in a coffin. Ms Abhigale, mother of Nonu, who also lost her husband, was inconsolable. Mr Samson, son of Mr
Masih, laid wreaths on the three bodies, Ms Abhigale and Mr Samson were also injured but were discharged from the PGI, Chandigarh. Fighting back tears, a stoic Jamal Masih told the gathering “If God is putting me through a test, I will not fail. Mr Masih’s younger brother, Mr Manuel
Masih, said all these years his brother had faced life with courage but yesterday’s tragedy had shattered him. Mr Jamal Masih has lost his wife Nargis Masih (62), his son Christopher (30) and grandson Monu (6). Three members of his family are under treatment in the PGI, Chandigarh. The condition of Cynthia, granddaughter of Mr
Masih, is said to be serious. Prayers were offered by Maj Makhan Masih and Capt Salamat Masih from the Salvation Army Church before the funeral procession.
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Jail officials protest suspension of constables
Hoshiarpur, January 13 The wardens were protesting the suspension of two constables, Ram Lal (No 4164) and Savinder Pal (No 3147), for the alleged negligence in duty on the night of January 8, when two prisoners allegedly sodomised another in the jail barrack. The wardens raised slogans against the superintendent, Mr Sat Pal Singh, and demanded reinstatement of the constables and action against all those employees of the jail who were on duty on that night. While talking to mediapersons Mr Parmajit Singh said sodomy victim Onkar Singh had not reported the matter to the duty constable or any other jail official on duty on January 8. It was only the next day that the victim reported the matter to the Superintendent, who after getting him medically examined, lodged an FIR. He further said Onkar had mentioned in his statement that the two had also sodomised him on the night of January 3, and had neither reported the matter to duty constable Savinder Pal nor any other official. Mr Sat Pal Singh, however, said after thorough investigation both constables were found negligent in their duty due to which they were suspended. He said he had not favoured any of the employee and as soon as the matter was reported to him, he immediately took action in this regard.
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45 apply for posts of PSERC Chairman, member
Chandigarh, January 13 Sources said there were nine applicants for the post of Chairman while some had applied for both posts. Nearly 25 applicants were in the race for the post of member. The commission decides on power tariff and other crucial matters of the power sector. The five-year tenure of the previous Chairman, Mr R.S. Mann, a former Chief Secretary, ended a few days ago. The vacancy of member arose following the death of Mr H.K. Sood, The Sources said the list of applicants was being screened. The Punjab Chief Secretary, Mr Jai Singh Gill, was among the applicants.
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Playwright Gursharan Singh felicitated
Moga, January 13 The award was conferred on him by the Gursharan Singh Inqalabi Sanman Samaroh Committee. The noted playwright, whom people started calling Manna Singh after his TV serial Manna Singh became popular, began his career in 1957 when social injustice was rampant. Since then he had been regularly writing plays. So far, there have been about 7,000 performances of his plays worldwide. He has penned 133 works, including street plays, which earned him the title of the Samrat of Nukkad Natak. During the days of militancy in Punjab, he staged plays in 5,000 villages to generate public opinion against violence.
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High Court High Court Correspondent
Chandigarh, January 13 Mr Sukhwinder Singh is member of the Zila Parishad, Jalandhar. On December 8, 2005 the petitioner, who is close to Transport Minister Mohinder Singh Kaypee, was returning from Phagwara after attending a function where the minister had also come. He was stopped by DSP Navjot Singh and brutally beaten. Some mediapersons from the electronic media had caught the entire incident on video camera and the same was shown on various news channels. Not satisfied with thrashing him on the road, the DSP and his fellow police personnel later took the Congress leader to Police Station, Phagwara City, where he was again given a sound beating. Thereafter, he was let off. In his petition, apart from seeking strict action against the DSP, the petitioner has also sought protection and adequate compensation. He has also moved the Punjab State Human Rights Commission. Today, the Division Bench comprising Mr Justice S.S. Nijjar and Mr Justice S.S. Saron issued notices to the respondents for January 24. PPSC secretary summoned
The High Court on Friday summoned the Secretary, Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC), to explain why it was not making selections for filling vacant posts of judicial officers in Punjab. During resumed hearing of the PIL filed by Mandeep Mittal and Rajneesh Kumar, both LLm students of Panjab University, seeking issuance of directions to the respondents, including the states of Punjab and Haryana, to ensure compliance of Supreme Court orders dated March 21, 2002, in the All-India Judges Association versus Union of India, the Bench directed the Secretary, PPSC, to be present in court on the next date of hearing. It may be recalled that on the last hearing, the Bench had expressed displeasure over the failure of the Punjab Government to fill the posts. The Supreme Court order relates to appointment of adequate number of judicial officers in subordinate judiciary and increase in number of posts. The Bench had given time to the Punjab Government to inform it as to why the government was not filling vacant posts of judicial officers by making fresh appointments. An affidavit filed by the Punjab Government on the last hearing has stated that 63 posts of judicial officers in subordinate judiciary were vacant. It also said that the PCS (Judicial) posts would be got filled through the PPSC. Hearing will now resume on January 19.
Direction on letter
A Division Bench of the High Court has directed the Secretary, Health Department, Punjab, and others to take a conscious and cautious decision upon the representation-cum-letter submitted by Dr Kuldeep Singh, presently posted as District Ayurvedic Officer, Mansa, on July 18 last year. In his representation, Dr Kuldeep Singh has requested that the decision of the Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) held on January 31, 2005, should be implemented. The DPC had decided to grant seniority to Dr Kuldeep Singh from October 1, 1993. However, this decision has not been implemented till date, forcing him to file a writ. In his petition, Dr Kuldeep has prayed that directions be issued to the respondents to grant him seniority from October 1, 1993, and his case for further promotion be decided in accordance with that seniority.
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Govt depts owe Rs 2.5 cr to PSEB
Sangrur, January 13 As per the information gathered by The Tribune, a sum of Rs 2.78 crore was pending till December 31 last, on account of electricity bills against various government departments in the Sangrur Operation Circle of the PSEB. The Health Department is on the top of the list of defaulters at Rs 1.08 crore, while the Punjab Police is on number two as it owes Rs 88 lakh on account of electricity bills.
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Suicide bid by girl
Kharar, January 13 She has been referred to the PGI, Chandigarh. It is reported that the girl tried to take the extreme step as she was allegedly ditched by her lover.
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Irregularities alleged in SGPC-run medical institute
Amritsar, January 13 Dr Grewal in a letter to the president, Mr Avtar Singh Makkar, said the Principal, Dr U.S. Dhaliwal, spent crores of rupees without submission of any project or viability report to the trust for approval. Levelling serious charges, he said he even tempered with college records and fabricated them to his convenience. When contacted, Dr Dhaliwal, however, denied the allegations as baseless and false by saying that everything was in the knowledge of the trust and its president. It was only an attempt to defame him due to personal grudge of a trust member. He alleged that the member owe Rs 36 lakh to the trust which he refused to deposit. The trust member alleged that the Principal was guilty of favoritism and nepotism by getting the studies of his daughter up to final examination despite the court verdict which had quashed her admission. Dr Dhaliwal had also got his another daughter and son-in-law employed in a dental institute, he added. Dr Grewal further alleged that the Principal had already attained the age of superannuation, but he continued on the orders of the then president, Bibi Jagir Kaur, while his extension and terms and conditions were never approved by the trust.
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‘Janamsaakhis’ on Internet
Patiala, January 13 The project has been developed at the Advance Centre of Technical Development of Punjabi Language, Literature and Culture, under the leadership of its Director, Dr Gurpreet Singh
Lehal. Other members of the team are Anwar Chirag, Rakesh Dabra, Shallu Kalra and Jaspal Singh.
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GND varsity to host country planners’ congress
Amritsar, January 13 Dr Sarup Singh, Professor and Head, Department of Guru Ramdas School of Planning of the university, said Mr Raghunath Sahai Puri, Minister for Housing and Urban Development, Government of Punjab, would inaugurate the congress on January 14 at Guru Nanak Bhavan auditorium while the valedictory address would be delivered by Mr Darbari Lal, Deputy Speaker, Punjab Vidhan Sabha, on January 16.
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NSS camp concludes
Amritsar, January 13 Mrs Manjit Kaur, NSS Field Officer, detailed the activities while Dr Jaspal Singh, Programme Officer, gave suggestions regarding the camp, behaviour, attitude and expectations from the volunteers.
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