Kapurthala, August 28
President Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam’s recent visit to Nirmal Kuteya in Sultanpur Lodhi has expedited the cleansing process of sacred rivulet Kali Bein.

Volunteers led by the president of the Onkar Charitable Trust, Baba Balbir Singh Seechewal, have already been doing imitative work of cleansing the rivulet for last six years.

Now adhering to the President’s advice, the Punjab government has come forward to provide financial and technical help to the Baba further clean the Bein.

Addressing a gathering at Nirmal Kuteya, Dr Kalam had advised that voluntarily service of the Baba’s team and the government’s commitment should go together in further cleansing the rivulet.

P. Ram, Principal Secretary, Technical Education and also the project coordinator, informed about this decision of the state government at a high-level meeting here today.

The Baba, state-level representatives of the departments concerned, including Science and Technology Council, Pollution Control Board, Irrigation and Forest Departments, were also present.

Talking to The Tribune, Baba Seechewal welcomed the decision of the state government in providing help in cleansing the 160-km long Bein. “It will expedite the work”, he said.

He added that state government and the district administration should immediately stop the flow of sewage into the Bein and remove encroachments on the land belonging to the Kali Bein.

Thanking the President for his August 17 visit, he said the visit had expedited the cleansing work. The state government had created the technical committee a few months after the Baba met the President at Rashtrapati Bhawan. The committee’s first meeting was held today. Though the cleaning work is mostly complete, other issues remain stagnant.

While Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) had been set up in Sultanpur Lodhi and Kapurthala municipalities, STPs are yet to be installed at four municipalities— Bholath and Begowal in Kapurthala district and Dasuya and Mukerian in Hoshiarpur district- located along the Kali Bein, to permanently stop the flow of sewage.

Similarly, ponds in 42 villages, 30 of them in Kapurhtala district and a dozen in Hoshiarpur district, are to be widened and repaired to stop the sewage flow.

The sewage would be used for irrigation purposes after treatment, the Baba said.

Apart from this, afforestation on the both sides of the Bein would also be taken up in a phased manner, he added.

Jalandhar, August 28
Aklai leaders today claimed that the Punjab Chief Minister was using “black magic” and holding rare prayers at gurdwaras to cause “physical” harm to the SAD President, Mr parkash Singh Badal. As a mark of protest, they shouted slogans outside the office of the Deputy Commissioner and burnt an effigy of CM Captain Amarinder Singh. Similar protests were also held in Kapurthala.

Mr Gurcharan Singh Channi, president, SAD (urban), alleged that the CM and his media adviser had held a path of Chaupai Sahib at Gurdwara Sri Bibhor Sahib in Ropar with “ulterior” motives.

He said this had happened in the Sikh history for the first time and it was against Gurbani teachings.

Mr Channi said the gurdwara in which the said prayers were reportedly held was under the SGPC. He said the pathis, who performed the prayers, had been expelled.

Jalandhar, August 28
Bhartiya Kisan Union will take out a state-level rally from Chandigarh on September 12 to demand waiver of all loans taken by the farmers.

The union also organised a convention on “Save Honour-Save Land” at the Guru Nanak District Library.

The union’s general secretary, Mr Bhupinder Singh Maheshri, said the rural sector was going through an acute economic crisis.

Quoting a government survey, he said the agricultural sector was getting three per cent annual return on total investment, but the government was continuously charging 11 to 16 per cent interest annually, causing a financial crunch.

To save the sector, the BKU members said the government should start charging a maximum interest rate of four per cent per annum from the farmers to be enable to return the loan and save their honour. Professor Manjit Singh Kadian, union’s working president, said the government should not acquire the land of the farmers on the behalf of private companies.

He said private companies could lease land directly from the farmers, and in case the government wanted to mediate, the lease could be settled at price double than the market price.

The members said the lease should be settled every two years but the term should be of 20 years.

They said in case the company decided to wind up its business, the land should be restored to its original owners. 

Jalandhar, August 28
Apprehending competition from big builders from metro cities and a hike in state government levies, the Punjab Builders and Colonisers Association today claimed that its future was bleak.

Mr Anil Chopra, the association’s chairman, said if the government did not handle the situation on time, the crisis would hit small colonisers and property dealers.

He claimed that the government was planning to increase external development charges, licence fee and change of land use fee.

Mr Chopra said if these hikes happen, the colonisers would have to shell out Rs 22 to 24 lakh per acre. He said it would make business unfeasible or an extra burden on buyers.

He said that in 1995, Punjab Apartment and Property Regulation Act was passed to give licences to the approved colonies and check groups of unapproved ones.

But, he said, the Act failed to achieve the purpose and reduced the pace of urban growth.

He said that when the government halved the external development charges from Rs 7.08 lakh to 3.5 lakh for colonies set up in 10 acres of land or less last year, the urban growth rate shot up.

He said that in the past one year, over 5000 acres of land had been converted into colonies in Punjab with licences for small colonies being issued by Senior Town Planners.

Mr Chopra added that the situation could again become difficult for them if the charges were enhanced.

He said many builders from outside Punjab had already set up or were deciding to set up their offices in the state.