Amritsar, February 15
Promising to turn the city into most beautiful metropolitan in the country in two years, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today laid the foundation stone of Rs 2,500 crore world class Central Business District project here today.

The project would come up on more than 31 acres transferred by the government to PUDA under optimum utilisation of vacant government land scheme. BJP member of Parliament Navjot Singh Sidhu also accompanied him along with former Minister Bikram Singh Majithia for the ceremony.

He said the project would consist of 22- storeyed luxury five and three -star hotels to cater to tourism industry besides acting as electronic hub, IT business and entertainment centres. He said that the 300-room five- star hotel would be tallest in the north India.

Of the total land, Tata realty and infrastructure for developing shopping mass and multiplex has already bought 5.54 acres at the complex site for Rs 181 crore. The project would have different themes for commercial, retail growth, he said . Located between medical enclave and Basant Avenue this city centre would have six different sites, he added. The project wll generate Rs 1350 crore and be completed in four years.

The project aims at boosting tourism. He said whatever money would be generated from the project, it would be spent to beautify the city. 

Chandigarh, February 15
Power connections to all 61 dyeing units, which were discharging effluents into the Budda Nullah , have been restored a day prior to Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal’s visit to Ludhiana.

The SAD-BJP alliance was under intense pressure from the industrial lobby in Ludhiana to restore power connections of the dyeing units which were disconnected on the orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court earlier.

However, the dyeing units will have to get their act together by March 31, which have given undertaking to this effect to the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB). The dyeing unit managements had committed to e set up individual effluent treatment plants (ETPs) by then to reduce pollutants.

A decision on what to be done after this and how the effluents are to be discharged will be taken after the submission of the National Environment Engineering Research Institute’s (NEERI) report to the high court. PPCB chairman Yogesh Goel said common treatment plants could be established on cluster basis with central assistance as well as help from the state government.

There are total of 215 polluting units on the Tajpur road, including dyeing and electroplating units. The electroplating units have been given time till May 31 to achieve zero discharge levels.

Visvajeet Khanna, Secretary to the Deputy Chief Minister, on the restoration of connections, said the opinion of the Advocate General’s office had been taken before restoring the connections of the dyeing units. On whether pollutants would still be discharged into the drain albeit indirectly, he said other dyeing units were also doing the same.

“They (other units) have been given time till March 31 to set up their ETPs and the government has imposed the same conditions on the dyeing units connections of which were disconnected earlier”, he added.

Government sources maintained the present measure would also reduce discharge of pollutants into the drain as many units discharging effluents directly into the Nullah till now did not have either ETPs or their ETPs were not functioning properly.

However, others claim rampant discharge into the sewerage would only make marginal difference. “When you discharge effluents into a sewer which are treated at the terminal end you are allowed higher effluent levels of up to 350 milligrams per litre under the Pollution Act while in case of direct discharge one is allowed levels of only 30 milligrams per litre,” an official disclosed. 

Bathinda, February 15
‘Though no decision has been taken for the Bathinda Lok Sabha seat,but if given the responsibility, I will fulfill it,” said Harsimrat Kaur, wife of Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal here today.

She said whosoever got SAD ticket for Bathinda, would be a member of the Badal family as due to the family’s efforts in this constituency the person would get votes.

“I have been assigned duty to meet people at their doorsteps in the city to redress their grievances,” she disclosed. Bathinda had been close to my family and we had been concerned about its development, she added.

To a query regarding protests by ETT teachers for their demands, she replied it was the state government’s policy to fulfil these demands for the whole teaching community and the Chief Minister would look into the matter.

On Nanhi Chhaan, she said she took up the matter (of providing Rs 15,000) with the Chief Minister, who acknowledged it as brilliant idea,” Harsimrat said. She hoped modalities to implement the idea would be completed soon.

On the first day of campaign here today, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, urged people to give a chance to the ruling SAD to represent Bathinda by voting for the party’s candidate in Lok Sabha elections.

After listening to demands of basic amenities, including sewerage, drinking water, roads and electricity, raised by people in some wards of the city, she instructed the officers concerned to take these up on priority.

Earlier in the morning, the police took steps after last month’s bizarre demonstration by some members of the EGS Teachers Union, who broke the police cordon and took control of the dais during the laying of foundation stone of cooperative building in Bathinda. The police today did not allow any protesting member of the EGS Teachers Union to proceed towards Kamla Nehru Colony and hold demonstrations where Harsimrat was to meet a congregation.

However, members of the union gathered outside the colony to proceed towards the congregation site, but the police did not allow them to do so. These teachers started raising slogans against the state government in support of demands. The police arrested the agitating teachers as preventing step. They were let off in the afternoon.

Chandigarh, February 15
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal yesterday announced the government would soon implement report of the Fifth Punjab Pay commission.

He also constituted special committee headed by the Chief Secretary and Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister and the administrative secretary of the department concerned as members to finalise cases of compassionate appointments.

Badal also directed the Chief Secretary to issue guidelines to all the administrative secretaries to process cases of appointments on compassionate grounds and issue appointment letters to the eligible persons in a month from the date of making an application to this effect. He also asked the Chief Secretary to hold meeting of this committee every month to dispose of the compassionate appointment cases .

Badal also ordered the Rural Development and Panchayats department to ensure Zila Parishads made payment of salary of Rs 5,000 per month to the veterinary pharmacists direct.

The Chief Minister also directed the Co-operation Department to put up comprehensive proposal to release salary of 1000 employees of cooperative sugar mills for over 14 months, to adjust them in cooperative banks and state cooperative organisations and introduce the voluntary retirement scheme. 

Chandigarh, February 15
Two years after the SAD-BJP assumed power in Punjab, it has not constituted District Planning Committees (DPC) in eight out of the 20 districts of the state. Mandatory for seeking grants from the Centre for development failure of Punjab government on this count could lead to lapse of several crores earmarked for this purpose. On one hand Punjab is begging the Centre for grants, while on the other it has failed to channel available funds.

Union Minister of Panchayati Ra, Mani Shankar Iyer has, in a communication, to Punjab Chief Minister, Parkash Singh Badal said despite reminders from his office Punjab had failed to take action in this regard. He has pointed the case of Hoshiarpur that has been allotted Rs 15.65 crore from the Backward Region Grant Fund (BRGF), but in the absence of a DPC no money has been sanctioned or released. The fund is likely to lapse on March 31.

Punjab has constituted DPCs in 12 districts in 24 months in office. It is learnt political interference by MLAs to have their supporters inducted in the committees is posing problem for the government. Contrary to the proclamation the government is “pro-people”, the absence of initiative to get funds from the Centre is hitting people the most as it translates into lack of development.

In Hoshiarpur too, it is learnt it is infighting among the local politicians that has rendered huge grant of Rs 15.65 crore inaccessible to the state so far (Annual Fund Entitlement Under BRGF For 2007-2008). The Backward Regions Grant Fund is designed to redress regional imbalances in development. The fund provides resources for supplementing and converging existing developmental inflows. In India 250 districts have been identified to receive special assistance.

The grant aims at bridging “critical gaps in local infrastructure and other development requirements that are not being adequately met through existing inflows. To strengthen panchayat and municipality level governance with more appropriate capacity building, to facilitate participatory planning, decision making, implementation and monitoring, to reflect local felt needs and Provide professional support to local bodies for planning, implementation and monitoring their plans”

In Punjab Hoshiarpur is a beneficiary under the BRGF, while in neighbouring Haryana districts of Mahendragarh (Rs 13 crore) and Sirsa (Rs 15.4 crore) have been identified for special grant. 

Amritsar, February 15
Director General of Police NPS Aulakh said he had submitted his report on the Jallianwala Bagh episode to Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.

Aulakh said the action would be initiated against the those responsible after receiving the findings of the magisterial probe, ordered by the Deputy Commissioner. On the quantum of punishment likely to be given , Aulakh quipped, “Let us wait for the magisterial inquiry to get over.” He, however, hastened to add that DSP Gurnam Singh and SHO Manjit Singh had already been transferred. The DGP said he had also briefed the CM about the episode. He refused to divulge details of the inquiry at this moment.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today said stern action would be taken against the guilty found in the inquiry report submitted by the DGP.

Inadequate security arrangements have been found the main reason for the unsavoury incident on February 12. Despite police claims that over 100 policemen were deputed to handle the situation, there was hardly any policeman when activists of the Naujwan Bharat Sabha and the Punjab Students Union started march from Gol Bagh to Jallianwala Bagh. Intelligence agencies claim they had also sent reports to the police about the probability of trouble.

After laying the foundation stone of business district centre project, the Deputy CM said whoever found guilty in the report would be taken to task. To whether he would take moral responsibility of the incident and apologise at Akal Takht, he reiterated let the report be scrutinised.

Sukhbir said the government would continue protest for extending freight corridor to Amritsar. He said he, along with BJP MP Sidhu, had already protested in Parliament against this discrimination against the city ..

On the issue of the Congress demand for declaring the whole state sensitive for Lok Sabha elections, he said in completely peaceful state Amarinder Singh was raising non-issues as an excuse to run away from real ones. He said as Home Minister of the state, he was aware of his responsibility of conducting peaceful, free and fair elections.

Later, Badal inaugurated Rs 3.16 crore bus stand at Majitha, laid foundation stones of widening of two roads, namely Majitha to Kathunangal and Kathunangal to Tahli Sahib, at cost of Rs 15 crore and Rs 2.18 crore, respectively. He also presented two ambulances for Majitha and Kathunangal.

Patiala, February 15
The Naujawan Bharat Sabha and the Punjab Students Union here today announced to protest against the decision of the Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial Trust to close the memorial to political rallies and protests.

Raminder Singh, a leader of the Punjab Students Union, said the Naujawan Bharat Sabha and the Punjab Students Union had decided to organise rallies at all district and tehsil headquarters across Punjab where effigies would be burnt on February 19 to express resentment against the decisions of the trust.

Democratic- minded student organisations will meet at the Desh Bhagat Yadgaar Hall in Jalandhar on February 17 to draw up action against the decisions of the memorial trust.

He said some of the decisions which,included fee of Rs 5 on visitors to Jallianwala Bagh, construction of new structures for light and sound programme at the Jallianwala Bagh, and closing of the doors and windows of houses around the Jallianwala Bagh were not acceptable to the Naujawan Bharat Sabha and the Punjab students union and the protests had been planned to focus public attention on these issues. 

Ludhiana, February 15
The Sarv Sikhsha Abhiyaan (SSA) , to encourage education of girls in the state conducted statewide special examination of girl students of class VI and VII in government schools on February 14. An SSA, spokesman said more than 2.5 lakh girl students of class VI and VII from all parts of the state appeared in this test, comprising mathematics, science, English and social studies, respectively. All questions were of objective type.

Cash award of Rs 2,000, Rs 1,500 and Rs 1,000 will be given to the girls getting first three positions in each block of the state. Similar examination was held for class V and VIII also. The first three position holders will be awarded the cash prizes at block level at special district-level function of the districts of the state, respectively.

For 2009-10, Rs 3 crore was earmarked to give boost to the girl education in the state. Free notebooks will be supplied to girls of class V in 100 schools in each district.

Chandigarh, February 15
The Punjab government is all set to introduce the Punjab Preservation of Sub-Soil Water Bill in the Vidhan Sabha to regulate the cultivation of paddy in the state.

Encouraged by the increase in ground water table at several places across the state due to prohibition on paddy plantation before June 10 last year, the department of agriculture is making this prohibition part of the law of the land.

Last year, the agriculture department had promulgated the Punjab Preservation of Subsoil Water Ordinance 2008 fixing June 10 as the date before which no farmer could plant paddy.

After six months, the ordinance lapsed as it was decided to convert this ordinance into an Act. “In October 2008, the Cabinet approved this conversion. The ordinance has had very good results and the water table has shown a rise at some places,” said Ramesh Inder Singh, Chief Secretary.