Chandigarh, June 11
Conceptual deviation and dilution in specifications of the quality of material that led to the collapse of an ambitious scheme based on Swedish technology for treating village sewage in a scientific way has culminated into the arrest of several manufacturers, suppliers and executioners of the scheme.

Sources in the Punjab Vigilance Department confirmed that at least 10 persons have been taken in custody while a couple of others were let off after a day-long interrogation at the vigilance headquarters today.

A case under Sections 420 and 120-B of the IPC and several Sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act was registered on March 18 this year after the first bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court asked the Punjab Vigilance Bureau to investigate the case.

On May 28, when the Vigilance Bureau submitted its initial investigation report, the first Bench of the High Court not only expressed its satisfaction over the progress made in the case but also allowed the Vigilance Bureau plea for a four-month extension in the investigation of the case.

It all started in 2005 when the state government decided to launch the Nolson technology based septic tank scheme in the state villages. Initially, it was tried in three villages where each household was provided with a septic tank that was connected to the larger septic tank in the village. The village septic tank was initially made of the concrete. The scheme worked very well.

Based on the success of the pilot project, the government decided to extend the scheme to other 48 villages at a cost of Rs 55 crore. Before it could be executed, some conceptual changes in the design and the specifications of the material to be used were made. Instead of concrete tanks, it was decided to replace them with the plastic tanks.

Manufacturers of the plastic tanks in the country offered to make the tanks. However, since the quality of plastic tank was much below the specifications, the execution of the scheme in 48 villages not only brought severe misery to the villagers but also converted these villages into cesspools.

Peeved at the poor quality of the material and changes in the specifications of the scheme, a villager, Kuldip Singh, moved Public Interest Litigation before the first Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court that directed the Punjab Vigilance Bureau to look into the allegations.

The investigations narrowed down to about 15 persons most of whom are well connected. The company that supplied the plastic tanks comes from Gujarat that has a BJP government there.

Sources in the Vigilance maintained that investigations were conducted in a free, fair and professional manner. 

Chauke (Bathinda), June 11
Fascination for Chandigarh, the city beautiful, is evident on the faces of the elderly farmers of this dusty village of Malwa that is about 200 km away from the state capital, who have manifested their craze by naming the village bus stop as Chandigarh Chowk bus stand.

Ironically, neither a single bus directly plies from the village to Chandigarh nor is its populace settled in Chandigarh.

“We are ever ready to visit Chandigarh for every dharna and protest that is staged. Whenever any organisation asks us, we instantly get ready to go to the city with them for this purpose. It is our attachment for the city beautiful that attracts us,” said middle-aged Joginder Singh.

Others present there also gave a similar reply, smiling and winking at each other. However, no one seemed to have the real answer. Not until a youth Jasweer Singh chose to speak up. “They are not speaking the truth. They insist on naming this bus stop as Chandigarh Chowk, as it motivates them to freely discuss the state politics and flaunt their proximity to politicians sitting in Chandigarh,” Jasweer said.

“What they say is their attachment to the city can be explained in terms of the availability of cheap liquor there, which they enjoy a lot. It is because of this that they never refuse to join the rallies or dharna staged at Chandigarh by any organisation,” he disclosed.

The name (Chandigarh chowk) has been approved in the Nagar Kirtan.

People in this region, in fact, are so fascinated by the city that in many of the towns they have named their localities as Chandigarh mohalla.

Amritsar, June 11
Even as a five-member committee of Gurdwara Sachkhand Angitha Sahib Mastuana, led by Sant Surjit Singh, today appeared before Akal Takht to submit an undertaking that it won’t replicate the Golden Temple at Mastuana, SGPC president Avtar Singh said the proposed Sikh conclave would be held at Teja Singh Sammundari Hall here on June 20 as per schedule to discuss the issue.

The SGPC president, who had gone to Raipur, Chhattisgarh, said Sant Attar Singh had never dreamt of replicating the Golden Temple in Malwa as claimed by a section of the management.

The SGPC president said that the Mastuana management had failed to fulfil its commitment made to Akal Takht and the SGPC in 1994 that the design and architecture of the Sikh shrine at Mastuana would be changed.

Meanwhile, the Sikh Students Federation, led by Manjit Singh Bhoma, has asked the management of Gurdwara Mastuana to demolish the controversial building otherwise a mass movement would be launched against them.

However, Sant Surjit Singh, who visited here along with other four members of the Mastuana Management Committee, clarified that no construction work was being undertaken by the management at Mastuana. He said work of desilting of the holy tank was misconstrued for the construction work.

He said that status quo was being maintained in accordance with the directive of Akal Takht and the SGPC with regard to stopping further construction in 1994. The construction of a gurdwara resembling Harmandar Sahib at Mastuana was discontinued following intervention of Akal Takht 15 years ago.

At present, Sant Sadhu Singh heads the management of Gurdwara Sachkhand Angitha Sahib Mastuana. Since he is not keeping well, he sent his brother Sant Surjit Singh along with Principal Babu Singh Sandor, Prashotam Singh Phaguwala, Jagjit Singh Changal, Ajit Singh, Shaaminder Singh Kanjhala to submit the sealed letter at the Takht.

They alleged that a controversy was raked up by an SGPC member who was keen to take over the management of the gurdwara. They claimed that after the demise of previous head of the management Sant Roor Singh in the first month of this year, the same person hurriedly installed a five-member committee and used other ploys to take over the management. However, the sangat rejected his move, they added.

Sant Surjit Singh said the foundation stone for the construction of a holy pond and the gurdwara was laid in the memory of Sant Attar Singh in 1967. 

Chandigarh, June 11
Punjab will go ahead with an annual plan size of Rs 8,450 crore for the coming financial year. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal will meet Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia on June 26, accompanied by Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal and others to seek an approval prior to the Budget session, tentatively proposed for the first week of July.

Sources in the government said tough initially the plan size was fixed at Rs 7,500 crore, but it was revised to add another Rs 950 crore. As per the proposed plan, there is an onus on the state government to generate about Rs 2,200 crore on its own. Punjab is likely to ask the Centre to raise its share in the contribution and it is working on a strategy for this.

Tentative dates for the Budget session have been fixed from July 3 to 9. As per indication, the state will have to impose some new taxes, without which it may not be able to generate its share of Rs 2,200 crore.

The proposed meeting on June 26 was initially scheduled for sometime in February, but was called off by the state Government at the last minute after it decided to present a vote on account.

Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal had then said that the government would like to wait for the Union Budget before presenting the state budget as “he would like to take advantage of new schemes that may be announced in the Union Budget”.

The state has prepared its case to ask the Centre to pay at least 50 percent of excess financial burden of Rs 2,700 crore, the state government’s liability following the recommendations of Fifth Pay Commission. The plan size of Rs 8,450 crore is a jump of nearly 35 per cent over last year’s plan.

The state is also pleading to the Centre to enhance its contribution to the plan on the ground that its collections from stamp duty have dipped between Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,100 crore on account of financial slowdown hitting real estate transactions.

The Finance Minister is worried about state’s fiscal deficit that has grown to over 6 percent. Manpreet Badal, who is currently in Delhi, is expected to call on Ahluwalia to hold a preliminary meeting before taking the plan to the Planning Commission on June 26.

Jalandhar, June 11
The state government today urged the Centre to do away with tax concessions to hill states with immediate effect to save the state from further economic ruin. State Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal raised this issue at a meeting with Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee this morning in Delhi. Concessions to hill states were given during the Vajpayee-led NDA government of which the SAD was a part.

No investment is being made by industrialists in Punjab owing to the availability of tax concessions to them in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and other hill states. The state is affected most because Himachal Pradesh is its immediate neighbour and even Uttrakhand is also not far away. As a result, state-based industrialists prefer to invest in the above two mentioned hill states.

“We have been doing our duty for the nation by providing food security and also security on its borders. Instead of compensating us for doing so, the Union Government has been on the course of destroying us financially,” Manpreet Badal told Mukherjee.

Taking up another issue of heavy debt - which is of to the tune of Rs 58,000 crore - against Punjab, he urged Mukherjee to retire at least some part of that debt burden.

“Punjab came under debt in 1980s and 1990s when it was going through turmoil which was not its own making. Problem in the state was created from outside and during that period state’s debt burden increased from Rs 700 crore to Rs 7,000 crore in a few years because there was not proper realisation of tax revenue,” said Manpreet Badal.

“That debt continued to grow because of the state’s capacity to repay it had come down owing to disturbed conditions. Effect of such conditions continued till late 1990s”, he said.

“ Punjab has been paying about Rs 4,700 crore as interest on the loan and owing to this its most part of the VAT revenue collection is exhausted to pay the interest. In case, the Centre agrees to release some part of this debt, it will be good for the state,” he said. “A relief of Rs 1,000 crore to Rs 2,000 crore in the interest payment can be a big help for the state”, he added.

Chandigarh, June 11
The Special Investigating Team (SIT), which has been constituted to probe the PMET-2008 scam, has urged the Baba Farid University authorities to ensure no OMR sheets leave the examination centres during the forthcoming PMET examination on June 14.

The PMET examination is being held at Faridkot and around 10,000 candidates are expected to take the test.

According to SIT head and Ropar SSP LK Yadav, investigation into the PMET-2008 examination had revealed a number of malpractices and the SIT was taking steps to ensure such practices did not occur again. The SIT has arrested a number of persons following revelations that impersonations had occurred in the 2008 examination on a large scale.

Yadav said the OMR sheet was a document, which could be misused by copying it. He said the SIT had requested the university authorities to ensure invigilators did not allow the sheet to be smuggled out. The police officer said a duplicate OMR sheet could be created along with the invigilator’s signature. He said unscrupulous persons could misuse this duplicate sheet.

Meanwhile, the SIT has written to the governments of Bihar and Jharkhand to attach properties of persons who were operating at “field agents” of gangs involved in impersonating genuine candidates.

These persons have presently gone underground. They include Mohammad Yusuf of Faizabad, Avinash Kumar of Nalanda, Praful Kumar of Bhagalpur, Dharmender of Navada and Ajit Kumar of East Champaran. 

Ludhiana, June 11
A large number of students appearing in the Indian Forest Service (IFS) examination, being conducted by the UPSC, on July 12 this year, will be losing their chance to appear in examinations for entrance to BEd colleges affiliated to all universities in the state.

The examination dates clash on July 12 and students are seeking an immediate redressal to the situation which could mar a chance for alternate admission and cost one full academic year.

While talking to The Tribune today, a group of students said, “We will be losing our chance to appear at two places, separately, which was unfair under the existing practice of giving a fair chance to everybody. In wake of a very competitive world, these days, at least the educational institutions are expected to give maximum advantage to the students”.

Patiala, June 11
The Patiala Vigilance Bureau (VB) today nabbed Malkit Singh, an audit inspector in the Cooperative Society, Sangrur, in a graft case.

Malkit, who was to audit documents of the Cooperative Society, Hamirgarh, asked members of the society that he should be given Rs 25,000 to “properly” audit the documents.

However, later he settled down for an amount of Rs 15,000 out of which he took Rs 5,000 as advance payment.

On a complaint filed by the members of the society, the Patiala VB today nabbed Malkit Singh when he was accepting Rs 10,000 as bribe.

He was arrested by a team of officials led by DSP (vigilance) Anil Kumar Sharma.