 |
|
|
Himachal industrial waste pollutes Sutlej Under pressure from
Centre, Badal hints at rethink on subsidies
Land Holding
Scam
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Sugar Hoarding Case
Sugar ‘Overstock’
Golden Temple Lookalike Row
Benipal’s ‘sympathiser’ indicted in probe report
Falling water table
Potato prices stable
Plea to compensate black ash victims
CM unveils modern road network plan
Tribune Impact
Students ‘denied visas to Australia’
Orders on shifting of school lecturers cancelled
Students end strike
Youth rescued from illegal custody
|
Himachal industrial waste pollutes Sutlej
Nangal, September 23 The waste has been flowing from the Gwalthai area into the Sutlej 500 m from the national wetland at Nangal for two days. People working near Talwara khud have complained of infection on the hands and feet. Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) officials visited the site and collected two samples of water. PPCB SDO Ramji Dass said, “People have been complaining of dirty water coming from Himachal side,”. He added that pharmaceutical units , iron casting and battery manufacturing units came up in the Gwalthai area a few months ago. “It seems effluent of battery manufacturing units have been released into the water. The water seems to have turned acidic due to the presence of poisonous lead. However, chemical tests will reveal more,” he added. Residents showed burns on hands and feet to the PPCB team also. Incidents of polluted water from Himachal being released into Punjab are being reported. Water from industrial units of the neighbouring state is being released near Nangal and Ropar as well. the industrial waste from the Mehatpur area of Himachal finds way into Swan rivulet in Ropar. Besides this, polluted water of the Baddi industrial area is discharged into the Sarsa river, which affects Ropar wetland. Despite damage to the human health and that of marine life, none of the state governments have been able to do much. “It seems the tax holiday for promoting Himachal as the industrial hub is proving dear for Punjab,” the residents added.
|
||
|
Under pressure from
Centre, Badal hints at rethink on subsidies Chandigarh, September 23 Badal said the task had been entrusted to the two-member committee, comprising Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal and Industries Minister Manoranjan Kalia, who would study the entire gamut of subsidies and update the government. The Chief Minister said: “I will not like to comment on subsidies before the committee submits its report, but the course to be adopted by the government will be determined by what is suggested (by the committee).” He said the state’s fiscal health could not be ignored while arriving at any decision. An indication of the things to follow could be gauged from the fact that the Punjab government had already altered its atta-dal scheme by reducing the amount of ‘atta’ from 35 to 25 kg and ‘dal’ from 4 to 2.5 kg per family in a month. Admitting the reduction in quantity of ‘atta’ and ‘dal’, Badal said it had been done due to “operational” difficulties. Significantly, the move is expected to save the government over Rs 150 crore. Notably, a re-think on subsidies was a complete turnaround from the SAD’s Shimla Vichar Sammelan. SAD president had come out with a statement in Shimla that there would be “no change in the policy on subsidies, a commitment made by the party in its poll manifesto”. When reminded about SAD’s commitment on subsidies in the manifesto, the Chief Minister today said: “What’s written in the manifesto is not sacrosanct if it’s not in the interest of the state.” Refusing to be dragged into any debate on the issue of subsides -- first raised by Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal - the Chief Minister assured that the atta-dal scheme would not be stopped. Sources said the government was under pressure from the Finance Commission to cut subsidies if Punjab wanted any financial help. Notably, the SAD-BJP regime, which had so far adopted a pro-subsidies line, is learnt to have received a drubbing from the 13th Finance Commission over its fiscal mismanagement. Punjab, as per sources, had demanded relief in debt of around Rs 63,000 crore. But the Finance Commission, it is learnt, offered to defer the recovery of Rs 15,000 crore of the total outstanding amount for a period of 30 years and reduce the interest on another Rs 25,000 crore from 10.5 to 6 per cent provided Punjab ended its subsidies and imposed user charges on various services like sewerage, water supply, irrigation, etc, and also re-introduced house tax in cities. As the relief was huge, Punjab had no choice but to have a re-think on the subsidies. But due to political compulsions, only rationalisation, rather than an end, could be expected to subsidies from the two-member committee.
|
|
Scam NRIs on ever-expanding POs’ list Prabhjot Singh Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, September 23 As of today, as many as 2,800 NRIs are on the proclaimed offenders list of the Punjab police and hence cannot come here without being arrested and prosecuted for as minor a offence as apprehension of breach of peace, says Vikram Bajwa, a US-based BJP leader. “It is indeed both intriguing and shocking that on the one hand the SAD has been demanding that the ‘blacklists’ prepared by the Union Home Ministry when terrorism was at its peak in Punjab be reviewed at regular intervals so that hundreds of innocent Sikhs living in the US and Canada can visit their motherland, while on the other hand, it is making it impossible for other NRIs to come and save their land holdings here. The number of NRIs, declared proclaimed offenders in cases under Sections 107 and 151, 152 or 153 of the CrPC, has been on the rise for the past several years. As of now, nearly 2,800 NRIs face prosecution as proclaimed offenders. Their offence, if any, is staking claim to their ancestral property, which they had either rented out or given to a relative or a family member to look after in their absence. The moment they arrive and ask for possession of their property, they are not only charged with apprehension of breach of peace but at times are slapped with criminal trespass for entering their own homes or their cultivable land, says Bajwa. He has been holding meetings with senior functionaries of not only the NRI cell both in the civil administration as well as the Punjab police but also the political bosses, including the SAD leaders. Some of these cases, he feels, smack of political vendetta. “Most of these cases are intended to keep the NRIs out of India. There appears to be some nexus between those who are allegedly grabbing NRI properties in connivance with both the police and the present political leadership. What is the big idea of holding of NRI Day celebrations in the first week of New Year every year when those facing the problems cannot come or enter India for fear of arrest, adds Bajwa. He feels that all political parties should come together and put an end to this unfortunate episode of politics of vendetta. “I appeal to the SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal to take the initiative and call an all-party meeting to put a full stop on all cases that may smack of political victimisation,” adds Bajwa.
|
|
More stocks kept in UP, says police
Rajneesh Lakhanpal
Ludhiana, September 23 Rajiv Kumar, manager of Chandi Mal Roshan Lal, has “confessed” to the police that besides Rs 3.13 crore worth sugar, they were keeping 10,000 quintals of sugar in a UP city also. This was revealed by the police in the court of Judicial Magistrate P. S. Kaleka, where accused Rajiv Kumar was produced for seeking further police remand. Public prosecutor B. D.Gupta claimed that due to the festive season, the accused persons, in connivance with some others, indulged in the hoarding of sugar for selling it in the black market. He pleaded that the police was yet to recover the account books of the firm. He also asserted that a huge quantity of sugar stocks might be recovered if the remand was extended by five days. On the other hand, the defence lawyer opposed the contentions. He said that even if some quantity of sugar was recovered from a godown, a manager had nothing to do with it. He also referred to certain high court rulings on this point. The defence lawyers further said the police had claimed to have recovered 9,780 quintals of sugar from the godown. There were, however, five firms, each one legally entitled to have 2,000 quintals of sugar in stock. If 9,780 quintals of sugar was divided among five firms, no offence was made out. The police and officials of the District Food Controller’s office were harassing their clients. After hearing the contentions, the court extended the police remand of the accused till September 26. Meanwhile, the defence lawyer also moved a bail application of the accused.The court issued notice to the state for September 26.
|
|
No legal action so far against Nestle
Kulwinder Sandhu Tribune News Service
Moga, September 23 A team of the food and civil supplies department led by deputy director Jaswinder Singh along with two executive magistrates opened the seals and began counting the ‘illegal’ stock in all three storehouses in the morning. The team also took into custody certain documents from the offices of Nestle. In the afternoon, the team gave the report to district magistrate Satwant Singh Johal for action. A copy of the report was also dispatched to the state government. Johal confirmed that 1,205 MT of surplus sugar stock was found in three storehouses of Nestle, which the company officials claimed was sold by it in the open market to private traders. The total value of this ‘overstocked’ sugar as per the prevailing market rates comes to Rs 3.5 crore. In reply to a question, he categorically said that the district administration was not taking any legal action since this matter had already come to the notice of the state government. He said as per the preliminary findings, some of the private traders, who bought the sugar from this company, had not lifted it from the stores in time. The government had given permission to the company to dispose of the surplus stock by September 19, but as on date the huge stock of sugar was still lying in their storehouses. The principal secretary of the food and civil supplies department, SP Singh, confirmed that the government had received the report, which would be placed before his office tomorrow. “I will examine it and take legal action accordingly”, he said. Local SDM Ajay Sood revealed that the state government had given permission to Nestle to store only 15 days of stock, which they normally consume for making the food products. “The storage limit comes to around 11,000 quintals,” he added. Amritsar: The district food and supply department today recovered another huge quantity of sugar that was hoarded in two local godowns here. It is learnt that the department in joint operation with the CIA staff seized 3,650 quintals of sugar valued at more than Rs 1 crore. The sugar was stocked in two godowns on the Tarn Taran road here. Dr Anjuman Bhaskar, district food and supply controller, said the two godowns had been sealed and a separate case under the relevant section of the Essential Commodities Act had been registered against Rajiv Kumar. Anup Sharma, assistant food and supply officer, said the two godowns belonged to private persons.
|
|
Golden Temple Lookalike Row Sushil Goyal Tribune News Service
Sangrur, September 23 A meeting called by the SGPC president at Nanakiana Sahib gurdwara here today decided to implement the edict of Akal Takht on Golden Temple lookalike. Besides the SGPC chief members of the SGPC, representatives of Sikh bodies and other persons attended the meeting . To a question the SGPC president said it was decided the Sikh sangat would gather at gurdwara Gursagar Mastuana Sahib on October 11, from where the sangat would go to the Golden Temple lookalike Sikh shrine to see edict of Sri Akal Takht Sahib implemented. He said on that day kar sewa would begin there by way of filling the sarovar of the Sikh shrine up with earth. The SGPC chief said this step was being initiated by the SGPC and the Sikh bodies as management of gurdwara Sachkhand Angitha Sahib had not implemented the edict of Akal Takht Sahib to change the design and look of the shrine. He said on June 20 last, Akal Takht had issued edict, according to which the sarovar had to be filled up with earth, besides the demolition of bridge, Har Ki Pauri and four domes.
|
|
Benipal’s ‘sympathiser’ indicted in probe report
Ludhiana, September 23 In a report to the financial commissioner (Revenue), deputy commissioner, Ludhiana, Vikas Garg has held tehsildar-cum-sub registrar (W), KS Randhawa, responsible for deliberately impounding several sale deeds without any reason to make money from parties concerned. The report submitted today was based on a raid conducted by the DC on Randhawa's office recently. It said the sale deeds were impounded by tehsildar Randhawa deliberately so that the people whose documents were delayed should contact him through agents. This attitude promoted corruption and was a blot on the image of the government, stated the report. The DC also indicted office clerk Lalit Sharma. After the raid, the DC found that 16 sale deeds registered in the 47-A register were impounded but the sub-registrar had not signed on these documents. These unsigned documents were registered under different numbers including 2505, 5652, 5654,5661, 5663 to 5672 and 5674. Only the impounding certificate, used as a covering letter, was signed. The revenue official did not even mention the reason for confiscating the deeds. This showed that the revenue official had a different motive in his mind. He only wanted to make money by harassing people, the report says. The DC also found many documents kept pending in the record. Randhawa was not available for comments. Another revenue official on condition of anonymity said Randhawa was being implicated as he had spearheaded a campaign against the government when he had given a strike call to the revenue officials following the attack on Major Benipal. Being an office-bearer of the Revenue Officials Association, the revenue officials had rose in unison and struck work for a week. This had prompted the police to take action against the accused. On the other hand, a senior official of the administration said there were complaints against the sub-registrar for a long time.
|
|
Falling water table
Chandigarh, September 23 Even technology may not be of much help to Punjabis who are increasingly digging deeper and finding tube well motors incapable of keeping pace with falling water table. The Agriculture Department’s figures say in 2000 - 2001 there were 20 lakh 3 BHP motors in the state . Now only 1.41 lakh of these remain. Similarly number of 5 BHP motors has fallen from 29.42 lakh in 2000-01 to only 17.42 lakh last year, decrease of 12 lakh. There has been steady increase in the number of high BHP motors. The number of 7.5 BHP motors increased from 10.32 lakh in 2000-01 to 26.60 lakh last year and 10 BHP motors from 41,565 motors in 2000-01 to 1.55 lakh. Similarly figure of 12.5 BHP motors went up to 40,000, of 15 BHP to 60,000 and of 20 BHP to 21,000 according to last year’s figures. The change- over to high power motors has affected almost all farmers but small farmers who have been hit the hardest. Small farmers with three to five HP motors have been forced to upgrade to high power motors for which they have to pay fee of Rs 4,000 per HP. Besides this digging deeper and investing in new motors costs at least Rs 2 to Rs three lakh on deep tube wells. Those unable to afford it buy water in the Ghanaur belt in Patiala and Moonak sub- division in Sangrur ranging from Rs 100 to Rs 150 per hour. Those selling water claim they are charging for the high cost involved in digging deep tube wells with water in these areas going up to 400 feet below. Agriculture Department’s figures say, the state needs 4.45 million-hectare metres of water for cropping patterns, but has only three million hectare metres for use without lowering of water table and remaining 1.45 million million hectare metres are being mined. Sangrur district, which produces most of foodgrains, has seen 24- metre drop in water table in 25 years, according to readings of the State Water Resources and Environment Directorate in June this year. Moga and Patiala have shown fall of 23 metres . According to figures, average water table in 1859 was 28 metres. However canalisation of rivers increased water table and it went up to five metres in 1979. Over exploitation since then has made average water depth 28 metres again. “What we gained in 120 years we have lost it in 30”, says a farm scientist. |
|
Potato prices stable
Jalandhar, September 23 Wholesale potato dealers said were surprised when some TV news channels last night said the tuberous vegetable’s price had shot up to Rs 30 per kg. Asserting there was no truth to the reports they said while potatoes were selling at Rs 12-13 a kg in the wholesale market, retail prices stayed put at Rs 14-15 per kg. Even the ‘pahari’ potatoes, which otherwise fetched a higher price than the local variety, were selling at Rs 15 per kg in the wholesale market and retailed for less than Rs 20 a kilo. Jang Bahadur Singh
Sangha, a leading potato grower in Punjab, said, “The potato market was stable during the past two to three months and the prices have remained stable at around Rs 1,200 per quintal. I feel the report on prices shooting up might have been spread by some lobby group.
|
|
|
Plea to compensate black ash victims
Chandigarh, September 23 The commission had taken suo moto congnisance of a report appearing in a vernacular newspaper that mentioned that the workers of a factory operating in Nangal had thrown black ash in Bela Dhayani village, by which some animals and persons had received burn injuries. The residents of the village whose animals received burn injuries demanded suitable compensation. After going through the contents of the news-item, the commission had called for the report from the Rupnagar DC. Based on a statement of the sarpanch, the DC submitted a report that no loss had been caused to the animals and others by the black ash. Rejecting his report the commission gave credence to the statements given by the village residents that the incident did take place. “Keeping in view the statements of the aforesaid persons, who have been affected by the black ash, the commission recommendedthat the Punjab government through the Deputy Commissioner, Rupnagar, should pay Rs 5,000 to Gurmit Chand, who suffered injuries on his legs due to black ash and Rs 1,000 each to those persons whose animals got burn injuries. However, the Rupnagar DC, can recover this amount from the industry/persons in accordance with law, who are responsible for storing the black ash,” ordered the commission today. The case has been adjourned to review the action taken report for November 9, 2009.
|
|
CM unveils modern road network plan
Chandigarh, September 23 Talking to mediapersons during his weekly interaction, the Chief Minister said the next two years would see all major destinations in the state interconnected and connected with the rest of the country with a state-of-the-art road network. Among the arteries, Badal listed the six-laning of the stretch from the Shambu border to Jalandhar (6-laning) and the Amritsar-Attari border, Kurali-Kiratpur Sahib, Ludhiana-Malerkotla, Kharar-Banur, Zirakpur-Patiala, Patiala-Bathinda, Kharar-Ludhiana, Ludhiana-Talwandi, Jalandhar-Dhilwan section, Amritsar-Pathankot, Morinda-Kurali-Siswan T.Junction, Siswan-T.Junction to Mullanpur Garibdass and Ropar-Phagwara (all 4-laning). The four-laning of projects alone would entail an expenditure of Rs 5000 crore and cover a travelling length of more than 800 km in the state, said the Chief Minister. The state had also undertaken upgrading 36 roads in the border districts, covering a length of 500 km at an overall expenditure of Rs 235 crore.
|
|
CM orders probe into PSEB booking box at stadium
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, September 23 The electricity board had booked a corporate box at the stadium in 2005 for three years for Rs 10 lakh. Last year, the booking was renewed for another three years at a cost of Rs 20 lakh. The corporate box, with a capacity of 24 seats, was used by PSEB officials and their guests to watch international cricket matches free of cost. The Chief Minister added that the board had been asked to “take back” its money from the PCA and cancel the renewal of the corporate box with immediate effect. When contacted Chairman of the electricity board H.S. Brar said he had written to the PCA to cancel the renewal. “They should be returning our money soon,” he said.
|
|
Students ‘denied visas to Australia’
Bathinda, September 23 Even after meeting the eligibility criteria, students were denied visas without giving any justification. This was stated by Dr Surinder Singh Gill from the South Asian Community Organisation based in the US. Dr Gill looks after the immigration and labour rights of the Indians there. Dr Gill said while talking over the phone from the US that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would be coming to the US today and he (Dr Gill) would be meeting him tomorrow to take up the plight of the Indian students who wish to immigrate to Australia. “An interview has been introduced by the Australian High Commission here for students for the past two months and this is nothing but an excuse to deny visas to Indian students. Irrelevant questions form a part of the interview and students fail to answer them due to which they are being denied visas,” he said. “I wanted to go to Australia for further education but after hearing about my friends not getting visas even after qualifying in the IELTS and depositing fee in a college there, I have dropped the plan,” said Balkaran Singh from Bathinda. Ashok Sadiora from BRILLS Institute, Bathinda, stated that due to 75 per cent visas being rejected in the past two months for reasons unknown, they have stopped taking students in their institute who want to go to Australia. It was the only country that accepted a band of five also but now the Australian High Commission has created an unseemly situation for the Indian students. The worst hit are those who have got married on the basis of their score in the IELTS. “There are many students who get married on the basis of their IELTS bands. Their spouses are allowed to go to Australia with them but if they would not be given a visa, their marriages would be jeopardised,” he added. A total of Rs 37,000 is wasted once a student is denied a visa. This money is just the embassy fee and the case lodgment fee which is a part of the fee deposited with an Australian college which is in lakhs.
|
|
|
Orders on shifting of school lecturers cancelled
Jalandhar, September 23 The department had relieved a good number of lecturers from such schools yesterday. Sources said the District Education Officers concerned were today directed by the department to inform the relieved lecturers to rejoin at the schools where they were posted earlier. Some of the lecturers rejoined their previous place of posting this afternoon, it is learnt. Many lecturers had rushed to Chandigarh immediately after they were relieved. The sources said lecturers from Sangrur, Mohali, Kapurthala and Ludhiana districts had reached there. Many more arrived there this morning and started a demonstration against the government before the lunch break. Relieving of the lecturers from the schools had created confusion among students as well as their parents. A senior government official said yesterday that the decision to relive the lecturers had been taken to make the optimum use of the services of such teachers. He had stated that there was a proposal to post the relieved lecturers in schools where the number of students was more than 10 or in the range of 20 to 30. He said there were schools where the number of students in the science and commerce streams at the plus two level was between 20 and 30 but there was no lecturer to teach the subject. However, what made the government’s decision questionable was who would have taught the students in the institutions from where the lecturers were withdrawn. And withdrawing of the teachers at a stage when half the academic session was almost through had virtually left the students in the lurch. Meanwhile, sources in the Education Department said the process of rationalisation of teachers in schools would continue.
|
|
Students end strike
Adampur (Jalandhar), September 23 A press note issued by the institute management said the students were pacified by faculty members and their demands were accepted. The students are back in the hostels. The management has also cancelled the notice of closure of the hostels which the authorities were forced to announce after students went on the rampage on Monday evening. Students, including girls, had been protesting against the alleged intrusion of a security guard in a girls’ hostel in an inebriated condition last night. The management has removed the guard from service.
|
|
Youth rescued from illegal custody
Moga, September 23 Apaar Singh alias Bittu the youth was allegedly detained by the CIA staff when he went there on September 21 to enquire about his brothers Ranjit Pal Singh and Lajpal Singh who run a drug store and earlier picked up by the police. The families of the three brothers filed a habeas corpus petition in the high court on Tuesday alleging the police officials had demanded Rs. 50,000 from them to get the three youths freed. Justice Jora Singh , taking up the matter appointed a warrant officer to search the youths. While the warrant officer was on his way to Moga this morning the police shifted Apaar Singh from CIA staff to the city police station and his two brothers to other location. However, the family members accompanying the warrant officer got wind of it and took the warrant officer to the city police station. The youth was recovered from the illegal custody and taken to the district hospital for medical examination. After medical examination he was set free. The warrant officer recorded in the daily dairy of the police station and served a notice to the SHO to appear before the high court on October 5. Meanwhile, whereabouts of the other two brothers of Apaar Singh were not yet known and the family members had alleged they were being tortured by the police at some undisclosed location.
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
Nangal, September 23
