Rural docs unhappy over govt move
Patiala, June 18
Representatives of the Rural Medical Services Association (RMSA), Punjab, and Punjab Civil Medical Services (PCMS) Association have condemned the state government’s decision of re-employing the specialist doctors under the Health Department and increasing their age of retirement up to 65 years on the pretext of lack of the specialists in the state.

Pharmacists threaten stir
Patiala, June 18
The Punjab Rural Health Pharmacist Association has threatened to intensify their stir against the state government regarding the fulfilment of their long-pending demands.

POLITICS

Samrala, June 18
A large number of farmers today protested against the laying of a gas pipeline by GAIL (India) Limited here. They alleged that the government had failed to provide compensation to them in lieu of their land.

Activists of the farmers’ unions like the BKU (Lakhowal) and BKU (Rajewal), too, joined the farmers and raised slogans against the company for starting the work without paying any compensation. The gas pipeline would pass through many villages of Samrala and the government had promised to give compensation to those through whose lands the pipeline was to pass.

Union leaders like Sikandar Singh Nagra, Parminder Singh, Kartar Singh, Sukhminder Singh and others raised slogans against the officials and the company.

The farmers said they would not allow any kind of work in their land until the entire compensation was provided to them. The matter was also brought into the notice of the SDM who rushed his officials to look into the matter. The officials pacified the farmers and assured them to get their problem resolved at the earliest.

The farmers said though they had brought this to the notice of the company officials a few months ago but they had not replied so far. Suhail Akbar, an official of the company, said that the land had been registered and the farmers would so get their dues. 

Jalandhar, June 18
What has piqued Indians settled abroad is the insistence of the Indian embassies with regard to the cancellation of Indian passports of those persons who have become foreign citizens. The Indian embassies have asked the Indian citizens, who have acquired foreign citizenship, to renounce their Indian citizenship and surrender their Indian passports for cancellation. Such persons are issued a surrender certificate by the Indian consulates.

“Many people had come to the US and other countries long back. Some of them have lost their passports. How will they surrender their passports?” asked M Goyal, an Indian settled in the US. He said such persons would not be able to visit India because they would not be issued visas in the absence of a surrender certificate to be issued by the Indian embassy concerned. “The Indian Government should find some way out,” he said. As the Indian embassies witness long queues and hostility from Indians at some places, they have posted a new announcement on their websites declaring that applications for cancellation of Indian passports and to obtain the surrender certificate would be accepted only by mail.

Those travelling on Indian passports after acquiring foreign citizenship could face legal action because it will be illegal to travel on Indian passports in such cases.

An announcement on the website of the Consulate General of India in New York reads: “Indian citizens acquiring foreign citizenship are required to renounce their Indian citizenship and surrender their Indian passports for cancellation. They are issued a surrender certificate by the Consulate”. It further states: “Persons of Indian origin who acquired foreign citizenship on or before May 31, 2010, should approach the Consulate for cancellation of their passports if this has not been already done. They will have to pay cancellation charge of US $ 20 per person in addition to mailing charges of US $ 20 (per family).

For those who have already got their passports cancelled after acquiring foreign citizenship, no further action is required”. It further adds, “However, Indian citizens acquiring foreign citizenship on or after June 1, 2010, will have to pay the renunciation fee of US $175 per person (in addition to mailing charges of US $20 for cancellation of Indian passports). Penalties would be applicable in case such passports are not surrendered within 90 days of acquiring foreign citizenship”.

Sources said the cancellation charges for those who acquired citizenship before May 31 were also US $175. However, when the Indian-born people protested against such a high fee, the Government brought it down to US$20 but did not reduce it in case of those who acquired foreign citizenship on or after June 1.

Patiala, June 18
Representatives of the Rural Medical Services Association (RMSA), Punjab, and Punjab Civil Medical Services (PCMS) Association have condemned the state government’s decision of re-employing the specialist doctors under the Health Department and increasing their age of retirement up to 65 years on the pretext of lack of the specialists in the state.

Lambasting at the Cabinet decision for making a policy for few select VIP doctors, rural medical officers, working under zila parishads on contract have announced to launch a statewide stir in case the government fails to withdraw its decision within 10 days.

Terming the decision as arbitrary, president of RMSA and state convener of the United Doctors Association of India (UDAI) Dr Aslam Parvez said this decision would affect the future prospects of the young doctors. “There are nearly 12,00 doctors, who are doing rural jobs and serving people in the peripheral rural areas for past many years. Instead of motivating them by regularising their jobs, giving benefit of the rural job for doing post graduation in the Government Medical Colleges and strengthening the rural healthcare system permanently, government is taking temporary steps only to benefit a few favourites,” he alleged.

State president of the PCMS Association Dr Hardeep Singh alleged that the state government is discriminating with the specialists, who will be recruited afresh. He further said if the government wants to adjust some selected doctors, then it should re-employ them after they superannuate, under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), on contractual basis for Rs 25,000, which the government was offering to the new specialist doctors on contract.

The rural doctors further stated that the government would be giving the last drawn salary to the doctors being re-employed, which would amounts to nearly one lakh per month per doctor and at the same time would be giving salary to the tune of Rs 37,000 to the fresh young specialists, who would be joining the State Health Services in a month or so.

Accusing the Finance Department for adopting double standards, the RMSA and PCMSA leaders fumed at the decision of the Finance Department. “The Finance Department has no money for the rural health, which is in shambles and at the same time, Department can afford to give lakhs in the form of salaries by re-employing the retired doctors,” they added.

The associations have announced that in case the government fails to withdraw the said decision within 10 days they would launch a massive agitation and would paralyse the health system of the state, the responsibility of which would be on the state government. The joint forum of both the associations has decided to hold a meeting on June 27 in Ludhiana to discuss further course of action. 

Patiala, June 18
The Punjab Rural Health Pharmacist Association has threatened to intensify their stir against the state government regarding the fulfilment of their long-pending demands.

In a state-level meeting, the association criticised the adamant behaviour of the state and warned them of dire consequences in case of non-acceptance of their demands.

The primary demand of these pharmacists is formation of a separate contract for appointment of the pharmacists like doctors. Secondly, to give revised pay grades to the pharmacists working on contractual basis. Third demand is to avoid the deputation of paramedical officials instead of pharmacists.

State president of the association Satpal Cheema demanded that the rural dispensaries should employ only qualified pharmacists and all contractual pharmacists should be made regular. Also like doctors, they should be given 20 casual leaves and the female pharmacists should be given maternity leave like doctors.

Talking to The Tribune, Cheema said, “We don’t want to get on top of the water tanks or disrupt traffic. We are an educated lot and want to behave like one, but the government is forcing us to take strict measures.”

He said last year a delegation of the association had met the Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal and he had ensured them that the government would resolve their problems at the earliest, but till date, the government had not bothered to contact them.

He further said the association would not tolerate this callous attitude anymore and the government will be responsible for any action they take. He requested Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to intervene in the matter and give patient hearing to their genuine demands.

Giving reference of the decision regarding the petition that was filed in the Illahabad High Court, he said the decision clearly read that all dispensaries must appoint qualified pharmacists as the upkeep and only qualified registered pharmacists could do distribution of the medicines.

“Ignoring their own decision and the Pharmacy Act, the government has still not expelled these pharmacists in order to save their vote bank. The government didn’t realise that this decision is totally against the qualified pharmacists, who deserve to get jobs,” he added. 

Chandigarh, June 18
In yet another sign of the Punjab government’s apathy towards industry owners in the state, members of various Chambers of Industries and Commerce have alleged that the state government has to refund over Rs 270 crore of VAT claims deposited by the industries.

“Under the VAT system, the industry generates excess VAT which remains in the exchequer. The government has to refund this excess VAT within 60 days, failing which interest has to be paid by the Excise Department. However, several industries in Punjab have claimed that VAT refund worth crores is yet to be refunded by the department, even after the passage of more than nine months since it was claimed,” said PD Sharma, President of the Apex Chamber of Commerce and Industry, demanding that the state government pay interest to the dealers whose refund had been delayed beyond two months.

Industrialists added that other than Rs 270 crore, which has been claimed, another at least Rs 900 crore of VAT refund is yet to claimed by the industry. “Since the government amended the VAT rules in October 2009, industrial dealers have to submit C, H and F forms for claiming refund along with the VAT return. It is not possible to submit these forms as Punjab’s dealers have to now get C forms from outside states where they had sold their goods. These forms are not easily available and it can take one to two years just to get these forms during which period the refund claim remains stuck,” said BS Anand, President of the Mohali Industries Association.

“When goods from Punjab go outside the state, their movement is recorded at the state barriers. The government can easily verify from this computerised record and thus release the refund. In fact it seems to be an attempt on the part of the government to use the industry’s working capital for running its own administration, oriented to freebies,” said Sharma.

Industrialists added that the government had identified about 130 suspects out of the total 1.41 lakh VAT dealers in Punjab and issued instructions that anyone who dealt with such suspects would not get his refund. “This is a very harsh and illogical provision. How can a dealer know about the misdeeds of others? It is the duty of the Excise Department to identify wrongdoers and penalise them rather than penalise the general industry whose refund is stuck because of such operators,” said RS Sachdeva, co-chairman of the PHD Chamber of Industry and Commerce.

The Excise and Taxation Commissioner, Punjab, A Venuprasad said the state was ready to pay interest on the claims which had been delayed beyond 60 days. “The delay in refund was mainly due to deficiency in the submission of forms or mismatch of the amounts claimed. In such cases, the department is not liable to pay any interest,” he said.

Bathinda, June 18
In a step to make the urban land acquisition process land-owner and government-friendly, the Punjab government has introduced a new land purchase policy, under which a number of procedural complications will be done away with.

According to the policy, a primary committee will be constituted to acquire urban land, with the Chief Administrator, Deputy Commissioner or his representative, Additional Chief Administrator, Land Acquisition Collector, Superintending Engineer, Divisional Engineer, district town planner and the estate officer as its members.

At first, the primary committee will broadly identify various issues like direction, the required area and the purpose for which the land was being acquired. Then, the case will be forwarded for approval to the state government's executive committee, headed by the Chief Minister.

On receiving a nod from the executive committee, the primary committee will adopt a two-envelop system and invite tenders/bids from interested parties through newspapers. The first envelop will have details like the revenue record, registry, Jamabandi, ownership rights etc, while the other will contain financial bids.

The policy states that all land owners can apply for tender/bid either separately, jointly or through a representative.

Opening the technical bid envelop, the primary committee will select the suitable site after inspecting all sites. Then, the committee will send its report to the SDM for revenue verification and later, objections will be sought against the selected land.

After getting an approval from the executive committee, the financial bid envelop will be opened in the presence of all bidders. Considering the financial viability of the project, an interim report will be sent to the district collector-cum-price fixation committee, which will further put it up before the Cabinet sub-committee after fixing the prices for the land. Once the sub-committee clears the case, the land will be purchased.

Confirming the facts, Chief Administrator of the Bathinda Development Authority Ravi Bhagat said, "The newly introduced land purchase policy is an owner-cum-government-friendly step. It will enable the administration to skip various steps besides other lengthy procedures. On the other hand, it will make the land owners a happy lot, as the land will only be purchased after it is offered voluntarily.”

Chandigarh, June 18
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said today that the state would soon amend the Punjab Apartment Property Regulation (PAPR) Act, 1995, to insert stringent provisions to deter builders from building unauthorised colonies.

Presiding over a meeting of a delegation of the state unit of the Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India (CREDAI) at his residence here this morning, the Chief Minister asked the Secretary, Housing and Urban Development, to study the procedure adopted by the Haryana Government to prevent the construction of unauthorised colonies.

Expressing concern over growing such colonies in the state, the Chief Minister said it was not only detrimental to the holistic growth and development of the state, but it also caused a sheer exploitation and harassment of the people.

Responding to demands raised by the delegation, the Chief Minister asked Punjab State Power Corporation Limited to provide either a single-point metering system to promoters of licensed colonies or an individual meter to all residents.

The Chief Minister also directed the chairman, Punjab State Power Corporation, to install 66 KV grid substation within the premises of licensed colonies by charging a lump sum amount of Rs 3 crore from promoters in addition to 5 per cent ex-gratia on the account of escalation in the cost of electrical equipment and material.

The Chief Minister also asked the chairman of the Punjab Pollution Control Board to issue a no objection certificate (NOC) to promoters within 90 days and in case of not raising any objection in this regard within the stipulated time frame, failing which it would deemed to be issued.

The Chief Minister also directed the Financial Commissioner(Forests) to convene a separate meeting of developers and builders to resolve the matter for issuing an NOC from the forest department.

Mohali, June 18
In a major concession to promoters and colonisers investing in Punjab, the state government has reduced external development charges (EDC) and licence fee. Promoters of mega/super mega projects have been allowed to deposit their EDC/licence fee in instalments.

Colonisers dealing in built up houses have been allowed an additional relief of 10 per cent. But these benefits have come with a rider. The reduction in EDC/licence fee will have to be passed on to buyers of property in such projects.

The government has also announced various concessions for promoters of marriage palaces, restaurants, clubs and other kinds of commercial infrastructure. They will be charged only for utilised FAR (floor area ratio) and the remaining area will be charged at the rates of residential colonies. Also, the FAR beyond 1.75 will be allowed at half the prescribed rates.

Further, the government has also decided to impose responsibility on each of the promoters to provide free of cost land for the construction of houses for economically weaker sections (EWSs). The reduction of charges for promoters of Class XII-level schools has touched a new low and charges for such educational institutions will be one-tenth of the charges for plotted development.

To promote infrastructure for sports, health, recreation, EWS housing, the government has announced the creation of Social Infrastructure Fund (SIF). The urban development authorities concerned will maintain the fund. The SIF will be funded by charging 3 per cent of the CLU/ EDC/ licence fee from promoters of all kind of projects in the state.

Ludhiana, June 18
Taking a dig at the poor health infrastructure and facilities in government-run hospitals, activists of the Vishwa Guru Ravidass Mission staged a protest here today.

The activists took to ancient modes of transport like a horse cart and bicycles to convey a message of poor healthcare in the city.

Led by Shiv Ram Saroye, they raised slogans against the government and depicted the poor state of affairs in government hospitals and health centres.

“There are no medicines and nobody to care for poor patients. Even the cattle are treated better in this state, but not the poor,” he said.

Saroye added that the poor man’s life had no value. Many of them died on roads and if at all they reached hospitals, they were not treated well.

Chandigarh, June 18
Environment activists led by the Kheti Virasat Mission (KVM) and farmers’ organisations today announced they would launch a “people’s agitation” in case the Punjab Government introduced BT maize in the state.

The activists also demanded that Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal should explain on what basis his government had offered to introduce BT maize in the state to reduce the area under paddy cultivation.

KVM head Umender Dutt claimed that as per the latest scientific studies GM maize adversely affected the kidney and liver and that a study by the Austrian Government had also linked it to infertility.

Questioning the intention of the Chief Minister, social activist Hemant Goswami claimed it was apparent that the CM and his family were favouring industry for reasons best known to them. “The Punjab Government is pushing poison down the throat of people of Punjab,” he added.

Fatehgarh Sahib, June 18
A farmers’ training camp was organised by the Agriculture Department at Barwali Kalan village, wherein Agriculture Department Officer Jasvinder Singh informed the farmers about different pests and diseases that affect the sugarcane crop.

“Shoot borer and tarai borer are two of the destructive pests of the sugarcane crop that remain active from July to October.”

The farmers have been advised to use tricho-card repeatedly after an interval of a few days till October. Total cost of the medicine reaches up to Rs 150 per acre. This is an economic, non-poisonous and effective control measure for the pests.

Endosulphan (pesticide) and Atrazine (weedicide) were distributed among the farmers on subsidised rates during the camp, while a package of practices for Kharif crops was distributed free of cost to selected farmers. — TNS

Chhat (Banur), June 18
The aviaries of Mahendra Choudhary Zoological Park are chirping with newborn rare bird species after their successful breeding programme. The zoo authorities nurtured these birds for the past seven months for their successful breeding.

“Peasantry and the aviary of the zoo welcomed the newcomers as most of the breeding was conducted successfully this year. Many of these species have given birth to their offspring for the first time in its enclosures,” said zoo’s field director Tushar Kanti Bahera. He said with extra care and monitoring this year most of our species laid eggs in their enclosures and not outside.

Sarus crane, which is the biggest flying bird, has given birth to one offspring this year. With breeding of the sarus crane, the zoo has got the distinction of successful breeding of this bird in-captivity amongst other zoos of the country.

Other species, which successfully breed this time include painted stork, which gave birth to 11 offsprings and wooly-necked stork, which gave birth to three.

However, three newly born ring-necked pheasants, two kalij pheasants and three red jungle fowl hatchlings have also come out of their eggs and are healthy. They all may survive this time with continuous monitoring and care.

Other variety of water birds, including night herons, cattle stork, crown storks, kites, eagles and shikrass can also be seen breeding and hatching their eggs.

“Besides change in diet, we have taken care of proper construction of natural sheds inside the bird enclosures,” said the zoo authorities.

Earlier, vehicles and large number of visitors around their cages had disturbed the breeding programme to a great extent, therefore, this time the authorities decided to temporarily shut down the entrance for visitors and diverted their vehicles towards other enclosures.

“This has helped a lot in the breeding programme as the roads leading to aviaries were blocked with wooden structures for a couple of days during the hatching season. Now the blocked path will be opened after the successful breeding of birds,” said the zoo officials. 

Fatehgarh Sahib, June 18
The teachers in government-aided schools are not been paid salaries for the past five months.

Stating this here today, principal of the government-aided Ashoka Senior Secondary School said 8,000 teachers deployed in various government-aided schools of the state are not been paid their salaries despite continuous pleas and reminders to the authorities concerned. He added that the affected teachers failed to meet their everyday demands.

The teachers have been demanding restoration of their pension scheme and implementation of new pay scales from January 2006, as per the 5th Pay Commission report, but to no avail.

He pointed out that the teachers have been chalking out a strategy to press the state government to meet all their pending demands. He also said the teachers would soon launch an agitation in this regard.

Posts of various principals in these schools are also lying vacant for past long time and despite tall claims of the SAD-BJP government nothing has been done to improve the dilapidated condition of education in the state.

President of Lala Lajpat Rai Senior Secondary School in Bassi Pathana Nakesh Jindal, too, rued that the school managements fail to meet demands of the teachers due to lackadaisical attitude of the state government.

Moga, June 18
Sikhs for Justice, a human rights group based in New York, has written an open letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, on behalf of the victims of 1984 riots, requesting a personal meeting with him, while he will be in Canada for the G-20 Summit on June 27 and 28.

The organisation, while claiming that the Sikh community has raised concern and at times criticised the Indian Government for the delay in prosecuting the human rights abusers and imparting justice to victims of 1984 riots, stated that it had also condemned violence and militancy by any individual, groups or state.

Jasbir Singh, one of the main witnesses against Congress leader Jagdish Tytler, along with Mohinder Singh and Sarwan Singh Bhatia, has requested for an in- person meeting through Sikhs For Justice, in a letter sent to Manmhoan Singh through the Indian High Commission in Ottawa and to the Prime Minister’s Secretariat in New Delhi.

He said through an organised and systematic campaign by Indian officials, the Prime Minister had been given an impression that the “campaign for justice” by the victims of 1984 riots was a separatist movement.

According to Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, legal adviser to Sikhs for Justice, there is an organised campaign being run by Indian officials to paint the Sikh community of Canada and the US as “separatists”. 

Amritsar, June 18
A mobile video library- a venture of famed filmmaker Mangal Dhillon will fight vices like drug addiction by showing films on important contemporary social subjects apart from screening films on the Sikh religion.

The video library, which is based on a platform of a mobile van and flagged off by Punjab Public Relations Minister Sewa Singh Sekhwan here today-will reach every nook and corner of Punjab and remote parts of the country within a next few days.

It will not only screen feature and documentary films on the Sikhism, including “Sikh Ate Dastaar”, “Khalsa” and “Gurbani De Kautak”, but it will also exhibit films like “Sarvnaash”, a flick dealing exhaustively with a sensitive issue of growing drug addiction among youngsters. Over 65 per cent of the youths, particularly Punjabi boys, have fallen prey to drugs.

“Films on drug addiction assume importance as it has become a stark reality. The Punjab Government will extend every possible help to the people highlighting such issues with the help of the media,” said Sekhwan. He was accompanied by Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh.

Giani Gurbachan Singh said the SGPC had been purchasing good films like “Nanak Naam Jahaaz Hai” so that the Sikh philosophy could be propagated among the Sikh masses.

Mangal Dhillon, who has been making films on the Sikhism for the past over one decade, said the mobile video library would be used in the exhibition of films at public places across the country. “Our motive is to encourage people to be a part of good cinema,” said Dhillon.

Patiala, June 18
The Sikh Students Federation (SSF) has demanded that the state government should amend the Punjab Termination of Agreements Act (PTAA) 2004 in order to abrogate Section 5 from the Act. While stating that Section 5 of the Act guarantees that the existing allocation of water of the Sutlej, Ravi and Beas rivers to Haryana and Rajasthan will be protected even after the Act came into being, SSF President Paramjit Singh Gazi said that this section also fully protected the current utilisation of water by the neighbouring states through the existing canal systems. “The purpose of the Act stood defeated by the insertion of Section 5,” he claimed further.

Notably, the Act annuls the December 31, 1981, agreement between Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan signed by the three Chief Ministers concerned in the presence of the then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, and also all other agreements relating to the waters of the Ravi and the Beas. The PTAA 2004 was passed on July 12, 2004.

“Former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal are equally responsible for this ‘wrong step’ of insertion of Section 5 in PTAA (2004), as they unanimously approved Section 5 of this Act,” stated Gazi. He further stated that the SSF strongly condemned Badal’s statement that the issue to PTAA (2004) was under consideration of the Supreme Court of India and the government was taking legal advice in the matter.