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Oath ceremony a lacklustre affair
Elevated MLAs scramble for prime rooms, cars
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Trucks belonging to Indian traders stranded outside the ICP. Photo: Vishal Kumar
A damaged wheat crop field on the Bathinda-Malout road. Tribune photo: Pawan Sharma
Preneet asks officials to complete BPL list
Tax evaders turning violent
Bathinda refinery on terror radar
Double murder case
108 service disrupted
Govt spent Rs 17 crore on Kabaddi World Cup
Lakhowal re-elected BKU chief
Complete Jagraon sewage plant in a year: HC to Punjab
Halt illegal plying of buses: HC
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Elevated MLAs scramble for prime rooms, cars
Chandigarh, April 10 JM Balamurgan, Secretary, Finance, has been shifted to the seventh floor to make room for CPS Gurbachan Singh Babehali. Bureaucrat GK Ghanta has vacated his room on the fifth floor to make way for Inderbir Singh Bolaria. The room that was with MR Aggarwal, Additional Secretary, Home, goes to CPS Harmeet Singh
Sandhu.
Second-time CPS Harmeet Sandhu has moved out of a small room at the end of a dingy corridor on the fourth floor to a bigger office. Choudhary Nand Lal, who has been allocated a new room on the eighth floor, has made it clear that he will not vacate his plush office on the third floor, which has been allocated to Som Prakash. Navjot K Sidhu is among the first-timers who have been allocated prime rooms with attached washrooms. Revenue Minister Bikram Majithia’s loyalist Virsa Singh Valtoha has got the coveted 2009 model Toyota Camry. Sohan Singh Thandal has managed a 2007 model Camry. Sources said Babehali has managed to drive away with the best Toyota Corolla car. Others who have been given Corolla cars are Avinash Chander, Navjot Kaur Sidhu, Pawan Kumar Teenu, Amarpal Singh Bonny, Som Prakash, Nisara Khatoon and Amarjit Sahi. Two Chief Parliamentary Secretaries did not allow the drivers allocated to them to take charge of their official vehicles. The staff of Amarpal Bonny and Navjot Sidhu reportedly handed the car keys to their personal drivers. The official drivers have brought the matter to the notice of the higher-ups.
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Cargo movement hits roadblock
Amritsar, April 10 A delegation of importers and exporters today held a meeting with officials of the Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) and the Land Port Authority of India (LPAI) to lodge a protest against increased labour charges. They also gave a representation to AE Ahmed, Secretary, Border Management, who was on a visit to the ICP ahead of its inauguration on April 13. Talking to The Tribune, Rajdeep Uppal, vice-president, Amritsar Exporters Chambers of Commerce, said they had decided not to send trucks to Pakistan until the matter was resolved for which they would be holding another round of talks with the officials and contractors tomorrow. Uppal said they were surprised by a sudden increase in the labour charges. "The contractors have almost doubled the charges, which is unfair. Our contention is now that we have a huge infrastructure in the form of the ICP which will lead to an increase in trade volume, hence labour charges should have declined. But, these are not even maintained at the previous level," he said, adding that the traders were ready to pay "something reasonable". Regarding the movement of Indian trucks to Pakistan, he said they didn't want the ICP to start on a negative note and therefore, they sent a few trucks of highly perishable goods to the neighbouring country today. He, however, said the labour charges of today's consignment would be paid according to the rates that would be decided in tomorrow's meeting. Rajesh Setia, another exporter, dubbed the hike in handling charges as unjustified. "The charges were already high and now, these have been doubled. For instance, we used to pay Rs 1,200 for a truckload of soyabean, but now the contractors have increased the charges to Rs 2,600, which is unfair," he added. Amritsar DC Rajat Aggarwal said though he was not aware of the issue, there should be no such problem as only the infrastructure had changed while the arrangements remained the same. "There should be no increase or decrease in charges. If there is any problem, we will sort it out," he said. RK Duggal, Deputy Commissioner, Customs, could not be contacted for his comments. Meanwhile, sources said though the goods were being imported from Pakistan, the lifting was not taking place due to the same reason. This has come as another setback for the ICP, as already the passenger movement from Pakistan is not taking place from the new gate. Pakistan is adamant on its stand of continuing the passenger movement from the old gate as it does not have customs and immigration counters at the new gate. Official reviews arrangements AE Ahmed, Secretary, Border Management, today visited the ICP to take stock of the preparations for its inaugural ceremony on April 13. He stated that Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and representatives of Pakistan government will grace the occasion. He said after inaugurating the ICP, Chidambaram would visit the Golden Temple and the Jallianwalla Bagh. Ahmed also held talks with BSF and Punjab police officials regarding security and traffic arrangements for April 13.
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Squall damages wheat crop in Malwa region
Bathinda, April 10 Wheat crop in several areas was damaged in a squall last night. The revenue authorities have been asked to assess the loss. Harvesting may be delayed by a week to 10 days, said GS Buttar, head of the Agronomy department, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana. He said prolonged winter conditions had delayed harvesting. Mature ear heads that turn golden by this time of the year are still green in certain areas of Bathinda, Muktsar, Faridkot, Ferozepur, Barnala, Mansa and Moga districts. Surinder Singh, a farmer near Makhu in Ferozepur, said delayed harvesting would mean that sowing of cotton and paddy would also be delayed. Patiala:
Rain showers accompanied by high velocity winds today dampened the spirits of Agriculture Department officials and farmers who were expecting a bumper crop this season. "We were waiting for a couple of days more before harvesting the crop to ensure there is no moisture content and the procurement gathers pace. But the rain has flattened our crop," said farmers here. Meanwhile, the wheat lying in mandis also suffered damage. The procurement agencies have made it clear that they would buy only wheat with minimum amount of moisture content. "Farmers have been told about the allowed moisture content in advance and we have appealed to them to come to the mandis with dried wheat to avoid any inconvenience," said procurement officials. The Patiala Chief Agriculture Officer told The Tribune that there had been no damage. "It is a crucial time and the rain can cause losses, but fortunately, the rain spell was short and did not cause any loss," he stated. — Aman Sood
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Preneet asks officials to complete BPL list
Patiala, April 10 "The list needs a revision and names should be added as per merit," she said during a meeting of the District Vigilance and Monitoring Committee represented by MLAs of the district. The Minister is the chairman of the committee and stressed on the need of transparency and time-bound completion of government works. She said to ensure proper utilisation of funds released by the Central Government for various developmental works, in addition to local MLAs, some government and non-government members would be inducted in the sub-committees to be formed for monitoring of developmental works. "This would help in proper utilisation of funds being released for various works, including MNREGA," she stated. Ensuring complete transparency and participation of the concerned area MLA, the Minister said that a 15-day prior notice must be given to the MLA before the release of funds for developmental work. "The concerned officers should personally be present in the meeting as the role of the District Vigilance and Monitoring Committee is to ensure that all works are completed properly," she said.
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Tax evaders turning violent
Patiala, April 10 In recent incidents, mafia's henchmen not only attacked policemen attached with excise officials on duty, but also escaped with goods from the spot. Sources said that involvement of certain officers with tax evaders had come to light in the past, but the government had failed to initiate any action against them. On April 7, an Excise Department team headed by ETO Bhupinder Pal Singh Bhatia had set up a naka on Tepla road in Banur and stopped a truck for checking its documents. "Instead of showing the documents pertaining to the loaded goods, Gogi Sood, Ishwar Singh and a dozen others sitting inside the truck attacked the excise team, including constable Balwinder Singh. The accused escaped from the spot and threatened the government officials of dire consequences," said the FIR registered at the Banur police station. In another incident, an FIR was lodged at the Kherhi Gandian police station where smugglers attacked two policemen on duty and snatched documents pertaining to a truck that was impounded by ETO Surjit Singh Mansahia. "The smugglers later came in a car and on a motorcycle and attacked the excise team with rods and took away the truck," said the FIR. Sources in the Excise Department said that due to involvement of certain officers, the Excise Department and the police had failed to end this organised crime that accounts for over Rs 600 crore loss every year to the state exchequer. "We are always under threat as these henchmen come in groups and are not even afraid of firing at us," said an official. During a chase recently, mafia henchmen attacked a police team headed by a commandant level officer. "After the crossfire, the police team was shocked to find that the henchmen were carrying sophisticated weapons and were not afraid of firing at the police party. Interestingly, when the commandant tried to fire a shot at the smugglers, his service weapon misfired," claimed a policeman earlier attached with the excise wing. Despite several meetings between officers of the excise department and the police, the mafia men managed to escape the law due to their high connections. "These men are in touch with officials and usually get prior information about nakas and if caught they are not afraid of attacking," said a senior excise officer.
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Bathinda refinery on terror radar
Bathinda, April 10 The IB has reportedly said that the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba (Let) has the Jamnagar (Gujarat) and Bathinda refineries on its radar. The IB had some time ago sent a communication to the Punjab Government that oil and gas depots of Indianoil, Hindustan Petroleum and other companies in Bathinda and other areas were on the hit list of various terror groups. Thereafter, the district authorities had reviewed the security arrangements at these installations. A Bathinda refinery spokesman claimed that they had put in place their own security arrangements and 400 private security personnel were deployed at the refinery. He said the CCTV cameras of high definition had been installed in the complex. They also had a dog squad. The refinery had its own firefighting system with 10 modern fire tenders. The Bathinda refinery produces turbine fuel, petrol, diesel, kerosene, pet coke and several other products.
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Double murder case
Ludhiana, April 10 This was revealed during police interrogation by accused Harwinder (23), Umesh (23), Pritpal (21) and Hasanjit (26), who brutally killed the DSP and Monika. The police has traced a girl, who was robbed and molested by the accused when she visited the Golf Link area along with her boyfriend. Sources said the police was trying to convince the girl to turn a witness against the accused. "It seems difficult to convince the victim as she visited the area along with a boy without telling her parents. She is not willing to put herself in an embarrassing situation," said an officer of the investigating team.
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108 service disrupted
Amritsar, April 10 Till the filing of this report, officials were working at the site to rectify the anomaly. Gandhi said 4 pm to 11 pm were the peak hours when the maximum emergency calls were received. Former minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla said negligence on part of officials in snapping the communication line must be investigated.
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Govt spent Rs 17 crore on Kabaddi World Cup
Bathinda, April 10 Information gathered through the RTI reveals that the state government spent Rs 5.66 crore on the first Kabaddi World Cup and much more on the second one. For the first World Kabaddi Cup, the sponsors gave Rs 3.32 crore and for the second tournament Rs 9.55 crore. Pearls company, engaged in real estate business, alone gave Rs 7 crore. The state government spent Rs 7 crore on the tournament from its treasury. Ironically, the tournament, funding for which primarily came from the liquor industry, was held with the objective of weaning away youth from intoxicants. Besides, filmstar Shah Rukh Khan, leading Punjabi singers had performed at the opening ceremony of the event. Handsome payment was made to the actor and the singers.
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Lakhowal re-elected BKU chief
Ludhiana April 10 He was re-elected at a meeting of union delegates from across the state held at Gurdwara Manji Sahib in Alamgir village today. Lakhowal said BKU would form village-level units to organise the farmers in the state. He reiterated his commitment on the issue of direct payments to the farmers.
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Complete Jagraon sewage plant in a year: HC to Punjab
Chandigarh, April 10 The directions came on a petition filed by Jagraon-based Citizen Welfare Council and other petitioners against the State of Punjab and other respondents. In the petition placed before the Division Bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Mahesh Grover, the petitioners had also sought a direction for discharge of sewage into the Jassowal drain. This, the petitioners had suggested, could be done by making operational the sewerage lines laid from Malak drain to Jassowal drain. Taking up the matter, the Bench asserted: "By our previous order dated March 6, we had required the Drainage Department of the State of Punjab to consider the request of the Municipal Council, Jagraon, for making the sewerage line functional." "However, the Drainage Department has refused to grant the necessary no objection as, according to it, any such grant would be in violation of the prevailing environmental laws." The Bench added: "Having considered the grounds on which the Drainage Department has refused the no objection to the Municipal Council, we are of the view that the department was well within its right and, in a way, justified to refuse to grant such no objection in as much as any such grant would have been contrary to the provisions of law." "In any event, discharge of sewage/sullage into the Jassowal drain instead of Malak drain would only be a half measure." The counsel for Punjab as well as the Municipal Council have submitted that the ultimate solution to the problem lies in setting up the sewerage treatment plant, the construction of which has already commenced". The Bench concluded: "We are of the view that the state government and the GLADA shall ensure the completion of the sewage treatment plant at the earliest, in any case, within a year, so that the problem highlighted in the writ petition can be brought to its logical conclusion in an effective manner without any delay".
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Halt illegal plying of buses: HC
Chandigarh, April 10 The directions came on a petition filed in public interest by Amarjit Singh against the State of Punjab and other respondents. The petitioner claimed that a large number of buses were plying on different routes, including the Jalandhar-Pathankot and Jalandhar-Ludhiana routes, without permits that were necessary under the provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. In an attempt to substantiate his contention, the petitioner gave the registration number of 14 such buses operating on the Jalandhar-Pathankot and Jalandhar-Ludhiana routes. The state contended that the vehicles plying on different routes, including the two mentioned in the petition, were subject to regular checks. As and when a vehicle was found operating without the necessary permit, action was taken. Referring to the 14 buses mentioned in the writ petition, Punjab Additional Advocate-General Amol Rattan Singh said seven were actually found operating without any permit. “They were accordingly challaned and on the second occasion when the same violation was found to have been committed by the vehicle owners, three vehicles were impounded,” he said. Disposing of the matter, a Division Bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Mahesh Grover asserted: “There can be no manner of doubt that a public transport vehicle (bus) cannot operate on any route without having a stage carriage permit issued in respect of such a vehicle in accordance with the provisions of the Act. “It is the bounden duty of the State-respondent to ensure that the position contemplated by the Act, that is necessity of permits etc, is scrupulously followed and in this regard the State is duty-bound to carry out regular checks and monitoring to prevent any transgression of law…. “We are of the view that this writ petition should be closed with a direction to the State to take all necessary steps against such illegal plying of vehicles (buses) in accordance with the provisions of law and also to consider as to whether apart from impounding the vehicles, a decision can be taken to the effect that no route permit or any other permit under the Act would be issued in respect of such vehicles that are found to be operating without the requirements”.
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Patiala, April 10
Bathinda, April 10
Each CPS will help the government in promoting various developmental
works. The total amount spent on these secretaries is negligible when compared with the work the government will make them do