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Bathinda refinery inauguration
Parkash Singh Badal, CM
Day 2: No trade at ICP
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Freak weather adds to farmers’ woes
Despite ban, burning of wheat stubble continues
No bailout yet for Power Corp
Power distribution needs overhaul: Apex Chamber
Bhol Kalota health centre in dire straits
Land sold illegally in Shivalik Hills
Villagers who gave land feel neglected
Treasury offices face staff crunch
3 IAS among 16 officers shifted
9 policemen on VIP duty hurt in mishap
Death of black bucks
Sibal discusses reforms with educationists
20 teachers found absent, suspended
Moga gets sessions’ division
One killed, 23 hurt as truck hits mini bus
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Bathinda refinery inauguration
Phulokhari (Bathinda), April 28 Speaking at the dedication ceremony of the Bathinda refinery, Badal said, "An expert committee should be constituted to give recommendations to put Punjab again on growth track. This committee should also find out whether Punjab has been discriminated against in terms of grants and allotment of various projects." The Chief Minister alleged that Punjab had been discriminated against while granting industrial concessions to neighbouring Himachal Pradesh and other hilly states. "If not the entire state, such incentives should be granted at least for the industry in border areas of Punjab," he said. Badal did not forget to appreciate the then Prime Minister and BJP leader Atal Behari Vajpayee for having approved the refinery for the state. He also demanded granting moratorium on repayment of the loan advanced to Punjab for next five years as the 13th Finance Commission had already recommended such concessions for debt-ridden states, including Punjab, Kerala and West Bengal. He also urged the Prime Minister to take initiatives for re-opening the Hussainiwala border in Ferozepur to further boost bilateral trade between India and Pakistan, besides enhancing the list of items from 137 to around 6,000 for trading through the new Integrated Check Post at Attari to bring it on a par with the Mumbai-Karachi sea route. Badal asked demanded complete waiver of farmers' debt to the tune of Rs 30,000 crore. "Agriculture is no longer a profitable proposition as both land holdings and margin of profit have shrunk over the past several years. Hence, recommendations of the MS Swaminanthan committee on agriculture reforms must be implemented to provide relief to the peasantry," he said. While appreciating the Prime Minister's concern towards boosting industrialisation in Punjab, Badal sought his cooperation and support to make the state as the most preferred destination for industrial investments. He urged Manmohan Singh to direct the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation to allow international flights from Mohali and domestic flights from Bathinda airports in order to facilitate investors and entrepreneurs who intend to invest in the state. The Chief Minister also urged the Prime Minister to open a hospital of AIIMS or PGI level in this part of Punjab where the incidence of cancer had increased over the years.
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The amount of cement and concrete used in the refinery would have built the world’s tallest building, Burj
Khalifa, twice with each structure measuring 829.84 metres
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Chimneys of the refinery compete with Qutub Minar, the tallest minaret in India. The height of the chimneys is 141.7 metres, double the height of Qutub Minar
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Over 2,800-km-long pipelines have been used over 2,000 acres of land. The pipelines are long enough to cover distance from Bathinda to Mumbai and even more
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Transporting three reactors of 700 MT to 850 MT was the biggest challenge for the staff as they were brought from Kandla port to Bathinda covering a distance of 1,490 km. It was a mammoth exercise of transporting one of the heaviest cargo in India weighing over 2,100 tonnes
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To ensure smooth flow of traffic, the refinery officials had to coordinate with multiple agencies, including the National Highway Authority of India, Union Ministry of Surface Transport, Railways, Irrigation, Power and Forest departments
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The Crude Oil Terminal at Mundra and crude pipeline are sufficient to hold three days of India’s total crude oil requirement. Apart from being an engineering marvel, the refinery is also self-sustainable in terms of power generation
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Located in fuel and power deficient North India, the plant uses its poisonous gases for producing 153-MW of power, thereby, managing the emission that could have harmed the environment
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The present capacity of the refinery is 9 million metric tonnes per annum, which, steel tycoon Laxmi N Mittal said, would be doubled to 18 million metric tonnes in the years to come
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It was on April 11, 1996, that the Centre issued a letter informing Punjab about its decision regarding setting up a refinery in Bathinda Text: Megha Mann
and Photo: Pawan Sharma
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Day 2: No trade at ICP
Amritsar, April 28 The protesting traders have been formally invited for talks with the Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) officials concerned in New Delhi on Tuesday. Talking to The Tribune, Rajdeep Uppal, vice-president, Amritsar Exporters Chambers of Commerce, said a delegation of traders would be in Delhi in the coming week to hold deliberations with the CWC officials so as to resolve the issue. He said the traders would like the government to review the charges levied on them at the ICP and offer some relaxation to the trading community. “We are ready for negotiations provided it is in the interest of the trade." He said they appreciated the government for raising such a massive infrastructure in the form of the ICP, but felt that the authorities should not look at the ICP as a “profit-making venture” as it would hurt the trade. The traders have been lamenting "excessive" handling charges at the ICP right from the days when its trial run began early this month. Their woes aggravated after the ICP was formally made functional on April 13. The traders argued that the charges were increased by over 40 per cent as compared to the old check post, which was unfair. They said they were not even taken into confidence before implementing the hike. "The labour charges are the same for a majority of goods, but we are paying 25 per cent extra to the CWC as handling charges. Besides, we are paying Rs 200 per truck as entry fee, both for import and export, 12 per cent service tax and storage charges," they said, adding that there were no storage charges at the old check post and they were free to lift their stock anytime within four days of its arrival. “Being a key stakeholder, the traders should have been involved in the process of revising the charges,” they contended.
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Capt skips function
Phulokhari (Bathinda), April 28 Several Congress leaders were present on the occasion but Amarinder Singh was conspicuous by his absence. A part leader said he had some prior engagements due to which he was unable to attend the function. Congress Legislature Party leader Sunil Jakhar also did not attend the function but he greeted Manmohan Singh with a bunch of wheat ear heads at the Bhisiana IAF station near Bathinda. Union Ministers Ambika Soni and Preneet Kaur too did not attend the function even though their names were mentioned in the invitation card. Congress MPs Ravneet Bittu and Ravi Inder Singla accompanied the Prime Minister to the function.
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Freak weather adds to farmers’ woes
Chandigarh, April 28 Several areas in the northern region, including many parts of Punjab, have been witnessing strong winds accompanied by rain since last night. Though there is no report of major crop damage, the actual position will become clear in a day or two as a large number of government officials were busy in the preparations for Bathinda refinery inauguration and Prime Minister's visit to the state today. With weather likely to remain unpredictable over the next one or two days due to westerly disturbances, farmers have given up manual harvesting and there is a heavy rush for harvesting combines with most farmers wanting to complete the process within hours instead of days. KJS Cheema, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, who toured some mandis in the Malwa area, said bad weather had caused problems in lifting of wheat at certain places. He said the government has issued directions to the procurement agencies to immediately lift wheat lying in mandis. Due to uncertain weather a sudden spurt was seen in the arrival of wheat in various mandis of Punjab and Haryana. Till the beginning of this week, a little over lakh tonnes of wheat had been brought to the mandis of Punjab and
Haryana.
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Despite ban, burning of wheat stubble continues
Mukstar, April 28 A visit to villages on the Muktsar-Arniwala-Fazilka road revealed that the farmers, unaware of its harms to environment and health of general public, were not following the ban orders, thereby, disposing of the stubble by burning it. Though the administration registered cases against farmers for flouting the order and made efforts to spread awareness about its harms, the measures do not appear to be achieving their target. At times, fire lit by farmers spreads beyond their fields, causing damage to trees and destroying the flora and fauna. Environment experts say the illegal practice of stubble burning causes significant loss to ecology and also results in climate change. But, farmers continue to pay two hoots to issues related to environment saying “fire was the cheapest mode to clear the fields for next sowing”. On the other hand, it also raises questions on the seriousness of the district administration regarding implementing the ban orders issued under Section 144 of the CrPC. Agriculture Department officials, however, say instead of issuing ban orders, a law should be enacted to curb the practice.
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No bailout yet for Power Corp
Patiala, April 28 During annual general meeting of the PSEB Engineers' Association held almost a month ago in
Patiala, the Chief Minister had said he would soon convene a meeting with representatives of the association and officials of the state government to chalk out a strategy as how to improve the deteriorating fiscal health of the Power Corporation, but till date there has been no progress in this regard. Figures available with The Tribune reveal that for the past nearly six years, the Power Corporation is steadily witnessing losses to the tune of thousands of crores annually. In 2006-07, the Power Corporation suffered a loss of Rs 1,800 crore and in 2007-08 it was Rs 1,611
crore. In 2008-09, the loss was Rs 1,292 crore, which went up to Rs 1,623 crore in 2009-10. For 2010-11, the annual loss was Rs 2,024
crore. Figures for 2011-12 are yet to be announced but it is confirmed that the corporation has suffered huge losses during last fiscal as well. Senior officers of the two power utilities - Punjab State Power Corporation Limited
(PSPCL) and Punjab State Transmission Corporation Limited (PSTCL) - say the state government has turned a blind eye towards the Power Corporation, which is virtually on the verge of bankruptcy. Senior officers said there was an immediate need for a financial package, as sometime ago even banks had denied short-term loans to the
PSPCL. Documents procured by TNS revealed that technocrats working with the Power Corporation had themselves prepared a blueprint for the steps to be taken at the government level.
PSPCL director (finance) Subhash Arora was not available for comments as he was busy in a meeting. PSEB Engineers' Association president HS Bedi said, "We have sought an appointment with the CM to discuss the matter."
PSEB Association wants reforms
Financial re-structuring plan should be finalised without delay The government should waive off the accumulated losses The government must ensure disbursal of advance monthly payment in lieu of free power subsidy PSPCL should not take short-term loans to purchase power The corporation should not overdraw power from Grid during low frequency, when the rate goes as high as Rs 18 per unit
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Power distribution needs overhaul: Apex Chamber
Patiala, April 28 In a release issued here today, Chamber president PD Sharma said apart from frequent snags in transformers, there were many other issues that needed immediate attention. He said, “Because of pollution, wires get corroded and in order to make the distribution system efficient, some wires need to be replaced periodically.” Sharma says the Electricity Duty in Punjab is 13 per cent, which is big burden on industrial consumers. “Because of free power subsidy, the industry has to bear the brunt of the additional financial burden. Various taxes are being levied on the industry so that the state government can pay that amount to Power Corporation as compensation for free power subsidy,” he said.
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Bhol Kalota health centre in dire straits
Bhol Kalota (Hoshiarpur), April 28 The 14 bedded health centre, which was upgraded from a primary health centre in 2006-07 to provide better healthcare to rural population with the efforts of former health minister Ramesh Chander Dogra during the Congress regime, seems to have fallen prey to political vendetta. In its previous tenure, the SAD-BJP government, instead of strengthening infrastructure here, shifted almost every facility and equipment to other health centres. The health centre, which was operating with nine doctors seven years ago, is left with only two medical officers (MO) and a senior medical officer (SMO), who is going to retire on Monday. With retirement of the SMO, only two MOs will be left to attend over 25 outdoor patients and patients referred by different dispensaries under the Zila Parishad everyday. However, a male general surgeon, with assistance of nursing staff and Aasha workers, is handling deliveries here in the absence of a gynaecologist. Holding additional charge of the Hazipur CHC, the surgeon is attending patients for three days in a week here and rest of the days at Hazipur. SMO Dr Jarnail Singh said, “An ultrasound machine, which was procured from Nawanshahr, has been sent back and a laparoscope, procured from Pathankot hospital, will be shifted to Mohali on directions of the authorities.” A sophisticated apparatus, purchased for Rs 4 lakh, is gathering dust in a steel almirah and will soon be shifted to Talwara, he says. A doctor said, “Over 13 MOs, posted in different dispensaries under the Zila Parishad, often refer their patients to the CHC here. They should be shifted here as they are less burdened.” A visit to the health centre revealed the CHC was functioning with a skeleton staff and tiles fitted on the outer walls had given way. Most of the rooms, including labour room, operation theatre, dentist’s room, scanning and other rooms were in a sorry state. Weeds had virtually taken over the CHC premises. Dr Avtar Singh, Civil Surgeon, Hoshiarpur, admitted at the CHC was functioning with a skeleton staff and in absence of required equipment. He claimed to have written to higher authorities regarding shortage of staff in various hospitals and health centres in the district.
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Land sold illegally in Shivalik Hills
Chandigarh, April 28 To execute the sale deeds, dead persons have been shown as owners of “Shamlat deh” and “Jumla Mushtarka Malkan” land. A case of cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy has been registered against Sham Lal, former sarpanch of Gura Kasauli village, and eight others on a complaint by the Financial Commissioner, Forest. Inquiries reveal that the land mafia was selling land to bigwigs for setting up farmhouses for which khair trees were rampantly felled. The police and forest department swung into action after villagers approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court on the matter. The role of the village patwari in “tampering with” the land records has also been highlighted. Several sale deeds were executed through general power of attorney by persons who owned no land in the area. In some cases, more land was mentioned in sale deeds than a person actually owned. There is also a difference in ‘khasra’ numbers mentioned in sale deeds retained in the sub-registrar office and those issued to buyers. Other persons mentioned in the FIR are Kalu Ram, Dula Ram, Dharam Pal, Maya Devi, Biro, Hans Raj, Kamaljeet and Matu Ram. Regarding violation of various provisions of the Forest Act, the police said seven FIRs had already been registered against the violators. Damage continues Inability of the Forest Department in acting tough on violators has been proving detrimental for the Shivalik Hills as the land mafia continues to level hillocks for commercial exploitation. Despite a few cases being registered against violators, including former Guda Kasauli village sarpanch Sham Lal, the violations continue. Over 1,500 acres of common village land of Bhagindi, Gurdha, Kasauli, Jyanti Majri and Karaundewala villages in Majri block was targeted by the land mafia.
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Villagers who gave land feel neglected
Phulokhari (Bathinda), April 28 Kanakwal village has the maximum share of land of around 1,200 acres. “The refinery should be named Guru Gobind Singh Refinery Kanakwal instead of Phulokhari. The then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had laid the foundation stone in Phulokhari that is why the refinery is named after that village,” said Beant Singh, sarpanch of Kanakwal. The state government had promised employment to the people whose land was acquired. However, in none of the four villages, people have got jobs as per their caliber, claim villagers. “Most of our people were given menial jobs. Though we are not qualified, we can at least be trained and then hired,” said Onkar Singh, sarpanch of Ramsra village whose 406 acres of land was acquired for the project. Angrej Singh, Phulokhari village sarpanch’s husband, said none of the villagers had got employment. “Most of us work as daily labourers and do not have any fixed source of income,” added Angrej, whose around 200 acres of land was acquired. Villagers said in some cases, the refinery had added to their problems. “The main gate of Kanakwal village has been closed due to security reasons. Now, we have to travel 6 to 8 km extra to reach the village,” added
Beant.
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Treasury offices face staff crunch Muktsar, April 28 Though five posts of a treasury officer, senior assistant, cashier, clerk and peon have been sanctioned, all are lying vacant. The staff of nearby sub-treasuries like Gidderbaha and Malout, which too are facing staff crunch, is managing the affairs in Lambi. Officials at the district treasury office in Muktsar said that sub-treasury office in Lambi caters to 23 offices, including 17 government schools. Still, not even a single employee had been deployed there to issue the salaries of government employees and do other official work, they complained. An employee said, “If we send an official from Malout or Gidderbaha, then their work suffers as the situation is almost same in other treasury offices too.” At Gidderbaha, only one senior assistant is serving while the posts of a treasury officer and a clerk are vacant. In Malout, the posts of a clerk and a cashier are vacant. The District Treasury Office in Mukstar is also facing a similar situation as the posts of a district treasury officer, treasury officer, superintendent, three senior assistants, two clerks and a peon are vacant. Additional Treasury Officer Narinder Singh said, “All the posts sanctioned for sub-treasury office in Lambi are lying vacant for the last almost 10 years. But, we are managing the work at all sub-divisional towns as we depute officials from Malout and Gidderbaha…. The matter is in the knowledge of higher-ups.”
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3 IAS among 16 officers shifted
Chandigarh, April 28 A spokesman said Dharma Dutt Ternech
(IAS) has been posted Special Secretary, Revenue, against a vacant post with additional charge of Director, Land Record Settlement and Consolidation & Land Acquisition,
Jalandhar. IAS officers Nelima and Isha have been given the charge of ADC (G),
Barnala, and SDM, Payal, respectively. The PCS postings are: Indu
Malhotra, ADC (G), Sangrur; Manpreet Singh, DTO, Ludhiana; Dilraj Singh, ADC (G), SAS
Nagar; Baldev Singh, ADC (G), Muktsar; Pardeep Kumar, Additional Commissioner, MC, Amritsar with additional charge of Deputy Director, Urban Local Bodies,
Amritsar; Mukand Singh Sandhu, SDM, Amloh; Amarjit Singh Shahi, SDM, Anandpur Sahib with additional charge of
SDM, Nangal; Gurmeet Singh, SDM, Jagraon with additional charge of SDM,
Raikot; Gurpreet Singh Thind, DTO, Sangrur; Purshotam Singh Sodhi, SDM,
Khanna; Pritam Singh Johal, ADC (D), Ferozepur; Sukhwinder Singh Gill,
SDM, Samana and Gurtej Singh, SDM, Sunam. The spokesman said posting orders of Tejinder Singh Dhaliwal and Mohinder Pal would be issued separately.
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9 policemen on VIP duty hurt in mishap
Bathinda, April 28 The policemen, who were following Fazilka SSP's convoy, included two ASIs and seven head constables. As the SSP's car was moving at a high speed, its occupants failed to notice the SUV had met with a mishap. It were the passengers of a bus passing by who noticed the injured policemen and informed a local NGO, Sangat Sahara, whose volunteers reached the spot. The volunteers helped the injured policemen get out of their vehicle. The accident reportedly occurred when the SUV driver was overtaking another vehicle and failed to notice a motorcycle coming from the opposite direction. The injured were taken to Government Hospital in Dabwali from where they were shifted to the Civil Hospital in Bathinda. While seven of the injured policemen were discharged after first aid, head constables Sukhdev Singh and Baldev Singh, who sustained multiple injuries, were under-treatment at the hospital.
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Death of black bucks
Faridkot, April 28 "As per our observation, all officials of Bir Talab Deer Park, including its in-charge, are responsible for the death of these scheduled animals. They should be prosecuted for violation of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 Section 3 and 11 read with 428-429 IPC, including 120-B, and the Wild Life Protection Act, 1972," said Abhishek Kadyan, an executive member of OIPA. "We have already made an online complaint to the Punjab Police (complaint No: 1067903623), demanding criminal case against these officials and cancellation of recognition of the park by the Central Zoo Authority of India," he said. "If the police showed any hesitation in registering the case, we will move court for necessary action," he added. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has already ordered an inquiry into the case.
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Sibal discusses reforms with educationists Tribune News Service Sibal is on a two-day visit to the city and the first event in the itinerary today was hosted by Punjab Technical University. Addressing the gathering, Sibal said, “Students are the capital of this country and we cannot grow our capital till we introduce certain education reforms.” “We have 604 universities and 35,000 colleges across the country. We intend to have more institutes as we want that the number of the students pursuing higher education should grow from the current figure of 17 million to 45 million. We cannot inspect these colleges and we are not in favour of Inspector Raj as it breeds corruption. So, we are heading for self-declaration, wherein each institute will have to put on web the information regarding faculty, their qualification, photograph, infrastructure and other requirements. In case, such information is found to be false, we will proceed against the person concerned through the Education Malpractices Act, which we are in the process of framing.” Sibal also talked about the National Accreditation Act, according to which each institute would be bound to seek accreditation. “At present, it is voluntary, but we plan to make it compulsory soon,” he added. The HRD Minister talked about introducing the Education Tribunal Act to sort out complaints against some two-room institutes, which have rented faculty and even rented furniture till date. The minister also talked about the meta institutes which would allow student to pursue various subjects of his course from two to three institutes and allow him to take degree from them. He apprised the academicians of his plan to have one entrance paper to be set by the IITs having two parts -- main and advanced. The students will have option to appear for either or both parts. He said some states, including Haryana and Gujarat, had already given nod on the same.
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20 teachers found absent, suspended
Patiala, April 28 Punjab DGSE Ashok Singla constituted 14 special teams to conduct surprise checks at as many as 136 government schools in the district. The raiding teams found 20 teachers absent from duty, 22 teachers coming late and 12 others not coming to duty for a long period of time. The DGSE suspended the teachers who were found absent, chargesheeted the teachers who came late and decided to initiate disciplinary action against those, who were found absent for a long period. While making it clear that any employee found absent or defying the prescribed guidelines will not be spared, the DGSE said no employee of the department would be sent to another department on deputation and transfers would be done only on vacant posts or against a complaint. He further stated that every employee would have stay at the assigned station for at least two years after his transfer. He said the main aim of the checking was to inspect whether schools had adequate basic facilities and to find if teachers were sincerely discharging their duties. Instructing District Education Officer Balbir Kaur Gill to submit a detailed report about the district, including vacant posts, various infrastructure-related problems and whether schools had proper toilets and access to potable water, he said all such projects would be completed at the earliest.
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Moga gets sessions’ division
Moga, April 28 Karamjit Singh Kang, a 1990-batch PCS officer, has taken over the charge of office as the first District and Sessions' judge of Moga. Punjab and Haryana High Court judge Justice Ranjit Singh Randhawa, along with Justice KC Puri and Justice AN Jindal inaugurated the new division. Addressing a gathering, Justice Ranjit Singh said a major challenge before the judicial officers was the long queue of pending cases whose trial must be speeded up for providing timely justice to the people. There are more than 2,000 cases pending in the Sessions' Court at Moga and the creation of a new sessions' division will help in speedy disposal of these cases. A full Bench of the HC had earlier given its consent to create a sessions' division at Moga in December 2011.
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One killed, 23 hurt as truck hits mini bus
Fatehgarh Sahib, April 28 The mishap took place when a mini bus carrying pilgrims from Gurdwara Dodra Sahib in Ludhiana to Gurdwara Dukh Niwarn Sahib in Patiala collided head on with a truck coming from the opposite side. A team of doctors and paramedical staff led by Civil Surgeon Dr Gurmail Singh Chahal reached the spot. As many as 17 seriously injured pilgrims were rushed to Rajindra Hospital, Patiala and six were taken to Civil Hospital here. The deceased has been identified as Beero (50), a resident of Sarwal village in Pathankot. Deputy Commissioner Yashveer Mahajan said all the injured persons would be treated free of cost and the Chief Minister had announced a grant of Rs 1 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased from the CM’s Relief Fund. — OC
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urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to constitute an expert committee to put Punjab back on growth track.
Speaking at the dedication ceremony of the Bathinda refinery, Badal said, "An expert committee should be constituted to give recommendations to put Punjab again on growth track.
Pakistan came to near halt at Attari, there were no exports via Attari-Wagah land route today although a few trucks loaded with gypsum and cement arrived from Pakistan.
Despite a ban imposed by the Deputy Commissioner on burning of wheat stubble, the illegal practice continues unabated in rural areas of the district.
The community health centre (CHC) at Bhol Kalota in the district, which has been a vital lifeline for scores of villages in this remote area of the state sharing its boundary with Himachal
Pradesh, is virtually on the verge of closure.
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The state-of-the-art refinery (in
pic, right) has used structural steel that would have been enough to build 15 buildings of the size of Eiffel Tower, each 320 metres in height