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Another former CM courts row for overstaying in govt house
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Power corp’s fiscal deficit down to Rs 2,100 crore
May accept Central Govt’s bailout package
Property tax notified, to rake in Rs 350 cr annually
…but a lot still needs to be done in the state’s border belt
Tractor firms turn to farm equipment
Nepalese farmers visit Agrotech, give tips on coop farming
Netherlands to set up 2 farm centres
Avtar Henry’s name struck off voter list
11 Khanna Youth Congress leaders booked for vandalism
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Another former CM courts row for overstaying in govt house
The Bench also heard that MP Singh, officer on special duty to Punjab Chief Minister, too was illegally occupying a house without authorisation along with IAS officers NK Jain and BK Srivastava. As a petition filed by Surinder Pal Singh Tinna came up for hearing, the Punjab Government also told the High Court that House Number 46 in Chandigarh’s Sector 2 was occupied in an unauthorised manner by Bhattal and she was to pay a penal rent of Rs 66,64,839 for the use of premises from March 22, 2012, to November 15, 2012. The house, the government said, stood allotted to the Leader of Opposition and senior Congress leader Sunil Jakhar. Punjab’s Under Secretary, General Administration, added that House Number 11 in Sector 7 was illegally occupied by Barnala. The Government has already issued notice to Bhattal to vacate the official house. Reduced to the stature of an MLA after Jakhar replaced her as the Leader of the Opposition in Punjab, she was, in fact, told to vacate the house allotted to her 20 years ago by the state government. She, on the other hand, is claiming that she is being “victimised”. Bhattal recently said forcing her out of her house amounted to political victimisation and it was one in the series of tribulations that the SAD-BJP government had put her through. The petitioner, who is also an advocate, had alleged that several persons, including Bhattal and Akali leaders such as Sucha Singh Langah, had been illegally occupying government accommodations in Chandigarh.
charm of the bungalow
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Power corp’s fiscal deficit down to Rs 2,100 crore
Patiala, December 1 To meet the deficit, the corporation will hike power tariff by up to 10 per cent. Notably, for 2012-13, PSPCL had sought a 55 per cent hike in power tariff in its ARR. But, the commission had increased the tariff by 12.08 per cent. Sources in the PSPCL said while the revenue deficit for 2012-13 was Rs 3,200 crore, the same would be Rs 2,100 crore for the next fiscal. "For the fiscal ending March 2011, PSPCL had suffered a financial loss of Rs 1,600 crore. The same came down to Rs 240 crore in the fiscal ending March 2012, which is a big achievement," said Chaudhri. The reduction in the loss has helped in bringing down the revenue deficit. Since the ARR will be made public only after completion of the laid down procedure, the break-up of revenue and expenditure could not be ascertained. The PSERC will put the ARR details on its website in a couple of weeks and will also ask the public to file objections, if any.
Award for PSPCL
The Council of Power Utilities has awarded PSPCL for achieving the highest reduction in transmission and distribution (T&D) losses in the country. PSPCL CMD and Director (Distribution) KD Chaudhri and Arun Verma, respectively, received the award at a ceremony in New Delhi on Friday. The corporation had recorded a reduction of 2.52 per cent T&D losses in two years.
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May accept Central Govt’s bailout package
Patiala, December 1 Though it is being stated that the package is unlikely to immediately improve the fiscal health of the cash-strapped PSPCL, the authorities are of the view that the proposal will be beneficial for the corporation. As per the latest figures, the total debt of the power corporation stands at Rs 20,000 crore, out of which Rs 10,000 crore pertains to short-term loans. PSPCL Director (Finance) SC Arora said: "Out of the short term loans, the state government will clear Rs 5,000 crore (50 per cent) and in return, the Centre will pay 25 per cent of the rescheduled loan as an incentive". The remaining short-term loan of Rs 5,000 crore will also be rescheduled. "Though PSPCL will have to clear this loan, the provision of moratorium on principal amount for three years will help manage the finances of the power utility", said a senior PSPCL officer. Under the package, a financial restructuring scheme will have to be implemented by the state government after passing it in the assembly through the State Electricity Distribution Responsibility Bill. PSPCL CMD KD Chaudhri said it was up to the state government to take a final call. "The December 4 meeting may clear the picture on the matter", he added.
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Property tax notified, to rake in Rs 350 cr annually
Chandigarh, December 1 Earlier residential houses as well as plots were exempt from this tax though it was collected from public buildings and rented accommodation in the form of house tax. Sources said the tax would be collected on the basis of “annual unit value” of a property determined by eight separate zoning committees covering the state. The committees would be headed by the Regional Deputy Director of urban local bodies besides the respective MP and MLA and members of the local bodies. The tax payable on buildings will be calculated at the rate of 1 per cent of the annual unit value. In case of vacant plots, it will be calculated at the rate of 0.25 per cent of the annual unit value. For example, for a 250 square yard plot costing Rs 20,000 per yard, the total value of the plot will be Rs 50 lakh. The annual unit value, which is calculated at the rate of five per cent for residential buildings, will make the unit value of this plot Rs 2.5 lakh. One per cent of this value will be taxable so the annual tax will come out to Rs 2,500. For a similar 250 square yard vacant plot valued at Rs 20,000 per yard, the total property tax will be calculated at 0.25 per cent of the total unit value. Such plot owners will have to pay an annual tax of Rs 625. There is incentive for those who pay their tax on time i.e. before September 30. Such people will be given a 10 per cent rebate. There are further rebates also. Buildings which are 10 years old will get a 10 per cent rebate, while 20 per cent rebate will be given for buildings that are 20 years old, and so on. Buildings which are not occupied are liable for a one-third remission. Sources said it would be up to the house or plot owners to file their tax through a set proforma and that there will be no assessment of the same. Those with small houses will be charged a flat rate. Self-occupied residential buildings having a total land area of 50 square meters or below and 10 square meters or below will have to pay a property tax of Rs 50 and Rs 150 per annum. Sources said Mohali residents are likely to face the pinch the most. This is because the Mohali Corporation has not imposed house tax in its jurisdiction despite the fact that it is imposed in other cities in Punjab. House tax is applicable in Punjab for self, commercial and rented residential buildings. The sources said the corporation would now be unable to evade the levy of property tax with the issuance of an ordinance in this regard. The cash-strapped corporation has lost out on collection of Rs 30 crore in the form of house tax in the last 10 years.
tax levy
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Kabaddi spin-off: Many kick drugs
Bathinda, December 1 Those associated with the game claim that the glamour and money associated with the game has been helping keep the youths away from drugs. Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said, “Zero tolerance towards performance-enhancement drugs in the games has sent a clear message to the youths: Keep off drugs to participate in the event.” A combination of strength and swiftness, mostly Punjab-origin Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) are representing various countries at the 3rd World Kabaddi Cup that began here today. Riches and glamour of a kabaddi player are attracting youngsters to the traditional sport of rural Punjab. Varinder Singh, coach of New Zealand kabaddi team who has his roots in Kartarpur (Punjab), said, “Once there used to be five kabaddi clubs in my village. Then I migrated to New Zealand in search of greener pastures. After some time, all the clubs were disbanded as youngsters either fell prey to drugs or migrated abroad. But now, the interest in the game has been revived as my village now boasts of 10 clubs.” Sukhbir Singh, captain of the Indian team in the 2nd Kabaddi World Cup, said, “In my village (Sarawan in Faridkot), teenagers have been vying to get into various clubs.” Punjab Revenue and Public Relations Minister Bikramjit Singh Majithia said the traditional sport of erstwhile Punjab (including the Punjab in Pakistan) lost its lustre after Partition and due to a few other issues. “But, the sport has again started attracting youths. You will see participation of more countries and a bigger prize money in the next games,” he said. Comparing the kabaddi cup with cricket’s IPL, he said, “Gaining the repute of cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni is not an easy task for rural youths. But, they surely can make it to kabaddi team, which is Punjab’s traditional sport.”
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…but a lot still needs to be done in the state’s border belt
Gurdaspur, December 1 Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal’s and his Cabinet colleagues have been claiming that the mega event was being organised primarily to wean youth off drugs. The argument, say experts and NGOs, was not cutting much ice, at least in this border district of Gurdaspur where the long and porous border with Pakistan was acting as a catalyst for narco-smugglers to push in contraband from across the wire-fencing. Parents whose children are in the grip of drugs claim that such events are of little help. Though there are no accurate statistics available to prove the exact number of youngsters on dope, figures gathered from various sources, including Red Cross Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre, pointed out a 15 to 20 per cent increase in consumption of drugs in the district ever since the last edition of the tournament was held. Besides, there has been a significant rise in the number of addicts being treated at de-addiction centres, say NGOs. Romesh Mahajan, project director of the local Red Cross De-addiction Centre, said, “Kabaddi or no kabaddi, the situation is alarming with statistics revealing that thousands of youth are still hooked on to drugs, including poppy husk, opium, psychotropic substances, cough syrups and even type writer fluid…. There is need to check the drug supply from Pakistan.” A harried parent whose son is being treated at a de-addiction centre, said, “These days, youngsters have little time for sport. What they really need are jobs. Instead of promoting the game, the government should work on bringing in industry to the area. If the government cannot give jobs, at least more industrial training institutes should be established, which will ensure self-employment.”
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agrotech 2012
Chandigarh, December 1 A large number of farmers and fertiliser manufacturers, who converged here on the inaugural day of the Agro Tech 2012, said farming operations in Punjab had been hit because of the escalating prices of fertilisers, especially DAP and NPK. Prices of DAP have increased from Rs 905 per 50 kg to Rs 1,200 per 50 kg while that of NPK have increased from Rs 820 per 50 kg to Rs 1,115 per 50 kg. While many farmers have shunned crops requiring more fertilisers like potato, many others either shifting to extensive use of urea in place of DAP and NPK or experimenting with various kinds of organic manures. This could well have an adverse impact on the productivity. Sovan Chakrabarty, executive director, farm solutions business of DCM Shriram Consolidated Ltd (DSCL), said: "The consumption of urea across the county had gone up from 27 million tonnes per annum to 30 million tonnes per annum this year while the consumption of DAP and NPK remained low. More and more farmers are replacing DAP with urea, which will rob the soil of its nutrients like zinc and sulphur. In the long run, this will impact the crop productivity." He said they were promoting a balanced nutrient usage to farmers and asking them to use all fertilisers in the recommended quantity. Naginder Singh, a potato farmer from Baronga village in Fatehgarh Sahib, said: "Potato growing has been quite low in our area as this crop requires more DAP and NPK". Many farmers have also started experimenting with organic manures so as to bring down the input costs. Sukhjit Singh, a sugarcane farmer from Diwala village near Smarala, said he had got training in making organic manure from a social institution in Jandiala Guru, and he had used it on his sugarcane crop this year. "I am about to harvest the crop. Despite using less of fertilisers and more of organic manure made with cow dung, I am expecting a much higher yield of 400 quintal from my 16-acre farm," he said.
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Tractor firms turn to farm equipment
Chandigarh, December 1 Sources said this year had been particularly bad for the industry. As against 5.35 lakh tractors sold across the country last year, the sale this year is expected to be around 5.30 lakh. Seeing a dip in profit margins, almost all top manufacturers are going in for farm equipment business, and launching smaller tractors. From market leader Mahindra and Mahindra to Escorts and even the state-owned HMT Tractors, all are now promoting their new farm equipment business verticals. Sanjeev Goyle, senior vice-president, marketing, farm equipment sector, Mahindra and Mahindra, admitted they had witnessed a marginal slump in tractor sales. "Our tractor sales till October were 1.33 lakh units as against 1.40 lakh units in the corresponding period last year. In fact, the first half of the year has been bad for the tractor business, but we expect the latent sales to pick up as the wheat crop is expected to be very good. Though even in our agri equipment sector, we have seen de-growth in the sale of harvestors, we are banking on this sector to see an overall growth for the company. We are coming up with a small harvestor, called Pro Combine Harvestor, which can be mounted on tractors of smaller horsepower. We expect to achieve a slightly higher growth than the industry, with the launch of new equipment and our 15 HP tractor," he said. HMT Tractors, too, is looking at growth from its soon-to-be-launched farm equipment business. SG Sridhar, chairman and managing director, HMT, said they would start manufacturing rotavators at their Mohali plant. "We will begin manufacturing rotavators from this month. We will manufacture 1,000 units by March 2013. Within five years, we will be manufacturing 10,000 units per annum, and subsequently, we also propose to get into manufacturing harvestors. We expect our agri equipment manufacturing business to contribute Rs 1,800 crore to the revenue by 2018," he said. HMT sold just 4,000 tractors last year and its tractor business is running in losses. Escorts Agri Machinery is also looking at its commercial tractor business to propel growth. Shenu Aggarwal, head, marketing, said they had seen a marginal growth of 1.5 per cent in its tractor business by selling 64,000 tractors between October 2011 and September 2012. "We see growth coming from our commercial tractor business vertical, called Powertrac. We are launching new models in commercial tractors," he said.
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Nepalese farmers visit Agrotech, give tips on coop farming
Chandigarh, December 1 Led by Durga Prasad Asapkota, a delegation of farmers, traders and food processors from the Purvanchal region of Nepal, is participating in the Agro Tech fair. Shambhu Lal Chaudhary, another farmer from Nepal, said that while they could benefit from the advances in farm mechanisation in India, farmers here could learn from them on the effective use of cooperative farming, especially as both India and Nepal had small farm holdings.
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Netherlands to set up 2 farm centres
Chandigarh, December 1 He said, “The first centre in Punjab will cater to the dairy sector and focus on genetic and animal health while the other centre will act as a Post Harvest Knowledge Centre for potato farmers. In these
centres, we are going to train farmers in best agriculture practices.
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Clean water still a pipe dream for farmers of border areas
Gurdaspur, December 1 As per the norms, if a sum of Rs 30 lakh is to be spent by the government on installing a deep tubewell, 5 per cent of the money is to be borne by the panchayats concerned. This contribution is also known as 'beneficiary share'. If the panchayats are unable to chip in, then deep tubewells cannot be installed under various state government and World Bank schemes. Sohan Lal, Superintending Engineer of the Water Supply and Sanitation Department, said that the government had banned the installation of hand pumps because “these pumps give shallow water which is contaminated.” “Instead of cribbing over the quality of hand pump water, panchayats should chip in with the beneficiary share so that we can set up tubewells. “We have 37 deep tubewells catering to 92 villages in the Dera Baba Nanak block. What can we do if these farmers continue to drink contaminated water from illegally installed hand pumps?" Dera Baba Nanak legislator Sukhjinder Randhawa claimed that pipes carrying tubewell water to border villages had begun to leak. Hence, water was not reach the homes of the villagers. “I have raised this issue many times at the District Vigilance and Monitoring Committee meetings. However, nobody seems to care. At stake is the health of the villagers. The incidence of water-borne diseases is very high in Dera Baba Nanak,” the MLA said. Lakhwinder Singh of Chakraja village, located 5 km from the India-Pakistan border, showed a bucket of water drawn from a hand pump in Sultani village with a layer of impurities.
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Avtar Henry’s name struck off voter list
Henry is accused of possessing dual citizenship. The Ministry of Home Affairs (Foreigners Division) had ceased his Indian citizenship in July this year. The Union Government, in exercise of the powers conferred on it under sections 9(2) of the Citizenship Act 1955 and rules made there under, had announced that Avtar Henry ceased to be a citizen of India from the date he acquired the British citizenship and passport in 1969. Pritam Singh, ERO, said Henry’s vote had been deleted on the complaints of Ajay Sehgal and nine others. Pritam Singh claimed the decision had been taken keeping in view of the Union Home Ministry’s directions. He said Henry could reacquire Indian citizenship after completing the required formalities. Henry said he was in the process of reacquiring his Indian citizenship. He said he suspected the handy work of his close relatives on this issue.
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11 Khanna Youth Congress leaders booked for vandalism
Khanna, December 1 The Youth Congress leaders have been charged with damaging public property. These leaders had allegedly stopped an ambulance at Issru village near Khanna and forcibly pasted the Prime Minister's pictures. The ambulances had been introduced by the state government under the National Rural Health Mission, a Union Government-sponsored scheme. Chahal, however, claimed that it was a case of "political vendetta". "When all ambulances are being purchased through central funds, then why is Badal's picture being pasted on them?" he reasoned.
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Chandigarh, December 1
Also included in the category was Haryana Director (prosecution) HR Jain. The information came during the hearing on a petition on unauthorised occupation of UT houses by high-profile politicians, ex-ministers/MLA and retired bureaucrats.
Jalandhar, December 1