J A L A N D H A R    E D I T I O N

Filing objections, a costly affair
Amritsar, January 23
In a move which is bound to discourage people from filing objections and suggestions to the proposed route of the Public Rapid Transit System (PRTS) in the city, the Punjab Infrastructure Development Board has decided to levy a fee of Rs 2,500 from those who want to obtain the revised detailed project report.

Two killed, one hurt in road accident
Nawashahr, January 23
Two persons were killed and one was injured when an SUV they were travelling in collided with a private bus near Mallpur village situated on the Chandigarh-Nawanshahr-Jalandhar highway here today.

Licences of 3 fertiliser dealers cancelled
Tarn Taran, January 23
Licences of three dealers of fertilisers and insecticides have been cancelled while nine others have been issued show cause notices against selling sub-standard fertilisers and insecticides in the district.

Filing objections, a costly affair
Neeraj Bagga
Tribune News Service

Amritsar, January 23
In a move which is bound to discourage people from filing objections and suggestions to the proposed route of the Public Rapid Transit System (PRTS) in the city, the Punjab Infrastructure Development Board has decided to levy a fee of Rs 2,500 from those who want to obtain the revised detailed project report.

Interestingly, the Punjab Infrastructure Regulatory Authority is all set to hold the third public hearing to record objections and suggestions of people on January 28.

The Punjab Infrastructure Development Board (PIDB) and the Amritsar Municipal Corporation, in a jointly issued advertisement in leading dailies, said the copy of the original DPR, indicating the proposed structure including the changed alignments, could be obtained by depositing Rs 2,500.

Residents and shopkeepers have come out against the decision on levying fee for obtaining the report.

Surinder Pal Singh, owner of a jewellery shop at Gol Hatti Chowk on Hall Gate road leading to the Golden Temple, said the fee was too high for anyone. “It has proved to be a deterrent for individuals to seek details about the latest design and route of the PRTS,” he said. Surinder is among several shopkeepers who fear that the project once implemented would affect their businesses.

RTI activist Naresh Johar said the introduction of the fee was to discourage vigilant citizens. “They would not be in a position to raise any question without going through the exact proposal,” he said. The public hearing would be futile exercise in this scenario, he added.

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had unveiled the plaque of the PRTS project outside Hall Gate on December 12, 2011, just weeks before the Assembly election.

After conducting the first public hearing on February 16, 2011, the PIRA gave its approval to the PIDB for going ahead with the bidding of the project. However, the second public hearing was conducted by the chairperson of the PIRA on December 21, 2012, at Chandigarh after the Tourism Department and conservationists raised fear of losing the heritage value and character of the walled city as a result of the PRTS project. However, it is not known that whether the Board has got conducted a feasibility study from any accredited conservation authority or not.

When contacted over the phone, PIRA chairperson Tejinder Kaur said three suggestions and objections had been received so far. She informed that all of them were from the associations of merchants and traders and nothing from individuals.

When asked about the heavy fee on DPR, she said the question falls in the realm of the PIDB and out of the preview of the PIRA.

She said routes to certain extent have already been changed to avoid any damage to heritage value of those stretches. “I myself came down to Amritsar and travelled on the proposed route and was quite satisfied to find that no heritage building falls on the route,” she shared.

She said after interacting with members of these associations and general public, she would study their suggestions and objections and would be submitted to the PIDB to be absorbed in the plan.

Municipal Corporation Commissioner Bhupinder Singh said Rs 2,500 was the cost of entire booklet which runs into hundreds of pages.

He said the DPR also includes design of the route. He added that any interested citizen, even without having the DPR, could approach the officials at the public hearing to be held at Circuit House here on January 28.

Public Rapid Transit System Project

Two killed, one hurt in road accident
Our Correspondent

Nawashahr, January 23
Two persons were killed and one was injured when an SUV they were travelling in collided with a private bus near Mallpur village situated on the Chandigarh-Nawanshahr-Jalandhar highway here today.

The police said the two deceased, identified as Harkiran Singh (23) and Navpreet Kaur (24), were killed on the spot while the injured, Baljinder Kaur (50), received severe injuries.

The victims were from nearby Bhagauran village and were going to Banga. Baljinder Kaur has been admitted to Raja Hospital, where her condition is stated to be serious.

Licences of 3 fertiliser dealers cancelled
Our Correspondent

Tarn Taran, January 23
Licences of three dealers of fertilisers and insecticides have been cancelled while nine others have been issued show cause notices against selling sub-standard fertilisers and insecticides in the district.

Deputy Commissioner Harmesh Singh Pabla said as many as 140 samples of fertilisers and 143 samples of insecticides were collected for gauging standards. One sample of fertiliser and nine of insecticides had been detected sub-standard, he said.

The DC said the licenses of three dealers were cancelled and nine dealers had been issued notices to explain their position.