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MC passes Rs 300 crore budget; it's mindless, says Opposition
A slew of projects for city in state budget 2013-14
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City residents, industry hail state budget as balanced and growth oriented
Lack of zebra crossings puts lives of pedestrians at risk
Pedestrians risk their life as they cross Queen's Road, designated as one-way. The road does not have a zebra crossing putting pedestrians at grave risk. Photo: Sameer Sehgal
Traffic constable run over by car; 3 held
Veterinary students opting to go abroad
Pen-down strike by employees affects work in DC office
Members of the ministerial staff union hold protest outside the Deputy Commissioner’s office during the pen-down strike in Amritsar on Wednesday. Photo:Sameer Sehgal
Three-week refresher course concludes at Guru Nanak Dev University
Prof AS Brar, Vice-Chancellor of GNDU, adresses teachers during the concluding ceremony of a refresher course on university campus in Amritsar on Wednesday. A Tribune Photograph
Pending dues: Powercom wants DC to intervene
2 booked for fraud
Tractor crushes man to death
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MC passes Rs 300 crore budget; it's mindless, says Opposition
Amritsar, March 20 Ironically, some SAD-BJP councillors expressed solidarity with the opposition Congress over the issue of mass corruption prevailing in various MC departments. To this, Mayor Bakshi Ram Arora and Commissioner Bhupinder Singh did not commit any action except for giving verbal assurance about conducting inquiry or fixing accountability against the officials under question. Opposition walks out
The opposition Congress walked out of the house after Senior Deputy Mayor Avtar Singh Trukkanwala allegedly passed personal remarks against Congress councillor Gurinder Rishi. Mayor Bakshi Ram Arora criticised the passing of personal remarks by his senior colleague later. The Congress claimed that it was a “mindless budget devoid of any base”. Councillors decry lack of basic amenities
Even as the ruling alliance bragged about the Punjab government’s decision to earmark Rs 198 crore for the proposed Public Rapid Transport System by introducing self-driven magnetic pods on the lines of Heathrow Airport, the authorities were scantily equipped to redress the basic grievances of residents of majority of wards mainly being governed by the ruling alliance councillors. The councillors said the city bus service failed to start since 2010 despite having funds to the tune of 11.66 crore. Councillor Preeti Taneja also raised the issue of not establishing the solid waste management plant which was seen as the only answer to the city’s garbage problems. SAD councillor Surinder Singh Sultanwind said in absence of any follow-up action, the issue of “obliging certain advertisement mafia” by a former mayor and commissioner was buried. He claimed that the councillors were never taken into confidence while framing policy matters for their respective wards. Sultanwind’s question about the outcome of the garbage lifting firm’s withdrawal of its machinery due to non-payment of funds and the further strategy to resolve the issue or engaging another firm went unanswered by both the Mayor and the MC Commissioner. The councillor said private trolley operators engaged for lifting the garbage were siphoning off diesel by curtailing their rounds in connivance with sanitation inspectors. Sultanwind informed the MC House about a five-storey building which was under construction on the Batala road and urged the authorities to take action against the owner who had illegally encroached upon MC land while defying court orders. Majority of councillors raised the issue of dilapidated garbage lifting, sewerage, unsafe drinking water, inadequate arrangements for rain water disposal, insufficient streetlights and broken roads. MC men under scanner
The ruling as well as the opposition councillors categorically accused certain officials of the MC departments who were allegedly involved in corrupt practices in connivance with contractors who had been entrusted with the task of carrying out essential services in their wards. They raised fingers over the functioning of sewerage, municipal town planning, land and house tax, sanitation, and birth/death certification departments. Expressing concern about dilapidated garbage lifting and disposing scenario, the Senior Deputy Mayor said the directions given by the Mayor or Commissioner were never followed. He pointed out that regular safai karamcharis who got government pay scales had further engaged temporary workers at the salary of Rs 2,000-Rs 2,500 to perform the job in their place. The MC authorities were silent over the issue, he added. He also raised a question mark over the integrity of House tax and MTP officials who “terrorise the residents” and only compensate them after getting bribes. He also raised the issue of corruption while auctioning the cycle stands and parking lots. BJP councillor Sukhminder Singh Pintoo said the cleanliness drive carried out under the leadership of Mayor was directionless as no directions would be followed later on by the MC officials. “No accountability was ever fixed when it comes to the officials concerned,” Pintoo said. BJP councillor Rajesh Honey said agents in connivance with MC officials were minting money at the death and birth certificate office and openly asked for greasing their hands for getting certificates on time. Opposition’s take
Congress councillor Raj Kanwal Preet Pal Singh Lucky termed the budget as directionless. He said out of 300-crore budget, Rs 180 crore would be consumed against the employees’ salaries per annum; Rs 11.20 crore for annual maintenance of vehicles and Rs 39.85 crore for committed expenses. This would amount to Rs 231.05 crore, he said. “Now, you are left with just Rs 70 crore which will be left for carrying out development works. There is anticipation of generating Rs 48 crore by selling MC properties while it was anticipated to garner Rs 20 crore last year whereas the MC could get only Rs 4 crore. How can one rely on this source of income ahs been left for everyone to guess?” Lucky said. “The revenue from property tax too is uncertain because the government itself had stalled the issue for review,” he added. A good budget,
says Mayor
The budget has been drafted very efficiently. Last year (2012-2013), it was Rs 226 crore. This year it is Rs 300.45 crore. We will generate Rs 280 crore from general side which includes sale of property, house tax, property tax, octroi on petrol, diesel and electricity, excise, advertisement, licence fee, water and sewerage cess etc. From the sale of MC properties, we can generate around Rs 100 crore, 12 crore will be the composition fee and Rs 20 crore from water and sewerage supply. We will also ask for Rs 100 crore as loan from the government for overall development of the city. SIDELIGHTS
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A slew of projects for city in state budget 2013-14
Amritsar, March 20 Safe City Project
The state budget envisaged to install CCTV cameras, sensors and use of information technology at a cost of Rs 135 crore in Amritsar and Ludhiana. It has once again revived the hope of the city residents. Though it has now been out under the new scheme called Safe City Project, it has been hanging fire for past several years. Funded by the Amritsar Improvement Trust (AIT) and supported by the Punjab government, the project has been moving at a snail’s pace. The police department has identified key points in the city where these cameras would be installed to track on the activities of law violators and traffic violations. Apparently to win people’s attraction, political functionaries and bureaucrats announced the project at various forums but nobody ensured its early materialisation. City resident NS Gabharia said the budgetary allocation put all apprehensions to rest and hoped that the project would be culminated to its logical end soon. A first-of-its-kind project in Punjab, it was supposed to be completed by the end of 2011. The SGPC election and then the Assembly election were stated to be the reason behind delay in installation of these cameras. Rail Freight
Corridor
Suneet Kochar, a leading industrialist, said the state government’s stance on intensifying its efforts to impress upon the Central government to extend the Rail Freight Corridor up to the integrated check post on the international border was an endorsement of the long-held view of local importers and exporters. He said many a representations were given to the state government to draw its attention. Incorporation of the latest infrastructure would bring quickness to import and export from the city, he said. Trade Centre
PL Seth, Shawl Club of India president, said mentioning of the establishment of world-class trade centre in Amritsar met the long-pending demand of the city-based manufacturers, importers and exporters. He said though manufacturers, traders and organisers had been seeking to set up the centre for long, their demand was formally accepted in 2010 when Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal endorsed the idea while attending the concluding ceremony of an exhibition in the city. The Amritsar Tribune on March 5 had written that an integrated trade centre-cum-commercial-cum-residential and recreational complex would be set up at the Central Jail spreads over an area of 109 acres. It was announced that the jail would be shifting to 67-acre land given by the Amritsar Improvement Trust at Fatahpur village. IT Hub
Rajdeep Uppal, CII chairman, Amritsar Zonal Council, said, “We welcome the government’s decision for making Amritsar as an IT hub. The government has already announced to set up an IT hub in the holy city as it has quality infrastructure in shape of an international airport, ICP at border with Pakistan and a range of middle and upper range of hotels to accommodate clienteles.”
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City residents, industry hail state budget as balanced and growth oriented
Amritsar, March 20 It is a balanced and welfare-oriented budget. I found it focused more towards the development of social infrastructure, like strengthening road network and upgradation of civic amenities. I myself am running a unit at Focal Point here. The outlay of Rs 285 crores for upgradation of focal points will help boosting the facilities at Industrial centres.~ —
Dr Sandeep K. Jain, member,
Animal Welfare Board of India
It's a balanced budget which has taken measures to limit the fiscal balance to 3 per cent during 2013-2014. Abolition of 5.5 per cent VAT on items used by children, senior citizens and poor people is a welcome step. Hike in VAT on cigarettes by 144 per cent is also a step in the right direction to generate revenue. However, hike in VAT on soft drinks from 13 per cent to 20.5 per cent would definitely pinch the common man. Overall, the budget seems to be growth-oriented one and let us hope that gross state domestic product
(GSDP) grows by 14.19 per cent as claimed by the Finance Minister. —
Dr Akashdeep Singh, educationist
The proposal to enhance outlay of Rs 1,063 crore for development of agriculture and allied sectors is a much needed move. The amount must be judiciously invested in agriculture diversification after forming an integrated blueprint. Formation of isolated policy will not serve the purpose of agriculture. In order to break the vicious circle of wheat and paddy, thrust must be placed on horticulture, oilseeds and
pulses. — Kuljeet Singh, progressive farmer
This budget is equally focused on development of urban and rural areas. Focus of the government is also on power generation as its demand is constantly rising. The proposal to set up 1,000 model schools under the public private partnership (PPP) mode, for which the state government and the panchayats will contribute five acres of land to the developer, will prove immensely beneficial to the students hailing from rural and remote
areas. — Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina, a politician
The industry is eagerly awaiting the new Industrial and Investment Policy of the state which surely will look at reenergising the local industry, especially the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector which holds the key to future growth of the state. The arrival of more industrial houses from outside the state to invest here will bring qualitative changes
in indigenously manufactured products. — Rajdeep Uppal, Chairman, CII Amritsar Zonal Council
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Lack of zebra crossings puts lives of pedestrians at risk
Amritsar, March 20 Hari Om Goel, a resident said, “At many places where zebra lines are painted, commuters are not aware of its significance, making these redundant. It seems that the Municipal Corporation (MC) in its frenzy of infrastructural development in the holy city, has omitted the zebra lines from its plan of traffic management.” He added that the pedestrians were forced to risk their lives while crossing these one-way roads. Goel said flyovers were being raised with the investment of crores of rupees but not a single subway had been constructed to provide safe passage to pedestrians. Notably, the Municipal Corporation Amritsar (MCA), in its 2009-2010 budget, had proposed to construct subways at key intersections in the city with an investment of Rs 20 crore as a solution to the troubles of pedestrians. However, it failed to provide even a single subway. The MCA’s focus had been more on the flyovers in the last five years. Even as work on costly elevated roads at Saifuddin Kitchlew intersection, popularly known as Court Chowk, has been initiated, no effort for constructing subways has been made at the grassroot level. Shamsher Singh, a resident of Sultlanwind road, said one-way roads in the city, which did not have zebra crossings, had become a problem zone for pedestrians. Where there were zebra lines, there were no traffic lights to signal pedestrians to proceed and vehicles to stop. Even as the district administration has earmarked several roads as one-way, in order to facilitate smooth flow of traffic, it seems to have forgotten the pedestrians. These roads are Queen’s Road, Cooper Road, Railway Road, Hall Gate to
Town Hall, Town Hall to Katra Jai Mal Singh, Pashim Wala Bazar, Chowk
Farid, Katra Sher Singh to Pink Plaza intersection. Experts say the solution to all these problems was the subways, as they would provide safe and short routes to the passengers and would de-congest the roads. When contacted, Amritsar Municipal Commissioner Bhupinder Singh said the work of painting the yellow line on various roads of the city had been finished recently and in the second part, the work of painting the zebra lines would be taken up.
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Traffic constable run over by car; 3 held
Amritsar, March 20 Traffic police constable Balraj Singh received injuries when he was hit by Tata Indigo (bearing registration no CH-03 2044). Eyewitnesses said he jumped over the bonnet of the car which dragged him to some distance. The accused were then overpowered by some commuters. The incident took place when the accused did not stop at the traffic signal and sped away towards the court complex and constable Balraj Singh who was posted near the court complex gate was informed about them. He tried to intercept the car. Investigating officer Sohan Lal said though nothing objectionable was found inside the vehicle, further investigations were on in the case. “The car bore the registration number of Chandigarh but the occupants belonged to Amritsar. We are verifying the antecedents of the accused,” he said. Fact file
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Veterinary students opting to go abroad
Amritsar, March 20 Of late, high demand of vets in the country and abroad are being felt which is driving the students and their parents to throng to get admissions in various veterinary courses. The demand for vets was so high that the state government was not able to fulfill all the vacant seats. Even colleges are not finding students for its PG courses as students vanish to developed countries after completing their graduation. A second year student of bachelor of veterinary science and animal husbandry, Bikramjit Singh said he preferred to study the course than other subjects as it offered placement guarantee besides an opportunity to open once own clinic. Keeping in view the high placement rate of the profession at present 40 per cent of the total students in the college are girls, who used not to joint the course some years back. A final year student of bachelor course, Shikha said over a period of time women proved their mettle in different fields and demolished old beliefs. She said the course opened a number of opportunities before girls and they can specialise in curing small animals, birds and even large animals. Another final year student Ajaypal Singh Kahlon said before joining the course he consulted various resource persons and analysed his own nature. "I found the returns lucrative from the course", he said. KCVAS principal Dr SK Jand said the college had already completed admissions for the first year of Bachelor of Veterinary Sciences. He said the trend of private vet clinics have caught up in the state as families are keeping pets as companion. Citing the instance of Ludhaina he said over 35 such clinics are in Ludhiana. Besides, NRI grooms also prefer vet qualified girls as it ensured them hassle free PR in developed countries.
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Pen-down strike by employees affects work in DC office
Amritsar, March 20 Work like registration of property, registration of marriage, issuance of residence certificates and many others were not performed by the staff. Even as the employees were present at their respective seats, they refused to entertain applications from the public. Pargat Singh, a local resident said, “I had come to get a residence certificate for my daughter. Now I have come to know that the protest might linger on for a few days.” Sukhminder Singh, another visitor, said, “Either the government must fulfill the demand of the employees or it could strictly order them to do work. The general public works should not be made to suffer at any cost.” He said hundreds of visitors were being harassed because of the protest even when they had not made any mistake. Meanwhile Asunil Kumar Sharma, president, District (DC) Office Employees Association said they had given a notice to the state government before proceeding on strike. He said that as decided, the employees would continue with their pen-down strike on Thursday and Friday. He said the strike was successful at the sub-division level offices in the district. He requested the state government to fulfill their long pending demands in view of the inconvenience being caused to the public. The employees who are on the path of agitation are demanding the upgrade of the post of sub-divisional assistant as superintendent grade II, allotment of staff for legal cells in sadar offices, allotment of ministerial staff for revenue offices in three districts, creation of the post of senior assistant in as many as 16 districts.
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Three-week refresher course concludes at Guru Nanak Dev University
Amritsar, March 20 Prof AS Brar, Vice-Chancellor of the GNDU, was the chief guest at the concluding ceremony. Prof TS Banipal, Director ASC, welcomed the chief guest and others. Prof Avinash Nagpal, course coordinator, detailed the gathering about the course and highlighted the various activities undertaken by the participants in the three weeks. Prof AK Thukral proposed the vote of thanks. Prof Renu Bhardwaj, Prof Saroj Arora and other faculty from the Department of Botanical & Environmental Sciences were also present. Prof Brar, in his valedictory address, drew attention towards the various environmental hazards being faced by India at present. He also compared the environmental scenario of the country with the developed countries of the world. He lamented that India had been lagging behind so far as the preservation of the environment was concerned. He enumerated various reasons for the dismal situation and said lack of awareness amongst the masses was the first. The role of industry was also not positive in this regard, he added. Prof Brar also highlighted the contribution of teachers in moulding the shape of the society for a better future. He also distributed certificates to the participants on the completion of the course.
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Pending dues: Powercom wants DC to intervene
Amritsar, March 20 The PowerCom has now sought intervention of Deputy Commissioner Rajat Agarwal in the matter. Through a communiqué, PSPCL Superintendent Engineer Balbir Singh intimated Agarwal regarding the dues and demanded a meeting at the earliest. The pending payment dates back to last year and the PowerCom wanted the balance to be made before the beginning of the next financial year. Various government departments like sports, irrigation and tehsil complex owe dues to the tune of lakhs. Health institutes are to pay the maximum, nearly Rs 30 lakh, while Public Health Department is to give Rs 29.77 lakh while Punjab Police is to make a payment of Rs 14.79 lakh. Break-up of dues to be made by other departments are Tehsil complex Rs 6.80 lakh, Irrigation Department Rs 4.69 lakh, Municipal Committee Rs 4.42 lakh, PWD B&R Rs 3.62 lakh, water supply department of Municipal Corporation Rs 1.59 lakh, government schools Rs 90,000, Civil Defence Rs 81,000 and District Sports Office Rs 5,000. Different central government departments are to pay their share of energy consumption of about Rs 9.76 lakh.
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2 booked for fraud
Amritsar, March 20 According to police, the accused were running an academy and the case came to light when Harjit Singh, who became their recent
victim, brought it to the police’s notice. Investigating officer Kulwinder Singh of CIA said the victim had taken admission in the academy and deposited his 10+2 certificate for recruitment in the Army, as was promised by the accused. The accused used to convince their victims about their ‘connections in the Army’. “After sometime, when the victim asked for
his documents, the accused demanded Rs 1.6 lakh”, he said. A case under Section 420 if the IPC with was registered
at the cantonment police station. — TNS
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Tractor crushes man to death
Amritsar, March 20 According to his father Inder Singh, Kuldeep was coming back home at about 7.30 pm on his motorcycle yesterday when a tractor trolley hit him. “According to the onlookers, the driver did not stop and dragged my son till some distance before speeding away, leaving my son dead on the spot”, he said. Investigating officer Tarsem Singh, of Udoke Kalan police post, said a case under Sections 279, 304-A and 427 was registered. “The accused has not been identified yet. We are interrogating the residents living to gather some clue about the accused”, he said.
— TNS
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Amritsar, March 20
Amritsar, March 20
Amritsar, March 20
A three-week refresher course in Environmental Studies concluded here today at the Academic Staff College
(ASC) of Guru Nanak Dev University. The course was organised by Department of Botanical and Environmental Sciences of the university. As many as 41 teachers from various states participated in the course.
