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MC budget passed amidst uproar
Property tax hogs limelight
Congress stages walk-out from House over aquarium issue
With Holi round the corner, markets gear up for festivities
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Thousands of special children fail to get benefit
Cong raises issue of misuse of cops on deputation in corporation
Protest against imposition of property tax
Jalandhar tops among Punjab districts in TB control
Inspection team visits PIMS
Two drug peddlers arrested
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MC budget passed amidst uproar
Jalandhar, March 25 When the Congress councillors continued their protest in the House despite repeated requests by Mayor Sunil Jyoti, the budget was presented and the Mayor passed the budget within seconds, saying “Passed, passed”. Several ruling alliance councillors, including Senior Deputy Mayor Kamaljit Singh Bhatia, also supported him and repeated the words “passed, passed”. The MC prepared its estimated budget of Rs 695.40 crore, which is 140 per cent high compared to the last time's budget of Rs 610 crore. According to estimates, the MC will get Rs 150 crore from the state government in lieu of octroi and Rs 15 crore from octroi on electricity. Similarly, the MC will get Rs 15 crore as additional excise duty, Rs 10 crore as house tax, Rs 50 crore from property tax, Rs 26.50 crore as building application fees, building composition fees and change of land use, Rs 25 crore from water supply and sewer charges and Rs 50 crore from selling MC shops and other properties. Leader of opposition Jagdish Raj Raja and Dynamic Group of Congress councillors, including Sharwan Garg and Sushil Rinku, termed the budget as “fake”. Elaborating, Raja said, “Ludhiana has the biggest MC in Punjab, but its budget is also just of Rs 630 crore and it also does not include property tax in its budget, as the same is being reviewed. The MC here has included property tax of Rs 50 crore in its budget, which is not fair.” Apart from budget, the MC house also passed several other resolutions without any discussion amidst uproar over property tax and after the Congress staged walkout over the issue of Food Court-cum-Aquarium. |
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Property tax hogs limelight
Jalandhar, March 25 The Opposition Congress, accompanied by some independent councillors, blamed the Parkash Singh Badal-led SAD-BJP government for the imposition of the exorbitant property tax. The ruling SAD-BJP councillors accused the Manmohan Singh-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government of imposing the condition on states to levy property tax for getting various grants from the Centre for development works. As soon as the MC meeting restarted at 4.15 pm after observing a two-minute silence to pay tributes to the families of various prominent persons who lost their lives in between the last and current house meetings, Sushil Rinku of the Dynamic Group of Congress Councillors stood from his seat carrying a placard in his hands for opposing the property tax. Rinku started raising slogans “Down with Punjab Government (Punjab Sarkar Murdabad).” Other members of the Dynamic Group, including Sharwan Grover, Bal Kishan Bali, Harsimranjit Singh Bunty and Independent Amit Dhall, also rose from their seats to join him in no time. Following the Dynamic Group of Congress councillors, other Congress councillors, led by the leader of Opposition Jagdish Raj Raja, also stood from their seats and all Opposition Congress councillors started raising slogans against the Punjab Government to protest against the property tax. Subsequently, Kishan Kochar Minta of the BJP also stood from his seat and started raising slogans against the Central Government “Centre Sarkar Murdabad (Down with Centre Government). Almost all councillors of the ruling Akali-BJP alliance joined him. In an attempt to lodge their strong protest, a number of Congress councillors, including two lady councillors Aruna Arora and Surinder Kaur, first stood on their chairs and then on the tables in front of them while raising slogans against the imposition of the property tax. Ignoring repeated requests by Mayor Sunil Jyoti to maintain decorum, strong protests in the house continued for over 20 minutes by both the Congress and the ruling SAD-BJP councillors. Tax levied on direction of Centre: Mayor
Speaking on the property tax during zero hour while replying to various questions, Mayor Sunil Jyoti said property tax on at least 99 per cent of the properties had been levied as per the directions of the Centre to get grant from the centre for various development projects. A notification in this regard had already been issued on November 15. Commissioner Vinay Bublani said the MC had received as many as 725 objections from different councillors and citizens over zoning for property tax. He said the house tax had been repealed and the property tax was adopted in its place, the rates of which would be finalised as per directions of the state government after getting report of the review committee. To a query, he said the arrears of the house tax would be recovered from the defaulters. Earlier, senior deputy mayor Kamaljit Singh Bhatia said he was also in favour of the imposition of “genuine” property tax. He suggested the house to form a committee of councillors for giving suggestions to the four-member review committee headed by CPS Som Prakash in this regard. |
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Congress stages walk-out from House over aquarium issue
Jalandhar, March 25 When the resolution number 5 came up for discussion regarding the construction of Food Court -cum- aquarium on Build Operate Transfer (BOT) basis on 4500 square yards land of the MC near Company Bagh, Ravi Mohindru suggested the MC house that the MCJ should provide the company hired for development of Food Court -cum -aquarium some other land instead of the prime land of 180 Marla. Elaborating, Ravi Mohindru said ," The market value of this land is around 45 crore The MC should provide alternative land Responding, Mayor Sunil Jyoti said ,"The project was cleared during the last meeting of earlier MC house. Ravi was a member of F & CC Committee at that time." Jyoti further stated ,"The land has already been given to a foreign company on the lease amount of Rs 11 lakh per annum for 45 years with increase of 10 per cent lease amount every year. A total of Rs 30 crore will be spent on the construction of the aquarium and thus the MC will get Rs. 57 crore in 45 years. The construction is already on and the MC has also got Rs 11 lakh as one year lease amount.? At this, another BJP councillor Krishan Kochar Minta sitting adjacent to Mohindru also stood from his seat in support of Mohindru. In between, Congress councillors also raised their voice agains the construction of the aquarium on the prime land of MCJ. When the Mayor did not express his willingness to reconsider their demand of pending this resolution, the Congress councillor walked out from the house in protest. Subsequently ,the MCpassed all other resolutions without any discussion with consent vote of the ruling SAD-BJP councillors.
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With Holi round the corner, markets gear up for festivities
Jalandhar, March 25 Harsh from the Central Town Market says, we have water guns ranging from Rs 10 to 200. The toy water guns within the range of Rs 10 to 20 are most popular among children. They come in all toy shapes like elephant, monkey etc. They are little, handy and inexpensive so parents mostly go for these.” The more costlier water guns include the shower, tank water guns and the big-sized pistol pichkaris, which range from Rs 100 to 200. In colours, both wet colours and drier gulaals are available in the market. And Holi sprays are a new obsession with the crowd. Entrepreneur Raja says, “Children are liking colouring sprays because, they say, they are not pakka colours that stick. The cost of the spray colours starts from Rs 20 to 100. Simple pichkaris at his shop cost between Rs 10 to 40, the tank pichkaris cost Rs 225. Dry colours are available in packets and open (in sacks) at many stores, the costliest among the dry colours are the branded herbal gulaals which start at Rs 40 to 50 (per 100 gm).What experts say A plethora of packed, unpacked, in-sacks, in-packets, branded, toxic and other colours being available in the markets, experts say the trickiest part of the Holi celebrations is staying safe. Dr Vikram Sood says, “The best way to test colours is to apply a bit of it on skin. If the colour feels gritty then it is best to opt for another and better option. The safest colours are the starch-based powdery ones which feel soft and smooth on the skin.” Price list Simple pichkari Rs 10 to 40 Toy pichkari (small) Rs 10 to 20 Tank pichkari Rs 200 to 225 Simple colour Rs 10 to 40 (per kg) Herbal colour starting at Rs 40 (per 100 gm) Colour spray Rs 20 to 100 (per bottle)
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Thousands of special children fail to get benefit
Aparna Banerji Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, March 25 While the SSA’s special education wing has identified about 1,000 special children meeting the criteria of the scheme in the district (many are from very poor families), none of them have received the benefits of the scheme so far. Irregularities abound The prime reason for the benefits of the scheme not reaching beneficiaries is that that the district’s local level committee (LLC) - despite requests from parents and NGOs - remains almost defunct. While the DC is a member of the LLC, no one is clear on who are the other two members (the LLC has 3 members) and the administration hasn’t bothered to appoint additional members. Amarjit Singh Anand, who heads the Chanan association in Jalandhar, has been routing forms of needy parents to an NGO in Ludhiana for the past few years, but he claims that requests to appoint him a member of the scheme, have remained unheeded.Between 2009 and 2012, many forms for the scheme were sent to Ludhiana-based NGO Ashirwaad since the Jalandhar authorities were not responding. Sudhir from Ashirwad said, “We received many forms in 2009 and kept receiving them till October 2012 but this year we did not receive any. While the forms we received were co-ordinated by a local activist, we are not sure why a Jalandhar activist hasn’t been appointed a member of the LLC. Because that way, the cases could be cleared in Jalandhar itself.” SSA sources said, “As many as 30 to 35 forms were filled and the concerned students received the Nirmaya health cards about three years ago. But it was of no use because the students were turned away by the empanelled hospitals, which said they had no idea they were part of the scheme.” Barring these, about 150 more Nirmaya scheme forms had been submitted by 2011, but none of them have received cards. We then stopped sending anymore because the benefits were being denied to beneficiaries. While the former DC had authorised a member of the local Prayas School for Mentally Retarded Children, to co-ordinate with the filling of Nirmaya Health Scheme forms in May 2012, the school backed out, citing lack of information on the scheme. The recent take of the school (run by the Red Cross) authorities (honorary secretary Ranjana Bansal) is, “About six months ago we had talked to the District Social Security Officer, who told us that we were not authorised to make the forms, so the Prayas School is not pursuing any of the scheme now. We have not received any further information on the issue.” District Social Security Officer, Satish Kapoor, interestingly, said the scheme wasn’t even running. “Earlier a previous member of the Prayas School was member of the Local Level Committee (LLC). After her, no new member has been appointed. No such scheme is running currently anywhere, nor in the district.” However, the National Trust website and members of Aashirwad have confirmed that the scheme is pretty active. Forms are pouring in from Amritsar and Ludhiana.
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Cong raises issue of misuse of cops on deputation in corporation
Jalandhar, March 25 According to information gathered by The Tribune, a total of 59 policemen, including a DSP, an inspector, two SIs, five ASIs, six HCs and 44 constables, were on deputation from the Jalandhar police to the MC for ensuring pending recoveries of water supply, sewer, house tax, tehbazari department and so on, with the MC spending a huge amount by paying salaries to them. Raising the issue of the misuse of policemen during zero hour, leader of Opposition Jagdish Raj Raja stated that 24 of the total 59 policemen on deputation with the MC were being misused by its officials and the Mayor in the name of their security. Interestingly, Raja said a former MC Commissioner BS Dhaliwal illegally took three policemen Som Lal (belt number 815), Rakesh Kumar (belt number 673) and Baljinder Singh (belt number 1041) with him as his gunmen after his transfer to Hoshiarpur as ADC there about 11 months ago. Raja said the MC had to bear a loss of Rs 9.9 lakh in the shape of salaries to the three policemen taken by Dhaliwal with him. He demanded that this amount should be deducted from Dhaliwal’s salary and should be deposited in the MC treasury. Further, Raja alleged that both Mayor Sunil Jyoti and Commissioner Vinay Bublani were also unauthorisedly using nine MC cops as gunmen, thus putting extra burden on the MC already facing a shortage of funds. Thus, an extra burden of Rs 97 lakh on three-year salaries of the nine policemen used for the Commissioner’s unauthorised security and Rs16.2 lakh on the six-month salary of six gunmen for the Mayor’s unauthorised security was imposed on the MC. Raja further alleged that the Commissioner was using an MC Gypsy, for which he was not unauthorised and an escort vehicle was used by the Mayor unauthorisedly for which the MC had to bear a loss of Rs 32.4 lakh in three years for diesel for the Commissioner’s gypsy and Rs 1.35 lakh in six months for the Mayor’s diesel escort vehicle. The Leader of Opposition said the government had already provided two gunmen for the security of the Mayor and the same for the Commissioner. Besides, one MC policeman was used for each of the MC Joint Commissioner Anupam Kler, Assistant Commissioners Ved Vyas and Gobindi Randhawa. Raja asked why these policemen were not used for making the recoveries of various taxes and if these were not required, whey they were not sent back to the police department to provide relief to the MC, facing an acute shortage of funds. At this, the Commissioner denied that the Gypsy was used for personal purposes. On the issue of ex-Commissioner BS Dhaliwal taking three policemen with him, the Mayor and Commissioner said, “The matter would be checked and if it was so, the policemen would be called back to the MC.” Sidelights of MC Budget* Deputy Mayor Arvinder Kaur Oberoi raised the serious issue of stray dog menace. *
Senior Deputy Mayor Kamaljit Singh Bhatia took up the issue of illegal plying of tractor
trollys. * BJP councillor Ravi Mohindru's son Raghav and husbands of some lady councillors were sitting inside the hall during the MC house meeting. When asked are you providing political training to his son, Ravi said ,"No, no actually he came with me and I wanted him to sit inside the house instead of asking him to sit outside for hours.' *
Two-minute silence was observed in memory of Harsimranjit Bunty's father Ajit Singh, Kasturi Lal's father Variyam, Sushil Rinku's grandmother Kartaro Devi, students killed in the Nakodar accident, journalist Chetan Sharda, journalist Jagjit Singh Anand,s wife Urmil Anand and daughter in law of ex Patiala Mayor Parampreet Kaur. |
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Protest against imposition of property tax
Nakodar, March 25 A protest rally was also organised at the dharna site, which was addressed by Samra, Block Congress Nakodar(U) President Kirandeep Dhir and Rural president Hardev Singh Aujla and Tirth Ram Passi of Noormahal who cautioned the people to be ready for more taxes, including “cooking tax” i.e .chulha tax in the rural localities also. The demonstrators warned the Government that the Congress party would intensify its stir if the government did not withdraw such taxes.
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Jalandhar tops among Punjab districts in TB control
Jalandhar, March 25 Punjab Health Minister Madam Mohan Mittal honoured Dr RL Bassan, Civil Surgeon, Jalandhar, with the quality health care services. Dr Daljit Singh Cheema was the guest of honour at the function. The minister said the district health authorities were implementing good quality services for the control of the disease in the district, said Dr Rajiv Sharma, TB Officer, Jalandhar. Dr Sharma further said as such Jalandhar had five TB units and 27 microscopic centres. The district health officials were able to detect and successfully treat 3,429 patients through DOTS in 2012. "With growing needs for the treatment of MDR TB we are working with dedication and able to detect and start the treatment of 30 patients so far during 2012-13," he added. TB,being declared a notifiable disease, all practitioners are supposed to send information of TB patients in their respective areas to district TB centre, said Dr Rajiv Sharma.
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Inspection team visits PIMS
Jalandhar, March 25 The inspecting team reached the PIMS premises early in the morning and was accompanied by principal, Dr Kulbir Kaur, and members of the management and senior faculty members. The PIMS management, however, restricted media entry to the hospital premises for the entire day and kept the inspecting team isolated. Sources said the members of the inspecting team also interacted with the employees and listened to their grievances, Dr Kulbir Kaur,said that the team was on an annual inspection of the college and hospital. As the affiliation period of the institute was to expire, the university had sent its team for inspection of the PIMS before extending its affiliation, she added. |
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Two drug peddlers arrested
Phagwara, March 25 Their motor cycle was also impounded. Both accused were produced before the local judicial magistrate today who remanded them in judicial custody for 14 days.
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