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Panchayat elections
Health workers resort to sprays in city areas |
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Minister warns doctors indulging in private practice
3 win International Olympiad
Persons born in undivided India unable to get visa
PSEB employees hold two-day protest
Tributes paid to slain Sena leaders
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Panchayat elections
Jalandhar, June 20 Addressing a seminar on "Chief Information Commission judgement to bring political parties under the RTI Act", Jaskirat Singh from the NGO said the Commission did not upload any papers during the Zila Parishad poll. “Had it done it, all details regarding the assets of the candidates, criminal cases (if any) and other details would have come to light, making the candidates more accountable and system transparent,” he said. On being told it was actually difficult doing it for an average of 1,000 panchayats in each of the 20 districts of the state, he argued, “It is not. Only the intent has to be genuine. These are only mandatory disclosures, for which people should not be made to run around to know facts.” Parwinder Kitna of NGO Human Empowerment League of Punjab said, “Making use of the recent judgement of the CIC, he had sought information from the SAD regarding the expenditure incurred on the Goa trip and its complete break-up. Even if the party claims itself to be a regional one and not covered under the RTI Act, we will challenge any denial of information in the court, make them covered and then seek information.” Both NGOs asked the participants of the seminar to make maximum use of the RTI Act. Candidates at risk in dilapidated buildings Jalandhar: As the process for the filing of nomination papers for the panchayat polls is on, hundreds of candidates, their covering candidates and kin are forced to daily visit the unsafe, dilapidated buildings of the block development panchayat officers (BDPOs) to seek no-objection certificate (NOC) from them. There are two BDPO offices in the city, both of which are dingy, leaking and have cracks in their walls and roofs. While the office of the BDPO (East) Manoj Dhand is in the Abadpura locality, that of the BDPO (West) Gurdarshan Lal Hundal is located on the second floor of the unsafe Zila Parishad building in the MC complex. Since there are 112 panchayats falling under the BDPO (West), the long queue of candidates for panches and sarpanches visiting the office for the signatures of officials does not end till late in the evening. Any candidate filing his nomination papers is required to take NOC from the panchayat secretary, junior engineer, panchayat officer and BDPO concerned. While other panchayat secretaries and junior engineers are functioning from the same building, the panchayat officers and the BDPO (West) has shifted to adjoining Government Girls Senior Secondary School Nehru Garden owing to safety concerns. “The way to the building and, in fact, the floors are quite unsteady. I have my office on the second floor. Even the passage is quite congested and with so many people using it all of a sudden, it could be risky,” said BDPO West. Make hay while sun shines
Interestingly, it is a tea vendor near the compound who is doing a brisk business these days. More than his clientele for tea, he is getting visitors wanting photostat copies of the NOC forms. The man is giving out a four-page form for Rs 10, which is selling like hot cakes. Unanimous choice
Even as the official status of the plans for unanimous polls would be clear only on June 25 after the withdrawal of forms, many villages have already resolved to have sarpanches and panches without polls. Residents of Hasanmunda village, falling in Block Jalandhar (West), have chosen Shingara Singh as their sarpanch. They have also finalised five panches from five wards falling in the village. Similarly, residents of Seechewal village have chosen Rajwant Kaur, a 23-year-old girl, who is a postgraduate, as their sarpanch. The names of seven panches too have been decided unanimously, it is learnt. |
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Health workers resort to sprays in city areas
Jalandhar, June 20 Besides educating the general public to prevent the spread of water-borne diseases, the health teams also distributed chlorine tables and pamphlets in these areas. On Wednesday, health teams had visited the Punjab Roadways Workshop Division No. I and Division No. II, 120-feet road, Transport Nagar and certain other areas and asked the officials concerned to flush out the stagnant water accumulated at their places. The department had also conducted a spray of insecticide (temifos) in these areas, especially in tyres and workshops, where water was accumulated. The teams also asked the employees to clean their water coolers and prevent the accumulation of water in their surroundings. Civil Surgeon RL Bassan said the operation would be carried on tomorrow in Indira Colony, areas having sewer treatment and washing plants, besides in vegetable market and some other areas where the recent rains have scattered filth thus exposing the residents to various diseases. Meanwhile, the district health authorities' drive was hampered when an electric spray pump stopped functioning in Indira Colony here this morning. A team of health workers had been to Indira Colony for conducting pesticide spray with an electric spray pump when it developed a fault, putting the employees in trouble for some time. The health team, however, switched to the dip-stick method and carried on the drive. In Indira Colony, spray was done on tyres of vehicles that had gathered rainwater. Insecticides were also sprinkled on deep pits filled with stagnant and filthy water at many places. |
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DC’s intervention sought in shifting of dispensary
Jalandhar, June 20 They also briefed the DC about the problems the residents, especially women and children were going to face after the shifting of dispensary from the area. After giving a patient hearing to a delegation of the residents, the DC assured the issue would be solved in a day or two. The DC also pacified them by saying she would summon the Civil Surgeon in this regard to solve
the issue. The residents of the area are protesting against the District Health authorities since past fortnight for forcibly closing down the centre in an effort to provide benefit to a politically well-connected lobby of land grabbers. |
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Surrogate mother levels charge against NRI couple
Jalandhar, June 20 Kamaljit Kaur and her husband Sukhdev Singh of Dhirpur village in Kartarpur today said that the couple, hailing from Phagwara, had committed to make a payment of Rs 5 lakh to her, besides promising her of being gifted a small accommodation. The NRI couple, however, did not make any written agreement with her, perhaps taking advantage of her illiteracy. The complainant said she came in contact with the couple through an employee at a private infertility centre in Jalandhar. “The treatment began in February 2012 and the couple left for the UK three months later after getting scans done on me. Reaching abroad, they made an advance payment of Rs 50,000 to me,” she said. She went on, “But things changed later. Soon after I delivered a boy on November 20, 2012, the couple simply gave me Rs 1 lakh for my well-being. The remaining promises have remained unfulfilled.” Kamaljit said that the couple now wanted to take the child abroad, for which they wanted my signatures on some papers. “They are threatening me of using the NRI Sabha. I had brought the matter before Commissioner Police on May 17 and given my complaint, but there has been no action so far,” she lamented. NRI Sabha president Jasvir Singh Gill said both the surrogate mother and the NRI couple had come in contact with her. “Both of them are without legal documents and now levelling allegations against one another. I tried to intervene initially and asked both to negotiate amicably. But things have gone out of hand and I am no longer interfering into the matter,” he said. ADCP (Traffic) Sukhdev Singh, who has been asked to inquire into the matter, said he would go through the complaints and do whatever was required as per the law. |
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Traders form panel to resolve VAT issue
Jalandhar, June 20 The representatives of over a dozen industrialists and traders associations gathered at a city hotel on Thursday to form JAC for vehemently pursuing their long-pending demand of VAT refund without submitting C-forms and withdrawal of the unrealistic target of collecting Rs 25 lakh per month as revenue assigned each excise and taxation officer (ETO). Federation of Jalandhar Industry and Trader Association president Gursharan Singh, Vayapar Sena state chief Ravindra Dhir, Jalandhar Traders and Manufacturers Association president Raj Kumar Sharma, its general secretary Mandeep Singh Gujral, Zila Vayapar Mandal chief Arun Kalia and Wholesale Merchant General Welfare Association Attari Bazar president Sukhjinder Singh Bagga were among the representatives of various businessmen organisations who participated in the meeting. Soon after their meeting, the representatives told The Tribune that about 200 crore of 15,000 businessmen from Jalandhar and about 1,000 crore of Punjab businessmen was pending with the Excise and Taxation Department for past over two years due to anti-traders policy of submitting C-form. The businessmen said C-form was a central instrument and state government should not impose any condition of prior submission of C-form for VAT refund. The traders alleged this condition had been imposed just to adopt dilly-dallying tactics in VAT refund. They demanded the condition of submitting C-form should be withdrawn in the interest of traders of the state. The businessmen said the traders and industrialists were getting VAT refund without any difficulty from April 1, 2005, to October 2009, but the SAD-BJP government issued a notification which made the submission of Form C mandatory for the refund of VAT money. It took two to three years for businessmen to get Form C from the parties concerned. As a result, crores of rupees of businessmen were lying pending with the Excise and Taxation Department, they added. The businessmen said they had met Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal several times who assured them of restoring the earlier system of refunding VAT without Form C but to no avail so far. “The state government decided that 75 per cent of VAT refund will be made immediately without submitting Form C and balance 25 per cent will be refunded after getting Form C. But 75 per cent VAT refund is made only for a year and the trades are asked to get the same refund next year after submitting Form C of the previous year,” they added.
The businessmen said as their huge amount was pending with the Punjab Government, they had to get loan at exorbitant interest rates from different banks to run their businesses. |
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Minister warns doctors indulging in private practice
Phagwara, June 20 He reiterated his commitment to provide
easy medical health care in government hospitals. Mittal said the government would
not spare those doctors who indulged in private practise or run private hospitals in the names of their family members. Mittal also asked the doctors practising privately to register themselves with Punjab Medical Council and Punjab Dental Council. Reacting sharply on Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief Partap Singh Bajwa’s statement asking Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi not to initiate his party's poll campaign from Madhopur in Pathankot as he feared for outbreak of communal disturbance, Mittal described Bajwa’s statement as meaningless and thoughtless, issued without knowing the history. |
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3 win International Olympiad
Jalandhar, June 20 Justice RC Lahoti, former Chief Justice of India, was the chief guest at the function. He interacted with the winners and gave away certificates. Lahoti said: “The most important resource the nation has is its intellectual potential, which is not only inexhaustible, but will multiply and obtain new qualities in case of proper use. It is also among the most reliable guarantees for the dynamic economic development.” The awards were given to the top three international rank holders
from Classes I to XII for the four Olympiad exams conducted by the SOF. Winners from Classes VII to XII won Rs 50,000 each, the rank II holders won Rs 25,000/ each, rank III holders won Rs 10,000/ and winners from Classes I to VI were given I-Pads. Attractive gifts were also given to all winners. The top 10 principals and top 40 teachers, whose students put up an excellent performance were also felicitated with cash awards, mementos and citations. Prof YS Rajan, from ISRO and chairman, NIT Manipur, Charlie Walker, director programmes, British Council of India and Swami Nikhilananda Saraswati, Acharaya Chinmaya Mission, were also present on the occasion. |
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Persons born in undivided India unable to get visa
Jalandhar, June 20 Chahal said: “Visa of Daljit Singh of Salem city in Oregon state is being delayed due to his parents birth place in undivided India (now Pakistan) and visa of 80-year-old Kartar Singh Grewal of Fresno City in California is also being delayed as he himself was born in then undivided India (now in Pakistan).” Chahal urged the Government of India and Minister of NRI Affairs Vayalar Ravi to facilitate issue of Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cards to those Indians who were based in Pakistan before Partition but had subsequently migrated to the West before or after the partition of undivided India. He said: “The OCI scheme notified under Section 7A of the Citizenship Act, 1995, envisages that persons of Indian origin (PIOs) of all countries except those holding citizenship of Bangladesh and Pakistan or who held the citizenship of either of these two countries are eligible for grant of OCI status.” Chahal said when India was undivided and ruled by the British, many Indians migrated to Karachi and elsewhere in present day Pakistan in search of employment. After Independence, some of them opted to continue living in Pakistan until life became difficult due to persecution of religious minorities. It was at this stage that most of the Indians migrated from Pakistan to countries like Canada, Australia, UK and the USA and in order to leave Pakistan, they had to opt for Pakistani passports. After emigrating, they discarded their Pakistani passports, renounced Pakistani citizenship, severed their past links with Pakistan and took up citizenship of those countries where they have since permanently settled, he added. Chahal said the granting of the OCI card status to Indians who were placed in such a situation was taken up during the meetings of the NAPA delegation with the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs. “In our meetings with the Union ministers in the past, these issues were raised and it was agreed that there is no objection to grant the OCI for those born in territories which are presently part of Pakistan but were earlier part of India during pre-Independence period, provided they had not been citizens of Pakistan,” he added. |
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PSEB employees hold two-day protest
Jalandhar, June 20 No major breakdown in Jalandhar was reported during the strike period. The leaders of the joint forum raised slogans against the Punjab Government and the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL). Addressing the protesting employees, leader of the joint forum, Jagtar Singh Uppal, said it was completely unjustified that after repeated assurances, the Punjab Power Corporation had not accepted their genuine demands. Listing out the main demands, Uppal said: “The issue of giving mobile allowance to the employees, handicap allowance, one increment for the Class-D employees and one special increment for the drivers, have been delayed for a long time.” Uppal said the joint forum strongly demanded the filling up of vacant posts in the PSPCL through regular recruitment without any delay. He said: “The unemployed linesmen should also be recruited as was promised by the PSPCL management. The victimisation of the employees should be stopped.” After a two-day strike, the forum will convene a meeting of its members to chalk out the future course of action. Meanwhile, the PSPCL CMD KD Chaudhri has claimed that the power supply position remained normal throughout the state during yesterday's strike. He ,however, regretted for inconvenience, if any, faced by the consumers due to delay in restoration of power supply in case of any technical snag. He said the generating stations and offices of the PSPCL remained functional. |
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Tributes paid to slain Sena leaders
Phagwara, June 20 A function was organised yesterday as “25th Balidan Diwas” which was observed as “National Integration Day” by Shiv Sena. An impressive function was held at Shri Hanuman Garhi. Sena spokespersons Jagdish Kataria and Inderjit Karwal were among those who paid tributes to the slain leaders and pledged to continue their campaign against anti-national elements. Another function was organised today by Shiv Sena, Punjab, to observe the Shaheedi of the slain leaders. Sena chairman Rajiv Tandon, president Sanjeev Dhanoli and vice-president Rajesh Palta besides Phagwara BJP president Pankaj Chawla attended the function and paid tributes to the slain Sena leaders who sacrificed their lives for the national integration, communal harmony and peace. |
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