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MC set to get Rs 100 cr loan from HUDCO
After drum beats, it’s public address system to insult defaulters
Blind murder case of youth solved
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Cops shifted to police lines
Amritsar, September 20 In an apparent move to give a corruption-free police administration, the city police has sent several police officials, including an SHO, to the police lines and deputed new staff in their place.
Four killed, two injured in various road accidents
Milkfed decision on price hike hits common man’s budget
No end in sight to canine menace
Youth fest enters second day
Sanjha Mulazim Morcha hold rally
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MC set to get Rs 100 cr loan from HUDCO
Amritsar, September 20 HUDCO has given its consent for granting Rs 100 crore loan to the MC at the rate of 10.5 per cent interest. However, the Opposition Congress has resented the move, saying how will the MC pay the interest when there is a dearth of source of income and its revenue-generating departments are low on delivery. Apparently, it must have been the constant "‘resentment" being shown by the Sidhu couple that the pending development projects are now on the agenda of the government. Dr Sidhu had even announced to hold a ‘padyatra’ (walk) from Amritsar to Chandigarh to remind Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal about his promise to grant Rs 100 crore for development works in her constituency Amritsar (East) during the assembly elections.
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After drum beats, it’s public address system to insult defaulters
Amritsar, September 20 On the second day too, the MC’s water and sewerage supply department had to cut the connections of six defaulters in different localities. Yesterday also, same number of defaulters faced the same treatment. The water and sewerage department team, led by superintendent Pushpinder Singh, used the public address system (normally used by the police to disburse mob), besides drummers to shame the offenders. Other members of team were superintendent Jaswinder Singh and meter readers Arun Kumar, Rakesh Kumar and Satinder Singh. The team collected a total of Rs 5.54 lakh due amount. An official said water and sewerage connections of one Gian Chand, who used to a run shop from his residence, at Hathi Gate and Rinku da Dhaba located opposite Nandan Cinema were terminated after they failed to clear their dues amounting to Rs 25, 761 and Rs 11,200, respectively. Similarly, the connection of one Ashwani Kumar and Vidyawati, both residents of Gali Subedaran inside Hathi Gate, were also cut. They owed Rs 58,000 and Rs 38,000, respectively. A shop owned by one Chaman Lal, too, got his connections snapped after he failed to clear his dues amounting to Rs 26,416. One Amrik Singh of Bhatia Furniture House enjoyed immunity after paying off the partial amount of Rs 10,000 out of a total of Rs 16,936, on the spot. On the other hand, the House tax recovery team recovered Rs 3 lakh and the other team realised Rs 6.45 lakh. At bazaar Dhollan, an under-construction hotel was in the dock. This hotel was being raised by its proprietor by demolishing four shops, but an amount of nearly Rs 36,000 was pending to be paid as house tax. A team sealed the complex and barred the construction activity, till further orders.
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Blind murder case of youth solved
Amritsar, September 20 He was found in a serious condition near Hamidpura village on July 13, falling under the Gharinda police station. He was rushed to the GNDH, where he succumbed to his injuries. The police at that time had initiated action under the Criminal Procedure Code (Cr PC) and waited for the post mortem report. His autopsy report confirmed that he had sustained critical head injuries, which ultimately proved fatal for him. During investigations, the police zeroed in on two youths, Jatinder Singh of Khasa and Lakhwinder Singh, of Khurmania village. The police has arrested both the accused and a case under Sections 302, 201, 34 of the IPC has been registered against them in this connection. During investigations it came to light that the accused had a monetary dispute with Sarabjit Singh. On July 13, the accused called him on some pretext and later killed him. Considering him dead, they took his body towards the Hamidpura village side and threw him in a secluded garden. However, he was still alive when the Gharinda police reached the spot and took him to the GNDH, where he died. The cops informed the family about his death. Sarabjit’s father Jeet Singh later identified his body. The police said the call details of Sarabjit’s mobile phone revealed that before his death, he had a long conversation with the accused. The mobile locations of the two accused also confirmed their presence on the spot where Sarabjit was found dead.
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Cops shifted to police lines
Amritsar, September 20 Though Police Commissioner Jatinder Singh Aulakh termed these transfers as a routine affair to improve the functioning of the police, it has been learnt that their works were found unsatisfactory by him, following which the action was taken against them. The city police has already dismissed Nishan Singh additional SHO Civil Lines police station on corruption charges. Among those who have been shifted to the police lines include Sushil Kumar, SHO, Chheharta police station, and two head constables of the same police station. Verka police station SHO Jagdish Raj and sub-inspector Prem Pal, deputed in the narcotics cell, have also been transferred to the police lines.
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Four killed, two injured in various road accidents
Amritsar, September 20
The Beas police has registered a case under Sections 304-A, 279 and 427 of the IPC on the statement of his son Gurpreet Singh. In another instance, Satnam Singh, a resident of Khusupura village, lost his life when he was hit by unidentified vehicle near Kot Sidhu village. The victim, who used to work as a security guard in a hotel located near Amritsar Airport, was returning home late at night. Jasbir Singh, the victim's father, said when he did not return home, the family members started to search for him. They later found his body lying in a pool of blood on roadside near Kot Sidhu village. The police registered a case under Sections 304-A and 427 of the IPC against unidentified persons in this regard. In the third incident, three persons sustained serious injuries when their motorcycle collided with a speeding tractor-trailer near Dayalpura village. The victims, identified as Joginder Pal, Gulzar Singh and Jabru, all residents of village Bhuregill, were immediately rushed to a private hospital in the city, where Joginder succumbed to his injuries, while Gurzar Singh and Jabru were still under treatment. Karma, the deceased's father, stated to the police that the driver of the tractor-trailer sped from the spot along with the vehicle. Following his statement, the Ramdass police registered a case under Sections 304-A, 279, 337, 338, 427 of the IPC against the unidentified accused. In the city area Gia Parshad, a resident of Dhup Sadi, died when his motorcycle collided with a bus. He, along with his son-in-law Dharminder Kumar, was going towards Verka when the incident took place. The police has registered a case against Pawan Kumar, a resident of Talwandi Damoder and driver of the bus, numbering PB-02-AQ-9779. No arrest has been made so far.
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Milkfed decision on price hike hits common man’s budget
Amritsar, September 20
He said it was the third hike in milk prices within four and half months by Milkfed. Earlier, the milk prices were raised at the onset of the summer season and now again when the winter was approaching. He said the government should act to rationalise the rise, as the hike was unilaterally decided following an agreement between milk suppliers and halwais. People, who are already reeling under an unprecedented price hike, have got another jolt in the form of milk price hike, he fumed. He said it was recently that the it increased the prices of its popular Verka cheese from Rs 200 to Rs 225 a kg. A senior citizen BR Prinza averred that when the government was providing various subsidies on cattle-rearing, it should also keep a check on its price hike. He added that this hike was blamed on the widening gap in the demand and supply, which meant the government policies could not achieve the desired results of increasing milk output. The hike in milk and ghee prices had left a majority of residents here disappointed. He felt that the government move would encourage other players to hike prices, especially of milk and its products. A housewife, Sushma Abrol, said the hike in the prices of milk and ghee ahead of the festive season, would cause increase in the prices of confectionery and sweet meats. A banker, Mohit Kumar, in his mid-thirties, said with salary not going up in league with the expenditure, they were looking for alternatives to control the expenditure. For this, he has developed a taste for lime tea, which tastes delicious and requires no milk at all. Officials at Milk Plant, Verka, said the government does not exercise any control over the price of milk and the hike has become compulsory in the face of rise in the procurement price. Meanwhile, the state government-run cooperative milk industry milk plant Verka sells various varieties of milk from 1.5 fat to six fat. It is supplying 52,000 litre milk in the city. It has won a contract to supply 1,200 metric tonnes of ghee annually and about 800 litres milk daily to the SGPC.
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No end in sight to canine menace
Amritsar, September 20 The issue has often been tabled and discussed in every MC House meeting. Ironically, MC officials are of the view that the number of stray dogs in the city has been on a decline. Referring to a latest survey conducted by the Animal Husbandry Department, MC officials said the stray dog population in the holy city is 10,000, whereas the 2007 survey report had put the figure at 25,000. On the other hand, the residents feel that the population of stray dogs in the city is more than the official figure, if the growing cases of dog attacks and bites are anything to go by. Fund crunch, ban on dog killing, unsuccessful sterilisation programme and immunisation policy are some of the factors that have been detrimental in curbing the canine menace here. Responsible for sterilising stray dogs, the Municipal Corporation has very few dog-catchers at its disposal. Lack of coordination between the civic body, Animal Husbandry Department and NGOs concerned such as the People for Animals (PFA) and the Society for Prevention of Cruelty for Animals (SPCA) has further added to the problem. The issue taken up many times by the Punjab cabinet but no thought was ever spared for formulating any concrete policy except for assurances. The minimally invasive vas occlusion technique (MIVOT) programme was introduced in Amritsar for the first time around five years ago which was later discontinued as it was disapproved by the Animal Welfare Board of India. Similarly, the ambitious Central government-funded Rs 1.26-crore animal birth control (ABC) project of the Animal Welfare Board of India to sterilise the stray dogs, too, could not be harnessed optimally. The Amritsar Municipal Corporation had devised the CNVR (catch, neuter, vaccinate and release) project in collaboration with the Animal Husbandry Department to control the canine population. For CNVR method, five clinics were spared for the sterilisation of stray dogs at Chattiwind, Khalsa College, polyclinic, two clinics in Hathigate area. But it required to be carried by competent surgeons and under complete aseptic conditions. Presently, there are a very few doctors (only two) in the whole district to conduct the operations. MC Health Officer Dr Yogesh Arora said, “The official figure of stray dogs now stands at 10,000 as per the survey conducted by the Animal Husbandary Department. The constraint that we are facing is that we have to follow the directions of the Animal Welfare Board in this regard. After getting nod from the MC house, we have now decided to invite open bids from firms as per the Animal Birth Control Act. We would engage firms during the breeding period. Hopefully it would serve the purpose.” Jagdish Chander Shori, Deputy Director, Animal Husbandry Department, said, “As of now, we have no solution in hand but we are always there to assist the MC in dealing with the dog menace. We will spare our experts whenever we are approached.”
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Youth fest enters second day
Amritsar, September 20
Bhupinder Singh Barnala, Gurinder Makhna and Rupinder Kaur were among the panel of judges in this category. In the category of fine arts, sketching, painting, slogan writing and clay modelling were held. In this category, student-artists made sculptures and sketches on rural lifestyle.
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City girl to pursue law at Oxford
Amritsar, September 20 She had recently worked on a joint project for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on HIV-AIDS laws in India. To understand the impact of the lack of a legislation aiding the welfare of HIV-stricken individuals, Ananya undertook the project. She travelled across India to interact with HIV victims from the marginalised sections, community representatives, members of NGOs, organise consultations, interview experts and collect statistical data. After completing her degree from Oxford University, Ananya intends to work in the Supreme Court of India and Delhi High Court, focusing primarily on taxation, constitutional and commercial laws.
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Sanjha Mulazim Morcha hold rally
Amritsar, September 20
They further said dearness allowance (DA) should be released to the government employees with effect from the month of January. They said the government must cut down its "unnecessary expenditure" and austerity drive must be implemented on elected representatives. Led by Paramjit Kaur Maan and Sukkhraj Singh Sarkaria, the protesting employees carried out a rally from the Zila Parishad office to Deputy Commissioner's office and submitted a memorandum of demands addressed to Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. Employees from Aasha, Mid Day Meal, Education Department, Forest Department, Water Supply Department, Canal Department and part-time sweepers also participated in the agitation.
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The Municipal Corporation's house tax and water and sewerage department intensified its "name and shame campaign" to recover dues from the defaulters.
After HUDCO, we are also initiating to procure a Rs 100-crore loan from the World Bank and we are moving efficiently to pay it back too. From the sale of MC properties, we can accumulate around Rs 100 crore; 12 crore would be the composition fee and Rs 20 crore from water and sewerage
supply
We have done our homework of paying back the loan amount well in advance. The regularisation of unauthorised colonies, the policy of which was recently approved by the Punjab Cabinet, alone can fetch us over Rs 100 crore, which we would be charging as development charges from the colonisers as well as residents. Apart from this, we have set in motion our revenue generation
departments
I fail to understand how would the MC, which is grappling with such a dismal fiscal health, pay back the loan amount while there are no concrete policy matters in place to generate revenue. For how long would it survive by selling out the public properties. It is a directionless vision to raise multi-crore loans in the name of
development
