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RTI exposes scam during 2011 Kabaddi World Cup
Health officials come under scanner for drug trafficking
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Water Pollution-III
A polluted drain that passes next to Abul Khair
gurdwara in Gurdaspur. Photo: Vishal Kumar
HC: Can’t deny subsidy to closed industrial
units
Centre okays Rs 24-crore plan for visitors’ gallery at
Wagah
The Retreat ceremony at the Wagah border. File photo
Luncheon diplomacy
Paddy lying at the waterlogged Rajpura grain market on Monday. A Tribune photograph
Union Minister promises relief to Ludhiana industry
Officials on toes for Valmiki temple stone-laying
Hoshiarpur notified as
corporation: Sud
Regional SARAS mela from today
Govt staff protest outside FM’s house
Two youths feared drowned in Beas
Keep off civil disputes, High Court warns police
Complainant in case against Sukhbir held
Punsup Inspector jailed for graft Bus hits scooterist near Makhu, set ablaze by
mob A private bus which was set afire by a mob near Makhu in Ferozepur.
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RTI exposes scam during 2011 Kabaddi World Cup
Bathinda, October 15 As per information procured under the RTI Act, a sum of Rs 7.94 lakh paid towards ferrying people to the Kabaddi Cup venue was allegedly swindled by some bus operators in connivance with Transport Department officials in 2011. The government paid this sum to certain transporters for 227 buses hired for ferrying rural people from other districts to the Kabaddi Cup venue in Bathinda. The Tribune team found that transporter Harmik Singh of Nathana received Rs 1.82 lakh for supplying 52 buses. This transporter showed PB 19C/9557 as a 52-seater bus whereas the registration number was that of his motor-cycle. The other vehicles fraudulently shown as buses included a Bajaj Chetak scooter of Barinder Singh of Kehru village in Dhuri (PB 13G/841), scooter of Jagdip Singh of Mallian in Barnala (PB 13C/3187), motor-cycle of Charan Singh Barnala (PB 19C/9245), motor-cycle of Manjit Singh of Malerkotala (PB 13N/7611), trailer owned by Bharpur Singh of Malerkotala (PB 13L/93870), scooter of Swaranjit Kaur of Barnala (PB 19E/2665), an Indigo car of Amarjit Singh of Barnala (PB 19F/7107) and a Swift car of Gulshan Kumar of Barnala (PB 19F/4007). Also, an operator obtained payment for providing a bus (PB 19 Q/7907) whereas the Barnala DTO's office has yet to allot this series number. Several other two-wheelers were shown as buses. Payment worth Rs 70,000 was received by Lakhbir Singh of Harraipur for providing 20 buses, Rs 1.15 lakh was paid to Sukhmandar Singh of Jassi Pauwali for providing 33 buses and Rs 52,500 to Gurcharan Singh of Bathinda for 15 buses. When contacted, transporter Lakhbir Singh said he had committed no fraud but had claimed the money for only those buses which he had made available on DTO's demand. Transporter Harmik Singh said he had not provided a bus for the Kabaddi Cup. “Taking advantage of the goodwill I enjoy, some transporters made available their buses in my name. I am not aware if they have committed a fraud,” he explained. Then Bathinda DTO Bhupinder Singh said the buses for the Kabaddi Cup were sent by Sangrur and Barnala DTOs and it was not possible for him to verify the buses at the venue. Deputy Commissioner Sunali Giri said it was a serious matter and action would be taken against those found guilty. Sport Secretary Ashok Gupta said he would order a probe if a complaint was made to his office.
About the case
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Health officials come under scanner for drug trafficking
Police leads are based on findings from the seizure of synthetic drugs worth Rs 100 crore by the Patiala police from Karnal on Friday. A tip-off for the Karnal seizure had come from earlier recoveries at Banur on June 28, Shambhu on September 18 and Ludhiana on September 19. Not divulging the names of persons under investigation, Hardyal Mann, Senior Superintendent of Police, Patiala, said: “We have got vitals leads while tracking the call details of those arrested.” Sources said they had learnt that a bulk of seized medicines had been prepared using dextropropoxyphene, a drug banned through a notification. The seized drugs also contained chemical preparations banned under the NDPS Act. The sources said the drugs could not have entered the state without clearance from drug traffic control officials. Inspector Bikramjit Brar, head of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the matter, said: “We found that only half of the seized drugs were stamped. On verification, we found that the unstamped drugs contained banned salt. The missing link of unstamped medicines indicates the involvement of insiders.” “Drugs prepared at certain locations in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan enter the Delhi market before being transported to various districts of Punjab, including Ludhiana, Amritsar and Patiala. A number of chemists stock illegal drugs. This means that drug inspectors are either careless in keeping a check on the menace or are directly involved,” an officer said. The sources said the ongoing investigation might end up with revealing names of certain influential persons based at Ludhiana and Amritsar, particularly those claiming proximity to top politicians. The owners of the Karnal unit from where synthetic drugs worth Rs 100 crore were seized, Prithvi Singh Chaudhary and his son Pradip Chaudhary, who are absconding, are also learnt to have “connections in political circles”.
The Nexus
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Water Pollution-III
Gurdaspur, October 15 “Till that happens, which is highly unlikely, pollutants will continue to flow into the Ravi and Beas," said Manjit Singh Dala, a Gurdaspur resident who lives near a polluted drain that flows in front of Abul Khair gurdwara.
Main violators The economy of Pathankot is based on stone-crushing. The town is situated in the foothills where the Chakki, Ravi and Beas enter the plains and deposit boulders. There are 211 stone-crushers in and around the town. Though the PPCB authorities claim that these units are not allowed to operate till they get ‘air and water pollution consent’ certificates, yet many flout norms with impunity. Earlier, a majority of them were located near the Chakki river near Mirthal. Now these units have shifted to the banks of the Ravi. A senior PPCB official admitted that in the past one month, seven crushers had been sealed. But sources claimed that this step was a mere eyewash as 50-odd units were still polluting the Ravi. Environmentalists say rapid industrialisation, urbanisation and non-sustainable development have led to the establishment of a number of industries and commercial complexes which, in turn, have aggravated the problem of water pollution.
Urban water pollution Shocking, but true. There are nine municipal councils (MCs) in this border district. Barring one, the rest are not in a financial position to install sewage treatment plants (STP). Lack of STPs is leading to water pollution in almost all major towns of the district. The PPCB has now initiated the process of issuing notices to erring MCs. Paramjit Singh, Executive Engineer, PPCB, said that industrialists flouting pollution norms were not being spared. “The PPCB is very strict as far as enforcing norms are concerned. We are not allowing effluents to be discharged into the Ravi, Beas, Chakki and Ujh and anybody found to be violating rules is being issued notices,” he claimed.
Erring local bodies The MCs in Gurdaspur, Qadian, Fatehgarh Churian, Dhariwal, Sri Hargobindpur, Dinanagar, Batala and Sujanpur have no STP. Only the Dera Baba Nanak MC has installed a treatment plant while the land acquisition process has been initiated for setting up an STP at Fatehgarh Churian. On innumerable occasions, the PPCB has called executive officers (EOs) and presidents of these MCs for a ‘hearing’. But things are back to square one once these ‘hearings’ are over. To make matters worse, there are not many EOs to manage the affairs of all nine MCs. It is the job of EOs to monitor pollution levels. Following the dissolution of MCs, administrators have been appointed to run the day-to-day affairs of the local bodies. “We could not set up an STP because of lack of funds,” said Jatinder Kalyan, former president of the Batala Municipal Council. Dr SS Nijjar, a Batala-based activist, said: “If the Batala MC faces a financial crunch, I will launch a drive to collect money to ensure that an STP is installed. A light shower in the city means that the town's narrow bylanes are clogged by sewage.” The Pathankot MC received Rs 22 crore under a Central Government scheme to establish an STP at Ladochak village. The plant which was to be operational by December last year has yet to see the light of the day. In Batala, industrial effluents and wastewater falls into the 30-ft-wide Hansli drain. Statistics reveal that Batala has more than 700 small and middle industrial units, including 400 foundries. The effluents discharged by these units go untreated. “We are on the brink of a pollution disaster but the government is not allocating funds to set up STPs. Industrial waste, particularly when dissolved with water, is lethal,” said a senior MC official. In Sujanpur, the Amarinder Singh government had released funds in 2007. “However, with the change of government, things fell flat. Now all effluents fall into the Upper Bari Doab Canal (UBDC), polluting the river,” said an official. Gurdaspur Deputy Commissioner Dr Abhinav Trikha claimed that he was in regular touch with the PPCB to check “undue discharge of effluents” into the Ravi and Beas. Funds are the main impediment in desilting the Ravi, Beas and Chakki rivers that flow near Pathankot. Inderjit Mahajan, SDO, Drainage Department, said the Upper Bari Doab Canal was desilted after 40 years in
2011.
Voicing dissent — Manjit Singh Dala,
a Gurdaspur resident A majority of units in the industrial hub of Batala are polluting air. There are not many water-polluting industries in Batala or Gurdaspur — Dharam Pal, General Manager, Industries
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HC: Can’t deny subsidy to closed industrial
units
Chandigarh, October 15 In a first, the Bench has also distinguished between “not working” and not “gone into commercial production”. The Bench has made it clear that going into commercial production was mandatory for a unit to claim subsidy under the policy, not its being operational at the time of getting it. As of now, it is not clear how many industries would be benefited by the judgment, but estimates suggest the subsidy could run into several
crores. The ruling came on an appeal filed by the State of Punjab and other appellants against Messer Ferozshah Agro Private Limited. The State had assailed a judgement passed by the Single Judge in April 2010 on the ground that the respondent was not entitled to subsidy as the industry was not a running unit and stood closed when the amount was to be disbursed. Taking up the matter, the Division Bench of Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice Augustine George Masih asserted Punjab Government made provisions for incentive on capital investment by way of subsidy to units/industries established in the border districts to reduce rampant unemployment. It was under this Industrial Policy of 1992 floated by the government that the respondent established a unit and claimed capital investment incentive. A clause in the policy said “incentive may be claimed by a unit and sanctioned only after the unit has gone into commercial production”. The company’s case was duly considered by a committee constituted by the state government; and amount of Rs 39,69,500 was sanctioned as investment incentive. But the amount was never released. “A perusal of the clauses leaves no manner of doubt that the claim of the respondent-unit was considered by the competent authority and the incentive was cleared. The condition, which has been imposed with regard to the unit to be found in working condition/in operation at the time of disbursement, is alien to the Industrial Policy 1992. “The only condition imposed is that the unit should have, after its establishment, gone into commercial production. Admittedly the respondent-unit had commenced production in 1997. Thus, the objection, which has been sought to be raised with regard to the entitlement of the respondent for release of the incentive under the Industrial Policy 1992 for it being not in running condition at the time of disbursement of the incentive, cannot be a ground to deny the benefit of the capital investment incentive”. Dismissing the appeal, the Bench added the judgement passed by the Single Judge was in consonance with the policy issued by the Government of Punjab”.
Government denied relief second time in three years This is the second time in recallable past the State has failed to get relief from the High Court in the matter of subsidies. In May 2011 also, the High Court had asserted that the State was leaving its industries in a lurch while the neighboring states were taking away the units by offering attractive fiscal policies and incentive. Accepting a bunch of 44 petitions by Balak Gases Oxygen Gas Plant and other petitioners alleging non-release of subsidies, incentives and other benefits, the High Court had asserted: “Instead of taking immediate steps to save the industry in the State, which is fast falling prey to the other states having better atmosphere and facilities, the State of Punjab is still denying the benefits already announced, promised and assured and is leaving the industry in a lurch”.
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Centre okays Rs 24-crore plan for visitors’ gallery at
Wagah
Amritsar, October 15 Under the project, the visitors’ gallery would be expanded to accommodate more tourists. It would be redesigned to augment its capacity and to facilitate better viewing of The Retreat ceremony. The project would also include facilities such as a conference hall, dining hall, kitchen, guards’ room, lobby and a medical room. The BSF too intended to provide the state-of-the-art facilities such as CCTV cameras, bullet-proof control room, cafeteria, parking space, open-air theatre, toilets, observation tower and VIP gallery. The design would be finalised after a meeting between BSF and CPWD officials. At present, the check post has a seating capacity for 5,000. However, on an average about 10,000 tourists witness The Retreat everyday. The BSF authorities face a lot of problem in handling such large numbers with many visitors returning without a glimpse of the ceremony.
About the project
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Luncheon diplomacy
Party insiders said at a lunch hosted by Congress general secretary Shakeel Ahmed in New Delhi yesterday, it was made clear to these leaders that the party high command had taken a serious view of what had transpired at the Sangrur public meeting. The leaders were told their actions were being closely monitored and action would be initiated against any leader threatening party unity. The sources said the high command had been told that owing to the infighting, the party had been incapacitated and could not take on the ruling SAD-BJP alliance effectively. Ahmed, who has been playing peace-maker among the warring Congress leaders, had invited PPCC chief Partap Singh Bajwa, CLP Leader Sunil Jakhar, former CM Amarinder Singh, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Shamsher Singh Dullo, Jagmeet Singh Brar, Lal Singh and Mohinder Singh Kaypee. Except for Kaypee, all others attended the lunch. Ahmed appears to have used the carrot and stick policy. On the one hand, he invited all senior leaders to lunch and on the other conveyed to them in unambiguous terms that they must behave or face the consequences. None of the leaders who attended the lunch were prepared to say what had transpired there. The cold war between Amarinder Singh and Partap Bajwa flared up at the Sangrur rally last week. Barbs exchanged by the two senior leaders made an interesting copy for
mediapersons. The following morning media reports focused more on Congress infighting and less on the party rally. The Punjab Pradesh Congress leadership has been reportedly told to take senior leaders of all factions along. Sources said some leaders complained against not being taken into confidence while preparing the party’s poll strategy against the SAD-BJP alliance. Immediately after Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Punjab on October 10, the party high command announced a coordination committee to run various party programmes. Members of certain factions were not included on the panel. This has led to a lot of heart-burning.
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Delay in paddy lifting worries farmers
Patiala, October 15 Various government agencies have so far purchased 91,585 tonnes of paddy in the district. Farmers are not pleased with the arrangements at the procurement centres. Even as the procurement season has entered the 15th day, there are many farmers who are anxiously waiting for the agencies to lift their produce that have been lying in the mandis for the past many days. Like other procurement centres in the district, the Rajpura grain market is a picture of neglect. Farmers here are struggling to keep their produce dry as there is not storage facility. The recent spell of rain has increased the moisture content in paddy brought to the grain market a couple of days ago. Neither the rice millers nor the state government is ready to lift the produce. “When I brought my produce to the market, its moisture content was 17 per cent but since it has been lying in the open, the rain has raised the moisture content in it,” said a perturbed Prem Singh of Ganda Heri village near Rajpura. He said the government hadn’t taken any concrete steps to speed up lifting and this was ruining his crop. “I have been here in the mandi for the past three days, waiting for the authorities to lift my produce. All I see are officials and rice millers repeatedly checking the moisture content, which is around 18 to 19 per cent now, of the produce. They fail to realise that conditions are only going to get worse,” Prem Singh said. To add to farmers’ woes, labourers have started charging more for drying paddy. The rates have gone up from Rs 4 per quintal to Rs 7 per bag (35 kg). Santokh Singh and Swaran Singh from Madanpur Chalerhi village near Shambhu, Rajpura, said, “We are now compelled to dry our crop on our own. While few wealthy farmers manage to get their crop lifted, the average farmers are slogging it out day and night to convince the authorities to lift their crop in time.” District Controller of Food and Civil Supplies (DCFCS) Ajayveer Sarao said they didn’t lift the crop as it had gotten wet in the rain. “All arrangements are in place. We have already lifted 30,000 MT of the purchased 60,000 MT paddy.”
Farmers prefer arhtiyas A majority of the farmers felt that the system of direct payment was not practical. They said it was impossible to bring the crop to the mandis without borrowing money from arhtiyas. Farmers prefer arhtiyas as the latter lend them money without any hassles. The farmers said the delay in the lifting of paddy was putting them under a lot of financial stress.
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Union Minister promises relief to Ludhiana industry
Ludhiana, October 15 The minister was speaking during an interaction with the small and medium entrepreneurs from Ludhiana here today. Muniyappa asked the Ludhiana industry to prepare a draft of their demands in consultation with Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari so that he could get it approved within the possible parameters. On the cluster development programme, he said it was primarily the job of the state government to build clusters by providing the required infrastructure. He said: "Let the government submit a proposal. I will ensure it is approved within one month." "We cannot live in isolation, but it is necessary that measures are taken to safeguard the interests of the local industry, particularly the small and medium enterprises," the minister said. Manish Tewari sought exemption from central excise duty for bicycle and other light engineering manufacturers. He said the Shiromani Akali Dal was part of the NDA government which gave special concessions to hill states. At that time, the SAD never objected to these concessions that adversely affected the Punjab industry, he added.
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Officials on toes for Valmiki temple stone-laying
Jalandhar, October 15 The entire official machinery across various districts of Punjab has been given the responsibility of printing and installation of flexes to promote the event, sending invitation cards to VIPs, arrangement of buses and even holding meetings with the SAD-BJP MLAs to ensure good crowd. Despite being far away from the ceremony venue, District Transport Officers of Malwa have been told to reach Amritsar or Tarn Taran by October 17 evening. They have also been provided lists of 21 marriage palaces in Amritsar and 12 in Tarn Taran for making night lodging arrangements. While the Municipal Corporation has earmarked 15 sites in the city for putting up religious hoardings, those meant for the event have been perhaps given special exemption as these are coming up at non-designated spots. Deputy Commissioner Varun Roojam said, "We have already received funds from the state - Rs 8.5 lakh for fuel for buses and Rs 3 lakh for publicity."
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Hoshiarpur notified as
corporation: Sud
Hoshiarpur, October 15 The elevation is being attributed to the efforts made by Tikshan Sud, senior BJP leader and Political Adviser to Chief Minister Chief minister Parkash Singh Badal. Talking to mediapersons here today, Sud said Ashok Kumar Gupta, Secretary, Department of Local Government, had constituted a Municipal Corporation, Hoshiarpur, under sub- Section (2) of Section 3 and sub-section (1) of Section 4 of the Punjab Municipal Corporation Act, 1976.
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Regional SARAS mela from today
Sangrur, October 15 There will be around 180 stalls for sale-cum-exhibition of various articles and goods, comprising handicraft, pottery, wood work, embroidery works, clothes etc. This fair will culminate on October 27. As per initial estimates, Rs 35 lakh will be spent on the fair, of which Rs 20 lakh has been provided by Union Ministry of Rural Development. Another attraction of the fair will be cultural items which will be presented daily from 11 am to 1 pm and 5.30 pm to 8 pm. The cultural items will include folk dances of Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Haryana. Deputy Commissioner Indu Malhotra said two medical teams would be deputed at the venue, she added. Sangrur Senior Superintendent of Police Mandeep Singh Sidhu said a police control room had been set up. Around 150 police personnel would be deployed for security and traffic duty.
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Govt staff protest outside FM’s house
Sangrur, October 15 They later marched towards the residence of Finance Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa where they held a demonstration and raised slogans against the Punjab Government. The activists culminated their protest after Sangrur SDM accepted a memorandum from their
leaders. Sajjan Singh, chairman, Punjab and Chandigarh Employees Talmel Sangharash Committee, said government employees would take out a protest march in Chandigarh on October 28 and gherao the Punjab Assembly.
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Two youths feared drowned in Beas
Tarn Taran, October 15 The youths were in a boat for a joy ride. They lost control over the boat when it was in deep waters and it overturned. Only two weeks back, nine persons of Mundapind village were drowned in the Beas. The Verowal SHO said the administration was unable to start rescue operations in the dark. These would be launched tomorrow morning.
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Keep off civil disputes, High Court warns police
Chandigarh, October 15 The Bench imposed Rs 5,000 costs on the then Senior Superintendent of Police, Amritsar, Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh. The amount is to be paid to the petitioner mother and her son within 15 days. “The State of Punjab has seen troubled times, when police officers performed a difficult role. However, in the present scenario that cannot be a licence to a police officer to meddle in civil dispute… “We have emphasised on the respondent police officer that being a senior officer, his views and conduct send a signal to the officers below. It is not the job of the police to meddle in civil dispute… “We are assured that the officer will be careful in future. We feel that at least partial cost of the litigation be borne by the respondent and we quantify the cost at Rs 5,000”. The strictures came on a petition filed by Madhu Khanna against the Union of India and other respondents through senior advocate KN Balgopal and Param Preet Singh Brar. She was seeking quashing of an order passed by the Punjab State Human Rights Commission on August 20, 2010, on a complaint filed by the petitioner. Directions were also sought for initiating appropriate departmental proceedings against the police officer for allegedly misusing powers and violating human rights. The petitioner had contended the police officer was permitted to go scot free, though his conduct left much to be desired, “as he has shown unnecessary keen interest in giving criminal colour to a civil dispute” Disposing of the petition, the Bench said an affidavit was filed before the High Court by the officer, tendering an unconditional apology. “All we can say is it's better late than never. The officer has realised his folly and tendered an apology to the petitioner and her son... Sorry is a word which often acts as a balm in the most aggravating
situation”.
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Complainant in case against Sukhbir held
Faridkot, October 15 The FIR mentions that the youth, Amritpal Singh (20), ended his life after allegedly being thrashed by Sehgal during Dasehra celebrations at the New Grain Market in Kotkapura on October 13. The complaint was lodged by Amritpal’s father Mangal Singh, who alleged that his son was thrashed mercilessly in full public view. The youth has reportedly left behind a suicide note blaming Sehgal for his taking the extreme step. SSP Gurmeet Singh Randhawa confirmed the development. Naresh's younger brother Kuljit Sehgal, however, alleged that the police had framed his brother in a fake case to settle scores with him. “In the last 14 years, my brother had filed several writ petitions in the Punjab and Haryana High Court against the police for failing to act against Sukhbir Badal. Acting on one such plea, the court had directed the police to register a case. The police and the administration, therefore, is trying to take revenge on him, he said. Sehgal had accused Sukhbir and a few other persons of assaulting him during the parliamentary elections in 1999 in
Faridkot.
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When things get bad, they really do. This, in essence, sums up the pollution scenario in the border district of Gurdaspur where two lifelines, Ravi and Beas, are being choked by stone crushers.
Officially, Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) officials may paint a rosy picture and claim the rivers are pollution-free. Unofficially, they admit that despite the stringent mechanism put in place by the board, things will not improve till industrialists, particularly those owing stone-crushing units, ‘discipline’ themselves.
Amritsar, October 15
KH Muniyappa, Union Minister for Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), said he was seized of the problems afflicting the Ludhiana industry and on how SAFTA was being misused by countries like China to dump thier goods in India.
The minister was speaking during an interaction with the small and medium entrepreneurs from Ludhiana here today.
An irate mob set a private bus ablaze this morning after it hit a scooterist near Makhu, 35 km from here, killing him there and then. The bus was going to
Amritsar. The victim, Sukhdev Singh of ward No. 4, Makhu, was a labour union leader. The mob that gathered at the accident site set the bus on fire. The bus driver fled. A police force was summoned to control the mob. A few days ago, a private bus had collided with a truck in the same area, killing five persons, including three women.
— OC
Chandigarh, October 15
Wastewater from industries and different commercial activities is discharged into rivers, streams and drains resulting in river pollution. Due to the high pollution levels, the quality of water in the Ravi and Beas has degraded. The flora and fauna have been affected too 
Chandigarh, October 15