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Mining ops set to pick up as Centre eases norms
In Doaba, only 21 of 6,000 travel agents apply for licence
PIMS row: CM to meet governing council on Jan 4
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Tripit Bajwa quits PPCC
State govt begins leopard census for first time
Punjab investment— reality check-v
Consumption down, sin tax on cigarettes set to go
Punjabis from 19 countries to participate
State writes to Centre on Philippines murders
Grief, shock at killed NRI’s village
CM should dismiss ministers involved in drug trade: Mann
Former Babbar Khalsa leader hauled before Canadian refugee board
Govt okays Rs 2,200-crore rural water, sanitation plan
Maximum tenure for college principals now 10 yrs
Gidderbaha thermal plant project shelved
Many hits, few misses for Muktsar police in 2013
ETT teachers’ protest going strong
NRI panel wants charges of wrongful detention probed
Ignored, woman leader writes to Rahul
Five die in road mishaps
Cop booked after protest over youth’s death
Barnala man duped by 2 Ghana nationals
1 kg heroin seized, 6 arrested
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Mining ops set to pick up as Centre eases norms
The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has amended the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 2006 regarding categorisation of category B projects/activities into category B1 and B2. The Punjab Government had revised its mining policy in March last year, but it was yet to file an affidavit in the Punjab and Haryana High Court resulting in delay in auctioning of mines. The MoEF had constituted an expert committee on January 30 last year under the chairmanship of Director, National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur. Having examined the recommendations of the committee, the ministry has now decided to revise category B projects/activities into category B1 and B2 listed in the schedule of EIA Notification, 2006. Brick earth/ordinary earth mining projects with mining lease area above 5 hectares but less than 25 hectares and all other minor mineral mining projects with mining lease area below 25 hectares, except for river sand mining projects, will be appraised as category B2 projects. The ministry has clarified that no river sand mining project, with mine lease area less than 5 hectares, may be considered for granting the environment clearance. The river sand mining projects with mining lease area above 5 hectares but below 25 hectares will be categorised as B2. The mining activity shall be done manually and the depth of mining shall be restricted to 3m/water level whichever is less. For carrying out mining in proximity to any bridge and/or embankment, appropriate safety zone shall be worked out. Congress Legislative Party leader Sunil Jakhar said the ball was in the Punjab Government's court. He had demanded relief for Punjab during his meetings with the minister in charge and with AICC president Sonia Gandhi last month. As the latter got the decks cleared, the state can now end deadlock in at least 98 per cent of the mines, he said.
Some respite
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In Doaba, only 21 of 6,000 travel agents apply for licence
No application has been received in Kapurthala whereas two travel agents have applied in Nawanshahr. Five applications have been received in Jalandhar and the maximum 14 in Hoshiarpur. Going by the fact that there are an estimated 6,000 big and small immigration companies just within these four districts of NRI-dominated Doaba belt, the response to the Act, meant to regulate the firms and check frauds with gullible people, has been too feeble. Even the district administrations have been slow in getting counters set up for the purpose at respective Suvidha Centres owing to which the original deadline of October 31 was extended to November 30. The new deadline again got extended as the response remained too low. Recently, the Travel Agents Association of India had moved a civil writ petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking reworking of some rules in the Prevention of Human Smuggling Act. It was submitted that one or two sections of the Act needed some amendments for which the association would make a representation within a week. The court on November 25 disposed of the petition asking the government to take a call on the issue within six weeks of receipt of the representation from the petitioners. The travel agents have been seeking reduction in the licence fee being levied from them. Those into the business for over five years have been asked to deposit Rs 1 lakh while those who entered in less than five years have been told to deposit Rs 25,000. The fee to be levied from the air ticketing agents too is Rs 25,000. In addition, the Suwidha Centres have been levying Rs 1,500 as charges for the processing of application which is to be routed to the offices of SDMs, police stations and even CID offices. Jaspal Singh, secretary of Association for Consultants for Overseas Studies, said the members were also against a decision that their premises and houses could be searched and records confiscated without search warrants and even by breaking locks at any time. “This clause has to go,” he added.
What the Act entails?
After November 30, no agent will be able to operate without a licence, as per Section 3 of the Prevention of Human Smuggling Act. If found doing so, he can be imprisoned for three to seven years with a fine of Rs 5 lakh. The licence has to be renewed every five years. The Act also has stringent means for cancellation of licence in the event of any violation of rules.
What the travel agents want
What officials say
Principal Secretary (Home Affairs) DS Bains said he was planning to hold a meeting with travel agents in Jalandhar on December 10. “We will try to sort out whatever issues they have. We want travel, air ticketing, cultural exchange and cross-country religious discourse firms to be licenced so that people dealing with them can have some faith. Once the process is through, we will even make it mandatory for travel companies to insert licence number in their advertisements. We will not even allow illegal companies to advertise,” he said.
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PIMS row: CM to meet governing council on Jan 4
Jalandhar, January 1 Meanwhile, MBBS students who reached the institute after holidays had to return disappointed as the entire teaching faculty was on strike. Alleging non-payment of their six months' salary, the staff have been protesting for 23 days. Besides, there is no electricity and water supply in the institute as the power corporation has snapped the connection due to the nonpayment of electricity bills worth Rs 55 lakh. Accompanied by their parents, over 50 students turned up at the PIMS this morning and joined the striking doctors and nurses. They also participated in a protest march organised in the city by the striking medicos to press for their demands. The striking doctors had organised a candlelight procession at the institute on the New Year's Eve. Dr SS Sidhu, who is leading the agitation, they had been trying to draw the attention of the Punjab Government and the institute management towards the career of 300 students and 500 employees, including doctors, nurses and paramedical staff, whose future was
at stake due to the shutdown. The parents, who met certain members of the PIMS management, claimed that the management had assured them that the institute would be made functional shortly.
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Tripit Bajwa quits PPCC
Tripit’s name was included in the jumbo-sized executive committee. He had faxed his resignation letter to the PPCC office in Chandigarh on December 29 but made his decision public today. He becomes the first sitting MLA to tender his resignation from the PPCC. A three-time legislator from this district, he remained MLA from Qadian from 1992 to 1997 and from 2002 to 2007. He was a minister in the Amarinder Singh Government. After delimitation, he shifted base to Fatehgarh Churian. Tript Bajwa is a senior Congress leader. He and the PPCC chief are known political foes and have been at the loggerheads for the past several years. With the PPCC chief having aired his intentions to re-contest the Gurdaspur parliamentary seat, Tripit’s resignation is bound to have an impact on his electoral fortunes as Fatehgarh Churian is one of the nine Vidhan Sabha seats that constitute the Gurdaspur parliamentary seat. Observers claim that the primary aim of the new PPCC list was to bring together warring factions on one platform. But it has actually created a vertical divide in the party in the state. Former Union Minister Ashwani Kumar has already gone public saying he would approach AICC president Sonia Gandhi to “reconstitute the PPCC that smacked of favouritism.” Tripit Bajwa claimed that the PPCC president “had deliberately chosen to include the names of some leaders who had worked overtime against his candidature in the 2012 assembly elections.” However, he refused to name these leaders in his resignation letter. Sources close to him said he was particularly peeved at the inclusion of Inderjit Singh Randhawa, brother of Dera Baba Nanak legislator Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and Paramjit Singh Randhawa in the PPCC. “I am infuriated at the fact that Bajwa has chosen to include persons who worked against me in the elections. I request him to adjust more such persons who have the potential to damage the party in future,” he remarked. In the 2012 elections, Tripit Bajwa managed to wrest the Fatehgah Churian seat from former Speaker Nirmal Singh Kahlon by a wafer thin margin of just 825 votes. " Going by its composition, the name of the PPCC should be changed to ‘Partap Congress Committee’ as its chief has inducted his favourites while ignoring loyal Congress workers," he said. Partap Bajwa could not be contacted for comment.
Dissent growing within party
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State govt begins leopard census for first time
Leopards have been spotted in Kandi Belt across Pathankot, Hoshiarpur, Ropar and Mohali districts, and in Ludhiana, Ferozepur and other districts of the state. The death of five leopards in 2010-11 and the leopard attack in Ludhiana recently has highlighted the need for a leopard population survey. Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal, who is also the chairman of State Wildlife Board, approved a comprehensive census to
gauge the gravity of the man-animal conflict in a meeting of the board on July 19, 2011. For the purpose, the department installed trap cameras in wildlife sanctuaries in Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Hoshiarpur and Ropar districts and the results have been astounding. There are reports that the big cats are breeding successfully in Kandi Belt with leopards being spotted in the forests of Pathankot, Hoshiarpur and Ropar districts. This forced the state, which earlier considered Himachal Pradesh and Haryana to be the natural habitat of leopards, to maintain a data base of the animals. Recently, Chief Wildlife Warden Dharindra Singh issued a letter to the Divisional Forest Officers (DFOs), asking them to furnish details about the incidents of leopards marking their presence in their respective forest areas.
Rising numbers
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Inter-cropping, the way forward for state farmers
Moga, January 1 Inter-cropping entails planting another crop in the middle of the rows of an already sown crop. Although the practice of inter-cropping has not yet flourished on a large scale probably due to lack of awareness and expert technical inputs, experiments conducted at the fields of some progressive farmers in Moga district have shown good results. Jagmohan Singh, a farmer of Jai Singh Wala village, has grown turmeric and onions in his sugarcane fields on an experimental basis. It has shown good results. “All my crops are healthy and will be ready for harvest in the next few weeks,” he said. He said that cultivating turmeric requires much less labour and needs no spray of pesticides. It can be easily sold in the market. If processed properly, turmeric could fetch even Rs 70,000 per acre in addition to the income from the sugarcane yield. As a raw product, it can fetch between Rs 30,000 to 35,000 per acre depending upon its quality and market rates. Jaswinder Singh Aulakh, a farmer of Takhtuwala village, is of the view that if the state government revives the Zira sugar mill, which was run by the Cooperative Department, the farmers of Zira, Dharamkot and Moga sub-divisions could look for a fortune in sugarcane cultivation by adopting the intercropping pattern. “Turmeric is sown in the months of May-June while onions are sown in September-October. These become ready to harvest in December and January -- about six to eight weeks before the harvest of sugarcane. This appears to be a good combination for diversification,” said Dr Jaswinder Singh Brar, an agriculture officer posted here. Dr Brar said that if the farmers do not want to cultivate sugarcane, they could plant turmeric
and grow pulses as the inter-crop. “Turmeric is a safer option for farmers to earn good profits instead of going for the water-consuming paddy. Water-logging is absolutely unsuitable for turmeric," he said. Punjab has never been known for turmeric cultivation, but with the continuous depletion of underground water, a ‘yellow revolution’ in turmeric would not only raise the socio-economic condition of small and marginal farmers, but also
protect this agrarian state from a looming environmental disaster. The state government has so far not put in place any immediate incentive or concrete plan for promoting intercropping pattern for turmeric, onions, garlic and other crops although it has drawn a big agricultural roadmap for diversification of crops to reduce the area under paddy cultivation.
Good beginning
Although the practice of inter-cropping has not yet flourished on a large scale probably due to the lack of awareness and expert technical inputs, experiments conducted at the fields of some progressive farmers in Moga district have shown good results
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Punjab investment— reality check-v Umesh Dewan Tribune News Service
Chairman of the All-India Power Engineers Federation Padamjit Singh says that so far only one unit (660 MW) of Talwandi Sabo and one unit (700 MW) of the Rajpura Thermal Plant have been inaugurated. “Even, these two units will start commercial operations in the first half of 2014. The rest of the units of these two plants and the Goindwal Sahib Thermal Plant are scheduled b to be operationalised between March-September 2014. This means implies that all units will not be operational by the paddy season”. As many as six thermal plants with a combined generation capacity of 9200 MW were to be commissioned in Punjab. So far, only three thermal plants with a combined generation capacity of 3920 MW (1980-MW Talwandi Sabo, 1400 MW Rajpura and 540 MW Goindwal Sahib) are functional. Not a brick has been laid for the 1320-MW Gobindpura, 2640-MW Gidderbaha and 1320 MW Kot Shamir Thermal Plant. While the first unit of 660 MW of the Talwandi Sabo plant and the first unit of the 700 MW of Rajpura Thermal Plant has started functioning, the second and third unit of the Talwandi Sabo plant will be functional next year. Punjab State Power Corporation Limited has projected the peak power demand at 10,650 MW during the paddy season. The peak power demand during 2012 was 11,520 MW and 10,141 MW in 2013 because of bountiful monsoon. When contacted PSPCL Chief Managing Director KD Chaudhrisaid: “As per our calculations, the peak power demand will be near 10,650 MW. Punjab’s own thermal and hydro generation is 2,630 MW and 995 MW, respectively. Besides, Punjab gets 3,029 MW from the central sector. Augmentation of generation capacity by 3,920 MW would mean a 10,574 MW power availability which will be enough to meet next year’s expected demand”. Experts point out that coal scarcity is a matter of concern for states mainly relying on thermal generation. National president of the Federation of Associations of Small Industries India (FASII) Badish Jindal said: “The power demand came down this year only because of good rainfall. Coming summer, the demand is likely to touch 12,500-13,000 MW, which would mean that state will still be short of 2,000-2,500 MW.” Chaudhri said the power demand was expected to cross 11,000 MW only in case of a weak monsoon. "The power scenario in the state is very comfortable and from January 1, there will be no power cut in any sector, which will prove our claims of being power surplus.” But some power corporation officials say that the peak power demand this summer will exceed the projected figure of 10,650 MW. VK Gupta, secretary (Finance), Northern India Power Engineers Federation (NIPEF), said that Punjab would be power surplus only after the three upcoming thermal plants at Rajpura, Talwandi Sabo and Goindwal Sahib start generation in toto. Also, augmented power generation will help only if the transmission and distribution network is strengthened. “A few weeks ago, the Lehra Mohabbat Thermal Plant had to be shut down on account of tripping. “How will the transmission network handle the load of additional power,” asked an engineer. To this Chaudhri said: “We have created a state-level 400 KV ring main system with five 400 KV grid sub-stations of the capacity of 3,890 MVA. There is a plan to add three more 400 KV grid sub-stations. “This system will handle power evacuation of the upcoming thermal power stations in Punjab, while strengthening inter-state transmission system.” — Concluded
Ongoing Projects
Goindwal Sahib Thermal Power Plant Capacity: 540-MW (Two units each of 270-MW) Location: Tarn Taran district Developer: GVK Power Limited Status: First unit of 270 MW to be commissioned this March and second in July next Talwandi Sabo Thermal Power Project Capacity: 1980-MW (3 units each of 660-MW) Location: Talwandi Sabo, Mansa district Developer: M/s Sterlite Energy Ltd Status: First unit commissioned, second to be operational by May next year and third by September 2014 Rajpura Thermal Plant Capacity: 1400-MW (Two units each of
700 MW) Location: Nalash Village near Rajpura, Patiala district Developer: Larsen & Toubro Status: First unit commissioned and second unit to be commissioned in July next year
Pending Projects
Kot Shamir Thermal Power Plant Capacity: 1,320-MW (2 units each of 660-MW) Location: Kot Shamir village, Bathinda Developer: Lanco Infratech, Hyderabad Status: MoU expired Gobindpura Thermal Power Plant Capacity: 1,320-MW (2 units each of Location: Gobindpura Developer: Poena Power Supply Ltd, cent per cent subsidiary of Indiabulls Status: Work yet to begin Gidderbaha Thermal Power Plant Capacity: 2,640 MW (4 units each of 660-MW) Location: Gidderbaha, Muktsar district Developer: National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) Status: Not a brick laid
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Consumption down, sin tax on cigarettes set to go
Chandigarh, January 1 Sources in the state Excise and Taxation Department said the proposal to withdraw the tax on cigarettes and revert to the old system of imposing 20 per cent VAT (plus 10 per cent surcharge, making the VAT at 22.5 per cent) will now be put before the Punjab Cabinet, which is scheduled to meet shortly. Punjab did not see the tax revenue from cigarettes going up. Instead, it was faced with the problem of smuggling of cigarettes from neighbouring states. The Punjab Government had increased VAT on
cigarettes from 22.5 per cent to 55 per cent during this fiscal. The idea behind imposing the sin tax was to fund the treatment of poor cancver patients and for setting up drug de-addiction centres. However, after the tax was imposed, the sale of cigarettes fell with smuggled cigarettes making inroads into the state. Cigarettes worth Rs 500 crore are sold in Punjab each year and the state earns Rs 120 crore as VAT on the sale of cigarettes. With this hike, the state had hoped to collect a
Rs 200 crore VAT on cigarettes. "However, the revenues have not been commensurate with the targets set by the department. We had imposed sin tax in line with the policy adopted across most North Indian states but other than Uttar Pradesh, no other state imposed this tax. This led to large-scale smuggling of cigarettes from neighbouring states and our VAT collections so far have been almost similar to last year's," said an official. ITC Ltd had raised the issue of imposition of sin tax on cigarettes with Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal. All major cigarette manufacturers had made a marginal, rather negligible increase in the MRP of cigarettes after the increase in the tax.
About the tax
It is a sumptuary tax, specifically levied on certain socially proscribed goods and services such as alcohol, tobacco, candies, soft drinks, fast food, coffee and
gambling.
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Pakistan refugees stare at a bleak future
Jalandhar, January 1 More than 2,000 Hindus and Sikhs from Pakistan are residing in Jalandhar, Amritsar, Rajpura, Khanna and Fatehgarh Sahib. Their struggle for permanent residency have bore no fruit with the Government of India denying them citizenship rights. Most of them are here on Long-Term Visa (LTV). Some have been here without any visa for over 20-35 years. Most are forced to take up petty jobs and earn a meagre Rs 4,000-Rs 5,000 a month. Not being Indian citizens, they can't get ration at PDS shops. “Even getting petty private jobs is not easy as we have to arrange for a local guarantor," said Kala Ram who came to India from Sialkot in 2006 along with his family. “For admission of wards, we are at the mercy of employers and landlords. If they give an undertaking in their favour, they get admission in government schools. Some private primary schools too have been benevolent in giving admission to our wards. But we fail to understand why our children are being denied higher education,” said Raj Kumar who, has from Sialkot. “Since, we don’t have ration cards, we are forced to procure LPG cylinders in black. We do not get subsidised ‘atta-dal’ for want of ration cards,” complained another Pakistani Hindu. Said Kamla Devi: “We have no future here as our wards cannot get good education or jobs. Almost discarded in Pakistan, we had come here for a new beginning but feel bitterly disappointed." Kala Ram alleged that his in-laws were forced to embrace Islam in 2011. "Whenever a Hindu converts to Islam, he and his family get lakhs of rupees as aid from local Muslims. Since, we preferred to stick to our religion, we faced trouble there. Now, we feel that we would have been better off if we had converted to Islam,” Kala Ram added.
Their predicament
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Punjabis from 19 countries to participate
Jalandhar, January 1 Sukhbir along with NRIs Affairs Minister Bikram Singh Majithia were here this evening to review the arrangements for the conference. Majithia informed the Deputy CM that over 438 delegates from 19 countries had confirmed their participation. He said delegates were coming from the US, Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, UAE, Malaysia, Singapore, Norway, Italy, Argentina, Brazil, Tanzania, Kenya, Nigeria, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nepal. Majithia said the first day of the sammelan on January 10 would be the delegate session in which the Punjab Government would educate the NRIs regarding steps taken by it for their welfare. He said special literature on various legislative enactments of the government to help NRIs would also be distributed among them. He said special helpdesk of NRI police, revenue and other departments would be set up at the venue to redress their grievances. The Deputy Chief Minister said NRI Sammelan was the right forum to get a feedback from NRIs and inform them about the initiatives taken by the government for their welfare. Majithia informed that a detailed presentation would be made regarding promises made to them during the last event and steps taken by the government to fulfill these. "Instructions have been issued that the number of registration counters should be good enough to ensure that every NRI coming to the conference should be registered so that the government could publish a comprehensive NRI directory," he added.
The event
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State writes to Centre on Philippines murders
Chandigarh, January 1 The state Home Department had first contacted the Centre in August 2013, when the Punjab Non-Resident Indian (NRI) Commission had urged it to take decisive action in the matter. Justice Arvind Kumar, commission chairman, had sought a three-member panel with at least one police officer appointed to it. The panel was sought to interact with the Punjabi community, the
Indian Embassy and government authorities there to look into the cause of the murders. With so many deaths of Punjabi moneylenders in the Philippines, the commission termed the
situation as "grim and alarming". The moneylending business in the Philippines is said to have started in the 1930s. A Punjabi money lender would lend five pesos and seek six
pesos within 30 days. The practice is commonly known as ‘5-6’.
Matter of concern
The moneylending business
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Grief, shock at killed NRI’s village
Phagwara, January 1 The deceased was a truck driver and had been residing with his wife Mandeep Kaur and two children in California since 1997. His elder brother Balihar Singh, also a truck driver, resides in Los Angeles. A few villagers were today seen outside Jaspal’s house, consoling his sister Manjit Kaur, who was in mourning. Manjit and her husband Avtar Singh had rushed to the village on Monday. She said her mother Mahinder Kaur had phoned from California to inform her about Jaspal’s death. Manjit said Jaspal had been in depression for the last few months and had borrowed a firearm from one of his friends. When Jaspal’s family members saw him with the firearm, his wife Mandeep informed the police who rushed to their house. The police fired upon him when he pointed his gun at one of the officers. He was taken to Keara Medical Center, where he was declared brought dead. Manjit said his body would be cremated on Saturday.
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CM should dismiss ministers involved in drug trade: Mann
Fatehgarh Sahib, January 1 Simranjit Singh Mann, SAD (M) president, said the CM should not only dismiss the three ministers but also take legal action against them. Jagdish Singh Bhola, former Deputy Superintendent of Police and drug lord, caught in the racket had stated that three ministers in the state were involved in the drug trade. Mann further alleged that police stations were being auctioned that led to a deteriorating law and order situation. Lashing out at the state government for imposing property tax, Mann said the common man was finding it increasing difficult to make both ends meet.
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Former Babbar Khalsa leader hauled before Canadian refugee board
Toronto, January 1 But he was ordered to appear before an immigration and refugee board adjudicator due to his alleged link to the banned outfit, the Vancouver Sun reported Tuesday. Melissa Anderson, communications adviser in Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, said Monday that Gill's admissibility hearing that was scheduled for January 27 has been postponed and it is yet to be rescheduled. She added that it would likely be held in late February or early March. Anderson said Gill was referred for the hearing under Section 34 (1) (f) of the Canadian Act which says a person is inadmissible to Canada if he or she is "a member of an organisation that, there are reasonable grounds to believe, engages, has engaged or will engage in acts" of espionage, subversion or terrorism. It is not the first time the former Babbar Khalsa leader has run into problems with Canadian immigration officials. He was arrested at Vancouver airport in August 2001 when he arrived for his son's wedding in Surrey in Canada's British Colombia province and was sent back to Britain without attending the festivities. Gill earlier said he renounced his membership in the Babbar Khalsa International in 2001, after the group was banned in Britain. "I had nothing to do with them because British law doesn't allow these things," he was quoted as saying. For years, Gill used the pseudonym Gurmej Singh Babbar and regularly visited British Columbia, where he once lived. The report said Babbar Khalsa was banned in Canada in 2003, years after it had been linked to the June 23, 1985, Air India bombing that left 329 people dead. Two men tied to the Babbar Khalsa were charged and later acquitted in the bombing, which remains Canada's deadliest act of terror.
— IANS
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Govt okays Rs 2,200-crore rural water, sanitation plan
Chandigarh, January 1 An official press release said the objective of the ambitious project was to provide quality water supply and sanitations facilities in rural areas of the state. Under the project, the state government has laid special emphasis on providing water supply and sanitation facilities to waterlogged areas of the state. The state government has sought expansion and remodeling of 70 existing schemes of rural water supply and sanitation in 108 villages of Muktsar and Fazilka districts at a cost of Rs 175 crore. Likewise, to provide water connections to all households of 800 villages, the state government has proposed to upgrade the service level of 800 water supply schemes from 40 to 70 litre water per person per day with an investment of Rs 300 crore. The state government has also desired to improve the operational performance and efficiency of existing water supply schemes in 1,000 villages with Rs 125 crore, which were already functioning at service level of 70 litre per capita per day. The government has also proposed the implementation of piped solid free sewerage system in 800 villages with effluent treatment as per guidelines of pollution control with an investment of Rs 1,300 crore. It has further desired to install RO systems and other suitable technology in 250 villages with the cost of Rs 50 crore where undesirable contaminants were more than the permissible limits. The government also proposed to strengthen the information education communication, capacity building and engineering support activities with the establishment of a state-level training institute in the state.
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Maximum tenure for college principals now 10 yrs
Chandigarh, January 1 The matter would get ratification only after it is taken up by university bodies such as the Senate or the Syndicate. The presence of a government representative has been made mandatory during interview for the posts of college principal. Only those college teachers with a record of having taken at least 80 per cent of classes during their academic career can apply for the post. The government has imposed the condition of good scores in Academic Performance Indicator (API) for those wanting promotions. They are required to score at least 400 in different modes of evaluation of their work at various stages of their academic career. The condition comes following a communication from the University Grants Commission (UGC) in this regard. Principals, too, are required to score at least 400 marks in their academic audit for next promotion or financial benefit. The UGC has decided on weightage on account of having written books and published research papers. College teachers have already started opposing the API condition. The Punjab and Chandigarh College Teacher Union (PCCTU), in a representation to Education Minister Sikander Maluka, have sought that they be given at least two years before the condition is made mandatory. Evaluating method
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Gidderbaha thermal plant project shelved
Bathinda, January 1 Sources said the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) was to install a 2,640 MW thermal plant at Gidderbaha that was to have four units. The NTPC, Punjab Government and Powercom had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on October 7, 2010, in this regard. A power purchase agreement was signed on December 22, 2010, according to which the first unit was to be started by March 31, 2015. The Punjab Government had on February 8, 2010, issued a notification for acquiring 1,998 acres of land in the Gidderbaha subdivision under Section 4 of the Land Acquisition Act following which the sale/purchase of land in these villages had come to a halt. Thereafter, the district administration issued a notification on February 8, 2011, under which 1,130 acres of land of 150 farmers in Theri village, 162 acres of land owned by 100 farmers in Bababniyan village and 706 acres land of 250 farmers in Ghagga village was to be acquired. Gidderbaha Tehsildar Rajesh Kumar Jain said the relief amount was to be declared within two years of the notification. But this was not done. In November last year, the district administration issued a notification lifting the ban imposed on the sale and purchase of land in these three villages, thereby resuming work on land registration. During the ban, farmers had stopped dealing with the problem of waterlogging in their fields. A member of the Kisan Sangharsh Committee, Raja Singh, said they could not plough their land for three years and demanded compensation for the same. Farmers said they could not take loan against the land “reserved” for acquisition and had to face several problems. The project was finalised when Manpreet Singh Badal was Finance Minister. But with the passage of time, the state government became more interested in power projects in the private sector and paid little attention to this project. Powercom Director (Generation) GS Chhabra said the NTPC had not evinced any interest in pursuing the Gidderbaha project. As coal linkage was not allocated for the project, it had to be shelved, he added.
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Many hits, few misses for Muktsar police in 2013
Cracking down on drug peddlers, the police recovered 64-kg opium, 42-quintal poppy husk, 203-gram smack, 62,711 sedative pills, 510 intoxicant injections, 34-quintal sedative powder, 200-gram ‘gaanja’, 3,100-litre intoxicant liquid, 1,187 bottles of sedative cough syrups and 1-kg pseudoephedrine powder from 334 smugglers, besides seizing 605 litres of illicit liquor, 10,380 litres of liquor and 2,772 kg of ‘lahan’ from 66 smugglers under the Excise Act, the SSP said. Singh claimed that the police recovered 17 pistols, three rifles, two revolvers and 82 bullets under the Arms Act. At least 75 gamblers were caught and nearly
Rs 2 lakh recovered, he said. The police recovered two stolen trucks, a tanker, 23 cars, two Boleros, a Mahindra pick-up vehcile, a Tata Ace, four tractors, 77 motorcycles, three scooters and four cycles. The SSP claimed that the police seized valuables worth ~67.63 lakh related to thefts and robberies. There were a few misses as well. Cases such as a car snatched at gunpoint from outside a paper mill and the theft of an ATM machine are yet to be solved. Last year’s record sheet
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ETT teachers’ protest going strong
Barnala, January 1 The ETT (Elementary Teacher Training) teachers’ agitation that entered the 17th day today is for regular appointments. The protesters have refused to come down till their demand is accepted. They are scheduled to meet CM Parkash Singh Badal for January 8. A state committee member of the union, Buta Khan said there were nearly 3,400 unemployed ETT teachers who were earlier working under the Education Guarantee Scheme (EGS) and Alternative Innovative Education (AIE) scheme. “The state government told them that they could not be made teachers as they were unqualified. In the light of this, the government asked them to enroll for the ETT course and promised jobs after its completion. The government has now reneged on its promise,” he said. As a meeting was fixed with the Chief Minister, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) Bhadaur area in-charge Darbara Singh Guru had appealed to the protesters to climb down, but they came down till the 10th stair from the top, Khan added.
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To curtail rush, more counters at Patiala Suvidha centre
Patiala, January 1 Patiala Deputy Commissioner GK Singh said the applicants would be informed of the status of their documents through the SMS service. He further informed that the number of counters at the Suvidha centre had been increased from 20 to 40, keeping in view the long queues for birth/death certificates, driving licence, etc.
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NRI panel wants charges of wrongful detention probed
Chandigarh, January 1 After The Tribune brought the matter to light in its columns on November 16, 2013, the case was taken up by North American Punjabi Association (NAPA) which forwarded the compliant to the Punjab NRI Commission. On September 29, 2013, Rupinder Kaur and her friend Dr Rai were allegedly mistreated, wrongfully detained, harassed and subjected to derogatory remarks by the immigration and police officials at the New Delhi airport. In her complaint, Rupinder Kaur alleged that she was detained in a room and interrogated by male immigration officers without any women officer present. She was threatened and asked personal and offending questions amounting to "harassment and a violation of privacy of a woman". The questions regarding her ties with Dr Rai were offensive and humiliating. When she asked about the charges under which she was being detained, the officer on duty told her that they needed to check her credentials as they were on a lookout for some fugitives.
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Ignored, woman leader writes to Rahul
Amritsar, January 1 “It is regrettable and painful that senior women leaders, who braved bullets during the period of militancy and made sacrifices to keep the party flag flying when none dared to challenge the militants, have been totally ignored in the formation of the new PPCC team,” reads the letter. Ratna is former president of the Punjab Mahila Congress and chairperson of the Amritsar Improvement Trust. She has been PPCC general secretary three times. She has headed Punjab Women and Children Development Corporation. Ratna has asked Rahul Gandhi to place leaders with an impeccable track record on key PPCC
positions. Earlier, Gurkanwal Kaur, daughter of the late Beant Singh, had expressed her disappointment with the “inadequate” representation to women leaders in Punjab. Malti Thapar, Mahila Congress president, too, has alleged that women leaders have been ignored by the high command. She has written to Rahul Gandhi in this connection. “The new PPCC list is nothing but a proof of how nepotism has gripped the party,” Thapar has said in her letter.
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Five die in road mishaps
Abohar, January 1 Joginder who was at the wheel in the other truck and his son were injured. Both have been admitted to the Nehru Memorial Civil Hospital here. A case has been registered. In the second incident, tractor driver Madan Lal (40) of Khubban village was killed as a chartered bus ferrying female workers to a spinning unit reportedly hit his tractor amid fog. Some bus passengers received minor injuries and were given first-aid at a rural health centre. In another incident, Dhiraj Bhatnagar (39) and his maternal brother Devinder Bhatnagar (35) of Sangria village were killed as their friend Parkash Godara lost control over the car, by which they were returning from Sriganganagar, after appearing in an exam. The car rammed into a tree near Bolanwali village. Parkash sustained injuries and was taken to a hospital. In another incident, Subhash Chander Meghwal (17) of Peelibanga was killed and his friends Hem Raj and Mohan of Bahlolnagar injured as their motorcycle hit a stray cattle on the Hanumangarh road in Rajasthan. Both injured youth, aged 20-24, have been shifted to Bikaner hospital. A body was found in a canal near Balarajpura village in Sriganganagar. His fingers were amputated.
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Cop booked after protest over youth’s death
Ferozepur, January 1 The deceased identified as Ropinder Singh of Doomniwala village in the district was a student of the engineering college, while his friend identified as Dev Luthra was a student of Delhi University (DU) who had come home on New Year. Ropinder’s father is a sarpanch of Doomniwala. The two youths were on their way to the village when it was hit by the car, allegedly driven by head constable Kishori Lal, near a railway flyover connecting the cantonment and city areas yesterday evening. Ropinder died on the spot, while Dev fell down from the bridge. He was taken to hospital in a critical condition. The flyover has been a cause of several mishaps ostensibly due to its flawed design, following which the administration had made it one way to ease the traffic. This morning when the police failed to register a case against the head constable, the deceased’s family and friends, besides some Congress workers, assembled near the bridge and demanded action against him. Later, the police booked Lal following which the dharna was lifted. Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Vibhor Kumar confirmed that the case had been registered against the head constable and said he would be arrested soon.
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Barnala man duped by 2 Ghana nationals
Barnala, January 1 Upinderjit Singh Ghuman, Senior Superintendent of Police, said the accused had been identified as Michael and James, both residents of Ghana (Africa). Both were arrested from near the residence of victim Bandhantor Singh in Handhiaya, he said. The SSP said the police had seized fake currency notes worth Rs 5.81 lakh and 250 gm of chemical powder from their possession. He said a case had been registered at the Sadar police station. As per the complaint, a woman contacted Bandhantor Singh on Facebook telling him about the prize. He was told that the prize money would be handed over to him at his residence by an agent of Mark Anderson of the BBC. Mark Anderson told Bandhantor Singh to deposit Rs 48,000 in an account as custom duty, which the latter deposited. Anderson again demanded Rs 1.20 lakh as passport fee. Bandhantor again deposited the amount in the said account. Later, Johan came to the house of Bandhantor with a chemical which the former claimed would turn ordinary paper into currency notes. He offered to give the chemical to the victim for Rs 12 lakh. Getting suspicious, the victim then lodged a police complaint.
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1 kg heroin seized, 6 arrested
Tarn Taran, January 1 The accused who were riding a motorcycle were arrested from Kakka Kandiala village. The DSP said 100 gm each of heroin was seized from the possession of Jaspal Singh of Varnala, Balwinder Singh of Sohal and Kuldeep Singh of Bhikhwind. Simranjit Singh of Amritsar was arrested with 280 gm of heroin at Gandiwind Sarai. Accused Manjit Singh along with his associate Shamsher Singh of Ferozpore had also allegedly duped 10 persons of of Rs 40 lakh on the pretext of providing them government jobs.
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