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BJP pressure works, govt to withdraw advance tax
No VAT refund, Cong raps govt
CM tells senior leaders to converge on Patiala
Name those behind drug trade, parents of drug victims tell CM
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BJP hails decision
Joshi calls rollback move a victory of traders
Tribune impact
Ranike lied on Shagun funds: Jakhar
49 years on, employee gets his pension
Fund shortage delays DNA testing of Ajnala martyrs’ remains
3 weeks on, cops fail to crack SAD leader’s murder case
Despite low quality coal, PSPCL mulls paying
Rs 30 cr to supplier
PU earned Rs 14.26 cr from re-evaluation fee in 10 yrs
3 children drown in Rajpura pond
Centre must ensure security of UP Sikhs: MP
Abolishing affidavits saves govt crores
Proposal to develop Anandpur Sahib as tourism hub
Ludhiana doc’s work makes it to world journal
Protesting ETT teachers get Cong, AAP support
Lambi segment also victim of govt ‘bias’
Ex-servicemen demand more funds for OROP
Only one government school figures in Hoshiarpur’s online directory
Give possession date on booking: Consumer panel
Health deputy director, son attacked
‘Tantrik’ dupes woman of gold ornaments
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BJP pressure works, govt to withdraw advance tax
Chandigarh, July 29 The government has ordered withdrawal of the controversial amendment made in the Punjab VAT Act, 2005, for ‘availing input tax credit’ that, among other things, necessitated the advance tax. Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal has asked the Excise and Taxation Department to draft an ordinance and present it for approval in the next Cabinet meeting. The trading community was on the warpath for over a month seeking withdrawal of the amendment, described by traders and industrialists as an “unnecessary burden”. They were holding protests at the district level and were even mulling to gherao the BJP’s Chandigarh office in case the SAD-BJP government had failed to withdraw the amendment. Interestingly, senior BJP leaders and Cabinet Ministers Anil Joshi and Chuni Lal Bhagat and Chief Parliamentary Secretary KD Bhandari had to assure the traders that they would join the stir if the amendment was not revoked. The withdrawal of the amendment, it is learnt, was effected following a telephonic discussion between BJP MLA Manoranjan Kalia and Sukhbir today. Kalia had earlier raked up the issue at a meeting with Sukhbir in Chandigarh where the Financial Commissioner (Taxation) and the Excise and Taxation Commissioner were also present. After the development, both Sukhbir and Kalia have appealed to the traders and industrialists to cancel their proposed dharna. Traders’ associations had met the Deputy Chief Minister recently and apprised him of some suggestions into the VAT Act to check evasion of Input Tax Credit (ITC). Sukhbir, who is also heading the Excise and Taxation portfolio, has now asked the department to extend the deadline for filing returns till August 20 and provide an option to the traders to file their returns as per previous practice. “To redress the grievances of the trading community, the government will amend the clause 13 (1) of the Punjab VAT Act through an ordinance,” Sukhbir has assured. Kapil Bajaj and Munish Nagpal, two Jalandhar-based traders, said they were planning to hold a state-level protest in case the amendment was not revoked. “The amendment had created so many complications that it had become almost an impossible task for the traders and industrialists to furnish the requisite data,” said Ashwani Kohli, vice-president of the Punjab Chamber of Small Exporters. “It is good that the government has corrected its folly,” said Ravinder Dhir of the Industry and Traders Joint Action Committee, which representing 110 related associations. What’s the fuss all about * The Input Tax Credit (ITC) was a concession granted by the state government against output tax liability on the sale or purchase of goods within the state jurisdiction *
In October last year, the state Cabinet had amended Section 13 (1) of Punjab VAT Act *
This amended provision was also passed by the Punjab Assembly in its recent Budget session *
The amendment enshrined that the ITC would not be available unless such goods were sold or used in the manufacturing or processing of goods meant for sale in the state *
The government’s aim behind amending the Act was to control tax evasion caused through bogus billings *
The traders, however, protested the amendment, claiming they would now have to pay advance tax on goods that were yet to be sold and lay in their shops Punjab’s tax sum-up 2,49,421 registered traders in Punjab 1,063 of them — the Excise Department claims the figure is too less — pay annual tax of over
Rs 1 crore 85% of the total VAT is collected through payments by the category of traders paying
Rs 1 crore and above tax 15% is the VAT share from other traders which, the government claims, is too less Govt’s plea in favour 72,370 traders, the government contends, deposited tax less than Rs 1 lakh last year 1,44,758 registered dealers did not pay any tax, the Excise Dept claims
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No VAT refund, Cong raps govt
Chandigarh, July 29 PPCC chief Partap Singh Bajwa alleged that the issue had been brought to the notice of the government several times, but to no avail. "Rampant corruption prevails in the Excise and Taxation Department, which is with Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal. Sukhbir is considered to be a management expert and he has vowed to make the system transparent to end corruption. But he has failed here,” said Bajwa. He alleged the VAT refund had not been given for the last several months and the arrears amounted to hundreds of crores. “How can the traders prosper when the government is putting unnecessary financial burden on the community,” he asked.
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CM tells senior leaders to converge on Patiala
Chandigarh, July 29 SAD MLAs and other leaders from at least 11 districts, including Fatehgarh Sahib, Nawanshahr, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Hoshiarpur, Sangrur, Kapurthala, Mohali, Ropar, have been deputed to campaign in Patiala. Education Minister Daljit Singh Cheema, who has been appointed campaign coordinator in Patiala, said: "We have formulated our election strategy. The campaign will begin in a few days from now." Cabinet Minister Surjit Singh Rakhra, who lives in Patiala, will also campaign in the constituency. Party leaders from various districts will reach the royal city soon. They have been assigned tasks by Badal and SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal. Party leaders would be put on duty booth-wise. Cheema, who visited Patiala today, to draw a campaign strategy, said the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister would campaign in both Patiala and Talwandi Sabo constituencies. The BJP would also depute its leaders in both these segments to campaign for SAD candidates. Sources said SAD MLAs and leaders from other 11 districts had been told to report at Talwandi Sabo. Ministers such as Sikander Singh Maluka, Janmeja Singh Sekhon, Sharanjit Singh Dhillon and others will campaign in Talwandi Sabo where the party has fielded Jeet Mohinder Singh Sidhu, a former Congress MLA, who joined the SAD a few months ago. A three-time MLA, Sidhu is pitted against his old rival Congress candidate Harminder Singh Jassi and AAP candidate Balkar Singh Sidhu, a known Punjabi singer. Meanwhile, former Chief Minister and Amritsar MP Capt Amarinder Singh held a dinner meeting with his close confidants here last evening to finalise the election strategy for the Patiala constituency. The sources said the dinner was hosted for Capt Amarinder Singh by some Congress MLAs to felicitate him on his becoming the deputy leader of the party in the Lok Sabha. Though all Congress MLAs were invited, around 30 turned up, it is learnt. "No politics is associated with the dinner. It was just a get together to felicitate Captain," said a Congress MLA. The sources said to counter the SAD election strategy, Capt Amarinder Singh would depute senior party functionaries to handle the campaign in Patiala, a constituency he has represented three times in a row since 2002. Preneet Kaur, three-time Patiala MP, is contesting the Assembly election for the first time.
Pull up socks, Dy CM tells leaders
* He divided the constituency into 13 zones. Each zone will be headed by a senior leader * He told the party rank and file to pull up socks to ensure a thumping win for the party
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Name those behind drug trade, parents of drug victims tell CM
Chandigarh, July 29 Seeking a CBI probe into the functioning of the drug mafia in Punjab, parents of the victims today criticised the Punjab Government for not acting against drug cartels and the Punjab Police for not going after the big fish involved in the trade. The Progressive Lawyers’ Forum, the former DGP (Jails), Shashi Kant, and the Dr AK Banerjee-run Sadbhawana Society has decided to file a PIL in the Punjab and Haryana High Court to seek compensation for the affected parents. “We hold Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal responsible for the death of our children,” said Pradesh Congress leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira. He was accompanied by Dr Banerjee, Paramjit Singh Ranu, Gurdev Singh, Seema Rani and Kamla Devi. “The drug trade in Punjab has reached more than Rs 1 lakh crore annually. Pakistan smuggler Daud’s Punjab-based area commanders facilitate safe passage of drugs meant for the US,” Shashi Kant alleged. “The Chief Minister should free the Punjab Police from the clutches of politicians and jathedars,” said Khaira. Dr Ranu said it was sad that persons holding constitutional positions were doing nothing to curb drug trade in the state. " The two main political parties are busy giving a clean chit to each other on the issue," he observed. Dr Banerjee said he had met President Pranab Mukherjee after the death of his 24-year-old son Abhishek. “The purpose of my life now is to unmask those behind the drug trade.The police closed investigations into my son's death, describing the case to be that of drug overdose, even before it received a postmortem report. I was threatened by a DCP not to pursue the case,” alleged Dr Banerjee. He played a video clip to show that the police had “destroyed” evidence after his son was found dead in his car in Ludhiana last month.
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BJP hails decision
Chandigarh, July 29 In a statement, Sharma said: “Withdrawing this amendment is a welcome decision. It will provide relief to traders across the state. I thank the state government for respecting the sentiments of the trading community.” He claimed that he had himself taken up the matter with the Deputy CM and the Chief Minister. "The BJP is committed to protecting the rights of the traders," he added. The BJP chief claimed that the party was “committed to protect the rights of the traders”.
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AAP MPs seek better, bigger houses
New Delhi, July 29 Three of the party MPs are miffed at the small accommodation offered to them by the House Committee headed by BJP leader Kirit Somaiya. Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann, Patiala MP Dharamvir Gandhi and Faridkot MP Sadhu Singh Dharamsot have submitted representations to Somaiya seeking better accommodation after the House Committee allocated them flats in North Avenue. Bhagwant wants a house in Lutyen's Delhi. " Why should I not be given the sprawling bungalow that my predecessor Vijay Inder Singla occupied in the upmarket Mahadev Road area? Singla was also a first-time MP when he was allotted the bungalow. Why can’t I get this house? The North Avenue flat is like a pigeonhole,” he says. It is learnt that Mann has in his petition to Somaiya demanded a better house citing his celebrity status. Sources close to Mann say the Lok Sabha House Committee has provisions under which better houses can be allotted to celebrity MPs who have done the country proud. The list this time is long. The Lok Sabha has several celebrities like Paresh Rawal, Kirron Kher and Babul Supriyo. Dharamvir Gandhi has asked Somaiya for a three-bedroom house instead of a two-bedroom flat. He says he needs a bigger house to accommodate the three Punjab Police personnel attached to his security. Somaiya, it is learnt has marked Gandhi’s petition to the Home Department. Dharamsot reportedly wrote to the House Committee after he was allotted a “condemned flat" at North Avenue. “The house is in ruins. I will not occupy it. I need a bigger house as I have two police personnel in my security wing,” said Dharamsot. Harinder Singh Khalsa, a second-time MP, is the sole MP happy with his accommodation. He has been allotted the house that he had asked for in the posh Tilak Lane locality. Rules state that first-time MPs are eligible for North Avenue flats. But former first-timer MPs Partap Singh Bajwa and Vijay Inder Singla had managed to get bungalows.
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Joshi calls rollback move a victory of traders
Patiala, July 29 Cabinet Minister Anil Joshi told The Tribune that once the traders brought that matter to his notice, the state cadre of the BJP, including senior BJP leader Shanta Kumar and state BJP chief Kamal Sharma, took up the matter with Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. “We were not willing for any compromise other than a rollback on this draconian rule that has spoiled the trade atmosphere in the state,” he said. The BJP was willing to go to any extent to ensure relief for the traders, he added. Joshi said there was no politics behind the decision and it was a genuine demand of the traders and, therefore, the BJP took it up. “It is a victory of traders as they were rightly feeling harassed due to this VAT provision,” he said. Rakesh Gupta, president of The Patiala Vyopar Bachao Sangharsh Committee, said, “We were against this as no trader can anytime have exact knowledge of the stock available in his godown and, therefore, claiming tax time and again is a cumbersome procedure as many shopkeepers are not highly educated.” “In its effort to punish 99 culprits, if the law punishes even one innocent, it is unconstitutional,” he said.
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Tribune impact
Batala, July 29 The Tribune had highlighted a few days ago how the MC authorities, in gross violation of norms, were asking residents to clear their pending dues before they could get these documents. Acting on the report, Gurdaspur Deputy Commissioner Dr Abhinav Trikha “verbally” communicated his displeasure to the MC officials, following which the controversial order was officially rescinded. It could have snowballed into a major controversy with harried residents and politicians, cutting across party lines, joining hands to take on the MC. Senior officials had admitted off the record that the order was in violation of the fundamental right of residents to procure birth and death
certificates. Batala halqa in charge (area chief) and former MLA LS Lodhinangal had threatened to take up the issue with Chief Minister Parkash Singh
Badal. Officials were not even willing to show the controversial order to residents, forcing Harinder Singh, a former councillor of ward no. 18 and advocate Kanwaljit Singh to file an RTI to get a copy of the order. Residents have now heaved a sigh of relief. “We were being unnecessarily harassed by MC officials. How can they ask a resident to pay sewerage and water supply charges for issuing birth and death certificates? The order clearly violated the fundamental rights of citizens because getting these certificates is the right of a citizen and nobody can stop him or her from procuring these documents,” said social activist Vinod
Sachdeva. The order was issued on April 25 last year but MC officials claim it was a continuation of an order issued on three earlier occasions. “We knew residents were suffering but it was our way to mop up revenue for the cash-strapped MC. We knew that the order violated all norms but we had no option except to implement it,” claimed a senior MC official on the condition of anonymity.
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Ranike lied on Shagun funds: Jakhar
Abohar, July 29 Leader of the Opposition, Sunil Jakhar, today said that after Congress legislators staged a dharna at the Chief Minister’s residence Ranike had announced that directions had been issued to deposit the shagun money in the bank account of the beneficiaries. But a cross-check clearly indicated that the minister had lied. He said that inquiries made from district offices revealed that 27,000 applications were pending in different districts and 1,325 applicants were from the Abohar segment. — OC
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49 years on, employee gets his pension
Chandigarh, July 29 The orders on a petition filed by Kabal Singh nearly 22 years ago are significant as primarily two issues were before the high court in his case — whether he had forfeited his right to pension on the ground that he had voluntarily resigned from service and was the state liable to pay pension. Kabal Singh was appointed driver in Punjab Roadways in August 1951 after serving in the military from October 1942 to August 1948. He was confirmed on the post, but resigned voluntarily at Ambala on August 24, 1965. Later, he claimed pension on the basis of a circular issued by Punjab Director, State Transport Department, in January 1985. It said employees confirmed on November 1, 1955, would be entitled to pension if they “refunded the component of state contribution of interest in contributory provident fund scheme”. But the claim was denied by the Haryana Roadways as a successor institution after the reorganisation. The only point taken was that he was not entitled to pension since he had resigned from service. His counsel asserted that the Civil Services Rules applicable to Haryana stated that resignation from service, unless allowed to be withdrawn in public interest or by the appointing authority, entailed forfeiture of past service. But the provision was not applicable to cases where resignation was not with intent to evade punishment but due to domestic reason. Taking up the matter, Justice Kannan asserted: “I find such an argument to be unacceptable but I will not hold out my objection since that is incidentally the view expressed by the Division Bench in Om Parkash versus Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary to Government of Haryana and another. I find myself bound by the ruling of the Division Bench and hold that the denial of pension cannot, therefore, be upheld. “Since the voluntary resignation has taken place before the Act, as per clause 2, the liability shall be on the state of Punjab… The future payments shall also be done by the state of Punjab and the entitlement to refund or apportionment shall be worked out by the state by engaging the appropriate authorities with the state of Haryana”. Relief, finally *
Kabal Singh, an ex-serviceman, was working with the Punjab Roadways *
He had put in his papers due to "domestic reasons" before the Punjab Reorganisation Act *
The government had contended that the pension could not be given as Kabal Singh had resigned voluntarily *
But, the HC maintained that since the voluntary resignation took place before the Act, as per clause 2, the liability shall be on the state of Punjab.
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Fund shortage delays DNA testing of Ajnala martyrs’ remains
Amritsar, July 29 A committee comprising members of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Punjab's Cultural Affairs Department and Panjab University's experts on forensic science and anthropology had visited Ajnala in April and taken the mortal remains into their possession. Talking to The Tribune, Dr JS Sherawat, Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, Panjab University, said: "The mortal remains are lying in two boxes with the Department of Cultural Affairs as the work on DNA profiling could not take off due to lack of funds and space." He said though the university had made it clear that it was ready to provide proper space for the work, the state government was yet to grant funds for the same. He said the government had not even paid remuneration to research scholars who had visited Ajnala as a part of the expert team on April 30. He said two more boxes containing the mortal remains of martyrs were lying at the site in Ajnala. Though the remains kept in Chandigarh were safe, the ones at the site might get deteriorated with the passage of time, he said. The experts, who had visited the site, were not happy with the way the mortal remains were dug out as they felt that the "unscientific excavation" had damaged a majority of the remains. Two boxes of bones and teeths, which were in somewhat good condition, were preserved and deposited with the Department of Cultural Affairs. The DNA testing of the remains is likely to establish age, gender and physique of the martyrs who laid down their lives during the uprising. Navjotpal Singh Randhawa, Director, Cultural Affairs, Museums, Archives and Archaeology, refused to comment. Amarjit Singh Sarkaria, president, Gurdwara Shaheed Ganj Committee, said they still had big bones in their possession which they intended to preserve and showcase in the museum that they planned to raise at the historic site. He said they would perform the last rites of the remains in Ajnala on August 1 for which the state government had provided them land. It was the gurdwara committee which along with researcher Surinder Kochhar had excavated these remains from the historic well early this year. Historical facts Sources said around 500 soldiers raised a banner of revolt at Mian Mir Cantonment in Lahore as a part of the 1857 uprising and swam across the Ravi to reach Ajnala. Out of them, 218 were killed by the British at Dadian Sofian village, near here, while the remaining 282 were incarcerated in a cage-like room where many of them died of asphyxiation. Following the orders from the then British Deputy Commissioner Fredrick Cooper, the rest were shot dead before their bodies were thrown in a well which later came to be known as Kallianwala Khu as the British used to call Indians kale (black). Recoveries made At least 90 skulls, 170 intact jaws, 26 skeletons joined with skulls and more than 5,000 teeth have been recovered from the historic well. Besides, the excavating team also recovered 70 Re 1 coins of the East India Company dating back to 1830-40, two British medals, gold beads, three gold amulets, four rings, four bangles, a few bullets and other articles were also found from the well
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3 weeks on, cops fail to crack SAD leader’s murder case
Moga, July 29 Sources said the police picked up four persons for questioning, but nothing concrete came out. Param Gill, the younger son of the deceased Akali leader, who is an American film-maker and actor, alleged that the police was not taking the case seriously. “I think the police are working under political pressure. The intra-party politics within the Akali Dal at the local level is coming in the way of solving this case,” he said. Param has directed and acted in “Politics of Love”, “Hotel Hollywood” and “Rockin Meera”. Gill was an influential leader who remained chairman of Moga Market Committee and Moga Improvement Trust during the previous Congress government. He later joined the Akali
Dal.
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Despite low quality coal, PSPCL mulls paying
Rs 30 cr to supplier
Patiala, July 29 A meeting of the PSPCL Board of Directors over the release of payment to Panem is scheduled to be held on Wednesday. According to senior PSPCL officials, the recent developments assume significance as Punjab faced a tough paddy season due to poor coal supply and had to resort to power cuts. "Not only the quantity of coal supply was less but its quality during May and June was also poor on account of higher (more than 34 %) ash or lower (less than 4,000 Kcal per kg) gross calorific value (GCV)," they said. Without waiting for the third party test results as regards the quality of the coal supplied, a case for Rs 30-crore payment of freight for non-confirming racks (Rs 1 crore per rack) as interest bearing advance to the firm against the provisions of CPA has been put up for approval at the meeting. "The PSPCL is not even keen to get a written assurance from Panem that it will supply uninterrupted coal supply once the payment is released," said a top PSPCL official. Out of 73 racks supplied during April to June 2014 at Ropar, six were found to be of poor quality. Similarly 23 out of 60 racks supplied at Lehra and one out of 14 racks supplied at Bathinda were found to be of poor quality. As per the CPA, if non-confirming coal racks during a quarter are more than 5 per cent of the total racks supplied during that quarter, no payment on account of coal price and freight should be made to Panem. Panem has challenged the test results and asked for third party testing of samples of non-confirming racks. "I cannot comment if any payment will be released to Panem as it is government's policy and the decision pertaining to payment release is taken at the PSPCL top brass level," claimed Chief Engineer, Lehra Mohabbat, SK Puri. "Some non-confirming racks are there and the third party test report is pending," he said. A PSPCL expert committee had said in its findings in May 2014 that "the request made by Panem in its letters for ad hoc advances was beyond the provisions of coal purchase agreement dated August 30, 2006, and support in the form of advance payment is not permitted". Chief Engineer (Fuel) SK Goyal said though he would be in the Board of Directors meeting tomorrow, he would not like to comment on the issue. "Only the Chairman-cum-Managing Director KD Chaudhri can comment on it," he said. All efforts to contact Chaudhri proved futile as he did not respond to calls and text messages. Commenting on the coal supply, Director, Panem Coal Mines Limited, Bikash Mukherjee said their company was doing its best to serve the PSPCL better, but the PSPCL needed to be pragmatic and the release of funds would help strengthen coal supply. "The CPA was signed a long time ago and things have changed in the Naxal belt, where the coal mines are located. We need to discuss all these things in detail and only then we will be able to commit to regular coal supplies," Mukherjee said. Freight charges *
Panem has a mining contract with the PSPCL for the supply of coal from Punjab's captive coal mines in Jharkhand *
The coal supplied by it during May and June was less in quantity and poor in quality *
A third party report is awaited on the quality of supplied coal, but the PSPCL top brass is contemplating to release Rs 30 crore to the supplier as freight charges.
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PU earned Rs 14.26 cr from re-evaluation fee in 10 yrs
Muktsar, July 29 The average re-evaluation fee collected per year is around Rs 1.42 crore. The huge figures itself suggest that a large number of students are not satisfied with the existing marking system of the university. There are many such instances, where the students who could not even secure half of the pass percentage during the original marking of answer sheets, cleared the examination after the re-evaluation. The university, however, could not provide information about the total number of applications received for re-evaluation in various courses and the number of students whose marks increased after applying for re-evaluation of their papers and the reasons behind that. At present, the university charges Rs 350 as fee for re-evaluation of every paper from students pursuing undergraduate courses and Rs 400 for every paper from students of post-graduation courses. The cost of the re-evaluation form is Rs 200 for all courses. A law student, who cleared two papers after applying for re-evaluation last year, said, "It causes mental stress to students when they get unexpected results in examinations. The system must be made efficient to obviate the need for re-evaluation of papers. It also puts financial strain on students and their parents." Sometimes, other institutes had already closed admissions by the time the result of re-evaluation was declared by the university, he added. Saroj, Assistant Registrar, Re-evaluation-cum-Assistant Public Information Officer, said the fee for re-evaluation was enhanced or revised by the university authorities only after approval from the Syndicate.
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3 children drown in Rajpura pond
Patiala, July 29 Among the deceased were Sanjeev Kumar (13), Nitin Kumar (10) and Gurdhyan Singh (9). Shambhu Station House Officer (SHO) Mohinder Singh said five children had gone to the pond near to the village around 10.30 am. “Three of the children were young even as the water was quite deep. The trio started drowning as there was lot of slough. The children got stuck and could not come out,” he said. The SHO said the other two children ran to the village and called the residents for help. By the time the trio were rescued and taken to hospital, they breathed their last, he said. The villagers informed the police around 11 am. When the police team reached the hospital, the parents refused to get a post-mortem done on the victims’ bodies and cremated them in the evening. A pall of gloom descended on the village as the trio’s parents were inconsolable while the residents were in a state of shock.
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Centre must ensure security of UP Sikhs: MP
Fatehgarh Sahib, July 29 "The NDA Government should initiate steps for the security of Sikh living in Saharanpur so that such incidents do not recur," he said. He appealed to the people to maintain amity and foil the nefarious designs of anti-social elements to disturb peace.
Phoolka writes to Jathedar
Amritsar: Noted lawyer and AAP leader HS Phoolka has written to Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh, urging him to caution the Sikh community against getting into a conflict with any community in view of the recent clashes at Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh. Phoolka has said: “Some mischievous elements are out to disturb peace and are conspiring to pit the Sikhs against the people of other religions. The next six months are critical." — TNS
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Abolishing affidavits saves govt crores
Chandigarh July 29 As recommended by the Punjab Governance Reforms Commission, the Punjab Government has already done away with affidavits for 89 services. The initiative, say official sources, has resulted in an annual saving of Rs 600 crore. The move has been shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s awards for excellence in public administration. The Punjab Governance Reforms Commission was set up on the directions of Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal. The latter is keen on implementing e-governance in the state. The commission has so far submitted eight reports with 615 recommendations for 18 government departments. The recommendations are being implemented in phases.
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Proposal to develop Anandpur Sahib as tourism hub
Ropar, July 29 Chandumajra said he had brought the issue to the notice of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and a blueprint of the proposal would be sent to the Centre soon. The MP said Anandpur Sahib had historic and religious importance for the nation as it was the birth place of Khalsa that played a big role in protecting Hinduism and culture of the country. “It is surrounded by many other religious places, including Naina Devi and Khuralgarh Ravidass Mandir. The town is the gateway to Himachal Pradesh that attracts lakhs of people every year from various parts of the country,” he said. "I suggested to the Finance Minister to allocate funds for the purpose and he asked me to send a proposal in that regard," said Chandumajra. The town could be connected with railway line at Garhshankar so that it could be connected with Amritsar directly, he added. Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir-bound tourists pass through Ropar district and there was a big potential to develop Anandpur Sahib as a major tourist attraction. Following a positive response from the Finance Minister, steps were likely to be taken in that direction very soon, he said.
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Ludhiana doc’s work makes it to world journal
Chandigarh, July 29 Senior Resident in Department of Surgery, ESIC Model Hospital, Ludhiana, Dr Ranbir Singh attended the 14th world congress of Laparo-Endoscopic in Paris recently. His two papers, “Achieving critical view of safety in difficult cholecystectomy –An innovative technique” and “Choosing an ideal pressure to minimize post-operative pain following Laparoscopic cholecystectomy” highlighted the safety of laparoscopic gall bladder surgery and how to get best results from the procedure. The papers, according to Dr Ranbir Singh, have been accepted for publication in one of the best medical Journals of the world “Surgical Endoscopy & Interventional Techniques”. He was invited as an observer to the hepato-biliary centre being run by renowned surgeon Prof Henri Bismuth.
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Protesting ETT teachers get Cong, AAP support
Mohali, July 29 Punjab Congress president Partap Singh Bajwa and AAP member of Parliament Prof Sadhu Singh today visited the town to meet protesters. Bajwa said that the teachers should not hope for any justice from the state government. "Be ready to give appropriate reply to the government in the forthcoming byelections in Patiala and Talwandi Sabo," Bajwa said. Expressing similar sentiments, AAP leader Prof Sadhu Singh said the state government was least bothered about the grievances of teachers. "Several members of the ETT (tech 1) Unemployed Teachers Union have been putting up on a water tank for the past 12 days, but the government seems least bothered about them. Such a government should be removed by the people," he said. Meanwhile, ETT Teacher Union president JS Sdihu's indefinite fast entered the 10th day today. These teachers have been demanding that the schools which presently come under zila parishads and the teachers should be brought under the Punjab Education Department. The ETT (Tech 1) Unemployed Teachers Union has been demanding that their recruitment process should be restarted. Expect no justice: Cong The ETT teachers should not hope for any justice from this state government. Be ready to give an appropriate reply to the government in the forthcoming byelections in Patiala and Talwandi
Sabo. Partap Singh Bajwa, Punjab Cong chief Remove this govt: AAP Several members of the ETT (Tech 1) Unemployed Teachers Union have been protesting for the past 12 days, but the government seems least bothered about them. Such a government should be removed by the
people. Prof Sadhu Singh, AAP leader and MP
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Lambi segment also victim of govt ‘bias’
Muktsar, July 29 The constituency is divided into two parts: one towards Lambi and Dabwali (in Haryana) and the other towards Panniwala Fatta from Malout town. There are a number of differences between the two portions. While there is a good road network towards Dabwali, which towards Panniwala Fatta is in a poor condition. It also lacks facilities like RO water plants, village stadiums and educational infrastructure in comparison to the villages on the Malout-Dabwali and Sitto Gunno-Dabwali roads. The locals say that though the Chief Minister visits this area too on a regular basis, it is less developed in comparison to the other areas leading to Badal, the CM’s native village. “The focus has remained largely to develop the other part of this VVIP constituency. The national highway crosses from Lambi towards Dabwali and this may be a major reason of the development of that area. But, our villages too need equal facilities. One can easily observe the difference while travelling in both the areas,” said an octogenarian villager of Mohlan village, who claimed to be a SAD activist. He alleged that though the Badal family brought a number of projects to Lambi, Badal, Mahuana, Abulkhurana, Panjawa and Sikhwala villages, they did not contribute much towards Raniwala, Midda, Mohlan, Rattakhera or some other villages. Another resident of Raniwala village cited another reason for the poor road infrastructure: “A few private transporters have permits to ply their buses on this route. As such, the people mostly rely on government transport. One must travel on the Aspala-Raniwala road to know the ground reality. No repair work has been done since long.” Another resident alleged that the government had six months ago started work to widen and reconstruct the road from Midda to Chibbaranwali but the work was left midway. When contacted, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Development) Ramvir Singh said, “The government is equally developing all the villages. There is no biased approach. The Chief Minister holds Sangat Darshan in all villages on a rotational basis to know the ground reality himself.” In case the pace of ongoing works was slow somewhere, it would be taken care of, he said.
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Ex-servicemen demand more funds for OROP
Chandigarh, July 29 Addressing the media here today, members of the Punjab State Ex-Servicemen Welfare Association said the Narendra Modi government had made a budgetary allocation of Rs 1,000 crore for implementing OROP, which was “too less”. “If this amount is divided among the 22 lakh ex-servicemen, it comes to Rs 378 per month per person whereas the difference in the pension of pre-2006 and post-2006 retirees ranges from Rs 500 to Rs 8,000 per month,” Col KS Grewal (retd) of the association said. Claiming that Defence Minister Arun Jaitley was of the opinion that the said amount was sufficient to implement OROP, and that the government had conveyed to the defence accounts department to reduce expenditure, the ex-servicemen demanded that the government should allocate funds that were commensurate with the requirement of implementing OROP in totality.
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Only one government school figures in Hoshiarpur’s online directory
Hoshiarpur, July 29 This is evident from the directory of colleges/schools available on the official website of the district. Only one government school finds a mention on this site even though there is enough information on private schools. Besides, prestigious institutions such as the Sri Guru Ravidass University of Ayurveda is also not listed, nor is the Panjab University regional campus. The official website of Hoshiarpur — www.hoshiarpur.nic.in — has got a telephone directory containing phone numbers of various departments and institutions of public interest. The seventh page of the telephone directory (http://hoshiarpur.nic.in/html/telephone_directory.htm) deals with colleges and schools. This page has a total of 27 educational institutions mentioned in it, eight of which are colleges and the rest are ITIs and schools. Eight out of the 10 schools in this list are private schools. All the convent schools, in or around the city, have been mentioned in the directory but not the government schools. Only Government Senior Secondary School, Railway Mandi, is mentioned in the list, the last one being Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Mehmowal. Government Senior Secondary School, Clock Tower (in the heart of city); Government High school, Nai Abadi; Kamalpur Government High School; Government High School, Piplanwala; Bagpur Government Senior Secondary School; Government Senior Secondary School, Chabbewal; Government Senior Secondary School, Nasrala; Government High School, Meghowal; and others are not listed. Moreover, government aided schools in Hoshiarpur are also not in the directory. The 115-year-old DAV Senior Secondary School, SD Senior Secondary School, LSD High School, Bassi Daulat Khan; SBAC senior secondary School, Bajwara; Guru Nanak Khalsa High School for Girls, Khalsa School Purheeran are all within or on the ourskirts of the district headquarters but none of them is mentioned in the directory. The SBAC School, Bajwara, which has former Union minister Ambika Soni as chairperson of its management committee, has also been left out. Priority given to private schools *
In the telephone directory on the official website of Hoshiarpur — www.hoshiarpur.nic.in — eight out of the 10 schools mentioned are private schools. All the convent schools, in or around the city, have been listed *
Besides these, details of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Mehmowal, and only one government school (in Railway Mandi) have been provided.
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Give possession date on booking: Consumer panel
New Delhi, July 29 Accepting the booking amount from consumers “without giving them any firm date of handing over the possession of the plot is a deceptive practice which falls within the meaning of unfair trade practice as defined under the Act,” the commission has held. Justice VB Gupta, presiding member, gave the ruling while dismissing an appeal by Emaar MGF Land Ltd, Chandigarh, against an order of the state commission in favour of two Chandigarh residents. The latter had sought a refund of about Rs 62 lakh each. They had paid the amount for plots at Mohali Hills, Sector 104, which were not handed over to them within 18 months (May 21, 2013). The company had contended that under the buyers’ agreement, there was a provision (Clause 8) only for penalty at the rate of Rs 50 per square yards per month for any delay in handing over the possession and not for refund and that this aspect had been ignored by the state commission. But the national commission noted that the company had executed the agreement only after taking a substantial sum of Rs 10.78 lakh at the time of booking. It said the provisional allotment letter issued to the buyers thereafter “is of no help to the appellants.” Observing that the builder “wants to have the cake and eat it too,” the commission said that such unscrupulous acts that compelled the consumer to run from one forum to another “should be dealt with a heavy hand.” It slapped a cost of Rs 5 lakh on the builder for filing a frivolous appeal.
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Health deputy director, son attacked
Abohar, July 29 Some persons tried to chase the miscreants but they escaped through a small exit gate. Preliminary investigation reportedly indicated that the duo had gone to the park for a walk. Three men reportedly tried to harass the duo’s women family members, who were walking at a distance. The duo objected to it, which enraged the miscreants, who attacked them with a knife. Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Jagdish Bishnoi and station house officers reached the park and flashed a message to check crossings but in vain. Meanwhile, members of the local unit of Indian Medical Association held a meeting today to express concern over the incident. Later in the afternoon, a deputation led by Jagdish Chander Takkar, senior medical officer, Civil Hospital, met Sub-Divisional Magistrate Rajpal Singh and submitted a memorandum to apprise him of the anguish of the medical fraternity as most of the doctors regularly visited Nehru Park. The doctors said policemen should be deployed there to ensure safety. The incident also drew flak from local residents, who said the park, which was centrally located, should have a security cover for the visitors. The incident Preliminary investigation reportedly indicated that the duo had gone to Nehru Park with their family for a walk. Three men reportedly tried to harass the duo’s women family members, who were walking at a distance. The duo objected to it, which enraged the miscreants, who attacked them with a knife.
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‘Tantrik’ dupes woman of gold ornaments
Hoshiarpur, July 29 Complainant Harwinder Kaur of Dadiana Khurd alleged that she had contacted the tantrik over phone after reading his advertisement in a newspaper. He and his aide took all her gold jewellery on the pretext of a tantrik procedure, which they said would last for three days.
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Three children of Gardinagar village in Rajpura drowned while bathing in a pond today. Though the villagers rushed the trio to a hospital in
Banur, doctors there declared them brought dead.
Though Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal is paying much attention to development in his home constituency
Lambi, this VVIP segment too is a victim of alleged biased approach of the state government.
A section of ex-servicemen today demanded that the government should allocate more funds for implementing the promised One Rank-One Pension
(OROP) scheme as well as for the payment of arrears that arose due to removal of anomalies in the Sixth Pay Commission.
Health Department deputy director Rakesh Arora and his medico son Saurabh Arora were attacked by some miscreants with a knife at Nehru Park in Abohar on Monday night. They were shifted to Nehru Memorial Civil Hospital by some
doctors, who were also present there.
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Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal on Tuesday launched party's campaign for the Talwandi Sabo byelection (see
pic)
Gill was shot at on July 8 from a close range near his house. He succumbed to his injuries at a hospital in Ludhiana on July 18. Though the police took away the hard drive of a CCTV camera installed by a Gill’s neighbour to get some clues, it failed to identify the faces of the assailants. The police reportedly deleted the video while extracting the file from the hard drive.