BADAL MEETS UNION RAILWAY MINISTER AND
SEEKS A SPECIAL PACKAGE TO STRENGTHEN RAILWAY INFRASTRUCTURE IN
PUNJAB
Chandigarh February 9:
In a significant development, Union Railway Minister Mr. Lalu
Prasad Yadav today agreed in principal to create world class Railway
infrastructure in Punjab thereby upgrading the existing railway
stations and constructing a series of new over and over under
bridges throughout the state.
An assurance to this effect was given by Mr. Yadav to Punjab
Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal in his office at New Delhi.
Taking part in the deliberation Mr. Badal urged the Union Railway
Minister for the raising and re-modeling of 17 submerged railway
bridges in the districts of Muktsar, Ferozepur and Bathinda.
Mr. Badal also raised the issue of the conversion of cattle
crossing gate at village Biring Khera in block Lumbi of Distirct
Muktsar into a manned crossing railway gate. He assured the Union
Railway Minister that the state government was willing to deposit
Rs. 1.25 crore.
He also demanded that the Gidderbaha railway under bridge from
Malout should be remodeled on the priority as the funds has already
been deposited by the state government with the ministry of railway.
Mr. Badal also pointed out that the construction of railway over
bridge in Gidderbaha should be cleared by the Ministry of Railway
immediately as the state government was ready to bear 100% expenditure
of this project besides the execution of this project on its own.
He also asked the Union Railway Minister to setup a railway station
at village Daula in Gidderbaha block in district Muktsar.
The Chief Minister also impressed upon Mr. Yadav to immediately
accord approval for running a tourist luxury train in the state.
It may be recalled that the state government had already deposited
Rs. 3 crore out of total share of Rs. 13 crore. He asked the Union
Railway Minister to direct the Railway Board for signing MoU in
this regard as per the erlier terms and conditions of 50:50 sharing
between the state government and the Ministry of railway.
The Chief Minister also urged Mr. Yadav for the up gradation
of railway station of Jalandhar and Ludhiana as per international
slandered.
Mr. Badal also requested the Union Railway Minister to direct
the Freight Corridor Corporation of India to decide the location
of logistics parks on Ludhiana-Ambala section. He also demanded
the laying of new railway lines from Tarn Taran to Goindwal, Rama
Mandi to Mour Mandi for these projects survey has already been
conducted by the Ministry of Railways. Likewise Patti-Amritsar-Khemkaran-Malanwal
(Ferozepur-Jalandhar) line should be provided with alternate routs
from Delhi-Bathinda- Amritsar-Jammu. Mr. Badal also urged Mr.Yadav
to immediately sanction a rail- road bridge on river satluj at
Makhu on Ferozepur-Jalandhar line. He also sought Ministry of
Railways approval for allowing constriction on the both sides
of the railway lines. He also demanded for the sanction of railway
under bridge at Anaj Mandi in Kurali of S.A.S Nagar (Mohali).
The Chief Minister sought Union Railway Minister personnel intervention
for an early clearance of the proposal for the construction of
18 railway bridges in different districts of the state to reduce
the traffic congestion and smooth movement of the vehicular traffic,
which was normally caused at the railway crossings.
Mr. Yadav assured the Chief Minister that all the issues taken
up by him relating to the up gradation of railway infrastructure
in terms of the construction of new railway over and under bridge,
railway stations and railway lines would be materialized in a
time bound manner. He said since Punjab was a border state and
it was the endeavour of the Ministry of Railways to strengthen
the railways which would not only bring prosperity in the state
but also boost the prospects of agriculture and industry considerably.
The Chief Minister was accompanied by a special Principal Secretary
Mr. K.J.S. Cheema, Principal Resident Commission Punjab Bhawan
Delhi Ms. Anjali Chib Duggal.
BADAL THANKS UNION HOME MINISTER FOR VISITING
PUNJAB
Urges Early Consideration of Demands of Boarder Area
Chandigarh February 9, 2008
Punjab Chief Minister S, Parkash Singh Badal thanked Union Home
Minister Shivraj Patil for visiting the border areas of Punjab
yesterday. Mr. Patil had visited the border areas of Gurdaspur
district and interacted with local people to apprise himself of
the problems being faced by them.
Mr.Badal, while expressing his gratitude, stated that he had
urged the Union Home Minister to visit Punjab for an on the spot
assessment of the farmers living near the border fence. The state
government had been regularly taking up the matter with both the
Home Ministry and Planning Commission for compensating the farmers
on an annual basis through a grant of atleast Rs. 10,000 per acre
to offset the monetary lose being caused to them on account of
the numerous restrictions imposed upon them by the BSF. "We
are happy that the Union Home Minister has been able to appreciate
the multifarious problems faced by these hard-working farmers"
said Mr. Badal. He hoped that the Union Government would be able
to sanction the required sum of around Rs. 20 crore to mitigate
the economic lose to the farmers. Mr Badal further added that
unlike in other states, all land along the border in Punjab was
cultivable and was under plough right till the Zero line.
Mr. Badal also requested the Union Home Minister to increase
the Punjab's allocation under the Border Area Development Programmes
so that the state may be able to plough the infrastructural bottlenecks
in the border districts to bring them at par with the rest of
the state.
CABINET APPROVES UNIFORM RATE OF RELIEF
FOR DAMAGED CROPS DUE TO WATER LOGGING OR FLOODS
CHANDIGARH FEBRUARY 8:
The Punjab Cabinet under the chairmanship of Punjab Chief Minister
Mr. Parkash Singh Badal today approved to grant uniform rate of
relief for the loss of crops due to water logging or floods between
the years 2002-2007 at the fixed rate of Rs.1000 per acre per
crop.
Disclosing this here today a spokesman of the Punjab Government
said that the enhancement of relief would entail additional funds
to the tune of Rs.1,97,57,000 for the districts of Muktsar, Faridkot
and Tarn Taran. It may be recalled that as a one time package
of relief for the farmers affected by the 'SEM' (Water Logging)
for which earlier an amount of Rs.2.41 crore was sanctioned.
The Cabinet also decided to accord ex-post facto approval to
the amended Memorandum of Understanding and also to acquire and
transfer 304.04 acres of land (instead of 300 acres approved earlier)
to the Joint Venture (JV) Company for the development of International
Civil Terminal at Mohali and also accord its approval for the
acquisition of land required for the approach roads to be separately
notified for acquisition by the Department of Housing and Urban
Development.
The Cabinet also approved the summoning of 4th session of 13th
Punjab Vidhan Sabha from February 29 to March 26, 2008 instead
of February 25 to March 19, 2008 as approved earlier. The session
would now begin with Governor's Address on February 29. The Cabinet
also authorized the Chief Minister for the finalization of the
schedule of the Budget Session beside approving the Governor's
address.
The Cabinet also gave ex-post facto approval for relaxation in
guidelines of Punjab Nirman Programme for signing a memorandum
of understanding with Naandi Foundation for supply of potable
water in Gidderbaha area.
The Cabinet also gave a go ahead for making amendment in section
18 (1) (i) of the Punjab Security of Land Tenures Act, 1953 through
the introduction of bill in the forthcoming session of Punjab
Vidhan Sabha. The basic objective of the amendment is to enhance
the minimum period of tenancy from six years to ten years in case
of tenant of a land owner other than a small land owner, who has
been in continuous occupation of land comprise in his tenancy.
The Cabinet also gave approval for amending section 1, 2, 5 and
45 of Punjab Apartment and Property Regulation Act, 1995 and Rules
10 and 14 of Punjab Apartment and Property Regulations Rules,
1995 through the introduction of the bill in the forthcoming session
of Punjab Vidhan Sabha.
The Cabinet also approved the Audit Reports, Finance Accounts
and Appropriation Accounts for the year 2006-07, besides making
amendment in the Punjab Revenue Patwaris (Class-III) services
rules, 1966.