Surinder Kumar Goyal presented
state award
Chandigarh, September 12, 2008
Mr. Surinder Kumar Goyal, Chief Engineer (Retd.) was today presented
the state award by Mr. Suresh Kumar, Secretary, Irrigation and
Power Punjab as Mr. Goyal was unable to reach at the State level
function held at Ludhiana on Independence Day.
It is pertinent to mention here that Mr. Goyal has worked in
the Department of Irrigation Punjab for over 36 years. He has
worked relentlessly in protecting the water rights of people of
Punjab. After his superannuation, he has been engaged as Consultant
to advise the Government in matters concerning Inter-State River
Waters. His techno-legal submissions and advice has largely and
effectively enabled the State in protecting its river waters.
Mr. Goyal played a pivotal role in preparing the Punjab Termination
of Agreements Act, 2004 and thereafter the submissions of State
Government before the Supreme Court of India in defending the
Act and the State against other conceited acts of our neighbouring
States to deny Punjab its legitimate water in the Supreme Court
of India.
Sukhbir fires flurry of
posers to Amarinder
Chandigarh September 12, 2008
The Shiromani Akali Dal president Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal today
unleashed a barrage of discomforting questions against the "tainted
and disgraced ex-leader of the Congress , Captain Amarinder Singh,
and said that the former Chief Minister should come clean on the
facts revealed in the House Committee report on the Rs 360 crore
corruption deal instead of taking shelter behind litigatory hair-splitting.
Mr. Badal also chided the former Chief Minister for "roaring
like a circus tiger on his willingness to face jail and yet shrieking
like decrepit an old fox and scurrying from one lawyer to another
to secure anticipatory bail." It is sad to see the brave
Captain fleeing the country within hours of any crises he faces.
We wish he had the courage of Sardar Parkash Singh Badal who refused
to come out of jail on bail even when his daughter was getting
married," said Sukhbir.
The Akali leader fired a series of hard hitting questions at
Captain Singh about the latter's indictment on charges of massive
Rs. 360 crore corruption in the Amritsar Improve Trust (AIT) land
scandal.
Expressing "utter amazement on the Congress leader's plea
that 'corruption committed during the life of the previous legislature
could not be probed by the present House', Mr. Badal asked, "Does
murder or rape or an act of corruption cease to be that merely
because there had been a change of government or a new assembly
is in place ? Is it Amarinder's case that a Vidhan Sabha can act
only when his own party happened to be in a majority? The Constitution
of India may well have to be amended to accommodate Amarinder's
royal views on politics. Is he really so sublimely unaware of
the expulsion of the Members of the Parliament in the 'cash for
query' case with the Congress led UPA in power at the centre?
The Maharaja indeed has a selective memory," said Sukhbir.
Continuing his barrage of pointed queries, Mr. Badal asked Amarinder
to come clean whether or not the agenda regarding the (REPEAT
agenda regarding the) the Amritsar Improvement Trust was tampered
with to carry out the Rs 360 crore land sell out? If it was tampered
with, then who did it, at whose instance and who was the principal
beneficiary? Was the state of Punjab not robbed of over Rs 400
crore in the entire deal? If it was, then whose pockets were lined
with this money?
Mr. Badal also asked Amarinder to clarify whether or not the
previous Vidhan Sabha had decided to set up a House Committee
to inquire into allegations of corruption in the case? Did the
then speaker not announce the setting up of this Committee on
the floor of the House in the presence of Amarinder himself? If
that was the case, then why and under whose pressure was the decision
unconstitutionally shelved by tampering with the record of the
most august and highest seat of democratic authority? Who ordered
the tampering, with what aim and for whose benefit? Mr. Sukhbir
Singh wanted Amarinder to tell the people of Punjab.
Mr. Badal also wanted Amarinder Singh to reply categorically
to the People of Punjab whether or not the former Chief Minister
had violated the policy laid down by his own government to give
exemption to 32.10 acres of land in the controversial deal? "Did
you not persistently and consistently over-rule the logical and
legal objections by officials at every stage and at every level
in this deal? Why was this done? Asked Sukhbir
The SAD president asked whether or not the decision to set up
a committee was taken unanimously by the present House in the
presence of Leader of the Opposition and Amarinder himself ?"Did
the Congress party not nominate its members to the Committee and
did these members not take active part in the proceedings of the
Committee during the investigation? Did they at any stage raise
any objections about the validity and constitutionality or even
fairness of the Committee? If not, then what really is the hue
and cry now about?
Mr. Sukhbir went on to ask why no member of the Congress party
had so far contested the findings of the Committee and why had
they confined themselves to raising legalistic queries about its
jurisdiction. "Not even Amarinder has questioned the basic
facts brought out by the Committee. All he is saying that this
Committee had no right to unearth his corruption. A funny argument
indeed." Mr. Badal asked Captain Amarinder Singh must address
himself to details of the corrupt deal instead of trying to prevaricate,
evade and confuse the issue through litigatory approach.
13 Engineers of PWD B&R and Mandi
Board Suspended for Poor Quality of Roads
Chandigarh, September 12, 2008
In an unprecedented move to ensure quality control in the public
utilities, the Punjab Chief Minister, Mr. Parkash Singh Badal
today placed under suspension 13 engineers of PWD (B&R) and
Punjab Mandi Board for poor quality of roads following an inquiry
report submitted by the technical Advisor to the Punjab Government
Lt. Gen. (Retd.) B.S Dhaliwal who headed a 3- Member Committee
comprising Chief Engineer cum Director (quality control) PWD and
Director Quality Control Punjab Mandi Board.
Disclosing this here today Chief Minister's Media Advisor, Mr.
Harcharan Bains said that the Chief Minister had directed the
committee to thoroughly probe in to the matter and fix accountability
of the erring officers/ officials involved in the poor quality
of construction of roads. The enquiry committee had recommended
to get the Ajnala- Ramdass and Amritsar- Dhandbir Road constructed
through the PWD B&R and Naushera Pannuan-Lohe ke kalan through
Mandi Board Banga- Garh Shankar road constructed under Pardhan
Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna repaired by the concerned contractors
with in two months at their on risk and cost as per the indemnity
bond submitted by them at the time of the allotment of work.
Mr. Bains further said the officers / officials placed under
suspension included., Executive Engineer Sarbjit Singh, Sub-Divisional
Engineer Parmjit Singh & Ajay Kumar, Junior Engineers for
the poor quality of surfacing of Ajnala- Ramdass and Amritsar-
Dhandbir Road. Likewise Executive Engineer V.K Dhir, Sub- Divisional
Engineer Major Singh, Junior Engineer Ashok Kumar and Executive
Engineer (Retd.) Ashok Lakanpal of Mandi Board for the poor quality
of Naushera Pannuan-Lohe ke kalan road. Similarly Executive Engineer
Arun Kumar, Ashdeep Singh, SDO Tarsem Raj and Junior Engineer
Rajinder Singh had been place under suspension for the braking
of Banga- Garh Shankar road.
SPECIAL LOK ADALAT AT LUDHIANA ON TODAY
Chandigarh September 12, 2008
A Special Lok Adalat would be organised on Saturday 13th September
at Ludhiana along with its sub-divisions under the Chairmanship
of Sh. Sh. G.K. Rai, District and Sessions Judge-cum-Chairman,
District Legal Services Authority, Ludhiana.
Disclosing this here today Mr. G.S.Bakshi Member Secretary, Punjab
Legal Services Authority said that in this Special Lok Adalat
is being graced by Hon'ble Mr. Justice Mehtab S. Gill -cum-Executive
Chairman, Punjab Legal Services Authority.
In this Special Lok Adalat a total no. of 31 Benches/Courts would
be set up out of which 27 benches for district Ludhiana, 2 benches
for Jagraon, one bench for Samrala and Khanna each would be set
up. He further added that in this Special Lok Adalat a total number
of 18052 pending and pre-litigative cases would be taken up for
disposal.
He added that this Special Lok Adalat is a good opportunity for
litigants to dispose of their cases by amicable settlement. The
award passed in Lok Adalat is final and no appeal shall lie against
these awards. Similar Special Lok Adalats are also being held
at various other Districts of Punjab.
Giving schedule of special Lok Adalats to be organized in the
various districts, he added that a special Lok Adalat would be
held at Patiala 27th September, Amritsar 25th October, Kapurthala
15th November, and Hoshiarpur on 29th November 2008.
He disclosed that since the authority was constituted in February
2008, the PLSA had organized 4797 Lok Adalats up to June, 2008.
In these Lok Adalats, 7,04,064 cases were taken up, out of which
3,88,728 cases were settled by way of compromise and the litigant
parties were awarded compensation to the tune of Rs. 1135,14,69,756/-.
He further stated that during the period from 1998 to June 2008,
the PLSA had also provided free legal aid to 32,200 persons that
include 3914 SC/STs, 16302 jail inmates, 4017 women and children
and 7967 poor persons.
DG PANDEY EMPANELLED ON CENTRAL DEPUTATION
Chandigarh September 12, 2008
The Union Government had cleared the way for bringing former
Chief Director Vigilance Bureau Punjab Mr. A.P.Pandey as Director
General at the Centre by clearing the case of his empanelment
at PMO level.
According to sources other than Pandey, 13 more IPS officers
of 1974 Batch were also empanelled by the Government of India
as DGs. There are 67 IPS officers of this batch but only 14 officers
were inducted into this panel. Those empanelled included police
chiefs of seven states like Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and
Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi.
Sources said that in a year's time, at least 6 top posts in central
forces are likely to get vacant and the above mentioned seven
police chiefs, including an Additional Director CBI of Tamilnadu
cadre are unlikely to move on central deputation, the later is
also superannuating within this year. It is likely that Mr. Pandey
could get top post central forces if Punjab Government relieves
him from his present posting as DG/VB, PSEB Patiala.
PUNJAB TO TAP 275 MW POWER FROM MINI HYDEL PROJECTS
Chandigarh September 12, 2008
S. Bikram Singh Majithia, Science, Technology, Environment &
NCES Minister today said that the Punjab Government has embarked
upon a ambitious plan to tap the potential of 275 MW Power from
the Mini Hydel projects at the canal falls and tail race of existing
Hydel channel etc. in the State.
Mr. Majithia was addressing a function after laying the Foundation
Stone of five mini hydel projects with total 5.3 MW capacity costing
to Rs.57 crore being executed on Abohar branch of Sirhind canal
at Khanpur bridge (RD23110), in district Ludhiana today. The five
Hydel projects were being executed at bridge-cum-falls of canal
at Khanpur (1.1MW capacity) at a cost of Rs. 12.60 crore , Sudhar
(1.4 MW capacity) at a cost of Rs. 13.20 crore, Akhara (capacity
1.1 MW) at the cost of Rs. 12.50 crores, Gholian (capacity 0.8
MW) at a cost of Rs. 9.50 crore and Channuwal (capacity of 0.9
MW) costing to Rs. 9.20 crore. M/s Abohar Power Generation Limited,
a reputed company in Hydel Power generation promised to complete
the execution of the projects within a period of one year positively.
Giving further details of the plan, the Minister informed that
out of the total 275 MW capacity at the canal falls and tail race
of existing hydel channel etc., 29.55 MW capacity project both
in the government and private sector are in operation and many
more projects of 34.5 MW capacity are under execution. He explained
that so far the hydraulic head upto 1.8 mt has been exploited
and most of the remaining sites on the canal falls have ultra
low head below 1.5 mt. The technologies are being identified suitable
for Ultra Low Head to harness the entire available hydro potential
on the canal falls in the State. He said that these projects shall
generate lot of direct and indirect employment in the State and
improve the quality of power in the rural areas.
Mr. Majithia said that Hydro power is an established technology
that can contribute the worldwide demand for an increasing level
of power supplied from renewable energy sources and generate power
with no emissions. He said that Small Scale Hydro Power projects
can provide economically attractive power generation options at
many locations with high level availability over a long operating
he added.
The Minister said that Mini Hydel projects on Abohar Branch Canal
off-takes from Bowani Head works near Doraha designed to carry
90 cusecs of water. Four mini hydel projects at Chupki, Narangwal,
Tugal and Dalla of PEDA with total 5.5 MW capacity were already
in operation with the World Bank funding. He claimed that during
the coming four years the target of generating of 100 MW from
hydel projects will be achieved at a cost of Rs. 1000 crore.
Mr. Majithia further said that NRSE Policy-2006 has been formulated
by the State Government for providing Fiscal and Financial incentives
to the Private Entrepreneurs/ Developers for development of the
Renewable Energy Projects in the State, under which PEDA has planned
to exploit the Renewable Energy Power potential form Biomass of
350 MW at cost of Rs. 1500 crore, the tenders for which had already
been floated.
Elaborating the future plans of PEDA Mr. Majithia said that
Punjab has become the first state in country by targeting to generate
500 MW solar power. He said that 140MW Cogeneration Projects at
different locations in the State are in operation and supplying
surplus power to the State Grid. He claimed that total 1000 MW
power generation will be added from all the renewable energy resources
in the State during the coming four years.
Describing the power sector, as the base requirement for the
development, the Minister said that during the next four years,
power projects of 8000 MW capacity were being executed approximately
at a cost of Rs 50,000/- crore in private sector making the state
power surplus. He said that the work on 1st Thermal Power Project
of 1980 MW capacity costing to Rs 10000 crore at Talwandi Sabo
had been started. He added that the work on three more thermal
power projects at Gowindwal Sahib of 600 MW, at Rajpura of 1500
MW capacity and at Giderwaha of 2640 MW capacity was being started
shortly.
Sh.T P S Sidhu, Chief Executive, PEDA, Sh. Manpreet Singh Ayali
Chairman Zila Parishad, S. Gurmail Singh Sangowal member SGPC,
Sh.Balour Singh, Director, PEDA and Sh.Parmodh Arora Executive
Director, M/s Abohar Hydro Power also spoke on this occasion.
PUNJAB CONSTITUTES SEARCH COMMITTEE FOR
APPOINTMENT OF NEW VC OF BABA FARID UNIVERSITY OF HEALTH SCIENCES
Chandigarh, September12, 2008
The Punjab Government today constituted a Search Committee for
appointment of new Vice Chancellor of Baba Farid University of
Health Sciences, Faridkot, as the term of present incumbent Dr.
Ravinder Singh is ending on October 23, 2008.
According to Mr. Tikshan Sud, Medical Education & Research
Minister a High Level Search Committee, with Prof. J.S. Bajaj,
Vice Chairman State Planning Board, Punjab as Chairman and with
Chief Secretary Mr. Ramesh Inder Singh, Prof. K.K.Talwar, Director
PGI Chandigarh, Prof. P.K.Dave Former Director, AIIMS New Delhi,
Dr. K.S. Chugh, Consultant Nephrologists, Dr. P. Ramachandran,
President National Academy of Medical Sciences, Lt. Gen (Retd.)
H.L Gulati, Armed Forces Medical Sciences, New Delhi and Secretary
Medical Education as Members, has been constituted for this purpose.
Mr. Sud said that Registrar, Baba Farid University of Health
Sciences would be the Member Secretary of the Search Committee.
He said that the Search Committee has been asked to submit a panel
of three names arranged alphabetically within one month for final
decision of government.
NAANDI FOUNDATION TO UNDERTAKE RO SYSTEM IN 500 MORE
VILLAGES IN PUNJAB
CHANDIGARH SEPTEMBER 12, 2008
The Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal today agreed
in principle to implement the Reverse Osmosis (RO) Project in
500 more villages by the Naandi Foundation to provide safe drinking
water in the rural areas of the state in view of its encouraging
response from the people of the Malwa belt.
Presiding over a meeting to review the progress of the Reverse
Osmosis scheme here, Mr. Badal complimented the members of the
Naandi team for the successfully launching the community based
Reverse Osmosis Safe Drinking Water Scheme in Gidderbaha area.
He said that the same scheme would be now replicated in other
parts of the state to ensure potable drinking water to the people.
Taking part in the deliberations National Director Naandi Gram
Organization Amit Jain pointed out that work on the RO system
in 60 villages of Muktsar and Bathinda districts would be completed
by November end. He said that Naandi Foundation was already working
in eight states on public-private partnership basis on issues
related to poverty eradication and community development. He also
mentioned that the foundation was running a mid-day meal scheme
for the school children and business school to impart training
to the unemployed youth to enable them to be gainfully employed.
Mr. Badal asked the Naandi foundation to also launch mid-day
meal scheme from one block in the state as a pilot project which
could be later on implemented in other blocks of the state to
cater the need of nourishment to the school children. The Chief
Minister also evinced keen interest in the proposal of business
school put forth by the Naandi foundation and asked Mr. Jain to
launch this scheme from Bathinda. The business school scheme was
aimed at imparting skill development training in the fields of
Information Technology, Hospitality and Retail Malls.
Prominent amongst others who were present in the meeting included
Principal Secretary to Chief Minister DS Guru, Secretary Water
Supply & Sanitation PS Aujla, Special Principal Secretary
to Chief Minister KJS Cheema, Additional Principal Secretary Gagandeep
Brar besides Regional Manager Operations Safe Drinking Water from
Naandi foundation Sandeep Kapoor
