Rs 1,900-crore Amritsar-Bathinda highway project set to take off

Chandigarh, June 16

The Public Works Department (PWD) is gearing up to initiate work on the four-laning of two important national highways allotted to it by the Union Ministry for Road Transport and Highways. These are Amritsar-Bathinda national highway via Verka-Tarn Taran-Mudki-Kotkapura-Baja Khanna-Jida and Jalandhar-Moga-Barnala-Khanuri (Sangrur).

"We have completed most of the paper work and the process is on to acquire land for widening the 175-km-long Amritsar-Bathinda highway, a project worth Rs 1900 crore. Documents have been submitted to seek mandatory clearances from the authorities concerned in the Centre. The project will have a bypass at Nehurashara Pannua, Zira, Harik, Talwandi and Kotkapura," said Ashok Singla, Chief Engineer, PWD.

He said: "We have set the timeline to allot the tenders in September. The work on the Jalandhar-Moga-Khanuri highway is expected to start by the end of this year".

"We have planned the widening of these highways in such a manner that these would actually become expressways. There will be flyovers, railway over-bridges (ROBs) and bypasses to overcome traffic bottlenecks," said Singla.

"The Jalandhar-Moga-Khanuri (Sangrur) highway will extend up to Jind in Haryana. However, the PWD will deal with the portion falling in Punjab. These projects will be toll based and constructed under the public-private partnership (PPP) mode".

Most of the highways are constructed under the supervision of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI). However, in Punjab, the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, has allocated three highways to the PWD.

As contractors have been facing problems in getting raw material for widening roads and other development works, the government is likely to issue short-term permits for mines, which they would have to identify themselves to extract sand, gravel etc.

"We have a policy to lease out mines, but the person(s) concerned has to pay the average auction price to take a mine on lease," said a senior official of the Industry Department. He said at present, there was a policy to give short-term permits to brick kilns.

 

Smooth Drive 

1. The process is on to acquire land for widening the 175-km-long Amritsar-Bathinda highway
2. Documents have been submitted to seek mandatory clearances from the authorities concerned in the Centre
3. The project will have a bypass at Nehurashara Pannua, Zira, Harike, Talwandi and Kotkapura
4. The tenders are most likely to be floated in September
5. There will be flyovers, railway over-bridges and bypasses to overcome traffic bottlenecks

Rain hits Agri Dept’s diversification plan

Fatehgarh Sahib, June 16

The Agriculture Department’s plan of encouraging farmers to diversify and grow maize may not see the light of day. Heavy rainfall in the district has made it difficult for farmers to prepare the fields in time for the monsoon that is likely to arrive early.

The department had set a target of facilitating the cultivation of maize on 4,500 hectares. It was to provide subsidy of Rs 40.5 lakh on 900 quintals of maize seed worth Rs 1.62 crore.

Concerned about the depleting water table in the district, the department had been holding seminars at villages, urging farmers to grow other crops.

This had started yielding results as many farmers had assured officials of sowing maize that offered better remuneration.

Gurdev Singh, a farmer, said those who have sown maize must regret their decision as the recent rain would have harmed their crop.

District Chief Agriculture Officer Jasvir Singh Bains said if it continued to rain for the next few days, farmers would not be able to prepare the land for maize cultivation.

Washed Away Plans

1. The department had set a target of facilitating the cultivation of maize on 4,500 hectares.
2. It was to provide subsidy of Rs 40.5 lakh on 900 quintals of maize seed worth Rs 1.62 crore.

Tearful adieu to CPI leader Satya Pal Dang

Amritsar, June 16
The mortal remains of veteran CPI leader Satya Pal Dang, who was in the forefront of the battle against terror in Punjab, were consigned to flames with full state honours here today.

Hundreds of mourners, including family members, friends, admirers and leaders across political spectrum, bade a tearful adieu to him at the Naraingarh crematorium.

While no senior politician from the ruling Akali Dal was present, hundreds of Communist party workers and leaders, including CPI national secretary Amarjit Kaur, paid tributes to Dang.

Prominent among others present were former Punjab minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla (BJP), Congress leader Rajkumar Verka, former Vidhan Sabha Deputy Speaker Darbari Lal and District Congress Committee chief Jugal Kishore Sharma.

Additional Deputy Commissioner Jasbir Singh laid a wreath to pay tributes to the veteran leader on behalf of the state government.

Anil Dang, nephew of the communist leader, lit the pyre as a contingent of Punjab Police reversed arms and fired shots in the air as a mark of respect to the departed leader.

The CPI youth brigade, comprising boys and girls wearing red shirts and holding red flags, also attended the funeral. Earlier, a large number of people thronged Dang’s house to pay their last respects. Later, the body was kept in the party office for public to pay homage.

Dang, a firebrand leader of the student movement, died here yesterday after protracted illness at the age of 92. He was elected four times to the Punjab Assembly from Amritsar. He was also the state Food Minister in 1967.

At the height of terrorism in Punjab in the 1980s, Dang was vocal and active against the forces of secession. His wife Vimla Dang, also a CPI leader, died in May 2009. The couple, who had waged a relentless fight for the downtrodden, opted not to have any child as they did not want to divert their attention from people's struggle.

Largest NRI News Portal: Singer Nachattar Gill booked for rape

The NRI Post - Largest NRI News Portal: Singer Nachattar Gill booked for rape: Ludhiana, June 13 Noted Punjabi pop singer Nachattar Gill and three others have been booked for allegedly raping and duping an aspiring ...

Avtar Henry’s citizenship issue: Notice issued to Centre on PIL

Chandigarh, April 8
The Punjab and Haryana High Court today issued a notice to the Union Home Ministry on a PIL filed by Jalandhar-based RTI activist Ajay Seghal for becoming party to the revision petition filed by former minister Avtar Henry against the termination of his Indian citizenship. Sehgal had brought Avtar Henry’s citizenship issue under the judicial scanner.

Taking up the matter, Justice RN Raina issued a notice to Union Home Secretary and to Avtar Henry for April 23.

Directing Jalandhar Commissioner of Police to examine the complaint against Punjab's former minister regarding his citizenship, the High Court in December last year had made it clear that an FIR would have to be registered in case the allegations were prima facie found to be true.

The Bench of Chief Justice Arjan Kumar Sikri and Justice Rakesh Kumar Jain had directed the Commissioner to examine the complaint dated September 27, 2012, filed by Sehgal and to order registration of an FIR against him, if a prima facie case was found to have been made out, within two months.

Sehgal, through advocate HC Arora, had stated that Avtar Henry acquired the British citizenship in 1969 under the name of Avtar Singh. He came to India on the British passport the same year and obtained an Indian passport, which was renewed from time to time. He also registered himself as a voter in the Jalandhar (North) constituency and contested the elections in 1986, 1992, 1997, 2002, 2007 and 2012.

HC notice to UT, Punjab on PIL

Chandigarh, April 8
The Punjab and Haryana High Court today issued notice to the Centre and authorities in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh on a public interest litigation seeking a ban on cancer-causing agents.

The PIL claimed there was a nexus between government officials and the industry, due to which carcinogens made their way into the consumer market. “The unholy nexus and collusion between the industry and public servants leads to a situation which results in mortality and morbidity of a large number of people, which is no less than cold-blooded murder,” the PIL filed by Hemant Goswami said.

He has sought a ban on “all cancer-causing agents identified by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)”.

In his petition, Goswami stated: “The WHO and its affiliate IARC has, in its over 50 years of research, identified hundreds of agents (carcinogens)... Despite such carcinogens having been clearly identified, the government does nothing and such cancer-causing agents frequently make way into the market... and are used in various industries to which people are exposed, and thereby it has resulted in increased cancer prevalence in India”.

He also sought suitable arrangements to compensate and provide damages to anyone exposed to carcinogens at his workplace or otherwise.

DPS branch opens in Sangrur

Sangrur, A branch of Delhi Public School (DPS) was inaugurated by Ashok Chandra (a retired IAS officer), chairman of the Delhi Public School Society, New Delhi, on 7th April, 2013.

He assured the gathering that the school would provide high quality education to its students.

He said this would help them become leaders of tomorrow and overcome many obstacles in their lives.

Dr Harish Dhillon, who is the educational advisor to the school, broadly explained the education policy of the school. Dhillon is also the former Headmaster of Lawrence Public School, Sanawar.

Kulwinder Singh, Director (Administration), spoke about the aims and objectives of setting up the school here.

Among others present on the occasion included GS Grewal, former IAS officer, Baldish Singh Toor, president of the school, and pro-Vice Chairman Dr Ravi Sher Singh Toor.