Punjab to have single-stage VAT regime

Chandigarh, October 22
In a major relief to traders, the Punjab Government has decided to remove the multiplicity in Value Added Tax (VAT) on all commodities by imposing it right at the manufacturing level. The move will not only simplify the taxation procedure, but also eliminate the practice of doing business without proper accounting of sales.
The decision to implement the single-stage taxation regime was taken by the state Cabinet yesterday. It decided to bring a Bill to this effect in the forthcoming session.
Once cleared by the Assembly, the government would ask all major manufacturers selling their goods across the state to charge entire VAT component from the distributor itself. The simplification of tax structure is the main thrust of the new trade policy, which would be announced on November 14.
Of the 2.25 lakh registered VAT dealers in Punjab, only 900 pay more than Rs 1 crore as VAT in a year. A large number of dealers do not pay any VAT, by not accounting sales in their books.
With the new taxation structure in force, Punjab will be amongst the few states to have brought in a single-stage taxation regime. Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said the step would go a long way in ensuring that all trade in Punjab was accounted for.

Simplifying Things

* The new taxation regime will provide that VAT is imposed right at the manufacturing level;

* The manufacturers will pay the entire VAT and then collect it from the remaining people in the supply chain (ie distributors, wholesalers and retailers etc.);

* Besides simplifying the taxation procedure, it will also eliminate the practice of doing business without proper sales accounting.

Gurdaspur district’s stone crushers a bane for rivers

Gurdaspur, October 15
When things get bad, they really do. This, in essence, sums up the pollution scenario in the border district of Gurdaspur where two lifelines, Ravi and Beas, are being choked by stone crushers. Officially, Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) officials may paint a rosy picture and claim the rivers are pollution-free. Unofficially, they admit that despite the stringent mechanism put in place by the board, things will not improve till industrialists, particularly those owing stone-crushing units, ‘discipline’ themselves.

“Till that happens, which is highly unlikely, pollutants will continue to flow into the Ravi and Beas," said Manjit Singh Dala, a Gurdaspur resident who lives near a polluted drain that flows in front of Abul Khair gurdwara.

Main violators

The economy of Pathankot is based on stone-crushing. The town is situated in the foothills where the Chakki, Ravi and Beas enter the plains and deposit boulders. There are 211 stone-crushers in and around the town. Though the PPCB authorities claim that these units are not allowed to operate till they get ‘air and water pollution consent’ certificates, yet many flout norms with impunity. Earlier, a majority of them were located near the Chakki river near Mirthal. Now these units have shifted to the banks of the Ravi.

A senior PPCB official admitted that in the past one month, seven crushers had been sealed. But sources claimed that this step was a mere eyewash as 50-odd units were still polluting the Ravi. Environmentalists say rapid industrialisation, urbanisation and non-sustainable development have led to the establishment of a number of industries and commercial complexes which, in turn, have aggravated the problem of water pollution.

Urban water pollution

Shocking, but true. There are nine municipal councils (MCs) in this border district. Barring one, the rest are not in a financial position to install sewage treatment plants (STP). Lack of STPs is leading to water pollution in almost all major towns of the district. The PPCB has now initiated the process of issuing notices to erring MCs. Paramjit Singh, Executive Engineer, PPCB, said that industrialists flouting pollution norms were not being spared.

“The PPCB is very strict as far as enforcing norms are concerned. We are not allowing effluents to be discharged into the Ravi, Beas, Chakki and Ujh and anybody found to be violating rules is being issued notices,” he claimed.

Kabaddi palyer Talwinder Singh had died in a freak accident

Bathinda, October 14
Kabaddi palyer Talwinder Singh had died in a "freak accident" caused by leakage of electric current from a streetlight pole, according to a preliminary inquiry by the Municipal Corporation.

"There was no dereliction of duty or negligence on the part of any of our employees," said municipal commissioner Vipul Ujwal. "It looks like a freak accident," he said.

Talwinder's parents are too shocked to react to their son's death. His coach Harjinder Singh alleged sheer negligence on part of the MC authorities that caused the death.

Talwinder Singh was the only child of his parents, who make a modest living. "The family had pinned its hopes on Talwinder's rising kabaddi career," said Harjinder Singh.

The preliminary investigation refers to checking of streetlights in the city as a part of maintenance works. A day before the incident (October 10), the light point had been checked. The department report did not point to the need for any repair.

The incident took place around 10.30 pm on October 10, when Talwinder, a young kabaddi player from Bhawanigarh, touched the live wire while trying to cross the road. The pole is installed at the divider on a 100-ft road and is frequently used by students.

"The choke was out of order. So, the wires were live. Despite the fact that it is a fenced area, people continue to use it and put their lives in danger," said Ujwal.

Coach Harjinder recalled the sequence leading up to the tragedy. He said the same day another junior class student of Dasmesh School too had received a shock from the same pole. "The school guard told us that the current was leaking from the pole," Harjinder said, adding it would seem the MC authorities did nothing. His statement is also a part of the report that has been given to the municipal commissioner.

Harjinder said as soon as the DSP (detective) Ranjeet Singh was informed about the incident, he reached the hospital and called the SDO of the power department. "The SDO checked the pole and found current running in it. The SDO then said that the pole fell under the MCB. Thereafter, the DSP directed the SDO to disconnect mains connection so that more lives could be saved," he said.

DSP Ranjeet Singh said that police was yet to receive the report from MCB. "We will decide about the FIR lodged in this case only after receiving a copy of the report," he said.

Promising career cut short

On October 10 - the day Talwinder died - his team from Sangrur stood second in the Punjab State School Games in the under-19 circle kabaddi events. The player was staying at Dasmesh School along with his team mates. Following his death, the police has registered a case of death due to negligence under Section 304 (A) against Municipal Corporation officials.

SLIET student dies as vehicle overturns on campus

Sangrur, October 14
Mahesh Kumar (20), a student of Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering and Technology (SLIET), Longowal, died while 14 SLIET students got injured when the tractor-trailer they were travelling on overturned on the college premises this evening.

SLIET Public Relations Officer SS Punia said the mishap occured when these students were returning to the campus in the tractor-trailer. They had gone to immerse the idol of Goddess Durga in the Harigarh canal near Longowal.

All the injured were admitted to the civil hospital where Mahesh Kumar was declared brought dead.

Deputy Commissioner Dr Indu Malhotra, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Mandeep Singh Sidhu and Civil Surgeon Dr Subodh Gupta rushed to the civil hospital and supervised the arrangements.

The SSP said all the injured students were around 20 years old. He said three of the 14 injured, Parveen Kumar, Subodh Kumar and Alok Kumar, were in a critical condition and had been shifted to Government Rajindra Hospital, Patiala.

IIT Ropar’s new campus gets approval

The Main Building of the Transit Campus of IIT Ropar situated in Rupnagar

Ropar, October 13

The students and staff members at Indian Institute of Technology, Ropar can hope for better facilities on campus as the IIT Board of Governors has approved the master plan of the new building that is to be set up on nearly 475 acres. The first phase of construction is likely to begin within the next 6 months

The management has already finalised the consultant and the construction company for building the four-storey building that will have a provision for vertical expansion.

IIT, Ropar, the first in the region, was set up by the Ministry of Human Resource and Development in 2008. The classes for academic session 2008-2009 were held at IIT, Delhi before it started functioning at its temporary campus in August 2009, earlier occupied by Women's Polytechnic, Ropar.

While the master plan is supposed to accommodate 10,000 students, the academic block will be set up for 2,500 students in the first phase. A total of 2,15,739 square metre area of the campus comprising academic and administration blocks with accommodation for staff and faculty along with sports and hostel facilities will be developed.

While three 450-bed hostels for boys will be constructed in the first phase, a 250-bed hostel for girls will also be built. Similarly, 350 flats measuring between 600 and 1,800 square yards will be built for faculty and other staff members.

The institute offers degrees in Computer Science and Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering.

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Sangrur tops in wheat production

Sangrur: Sangrur district has topped the country for the second consecutive year in wheat production with a per hectare yield of 5,170 kg, the district deputy commissioner informed officilas of the National Food Security Mission who were here to monitor the progress of NFS mission. He attributed Sangrur's success to the untiring efforts of the chief agriculture officer and his team.