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P4 » » » MAX 35°C | MIN 25°C YESTERDAY MAX 34°C | MIN 23°C SUNSET TUESDAY 6.15 PM SUNRISE WEDNESDAY 6.25 AM TUESDAY | 1 OCTOBER 2024 | AMRITSAR MC collects Aujla, Cong workers protest at over ~27 cr property tax till BDPO office over ‘irregularities’ In surprise visit to office, the MP finds secretary absent mid-term Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 30 The property tax wing of the Amritsar Municipal Corporation collected ~3.83 crore from the property owners as it was the last date to avail a 10 per cent rebate on paying the tax. Officials of the property tax wing claimed that it was a record collection in midterm as the MC collected over Rs 27.76 crore tax till September 30. A total of 1,810 tax payers paid the tax today. Residents were seen standing in queues to pay the tax on the last day to avail the rebate. Sushant Bhatia, Secretary, MC, said, “Officials and employees of the property tax wing worked hard to increase tax recovery. Now, we will conduct a scrutiny of the selfassessments made by the tax payers. The MC has set a target to recover ~50 crore property tax target in this current financial year 2024-25 and they would definitely meet the target this time.” As compared to the previous financial year, the MC had collected around ~50 lakh more. Last year, the MC had collected ~27.30 crore till September 30. In year 202223, MC had collected only ~24.80 crore in midterm. Amritsar, September 30 In view of the panchayat elections to be held on October 15, Amritsar MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla on Monday reached the BDPO office for surprise inspection only to find irregularities. When Aujla reached the Rani Ka Bagh office in Block Verka at 12.45 pm, he found the secretary absent in the office, following which he along with other Congress leaders staged a protest there. Aujla was accompanied by former MLA Sunil Dutti, former chairman of Improvement Trust Dinesh Bassi, former councillor Vikas Soni, former panches and sarpanches of many villages, who staged a sit-in at the BDPO office for about three hours and raised slogans against the Punjab Government till the SDM reached the spot. At the same time, the protesters gave a warning that if the situation does not improve, then a sit-in will be held at a bigger level. Aujla alleged that the Secretary, BDOs and BDPOs were working under the pressure of the state government and MLAs are acting as if they were election officers. “How Two held for sneaking in prohibited items into jail Amritsar, September 30 The police arrested two miscreants, who used to throw mobiles, tobacco products and other prohibited things into the Central Jail premises from outside here on Monday. The accused have been identified as Mohit Singh, alias Mokali, and Nishan Singh Kachu, residents of Fateh Singh Colony, Gate Hakima area, Amritsar. The police recovered 11 mobile phones , 22 packets of beedis, four packs of cigarettes, two charging cables, 14 changers, two cigarette papers, two packets of chiani khaini, four packets of tobacco, two head phones, one packet of mobile data cables. Jaspal Singh, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Central), said under the supervision of Sub-Inspector Jasbir Singh, SHO, Islamabad police station, and Rajinder Singh, chowki incharge, Fatehpur, Amritsar, got a secret tip-off that Mohit Singh, alias Mokali, and Nishan Singh, alias Kachu, used to throw prohibited items into the jail premises. Acting on the information, a team of the Islamabad police station arrested the accused persons. During interrogation, Mohit and Nishan confessed that they took mobile phones and SIM cards on fake proofs and collected other items from various shops and supplied to detainee Rajbir Singh, alias Karan, a resident of Saheed Udham Singh Nagar, Amritsar, inside the jail. They used to throw mobile phones, SIMs and tobacco products from outside the jail and later the detainee collected it from inside the jail. The police also recovered 11 old keypad mobile phones from them, which they supposedly supplied inside the jail. The accused remanded in police custody for two days. — TNS Paddy procurement begins today in district grain markets Bhagtanwala Dana Mandi boundary wall cries for repairs Manmeet Singh Gill Tribune News Service MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla, other Congress leaders and workers stage a protest outside the BDPO office in Amritsar on Monday. could it be free and fair elections? All claims of the government seem farce,” he said. “Since morning people are coming to this office, but the secretary was not present due to which they were not able to get the receipt of Chulha Tax. Additionally, there are many flaws in the voter lists. Votes of many people have been cancelled and many people have died years ago, but their names are still in the voter list. When they reach the BDPO office to solve all these problems, officers are not present. Complaints of all the blocks are same,” he said. He said everyone has the right to vote but if we talk about Amritsar only, then around 50,000 votes have been cancelled here. In many villages, the votes of current sarpanches were cancelled. As per the instructions, elections will be held according to the voter lists of 2017. “As per the 2017 list, the number of votes in a village was mentioned to be 1945, whereas according to the lists of 2023, around 945 votes have been cut, for which no officer is present on the seat to give clarification and people are constantly getting pushed around,” he said. He said he will visit other rural assembly segments too. Amritsar, September 30 The markets in the district are all set for the beginning of procurement of parmal varieties from October 1, but the biggest grain market of the district, Bhagtanwala Dana Mandi, is still crying for repairing the broken boundary wall forcing farmers to keep an eye on miscreants trying to steal their produce. The wall of the market separating it from the Bhagtanwala garbage dump, the biggest waste dumping site in the district, is broken and a passage has been made by residents of nearby areas to reach their houses. However, farmers have been complaining of rising cases of theft of their produce from the market by antisocial elements for years and demanding that a proper boundary wall should be constructed to restrict the entry of unauthorised persons into the compound. Farmers said in the night, miscreants try to steal their produce and they have to keep a watch. They said prop- The Bhagantawala Dana Mandi where the damaged boundary wall has become a cause for concern for farmers in Amritsar on Monday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR er security of the compound would ensure that farmers do not worry about these thefts. Meanwhile, the district administration today stated that all arrangements for procurement of parmal varieties of paddy have been made. While the harvesting of basmati varieties had started a fortnight ago and it had also started reaching the mandis, the government procurement of parmal varieties of paddy on MSP would begin from October 1. As the government has set a permissible limit of 17 per cent moisture content in grains, the administration has also set up check-up centres at the entry gates to ensure that only fully ripened crop enters the markets. Administration officials stated that farmers should bring the fully ripened crop which has moisture content lower than 17 per cent to the markets so that it could be procured on the same day and the farmers do not have to wait. District Mandi Officer Amandeep Singh said that a total of 50 procurement centres would become operational in the district for procurement of paddy from tomorrow. He added that administration has also asked the farmers to not use combine harvesters during night as grain harvested during night have more moisture and it would cause a problem in procurement. Social impact assessment report on Straw burning: DC, SSP visit Malwa canal submitted by GNDU hotspot villages in Tarn Taran Our Correspondent Amritsar, September 30 The Social Impact Assessment Agency (SIA), Guru Nanak Dev University, has submitted a report on the Malwa canal to the Ludhiana authorities. A GNDU team under Prof Rajesh Kumar, Principal Project Coordinator, and six subject experts have prepared the SIA Study Report of Land Acquisition by Government of Punjab, Water Resources Department (WRD) for the construction of the Malwa canal in the districts of Ferozepur, Faridkot and Sri Muktsar Sahib in Punjab. It is being executed under Section 4.1 of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 (RFCTLARR Act, 2013). Dr Jaspal Singh Sandhu, ViceChancellor, GNDU, handed over the canal study report to Kuljinder Singh, Executive Engineer, GNDU Vice-Chancellor Dr Jaspal Singh Sandhu hands over the report to Ludhiana canal circle authorities on Monday. Estate, Ludhiana Canal Circle, Ludhiana, in the presence of officials from both organisations here on Monday during a special function organised in the office of the Vice-Chancellor. Prof Jaspal Singh Sandhu said the report not only addresses the quantitative aspects of the proposed project but also delves deeply into the qualitative social dimensions that are increasingly relevant in today’s globalized world. The purpose of the project is to provide canal water for irrigation needs of various villages such as Makhu, Jhamke, Zira, Talwandi Bhai, Mudki, Kot Kapura, Jaito, Doda, Bhullar, Mandi Bariwala, Lambi, Fatte Khera in the districts Ferozepur, Faridkot and Sri Muktsar Sahib. The Malwa canal will also benefit water-scarce villages in Abohar and Fazilka districts of the state. The purpose of the canal is to provide additional drinking water to people in Ferozepur, Faridkot and Sri Muktsar Sahib, thereby augmenting rural infrastructure. The 50-foot-wide and 12-footdeep canal meanders through the three border districts of Ferozepur, Faridkot and Sri Muktsar Sahib in the state and covers an area of approximately 150 km long geographically almost parallel to the international boundary on the west side of Indian Punjab. The project seems to carry the potential of making a favourable impact on the socio-economic landscape of the entire region. Hereafter, the report will be evaluated by the Higher Power Committee set-up by the state government. Prof Palwinder Singh, Dean Academic Affairs, Prof Karanjeet Singh Kahlon, Registrar, and Gagandeep Singh Dhillon, SDO, Estate, Ludhiana, were also present. — TNS Tarn Taran, September 30 Deputy Commissioner Gulpreet Singh Aulakh and SSP Gaurav Toora along with other officials concerned visited hotspot villages where incidents of burning paddy straw were high and talked to farmers to cooperate with the administration to check cases of burning of paddy straw to save the environment. The Deputy Commissioner visited Naushehra Panuan, Dhotian, Veion poin and others villages and told farmers that after the harvesting of paddy this year with ex situ system the paddy straw will be managed with balers and the administration has made all arrangements for it. The DC said the administration has made sufficient arrangements for in-situ too by giving machinery to farmers on subsidy and farmers Deputy Commissioner Gulpreet Singh Aulakh and other officials talk to farmers at Naushehra Pannua village in Tarn Taran on Monday. must use this system. The Deputy Commissioner said the administration must honour the farmers who avoid paddy straw burning with appreciation letters. Harpal Singh Pannu, Chief Agriculture Officer (CAO), said the farmers who have been sanctioned machines for paddy residue management must come to collect the machines as early as possible. The Deputy Commissioner, the SSP and other officials listened to farmers’ grievances and redressed these on the spot. Anganwari workers hold protest, Test drives in colonies cause trouble to residents seek fulfilment of demands Charanjit Singh Teja Tribune News Service Tarn Taran, September 30 Demanding the fulfilment of their demands, anganwari workers under the banner of the Anganwari Mulazim Union (CITU), Punjab, staged a dharna in front of the District Administrative Complex (DAC) here on Monday. The union presented a memorandum to officials of the Social Security Women and Child Department. Anoop Kaur, district president of the union, led the protesting workers. Beant Kaur Dhotian, general secretary, Narinder Kaur and Veer Kaur were among others who addressed the gathering on the occasion. Anganwari workers stage a dharna in front of the DAC in Tarn Taran. PHOTO: GURBAXPURI. The leaders laid stress on shifting children of three years from elementary schools to anganwari centres and ensuring that they are provided nutritious food according to the set norms of the government. They said anganwari centres were finding it difficult to provide the students nutrition as they were sitting in other schools. They said the government was increasing their workload, but was not giving them adequate money to use data on their mobile phones for fast networking. They demanded laptops and computers for workers as the government was increasing their workload day by day. As District Program Officer Rahul Arora assured the protesting workers of considering their demands, the union lifted the dharna. — OC c m y b Amritsar, September 30 Residents of New Amritsar and other localities along the GT Road are worried about frequent car crashes caused by speeding vehicles. The root of the problem lies with the automobile service centres located on GT Road which use residential areas like New Amritsar, GTB Nagar and other colonies for post-service test drives. On Saturday, a head-on collision took place with a speeding SUV hitting a car, resulting in injuries to a person and damage to his car. The residents gathered on the spot demanded that the police take action against the automobile agencies, who conduct the test drives in residential areas. “These test drives are a Two damaged cars in New Amritsar locality. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR menace,” said Lakhbir Singh Chauhan, a resident. “Workers from the service stations drive recklessly, putting our lives at risk. We demand that the authorities issue warning to these agencies to stop speeding in residential areas.” Residents are worried that the roads in densely populated areas are being used for these purposes. Jatinder Singh, another resident, echoed Chauhan’s sentiments: “The situation took a serious turn when a test drive vehicle collided with my neighbour’s car, leaving him injured and damaging his car. Action needs to be taken against these automobile agencies. If not, it’s only a matter of time before we see a major accident claiming lives.” The community is urging authorities to take immediate action to curb the practice of test drives in residential areas. Gursimran Singh, another resident, said, “We just want our neighbourhood to be safe. Is that too much to ask? The police always intervene to help reach a compromise between car drivers whenever an accident takes place, but do not take any steps to stop the practice.”