Guru Gobind Singh Refinery ---Workers turn violent as 2 get trapped in landslide

Guru Gobind Singh Refinery
Workers turn violent as 2 get trapped in landslide
Vehicles torched, shops closed
Rajay Deep
Tribune News Service

Phulokhari (Bathinda), April 7

Violence was witnessed at Guru Gobind Singh Refinery that is under construction as a mob went on the rampage after two labourers got stuck in a landslide this afternoon. Rumours and apprehension that more workers could have been trapped made the agitated workers run amok and they torched two vehicles besides damaging several others.
To control the situation, a large number of cops led by the SSP Bathinda rushed to the spot and turned the refinery into a fortress. The construction work was suspended and the entry of everybody was restricted.
The details emerging from the refinery terrified the labourers in their quarters nearby. Fearing that the situation might worsen, they ran away and all shopkeepers outside the refinery rolled up their shutters.
It is learnt that labourers working with the IVRCL, a construction company, were put on job of laying of a crude oil pipeline when the soil caved in and two labourers got stuck in it.
One of them was rescued, while the other, namely, Lakhan Sarkar, was pulled out after a few minutes. Suspecting that many others were buried inside, the labourers started raising a hue and cry.
They went on the rampage when the refinery authorities tried to take the injured labourer out of the refinery in an ambulance. They intercepted the vehicle and damaged it. Meanwhile, some of them partially torched a hydra crane, that was digging a trench at the spot.
Things became so unruly that the agitating workers listened to no one and immediately started pelting some truck-trailers parked nearby with stones and damaged their windshields and panes. Meanwhile, some agitators torched a Tata Sumo that arrived there and started raising anti-establishment slogans.
Meanwhile, the management of the refinery called up the civil and police administration of Bathinda that reached the spot hurriedly and sealed all gates and turned the refinery into a fortress to bring the situation under control.
The injured labourer Lakhan Sarkar was then rushed to a private hospital but terming his condition as critical, the media was not allowed to see him.
After repeated attempts, the HR manager of the refinery, Ravi Yadav, answered the phone call made by this correspondent and confirmed the incident late in the evening. He said the incident was the result of rumour-mongering indulged in by miscreants who spread the word that a large number of labourers had got buried in the landslide.
“The injured labourer was given proper first-aid assistance and now he is stable as confirmed by the doctors of the hospital. Everything has returned to normalcy and work has been restored,” added Yadav.
SSP, Bathinda, Sukhchain Singh Gill, said, “Acting upon the statement of some eyewitnesses, about 15-20 persons have been booked under various sections. We have initiated the process to identify all accused in the incident.”

Violence at Bathinda Refinery--- Lack of amenities fuelled workers’ anger

Violence at Bathinda Refinery
Lack of amenities fuelled workers’ anger
Rajay Deep
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, June 30
It was not just the death of Bhanu Tiwari, a labourer, which led to a rampage by labourers at the Guru Gobind Singh Refinery here yesterday. If the statements of labourers and officials of the district administration are to be believed, the under-construction refinery lacks basic amenities for its workers and the Monday violence could be attributed to this fact.
Disclosing their grievance to The Tribune, labourers alleged that working conditions at the site were inhumane.
The labourers blamed the refinery officials for the absence of proper arrangements for potable water and medical facilities. “We had to work here like bonded labourers. There are a few trees in the area to take shelter in the scorching heat,” they alleged.
Officiating SSP of Bathinda Naunihal Singh said: “During the investigations, I came to know that there are more than 12,000 labourers working at the refinery, but no grievance redressal mechanism is in place there,” he said.
“In comparison to the costly equipment being installed there, we found poor security arrangements at the refinery,” the officiating SSP added.
When asked about the legal action to be taken against the protesters, the SSP said: “We have been going through video footages to nail the culprits.”
Repeated attempts to contact Rajeev Parmar, chief manager of the HPCL-Mittal Energy Limited, proved futile. His subordinates repeatedly said he was busy.
SDM, Talwandi Sabo, Anil Garg said he had been informed that nearly 60 per cent of the labourer had resumed work. He added that out of the compensation amount, Rs 30,000 was paid yesterday at the time of the cremation of the labourer and the rest Rs 4 lakh would be paid when his widow reached here.

Chief Secy reviews refinery project

Chief Secy reviews refinery project
Rajay Deep
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, February 11

Punjab Chief Secretary Ramesh Inder Singh visited the site of Guru Gobind Singh oil refinery for first-hand account of the progress of the project.
He also inaugurated the water reservoir of the refinery by letting water from the canal into it.
Reviewing the progress of the plant, the Chief Secretary said Rs 4,000 crore had been spent on it so far, whereas orders for equipment worth Rs 11,000 crore had been placed. He said , “The plant is progressing well and ahead of schedule, having achieved physical progress of 20 per cent.”
He added the refinery had taken care of all formalities regarding licences and completed all critical packages. Orders had been placed in all 22 critical long -lead items and at present, construction is going on at the site for crude distillation units, delayed coker units, captive power plant etc.
He said this 90 lakh tonne annum capacity grassroot oil refinery would also have captive power plant of about 165 MW, a 1012 long cross-country crude oil pipeline from Mundra (Gujarat) to here with single point mooring and cruide oil terminal at Mundra.
Jaspal Saini, General Manager (Coordination), HPCL-Mittal Energy Limited (HMEL), said the unit would produce 400 TMT of propylene which would act as mother industry for various small and medium units. He added half of the consumption would take place in Punjab itself.
Other officials of the refinery were present during the visit of the Chief Secretary.

Bathinda Refinery ---Post violence, scars remain

Bathinda Refinery
Post violence, scars remain
Rajay Deep
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, July 3
Despite the claims of the authorities concerned of having restoring normalcy, the effects of the recent violence is still evident on construction work at the Guru Gobind Singh Refinery at Phulokhari village in Bathinda.
For one reason or the other, the Rs 19,000 crore refinery has been grappling to find its way ever since its foundation was laid in 1998. At that time, it was said the construction would be completed within 48 months, but even after 11 years have passed, not even the basic structure is ready.
Earlier, the refinery was finding it tough to cope with politics that took place over it with the SAD (B) and the Congress accusing each other of scuttling efforts to help the refinery see the light of the day. Then, finding a smart investor emerged as a huge problem. Wading through these, the entry of Mittal Energy Investment Limited, stabilized the work at refinery. Construction work gathered momentum.
But the violence at the refinery on June 29 again gave a jolt to the construction work. During the incident, protesting labourers went on the rampage and damaged infrastructure and set ablaze more than 25 vehicles.
Reacting to the incident, police registered case against the mob, without mentioning number of accused labourers.
The police case has left such a negative impact on the labourers that they are living under the fear of being picked up by the police any day. As most of the estimated 12,000 labourers are migrants, most of them along with their families have started moving out of the place to save themselves.
Talking to TNS, some of the labourers said were waiting for July 7 as on the seventh day of every month the construction companies pay them their monthly wages. It is after this date that they may contemplate their future course of action.
"My family is so frightened after witnessing the firing that they are urging me to leave the place soon. But, I will have to wait here till I get the salary. I have started working in the refinery but feel there are chances of the salary being deducted along with police action," lamented a 35-year-old labourer, who pleaded not to quote his name.
"Here, the attitude of the employers is heartless which we witnessed after the death of one our colleagues on June 29. In view of this, it is tough to work here in future," said Subodh Kumar (name changed) a labourer from Bihar. While moving around in the Labour Colony outside the refinery, it was observed that some fresh faces, mostly labourers, have landed from UP and Bihar. But getting a negative response from their kin here, they were planning to leave the place to look for some agriculture related job.
A senior refinery official said they were not entitled to speak to the media. However, refusing to be named, he said, "We are calculating the losses and a separate wing has been working to settle our claims from the insurance companies.Gradually, normalcy is returning as labourers have joined work. We are hopeful of achieving the target of completing the construction by March 2011."

Refinery spurs infrastructure growth in Bathinda

Refinery spurs infrastructure growth in Bathinda
Rajay Deep
Tribune News Service

Construction work on the ring road phase-II in progress. The project would provide a direct link between the upcoming oil refinery and the under-construction civil airport in Bathinda district. Photo by writer

Bathinda, September 7
With the Guru Gobind Singh refinery—a project of HMEL, worth Rs 18,000 crore—inching towards completion with about 80 per cent of the total work done, the pace of construction of the related infrastructure has also been accelerating, simultaneously.
As the civil airport was a major demand of the refinery officials, keeping in view the pace of work at refinery, the authorities concerned have also increased the pace of work for its completion.
The civil airport will come up at the Air Force station, Bhisiana (Bathinda). Though the flights would take off from the runway of the Air Force station, the civil airport would have its separate terminal, for which the work is going on. Meanwhile, the PWD (B&R) has also accelerated the pace of construction of the approach road to the airport.
Besides, the Bathinda development Authority (BDA) is also not in a mood to lag behind in sharing the credit for development. Wading through all hiccups, the prestigious ring road phase-II project, the best link between the refinery and the airport, is also gaining momentum.
The eight km long ring road, which would cost about Rs 107 crore including the cost of land acquisition, construction of road, railway overbridge and a canal bridge, is scheduled to be operational by March, 2011.
The construction of the 100-feet wide road, with four lanes extendable upto six lanes was initiated in June with the target of completing it by December, this year. Further, tender for the canal bridge is also going to be allotted on September 15, while the BDA authorities have been working on the design of the railway overbridge, which would be constructed over the track crossing through the ring road.
It may be mentioned that a five-star hotel also was deemed as one of the basic requirements with the refinery coming up. Foundation stone of the hotel was also laid with much fanfare in the month of February, 2009.
The project was awarded to the Vipul Hospitality Ltd. in a tie-up with Sarovar Hotels and Resorts Ltd. for a concession period of 60 years. The awardees, with an investment of Rs 100 crores, had plans to set up the hotel within a two-year period on a public-private-partnership (PPP) basis, with international facilities and other amenities.
However, citing recession, the awardees had said that it would be started when the refinery reaches near completion as the refinery officials would be main clients of the hotel.
Now, observing that the construction of the refinery and its related projects is gaining pace, hope has dawned again that the lone foundation stone for the hotel that has not seen any activity, would also see the construction of the project soon.

Mishap at Bathinda oil refinery

Mishap at Bathinda oil refinery
One killed, 4 hurt in roof collapse
Rajay Deep
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, March 26
One person was killed while four other labourers sustained serious injuries when the roof of an under-construction warehouse collapsed today at the multi-crore Hindustan Mittal Energy Ltd. owned Guru Gobind Singh oil refinery, located at Phulokhari village in the district.
According to sources in the refinery, the incident took place in the evening, when many of the labourers, hired by a private construction company-Petron Civil Engineering Ltd--- were deployed to construct a roof.
Due to some unknown reason, the iron made pillars, raised to support the lintel, started collapsing one by one. It created panic among the labourers, who hurriedly made attempts to save themselves. However, five of labourers failed in their attempt to save themselves and were buried under the collapsed structure.
All of a sudden, the authorities of the construction company launched a rescue operation and after some time, pulled all of them out.
Giving first aid at the refinery, the medical team took one of them, namely Mithilesh (24) to the Civil Hospital, Bathinda, where the doctors declared him brought dead.
The other injured, namely, Raj Kumar, Rajeshwar, Chandan and Shiv Ram were admitted to a private hospital. Observing their condition to be critical, doctors referred them to DMCH, Ludhiana.
Meanwhile, authorities of Petron Civil Engineering Ltd. announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 5 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased. They also announced to bear full medical expenses incurred on the treatment of the four injured.
Confirming the details, HR manager, Hindustan-Mital Energy Limited said, "We are deeply hurt with the incident. Besides giving compensation and bearing the medical expenses, we have initiated a probe to ascertain the actual cause of the incident."

Refinery extends helping hand

Refinery extends helping hand
Rajay Deep
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, August 4
Sensing the financial status of the district administration, authorities of the under construction HMEL's Guru Gobind Singh refinery have come forward to extend financial support for the medical facilities and drinking water projects in the district.
According to information available, observing the futuristic demand, the refinery authorities had urged the district administration to provide round-the-clock medical facilities at Civil Hospital, Rama Mandi. Finding the district administration incapable of bearing the expenses, the refinery authorities themselves floated a proposal to pay Rs 2.5 lakh every month for the salary of the whole staff to be appointed there.
To discuss the proposal, a meeting was arranged on Monday, where the Deputy Commissioner, Rahul Tewari, SDM Talwandi Sabo, Anil Garg, Civil Surgeon Neelam Bajaj and the chief manager of the refinery project, Rajiv Parmar, marked their presence.
During the meeting, it was said that the refinery authorities wanted 24-hour medical facility, including the OPD. For the purpose, the health department listed the requirement of staff as five doctors, two staff nurses, two laboratory technicians, three class IV employees, one radiographer and a driver. As per the minutes of the meeting, both parties decided to employee the staff on contractual basis.
Further, the refinery officials assured the district administration of lending their support in the second-phase extension of the hospital.
After checking the feasibility at the local level, the district administration sent the requirement of the refinery along with their proposal to the secretary, Health Department, for sanction.
Meanwhile, refinery officials, observing the scarcity of funds at the Red Cross drug de-addiction centre, came forward to take the responsibility by donating Rs 20,000 per month.
It has also been informed that taking a serious notice of the contamination level of the underground water, the refinery officials have been planning to install reverse osmosis plants in the nearby schools.
Expressing gratitude over the public-oriented approach of the refinery authorities, DC Rahul Tewari said, "We have sent the proposal to the department concerned and are hopeful of getting it sanctioned soon."

Refinery to run full throttle by Sept 2011

Refinery to run full throttle by Sept 2011
Rajay Deep
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, December 2
The under construction multi-crore Guru Gobind Singh Refinery located near Rama mandi in the district would start running to its full capacity by September, 2011. Meanwhile, the refinery officials are assuming that the trial run could well begin during the current fiscal, before March 2011.
According to a government spokesperson, the Chief Executing Officer (CEO) of the Guru Gobind Singh Refinery Bathinda, Prabh Dass today called on Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal to apprise him about the progress of the prestigious project.
Briefing the deputy CM about the project, the CEO informed that 92 per cent work had already been completed in this nine million metric tonne per annum capacity refinery with a captive power plant of 165 MW.
He said the 1009 km pipeline to carry crude oil from Mundra to Bathinda was also laid and a crude oil terminal had been established in Mundra.
During the meeting, he informed that the refinery being set up at a cost of Rs 18,919 crore would produce LPG, petrol, diesel, ATF, coke, food grade hexane, mineral turpentine oil and polypropylene.
Assuring the trial run of the refinery much before March 31 2011 and full capacity operation by September, 2011, Dass informed Sukhbir that the prestigious project would have propelling effect in attracting industrial investment especially in downstream industries like fertilizers and other allied industries.
He said that presently more than 25,000 engineers and labourers were working day and night to ensure scheduled completion of this project.

LN Mittal visits Bathinda refinery

LN Mittal visits Bathinda refinery
Steel tycoon and Chairman of ArcelorMittal inaugurates various units in the Rs 18,000 crore refinery
Rajay Deep
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, February 5

Steel tycoon LN Mittal accompanied by his wife and senior officials of the Hindustan-Mittal Energy Ltd (HMEL) visited the Rs 18,000-crore Guru Gobind Singh Refinery, today. Mittal inaugurated various units in the plant and expressed satisfaction over the pace of construction work.
Though their visit was kept a secret, highly-placed sources in the refinery said the Mittal couple drove to the refinery and spent about four hours at the facility. Chairman and Managing Director of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) Arun Balakrishnan also accompanied the Mittals.
After planting some saplings, the Mittal couple pressed the start button of the Nitrogen compression unit. Then they visited the CDU-VDU unit¸ where they inaugurated the crude pre-flash unit. The dignitaries also inspected the FCC unit, main control room and a state-of-the-art laboratory.
It was a surprise for all, when visiting one unit after the other, LN Mittal had interacted with the workers and enquired about their health and safety.
Later, Mittal accompanied by Arun Balakrishnan, held a closed-door meeting with the board of directors and other senior officials of the refinery.
According to reports, refinery officials told Mittal that about 95 per cent of the total construction work of the 9 million metric tonne per annum capacity refinery, with a captive power plant of 165 Mw had been completed. The refinery would be ready for trial run at the scheduled time, said officials.
Mittal hailed the efforts of the staff in the refinery, saying that it was due to their joint efforts that the dream was about to come true.
In a recent statement, officials had announced that the trial run of the refinery would take place around March 31, and it would start running at its full capacity by September, 2011.

Mini-Bihar comes up around refinery

Mini-Bihar comes up around refinery
Rajay Deep
Tribune News Service

Phulokhari, September 17

It is 12 noon and the Bihari tea stall is doing a brisk business. Customers are thronging the Bihari dhaba for lunch. Some patients are being examined at the Bihari clinic. This is not the description of a scene in some part of Bihar. All this is happening in the heart of Malwa belt. Sounds strange!
Believe it or not, but it is the scene in the vicinity of the under-construction Guru Gobind Singh Oil Refinery, also known as Bathinda refinery. Thousands of migrant labourers, majority of them hailing from Bihar, have set up their own ‘mini-Bihar’ here.
A kilometre-long stretch from the main gate of the refinery is dotted with Bihari labourers.
Though a majority of the migrants are engaged in the construction work at the refinery¸ a large number of them runs shops outside to cater to the basic necessities of their fraternity.
Setting up hundreds of residential quarters besides shops, they have transformed the area into a complete Bihari region.
During a visit, The Tribune witnessed a large number of shops with the word Bihar in its names like Bihari Tea Stall, Bihari Clinic, Bihari Medical Store, Bihari Dhaba etc.
Elated over being asked about the reason, shopkeepers boasted about their love for their state and their sense of belongingness.
“I get much respect from the local population of Punjab but it was because of my respect for the state I belong to that I named my shop as Bihari Tea Stall. I am settled far away from my state and my people, but the name of my stall keeps me connected to them,” said Dhruv Kumar.
Supporting his viewpoint, another migrant Sukant Kumar said, “I came here about two years ago. Then, I used to sell only tea but now I am selling eatables also. I observed that some people feel shy about being addressed as Bihari Bhaiya, but I feel proud.”
Interestingly, there were some shops with the Bihar or Bihari in their name, but their keepers did not belong to that state. They were only cashing on in the name.
“As a majority of the population here is from Bihar, the nomenclature of shop having the word Bihar helps in attracting more customers,” said Sanjeev Sharma, who belongs to Sangrur district. Sharma runs the Bihari Clinic and treats 15 patients daily on an average. He claims to be qualified GAMS.
Sharma asserted, “One must be ready to adjust to the situation, if one wants to grow. So what if I have named my clinic as Bihari Clinic.”
An elderly Parkash Verma, who works with a construction company as welder, said, “I came here about two years ago. Then, I used to feel a bit uncomfortable. But now, I feel as if the area is just another Bihar with thousands of Biharis living here.”

Ruling alliance leaders ‘ignore’ model code of conduct

Ruling alliance leaders ‘ignore’ model code of conduct
Rajay Deep
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, March 16
In an alleged violation of model code of conduct, Sikander Singh Maluka, chairman of the district planning committee, today held a meeting at his office inside the Mini-Secretariat.

An earthen oven placed in front of the district planning committee office at the Mini-Secretariat in Bathinda on Monday. — Tribune photo: Malkiat Singh

The meeting was a 'formal' inauguration of the office, where a number of SAD-BJP leaders felicitated Maluka by offering garlands and bouquets. In return, Maluka offered lunch and sweets to the visitors.
The event was celebrated like a family function as a number of stalls and an earthen oven were put up in the middle of the Mini-Secretariat.
When Maluka was asked about the event and the alleged violation of the model code of conduct, he parried the query saying, "Please ignore such a minor issue."
When district election officer Rahul Tewari was apprised of the matter, he said, "If all this had been done, it would be a violation of the code. After getting all details, the matter would be reported to the Election Commission of India (ECI) and even Maluka would be served with a show cause notice."
Apart from this, a number of vehicles of persons having patronage of the ruling party could be seen moving freely with 'unauthorised' red beacons. Today, an Innova (PB 40 0004) with red beacon atop was seen entering the circuit house.
When the persons boarding the vehicle were asked about the violation of the code of conduct, they expressed their ignorance about any order in this regard.
Recently, a female member of the Badal family had held a political meeting in a gurdwara of this district. But instead of taking action against the violator, the authorities hushed up the matter.

Daduwal under judicial custody

Dera row
Daduwal under judicial custody
Rajay Deep
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, March 17
Baljeet Singh Daduwal, a radical Sikh leader, along with eight others, who were booked for an attempt to murder and belonged to various Sikh organisations, has been sent to judicial custody at Faridkot Jail till March 31.
In the case, the Jaito police booked Daduwal and around 40 unidentified persons for assaulting policemen when they were stopped from moving towards a religious programme of a Dera Sacha Sauda follower at Bajakhana village on Monday.
Earlier, in the morning, Daduwal along with 13 others were sent to judicial custody in Bathinda jail till March 24 as a preventive measure.
As per the details gathered, the Bathinda police had arrested as many as 96 radical Sikhs, who were accused of blocking the Talwandi Sabo-Bathinda road for couple of hours in a protest against the Faridkot police on Monday.
According to senior police officers, 51 of the protesting Sikhs were kept at the Kotfatta police station, 31 at Maur and 14, including Daduwal, were kept at CIA police station under the custody of the Sadar police station. They all were booked under sections 107 and 151 of the CrPC.
While alighting from police lorry, Daduwal accused the CM of being a kingpin behind the whole incident as he was focusing on the Dera votes. He also charged the Faridkot police with beating them up and then 'falsely implicating' them in a case related to attempt to murder.
He said the Faridkot police opened fire on them, served them with lathis and damaged their vehicles, adding, "None of our followers shot fire from the 'licensed' weapons they were carrying."
The arrested Sikhs also alleged that they were not even medically examined in the police station.
When contacted, Ashish Chaudhary, SSP Bathinda, said, "All this had been done to maintain law and order. A team of doctors has been sent in jail for their check up."
In a late development, 31 Sikhs, who were booked at the Maur police station, were being transported to the Barnala jail when, on reaching near military Cantonment, they smashed the windowpanes of a police vehicle. They also lodged resentment from going to Barnala jail. Observing the high-voltage drama, the police took them to the Bathinda jail.

Farmers refuse to ‘bale’ out CCI

Farmers refuse to ‘bale’ out CCI
Rajay Deep
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, October 10
Accusing the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) and the government of adopting "anti-farmer" policies, activists of the farmers' unions lodged their protest at the DC office and then staged a dharna outside the CCI regional office located at Mall road, here today.
The protesting farmers blamed the CCI officials for delay in the MSP purchase of cotton. They said that after the protest by farmers, the government ordered the CCI to start the purchase at he MSP, but in the terms, the officials listed a number of conditions regarding the quality of the crop.
Addressing the gathering, leaders of the Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta) and Bharti Kisan Union Ekta (Ugrahan) alleged that the Central and the state governments were hand-in-glove with the traders and arhtiyas, due to which the government agencies did not buy the crop at the MSP, which had been fixed at Rs 2,800 per quintal. They said that in the absence of government support, they were forced to sell the crop even at Rs 2,500.
They added that after starting the MSP purchase, the farmers had been facing many discrepancies in the purchase. Even after the CCI started the purchase, farmers had been getting less than the MSP, citing moisture in the crop as the reason for it.
In the terms, it had been decided that after eight per cent, for every one per cent of moisture, one per cent of the fixed price would be deducted from the farmers. In addition to it, the condition relating to the length of the product (cotton) had also been fixed.
Submitting a memorandum to the Naib Tehsildar, they alleged that the officials and arhtiyas, had been looting the farmers due to which the MSP, which was meant to reach the farmers, was not going to them. They said that as per the terms, the 2.5 per cent commission of the arhtiyas should be paid by the CCI but here, the commission was being deducted from the income of the farmers.
Shingara Singh Mann, district president of the BKU Ekta (Ugrahan) and Sukhdev Singh Kokri Kalan, general secretary, BKU (Ekta) lashed out at the functioning of the state and central governments.
When contacted, V.P. Nagpal, branch manager, CCI, said, "Earlier, we were making commercial purchase but as soon as it was decided that the CCI would buy at the MSP, we started correspondence with the ministry and from October 8, the CCI has been purchasing at the maximum support price. Just in two days, we have purchased 8000 bales of cotton."
About the allegation of commission deduction from the maximum support price, he said, "We have not received any such complaint, but it would be probed." Replying about other charges, he said all was being done under well defined rules.

Claims apart, paddy piling up at mandis

Claims apart, paddy piling up at mandis
Rajay Deep
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, October 11
Despite the claims of the government that lifting of paddy from the mandis has accelerated, the problem is still far from over.
SAD chief Sukhbir Badal, during his recent visit, had asked the local administration to remove the heaps of paddy within 24 hours. But in reality, the paddy glut is still visible at the grain markets of Bathinda district.
During a random visit to Goniana, Har Raipur, Janda Wala and some other villages in the district, it was found that huge piles of paddy were waiting to be packed in jute bags. Moreover, the mandis were cluttered with jute bags, which had not been taken to the shellers.
An elderly farmer, Gurnam Singh, of village Har Rai Pur, who was sitting on a heap of paddy said, "It has been eight days that I have been sitting here. But till date, neither have I got a place to clean the crop nor has it been purchased."
"It is all due to the poor state of lifting as the mandi is full of paddy and my turn will come only when the bags of others are removed," he rued.
Pawan Kumar and Gopal Ram, arhtiyas present there, alleged that sheller owners were behaving in an indifferent way.
"They have been rejecting the bags of paddy which had been purchased by government agencies. It is just to harass the farmers as they know that this time there has been a bumper crop."
At village Jandawala, farmers said this menace was just due to the callous attitude of the contractors supposed to lift the paddy. "Contractors have been using less number of vehicles and the number of labourers deployed for the job is also less than required due to which we all will have to wait for some days."
Talking over the phone, Ajaib Singh Bhatti, Congress MLA from Nathana, said, "I have visited a number of grain markets in the constituency today and found that the tall claims made by Sukhbir Singh Badal have fallen flat. In the absence of any other option, farmers are still waiting for the lifting of paddy."
RPS Pawar, principal secretary to the government, who was in Bathinda to attend a sports event, said, "I agree that the problem is there but it has its reasons. First, we had not expected such a bumper crop. Secondly, the ban imposed on exports and private firms refraining from purchase has also added to the problem."
"Shellers too lack the capacity to store. Shortage of labour and carriage vehicles have also added to the problem. But now to resolve the problem, the state machinery has geared up and within coming weeks, the results would be for every one to see," he added
Meanwhile, Darbara Singh Guru, principal secretary to CM, who was also in Bathinda today, said that orders had been issued to ensure early lifting of paddy and payment within 48 hours.

Farmers unfazed, early sowing on

State govt ban on paddy transplantation till June 10
Farmers unfazed, early sowing on
Rajay Deep
Tribune News Service

Khidkiyan Wala (Muktsar), June 5

It is chief minister Parkash Singh Badal’s home district—Muktsar. But the ‘strict’ warning of the state government imposing a ban on paddy transplantation before the scheduled date (June 10) is falling flat.
The restriction was imposed keeping in view the rapid depletion of groundwater, but the effort have failed to show the desired results.
Though a number of officials of the agriculture department and even the DCs were authorized to plough fields and charge the cost from the violator who goes in for early plantation but boasting of their proximity with the CM, farmers of this district are least bothered and are throw the rules to the wind.
Ironically, due to the high level connections of the farmers, the district level staff of the agriculture department too has turned a blind eye towards the defiance and the early sowing of paddy is going unchecked.
During a visit to the villages located in Lambi, Gidderbaha and Muktsar blocks today, it was found that several acres of fields were covered with standing paddy crop.
Reaching village Khidkiyan Wala, a number of farmers along with their helpers were found busy planting paddy in a large field located along a canal distributary.
Though aware of the ban on early plantation, they were still busy with the job. Replying to a query, the owner of the field said, “If I had started late, labour problems would have marred the crop.”
Speaking innocently, a farm labourer, Hari Chand, who was planting paddy along a link road diverting from the Gidderbaha-Lambi road said, “My employer (owner of this field) is aware of the restriction imposed by the government to check early sowing till June 10. But he enjoys proximity to Finance Minister Manpreet Badal as well as CM Parkash Singh Badal. So he is carrying it out.”
When contacted, the Chief Agriculture Officer, Muktsar, Sukhdev Singh Sidhu said, “We are aware and notice is being issued to the violators. Utilizing the authority invested in us, we have even destroyed the transplanted paddy also.”
On the other hand, sources in the district agriculture office, said, “To save their skin, the officials have evolved a strategy to destroy the crop in the field, which got highlighted in the media.”

Bhindranwale’s Poster--BJP scoffs at Cong stance

Bhindranwale’s Poster
BJP scoffs at Cong stance
Rajay Deep
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, December 4
“The Congress has no right to speak over the issue of installation of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale’s poster as there are proofs that reveal the ties between former Congress leaders with him,” said Kamal Sharma, state general secretary, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Sharma expressed regret over the installation of the Bhindranwale’s poster at the Akal Takht Sahib. Condemning the act of the SGPC, he said, “We had belief in the SGPC that it will take the right action, but it has not done so. We give one more chance to the SGPC to think over the matter and resolve it as soon as possible,” he added.
The BJP leader was here as a convener for the ceremony to be held here on December 8 to mark the birthday of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.
He further said that the main reason for celebrating the day is that Badal has completed 50 years of his political career. “He is a towering personality not only in the state but in country as well,” he added.
He further apprised that senior party leaders Lal Krishna Advani, Balbir Punj, Kiran Ghai, all MLAs, chief parliamentary secretaries and over 10,000 BJP workers would arrive to celebrate the occasion.
Badal is supposed to lay the foundation stone of an international cricket stadium to be built at an estimated cost of Rs 25 crores. Nearly 29 acres of land have been acquired for the purpose. The stadium would be completed in two years time.
Replying to a question about the proposed rally to be held in the city on that day, Sharma said, “It is day of happiness. So it should not be called a political rally. All are coming here just to celebrate the birthday of the CM.”
On the question of the BJP’s long-pending demand for the post of deputy chief minister, he parried the topic saying he is not the competent authority to speak on such issues.
Reverting back to the issue of red beacon lights for SGPC leaders, he said that the CM has already said that if any religious head needs it, he is invited to give an application and an authorised committee would decide the same.
The BJP general secretary refused to support the bandh call in Punjab on December 14 in clear terms.
When asked about Simaranjeet Singh Maan’s statement about martyr Bhagat Singh, he said that it only meant that Maan must have lost his mental balance.
“The party has not yet received any formal letter about making Sukhbir Singh Badal the CM of the state. But he is young, energetic and dynamic. So, he would be considered if the proposal comes up.”

Manoeuvring for mayorship on

Manoeuvring for mayorship on
Rajay Deep
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, July 8
Despite authorising party chief Sukhbir Badal for selecting mayor of the Bathinda Municipal Corporation, the SAD aspirants for mayor are still busy in manoeuvring.
In such an attempt, Master Harmander Singh, a councillor from ward number 15 and a loyalist of SAD area-in-charge Sarup Chand Singla, today took as many as 14 out of a total of 24 winning councillors to the Golden Temple in Amritsar.
According to sources, Rajan Garg, Baljeet Singh Bir Behman, Bhupinder Singh Bhullar, Tek Khalsa, Banta Singh were the councillors who refused to join them.
Meanwhile, Santosh Mahant, Rajinder Kaur Brar, Gurpreet Kaur and Daljeet Singh Brar took leave after informing about their engagements.
It may be mentioned here that on July 2, SAD general secretary Balwinder Singh Bhunder held a meeting with all municipal councillors, where they all individually gave their preferences for the post and in the end, the right was surrendered the right to select the mayor to Sukhbir Badal.
Today’s move by Harmander Singh to take 14 councillors to Amritsar provided enough fuel for speculations.
According to information available, the mayor will be declared on July 10.

Emotional goodbye to CM’s wife

Emotional goodbye to CM’s wife 

 Inside the residence

* The bereaved CM and his son Sukhbir broke into tears several times
* Top bureaucrats and politicians were seen standing in a long queue
* The air-conditioned hall where the body was kept was packed to capacity
* Due to the long queue of visitors offering tributes, the cremation was delayed for more than one-and-a-half hours

Outside residence

* Long queues of VIP vehicles along the road leading to the Badal residence
* Due to the jammers, mobile phone connectivity was almost choked

Security in the village

* Multi-tier security arrangements across the village
* Most shops remained closed
* The PSPCL rest house in the village where several Cabinet ministers and senior bureaucrats halted was abuzz with activity

At the cremation

* Hundreds of persons, including women, sat on the floor in the adjacent grain yard waiting for the ceremony since morning
* Sukhbir travelled to the cremation ground along the body in a flower-decked ambulance van
* The pyre was lit by Sukhbir at 2.25 pm
Compiled by Rajay Deep

Capt, Bhattal address media separately

Capt, Bhattal address media separately
Rajay Deep
Tribune News Service

Talwandi Sabo/Bathinda, April 14

While Capt Amarinder Singh Badal and Rajinder Kaur Bhattal refrained from blaming each other in public, they held separate press conferences.
Just after leaving the venue, Amarinder addressed some mediapersons at a petrol pump situated near Takht Damdama Sahib.
He accused Bhattal of being self-centred. Only if she changed her biased attitude would they be able to work together in the party, he pointed out. The Captain clarified that he had no personal grudge against Bhattal.
“I have been in the Army. So, I follow the principle that first serve others, and then think of yourself. But this is missing in Bhattal as she got a respite from the corruption cases due to collusion with the Badals,” he alleged.
Lashing out at the government for registering “fake” cases against Congress workers, he said, “If the leaders of the ruling party want to express their anger, they must target me, not my supporters and voters.”
On the other hand, apparently having received a tip-off about the Captain’s press conference, Bhattal too arranged a conference with media persons at Bathinda. She said Amarinder must adopt the Congress mindset and work for the party’s welfare.
Asked about speculations over Amarinder’s alleged plan to defy the party high command, she said, “It would be the biggest mistake on his part. I have warned all members of the Congress that whoever commits a wrong will have to face the music.”
About the two factions raising slogans at the Baisakhi conference, she said since the atmosphere was charged, it was only natural and not a case of indiscipline.
Clarifying on her respite from the corruption cases, the PPCC chief said there was no role of the Badal government in it as the orders had been issued by the judiciary.

SAD organised a massive show of strength at Banawala

Thermal plant stone laid
Rajay Deep
Tribune News Service

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal presents Anil Aggarwal, chairman, Vedanta Group, with a memento after laying the foundation stone of the 1980-MW thermal power plant at Banwala village in Mansa district on Tuesday. — Tribune photo by Malkiat Singh

Banawala/Talwandi Sabo, September 2
A day after the Congress sounded the poll bugle with its rally at Lambi, the home turf of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) organised a massive show of strength at Banawala village in Mansa district today.
The occasion was the laying of the foundation stone for the 1980 mw Talwandi Sabo thermal power plant.
SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, for whom organising the rally successfully had turned out to be a major challenge, left no stone unturned to put up the show amid charges of misusing official machinery.

Manpreet absent The absence of Manpreet Singh Badal, finance minister, and Adesh Partap Singh Kairon, food and civil supplies minister (both close relatives of the Chief Minister), remained the topic of discussion. BJP state president, Rajinder Bhandari, whose portrait was on the main hoarding on the stage, was not to be seen. All roads leading to the rally venue were plastered with hoardings carrying portraits of Parkash Singh Badal and Sukhbir Badal. No BJP hoarding was seen. On being asked, BJP Bathinda district president said this was due to the “shortage of funds”. Harbhajan Mann, well-known Punjabi folk singer, presented a number of songs, which had people on their feet. Despite the arrangements, a number of buses carrying people could not reach the venue due to traffic congestion.

Spurred by big crowd, he claimed that the party and its allies would bag all 13 seats in Punjab in the coming parliamentary elections.
In his speech, Parkash Singh Badal described it as the “biggest gathering of Punjabis that he had ever seen”, claiming that the rally surpassed even the historic anti-Emergency rally addressed by Lok Nayak Jai Parkash Narayan.
Badal said the number of people were more than at the party’s Moga rally.
In his speech, it was obvious that the CM was using the platform to roll out his election manifesto. He listed a number of projects related to installation of power plants, reverse osmosis (RO) units in villages, sewerage projects and oil refinery, as his party’s achievements.
Badal lashed out at former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, accusing him of “lacking in character and fond of leading a lavish life”. He accused the Captain of creating hurdles in the way of the state’s development.
Badal also distributed assistance for the development of villages where land had been acquired for the thermal power project. He praised the chairman of the Vedanta group, Anil Aggarwal, whose group is going to build the biggest thermal project of the state.
Sukhbir Badal presented a long list of ongoing projects and also those which were in the pipeline. He mentioned Adarsh schools, universities, safe drinking water schemes, sanitation and power projects as among the government’s achievements. He claimed that after the completion of the power projects, Punjab would have surplus power. He also spoke at length about the canal revamping project.
Lashing out at Amarinder Singh, the SAD chief said he had never met the common man because he was preoccupied with his foreign jaunts and his Pakistani journalist friend.
Earlier, Paramjeet Kaur Gulshan, member of parliament from Bathinda, and SAD (B) leaders like Captain Kanwaljit Singh, Manoranjan Kalia, Ranjeet Singh Brahmpura, Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and Balwinder Singh Bhunder addressed the gathering. That all were all in a poll mode was evident from their speeches.

SAD takes poster route to popularity

Run-up to SAD rally
SAD takes poster route to popularity
Rajay Deep
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, September 1


SAD leaders, who had earlier claimed that they were not fond of installing hoardings on roads to show proximity to senior leaders of the party, have now apparently, backtracked from their words.
A visit to Banawali village in Mansa district, where chief minister Parkash Singh Badal is going to lay the foundation stone of the 1980 MW thermal power plant on September 2, would be enough to prove it as SAD leaders have not spared even a single corner and hoardings hjave been put up everywhere.
Not only that, surrounding areas of the city and both sides of the roads leading to the venue have also been covered with the huge hoardings carrying portraits of the CM and his son, Sukhbir Badal. The leaders, who have "spent" substantial amount over the installation, did not leave a single board without mentioning their name and designation in the party.
Right from the Rose Garden roundabout in Bathinda to the venue, this correspondent found an unending sequence of hoardings. Interestingly, almost all of them have been installed by defeated candidates in recent assembly polls.
The matter printed on hoardings itself speaks of the actual cause of their installation. Leaders have put hoardings at Fauji Chowk in Bathinda covering the statue of the martyr.
Sarup Chand Singla, area in-charge, Bathinda, who it is speculated has his wings clipped politically after the changing equations among the party leaders, occupied almost all electricity poles and happening spots.
When contacted, Singla accepted that more than 300 hoardings of different sizes had been installed in his name. He, however, changed the statement saying, "It was actually a mistake on the part of my well-wishers, who gave my name even on their own hoardings also."
When Balwinder Singh Bhunder, general secretary SAD (B), who was earlier giving press statements that he was not in favour of these hoardings, terming them a cheap stunt for popularity, when apprised about his hoardings, said he was unaware about the installation of hoardings bearing his name.
Sikander Singh Maluka, district in-charge, SAD (B) said, "I came to know about the installation of a number of boards, bearing my name but nobody took my nod in this regard. I always state that I am not in favour of wastage of money in such a way."

Peace to be maintained at all costs: DGP

Peace to be maintained at all costs: DGP
Rajay Deep
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, December 12
“No one will be permitted to disturb peace in the state at any cost,” Director-General of Punjab Police N.P.S. Aulakh declared regarding the police department’s preparedness for the bandh call given by the Shiv Sena (Hindustan) and the ‘Fateh’ march planned by Simranjit Singh Mann, leader of the Shiromani Akali Dal (A), on December 14.
Aulakh was in the city for a short time, to hold a meeting with the IG Patiala, DIG Faridkot range, SSP Bathinda, SSP Mansa and SSP Faridkot. After the meeting, the DGP left for Jalandhar.
It is believed that the police officials were directed to be vigilant and take preventive measures to ensure the peace and harmony in their respective areas. The DGP personally directed the SSPs to keep a watch on anti-social elements.
The DGP also inspected the crime chart of the range and gave directives for taking some action that are to be enforced.
In a short interaction with the media, Aulakh emphasised upon the need to take preventive measures to ensure hat the bandh passes off peacefully.
It may be recalled that the Shiv Sena (H) has called for the bandh to protest the installation of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale’s portraitwhile SAD (A) has decided to oppose the Punjab bandh.

Shiv Sena workers detained

Acting reportedly upon the directives of the DGP, the Bathinda police arrested six workers of the Shiv Sena (H), including the state vice-president of the party, here on Wednesday. All have been arrested as part of preventive measures for the proposed bandh call given for December 14.
State vice-president of the party, Yogesh Batish, said, “We were in a group when the police arrested us near the railway station. We were requesting the shopkeepers to cooperate with us on the day of bandh. Our proceedings were peaceful, but all of a sudden, DSP (Traffic) and the SHO Kotwali, along with a number of policemen, came and rounded us up and took us to the police station.”
On the other hand, SHO Kotwali, Davinder Singh, said, “We had information that they were planning to burn an effigy, which could have led to an untoward situation. Using legal powers, we arrested them under sections 107 and 151 of the CrPC.”
When contacted, SSP Naunihal Singh said the arrest was a part of the agenda decided at a meeting with the DGP to ensure peace on the day of the bandh. The step is part of preventive measures. Some reports have been received that there are chances of a disturbance.”
He also repeated the stand taken by the DGP that nobody would be allowed to disturb peace at any cost.

Upcoming thermal plant brings prosperity

Upcoming thermal plant brings prosperity
SP Sharma & Rajay Deep
Tribune News Service

Banawali (Mansa), June 16


A forsaken land dotted with sand dunes just a few months ago, this village now does not offer even a single inch of land for sale as the upcoming mega thermal power project here has suddenly transformed the economy of the area.
Work on the 1980 MWs thermal project being set up by a private company has yet to be accelerated, but construction activity across the road is in full swing where residents of nearby villages who have acquired land on short-term lease are building a number of shops and residential units for the work force that would be employed by the company.
Residents of the neighbouring villages would not venture here a few months ago, but now they are vying to acquire land in this village where the financial prospects are bright.
Everyone here seems to be focusing the large work force that would be deployed once work on the project shifts in top gear.
Retired soldier Sukhwinder Singh of the nearby Behaniwal village is busy building two shops and a couple of tenements for renting out to workers of the company. He has acquired a piece of one kanal of land on the roadside on annual lease of Rs.18,000 for this purpose.
He hopes that each shop would fetch him a monthly rent of at least Rs 2,500, while he might earn about Rs 3,000 per month out of each of the ten residential rooms in the backyard.
He recalls that from his childhood he saw the entire tract of land of the village lying barren and after rains shepherds used to bring their sheep and goats for grazing on the shrubs.
Sukhwinder Singh says that earlier there was no buyer of land here, but now you won't trace even a single seller.
Resham Singh, who is running a roadside tea stall, says that he has managed to acquire one small under-construction shop on annual rent of Rs 45,000. He would shift in the shop once its construction is complete. His daily earning out of tea and pakoras is around Rs 1,000.
He too has come here from a village near Talwandi Sabo and says that no one would earlier pay a lease of even Rs 5,000 for an acre of land here for agriculture, but now that much of land was not available even on annual rent of Rs 3 lakhs.
Shaminder Singh of the Sandoha village in Bathinda district a month ago started grocery business in a shop that he has acquired on annual rent of Rs 10,000 and his daily sale goes beyond Rs 1,000.
Rows of shops and dwelling units are coming up in the vicinity of the project site and the owners are expecting high rentals. A liquor vend has sprung up with stock of country liquor and IMFL and also offers chilled beer. The owner was reluctant to divulge the volume of his daily sales.
Ranjit Singh, who runs a dhaba, says that he has taken the shop on a monthly rent of Rs 3,000. He says that earlier there was not a single shop even at the bus stop on the highway that always remained deserted, but now there was lot of hustle and bustle as more than 100 shops were being built there.

SAD sets stage for display of power at rally

Super critical thermal power plant
SAD sets stage for display of power at rally 

Preparations in full swing to make it ‘historic’
Rajay Deep
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, August 28
Arrangements for the rally being organised by the Shiromani Akali Dal (B) on September 2, to mark the commencement of the construction work for the 1980 megawatt super critical thermal power plant, is going on full throttle.
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and SAD chief Sukhbir Badal will be among those present at the rally, which is being held at village Banawali, near Talwandi Sabo, and is being billed as a show of strength to counter the Lambi rally that Captain Amarinder Singh is scheduled to address a day earlier.
To make the rally a success saga, the official machinery of Bathinda, Mansa and Faridkot districts have been deployed in full strength. The venue for the rally has been cordoned off and a heavy posse of policemen is present to prevent any untoward incident.
During a visit to the site, policemen were seen supervising the cleaning of the road sides and making arrangements for parking and barricading.
"It would be a historic rally," was the refrain one heard from the cops, SAD (B) workers and the PSEB employees.
As per the details procured from senior police officials, B&R and the PSEB officials, there would be three stages-- one for the VVIPs, which would accommodate 75-80 persons, a second one for the VIPs, where arrangements would be made to seat around 500 persons and a third one for the singers including Dhadhi Jathas and well-known Punjabi folk singer Harbhajan Mann.
The stage for the singers would be set up by Harbhajan Mann's group. The three stages would be covered with a steel structure. To cordon off the rally venue, 20,000 feet of barricading has been ordered.
The contract for the tent (pandal) has been given to Sethi Tent House of Amritsar, which would cover an area 800x400 feet in size, where one lakh chairs would be arranged for seating people. The contractor and the officials spoke about the difficulty in procuring the required infrastructure of this scale. As per the plan, 1000 pedestal fans and 500 others are required, but it has not been arranged so far.
Giving details, Paramjeet Singh Sidhwan, political secretary of SAD (B) chief Sukhbir Badal said, "As per the expectations and the response, we are hoping for one lakh people to be present at the rally."
Speaking about the arrangements made for providing eatables, he said that 50 trucks of fruits, one lakh bottles of mineral water, five lakh glasses, and lakhs of samosas have been ordered. Sidhwan made it clear that nothing would be taken from the SGPC account.

PSEB pursues ‘power surplus’ Punjab dream
1980 MW power to be generated
Rajay Deep
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, August 28
The Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) has set up a make-shift camp office at village Banawali, where the construction of the super critical thermal power plant would begin on September 2.
The PSEB camp office keeps bustling with activity with senior officials including member distribution, H.S. Brar, secretary Husn Lal and chief engineers present there along with other officials to work out the details.
Brar told TNS that it would be the first plant with such a huge capacity for power generation. "In this plant, three units would be installed with a capacity of 660 MW each," he pointed out.
Dispelling the worries of residents in the surroundings areas, he clarified that the plant has taken a no-objection certificate (NOC) from various departments concerned and it would have electronic respirators for minimum pollution.
When asked about the details, he said that the special purpose vehicle (SPV), that would manage the project like an intermediate agency, was yet to come. After that, more details would be available, he said.
"The commencement of the construction of the project would be like a family function and it would be a moment of happiness for all," Brar added.
When asked about the rally being organized on the day, he said, "It is just to celebrate one of the major events in the state."
The super critical power plant would be unique in character and would be run by a private company, Sterlite Energy Limited.
Sukhbir Badal, the SAD chief, had recently made it clear that as per the MoU between the state and the company, the power given to the state would cost less than Rs 3 per unit, which would be cheaper than buying power from other states.
To pull out the state from the power crisis, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has already said that he is "committed to transforming Punjab into a power surplus state during his government's tenure."

City bus service a distant dream

City bus service a distant dream
Rajay Deep
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, February 28


The dream of the people here, of having a city bus service, has once again turned sour as the state government has ignored this fast-growing town while introducing such service in three other cities of Punjab.
Several people whom this correspondent contacted felt “betrayed” over the government not fulfilling its commitment. They alleged that the department concerned was taking the commuters here for granted and giving them just fake assurances in view of the forthcoming Municipal Corporation elections.
One Deepak Kumar of Naamdev Nagar here said, “The promises are nothing but the ploy to lure the voters in view of the upcoming MC elections.”
Bathinda has been termed as speedily growing city of the state. But in the absence of local buses, people here are forced to commute through rickshaws and private vehicles only. The 28 passenger shelters built across the city a few years ago are in dilapidated condition now as the city bus service was yet to be introduced.
The MC authorities had made promise of introducing a city bus service here. In 2005, the department concerned even prepared the proposal to launch the service but it was put under the carpet as nothing has matured so far.
The department of local government has today inserted a notice in newspapers whereby it has invited proposals from bus operators for financing, procurement, running, operation and maintenance of city buses on specified routes under city bus services project for Amritsar, Jalandhar and Ludhiana.
In the advertisement, the department has mentioned innovations regarding GPS system, pass system and electronic ticket vending machines.
The people who failed to see the name of their city in the advertisement, have now raised their voice against the alleged ‘ignorant’ attitude of the government.
On his part, the Bathinda MC commissioner, K.K. Yadav, said, “A resolution has been submitted to the principal secretary of our department to launch the scheme here.”
Replying to a query about the repeated promises made to the residents of the city, he disclosed that it would take time as the process was only in its first stage as even the preliminary survey had not yet been completed.”
The Punjab minister for local government, Manoranjan Kalia, when contacted, said, “A survey was in progress to check the feasibility of the project. The bus service would start only if the routes are economically beneficial.”

Foundation stone of 1980 MW power plant laid

Foundation stone of 1980 MW power plant laid
Big leap forward in power sector
Rajay Deep
Tribune News Service

Banawala/Talwandi Sabo, September 2
With the commencement of the 1980 MW Talwandi Sabo Thermal Plant, Punjab would become power surplus. The claim was made by chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and other SAD (B) leaders here today.

Stalwarts of the ruling SAD-BJP combine project unity on stage

The plant, described as super critical, is being constructed by the Mumbai-based Sterlite Energy Ltd., a company of the Vedanta group, which is constructing it on the build, own and operate (BOO) basis. As per the terms of the power purchase agreement, the state would get power units at the rate of Rs 2.86 (tentative levellised tariff), which would remain in effect for 25 years.

Sidelights

SAD supporters sitting on the roofs of buses on their way back home after attending the foundation stone laying ceremony of the 1980 MW at village Banwala (Mansa) on Tuesday.

People make their way to the rally venue from adjoining areas to hear the leaders.

According to the senior officials of the plant, it would generate 475 lakh units per day, after being commissioned fully. The quantity of coal used for fuel would be 8.7 million tonnes per annum. About the availability of the coal, they said it would be from the MCL coalfields, Orissa, and would be of "E" grade in quality. Hundred cusecs of water would be taken from the Joga canal flowing in the area to help run the turbines.
"It would be a mega project as the land acquired for the purpose is 2113 acres. The owners of the land have been given 30 per cent additional allowance besides the market value. More over, the families whose land was acquired, have been promised jobs in the power plant. Further, it has also been said that there would be no stamp duty if those who have been dispossessed, buy land in any other area with the money," said chief minister Parkash Singh Badal.
The cost of the project is tentatively estimated at Rs 9,000 crore. The commissioning of the units, of 660 MW each, would be done in three phases. The first unit would be commenced in December 2011, second in April 2012, and the third unit in August 2012.

Noted Punjabi singer Habhajan Mann performing at the function. — Tribune photos: Malkiat Singh

Giving particulars, the PSEB and Vedanta group, mentioned that there would be 400KV transmission lines and the system would be developed through a power grid.
As an environment-friendly step, the stacks would be fixed at a height of 275 meters and there would be low emission of gases and suspended particles. The discharge of water would be nil and the fly ash would be utilised in every possible way.
To make the plant eco-friendly, 30 per cent of the land area would be kept under the green belt. Electro-static precipitator (ESP) would have 99.99 per cent efficiency and the dust extractors and sprinkler system would also be there for the coal handling plant to minimise pollution.
Giving details of the project, SAD chief Sukhbir Badal said, "No other state in the country has so far undertaken such massive and wide-ranging development initiative to boost its power generation by 300 per cent in such a short span of time. After all the projects see the light of the day, we would be in a position to sell power to other states.
The SAD-BJP government has embarked upon setting up a series of power plants at rajpura (1320 MW) and Gidderbaha (2640 MW) besides Talwandi Sabo. Work on Goindwal Sahib (540 MW) is also expected to begin in October.

‘Kabza’ on State ---Khaira takes Dy CM to task

‘Kabza’ on State
Khaira takes Dy CM to task
Rajay Deep
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, May 12
The recent statement of Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal, in which he claimed that the SAD-BJP combine would not leave ‘kabza’ over Punjab for the next 25 years, gave yet another godsend to his rival Congress men to take him to task.
Taking cognisance of the word ‘kabza’, Congress MLA from Bholath Sukhpal Singh Khaira today lambasted Sukhbir over it.
“The word ‘kabza’ used by Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal at a public meeting in Bathinda, while inaugurating a railway over bridge on Tuesday, reflected his feudal and autocratic mindset,” alleged Khaira.
Speaking in his individual capacity as well as on behalf of his party, Khaira said, “We demand the immediate resignation of the Deputy CM for making such an undemocratic and unconstitutional statement.
At the same time, we urge Sukhbir to tender an unconditional apology to the people of Punjab for hurting their sentiments.
“The Congress urges the Governor of Punjab to dismiss him from the Cabinet for violating the oath of Constitution taken by him. His utterance exposed beyond doubt that he had scant regard for democratic and constitutional functioning,” said Khaira.
He further said, “In order to fulfil his nefarious design to remain in unauthorised possession (kabza) of Punjab, the junior Badal has already taken control of all important trades like transport, cable network, sand quarrying and bulk liquor. Now, throwing all constitutional norms to winds, he is planning to remain in ‘kabza’ of Punjab with the help of the ill-gotten wealth, which we will not allow.”
On the other hand, media adviser to Chief Minister Harcharan Singh Bains said, “Congress men are just trying to gain publicity through misinterpreting the word ‘kabza’, which was said in a sense of seva (service). Actually, observing the public response, Sukhbir wanted to convey that the Congress had lost all chances to come back to power for at least the next 25 years.”