25032023-JTR-01.qxd 3/25/2023 12:02 AM Page 1 c m y b Jalandhar tribune HOSHIARPUR CIVIC BODY PASSES ~75-CR BUDGET BIG B BACK TO WORK AFTER RECOVERING FROM INJURY The veteran actor had broken his rib cartilage while shooting for an action sequence in Hyderabad. P3 MOSTLY CLOUDY MAX 24°C | MIN 15°C YESTERDAY MAX 20°C | MIN 15°C BACK TO THE ROOTS: RUBINA VISITS TEMPLE IN HIMACHAL A budget to the tune of ~7,501.65 lakh has been passed by the Hoshiarpur civic body for 2023-24. P2 FORECAST Rubina Dilaik shared a glimpse of her hometown in Himachal where she had gone for her sister’s wedding. P4 » » SUNSET SATURDAY 6.36 PM SUNRISE SUNDAY 6:19 AM » SATURDAY | 25 MARCH 2023 | JALANDHAR Despite CMO’s directive, panchayat fails to get lease money Water Resources Dept was instructed to get released balance amount to Gag Dhagara village Ashok Kaura Phagwara, March 24 The Water Resources Department has failed to implement directions from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) to release the balance amount of contract-cum-lease money to the panchayat of Gag Dhagara village. The CMO, taking note of the panchayat’s efforts for the last seven years to receive the balance amount of contract-cum lease money has directed the Principal Secretary of the department to do the needful. The CMO, in an e-mail to the Principal Secretary, Water Resources Depart- ment, on February 24 forwarded a news report saying that the trail e-mail received pertained to his department and he should take immediate action as per government rules and policy in the matter. Dilbag Singh, a resident of Bainapur village and social activist, had sent a news report on the non-receipt of the contract-cum lease money by the panchayat to the CMO. The news report said the gram panchayat of the last village of Jalandhar district’s boundary, situated on the Sutlej, Gag Dhagara, is being made to run from pillar to post for the past seven years to receive the balance amount of NEVER-ENDING WAIT SINCE 2002 The gram panchayat in its meeting held on November 19, 2002, had passed a resolution for recovering the pending amount of ~1,48,15,757 from the Mining Department and the Bock Development and Panchayat Officer, Nurmahal block. The resolution was sent to the then Phillaur SDM, but the panchayat is yet to get the money. contract-cum-lease money toward the panchayat land auctioned in his favour by the Mining Department for extraction of minor minerals. Gag Dhagara sarpanch Banat Kaur had said the sarpanch and former sarpanch of the village had filed a writ petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2015 seeking directions to a private contractor to deposit the balance amount of contract-cum-lease money towards the gram panchayat land auctioned in his favour by the Mining Department. Justice Surya Kant and Justice PB Bajanthri while disposing of the petition had said in their judgment on February 2, 2016, that the needful including the determination of the amount payable by a private contrac- tor shall be done within three months. It had said as soon as the adjudication took place, the Mining Department would deduct that amount from the security deposit and release the gram panchayat’s share within a month. The sarpanch said an amount of Rs 1,48,15,757 was deducted by the Mining Department from the security of a private contractor but still not paid to the gram panchayat. She said the gram panchayat in its meeting held on November 19, 2002, had passed a resolution for recovering the pending amount of Rs 1,48,15,757 from the Mining Department and the Bock Development and Panchayat Officer, Nurmahal block, sent the resolution to the then SDM, Phillaur, but the panchayat was waiting for the release of the amount. She said the Mining Department auctioned the village khud in 2013 which remained operational till 2015. Nurmahal BDPO Dhara Kakarr had said the District Mining Officer told her that the amount in question would be released by the headquarters as it had auctioned the mining khud and deducted money from the contractor’s deposit and that he had sent a report to senior officials. The sarpanch said she has received no information in this regard. AAP’s power show at Dera Ballan today Mann, Kejriwal to dole out grant of ~25 cr for research centre at impressive event Deepkamal Kaur Tribune News Service Rajiv Bhagat (wearing tilak) with BJP leaders in Jalandhar. TRIBUNE PHOTO Days after audio clip fiasco, AAP leader Bhagat joins BJP Tribune News Service NEVER-ENDING WAIT Jalandhar, March 24 Days after a controversial audio clip of Jalandhar West MLA Sheetal Angural, in which he was purportedly hurling abuses at AAP leader Rajiv Bhagat, went viral, the latter quit AAP to join the BJP on Thursday. Following the release of the “abusive” telephonic conversation, Jalandhar West MLA, has come under widespread condemnation from several quarters and the Opposition. Sources within the Aam Admi Party said Bhagat was a ■ Sources within AAP said Rajiv Bhagat was a hard working leader and held a considerable influence over Bhagat community ■ Bhagat, a long time associate of Jalandhar West MLA Sheetal Angural, joined AAP along with him ahead of 2022 elections hard working leader and held a considerable influence over the Bhagat community. The audio clip that went viral nearly a week ago, Jalandhar West MLA Sheetal Angural, could be heard hurling abuses at Bhgat and also Contractor shot at, father-son duo held Our Correspondent Hoashiarpur, March 24 Panic gripped Mohalla Sukhiabad near Kusht Ashram on HoshiarpurAdamwal Road after gun shots were heard in the area on Thursday. The incident occured when a landlord and his son beat up the contractor over money transactions and reportedly shot at him. Fortunately, there was no loss of life. Sandeep Sandhu, alias Babbu, had taken a contract for building a house of Amit Kumar for Rs 33 lakh of which Rs 25 lakh was paid to the former. When the contractor demanded the remaining amount, the owner of the house allegedly slapped him, while his son fired at him. The police have arrested the father-son duo after registering a case against them under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code. threatening him of registering a false case against him. Notably, Rajiv Bhagat, a long time associate of Sheetal Angural, had joined AAP , along with Angural, ahead of the 2022 elections. A consultant by profession and a social worker, Bhagat came into politics 13 years ago. After being threatened by Angural, he joined the BJP yesterday in the presence of BJP leaders — former MLA Mohinder Bhagat and Ashok Sareen Hicky. Bhagat said he had been apprehensive ever since the phone call, which had greatly disturbed him. Jalandhar, March 24 Ahead of the Jalandhar (reserved seat) Lok Sabha bypoll, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal are set to hold a big show of strength for the party near Dera Sachkhand Ballan on Saturday. The party leaders are claiming that there could be a gathering of nearly 1.5 lakh people at the site. More than 70 buses are learnt to have been deployed to bring in the devotees. Having allocated a grant of Rs 25 crore for setting up Sri Guru Ravidass Research Centre near the dera in the recently announced Punjab Budget, the two CMs are expected to hand over a cheque of this amount to the the dera at the event. The dera has a huge Ravidassia following in the Dalit-dominated seat. Owing to prediction of an inclement weather, the site for the programme is a covered shed right in front of the dera. The administration has been making elaborate arrangements for parking, traffic and security deploy- RE-RELEASING ALREADY SANCTIONED AMOUNT ❝ A hoarding regarding the programme of the state government put up at Dera Ballan in Jalandhar on Friday. TRIBUNE PHOTO ment at the site and around. Thousands of banners have been put up all across the district by the AAP government for publicising the event of doling out the cheque with pictures of Guru Ravidass and the two AAP CMs. Interestingly on Thursday (yesterday), Leader of Opposition Partap Bajwa, Congress candidate Karamjit Kaur Chaudhary and her son and Phillaur MLA Vikramjit Chaudhary too had paid obeisance at Vagaries of weather MC Amit Kalia said in case residents fail to adhere to the deadline, they would have to Vikramjit Chaudhary, PHILLAUR MLA alleging that Kartapur MLA Balkar Singh had lied on the floor of the Vidhan Sabha that he got to know that no cheque worth the amount as claimed by the Congress had actually been doled out. “In reality, the AAP government is just rereleasing the same grant. Accompanied by Jalandhar District Congress (Urban) President Rajinder Beri, former Kartarpur MLA Chaudhary Surinder Singh and Nakodar-based leader ❞ Dr Navjot Dahiya, he showed government notifications and correspondence about the grant. The AAP government first stopped its release and then performed the charade of sanctioning the same amount for the same project to claim all the credit in election time”, the Phillaur MLA said. He elaborated, “Only those societies and charitable trusts which had been registered at least three years Continued on page 2 Recruit more safai karamcharis: Unions to MC Commissioner Tribune News Service A farm worker stands amid the crop damaged by rain in Jalandhar on Friday. PHOTO: MALKIAT SINGH Deposit property tax by March 31, Man held with 200 pills Phagwara MC urges residents Phagwara, March 24 As March 31 is the last date to deposit property tax for the current financial year (202223) without penalty, Municipal Corporation (MC) authorities have appealed to residents to submit it by the end of the month. Tax Superintendent of the Phagwara the same dera and met chief Sant Niranjan Dass. The politics over the payment of the cheque remains hot ever since the Vidhan Sabha budget session had started. Vikramjit had taken up the issue saying that the cheque worth the same amount had already been doled out by the previous Congress CM Charanjit Channi on December 31, 2021. Chaudhary held a press conference this evening The AAP government is just re-releasing the same grant (released by the last Congress government). The AAP government first stopped its release and then performed the charade of sanctioning it for the same project to claim all the credit in election time. pay a 20 per cent penalty and 18 per cent interest on payment of tax from April 1, 2023. Kalia told that residents that they could deposit the tax on any day as offices of MC would remain open on Saturday and Sunday till March 31 to facilitate people to deposit their property tax. — OC Jalandhar, March 24 During a patrol at Chaharke turn in Bhogpur, the Jalandhar police spotted a man on a motorcycle coming from Chaharke Luharan village. On seeing the cops, he panicked and tried to evade them. He also dropped a polybag on the roadside. The suspect was nabbed by the Adampur police, and his motorcycle was impounded. c m y b Upon questioning, he revealed his name as Charanjit Singh, a resident of Arora Mohallain Bhogpur. The polybag, on being checked, was found to contain 100 intoxicating tablets. Another lot of 100 intoxicating tablets was also recovered from him. A case under Section 22 of the NDPS Act was registered against him at the Bhogpur police station. — TNS Jalandhar, March 24 Representatives of as many as four unions of sewermen and safai karamcharis on Friday met MC Commissioner Abhijeet Kaplish and demanded recruitment of class IV employees. Sanitary Supervisor Union president Bantu Sabharwal, while interacting with the Commissioner said it had been a long-pending demand of the union, but no official has ever taken it seriously. "The agenda in this regard has already been passed. But until now, there is no headway. Even the present government is not any paying heed at all," he said. The union members said due to shortage of safai karamcharis in the city, cleanliness work was getting adversely affected. “The garbage lifting and disposal work has been badly affected due to the manpower crunch. The government should consider the demand for recruitment of more karamcharis, as this is Union members with MC Commissioner Abhijeet Kaplish in Jalandhar. WASTE DISPOSAL WORK HIT BADLY waste disposal work ❝Thethe manpower crunch.has been badly affected due to The government should consider the demand for recruitment of more karamcharis. Members, SAFAI KARAMCHARIS’ UNIONS ❞ the need of the hour. If the city is not clean, what is the point of boasting of the Smart City status,” the members said. After the meeting, the union members announced that they would burn the effigy of the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann if their demand wasn't met. "We are left with no other option but to protest in this manner. When cleanliness is the basic necessity, why no attention is being given to it?" the union members said.