Chandigarh: A four member Australian delegation led by its High Commissioner John McCarthy today expressed keenness to include Punjab in its sustainable integrated marketing campaign especially in the area of agriculture value addition.
Source: New Kerala
To review and keep up the pressure on the ongoing campaign against weeding out of irrational combination drugs, the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) will meet all the state drug controllers on October 25 at NIPER in Chandigarh. The DCGI has recently held regional level meetings of state drug controllers.
According to sources, the DCGI wanted to ensure that his war against the irrational combinations, which he described as a crime on society, reached its logical end. With time ticking fast as he is on the verge of retirement by the end of this year, the DCGI is in a hurry to ensure the success of his pet scheme. Though the DCGI had given instructions as early as in June this year to the state drug controllers to withdraw licences issued to irrational combination drugs, the state drug controllers conveniently sat on the verbal orders for over four months.
The meeting holds significance as several state drug controllers are reportedly not all happy with the functioning of the DCGI on this vexed issue. Though there are no two opinions on the need to weed out irrational combinations from the market, some of the state drug controllers are of the view that the drug manufacturers should be given more time to enforce the DCGI order.
That the DCGI knew the mood of the state drug authorities in this regard was crystal clear when he decided to hold state drug authorities meeting at four regions of the state to convince the drug regulators about the need to finish the irrational combination drugs. He had already held meetings in Chennai, Goa and Simla in this regard and the meeting at Kolkata has been cancelled at the last minute.
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We are in dire need of transfer of nuclear technology as also nuclear material. But why this suspense? Left have their reasons and probably convincing too. Sovereignty of India is supreme and come what may sovereignty has to be kept as the most primary concern of the country.
Instead of going into the details of the differences between the ruling UPA and the Left party, the main object of this letter is to avoid mid-term poll.
This poll may not provide for any solution, on the other hand this mid-term poll may further postpone the deal and every citizen of India is not at all prepared for mid-term poll which is likely to cost very high and in all probability the quality of the party to take power may prove much less efficient to deal with.
This is the experience so far gained from elections to succeeding elections. So it is but proper for the country as a whole to take quick solution in the nuclear energy deal, keeping the prestigious sovereignty of India in tact.
Source: SS Chitwadgi, Bhopal; CC
At last India tasted victory against Australia at Chandigarh in the fourth one-dayer. This is India’s first win over Australia after eleven consecutive defeats against the World Champions. Australians are always difficult to beat and Indians should be feeling good about their victory. Now, the series comes alive yet again although Indians trail Australia by two matches to one. Indians would like to replicate their performance in the remaining one-dayers so as to beat Australia in the seven- match one-day series which would be followed by a Twenty-twenty international.
Source: Devendra Khurana, Bhopal
Chandigarh: The Australian Government was actively considering a proposal to set up a branch office of the Australian Trade Commission in Punjab to boost the bilateral trade with Punjab.
It is also keen to include Punjab in its sustainable integrated marketing campaign, especially in the area of agriculture value addition. This was stated by High Commissioner of Australia McCarthy, who was leading a four-member delegation during a meeting with Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal held here at Punjab Bhawan.
McCarthy said Punjab was a leading agrarian state and deserved a rightful slot in this campaign to put its stagnant agriculture economy on the high growth trajectory. He said Australia had a proven track of expertise and technology in the field of agro-processing, value addition, post harvest logistics, efficient marketing and cold chain network from which Punjab could be enormously benefited.
The High Commissioner informed Badal that the Australian government was looking forward to set up educational campuses of its universities in collaboration with those of Punjab. He said 15 per cent of the students who pursued higher education in Australian universities were from Punjab.
Badal urged the High Commissioner to open a consulate in Punjab to provide visa services and other facilities, besides guiding the people about the prospects of trade, commerce, industry and higher education.
McCarthy assured the Chief Minister that he would take up the matter with the Australian government.
Source: ENS
Chandigarh: The Municipal Corporation (MC) Chandigarh may start levying house tax soon. Sources said MC officials are busy chalking out the modalities for the same. However, the issue is likely to snowball into a major controversy as the elected councillors and the Mayor are already opposed to the idea.
A senior MC official said the proposal is in the pipeline and till now nothing has been finalised. “After chalking out the modalities, the proposal would be placed before the House for discussion and would take a final shape only after the House Okays it,” he added.
According to sources, the Municipal Corporation, in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed under the Jawahar Lal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission, had agreed to impose new taxes to generate its income resources. “House tax is being imposed as the civic body is bound to generate more income resources under the clause of the MoU,” sources added.
Meanwhile, Mayor Harjinder Kaur, expressing surprise over the proposal, said any such move from the officials would be strongly opposed. “We will not let the residents be burdened further as the MC is generating sufficient income from other resources,” she said.
Former Mayor and Congress Councillor Kamlesh said the corporation already has surplus money. “There is no need to impose house tax and burden the residents. It is surprising because the SAD-BJP-CVM (now BSP) alliance had won the election on the promise that no new tax would be imposed and property tax will be abolished. But the ruling alliance after imposing water cess is now planning to burden the residents with house tax,” she added.
Source: ENS
Chandigarh: Declining to transfer investigation of a case of custodial death of Anil Kumar, a resident of Manimajra, to the CBI, a Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today awarded a compensation of Rs 9.95 lakh to Kumar’s family.
The UT Police had received an earful from the court for not being able to arrest the accused, Sub Inspector Narinder Singh. Right from the then UT Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) to Central Forensic Science Laboratory, the High Court had raised eyebrows over the functioning of the UT Police Department and the lab for giving over-enthusiastic findings in the case.
Source: ENS
Chandigarh: “It is unfortunate that the administration has become a party to escalating price in the UT,” said Member of Parliament Pawan Kumar Bansal on the tie up between Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) and private company Parsvnath Developers for building luxury flats ‘Pride Asia’ near Sukhna lake.
Bansal, while interacting with The Indian Express staffers under the Idea Exchange programme, questioned the utility of the MoU under which a one-room flat would cost Rs 52 lakh and a villa would come at a whopping Rs 6.40 crore.
“One room for Rs 52 lakh and the whole payment to be made in just three years! What are we doing? What kind of a Public Private Partnership (PPP) is this? At least governments should not be party to the escalation of reality prices,” reacted Bansal at a query.
Recalling the housing board’s own auction of two-room flats some time ago for Rs 32 lakh each, Bansal said, “Realty prices actually began to rise after the CHB sold a two room flat for Rs 32 lakh. This is moving away from the basic objective of the board, which is to provide housing to the common.”
He added that as per assessments, a salaried person couldn’t spare more than 20 per cent of his salary for meeting his housing needs. “But even after every possible permutation and combination, not even a decently-paid person can afford a flat there. How is this helping the growth of housing in the city?” he questioned.
Bansal, however, added that the scheme would be acceptable to him only if the IT companies purchase some flats for providing accommodation to their own employees.
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Chandigarh: The UT Administration has framed new set of rules for the allotment of free hold and leasehold property in the city, on Tuesday. The new rules “Chandigarh Estate Office Rules 2007” have been formed after clubbing the two pre-existing building rules in the city.
Administration officials claim that more than 1300 litigation cases have been pending at the Estate Office due to non-payment of dues. The massive backlog resulted in the replacement of the older rules. Under earlier norms, the transfer of ownership of the party will occur only after the entire payment is made to the administration.
Under the new rules, the administration has decided that the allotment of commercial and residential properties will be done by auctions, where the interested bidders would have to deposit an earnest money of Rs 2 lakh to be eligible for participating in the auction.
The highest bidder/applicant will have to pay 25 per cent of the total bid, at the end of the auction or within 30 days of the communication from Estate Officer. The remaining 75 per cent of the bid will have to be paid within a period of 90 days from the date of the auction. On payment of 25 per cent of bid amount, both parties shall enter into an agreement to sell the property. If the allottee defaults in making the timely payment of remaining balance of 75 per cent within the stipulated time period, the 25 per cent paid by him will be forfeited and the property will be auctioned again.
Similarly, if the Administration fails to fulfill its obligations to transfer or lease the property for any reason other than the on grounds of threat to public order, security of State or change in Public policy, the Administration will be liable to pay the allottee an equivalent amount, as damages for non performance.
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Chandigarh: The Chandigarh Administration has served a show-cause notice to the nominated Councillor, Arshad Khan, for allegedly indulging in anti-Administration activities. The action came after Municipal Commissioner (MC) P S Aujla made a recommendation, seeking action against the Councillor. An inquiry was conducted under DSP (CID) Jagbir Singh, who substantiated the allegations in his report.
Last month, UT Administrator S F Rodrigues directed the Administration that a show-cause notice be issued to Khan to explain his position over his alleged involvement in several anti-Administration activities, and also for encouraging encroachments in Sector 26 and Manimajra.
UT IGP S K Jain in his communication to the UT Administration has stated the CID branch of the UT police has conducted a discreet inquiry into the allegations and all the allegations have been substantiated. Khan however, has refuted all the allegations levelled against him.
A report of the MC Additional Commissioner has also said that Khan has been encouraging encroachers, who have been running an illegal fish market in Shastri Nagar in Manimajra, and a vegetable market in Modern Housing Complex. MC Secretary has stated that Khan has encouraged unauthorised vendors to occupy road reservation area on V3 Road behind Sector 26 grain market.
Source: ENS