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August 10, 2011

Punjab HC set to notify commercial arbitration rules

Parsvnath arbitrators fail to attend court despite notices

Chandigarh, August 10
The Punjab & Haryana High Court is in the process of notifying the rules on arbitration between commercial establishments. As the petition filed by the Chandigarh Housing Board alleging payment of a “huge amount of money to the arbitrators” in the Parsvnath case came up for hearing, justice Hemant Gupta made it clear the rules on arbitration have already been framed and approved by the Supreme Court. These would be notified within the next couple of days, the bench stated.

Despite court notices served to them the arbitrators failed to appear before the bench at the hearing of the case. The bench had, on the previous date of hearing, directed the notices be served through email, ‘dasti’ as well as the normal process to retired Punjab & Haryana High Court judge Amar Dutt as well as the Supreme Court’s former chief justice, GB Patnaik, and justice DP Wadhwa. This is the first time in the recallable past that three former judges, including two of the apex court, have been put on notice by the high court.
So far the three-judge arbitration tribunal, that charged the Chandigarh Housing Board up to Rs 4.5 lakh even for granting adjournments, has been asked not to hear the Parsvnath case. About Rs 80 lakh has been paid as legal fees, with the CHB alone having paid more than Rs 39 lakh.
In addition the CHB has spent close to Rs 10 lakh on travel, accommodation and other expenses for the arbitration. This amount does not include the expenses incurred by Parsvnath on the multiple sittings held in Hotel Lalit and Hotel Le Meridian in New Delhi.
Available information suggests the arbitration rules are expected to be similar to the ones framed by the Delhi High Court. In fact, the need for setting up a permanent arbitration centre in Chandigarh, on the pattern of the Delhi High Court Arbitration Centre, was being felt even since the Parsvnath controversy surfaced.
Legal experts have all along been insisting such an arbitration centre would not only result in reducing costs incurred on litigation but would also go a long way in ensuring speedy disposal of cases. As of now about 1,500 arbitration cases are still pending in the country.
The centre for speedy disposal of cases in Delhi was inaugurated by then Chief Justice of India KG Balakrishnan in November 2009.
The Delhi High Court arbitration council has been set up along the lines of the Singapore International Arbitration Centre to provide a more “cost effective” and “efficient” solution for companies, which usually have to go overseas to settle disputes. The centre functions under the aegis of the Delhi High Court and operates from within its premises. The primary objective of the initiative is to bring more transparency and reliability to arbitration and quicken the process by institutionalizing it.

Apple becomes most-valuable firm

New York, August 10
Technology giant Apple today briefly displaced energy major Exxon Mobil to become the country's most-valuable company.
For several trading hours, the Steve Jobs-led maker of iPhones and iPads was on top of the stock market charts, surpassing Exxon. However, by the close of trade, Exxon was back to its numero uno position. Apple's market valuation was trailing Exxon by only about $2 billion.
At the end of regular trading, Apple shares closed at $374.01, up 5.89 per cent, to take its market valuation to $346.74 billion.
Exxon Mobil closed at $71.64, up 2.07 per cent, with a market capitalisation of only $1.58 billion more at $348.32 billion, the New York Times reported.
During the day's seesaw trading, Apple's market cap surpassed Exxon Mobil by as much as $7 billion.

ਇਰਾਕ 'ਚੋਂ 28 ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਨੌਜਵਾਨਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਵਾਪਸ ਲਿਆਉਣ ਲਈ ਯਤਨ ਕਰ ਰਿਹੈ ਭਾਰਤ


ਨਵੀਂ ਦਿੱਲੀ, 10 ਅਗਸਤ (ਪੀ. ਟੀ. ਆਈ.)-ਟਰੈਵਲ ਏਜੰਟਾਂ ਦੇ ਧੋਖੇ ਕਾਰਨ ਇਰਾਕ 'ਚ ਬਹੁਤ ਹੀ ਘੱਟ ਉਜਰਤ 'ਤੇ ਕੰਮ ਕਰਨ ਲਈ ਮਜ਼ਬੂਰ 28 ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਨੌਜਵਾਨਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਵਾਪਿਸ ਲਿਆਉਣ ਲਈ ਬਗਦਾਦ ਸਥਿਤ ਭਾਰਤੀ ਸਫ਼ਾਰਤਖਾਨੇ ਦੇ ਅਧਿਕਾਰੀਆਂ ਨੇ ਇਰਾਕ ਸਰਕਾਰ ਨਾਲ ਤਾਲਮੇਲ ਸ਼ੁਰੂ ਕਰ ਦਿੱਤਾ ਹੈ। ਬੀਤੇ ਕੁਝ ਮਹੀਨਿਆਂ ਦੌਰਾਨ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦੇ ਟਰੈਵਲ ਏਜੰਟਾਂ ਨੇ ਫ਼ੌਜੀ ਕੈਂਪਾਂ 'ਚ ਕੰਮ ਦਾ ਕਹਿ ਕੇ ਨੌਜਵਾਨਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਇਰਾਕ ਭੇਜਿਆ ਸੀ ਪ੍ਰੰਤੂ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਨਜਫ ਦੀ ਇਕ ਇਮਾਰਤ ਨਿਰਮਾਣ ਕੰਪਨੀ 'ਚ ਕੰਮ ਦਿੱਤਾ ਗਿਆ, ਜਿਥੇ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਬਹੁਤ ਹੀ ਘੱਟ ਉਜਰਤ 'ਤੇ ਦਿਨ 'ਚ ਲੰਮਾ ਸਮਾਂ ਕੰਮ ਕਰਨ ਲਈ ਮਜ਼ਬੂਰ ਹੋਣਾ ਪੈ ਗਿਆ। ਇਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਨੌਜਵਾਨਾਂ ਨੇ ਜਲਦੀ ਹੀ ਭਾਰਤ ਵਾਪਿਸ ਜਾਣ ਦੇ ਸਬੰਧ 'ਚ ਬਗਦਾਦ ਸਥਿਤ ਭਾਰਤੀ ਸਫਾਰਤਖਾਨੇ ਦੇ ਅਧਿਕਾਰੀਆਂ ਤੱਕ ਪਹੁੰਚ ਕੀਤੀ ਹੈ। ਵਿਦੇਸ਼ ਮੰਤਰਾਲੇ ਦੇ ਇਕ ਬੁਲਾਰੇ ਨੇ ਇਹ ਪ੍ਰਗਟਾਵਾ ਕਰਦਿਆਂ ਦੱਸਿਆ ਕਿ ਅਧਿਕਾਰੀਆਂ ਨੇ ਇਰਾਕ ਸਰਕਾਰ ਅਤੇ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਸਰਕਾਰ ਨਾਲ ਇਸ ਸਬੰਧ 'ਚ ਤਾਲਮੇਲ ਸ਼ੁਰੂ ਕਰ ਦਿੱਤਾ ਹੈ। ਬੁਲਾਰੇ ਨੇ ਦੱਸਿਆ ਕਿ ਟਰੈਵਲ ਏਜੰਟਾਂ ਨੇ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਤੋਂ 40 ਨੌਜਵਾਨਾਂ, ਜਿਨ੍ਹਾਂ 'ਚ ਕੁਝ ਹਿਮਾਚਲ ਪ੍ਰਦੇਸ਼ ਦੇ ਨੌਜਵਾਨ ਵੀ ਸ਼ਾਮਿਲ ਹਨ, ਨੂੰ ਇਰਾਕ ਭੇਜਿਆ ਸੀ, ਜਿਥੇ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਜੰਗਲਾਂ 'ਚ ਜੰਗ ਵਾਲੇ ਖੇਤਰ ਦੀ ਸਫਾਈ ਦੇ ਕੰਮ 'ਤੇ ਲਾਇਆ ਗਿਆ ਹੈ ਅਤੇ ਤਨਖਾਹ ਵੀ ਬਹੁਤ ਘੱਟ ਦਿੱਤੀ ਜਾ ਰਹੀ ਹੈ। ਇਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦੀ ਜ਼ਿੰਦਗੀ ਇਥੇ ਮੁਹਾਲ ਹੋਈ ਪਈ ਹੈ ਅਤੇ ਇਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਨੌਜਵਾਨਾਂ ਦੇ ਪਰਿਵਾਰਕ ਮੈਂਬਰਾਂ ਨੇ ਬੀਤੇ ਹਫ਼ਤੇ ਟਰੈਵਲ ਏਜੰਟਾਂ ਵਿਰੁੱਧ ਜਲੰਧਰ ਪੁਲਿਸ ਨੂੰ ਇਸ ਸਬੰਧ 'ਚ ਸ਼ਿਕਾਇਤ ਦਰਜ ਕਰਵਾਈ ਸੀ।

Chandigarh travel agents under lens for dumping youths in Iraq


The Modus Operandi
n Travel agents encourage young boys to go to Iraq, promising them jobs in army camps theren Instead, they are sent to a construction company in Najaf, 160 km south of Baghdadn There they are subjected to long working hours for a pittance and some are not paid at all

New Delhi, August 10
Three Chandigarh-based travel agents are under the scanner for luring youths from Punjab and Haryana to Iraq for jobs.
Informed sources said the travel agents had promised these youths that they would work in American army camps in Baghdad for a salary of about 800 dollars each.
Instead, these youths were taken to Najaf, about 160 km south of Baghdad, and forced to work at a construction site along with some 300 other people belonging to various nationalities.
At Najaf, they were told that they would be paid a salary of 300 dollars each, but that too was not being paid to them. Sources said both the Central and Punjab Governments were trying to verify the antecedents of these travel agents and their contacts in Iraq. Enforcement agencies might move against them in the coming days.
Meanwhile, the External Affairs Ministry noted that in recent months some Punjab-based travel agents had encouraged young boys to go to Iraq, promising them jobs in the army camps there. Instead, the unsuspecting youths were sent to a construction company in Najaf and subjected to long working hours and paid poor salaries.
Twentyeight Indian nationals working in Najaf had contacted the Indian Embassy in Baghdad, seeking help in returning to India. The embassy has since been arbitrating with the local and the national authorities in Iraq to facilitate their return.
The embassy was also in touch with the Punjab Government and the Overseas Indian Affairs Ministry, MEA spokesman Vishnu Prakash said.
This is not the first time that youths from the northern states, particularly Punjab, have been duped by travel agents. This has been happening for years but neither the youths nor the authorities seem to have learnt from past experience.
Despite the tall claims by the authorities that they had acted tough against unscrupulous travel agents, a large number of youths continue to be duped because of economic compulsions. Fake travel agents are running a well-oiled industry in Punjab and other northern states with a large number of people unwittingly falling into their trap and losing money.
According to an estimate, over 15,000 youths from Punjab are languishing in prisons of various countries after being duped by travel agents. Only a few hundred have returned home in the last couple of years to tell their woeful tales. Some unscrupulous agents have now begun to also lure girls and women.
The modus operandi is the same. They are promised lucrative jobs abroad, but forced into prostitution.