Excise Dept accused of trying to open liquor vend despite ban in Changal viilage, Sangrur

Satyamev Jayate

SANGRUR: On a day Changal village became famous after it was featured by Bollywood actor Aamir Khan in his television show "Satyamev Jayte" for its self-imposed liquor prohibition, the villagers on Sunday alleged that the excise department was trying to open a liquor vend there.

The villagers of Changal, which removed its liquor vend two years back, said that the excise department has also registered a false case of smuggling in their village, which would make their case of opening the vend in the village stronger. 

People of Changal village, Sangrur interacting via video conferencing with host Amir Khan

"The excise department has registered a case of liquor smuggling in the village and are trying to deter us, but we are determined not to open vend even if authorities register more cases using tactical moves", said village sarpanch Paramjit Singh, who also got the chance to interact with Khan.

Paramjit said the excise authorities wanted to put forward the smuggling case for denying its no liquor vend resolution next year. The Punjab panchayati Raj Act states that, if the excise and taxation commissioner is of the opinion that illicit distillation or smuggling of alcohol has been carried on or connived at within two years preceding the date of passing of resolution, in such local area, such resolution shall not be binding upon.

Section 40 gives panchayats powers to go in for no liquor vend in the village. However, Sangrur assistant excise and taxation commissioner Darbara Singh denied using unfair means in registering liquor case. He said "every case related to liquor smuggling is registered only on merit".

Philippines rescues sea turtles from poachers' net

Philippine authorities rescued 14 protected sea turtles that were caught in a net laid down by Chinese poachers, a navy commander said Saturday.

However one sea turtle was already dead when a joint team from the navy and the environment department arrived Friday in the remote area off the western island of Palawan, said Major Ferdinand Atos.
Atos, commander of naval forces in the area, said informants had told them that Chinese poachers planted the net a week ago in the coastal district of Balabac.
"They enter the waters of Balabac, riding in a speedboat and they plant their nets, using their contacts among the locals," he told AFP.
The 200-metre (660-foot) net left by the poachers was removed and the 14 surviving sea turtles were set free, Atos said.
He said informants had told them that Chinese fishermen used their contacts to enter the area frequently and would bring their catch to Half-Moon Shoal, an outcrop in the Spratly islands claimed by both the Philippines and China.
The shoal has come under closer scrutiny after China announced that one of its naval frigates had run aground there.
Sea turtles are protected under Philippine law and catching them is punishable by at least 12 years in jail.
Chinese fishermen poaching in Philippine waters have become an issue in recent months.
In April, Philippine authorities tried to arrest Chinese fishermen taking sea turtles and other protected species from Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea.
They were blocked by Chinese government ships, triggering a continuing standoff over the area which is claimed by both countries.

Dasuya bypoll: Development is the winner

Sukhjit Kaur Sahi (BJP+Akali) defeats Congress candidate by nearly 50,000 votes in peaceful bypoll elections with 69.7% voter turnout!!!

CHANDIGARH/DASUYA: The Bhartiya Janata Party today retained the Dasuya assembly segment with its candidate Sukhjeet Kaur Sahi defeating the Congress candidate Arun Mickey Dogra by a huge margin of about 47,432 votes. The Peoples’ Party of Punjab candidate, Bhupinder Singh Ghuman remained a distant third and lost his security deposit.

 

Sahi was polled 74,484 votes while Mickey Dogra was polled 30,000 votes. PPP Candidate Ghuman was polled 5,149 votes.

 

Nevertheless the BJP victory in the by-election was expected however the huge victory margin came as a bit surprise. The by-election had been necessitated by the death of the sitting BJP candidate and the Chief Parliamentary Secretary Amarjit Singh Sahi. The BJP fielded his wife Sukhjeet Kaur who won by a hugely comfortable margin.

 

While the victory may not have come as a surprise to the Congress, but the margin of defeat must have certainly come as a great shock. This is supposed to be a traditionally Congress belt and the party was not expected to fair that badly.

 

The Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President Capt Amarinder Singh had personally taken much interest about the by-election and spent three days for campaigning. He was scheduled to spend more but had to take off sometime because of the death of his aunt Ms Nagindra Khanna, the mother of PCC general secretary Arvind Khanna.

 

Capt Amarinder had ensured the return of Mukerian MLA Rajneesh Bubby to the party fold before the Dasuya by-election as the constituency had about 25000 votes belonging to the Chang community which mostly goes with Rajneesh Bubby’s family. Bubby is the son of Congress veteran late Dr Kewal Krishen who belonged to the same community.

 

The Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and the Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal also spent considerable time in Dasuya during the campaigning. At one stage it looked more of an Akali than the BJP campaign as the BJP leaders campaigning in the area were overshadowed by the presence of two Badals and Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia, another important leader of the SAD and the ruling family.

 

Most of all the main person responsible for such a humiliating defeat is the Congress candidate Arun Dogra himself who virtually took no interest in the campaigning. He had taken defeat for granted as was noted and felt by the Congress leadership which went for campaigning in the area.

 

His miserably poor performance should make the party give a serious thought of grooming alternative leadership so that the candidate who is fielded next time in 2017 is well entrenched in the area and has a will and determination to win.

ਪੰਜਾਬ ਜ਼ਮੀਨ-ਜਾਇਦਾਦ ਦੀ ਆਨ-ਲਾਈਨ ਰਜਿਸਟ੍ਰੇਸ਼ਨ ਵਾਲਾ ਪਹਿਲਾ ਸੂਬਾ ਹੋਵੇਗਾ : ਸੁਖਬੀਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਬਾਦਲ

ਚੰਡੀਗੜ੍ਹ, 12 ਜੁਲਾਈ (ਗੁਰਪ੍ਰੀਤ ਸਿੰਘ ਮਹਿਕ): ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦੇ ਉਪ ਮੁੱਖ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਸ. ਸੁਖਬੀਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਬਾਦਲ ਨੇ ਐਲਾਨ ਕੀਤਾ ਹੈ ਕਿ ਅਜੀਤਗੜ੍ਹ ਅਤੇ ਸ਼ਹੀਦ ਭਗਤ ਸਿੰਘ ਨਗਰ ਦੇ ਰੂਪ ਵਿਚ ਪਾਇਲਟ ਪ੍ਰਾਜੈਕਟ ਮੁਕੰਮਲ ਕਰ ਕੇ, ਪੰਜਾਬ, ਦੇਸ਼ ਅੰਦਰ ਜਾਇਦਾਦ ਅਤੇ ਜ਼ਮੀਨ ਦੀ ਆਨ-ਲਾਈਨ ਰਜਿਸਟ੍ਰੇਸ਼ਨ ਕਰਨ ਵਾਲਾ ਪਹਿਲਾ ਸੂਬਾ ਬਣਨ ਲਈ ਪੂਰੀ ਤਰ੍ਹਾਂ ਤਿਆਰ ਹੈ। ਅੱਜ ਇਥੇ ਮਾਲ ਵਿਭਾਗ ਦੇ ਚਲ ਰਹੇ ਵੱਖ-ਵੱਖ ਪ੍ਰਾਜੈਕਟਾਂ ਦੀ ਸਮੀਖਿਆ ਲਈ ਹੋਈ ਮੀਟਿੰਗ ਵਿਚ ਮਾਲ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਸ. ਬਿਕਰਮ ਸਿੰਘ ਮਜੀਠੀਆ ਨੇ ਦਸਿਆ ਕਿ ਮਾਲ ਵਿਭਾਗ ਜ਼ਮੀਨ ਅਤੇ ਜਾਇਦਾਦ ਦੀ ਆਨ ਲਾਈਨ ਰਜਿਸਟ੍ਰੇਸ਼ਨ ਲਾਗੂ ਕਰਨ ਲਈ ਪੂਰੀਆਂ ਤਿਆਰੀਆਂ ਕਰ ਚੁਕਿਆ ਹੈ ਅਤੇ ਅਕਤੂਬਰ ਮਹੀਨੇ ਵਿਚ ਇਹ ਪ੍ਰਾਜੈਕਟ ਲਾਗੂ ਹੋਣ ਨਾਲ ਮੁਹਾਲੀ ਆਨ ਲਾਈਨ ਰਜਿਸਟ੍ਰੇਸ਼ਨ ਵਿਵਸਥਾ ਵਾਲਾ ਪਹਿਲਾ ਜ਼ਿਲ੍ਹਾ ਬਣ ਜਾਵੇਗਾ। ਅਪਣੀ ਹੀ ਕਿਸਮ ਦੇ ਇਸ  ਪਹਿਲੇ ਲੋਕ ਪੱਖੀ ਪ੍ਰਾਜੈਕਟ ਦੇ ਵੇਰਵੇ ਦੇਂਦਿਆਂ ਮਾਲ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਨੇ ਦਸਿਆ ਕਿ ਇਸ ਪ੍ਰਾਜੈਕਟ ਤਹਿਤ ਖ਼ਰੀਦਦਾਰ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਲੈਂਡ ਰੀਕਾਰਡਜ਼ ਸੁਸਾਇਟੀ ਨੂੰ ਇਕ ਈਮੇਲ ਭੇਜ ਕੇ ਰਜਿਸਟ੍ਰੇਸ਼ਨ ਲਈ ਬੇਨਤੀ ਕਰੇਗਾ ਅਤੇ ਉਸ ਨੂੰ ਈਮੇਲ ਜ਼ਰੀਏ ਇਕ ਪਾਸਵਰਡ ਦਿਤਾ ਜਾਵੇਗਾ। ਇਸ ਉਪਰੰਤ ਖਰੀਦਦਾਰ ਜਾਇਦਾਦ ਦੇ ਵੇਰਵੇ ਸੁਸਾਇਟੀ ਦੇ ਪੋਰਟਲ ਦੇ ਬਰਾਊਜ਼ਰ ’ਤੇ ਭਰੇਗਾ ਅਤੇ ਅਪਣੇ ਦਸਤਾਵੇਜ਼ ਦੀ ਰਜਿਸਟ੍ਰੇਸ਼ਨ ਬਾਰੇ ਖ਼ੁਦ ਟਾਈਪ ਕਰੇਗਾ। ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦਸਿਆ ਕਿ ਸਾਫ਼ਟਵੇਅਰ ਅਪਣੇ ਆਪ ਸਟੈਂਪ ਡਿਊਟੀ ਦਸੇਗਾ ਅਤੇ ਬਰਾਊਜ਼ਰ ਵਿਚ ਸਟੈਂਪ ਡਿਊਟੀ ਜਮ੍ਹਾਂ ਕਰਾਉਣ ਸਬੰਧੀ ਚਲਾਨ ਨੰਬਰ ਦਾ ਵੇਰਵਾ ਦੇਵੇਗਾ। ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦਸਿਆ ਕਿ ਈਮੇਲ ਜ਼ਰੀਏ ਦਸਤਾਵੇਜ਼ ਜਮ੍ਹਾਂ ਹੋਣ ਉਪਰੰਤ ਰਜਿਸਟ੍ਰੇਸ਼ਨ ਅਥਾਰਟੀ ਵਲੋਂ ਦਸਤਾਵੇਜ਼ ਦੀ ਜਾਂਚ ਕਰ ਕੇ ਉਸ ਨੂੰ ਪ੍ਰਵਾਨ ਜਾਂ ਰੱਦ ਕੀਤਾ ਜਾਵੇਗਾ ਅਤੇ ਰਜਿਸਟ੍ਰੇਸ਼ਨ ਫ਼ੀਸ ਜਮ੍ਹਾਂ ਹੋਣ ਉਪਰੰਤ ਖ਼ਰੀਦਦਾਰ ਨੂੰ ਰਜਿਸਟ੍ਰੇਸ਼ਨ ਦਾ ਪ੍ਰਿੰਟ ਮਿਲੇਗਾ।  ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਕਿਹਾ ਕਿ ਇਸ ਪ੍ਰਾਜੈਕਟ ਦੇ ਲਾਗੂ ਹੋਣ ਨਾਲ ਜਿਥੇ ਲੋਕਾਂ ਦਾ ਸਰਕਾਰੀ ਤੰਤਰ ਨਾਲ ਸੰਵਾਦ ਘਟੇਗਾ, ਉਥੇ ਕਥਿਤ ਭ੍ਰਿਸ਼ਟਾਚਾਰ ਵੀ ਖਤਮ ਹੋਵੇਗਾ। ਇਸ ਮੌਕੇ ਉਪ ਮੁੱਖ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਨੇ ਕਿਹਾ ਕਿ ਸਨ 2013 ਤਕ ਮਾਲ ਵਿਭਾਗ ਇਸ ਪ੍ਰਾਜੈਕਟ ਨੂੰ ਸਾਰੇ ਜ਼ਿਲ੍ਹਿਆਂ ਅੰਦਰ ਲਾਗੂ ਕਰੇ। ਮੀਟਿੰਗ ਵਿਚ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਪਰਮਿੰਦਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਢੀਂਡਸਾ, ਵਿੱਤ ਮੰਤਰੀ, ਸ੍ਰੀ ਰਾਕੇਸ਼ ਸਿੰਘ, ਮੁੱਖ ਸਕੱਤਰ, ਸ੍ਰੀ ਐਨ.ਐਸ. ਕੰਗ, ਵਿੱਤ ਕਮਿਸ਼ਨਰ ਮਾਲ ਅਤੇ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਮਨਵੇਸ਼ ਸਿੰਘ ਸਿੱਧੂ, ਵਿਸ਼ੇਸ਼ ਪ੍ਰਮੁੱਖ ਸਕੱਤਰ/ਉਪ ਮੁੱਖ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਪ੍ਰਮੁੱਖ ਤੌਰ ’ਤੇ ਸ਼ਾਮਲ ਹੋਏ।