In the build-up to the Heart of Asia (HOA) Conference at Amritsar on December 3-4, there is speculation that India and Pakistan will resume bilateral talks. Tribune file

New Delhi, December 1The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday issued a statement on bilateral talks with Pakistan saying that they would not accept continued terror as the “new normal” in bilateral ties. In the build-up to the Heart of Asia (HOA) Conference at Amritsar on December 3-4, there is speculation that India and Pakistan will resume bilateral talks.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)“We have not got any request for bilateral meeting from Pakistan. We are always in favour of talks but not in atmosphere of terror,” the MEA said. On the Nagrota attack, the MEA said that the government had taken the incident very seriously and would do what it felt was required for national security. “We are awaiting specific details on Nagrota attack before deciding on next step,” the MEA said. — PTI

PLOT Army jawan, along with a dismissed colleague and a policeman, looted old notes from a hosiery owner on Saturday

From page 01 LUDHIANA: The police arrested an army jawan, along with a dismissed soldier, on Monday for looting `7 lakh in scrapped currency from a hosiery owner.

The police recovered `6.30 lakh from the possession of the accused, besides an air gun and scooter used in the crime committed on Saturday.

The accused told the police that they planned to exchange the scrapped currency with new notes after depositing it in their saving accounts.

The accused were identified as jawan Ramesh Kumar and Vikas Kumar, a dismissed jawan, both residents of Hisar district in Haryana. Vikas was dismissed from the army for being absent from duty without information. Their third accomplice, said to be a cop, was yet to be arrested.

The accused were produced in a local court and were remanded in police custody for two days.

SHO Beant Juneja of Division-5 police station said the accused stopped hosiery owner Manpreet Singh of New Shivaji Nagar, who was going to Model Gram to deposit `7 lakh in a bank on Saturday afternoon near Government Senior Secondary School, Jagraon bridge, and robbed him at gun point.

The victim also alleged that a cop in a Swift car also reached the spot and threatened him. As the accused left the place, he immediately informed the police.

The SHO said the police would inform the income tax department for relevant investigations.

Assistant commissioner of police (ACP-west) Surinder Lamba said the police arrested the accused when they were planning to commit another crime. He said the police were questioning the accused about the cop involved in the crime.

For good days: The poor have revealed surprising support for Mr Modi’s move.

THERE are two aspects to the currency swap for high denomination notes, one economic pertaining to ferret out black money and get more people to use digital transfers and the other political, particularly in its timing.On the economic side, it is a bold move of PM Narendra Modi, a task first tried by the short-lived Janata Party government of which the BJP’s parent Jana Sangh was part. It was unable to follow through, given its own convulsions. With a clear majority in the Lok Sabha, the present administration can take the risks. But even given the need for secrecy in  such an undertaking, the move could have been better prepared, given the people’s daily needs.Politically, it has given the Opposition parties the opportunity to unite on an issue that cuts across party lines. But coming as the new measures do on the eve of crucial Assembly elections in UP and Punjab, it can have devastating effect on all parties. It is no secret that each party collected piles of cash for persuading voters to press the right button. Now they have to start the process all over again, with inevitable shortfalls.For waning parties such as the Congress, the money swapping issue leading to long queues at ATMs, many of them not calibrated to new currency, and the inevitable tribulations of small undertakings, the measure was a godsend. Mr Rahul Gandhi in particular was vocal.How far the political aspects influenced the move has yet to be discovered, but the administration’s suggestion for state funding of elections is a moot point. And in a sense, after the turmoil is over, it will be a topic for debate.The Modi government has also announced that other measures to reduce, if not stop, corruption are being readied or are in offing. While the country will wish the government well, it is a universal experience that such a task to tackle an endemic problem is a lifetime undertaking. As if to mock the new measures, the big fat Reddy wedding was a reminder of the ability of the rich to raise mountains of cash, with the demonetisation of high currency notes presenting few problems.Despite the inevitable sob stories and personal hardships caused by demonetisation TV channels have been feasting on, my questioning of poor and humble folk has revealed surprising support for Mr Modi’s move. Many of them seem to be convinced by the argument that this will help bring down the use of black money.The Modi move has obvious wider political considerations. The PM is not short of ambitions for himself and the country in that order. If he has shown boldness in pursuing the country’s interest despite missteps, he has an equally radical agenda for domestic policy where it counts the most.The BJP’s short-term objective is to capture UP in the forthcoming Assembly elections. With an open war being enacted in the Yadav family empire, the political barometer was pointing in the direction of Ms Mayawati’s BSP, but the new problems in distributing largesse will affect it as it will the state’s ruling Samajwadi Party. The Congress is a small player in UP as it is being marginalised in the rest of the country.The BJP’s strategy in UP prior to the currency move was to emphasise its “surgical strike” on Pakistani targets after the Uri attack to wear the colour of nationalism even as it heightened its move for Hindutva to divide voters along communal lines by raising the Ram janmabhoomi issue. It was betting on the possibility that with the disillusionment of Muslim voters with the Samajwadi Party, their tendency would be to go to the BSP even while the Congress was seeking Brahmin votes.If the BJP’s new calculations are right, the UP elections will be on a less extravagant scale this time round. But the fine tuning of the party’s strategy has yet to evolve in the light of the new political dynamics released by the currency issue. While the Opposition parties will harp on the sufferings of the common man and the lack of adequate preparation for such a bold measure, the common man may be more in sympathy with the official line that it is more for the benefit of the poor.Among the opposition parties, Ms Mamata Banerjee of the Trinamool Congress and her counterpart in Delhi, Mr Arvind Kejriwal, chose to take over the leadership of opposing the measure for different reasons. The TMC is on the lookout for a wider national role after having vanquished the Marxist Communist Party. And Mr Kejriwal will espouse any issue to beat the Modi government with, apart from his search for a wider setting to fulfil his personal ambitions.The success of the new monetary measure will depend upon how quickly it will relieve the genuine sufferings of the small trader, labour working in the field and the farmers’ planting regime. A wider dispensation of Rs 500 notes would help. The fact that such a major move will cause disruption is a foregone conclusion.Mr Modi is good at fixing targets for himself and the nation. He has asked for 50 days to fix the currency problem in emotional appeals he made two days running. As usual, he mixed his appeals with his known political themes and even made time for a UP election rally.Much rests on the overall success of the currency measure in determining the immediate fate of the Modi government. It will depend principally on how fast the administration can act to bring the situation back to normal. Government machinery is revving up, but whether it will prove equal to the task remains to be seen.In a sense, Mr Modi has given the warning that his aspiration is to become a memorable Prime Minister although he shuns the maker of modern democratic India, Jawaharlal Nehru. He could however aspire to equal Indira Gandhi, who won her spurs by defeating Pakistan in the Bangladesh war.

Infallible leaders? Blame it on the bhakts

Salil Desai
There is a very thin line between the use and abuse of power. It is not adulation, but criticism that keep people in power from crossing the line. In fact, bhakti makes political leaders believe in their own infallibility, inflates their self-opinion as men or women of destiny, born to create history and, inevitably, leads them to take missteps

WHEN  one reads about the rise of many 20th-century authoritarian regimes in history, there are two questions that confound you. How did entire nations and populations allow themselves to be so hypnotised by a person or a political party? Moreover, how did they permit leaders or regimes to take absolute control over the State and then chip away at their liberties one by one, so that they could hold sway with an iron grip for decades thereafter?The process is even more inexplicable and intriguing in countries that were once democracies. We are not talking of military coups or civil wars here. We are talking of democratic takeovers of power, which eventually degenerated into authoritarian reigns, even if for a short period of time. In the wake of the twin surgical strikes  — across the LOC and now demonetisation — when one sees the prevailing atmosphere, one wonders if this is how the process begins unfolding. Where people start ceding individual liberties for some chimerical greater good; where the regime does not even have to oppress, just unleash a vicious, emotional rhetoric and outsource the suppression to a large number of citizens who have suspended independent thinking and thus can be depended upon to cow down the questioners. The demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, for instance, has been aggressively touted as a master stroke against everything from black money to terrorist funding to counterfeit money to corruption, while also being hailed as a major reform towards a cashless economy. Any criticism of it, is almost considered blasphemous, even anti-national. If this sentiment was being stoked only by the government or party in power, it  would be understandable, although undesirable propaganda. What makes it really scary is that ordinary middle-class citizens, especially those of the social media variety, have started behaving like accomplices of the regime by shouting down, mocking and denouncing any contrary views, branding these as unpatriotic. Moreover, even the shoddy and shockingly inept planning and execution of the demonetisation exercise is being defended as inevitable. We are being exhorted to treat it as our patriotic duty to suffer long queues, inconveniences, disruptions to our lives, genuine problems caused by this man-made crisis, without complaining or criticism. So is our brainwash complete? Have we become so mesmerised by the larger-than-life aura of a leader that we refuse to believe that he and his government can do any wrong? Have we forgotten what Dr Ambedkar warned about political bhakti? Don’t we realise that there is a very thin line between the use and abuse of power.In fact, bhakti makes political leaders believe in their own infallibility, inflates their self-opinion as men or women of destiny. Time and again, history has shown that there are no strong, authoritarian regimes which did not end up doing more harm than good to their countries. Many of them did so because of their popularity. Because people and nations put more faith in them than they should have.Popularity has almost never ever chastened any politician, except very rare exceptions — a Nehru, a Mandela. But most of those who have relied on personal appeal over everything else, have eventually led their nations to grief, when their self-belief descends into megalomania. Almost always that megalomania is fed by popularity and fawning bhakts. The bhakts create an echo chamber, which resounds only with what the leader wants to hear and believe, totally shutting out different viewpoints and realities. Modi and his party won a majority single-party mandate for the first time in 30 years in 2014. Even if grudgingly, one has to admit that his personal popularity has remained high, despite many questions that still remain unanswered. That there is an authoritarian and majoritarian streak cannot be denied. In the case of the surgical strikes along the LoC, his party and he exploited nationalistic and strong-man sentiments to the hilt. In the case of demonetisation too, we have seen him play the brave, lone-crusader card, the selfless, sacrificing leader rhetoric and the emotional, “suffer-for-me-and-our country” appeal. All of this points to his tendency to personalise all his government’s decisions to make his regime seem almost presidential in nature and help to build his image as a towering, decisive leader.The kind of leader he is for time to tell. Many people have bought his spiel hook, line and sinker, while others are sceptical. Whether his regime turns into a democratically elected one with autocratic tendencies, especially if he gets a second term, depends on his bhakts. People are free to support and adore the Prime Minister but they must realise that love for one’s country is completely different from love for a particular leader, party or a government. They have no right to attack, browbeat and brand as unpatriotic those questioning the policies of their beloved leader. If India turns less-than-democratic once again, blame it squarely on the bhakts. Any leader derives his delusions from the reflections seen in the distorted mirrors put up by his fanatic supporters.The writer is a Pune-based author and film-maker.

On day for senior citizens, rush kills four more people

NEW DELHI: At least four more people died across the country on Saturday, allegedly due to exhaustion after standing several hours to exchange banned banknotes as millions continued to grapple with a cash crunch 11 days after the shock decision.

The government says the move to demonetise the old `500 and `1000 notes was aimed at sucking out illicit cash. Officials said the Income Tax department has already started issuing hundreds of notices seeking source of funds from individuals and firms who have deposited huge amounts of cash in banks using the scrapped currency notes.

Though there is no official confirmation, opposition parties are linking the death of about 50 people to the demonetisation that has led to snaking queues in banks and cash-dispensing machines with people lining up late into the night to withdraw cash or exchange the old notes.

Two of the deaths were reported from Uttar Pradesh – in Aligarh and Harodi. Another man died in Rajasthan’s Junjhunu district while a woman was brought dead to a hospital in Haryana’s Karnal. A doctor said she may have suffocated in the crowded queue outside a bank. Since the government’s announcement on November 8, banks have worked without a break, allowing customers of even other banks to exchange the old notes. The long queues in ATMs, however, remained in many parts of the country including Mumbai.

In Andhra Pradesh’s Paderu town, an angry policeman allegedly damaged two ATMs which had run out of cash. Bank officials said the cop was caught on CCTV kicking the machines repeatedly. The government has struggled to fill the country’s more than two lakh ATMs as a bumpy execution of the scheme has left the poor, small traders, farmers and women left with little cash in hand to even meet daily expenses.

There were also reports of distribution of new banknotes with faulty prints. A south Delhi resident, Imtiaz Alam, was given Rs 10 coins weighing about 15 kgs when he withdrew Rs 20,000 from the Jamia Cooperative bank.

Amid the chaos, a bank manager in Madhya Pradesh’s Khandwa went to a hospital to hand over Rs 25,000 to a retired railway official who suffered a broken hip after a fall on Friday.

Modi quotes Dylan to hail change, jokes about `100

CASH CRISIS Sonia hits out at leaders who are in ‘quest for shortcuts to greatness’

MUMBAI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday quoted Nobel laureate Bob Dylan to hit out at critics of the government’s decision to recall highvalue banknotes, saying “the times they are a-changin” and asked them not to criticise “what you can’t understand”.

SAUMYA KHANDELWAL/HT PHOTOAn elderly woman is helped into a bank at Delhi’s Aruna Asaf Ali Road on Saturday.

Modi’s swipe came 11 days after he announced a ban on `500 and `1,000 banknotes, a surprise decision that has left millions of Indians struggling to exchange the banned currency and withdraw cash from banks and ATMs.

Earlier in the day, Congress president Sonia Gandhi took a dig at leaders who are in a “quest for shortcuts to greatness”, in what is seen as a veiled criticism of Modi’s demonetisation move that her party says has been executed badly.

Party vice-president Rahul Gandhi also targeted Modi. “The cold play while the poor suffer!” he tweeted, referring to the British band Coldplay which performed in Mumbai after Modi’s address through video-conference.

The Congress’s fresh salvo came on a day when at least four more people died, allegedly due to exhaustion from queuing up for several hours to exchange banknotes.

The government says the demonetisation was aimed at curbing black money and counterfeiting of currency. Officials said the income tax department has started seeking explanations from hundreds of individuals and firms that have deposited huge amounts of scrapped currency notes their accounts.

Modi said it was part of his cleanliness drive. “Border ke us paar ki safai ho, ya kale dhan se bhari tijori ki safai ho, sab kuchh jor shor se chal raha hai (Whether it is cleansing across the border or cleaning of lockers and treasuries filled with black money, everything is on),” he said, drawing a parallel between the war on terrorism and black money.

The Prime Minister described Dylan — a shock choice for this year’s Nobel prize for literature — as one of his idols and quoted an entire paragraph from his iconic song, ‘The Times They Are A-Changin’, which had become an anthem for pent-up frustration among American youth in the 60s.

Modi also saw the funny side of the demonetisation move, saying if he had to sing at a Coldplay event the youngsters “would want your money back in 100-rupee notes”. The Prime Minister doffed his hat at the youngsters, pointing out that addressing the crowd of over 80,000 was a “welcome break” from “old files and cold Delhi”.

He also said it was smart to just address the audience instead of being there in person otherwise many of the youngsters would be lining up to ask for their money back and that too in Rs 100 notes.

Besides the opposition, Modi has come under criticism from the BJP’s ally Shiv Sena, which defended a controversial statement by Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad in Parliament.

“The difference is in the attackers. Pakistan attacked us in Uri, where in the case of demonetisation (deaths) it was our own rulers,” the Sena said in an editorial in its mouthpiece Saamana.

Though there is no official confirmation, opposition parties are linking the death of more than 50 people to the demonetisation.

Two of the deaths on Saturday were reported from Uttar Pradesh. Another man died in Rajasthan’s Jhunjhunu district while a woman was brought dead to a hospital in Haryana’s Karnal.

Though the queues in banks were relatively shorter on Saturday, officials said it could be because of certain restrictions including allowing only senior citizens to exchange old notes and catering to own customers.

The government has struggled to fill the country’s more than two lakh ATMs as a bumpy execution of the scheme has left the poor, small traders, farmers and women with little cash in hand to even meet daily expenses.

A south Delhi resident, Imtiaz Alam, was given Rs 10 coins weighing about 15 kgs when he withdrew Rs 20,000 from the Jamia Cooperative bank.

Queues get shorter with Saturday dedicated to elderly, but many return empty-handed

MOST OF THE BANKS COULD NOT CATER TO ALL THE ELDERLY PEOPLE AS THEY RAN OUT OF CASH AFTER NOON

AMRITSAR: As the government dedicated Saturday to senior citizens for cash exchange, elderly people thronged the banks in the city with great hope and enthusiasm, but many of them still returned empty-handed, due to currency crunch which continues to hit various banks.

SAMEER SEHGAL/HT(Top) A senior citizen waiting for his turn for exchane of currency notes outside a bank; (above) a woman stands in a queue with her son’s wedding card in Amritsar on Saturday.There was a huge footfall of senior citizens, particularly in the morning hours, at the banks and they were seen accompanied by their children, grandchildren or adult family members.

It turned out to be a heavy day for banks also because they will be closed on Sunday.

As the government had announced that only senior citizens will be entertained in the banks on November 19, they came in hordes to exchange notes, withdraw or deposit money and even withdraw pension from their respective accounts.

But most of the banks couldn’t cater to all the elderly people who turned up as they ran out of cash after noon.

“The banks which had their own chests had surplus cash on Saturday. But there are some banks (like ours) where there is no cash replenishment once we run out of it. Even if we want to help these senior citizens, we really can’t. New currency and surplus cash might flow in after Monday and things would get better,” says a manager of a public sector bank.

PROBLEMS GALORE

The senior citizens were unable to stand and wait for long. They also needed support to walk and climb stairs, if any. Several of them were exhausted due to movement they are not used to in their everyday life.

Joginder Kaur, a 78-year-old paralysis patient who was on her wheelchair, said, “The initiative (demonetisation) taken by the government might be good-intentioned, but the common man, specially the elderly people, are facing a lot of inconvenience and hassles.”

She added, “The move might bring a change in coming times, but for now all I know is that banks have become very crowded and in our age we do not have energy to be part of this rush.” Jaswant Singh, an 84-year-old retired policeman, seemed elated after getting lower denomination notes and also a new currency note of `2000.

“At this age, it’s a big hassle to pull yourself out of the comfort of cosy home. My body is fragile and I cannot move so much. Though the bank officials offered me a chair as the queue was long, but still the overall process was quite tiresome.”

For Krishan Kumar, a retiree, it was a disheartening experience as he had come to withdraw his pension, but had to return empty-handed due to cash crunch.

RAJYA SABHA MP MAKES ROUND OF BANKS

Meanwhile, Rajya Sabha MP Shwet Malik visited various banks in the city to make an on-the-spot assessment of the service being provided to senior citizens. He lauded bankers who were putting in extra efforts to provide comfort to the elderly. He also asked them to set up separate counters for senior citizens and women in the coming days.

SPL CASH EXCHANGE COUNTERS AT AIRPORT

With a view to facilitating passengers in the prevailing cash crunch scenario, the Airport Authority of India (AAI), in association with the State Bank of India, has installed two cash counters at the Sri Guru Ram Dass Ji International Airport here.

One counter has been set up at the arrival terminal of the airport and the other at the departure terminal.

Airport director VV Rao said, “This facility is for passengers. Anybody flying in and out of Amritsar can get their old notes exchanged with new ones, as per the norms. We have already made parking at the airport free.”

Bricks, stones replace people at bank queues

RAMGARH: Villagers in Ramgarh district of Jharkhand have found an innovative way to manage paddy sowing without losing out in the serpentine queues outside banks.

HTFarmers place bricks with their names written on them in front of a bank in Ramgarh. They take their place in the queue when the bank opens.

The farmers, who are gearing up for rabi season, write their names on bricks and boulders in chalk and place them outside the banks before going to their fields. Once the banks open, they take their position in the queue.

The practice avoids the hassle of standing in the queue for hours. In several areas, it’s an unspoken rule that the bricks can be moved only by the person who placed them. Interestingly, nobody trespasses or breaks the queue.

“For the past one week, I could not exchange money as there was a long queue outside the banks and work was pending in the field. When I came to know about this unique idea, I too put a stone in line and went to work. I reached the bank counter minutes before my turn came,” said Ganesh Mahto, a local farmer.

Similarly, a few customers are hiring local youth for `100-`200 to wait in queues on their behalf. “We used this method to get water from a government water tanker during summers. Now, we are using it at bank counters too,” said Kuliya Karmali from Rajrappa.

Dinbandhu Poddar, a local representative of MP Jayant Sinha, said: “We are distributing tea and biscuits to people in queues. We assure all help to senior citizens.”

 

Ruled out a roll back. PTI file photo

Now, exchange old notes at airport

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 17

Now, you can exchange your junked Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes at the international airport in Mohali from tomorrow onwards.Disclosing this here today, airport CEO Suneel Dutt said following a decision taken by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to allow any scheduled commercial bank to open and operate (on a temporary basis) currency exchange counter (small) without levying charges for space and electricity at its airports across the country up to December 31, subject to the availability of space, the State Bank of India (SBI) today established a counter at the arrivals area to exchange the now-defunct currency notes from 11 am onwards tomorrow.

SBI GM (Network 1) Sanjay Kumar said the initiative was taken to help inbound tourists and foreign travellers, besides other passengers for getting valid Indian currency on arrival. The airport CEO assured every possible support to the SBI for smooth functioning of the services for the benefit of the passengers.?

Cashless, farming sector stares at rough rabi season

Experts say govt relief for farmers a ‘in the ocean’

A farmer counts her money before depositing it in a bank. File

Vibha Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 17

Ten days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s demonetisation move in the peak of the rabi sowing season, the government today announced relaxations for the critical farming sector. However, agriculture experts term these as a “drop in the ocean” given the plethora of problems the deep-distressed agriculture sector is already facing.Fearing a negative effect on coverage, productivity and quality of rabi crops, they apprehend offsetting of gains made by the farming sector due to a good monsoon season this year after two years of consecutive drought.The government has allowed farmers, who have taken crop loan or have kisan credit card, to withdraw Rs 25,000 per week. Experts, however, say the question is not about the withdrawal of money but the cash lying with farmers from sale of kharif produce, which they would have otherwise used for buying seeds and fertilizers and paying the farm labourers in the ongoing rabi season.As per the relaxations, those who have got payments through RTGS or cheque deposit in KYC-compliant bank account can withdraw additional Rs 25,000 a week. This takes the total cash withdrawal limit for farmers from KYC-compliant bank accounts to Rs 50,000 per week.Agriculture expert Ajay Jhakkhar terms these as “good steps” but says the money also needs to be physically available with banks for farmers to withdraw. “It is not the question of limits or a certain amount, it can be Rs 10,000 or Rs 25,000, but the physical availability of that amount at a bank counter when farmers reach there. Maximum brunt will be borne by farmers in Punjab and Haryana who largely operate through primary agriculture societies and cooperative banks,” he says.Lucknow-based expert Sudhir Panwar says there are many dimensions to the issue and the move may affect the sector in more than one ways. For one, it may affect the rabi sowing and production of winter crops such as wheat, gram and mustard.“The proceeds from the just-concluded kharif season (paddy and pulses) were mostly in cash (Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency) which suddenly became unusable at the peak of the rabi sowing season. Rural branches do not have adequate cash. As a result, both farmers and farm labourers are now standing in queues at a time they would have been busy in fields”.Also farmers sow a percentage of new seeds every season. Those who do not have adequate money for seed replacement will be forced to use grain from the last year’s crop. “This will affect the SRR — the seed replacement ratio — which should ideally be 20 per cent to increase yield and vigour of the new crop,” says Panwar.Experts fear keeping in mind the dismal banking infrastructure and their huge dependence on cash, farmers may have to bear the impact much longer.

Punjab, Haryana may bear the brunt

• Punjab and Haryana farmers are likely to bear the brunt of the demonetisation move as they largely operate through primary agriculture societies and cooperative banks. Money needs to be physically available with banks for them to withdraw
• The move is likely to affect the rabi sowing and production of winter crops such as wheat, gram and mustard. At a time when farmers and farm labourers should have been busy in fields, they are lining up in banks to withdraw/change cash
• Also, those with inadequate cash would be forced to use grain from last year’s crop, thus affecting the seed replacement ratio (SRR), which is ideally 20 pc to increase yield and vigour of the new crop, feel experts

Production likely to dip: Expert

• “The rabi sowing window is open for only 20 to 25 days. November is the peak time when farmers are running around to arrange cash for seeds, fertilisers and labour. The move has increased hardships of farmers, which is bound to affect the production next year” Sudhir Panwar, farm expert

Relief for farmers, traders, to-be-wed

The inconvenience to the public. PTI

• Withdraw up to Rs 2.5 lakh for weddings
• Farmers can take out up to Rs 50,000
• Exchange of defunct notes halved to Rs 2,000
• Toll exemption on NHs now till Nov 24
• Select petrol stations to give up to Rs 2,000

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 17

To help farmers, agricultural traders and those getting married, the government today reduced the limit of over-the-counter exchange of old notes to Rs 2,000 per person. It gave an option to Central Government employees up to Group C to draw an advance of Rs 10,000 from their November salaries.The government has allowed cash dispensation up to Rs 2,000 through debit/credit card swipe using point-of-sale (POS) machine at select petrol stations.For the explicit purpose of marriage, withdrawals up to Rs 2.5 lakh from bank accounts have been allowed.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das today announced that up to Rs 2.5 lakh could be drawn from one of the bank accounts, either that of the bride, the groom or immediate kin.Das said the weekly withdrawal limit for Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) traders had been relaxed to Rs 50,000. Also, farmers could draw up to Rs 25,000 per week in cash from their KYC-compliant accounts. They could draw Rs 25,000 per week against loans sanctioned or kisan credit cards. Reports suggest that from tomorrow, banks would cater to 60 outside customers and concentrate more on those having accounts with their branch.PTI adds: Quoting of PAN for cash deposits aggregating Rs 2.5 lakh or more in bank accounts is mandatory. Quoting PAN is mandatory for cash deposit of over Rs 50,000 in a single day in scheduled or a cooperative bank. The additional requirement  has been made mandatory to avoid ill-gotten wealth being converted into white.

No takers for coins he got in exchange from bank

Sanjay, along with his mother, shows the Rs 10 coins. Photo: Inderjieet Verma

Mohit Khanna

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, November 17

Fear of counterfeit coins of Rs 10 denomination being in circulation has increased the suffering of the common man who is already grappling with the situation triggered by the scrapping of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes by the government.Sanjay, a resident of Kakowal Road, who had received Rs 10 coins in exchange for Rs 1,000 in banned currency, has landed in yet another problem. He has been unable to buy ration since yesterday as no one is accepting Rs 10 coins for the fear of these being fake.“I went to a grocer but he refused to accept the coins, saying that these were fake. I told him that I have got the money from Canara Bank, Chaura Bazar, but he still refused to accept the money. From milkman to bread-seller, no one is accepting these coins. There are widespread rumours of the Reserve Bank having banned the Rs 10 coin,” said Sanjay.Sanjay today visited the BJP party office near Clock Tower to seek their help to exchange the coins. “I could not meet anyone there today but I will visit here again tomorrow,” said Sanjay, a vendor, who is the sole breadwinner of a family of five.“There has been a serious scarcity of money ever since the government banned Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes. My old parents, my wife and child, all are dependent on me. After real hardship, I got the coins in exchange but these are not being accepted in the market,” said Sanjay while showing the coins.He said demonitisation had broken the back of daily wage earners.“I am not against the demonetisation move. But I am against its poor implementation. People are really struggling to get cash. It has been eight days since the announcement was made and there has been no respite,” said Sanjay.Sanjay said travelling by bus and other modes of public transport with coins in the pocket has become a a risky proposition.“Yesterday, a conductor of the city bus declined to accept Rs 10 coins and entered into an argument with my father. The conductor even scuffled with his father and tore his shirt. We can’t board auto-rickshaws and had to walk down to reach home or markets,” said Sanjay, while showing the coins along with his mother.No vegetable vendor was accepting the Rs 10 coins, said Kamlesh, Sanjay’s mother.City Bus service conductors will accept Rs 10 coins: GM“The scuffle with a passenger over Rs 10 coins was unfortunate. We will look into the issue and take action against the erring conductor if found guilty. It is our appeal to passengers that we are accepting Rs 10 coins. Yes, there are rumours that counterfeit Rs 10 coins are in circulation. We have written to banks and met senior officials over this issue. Today, the bank officials said they had not received any instruction from the authorities on banning the Rs 10 coin,” said Baljit, General Manager, City Bus Service.

After Kashmir unrest, note ban further hits Punjab hosiery sector

GONE COLD Some units stop production to tide over cash crunch to pay workers; no new orders

There are only a few brands that have bank accounts of workers; the rest are medium and small units. Traders came to us during weekends and paid in cash. We are not sure if we should accept the old currency. The ban has left us with no cash to pay the labour VINOD THAPAR, chairman of Knitwear Club, Ludhiana EARLIER THIS YEAR, DISTURBANCE IN PRIME MARKET KASHMIR HIT ORDERS; NOW INDUSTRY IS REELING UNDER DEMONETISATION OF `500 & `1,000 NOTES

CHANDIGARH: It was chill of a different kind that the hosiery and blanket industry of Punjab was hoping for this winter. Sales in last two years had not been brisk owing to warmer winters. The only consolation was the Kashmir valley, which has a longer winter spell and good tourist footfall.

HT PHOTO

But Punjab’s winter-dependent industry suffered a major blow this year after months of unrest in Kashmir, following the killing of militant Burhan Wani. Now, the industry is reeling under the aftershocks of demonetisation of `500 and `1,000 notes. Some units in Punjab’s industrial hub, Ludhiana—which has nearly 15,000 big, medium and small hosiery and knitwear units making shawls, sweaters, jackets, gloves, caps and warmers—have cut down production or stopped it altogether owing to cash crunch. So, are the 200-odd blanket manufacturers in Amritsar.

“Our industry has suffered the most this year. Jammu and Kashmir is our biggest market for hosiery products as it has long winters and huge inflow of tourists and pilgrims at Vaishno Devi. But all orders from the Valley this year got cancelled. Our business in other parts of the country is seasonal and we are able to earn only in the winter months. There are only a handful brands that have bank accounts of workers, rest are medium and small units. Most traders from J&K, Himachal, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi came to us during weekends and made payments in cash. We are not sure if we should accept the old currency. The note ban has left us with no cash to pay the labour,” said Vinod Thapar, chairman of Knitwear Club, Ludhiana.

Gurdit Singh, owner, Oster Woollen Mills, Ludhiana, said they stopped the production last week. “The hosiery industry was already hit by relatively warmer winters in the last two years. The return of unsold stock from wholesalers and retailers was also high. This year, we hardly got any orders from Kashmir due to the unrest. After the note ban, there is no fresh demand from retailers and wholesalers, who in turn say there are fewer customers. There is no point in producing when there is no demand,” he said.

Owners of blanket units in Amritsar say traders from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bengal are cancelling orders. “We supply tweed for Kashmiri ‘phiran’. But this year, we were not able to get orders from the Valley as the tourist inflow was hit. Wholesalers and retailers order stocks and it takes 20 days to reach states such as Bihar, Bengal and Madhya Pradesh. After scrapping of old notes, they are calling us to say they do not want the stocks. This season is a total washout for us. We will suffer losses to the tune of crores,” says Sudershan Wadhwa, general secretary of Shastri Market Association in Amritsar, an umbrella body for textile units in the city.

The ripple effect is also being felt by spinning mills, wholesalers and retailers. But the worst affected, say the manufacturers, are labourers from UP and Bihar. “The textile industry is country’s second biggest employer after agriculture. Nearly 99% of our workers are migrants from UP and Bihar. Since some units have stopped production, labourers are feeling insecure and it may worsen the problem as we fear mass migration. Since units are not able to pay the labour in cash, the workers are queuing up outside banks to withdraw cash and not reporting at work,” says Thapar.

But Ashok Jain, who owns Mini King Fashion, welcomed the government’s move. “Our production is 80% of the normal. But once the currency crunch ends, even old stocks will get cleared,” he said. Ajit Lakra, president of Ludhiana knitwear and textile industry, feels demonetisation will lead to some course correction by the industry. “Textile units have started opening accounts of workers. The loss is short-term and sales may pick up eventually,” he said.

Currency claims more lives

DEMONETISATION WOES Bank manager in Haryana dies of heart attack after spending three nights at work, another man also suffers cardiac arrest ahead of daughter’s wedding

Due to the increased work-load, Kumar had been sleeping in his office from the last three days. His family said that he was on medication for heart disease. NEERAJ KUMAR, police station in-charge

From page 01 ROHTAK: A 56-year-old bank manager in Haryana died of a heart attack after spending three days serving hundreds of customers following the government’s shock withdrawal of high-value currency notes of `500 and `1,000.

Police said that Rajesh Kumar, manager of Rohtak’s Cooperative Bank, was found dead in his chamber on Wednesday morning after spending three nights in the office because of the increased work-load.

Banks across India have struggled since `500 and `1,000 notes were recalled last week as millions have poured in to exchange or deposit old currency.

Banks have been asked to open early or close late to accommodate the large crowds, adding to the woes of the bank staff.

“Due to the increased workload, Kumar had been sleeping in his office from the last three days. His family said that he was on medication for heart disease,” said Neeraj Kumar, Shivaji colony police station in-charge. Work at the bank has been suspended.

When a security guard reached the bank on Wednesday morning, he knocked at the manager’s office door but got no reply. He alerted other bank employees and called in the police, who broke the door to find Kumar dead.

The police said that Kumar belonged to Gurgaon and is survived by his wife and two children.

Earlier this week, a man in Punjab’s Tarn Taran had died of heart attack reportedly after not being able to arrange cash for his daughter’s wedding.

RSS on tenterhooks after govt’s demonetisation move

CAUTIOUS Sangh tight-lipped about impact on forthcoming polls, asks BJP to guard against crime rise, possibility of breach in law and order

NEW DELHI: It may have welcomed the Centre’s decision to wage a war against black money by demonetising currency of `500 and `1,000 denomination, but the distress caused to people, especially in rural and semi-urban areas, has not gone unnoticed by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

PTI PHOTOSamajwadi Party workers block railway tracks by burning an effigy of PM Narendra Modi in Allahabad on Thursday.

The political mentor of the BJP is learnt to have conveyed to the party the problems in dispersal of new currency.

While the cadre has reported widespread distress among people queuing up to get their old currency exchanged, the Sangh brass is also gearing up to placate the small and medium traders who have been its support base.

According to sources in the Sangh, while a larger section is happy about the surgical strike against black money, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statements perceived to paint the rich as black money hoarders have not been well received.

“There is a danger is generalising. Not all those who have made money are cheats or black money hoarders. It has upset some people,” said a source.

He said the comment was comparable to the PM’s earlier stand on a majority of the cow vigilantes being criminals.

The Sangh is tight-lipped about the impact of demonetisation on the forthcoming state assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and three other states, but admits the move can have an adverse effect. “The wedding season is on and there are people who are facing hardships,” the source said.

The Sangh, however, has thrown its weight behind the government that has ruled out a rollback.

Deputy Prachar Pramukh (media in-charge) J Nandakumar in a tweet said those seeking a rollback of the policy are the “Same Award Wapasi gang, same Afzal Guru supporters and Break India brigade”.

Following feedback from the ground, the BJP has also been sounded off in an informal interaction to guard against rise in crime and the possibility of a breach in law and order.

“In some areas, where people do not use banking facilities, the chances of law and order being disrupted are high. We hope the government will take into account these issues,” said a Sangh functionary.

Officials take `4L bribe in new notes, arrested

THE KANDLA PORT TRUST OFFICIALS WERE HELD FOR ALLEGEDLY ACCEPTING A BRIBE OF `4 LAKH, ALL IN `2,000 NOTES

AHMEDABAD: Within days of the introduction of `2,000 currency notes, Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) officials in Gujarat arrested two Kandla Port Trust officials in Kutch for allegedly accepting a bribe of `4 lakh — all in new `2,000 notes issued after the demonetisation of old `500 and `1,000 notes.

At the office of the complainant, the ACB laid a trap on Tuesday in which one Rudreshwar Sunamudi had come to collect the bribe amount allegedly on behalf of superintendent engineer (class-1) Shrinivasu and sub-divisional officer identified as Kumtekar. All three accused were arrested.

Where did a huge amount in new `2,000 currency notes come from is still being investigated. The government has fixed the withdrawal limit at `20,000 a week in the wake of the demonetisation decision.

The Narendra Modi government outlawed the higher denomination notes to slam brakes on corruption and unearth black money.

According to the police, Sunamudi played the middle man even as Shrinivasu was supposed to receive a sum of `2.5 lakh and `1.5 lakh was for Kumtekar.

A phone called made by the middleman through the complainant’s landline to one of the accused has also been recorded.

The complainant’s company is engaged in providing material supply to the KPT. And the bribe was demanded against a show cause notice by the KPT to the complainant’s firm for pending work.

His remarks came a day after the Pakistan army admitted that seven of its soldiers were killed. PTI file photo

Islamabad, November 15

Prime Minsiter Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday said Pakistan cannot be bullied by Indian “tactics” and its restraint should not be “misunderstood” as weakness, warning that his country was fully capable of defending against “any belligerence”.His remarks came a day after the Pakistan army admitted that seven of its soldiers were killed in firing by Indian troops across the Line of Control (LoC) in Bhimber sector.“Pakistan cannot be bullied by such tactics as we are fully capable of defending our soil against any belligerence,” Sharif said while chairing a high-level meeting to review the situation along the LoC.He said Pakistan was exercising “maximum restraint” in the face of Indian firing, which should not be “misunderstood as our weakness,” The Express Tribune reported.Expressing grief over the death of the seven soldiers, Sharif said deliberate escalation of tension along LoC by Indian forces is a threat to regional peace and security.“It is also a futile attempt of the Indian authorities to divert the world’s attention from the worst kind of atrocities they are committing” in Kashmir, he said in a statement.He called on the United Nations to take notice of the ceasefire violations along the LoC. “Our armed forces do not initiate fire but will always respond in a befitting manner to any aggression,” Sharif said.Yesterday, Army chief General Raheel Sharif ordered troops to “effectively” respond to firing by India across the LoC.Earlier, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz briefed Nawaz Sharif on the increased firing and shelling by India.He said the recent incidents of firing have led to 26 deaths and 107 injuries in complete violation of the 2003 ceasefire understanding and international law. — PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe bow to national flags as they review an honour guard before their meeting at Abe’s official residence in Tokyo on Friday. Modi is on a three-day visit to Japan. AFP

Simran Sodhi

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 11

After almost six years of intense negotiations, India and Japan today signed a landmark civil nuclear cooperation deal which will allow Japan to sell nuclear technology, fuel and equipment to India. The deal was signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Japan. When Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited India in December last, a broad framework agreement was reached between the two countries but several technical issues remained. Today, the deal was finally inked, marking India’s emergence in the region as a counterweight to China. The only caution remains a clause in the agreement allowing Japan to terminate the pact if India conducted a nuclear test.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)There had been major resistance within Japan to the deal primarily on two counts. One, Japan is the only country to have suffered a nuclear attack and the public was wary of exporting any such technology. Two, the fact that India has not signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) was a stumbling block. The deal bestows on India the unique honour of being the first non-NPT nation to have a nuclear deal with Japan. The deal will give a boost to the 2008 India-US nuclear pact under which US-based Westinghouse Electric, which is owned by Japan’s Toshiba Corp, is in talks for building six nuclear plants in India. Japan confirmed its support to India for its entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group. “I wish to thank Prime Minister Abe for the support extended for India’s membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group,” Modi said. 

What the agreement means

• The deal will give a boost to the 2008 India-US nuclear pact under which US-based Westinghouse Electric, owned by Japan’s Toshiba Corp, is in talks for building six nuclear plants in India

Terrorism condemned by Modi, Abe

• A joint statement issued at the conclusion of the Modi-Abe talks called for stopping ‘cross-border’ movement of terrorists
• India and Japan called upon Pakistan to bring perpetrators of the 2008 Mumbai attack and the 2016 Pathankot attack to justice
• They sought implemention of UNSC Resolution 1267 while referring to India’s bid to get JeM chief Masood Azhar designated as a ‘global terrorist’
• China, a veto-wielding permanent member of Security Council, had blocked India’s move to put a ban on Azha

The blast hit the peacekeepers while they were out on a morning run. PTI file

Kinshasa, November 8

An explosion killed a child and injured 32 Indian peacekeepers in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo city of Goma on Tuesday, the UN mission there said.The blast hit the peacekeepers while they were out on a morning run in the western Goma neighbourhood of Keyshero, the mission added. The cause was not immediately clear.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

Ismael Salumu, an imam at a nearby mosque, said three peacekeepers were killed. “We just heard the explosion and the cries. We then ran over to see,” he told Reuters.About 18,000 uniformed UN personnel operate in Congo, where millions died in regional conflicts between 1996 and 2003 and dozens of armed groups continue to operate. Reuters

Two soldiers killed in Nowshera shelling

Amir Karim Tantray & Shyam Sood

Tribune News Service

Jammu/Rajouri, November 8

The day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meet with all three Service chiefs and had a detailed discussion over the situation after surgical strikes, two soldiers were killed when a shell exploded near their vehicle in the Nowshera sector on the Line of Control (LoC).The martyred soldiers have been identified as Naik Pritam Singh of 55 Rashtriya Rifles and Naik Harvinder Singh.Sources said the mortar shell from Pakistani side hit the Army vehicle near Manglamata when the vehicle was on the way to Nowshera. Violating the ceasefire agreement, Pakistani troops had since Tuesday morning resorted to unprovoked firing and shelling in the Nowshera and Krishnaghati sectors. They fired 120 mm, 82 mm mortars and automatic weapons.“Pakistan resorted to unprovoked ceasefire violation in the Nowshera and Krishnaghati sectors and the Army responded befittingly,” said Lt Col Manish Mehta, PRO, Defence Jammu.“Heavy mortar shelling has been taking places in many forward villages in the Nowshera sub-division since 8.30 am. No loss of life of any civilian was reported till afternoon. However, a soldier has died and another critically injured,” said Harbans Singh, Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), Nowshera, on Tuesday evening.With today’s incident, four soldiers have died in three days. On November 6, two soldiers — Gursewak Singh and Rajinder Narayan Tupare — were killed in the Krishnaghati and Poonch sectors. So far five Army personnel have been killed on the LoC in the Jammu region after the surgical strikes.The sources said in the retaliatory fire, the Pakistan army had incurred heavy losses and many posts had been destroyed. “There is also loss of life to the Pakistan army but the number is not known. Ambulances were seen taking the injured and dead people,” said the sources.The situation on the LoC has deteriorated since September 18 Uri attack when 19 soldiers were killed and the Army was forced to carry our surgical strikes inside Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on terror launch pads. After that the Pakistan army in desperation has been repeatedly violating the ceasefire agreement and targeting areas on the LoC and International Border.

Many Pak posts destroyed

• Two soldiers were killed when a shell explodes near their vehicle in the Nowshera sector on the Line of Control.
• Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked firing and shelling in the Nowshera and Krishnaghati sectors since Tuesday morning. They fired 120 mm, 82 mm mortars and automatic weapons.
• Army responded to ceasefire violation. Pakistan incurred heavy losses and many of its posts were destroyed.

A file photo of Gursewak Singh

PK Jaiswar & Gurbaxpuri

Tarn Taran, November 6

Warana village plunged into grief as it was told its valiant son Gursewak Singh, 24, had been killed in cross-border firing in Jammu and Kashmir. Betrothed to a girl of Nagoke village in July, he was to get married on February 13 next. An excited Gursewak had booked a marriage hall and selected his wedding attire while on a month’s leave recently.Gursewak’s mother Baljit Kaur looked numb with grief. His two sisters were inconsolable. But his father Balwinder Singh put up a brave front. “We are proud of our son’s supreme sacrifice in the line of duty,” he said stoically as he consoled mourners who thronged the house. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)When Gursewak, a matriculate from the nearby Government Secondary School Nauragdabad, joined the Army on March 25, 2013, there were celebrations at home. His recruitment meant regular income for the family that had struggled to make both ends meet. Balwinder owns half an acre land. He and his elder son Jasbir work as farm labourers. Today, the family is devastated. With Gursewak has died hope too. “It’s a nightmare,” murmured Jasbir, fighting back tears. “My brother had made all arrangements for the wedding. We were all so happy,” he kept repeating to himself. The cremation will take place tomorrow. 

Tarn Taran soldier among 2 dead as Pak troops open fire in Poonch 

Unprovoked ceasefire violations in Poonch sector continues. Two of our brave soldiers have been martyred and two others are injured. Indian troops are responding befittingly

JAMMU/TARN TARAN: Two army jawans were killed and four others, including a Border Security Force (BSF) officer and a woman, were injured as Pakistan army opened unprovoked firing at Indian posts and forward villages along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district on the intervening night of November 5 and 6.

HT PHOTOThe grieving family of sepoy Gursewak Singh (inset), who was killed in cross-border firing, at Warana village in Tarn Taran on Sunday.

Pakistan army opened fire in a bid to facilitate two infiltration bids, killing a soldier, an army officer said, adding that the attempts to push in infiltrators have been foiled.

“Vigilant troops observed suspicious movement and challenged the infiltrators in Krishna Ghati sector on Saturday night. In the ensuring gunfight, sepoy Gursewak Singh (23) of the 22 Sikh Regiment suffered gunshot wounds and succumbed to his injuries while being evacuated,” said the officer.

Gursewak was a resident of Warana village in Punjab’s Tarn Taran district and was to get married in February next year. He is survived by his father Balwinder Singh, mother Baljit Kaur and elder brother Jasbir Singh.

Gursewak’s mortal remains will be airlifted to Amritsar and last rites will be performed at his native village with full state honours on Monday.

Another army jawan, identified as Naik Tukpare Rajendra Narayan of Maharashtra, was killed as Pakistan army resorted to indiscriminate shelling in LT COL MANISH MEHTA, defence spokesperson the Poonch sector. BSF subinspector Nitin Kumar, two jawans and a woman, Tasleema Akhter, 29, of Salotri village in Poonch, were injured in the firing at Saujiyan sector. “Kumar sustained a splinter injury was airlifted to the army hospital. His condition is stated to be stable,” said a BSF officer.

Intelligence sources say while Pakistan targeted Victor post of the Indian Army, their Kopra post across the LoC caught fire in a retaliatory fire by the Indian troops. Pakistan has also suffered some casualties, though the exact number could not be known, said sources.

Defence spokesperson Lt Col Manish Mehta said: “Unprovoked ceasefire violations in Poonch sector continues. Two of our brave soldiers have been martyred and two others are injured. Indian troops are responding befittingly and have caused heavy damage to Pakistan Army posts.”

Sunday’s ceasefire violation came after a lull of four days. Pakistan has violated ceasefire 100 times along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir after India’s surgical strikes on September 28

Strap: Defence authorities reject site proposed in UnaNod given four years ago— At present, there is no CSD depot in the state and the serving and retired personnel of the armed forces have to go to the CSD depots situated at Jalandhar or Chandigarh.— Defence authorities had given their consent for setting up a CSD depot in the state about four years ago.— Since Una district has a direct broad gauge rail link, the depot was proposed to be set up here.

Rajesh Sharma

Una, November 4

The finalisation of land for setting up the state’s first Canteen Stores Department (CSD) depot — hanging fire for the last four years — is set to be further delayed with the defence authorities rejecting the site proposed by the district administration in Samoor Kalan village.Consequently, the district administration is looking for alternate land in Upper Kutheda Khairla and Kadd villages.The CSD depot directly caters to the needs of the serving and retired defence personnel regarding purchase of items like vehicles and electronic goods, besides being a source of supply of liquor, provisions and consumable goods to the various CSD canteens in its area.At present, there is no CSD depot in the state and the serving and retired personnel of the armed forces have to go to the CSD depots situated at Jalandhar or Chandigarh. About four years ago, the defence authorities had given their consent for setting up a CSD depot in the state and since Una district has a direct broad gauge rail link, the depot was proposed to be set up here.The land proposed during the BJP regime at Barnoh village near Una city was rejected after the Congress government took reins of the government. Subsequently, the second site at Samoor Kalan village was transferred in the name of the defence authorities. The latter have rejected the offer on the plea that the land was prone to floods.Efforts were made by the district administration to search for suitable land in Palkwah, Bathadi and Rampur villages, but these could not materialise.Additional District Magistrate Rajesh Kumar Maria said since about 300 kanals of land was required, such a huge chunk of government land having an approach road and suitable geographic contours was difficult to trace. He, however, said the revenue records of Upper Kutheda Khairla and Kadd villages were being scrutinised as there was adequate government land in these villages.Meanwhile, at a recent meeting of the District Sainik Welfare Board, Deputy Commissioner Vikas Labroo directed that the process of land identification and allocation for the CSD depot be speeded up.Director of the Sainik Welfare Board SK Sharma said as soon as the district administration demarcates suitable land for the depot, senior defence authorities will visit the proposed site to finalise the issue.

BRO official visits Rohtang tunnel

Manali, November 4

Anil Kumar, Deputy Director General (DG) Tunnel at the HQ DG BRO, New Delhi, visited north and south portals of the Rohtang Tunnel to take stock of the progress of the tunnel.Chief engineer Brig DN Bhatt briefed him about the present position and various issues regarding the tunnel, including non-allotment of quarry at the north portal.Kumar, who is a graduate in Civil Engineering and postgraduate in Earthquake Engineering from the IIT Roorkee, gave suggestions to improve the progress of the tunnel and appreciated the approach adopted by the chief engineer to run multiple activities concurrently.The chief engineer assured him of a breakthrough in July 2017 and completion of the tunnel by the second half of 2019. — OC

Mountaineer selected for expeditions in Europe

A file photo of Ashwani Kumar receiving Raksha Mantri Commendation Card in 2013.

Our Correspondent

Chamba, November 4

Local lad Ashwani Kumar (25) has been selected in a special group of the Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF), New Delhi, to move to Switzerland in Europe for mountaineering expeditions.Ashwani, who left for Switzerland on Monday, through an email informed he had scaled the Mount Everest along with a group of 13 mountaineers of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) on May 19, 2013. He also received a certificate for the same from the Nepal government.Besides, he has received several awards, including a gold medal in mountaineering. The Raksha Mantri Commendation Card (RM Padak) was conferred on him by the Director General, NCC.Ashwani completed the advance course from the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Darjeeling,from April 4 to May 1, 2016.