Punjab begins exercise to break cable cartel

Sarbjit Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 18

Eager to break the television cable network monopoly in the state, the Punjab Government has started the exercise to enact a law in this regard.Sources said the government has approached experts and others who have worked in the cable network field for suggestions before setting up a Cable Network Authority with legal backing for the purpose of implementing the rules and regulations to be framed to operate the network in the state.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)“The cable network cartel has been working in the state for long. It has been using muscle power to stop others from entering this business. We want to end that by opening it for all interested in running the cable network,” said Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal. The Cable Network Authority Act would be passed in the Budget session, he added.The objective is to provide a level-playing field to all those interested in running the cable network in various cities, towns and other parts of the state. Depending on the viability, there could be four, five or even more players to provide the cable network, he added.“Customers would  have a choice to get connection from any cable operator working in that city. Obviously, customers would opt for the best service provider,” said an official.Cable network operators had been censoring channels at their own level in the state. The private cartel would decide what news people should see and what channel should not be allowed to be seen.“There would be no control on the delivery of information via news channels. During the previous SAD-BJP government, only one particular Punjabi news channel was having a free run in the state. Others were either not delivered through the network or made to follow the government line,” said a state government official.

Harjit Sajjan refuses AAP invite

Deepkamal Kaur

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, April 18

Dubbed a “Khalistani sympathiser” by Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Singh Sajjan has refused an invite by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).Leader of the Opposition HS Phoolka had invited Sajjan for coffee with the party MLAs at Chandigarh during his visit to the state capital on April 21.Phoolka said, “My office had sent an invitation to him via the Canadian High Commission. We have been told that his schedule is already very hectic and such a meet will not be possible.”Party insiders said the refusal indicated that Sajjan didn’t want to be drawn into a controversy, considering some AAP leaders’ alleged links with Sikh hardliners.Meanwhile, AAP Chief Whip Sukhpal Singh Khaira said here today that Capt Amarinder had snubbed Sajjan in order to appease his bosses in Delhi following the Ontario Assembly’s motion declaring the 1984 riots as genocide.Addressing mediapersons, Khaira said the Ontario motion seemed unacceptable to the Congress high command.“I urge the CM to reconsider his unjustified statement borne out of petty considerations and welcome Sajjan to Punjab as a state guest,” he added.

New sand quarries:Govt to opt for progressive bidding

The new draft mining policy will come up for consideration at the Cabinet meeting tomorrow. Tribune file

Ruchika M Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 18

The state government is all set to do away with reverse bidding for the auction of 58 new sand quarries, whose environmental clearance is expected soon, and opt for progressive bidding.The new draft mining policy will come up for consideration at the Cabinet meeting tomorrow. However, reverse bidding will be adopted for the 59 old quarries to be re-auctioned on April 24.In progressive bidding, buyers compete to obtain goods or service by offering increasingly higher prices. In a reverse auction or bidding, the sellers compete to obtain business from the buyers and prices typically decrease as the sellers undercut each other.The then Akali-BJP government had drawn flak over the cartelisation of the mining business and escalating prices of minor minerals extracted from sand quarries. After a below-par show in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the government had adopted reverse bidding.Mining contractors opine that progressive bidding would lead to higher bids, thus hiking manifold the cost of extracting sand and aggregate (sand and gravel).In the past month, the supply of sand has dropped and its price has gone up from Rs 15,000 to Rs 19,000 for 800 cubic ft (one truckload). The price of aggregate (bajri) has gone up from Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 for 800 cubic ft.Official sources said checks and balances had been incorporated in the draft policy to control prices of sand and gravel. The policy, it is learnt, will have provision for a helpline on which complaints about illegal mining or overcharging can be made.

Students to be taught about Saragarhi battle: Badungar

SGPC chief Kirpal Singh Badungar (second from right) inaugurates Saragarhi Niwas in Amritsar on Tuesday. tribune photo: vishal kumar

Amritsar, April 18

The Battle of Saragarhi, one of the greatest stand-offs in the Indian history, is now going to be part of the curriculum of the SGPC-run educational institutes.This was disclosed by SGPC chief Kirpal Singh Badungar while inaugurating the state-of-the-art inn dedicated to the 21 Sikhs, who chose to fight to death while facing 10,000 Afghan attackers, in the Battle of Saragarhi on September 12, 1897. It occurred in North-West Frontier Province, which was part of British India at that time. It is now named Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and is part of Pakistan.Badungar said even as the story is part of school curriculum in countries such as France, Italy, Japan and the UK, the Centre had never spared a thought for it.“We have decided to include the history of Saragarhi battle in the curriculum of our 38 colleges, 80 schools, medical college, Guru Granth Sahib University, polytechnic and other institutions. We are putting up a resolution in our upcoming executive body meeting to seek nod for it,” he said. — TNS