Punjab — ✅ خرید وی پی ان ❇ ip ثایت vPn آی پی اختصاصی ◐

آگوست 11, 2022

CHB to sell 154 vacant units through e-tender

The Chandigarh Housing Board is going to sell 154 vacant units through e-tender. Of the total units, there are about 53 residential units on freehold basis, two commercial units on freehold basis and 99 commercial units on leasehold basis. The bids will start from August 16 and will close on September 6 (10 am). The e-Tender process is open for all the citizens of India as well as NRIs/PIOs above 18 years of age. Those already possessing property (residential or commercial) can also participate in the e-tender.
According to the board, the reserve price of 17 residential units in Indira Colony, Mani Majra, has been reduced by 15 per cent in comparison with last tender details. The reserve prices of as many as 98 commercial units on leasehold basis have been reduced by 15 per cent as well.
The built-up dwelling units will be allotted to the highest eligible bidder, quoting above the reserve price of the unit. GST will not be applicable on the consideration/premium of the unit.
“All willing participants may visit the official website of the Chandigarh Housing Board http://www.chbonline.in to understand the detailed procedure for submission of earnest money deposit (EMD) and e-bids. The terms and conditions and the detailed list mentioning localities/sectors of the built-up units and reserve price can be downloaded from the official website of the Chandigarh Housing Board,” a statement issued said.
In order to submit the e-bids, one is required to get themselves registered at https://etenders.chd.nic.in. A valid e-mail id, mobile number and digital signature are the basic requirements to participate in the e-tender process.
“Bidders are free to revise their bid amount (increase or decrease) for any number of times, till closure of the e-tender process. The whole process is transparent and fair. The number of e-bids submitted and the identity of bidder remain confidential till the opening of e-bids. Even officers of the CHB and National Informatics Centre (NIC) cannot find out such details prior to opening of e-bids,” it was added.
Stickers have been put up at the built-up units for better identification and site offices have been provided at different sectors/location to facilitate inspection by prospective
bidders.
The location of each unit is available on Google Maps, and addresses of site offices and contact details of officials are available on http://www.chbonline.in.

!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)
{if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?
n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};
if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version=’2.0′;
n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;
t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];
s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,’script’,
‘https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js’);
fbq(‘init’, ‘444470064056909’);
fbq(‘track’, ‘PageView’);
.

جولای 17, 2022

Before zero power bill, consumers get one asking them to pay hefty security deposit

Domestic power consumers in Punjab expecting zero electricity bill, as announced by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, were in for a rude shock with PSPCL authorities all of a sudden sending them bills demanding revised advance consumption deposit (ACD). The ACD is equivalent to charges for 45-75 days of average power consumption depending on the billing cycle of a consumer and, those in the know of things,claimed was usually charged from industrial consumers. Sources said that as of now, the ACD is being charged from consumers having load of more than 7 kw.
Consumers rue that Punjab State Power Corporation Limited authorities are not giving proper explanation on the issue. Powercom, however, claims that at the time of release of power connection, a security amount is sought from the consumer and it is equivalent to consumption charges (fixed or variable) as applicable for two and a half months where bi-monthly bills are charged and one-and-a-half months in case of monthly billing. PSPCL authorities claim that this amount had not been revised and is being done now as many consumers have started consuming more power or have got their loads increased over the years.
Dr Rajeev Garg, a radiologist in Ludhiana’s Aggar Nagar was shocked out of his wits when he received the domestic power bill of Rs 18,000 in the first week of July. “The bill showed arrears of Rs 8,000. I was clueless and had to make rounds of PSPCL office to understand why it has been charged. It is not justified. First, this ACD amount is huge and second, why were we not informed in advance”.

Another consumer from same area, Jastinder Singh Dhaliwal, too has got power bill with arrears of Rs 8,000. “I haven’t paid the bill, even though July 14 was the last date. When CM makes announcement of every small thing through his video messages, why couldn’t he intimate the consumers about this shocker. We are not against social welfare schemes but the consumers, who pay bills, cannot be taken for granted,” added Dhaliwal.
On Saturday, Mann again said the promise of 300 units of free power has been implemented from July 1. “I am going to share good news with Punjabis regarding electricity guarantee…the promise of free electricity has come into effect from July 1…the (electricity) bill for July-August will come in the first week of September… “The good news is that around 51 lakh households will get zero electricity bills…what we say, we do it,” Mann said in a tweet in Punjabi.
The state has around 73.40 lakh domestic consumers.
Sudarshan Jain, president of Knitwear and Apparel Manufacturing Association who lives in I Block of Sarabha Nagar said he has been asked to pay arrears of Rs 32,000 while his brother Ashok Jain, who lives in H Block, has got a bill with arrears worth Rs 24,000.
Said Sudarshan Jain: “We have been asked to bring old receipts of the security deposit. Most of us don’t have those receipts. Why can’t they check their own record books? This is sheer harassment. How can they start asking for revised ACD without prior intimation? Who can or will shell out an additional two-and-a-half months’ bill?”.
A senior PSPCL officer, who didn’t wish to be named, said that the revised ACD charges are being realised “as per the orders of Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission’s orders”.
The consumers, however, are asking why the amount is being charged as “hidden charges”.
Sudarshan Jain said, “They need to issue a public notice or advertise it the way they way they have been advertising other announcements. This revision has come at a time when free power scheme has been implemented. This additional ACD will be used to compensate the PSPCL for the free power that it will dole out”.
Giving 300 units of free electricity was one of the major poll promises of the Aam Aadmi Party during the Punjab assembly elections. In April, Mann had said if electricity consumption exceeds 600 units in two months, then a consumer will have to pay for the entire power usage.
But scheduled castes, backward castes, below-poverty-line households and freedom fighters will be charged just for over and above 600 units, the chief minister had then clarified.

Punjab has a two-month billing cycle for power supply.
When Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema presented the state budget on June 27, he had said that providing 300 units of free power will put an additional burden of Rs 1,800 crore on the state exchequer. In the state budget, a total power subsidy bill has been proposed at Rs 15,845 crore as against Rs 13,443 crore in 2021-22.
Punjab provides subsided power to various categories and out of which, the subsidy bill on account of free electricity to the farming sector alone is around Rs 7,000 crore.
.

می 29, 2022

Who is Sidhu Moose Wala?

“I am not going anywhere. I will live here and I will die here”: This is a line that Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, who liked being known as Sidhu Moose Wala, would repeat at every rally and every roadside meeting while campaigning for the Punjab Assembly elections held in February this year.
Moosewala, 27, was the only child of his parents. He was shot dead near Mansa, a day after his security was withdrawn.
Sidhu Moose Wala was shot at least 10 times while he was in his car.
Sidhu Moose Wala: Self-made pop sensation
Moose Wala was a self-made pop sensation. He could be petulant and temperamental and had frequent run-ins with the law. Among several cases, he was booked under the Arms Act for firing an AK-47 rifle at a shooting range during the lockdown. He was also booked for promoting violence and gun culture with his song “Sanju”.

But his heart beat for his village Moosa. “That is why I chose to be known not by my name but by that of my village,” he would tell people as he went from village to village to seek votes. He got the Congress ticket from Mansa, where he was pitted against the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Vijay Singla.Best of Express PremiumPremiumPremiumPremiumPremium
Surprisingly, he ran a very different campaign shorn of any tall promises. Instead, he made a clean environment his poll plank. “We need to clean up the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, and our political system,” he would say.
People gather at Mansa Civil Hospital where Sidhu Moose Wala was taken to after being shot.
Speaking at a gathering at Khiwa Khurd village about why he joined politics, he had said: “When I was 23, I chose a profession (music) to transform the life of my parents. At 27, I have fame and money to give to my parents, but I can’t buy the air… Rich or poor we breathe the same air.”
Cancer was another cause which Moose Wala worked for. He used to organise an annual free cancer camp in his village. “We are a small village of 2,800 people but every year, at least six to eight people get diagnosed with cancer. It’s all because of the toxins in our soil and air,” he said.
He also fancied himself as a farmer and had invested in land using his handsome earnings from music. He had his life figured out — he would win the elections, play the messiah of Mansa, and continue to roll out chartbusters.
🚨 Limited Time Offer | Express Premium with ad-lite for just Rs 2/ day 👉🏽 Click here to subscribe 🚨
His songs which he wrote and composed himself — he made it to the Top 5 in the UK charts last year — frequently got him into trouble both with the police and the clergy. Things came to such a pass that once his mother Charan Kaur asked him to take a vow that he would only sing hymns from gurbani.
Sidhu Moose Wala’s mother mother Charan Kaur.
If there is one person that he was scared of, it was his mother. He had gone from house to house to seek votes for her in the 2018 Panchayat elections. Needless to say, she won.
Later, he would crow about how he he had not distributed any money or promises. “They voted for us because they knew we were honest.”
He tried to do that in his maiden election as well. His events never had any lavish pomp and grandeur, ending with simple pakoras at the end.
Many sniggered are his naïveté as he dug his heels in and said he would not fritter away his hard-earned money on any kind of freebies. He fought the elective against the advise of his mother. And seeing the response — he drew more children than adults — he would often wonder if his mother was right.
When defeated by Vijay Singla, he raged against the voters, calling them anti-national. But that was Moosewala. More recently, when Singla was sacked, he addressed a press conference. It turned out to be his last. He lived and died. Just a few kilometres from his beloved village.

آوریل 19, 2022

Explained: What power consumers make of AAP’s free 300 unit announcement

Domestic power consumers have been tacking several doubts about CM Bhagwant Mann’s free 300 units announcement for the state. The Indian Express explains the nitty-gritties of the AAP plan, and how the state power department is approaching the July 1 deadline.
🗞️ Subscribe Now: Get Express Premium to access the best Election reporting and analysis 🗞️
When was power tariff for domestic consumers slashed in Punjab?
It was during former CM Charanjit Channi’s government that power tariff for domestic consumers was slashed with effect from November 1, 2021. Tariff for consumers with load up to 7 kw was slashed by Rs 3 per unit. For first 100 units, tariff for consumers with 2 kw load was Rs 1.19 per unit, and for those with 2-7 kw load was Rs 1.49 per unit. For both categories, rates for 101-300 units after slashing prices stood at Rs 4.01 per unit, while charges got consumption above 300 units stand at Rs 5.76 per unit post the November revision. All these rates include 20% taxes and are still applicable.

How does the new ‘free 300 units’ announcement benefit SC/OBC/BPL and freedom fighters’ families?
Earlier, these categories were getting 200 units free power. Now, it is 300 units free. They will be charged only for the extra units only if their load is not more than 1 kw. This condition of 1 kw load existed earlier as well.
“We are aware of this rider, it existed earlier as well. What can a person use with just one kw load, fans and tube-lights. How can a person with 1 kw load consume these 600 units or beyond? How does it matter then if CM says that these categories will only be charged for extra units after 600,” said Bhagwant Samso, president of Mazdoor Mukti Morcha , Punjab.

Are there any riders for other categories?
According to PSPCL, for other categories, if their consumption is 600 units or less than that for two months, they will be getting a zero bill and if it exceeds even by one unit, they will have to pay the full bill as per the tariff of PSPCL. There are no restrictions regarding the number of ACs or other gadgets as well, only the monthly consumption matters as of now as the notification is yet to be released, revealed PSPCL officials.

Will the slashed rates announced by the previous government be revised?
As of now, PSPCL has got no information regarding this. They may or may not be withdrawn.
How is PSPCL dealing with queries to get meters split?
Much before the announcement of free 300 units per family, people had started inquiring about getting electric meters split in joint families. According to Jasvir Singh, PSPCL chief engineer, Ludhiana central, “It is not that simple to get meters split. They need to give proof of a separate kitchen within the same house, separate water/sewer connection and a separate ration card. Physical examination will also be done as we apprehend a flood of such applications now. However we are prepared to handle all this. Otherwise also people do give such applications in case of family disputes. So, genuine cases are always considered but with proper documents.”

How is PSPCL approaching the July 1 deadline?
PSPCL is planning to get a survey done of “declared load” in their sub-divisions and also planning to take up split meter applications. Consumers say that paddy season will be at its peak when this guarantee will be implemented and hence they are doubtful as to whether AAP will be able to provide them proper power supply. However, AAP’s spokesperson Malwinder Singh Kang stated that everything is being done after proper homework.

What are the fixed charges for consumers?
Consumers pay meter rent, fixed charges per month per kw declared load, electricity duty and infrastructure development fund. Fixed charges per kw for a load up to 2 kw are Rs 35 per month while per kw charges for load between 2-7 kw are Rs 60 per month. For domestic consumers having a load between 7kw-50kw, fixed charges per kw per month are Rs 95.

Out of total 73.80 lakh consumers, nearly 62.25 lakh fall in the bracket of consuming 300 units per month and for this category fixed charges total up to Rs 459 crores.
Further, 15% of the total bill is charged as electricity duty while another 5% as infrastructure development cess. So, 20% is the tax component on an electricity bill. This tax component is part of fixed charges.
State Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, had raised the issue of high taxes on power during the previous Congress regime. However, so far AAP is mum over these taxes.
J S Brar, a retired ex-serviceman based in Ludhiana, says that if electricity is made affordable and fixed charges and taxes are slashed, power will be affordable for one and all and there will be no need to give free units.
“Tax component is huge apart from per unit consumption,” he added.
Newsletter | Click to get the day’s best explainers in your inbox

آوریل 16, 2022

Power politics: With an eye on Himachal as well, AAP announces free electricity in Punjab

In Punjab, where power has been costliest in the country and “faulty” Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) are a major political issue, the Aam Aadmi Party-led government has announced 300 units of free power.
The announcement, the biggest of the AAP government so far, was made on Saturday, when it completed one month in office. Besides standing the party in good stead in Punjab, the scheme may also help it in neighbouring Himachal Pradesh, which goes to the polls later this year. It was only a day earlier that Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur announced 125 free units of power.
🗞️ Subscribe Now: Get Express Premium to access the best Election reporting and analysis 🗞️
It was on June 29 last year that AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal promised the 73.80 lakh power consumers in Punjab that his party, if voted to power, would provide them with 300 units of free electricity, along the line of a scheme in Delhi, where he is chief minister. Chief Minister Amarinder Singh was then having a tough time in the Punjab Congress, his failure to provide the promised cheap power and terminate PPAs being among the reasons.
The Congress high command constituted a Mallikarjun Kharge-led panel in May 2021. On June 27, the panel submitted to Amarinder an 18-point agenda, one of which was the proposal to give 300 units of free power. Amarinder’s government, however, told the high command that it was not doable.
After Amarinder’s ouster in September 2021, when Charanjit Singh Channi took over as his successor, he slashed the tariff for the first 300 units by Rs 3 for consumers having loads of up to seven kilowatts. The first 100 units of power are being charged at Rs 1.19 per unit for all domestic consumers. Earlier, it was Rs 4.19. After that, consumption between 100 and 300 units was billed at Rs 4 instead of Rs 7 per unit. For more than 300 units, the charges were at Rs 5.76 per unit as against the earlier rate of Rs 8.76. This benefited 69 lakh consumers—everyone except for those who could afford high power bills, according Channi.
However, electricity tariffs are not a new political issue in the state. Sensing that it could be a vote-catcher, former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal gave free farm power during his 1997-2002 stint. It was scoffed at by experts then as a drain on the exchequer. When Amarinder took over as chief minister in 2002, he did away with the subsidy partially. The narrative then turned against Amarinder.

Later, the Opposition Congress blamed PPAs with private thermal plants for the high power prices. The PPAs were said to favour the private players in that the government had to pay them sustenance fees even on off-peak days, when it did not procure power from them.
The burden on the exchequer was being passed on to the consumers. Amarinder had promised that he would do away with PPAs but later said they were such legally sound documents that no government could touch them. This created unease in the Congress itself.
The AAP government now faces the challenge of not only footing the Rs 6,000-crore free power bill but also taking a call on PPAs.