With collusive bidding by the "mining mafia" thwarting Punjab Government's attempts to auction 13 sand quarries in the state, the government has decided to re- auction these.The government also proposes to make amends in the mining policy to ensure that the re- auction sails through.

After the Punjab Cabinet approves the re-auction of the quarries at a Cabinet meeting scheduled for January 28, the Punjab Industries Department proposes to increase the earnest money to be deposited for participating in the auction, raise the reserve price of each of these quarries and have a say in calling off the auction without assigning any reason, in case collusive bidding is suspected.

Contrary to the general impression, the incidence of cancer is not so alarming in Punjab, claims a door-to-door survey conducted recently by the state Health Department.

Industrialists in Punjab are upset over the Centre’s decision to partially deregulate diesel prices, allowing an increase of 40-50 paise a litre per month.

“The government’s decision to deregulate diesel prices partially has come as a shock to the industrial community. Diesel is the backbone of the industry as the transportation and the production process is dependent on it. The engineering exports are not doing well due to a slowdown in the global economy and instead of boosting exports, the government has increased diesel prices.

Bathinda, January 19: The city residents suffering pollution from Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Plant here for decades can finally breathe easy.

Patiala, January 18 : In what may be termed a major setback to the power corporation, the commissioning of the first unit (660 MW) of the Talwandi Sabo Thermal Plant is all set to miss the deadline

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today called on Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh in Delhi and urged him to ensure speedy completion of formalities related to construction of rural link roads in Punjab under the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojna (PMGSY).

Official sources here said the Chief Minister demanded that a sum of Rs 31 crore be released under Phase IV of the Integrated Watershed Management Programme for development of state’s kandi areas as well as the balance of Rs 91 crore under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) budget.

With the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) failing to keep a check on health institutes in Patiala, healthcare centres, nursing homes and hospitals have started dumping bio-medical waste in the

Twenty-eight Punjab hospitals have been selected for an international project aimed at effective management of bio-medical waste. Of these hospitals, four are big, eight medium and 16 small ventures.

The initiative is part of a project being executed by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) and the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests. Members of the UNIDO team along with Dr M Subba Rao, Director, Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, said this here today during a visit to Dayanand Medical College and Hospital. Ludhiana also has been selected as the model district for the project in Punjab.

The Punjab Industries Department’s claim that it was set to rake in Rs 234 crore through the auction of 22 sand quarries across the state has turned out to be a pipedream. Having basked in the glory of raking in huge revenues for the state by auctioning its sand quarries with all environmental clearances, the department was in for a shock when just two successful bidders came forward to deposit the bid amount. The state thus received just Rs 11 crore.

Sources in the Industries Department informed The Tribune that they had received 50 per cent of the bid amount from just two successful bidders. While Rs 9 crore has been received from the highest bidder for Parchian Biharipur quarry in Ludhiana, Rs 2 crore has been received from the bidder for Gag Digara quarry in Jalandhar.

Just after it got functional last month, it seems that the bio-remediation project to clean the Budha Nullah has hit a roadblock as contractor of the project has alleged that he has not been paid for the work completed till date. He has said that he will not go ahead with the project until he will not get his payment.

Members of the Work Done Verification Committee claim that there are some discrepancies in the billing done by the contractor and until these discrepancies are not cleared, they cannot clear the bills. The committee comprises officials of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation and the Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board.