In a bid to check the practice of theft of canal water in the state, the Punjab Cabinet today approved to amend Section 70 of the Northern India Canal and Drainage Act, 1873 to make it far more stringent and punitive. A decision to this effect was taken in a meeting of Council of Ministers under the Chairmanship of Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal here at Chief Minister’s Office this morning. Disclosing this here today, a spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s Office said that under the amended provisions of the Act the amount of fine for canal water theft has been enhanced from earlier Rs.1000 to minimum Rs.5000 up to Rs.50,000 or imprisonment up to six months or both. The guilty would be deprived of the facility of canal water for two rounds for first time offence, for a season in case of 2nd offence and for two years for third time offence. The government would also issue an Ordinance to make it effective with immediate effect.
In another significant decision, the Cabinet approved a proposal of making recruitment to PCS and allied services every year compulsory. The recruitment process would start every year in September and end next year in August. This land mark decision would improve the quality of administration and ensure regular intake of PCS officers every year. Rules to this effect have already been amended. The Cabinet also approved the additional cost incurred on the construction of the rural toilets through the NGOs, over and above the cost fixed by the state government, from the funds raised through other sources. It may be recalled that as many as 1202249 households in rural areas were still bereft of the personal toilets as per a survey conducted by Water Supply & Sanitation Department, Punjab in 2009. The govt. aims to make the entire state free from open defecation in five years. The Cabinet also gave approval to fill 150 vacant posts of Junior Engineers (JEs) of direct quota in the Irrigation Department through Administrative department by taking these out of preview of Punjab Subordinate Services Selection Board in the public interest so that the irrigation and drainage works were carried out without any further delay. The Cabinet also reviewed the arrangements of Wheat procurement during the Rabi Marketing Season 2012-13 and expressed satisfaction over the ongoing procurement operations across the state. The Cabinet was apprised that the state government had made elaborate arrangements to procure 115 lac MT of Wheat through its procurement agencies viz. Pungrain, Markfed, Punsup, Warehousing, Punjab Agro besides FCI for central pool as per their allotted share. Procurement of Wheat which started from April 1 would likely to continue till June 30, 2012. Detailed instructions have already been issued to all the District Food & Supplies Controllers to ensure proper storage of Wheat in keeping close liaison with the concerned Deputy Commissioners. In yet another decision, the disqualifications provisions under the Punjab State Elections Commission have been brought in conformity with the provisions of this subject in the Punjab Panchayati Raj Act, 1994 and Punjab Municipal Act, 1911. The Cabinet also approved the exemption to the SGPC, Durgiana Temple, Amritsar, Devi Talab Temple Jalandhar from External Development Charges (EDC), Change in Land Use (CLU) and License fee for setting up schools, colleges, hospitals and other social institutions benefitting the public. The Cabinet also approved the draft of Punjab Right to Service Rules, 2012 which would help implementation of the provisions of the Right to Service Act. At the very outset the Punjab Cabinet expressed condolences to the families of those workers who lost their lives in the building collapse of a factory at Jalandhar. The Cabinet also observed two minutes silence in the memory of deceased and prayed to the Almighty to grant peace to the departed souls besides giving strength to the family members to bear this irreparable loss and wishing a speedy recovery to the injured. Meanwhile, the Cabinet also appreciated the outstanding services rendered by the Army, National Disaster Response Force besides the Civil and Police of district administration Jalandhar in carrying out timely relief operations thus saving many lives. The Cabinet also lauded the role of several NGOs, social, religious and voluntary organizations in providing relief to the injured and the family members of the deceased in this hour of crisis.