Punjab CM announces reward of Rs 25,000 for mining violation
Darpan News Desk IANS, 10 Dec, 2021 12:02 PM
Chandigarh, Dec 10 (IANS) To ensure that the illegal sand mining is effectively nipped in the bud and prices of sand remain constant at the government fixed rates of Rs 5.50 per cubic feet, Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Channi has announced a reward of Rs 25,000 for violation of norms.
He has directed district officials to keep a strict vigil at the mining sites. He also asked the Deputy Commissioners to declare the reward if proof is provided either in video or any other form about the violation of the norms.
The Chief Minister on Thursday late directed the officials to ensure that if any panchayat wants sand it should be provided free of cost from the mining sites. Also no charges should be levied from the tractor-trailers carrying sand. Only trucks should be charged the rate of Rs 5.50 per cubic feet.
Likewise, the Chief Minister also emphasized to increase the number of legal sites of mining and restart work on those sites that were closed down earlier. An official statement quoting the Chief Minister said no political interference would be tolerated as he is determined to crackdown hard on the culprits indulging in illegal sand mining.
Siddharta Vashishtha, also known as Manu Sharma, the convict in the Jessica Lal murder case was released from Tihar Jail on Tuesday. Sandeep Goel, Director-General of Tihar Jail, said: “He was released on the recommendations of the Sentence Reviewing Board meeting. The entire process has been carried out.”
A swarm of locusts on Wednesday and Thursday devastated crops in Uttar Pradesh’s Sonbhadhra district, which shares borders with Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh. The pest has damaged crops in six states, leading to the Centre issuing a locust warning to 16 states.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced Rs 1,500 crore for the relief and rehabilitation of people affected by Cyclone Amphan in West Bengal and Odisha, and assured the states of more support after conducting separate aerial surveys with chief ministers Mamata Banerjee and Naveen Patnaik on Friday.
US President Donald Trump tweeted that the US would donate ventilators to India in the fight against COVID-19. "We stand with India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi during this pandemic,".
Fugitive liquor lord Vijay Mallya Thursday lost his application to appeal against extradition proceedings in the England Supreme Court, setting off the 28-day “mandatory period” for the 64-year-old businessman to be extradited to India on charges of fraud and money laundering related to unrecovered loans to his now non existent Kingfisher Airlines.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a 270 billion dollar package to tackle the impact of coronavirus and weeks of lockdown. India would not be controlled by the virus, he said, also announcing "lockdown 4" after May 17 in a "completely different form", with new rules.
