Latest news with #Dhillon
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Residents question Punjab's ambitious land pooling policy: ‘Why expand when what's already been built remains empty?'
As the Punjab Government moves forward with its ambitious land pooling policy—aiming to acquire over 65,000 acres from 164 villages, with Ludhiana alone accounting for over 24,000 acres—a rising chorus of voices is questioning the rationale behind acquiring more farmland for urbanisation when many existing housing projects lie unfinished or completely abandoned. Residents, activists, and even political leaders are pointing to several Punjab Urban Development Authority (PUDA)-approved projects that have either failed to attract buyers or remain stalled for over two decades. Most of the abandoned projects were planned under the optimised utilisation of vacant government land rather than acquiring farm land. Projects on paper, but ghost towns on the ground Take the example of Lala Lajpat Rai Enclave in Jagraon—a PUDA-approved colony built in 2009 on 113 acres of land that previously housed the Jagraon Sugar Mill. 'The cooperative sugar mill was shut in the mid-1990s. In 2009, the then SAD-BJP Government launched this residential project. While many plots were auctioned, today the colony is deserted—just three or four houses exist. There's no resale market, and many plots remain unsold,' said Didar Singh Dhillon, a resident of Malak village in Ludhiana district. 'Close to this colony, the Punjab Government plans to acquire 530 acres of fertile land of the Malak, Aligarh and Pona villages for so-called urbanisation'. The colony has roads, electricity poles, and infrastructure, but no residents. 'When even an approved colony with amenities finds no takers, what's the point of creating more such colonies by making farmers landless?' Dhillon asked. Mansa: Gates locked, grass overgrown A similar fate awaits a 52-acre PUDA enclave in Mansa, located just 4 km from the main city on the Mansa–Barnala road. 'This is a gated colony where the gates are always locked. Wild grass grows over empty plots. Roads and electricity poles exist, but nobody lives there. Plots were sold, but now no one wants to buy,' said Gurlabh Singh Mahal, an advocate and local resident. Ironically, while this colony decays, the Government plans to acquire 125 more acres in Mansa under the land pooling policy. Mahal points to another project: 'Over 100 acres were acquired for a Punjab Technical University campus on the Mansa–Sardulgarh road during SAD-BJP's second term (2007–2012). That land too lies unused. Why not urbanise that first?' Bathinda: Phases started in 2011, still incomplete In Bathinda, phases 4 and 5 of the Urban Estate launched in 2011 are still incomplete. 'Even today, some parks are not developed. The basic civic infrastructure is unfinished,' said Sarup Singla, Bathinda district BJP president. Despite this, the Government has now notified 894 acres in Bathinda under the land pooling policy—raising concerns about priorities and planning. Muktsar: only walls, no allottees In Muktsar, another PUDA colony—announced during SAD-BJP's second term—exists only as a boundary wall and a gate. Plot demarcation is complete, but not a single plot has been allotted. These projects fall under the jurisdiction of the Bathinda Development Authority, which also oversees urbanisation plans in Mansa, Faridkot, Fazilka, and Muktsar. Ludhiana's PUDA-approved private colonies also struggling Even private colonies approved in the Dakha, Jagraon Assembly constituencies of Ludhiana under previous development drives are in limbo. In Bhanohar village, one such colony spread over 100 acres has barely three-four families residing and Bhanohar comes under the current land pooling policy. 'This colony has existed for over 15 years. It's nothing but demarcated and sold plots. If the Government really wants to urbanise, they should revive such projects where investors' hard-earned money is stuck,' said Gurlabh Singh Mahal, adding that ignoring dead projects while acquiring fertile land would send the wrong signal to farmers. Punjab's land pooling push The Punjab Government recently introduced the land pooling policy to build townships by acquiring land from farmers through pooling, rather than outright purchase. Farmers contributing land will receive a portion back as developed plots, with the rest sold to finance civic infrastructure. While as per the Government, the policy is a 'win-win' initiative for landowners and the state, it has sparked intense opposition in villages across Punjab. Farmer unions and resident groups say the policy is an attempt to forcibly urbanise fertile land, while older urbanisation efforts have failed to deliver on their promises. 'CM Bhagwant Mann on Sunday visited village Libra of Samrala constituency just to project that he is meeting villages amid protests against land pooling policy. But Libra village doesn't come under the land pooling policy… The CM must visit the villages where over 50 per cent land is under the land pooling policy and that too after announcing his visit, rather than making hurried visits for social media presence,' said Pritpal Singh Baliawal, a BJP spokesperson. With mass protests, resolutions passed by gram sabhas, and even posters banning leaders of the ruling AAP in villages, the Government faces increasing pressure to complete or revive its existing projects before seeking more land under its urbanisation agenda.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Time of India
No CBI probe: HC junks plea in NRI killing case
Patiala: The Punjab and Haryana high court has dismissed a petition filed by Gurtej Singh Dhillon, a relative of the police assault victim Col Pushpinder Singh Bath, for seeking a time-bound CBI inquiry into the killing of 22-year-old Jaspreet Singh in Nabha, Patiala district. Dhillon had sought the CBI probe as the court had earlier ordered a similar probe into the assault on Col Bath. Dhillon had claimed that the police team, which shot dead Jaspreet in an encounter in a case of kidnapping, had assaulted Col Bath. He had claimed that the encounter was staged. The court noted that Dhillon lacked the legal standing to file the petition, as he did not qualify as a "victim" under Section 2(Y) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023. The additional advocate general, who represented the Punjab govt, pointed out that the parents of deceased had already filed a similar petition (CRM-M-23707-2025), which is pending hearing on Sept 17. Faced with these objections, Dhillon's counsel Navkiran Singh and Harpreet Kaur requested permission to withdraw the petition. Justice Sanjay Vashisth dismissed the case as withdrawn, leaving the matter to be pursued by the family of deceased in their pending petition. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Search & compare rates from major search-engines, along with local, reputable engines. Hotel Deals | Search Ads Browse Now Undo Jaspreet Singh, an NRI and student, returned to India to surprise his family but was booked in the kidnapping of a 7-year-old boy from their Sihan Daud village of Khanna (Ludhiana) on March 12, his family has alleged. The child was later found unharmed in the trunk of a Toyota Fortuner, which police claimed Jaspreet was driving. According to FIR No. 29 registered at Nabha Sadar police station, Jaspreet allegedly fired at a police team led by three inspectors, prompting retaliatory fire that killed him. The deceased's family, in their petition, disputed the police version, citing the post-mortem report, which revealed seven gunshot wounds, including three fired at "point-blank range" (with tattooing marks indicating close-range firing) and an injury on the forehead, along with wounds to the abdomen and chest, suggesting execution-style killing rather than an exchange of fire. The family alleged that villagers told them that Jaspreet surrendered with his hands up but was taken to a nearby samadh (memorial), where gunshots were heard and an ambulance was allegedly pre-arranged, raising suspicions of premeditation.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Time of India
EOU cracks down on paperleaks, assets and narcotics
Patna: The Economic Offences Unit (EOU) filed charge sheets against 21 accused in the Bihar Public Service Commission's 67th Combined Preliminary Examination paper leak case from May 8, 2022. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Also, property attachment proceedings were initiated against three of the accused. The investigation unit also made substantial progress in the Central Selection Board (Police Recruitment) examination paper leak case, with charge sheets filed against 18 suspects. In another significant case, 288 individuals were charged in connection with the Bihar Public Service Commission's Teacher Recruitment Examination (TET 3.0) paper leak scandal. One of the notable arrests includes Sanjeev Kumar Singh, also known as Sanjeev Mukhiya or Lutan Mukhiya, who was taken into judicial custody on April 25, 2025. The unit also apprehended 15 individuals involved in the NEET UG 2024 examination paper leak case, said EOU DIG, Manavjit Singh Dhillon on Friday. Dhillon added that in a separate case involving the Bihar State Health Society's Community Health Officer (CHO) online examination fraud, 39 accused were arrested and remanded to judicial custody. The mastermind of this operation, Ravi Bhushan (son of Chandra Bhushan Prasad), was among those arrested, with charge sheets filed against 37 individuals. "The EOU has taken charge of investigating 65 out of 74 cases related to police constable recruitment examination fraud across various districts, with 24 cases already concluded. The unit is also handling 88 cases of disproportionate assets against public servants, with charge sheets filed in 38 cases, final reports submitted in 4 cases, and 46 cases still under investigation," the DIG said. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Dhillon said the unit was particularly successful in recovering assets, with cash seizures amounting to Rs 3,01,75,880 and jewellery worth Rs 6,12,20,505 from various cases. Additionally, 23 cases were registered against public servants suspected of involvement in illegal sand mining, transportation, storage, and corruption. "Bihar Police seized a total of 4105.919kg of marijuana, 78.636kg of hashish, 8.255kg of heroin/smack/brown sugar, 16.476 kg of opium, 1001.95kg of doda, 3,836 injection pieces, 39,809 bottles of codeine-based syrup, and 41,937 tablets in the state from January to June 2025. In this context, 569 cases were registered against 672 accused, of which 577 were arrested and sent to judicial custody till now," Dhillon added.
FACT
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- FACT
AP Dhillon to rock Coca-Cola Arena once again
Partner Content: The concert will take place on 7 September. Dubai, brace yourselves for the ultimate groove-fest because a global sensation is coming to town. Hitting the stage at Coca-Cola Arena on 7 September is the one and only AP Dhillon, promising a night you won't forget. Born Amritpal Singh Dhillon in 1993, he straddles Punjabi roots and Western influences, fusing hip-hop, pop, and R&B into a uniquely soulful sound. His musical journey began in 2019, when he dared to blend genres, creating a sound that resonated with the global Indian diaspora. The breakthrough came with the release of the chart-topping single 'Brown Munde' in 2020, propelling him straight into stardom. Since then, AP Dhillon has been on a roll, churning out hits like Excuses, With You and many more. With over five billion streams across all platforms, it's safe to say that Dhillon's music has become a global phenomenon. Last year, fans of AP Dhillon also watched the documentary series AP Dhillon: First of a Kind, which offered an unprecedented look into the life of the star. With over 30 sold-out shows worldwide, Dhillon has left his mark, achieving what many artists dream of within a record-breaking three years as a debut artist. Yet, AP Dhillon's depth goes beyond swagger. He delves into themes of heartbreak, disillusionment, and the immigrant experience with raw honesty. The upcoming concert isn't Dhillon's first stint in Dubai. He graced the Expo 2020 stage in 2022 and had a sold-out show at Coca-Cola Arena in February 2024, so expect an even bigger crowd this time around. Tickets are now on sale, with prices starting at AED 295 and ranging up to AED 2,195. GO: Visit for more information.
Time of India
23-07-2025
- Time of India
Nabha encounter: Plea for CBI probe argues it took place right before Col Bath's assault
1 2 Patiala: A fresh petition has been filed in the Punjab and Haryana high court to demand a CBI probe into the March 13 encounter of 22-year-old Jaspreet Singh, a youth who had returned from Vancouver, but was accused of kidnapping a child from Ludhiana. The petitioner, Gurtej Singh Dhillon, is the brother-in-law of Col Pushpinder Singh Bath, an army officer who was allegedly assaulted by a police team in Patiala. The petition alleges that the same police team involved in Jaspreet's killing previously assaulted Col Bath and his son outside Rajindra Hospital here. The CBI is already investigating that case following a high court order. Dhillon has demanded a time-bound Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the incident, alleging that Punjab Police staged a "fake encounter". He cited medical evidence indicating close-range gunshot wounds and claimed that police officials were promised promotions and Rs 10 lakh for the encounter. "Police claimed he died in an exchange of fire, but villagers told me that he surrendered before being taken to an isolated spot where shots were heard," said Dhillon. Dhillon said Punjab govt faced scrutiny amid reports of 20 encounters in six months. "We fear evidence destruction if Punjab Police investigates itself," he added. "The post-mortem proves execution-style killing. How can police claim it was crossfire?" said the counsel for Dhillon.
