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Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Anju Chander of AAP is Kharar MC president
Six weeks after 18 Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillors, along with local MLAs Anmol Gagan Maan and Dr Charanjeet Singh, ousted Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Jaspreet Kaur Longia through a no-confidence motion, the Kharar municipal council on Friday unanimously elected Anju Chander, 54, of AAP as the new president. This will be Anju Chander's second term as she had previously served on the post from 2015 to 2020 when she was with the SAD. (HT File) This will be Chander's second term as she had previously served on the post from 2015 to 2020 when she was with the SAD. During Friday's polling, she secured 26 out of 27 votes in the House, including that of Kharar MLA Maan. Two councillors—Jaspreet Kaur Longia (SAD) and Neelam (Congress)—were conspicuous by their absence during the elections. An educationist by profession, Chander runs APJ School, a CBSE-affiliated intermediate school in Kharar. Expressing gratitude, she said, 'I sincerely thank all municipal councillors and the people of Kharar for supporting me. I am committed to accelerating the town's development and will work wholeheartedly for its betterment.' MLA Maan termed the unanimous decision a proud moment for the city. 'It is heartening that both the MLA and the MC president of Kharar are now from AAP. With united efforts, we will drive rapid development in the city,' she said. The 27-member council currently consists of 17 AAP councillors, four from SAD, three from Congress, and three Independents. How AAP gained majority in House The council elections, held on February 17, 2021, had resulted in a hung house, with the Congress securing 10 seats, SAD eight, AAP one, and Independents eight. SAD, with the support of Independent councillors, had managed to install Longia as president—until AAP's majority reshaped the power dynamics. The political realignment began on September 23, 2022, when eight Congress councillors, six Independents, and one SAD councillor joined AAP, giving the party a clear majority of 18 councillors. On May 5, 18 councillors submitted a written request to the executive officer (EO) to convene a special meeting and introduce a no-confidence motion against then-president Longia. The motion was passed during the May 16 meeting, ending her term. The Kharar municipal council also has representation from two MLAs—Anmol Gagan Maan (Kharar) and Dr Charanjeet Singh (Chamkaur Sahib).
Time of India
27-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Old power infra taking a toll on business: Industries
Noida/Ghaziabad: Frequent power outages lasting one to over two hours have disrupted industrial activity, with entrepreneurs reporting severe losses amid soaring temperatures and repeated infrastructure failures. The situation deteriorated following a storm on Sunday, leading to prolonged outages of up to 7 hours, followed by tripping and voltage fluctuations in several areas, particularly Sahibabad Site 4. Industrial clusters in Tronica City, Mainapur, Modinagar, South Side GT road, Sector 22, Udyog Kunj, MG road, and Loni road in Ghaziabad have also been severely affected. In Noida, sectors 80, 83, 10, Phase 2, and Hosiery Complex reported major disruptions. Entrepreneurs blame ageing power infrastructure for recurring faults in cables, feeders, and transformers, particularly during storms. The outages have resulted in production delays, labour losses, and material wastage — with plastic moulding units being especially affected, as hot plastic solidifies in nozzles during power cuts, rendering it unusable. Despite being declared no power cut zones, most industrial areas in Ghaziabad are experiencing daily outages, often extending to 5–6 hours post-rain or thunderstorms. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Free P2,000 GCash eGift UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo Ghaziabad alone has over 35,000 industries, with Sahibabad Site 4 among the worst hit. "Industries in Sahibabad have been experiencing daily power cuts averaging 2.5 to 3 hours, accompanied by frequent voltage fluctuations and tripping. These issues have persisted for over a month, leading to an estimated loss of around Rs 100 crore so far," said Charanjeet Singh, president of Sahibabad industries association (SIA). Singh said Sunday's 40-minute storm, which began around 1.40am, caused widespread power disruptions due to tree falls and damage to power lines and substations. "The outages lasted up to seven hours in some areas. The Sahibabad Industrial Area, covering 1,400 acres and housing about 2,200 units, suffered financial losses exceeding Rs 200 crore in a week. Labour hours were reduced, and industries had to bear the burden of idle workforce," he added. In Noida, entrepreneurs echoed similar concerns. Harish Joneja, senior vice president of the Noida entrepreneurs association (NEA), said outages have been frequent since the onset of summer. However, a prolonged breakdown occurred in sectors 80, 83, 10, Phase 2, and Hosiery Complex after the Sunday storm damaged feeder number 4 poles at the Phase 2 substation, affecting B Block. "There was a long supply breakdown due to old infrastructure and trees falling on power lines. At some places, outages lasted 8–10 hours. Since generators are banned by the NGT, production halts during such periods, causing material loss and wage liabilities without output," said Joneja. "Plastic units are particularly vulnerable as material in the nozzle solidifies and is wasted when temperature drops." Discom said infrastructure works are in progress. "Under RDSS, long-term infrastructure work is ongoing. While business plan works for 2023-24 are complete in Noida, projects for 2024-25 are underway. Our priority is uninterrupted power supply to industrial sectors," said Sanjay Kumar Jain, chief engineer, Noida power department.
Hindustan Times
26-05-2025
- Climate
- Hindustan Times
After decline, cotton acreage in Punjab witnesses marginal uptick
Punjab has achieved 78% of its cotton sowing target for the 2025-26 season, with a total of 1.06 lakh hectares of land sown with the cash crop. While this is a slight improvement over the 96,000 hectares sown last year, agriculture experts are expressing concerns over the slow pace of diversification in the state's cropping patterns. The state's cotton sowing target for the season was set at 1.29 lakh hectares. Despite the progress, experts argue that a marginal increase in acreage is not sufficient to address the pressing issue of agricultural diversification, especially for the Kharif crop season. This season's limited expansion in cotton acreage poses a significant challenge for Punjab's agricultural future, particularly in conserving groundwater resources. Punjab has long been known for its extensive cotton cultivation in its semi-arid districts such as Fazilka, Bathinda, Mansa and Muktsar. These regions together contribute to 98% of the state's total cotton production. However, agriculture experts fear that the relatively small increase in cotton sowing could push farmers to focus more on water-intensive crops like rice, especially in areas with low water availability. Officials from the agriculture department said that the last recommended date for cotton sowing was May 15, but sowing continues for another two weeks. Despite concerns over weather patterns, including lower temperatures and rainfall during the sowing phase in April and May, the situation has improved, and cotton growers are now optimistic about the season's prospects. Charanjeet Singh, deputy director (cotton) of the state agriculture department, said, 'Fazilka, the leading cotton-producing district, has already seen 56,000 hectares planted, followed by Mansa at 26,000 hectares. Bathinda and Muktsar have sown 15,500 and 8,500 hectares, respectively.' In recent years, pest attacks, particularly from whitefly and pink bollworm, have severely impacted cotton production in Punjab. The area under cotton cultivation shrank drastically between 2011-2016, with the state seeing over 3 lakh hectares of cotton land reduced to less than 1.5 lakh hectares in subsequent seasons. 'This year, the state is better prepared for pest management, with an inter-state consultative committee monitoring cotton fields to curb pest attacks. We are taking measures to control the pests this season as they have been a major concern in the past. The department has put in place strategies to tackle this issue and we are hopeful of a better yield. We are confident of achieving the target area of 1.29 lakh hectares,' Singh said. While the state has faced setbacks, farmers are beginning to return to cotton cultivation, recognising its benefits for soil health. 'Contrary to the speculations that farmers are losing interest in cotton due to unfriendly seasons in the last three consecutive seasons, an improvement in acreage shows cotton growers are confident of the state government's initiative to boost cultivation of the cash crop. Climatic conditions are conducive for sowing, and we are confident of achieving the target area of 1.29 lakh hectares,' Singh said. In Mansa, some farmers who shifted to rice last year are now turning back to cotton due to the crop's positive impact on soil fertility. 'The state government has also been offering support through subsidies, including a 33% discount on cotton seeds, to encourage cotton cultivation. Our field teams have been actively engaging with farmers to introduce them to government initiatives that can help revive cotton farming. With timely canal water supply and seed subsidies, cotton is being seen as a viable option again,' said Harpreet Pal Kaur, chief agriculture officer, Mansa. In 2011-12, cotton was cultivated on 5.16 lakh hectares in Punjab, the highest in the past 13 years.
