Latest news with #LIT
Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Pre-bypoll push falls flat: LIT's dues settlement schemes see lukewarm response
Ludhiana: In a bid to woo voters ahead of the Ludhiana West bypoll, the administration rolled out two special policies under the Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT) — one for settling long-pending non-construction fees and another one-time settlement (OTS) scheme for allottees who failed to pay instalments for their allotted properties. But despite the seemingly generous offer, the public response has been underwhelming. With just 20 days left before the July 31 deadline, the response remains muted — only 155 applications have come in under the non-construction fee (NCF) policy and 100 under the OTS scheme. Officials had hoped for a better turnout but blame poor recordkeeping and lack of awareness for the disinterest. The policies were notified on April 17, but LIT officials now pin their hopes on a last-minute rush, saying beneficiaries often tend to settle dues closer to the deadline. In 2016, a one-time settlement policy had been notified for six months, during which 372 applications were received — a higher response compared to the current policy, which was open for a shorter period. Sources revealed that LIT officials lack accurate data on the number of defaulters for non-construction fees (NCF) or pending instalments. This is largely because records are not maintained plot-wise. Further, officials often don't know whether a plot is still with the original allottee or has been sold further — unless someone approaches the clerks in the sale branch directly. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Is it legal? How to get Internet without paying a subscription? Techno Mag Learn More Undo Sources added that this lack of proper recordkeeping has left LIT dependent entirely on defaulters to come forward on their own. In some cases, localities developed by LIT were later transferred to the municipal corporation (MC), resulting in incomplete or lost records. Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT) chairperson Tarsem Bhinder admitted that they received fewer applications for the two policies, however, he claimed that he has asked the concerned staff to start contacting the defaulters to reap the benefit of the schemes. He highlighted that the LIT had lesser staff to handle additional tasks. Under the one-time settlement policy for the Non-Construction Fee (NCF), a 50% discount is offered on the total amount due (principal + interest) to allottees of properties under LIT development schemes — whether less than or more than 15 years have passed since the allotment letter was issued. For cases older than 15 years, the NCF is fixed at 5% of the applicable reserve rate. Additionally, senior citizens, women, and legal heirs of Armed or Paramilitary Forces personnel killed in action are eligible for an extra 25% discount on the already reduced NCF amount. After getting an exemption from the govt under the One-Time Relaxation Policy on the NCF, the allottee will be bound to deposit the amount and construct his property by getting the plan approved by Dec 31. Similarly, under the one-time settlement for pending dues where allottees have made some kind of payment, this exemption is applicable only in those cases in which the allottees have deposited 1/4th part of the amount after the allotment of the concerned property. According to this, the allottees will be able to regularise their property by depositing the remaining amount at the applicable rate (at simple interest) and restoration charges at the rate of 2.5 percent at the reserve rate for the year 2025-26 as per the rules issued from time to time. Complete exemption was given on penalty/penal interest.
Time of India
18-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
NU to hire 110 assistant professors on contract for new academic year
Nagpur: Facing a chronic shortage of teaching staff, Nagpur University (NU) will appoint 110 assistant professors on a contractual basis for the academic year 2025–26. The university has also hiked the monthly honorarium to ₹40,000 and mandated that applicants hold either a NET/SET qualification or a PhD degree. The decision has been taken to attract qualified and experienced candidates, Several postgraduate departments at NU have been functioning without full-time faculty for extended periods, while others are operating with skeletal teaching staff. University-run colleges are also reeling under severe faculty shortages. Efforts to appoint regular teaching staff at Nagpur University have been stalled for years. A previously launched recruitment drive was derailed due to technical issues and remains unresolved. Although the university received government sanction to fill 92 regular posts, the process was complicated by the separation of Laxminarayan Institute of Technology (LIT), a university-conducted college, that has since become an independent university. The sanctioned 92 posts included approximately 23 positions from LIT. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Total AV 2025 – Save Up to 80% Off Antivirus Today Total AV - Tier 2 Install Now Undo Then Vice-Chancellor Subhash Chaudhari had written to the government seeking clarity on the division of these vacancies, but no response has been received so far. Meanwhile, NU received over 2,000 applications for the posts. However, the recruitment cannot proceed until separate rosters for NU and LITU are formally established. As per the current contractual recruitment drive, science and technology departments have the largest vacancies, with 40 positions advertised. This is followed by 24 posts in social sciences and 11 in languages, both under the Faculty of Humanities. The Faculty of Interdisciplinary Studies will recruit nine teachers, Commerce and Management will get six, and three will be appointed in the Centre for Specialised Studies. Another 17 posts will be filled in the University's College of Education and Law College. The appointments have become urgent, as the university has made it mandatory for affiliated colleges to meet minimum teaching staff requirements to receive continuation of affiliation. Senate members have repeatedly flagged the shortage of teachers as a critical concern. Senate member Manmohan Bajpai pointed out that while the last date for application is June 28, the university has not clarified whether a selection panel has been formed. "The university must also state when the process will be completed. There is no schedule yet for scrutiny, interviews, or final selection," he said.
Time of India
08-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Commercialisation of residential areas concerns residents in Ludhiana West constituency.
Ludhiana: Once considered among the most well-planned and livable parts of this city, the West constituency is now at the centre of growing resident discontent as commercial activity intrudes into its residential streets increasingly. Despite being home to prime localities and benefitting from a substantial share of Smart City projects, residents say the area is losing its peace and character rapidly. The expansion of commercial outlets into residential zones, stray animals, parking shortages, and unchecked encroachment are driving frustration among citizens. "The very reason we chose Sarabha Nagar was for peace," said Rahul Verma, a long-time resident. "Now every street has shops or offices. Instead of stopping this, the authorities concerned are declaring residential roads as commercial zones." His concerns are echoed across other upscale neighbourhoods including BRS Nagar, Kitchlu Nagar, Udham Singh Nagar, Model Town, Model Gram and Club Road. Many of these were originally planned by the Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT), which had demarcated residential and commercial areas clearly. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Wrinkles? No. Philips Garment Steamers Book Now Undo Over time, it handed over these localities to the municipal corporation for maintenance — and residents say that is when the balance began to tilt. "There's no difference now," said Kapil Arora of BRS Nagar. "The main road is so busy with commercial activity that I take interior lanes just to reach my own house." A municipal corporation official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, admitted the shift was often initiated by the residents themselves. "People open shops or clinics in homes and then apply to have roads declared commercial," he said. "Several of these proposals are under govt review currently." The rising commercialisation is not only disturbing residents' peace of mind but also undercutting the function and viability of market areas. Locals complain that mixed-use chaos deters customers and contributes to traffic bottlenecks. Adding to the concern is the lack of updated data with the civic body. It conducted the last official survey of commercial violations in 2019, revealing 7,053 violations across 73 town planning schemes — 2,683 of those concentrated in just 60 of those schemes. Since then, it has carried out no fresh survey, leaving citizens frustrated by the absence of regulatory oversight. With more LIT-developed areas now being transferred to civic authorities, residents fear the same pattern will repeat: peaceful neighbourhoods transformed into unregulated commercial zones, with little room left for families or silence. MSID:: 121706738 413 |
Indian Express
07-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
School land misuse case: Ludhiana court grants interim bail to Ashu, orders him to join probe
A court in Ludhiana Friday granted interim bail to Congress leader Bharat Bhushan Ashu but directed him to join the investigation in the school land misuse case in which he was issued summons Thursday by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau, leading to a political uproar. Ashu is Congress candidate for June 19 bypoll to Ludhiana West Assembly seat that he has represented twice in the past. 'The applicant (Ashu) was not named in the FIR, he has been subsequently named. The case of the prosecution is based on documentary evidence. So, the applicant is directed to join the investigation as and when called by the Investigating Officer and in the event of his arrest, the applicant shall be released on interim bail by the Arresting/Investigating officer,' read the order issued by court of additional sessions judge Jaspinder Singh. The court fixed June 11 as next date hearing. Ashu's counsel Vijay Mahendru said the Congress leader had submitted in the court that he was falsely implicated in the case 'only to sabotage his election campaign.' It was submitted in the court that the FIR in the case was registered on January 8, 2025 at Division Number 5 police station of Ludhiana on the complaint of Executive Officer, Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT) for action against management committee of New Senior Secondary School. It was alleged that under the scheme of LIT, 4.7 acres of land in Sarabha Nagar was allotted to the committee for running a senior secondary school. As per the agreement, the land could not be used for any other purpose. However, in March 1971, a complaint was received from local residents that a college was being constructed at the site. However, as per the agreement, only school could be constructed on it Thereafter, a letter was issued to stop the construction of the college. Further, in 2023, several other complaints were received that private playway schools and other shops/businesses were running on the allotted land. After an inquiry, the current FIR was registered under the sections 420, 120-B, 467, 468, 471 and 409 of IPC against management committee members. Divya Goyal is a Principal Correspondent with The Indian Express, based in Punjab. Her interest lies in exploring both news and feature stories, with an effort to reflect human interest at the heart of each piece. She writes on gender issues, education, politics, Sikh diaspora, heritage, the Partition among other subjects. She has also extensively covered issues of minority communities in Pakistan and Afghanistan. She also explores the legacy of India's partition and distinct stories from both West and East Punjab. She is a gold medalist from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), Delhi, the most revered government institute for media studies in India, from where she pursued English Journalism (Print). Her research work on 'Role of micro-blogging platform Twitter in content generation in newspapers' had won accolades at IIMC. She had started her career in print journalism with Hindustan Times before switching to The Indian Express in 2012. Her investigative report in 2019 on gender disparity while treating women drug addicts in Punjab won her the Laadli Media Award for Gender Sensitivity in 2020. She won another Laadli for her ground report on the struggle of two girls who ride a boat to reach their school in the border village of Punjab. ... Read More
Hindustan Times
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
VB summons Congress' Bharat Bhushan Ashu in ₹2,400-cr school land misuse case
Congress' Ludhiana West candidate and ex-minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu has been summoned by the Ludhiana unit of the vigilance bureau in connection with a ₹2,400 crore scam involving misuse of school land in Sarabha Nagar. The summons, issued on June 4 by deputy superintendent of police Vinod Kumar directs Ashu to appear for questioning on Friday (June 6) at 10 am. The case dates back to January 8, 2025, when an FIR was lodged at police station division no 5 under Sections 420 (cheating), 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 467, 468, 471 (forgery), and 409 (criminal breach of trust) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The case revolves around 4.7 acres of land allotted by the Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT) decades ago to run the New Senior Secondary School in Sarabha Nagar. The land was given at a subsidised rate strictly for educational purposes. However, investigations revealed that parts of this land are being illegally used for commercial activities. Multiple private playway schools and businesses are operating on the premises, with the school management allegedly collecting hefty rents, a serious violation estimated to involve ₹2,400 crore in financial irregularities. The police on January 8 this year, had already lodged an FIR against the school following the complaint filed by chairman, Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT). Following his complaint, the case was transferred to the vigilance bureau after alleged financial irregularities surfaced during the probe. Ashu who remained minister of food, civil supplies, and consumer affairs during previous Congress government in the state was embroiled in the 2022 ₹2,000-crore foodgrain transportation tender scam. He faced allegations of awarding contracts to fraudulent contractors submitting fake vehicle registrations, inflating transport numbers, and misusing public funds. He was arrested in August 2022. In December 2024, the Punjab and Haryana high court quashed two criminal cases registered against Ashu. While one FIR was registered on August 16, 2022, in Ludhiana by the vigilance bureau, the second FIR was registered by the vigilance bureau on September 22, 2022, in Jalandhar. Reacting to summon, Ashu said, 'I am busy with my campaigning and have not received any such summons. After campaigning, I will respond accordingly.'
