Chandigarh, November 9

With the Assembly elections round the corner, Punjab Cabinet on Tuesday took several populist decisions, including capping the sand and gravel price at Rs 5.50 per cubic ft, regularising services of 36,000 contractual employees, and terminating and re-determining power purchase agreements (PPAs).

The legislations to regularise the services of contractual staff and terminate the PPAs will be tabled in the Vidhan Sabha session scheduled for November 11.

New rates of sand and gravel to be effective from Wednesday. Charanjit Singh Channi, Punjab Chief Minister

After a Cabinet meeting here today, Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi said the new rates of sand and gravel fixed at Rs 5.50 per cubic ft at mining sites, including loading charges, would be effective from tomorrow. Earlier, the pit head selling price of sand and gravel was Rs 9 cubic ft as per the Punjab Sand and Gravel Mining Policy, 2018.

The Cabinet also decided to cut the royalty rate of ordinary clay and ordinary earth from Rs 10 per tonne to Rs 2.5 per tonne. As per the new policy, the land owner or possessor can dispose of ordinary earth extracted during the levelling of their agriculture fields up to 3 ft. These activities do not require any permit, rent or royalty. — TNS

Govt accepts AG Deol’s resignation

Amid pressure mounted by PPCC chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, the Channi-led Punjab Cabinet on Tuesday accepted Advocate General APS Deol’s resignation. CM Channi got the decision stamped from the Council of Ministers. The replacement of DGP Iqbal Preet Singh Sahota, as desired by Sidhu, is still awaited.

Key Cabinet decisions

• Services of 36,000 employees with more than 10 years of service to be regularised
• Price of sand/gravel fixed at Rs5.50/cubic ft, including loading charges, against Rs9/cubic ft
• Royalty of ordinary clay and ordinary earth down from Rs10 per tonne to Rs2.5 per tonne
• Minimum wages of skilled workers hiked from Rs8,776.83 to Rs9,192.72
• Amendment to the Punjab Agricultural Produce Markets Act of 1961 to revoke anti-farmer provisions
• Termination and redetermination of power purchase agreements
• OTS policy for regularising non-compoundable violations by building owners. Fee cut by 25%