Nod to Anandpur Sahib-naina Devi ropeway project
CHANDIGARH: The Punjab cabinet on Thursday granted approval for setting up a ropeway between Anandpur Sahib and Naina Devi in public private partnership (PPP) mode to further promote tourism in the state.
The approval was granted at a meeting chaired by chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh here. The ropeway would facilitate lakhs of devotees visiting these two religious sites in a smooth and hassle-free manner, the spokesperson said after the meeting. A memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed between the Punjab and Himachal governments on July 26, 2012, to set up the ropeway. The Punjab tourism department had acquired 108 kanal, 13 marla land for setting up a lower terminal and right of way within the state’s territory for this purpose.
The MOU was cancelled by the Himachal government on June 3, 2014. In February 2018, the Punjab government received a letter from the Himachal chief minister to revive the project, following which Amarinder conveyed his consent to the neighbouring state. Subsequently, the tourism department received the approved MOU from the HP government on September 5, 2018.
The project will be carried out in a PPP mode by setting up a special purpose vehicle (SPV). The total paid up equity of the SPV will be ₹1 crore, with ₹50 lakh each as share of the two states. As per the MOU, both states will have equal share in the revenue with concession period of 40 years.
SHAHPUR KANDI DAM PROJECT PACT RATIFIED
The cabinet also ratified the agreement signed on September 8 between the chief secretaries of Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir, as well as commissioner, Indus, for immediate resumption of work on the Shahpur Kandi Dam project.
The project, aimed to be completed in three years, would generate 206MW of additional hydropower, leading to irrigation and power benefits worth ₹852.73 crore annually. KOCHI/JALANDHAR: Bishop Franco Mulakkal, who was questioned by Kerala Police for the second day over rape charges by a nun, has been temporarily relieved of his pastoral responsibilities by Pope Francis, the Catholic Bishop Conference of India (CBCI) said on Thursday.
The pope appointed bishop emeritus of the Archdiocese of Bombay Agnelo Rufino Gracias as the apostolic administrator of the diocese of Jalandhar with immediate effect, a CBCI statement said. The announcement came even as the senior Catholic priest was being questioned by the special investigation team for the second day in Kochi.
The pope took the decision in response to Mulakkal’s September 16 letter offering to “step aside temporarily” as the bishop of the Jalandhar diocese, Kerala Catholic Bishops Council spokesman Varghese Vallikkattu said. He wrote the letter after Kerala Police summoned him to appear before it for questioning in the case. Mulakkal has been accused of repeated rape by the Keralabased nun of Missionaries of Jesus Congregation of the Jalandhar diocese. He has denied the charges.
QUESTIONING TO CONTINUE
Police asked Mulakkal to appear before it on Friday. “We need more time to verify some of his statements. We will resume his questioning on Friday. We are yet to arrive at a conclusion,” said Kottayam SP S Harishankar. However, a member of the investigating team, who did not want to be identified, said there were contradictions in the bishop’s statements. Some of the videos he produced were edited but he pleaded innocence till the end of the twoday questioning. “It seems he was tutored well,” he said.
The nuns on dharna for 13 days came down heavily on the police decision. “Police are giving him enough time to buy witnesses. Some have retracted their statements. Our struggle will continue till he is behind bars,” said sister Anupama, one of the five nuns on the dharna in Kochi.the government and police have drawn flak for delaying the bishop’s arrest though the victim had given a statement before a magistrate under Section 164 of the CRPC.