• Armed youths take away cars, cash
• Taxi driver stabbed to death

ASI arrested for harbouring criminal
Tribune News Service

JHAJJAR, Dec 2 — An Assistant Sub-Inspector of Police, (ASI) Ranbir Singh, has been arrested on the charge of harbouring a criminal, Baljeet Singh, allegedly involved in the kidnapping of a local petrol station dealer, Mr Sant Lal Pahwa, on October 1.

The ASI is presently posted as in charge of the security attached to the DIG, Rohtak Range, Mr P.K. Mehta.

The police had been suspecting the involvement of the ASI with the kidnappers and interrogated him on October 3 to ascertain the whereabouts of Baljeet Singh and his accomplices. He was finally arrested yesterday under Sections 221, 212, 216-A, 120-B and 109, IPC, and was produced in court today which remanded him in judicial custody till December 16.

Mr Sant Lal Pahwa was rescued in a pre-dawn operation jointly launched by the National Security Guards and the Haryana police on October 6. It was alleged that when the rescue was in progress, Baljeet Singh was staying with the ASI at his Rohtak residence.

Baljeet Singh had escaped from the district jail, Karnal, on July 13. He was undergoing a 10-year jail term on charges of murder. Another detainee, Dilsher Singh, who was imprisoned for murdering his wife, also escaped with Baljeet Singh.

Four of the six-kidnappers, Wazir Singh, Dilsher Singh, Satish and Vijay Kumar, were arrested by the police while rescuing Mr Pahwa. Baljeet Singh had absconded, while Balwan Singh the sixth accomplice was arrested a few weeks ago by the Rohtak police.

The Superintendent of Police and the Deputy Commissioner could not be contacted as they were holding a "darbar" at Beri. The DIG, too, could not be contacted.

Conference on land salinity opens
Tribune News Service

KARNAL, Dec 2 — Dr R.S. Paroda, Director-General, Indian Council of Agricultural Research and Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education has said that over 1.5 billion people in the world do not have access to clean water in adequate quantity. He maintained that with each passing day the commodity was becoming scarce. Dr Paroda said that by 2025 A.D., the whole of North-West India, southern plateau and South-eastern coastal region would turn water deficient.

Dr Paroda was inaugurating a national conference on salinity management in agriculture at the Central Soil Salinity Research Institute here today.

The Director-General said that over exploitation of ground water was emerging as a serious problem in agriculturally important districts of Punjab and Haryana. He expressed the view that excessive withdrawal of ground water in coastal regions had led to sea water intrusion on leading salinisation, pollution of drinking water and large scale migrations of people from the affected areas.

Surface water dumping of untreated waste water into bodies was posing a major problem. He disclosed that so far, in India the capacity to treat sewerage was just 7 per cent of total sewerage generated per day. Consequently, many of the rivers which were once revered have turned into drains and carried only sewage during the summer.

Talking about the problem of soil salinity, Dr Paroda said that salt-affected soils covered roughly 10 per cent of the land surface in more than 100 countries. The extent of barren salt affected soils was estimated at 8.6 million hectare out of which 5.2 million hectare was in the irrigation commands, commonly referred as wet desert. Dr Paroda was of the view that vast areas were in imminent danger of turning barren as production and productivity had sharply declined due to secondary salinisation.

The Director-General regretted that the growth rate of food in the country, as even in the world, was not commensurate with the demand. He disclosed that global demand for food, fibre and bio-energy was growing at the rate of 2.5 per cent per year. For developing countries, the rate was 3.7 per cent. On the other hand, growth rate in agriculture in developing countries had failed to catch up with this rate. Dr Paroda held if this trend continued, the gap between demand and supply of food would grow rapidly. He expressed the view that the main constraint in achieving the desired growth rate in foodgrains production was man-induced land and water degradation.

Dr Paroda stated that the problem of waterlogging was so severe that in Haryana the loss due to waterlogging and soil salinity at 1985 prices was estimated to be Rs 40 crore, which would increase to Rs 100 crore by the turn of century. According to another estimate, waterlogging and soil salinity in India was costing 422 million mandays per year. Studies further revealed that high value crops were gradually disappearing from such areas.

The Director-General said during the past 30 years, India had made impressive achievements in salinity management. The technology had helped to reclaim about 0.8 million hactare of barren alkaline lands adding three to four million tonne to foodgrain production. He called upon the scientists of the CSSRI not be complacent as the challenges of the 21st century would be more testing than the present.

Dr G.B. Singh, Deputy Director-General (Natural Resource Management) of the ICAR, called for more research and development of appropriate technologies for rainfed areas and for the sodic soils underlain by poor quality waters. He said since the salinity problems were widespread and were found under different agro-climatic conditions, the country needed more agencies to cope up with demand. He wanted that the CSSRI should strengthen its outreach programme and work as a network.

Dr Singh maintained that with growing urban and industrial use of water, greater amounts of organic and inorganic wastes were being thrown on land and in the water. This has resulted in degradation of the land and water resources. Pollution had emerged as a serious problem. This was a more challenging and complex problem and applied research should be strengthened in this area.

Dr N.K. Tyagi, Director, CSSRI, Karnal, stated that over the years, the institute had developed technologies which got wide acceptance and were financially viable. He disclosed that several international organisations had come forward to finance sub-surface drainage projects for reclamation of waterlogged saline soils in various parts of the country. The Director called upon the scientists for taking advantage of this synergy plan for promoting the use of marginal quality water on a large scale. He further said that the CSSRI was strengthening its research programme to cope up with the demand for more appropriate programme technologies.

Over 150 scientists, policy makers and administrators from different irrigation commands were attending the four-days national conference.

Anti-corruption rally on Dec 13
From Our Correspondent

ROHTAK, Dec 2 — The Haryana Sarv Jatiya Morcha will hold its first rally at Hisar on December 13 as part of its statewide campaign against the "maladministration and corruption" allegedly spread by the three Lals of Haryana.

Later rallies would be held at Sonepat, Rewari and Rohtak on December 27 and January 14 and 30, respectively.

Stating this in a press conference here today, Mr Raghu Yadav, general secretary of the morcha, said the people of the region were fed up with the "misrule" under the three Lals. A widespread resentment and frustration prevailed among the unemployed youth as merit was overlooked during various recruitments. The consecutive Chief Ministers, he alleged, adopted a policy of appeasement towards the people of a particular region.

Mr Yadav alleged that farmers of Hisar, Sirsa, Fatehabad and Kurukshetra districts had been facing the problem of waterlogging, while those of Jhajjar, Rewari, Gurgaon, Mahendragarh and a large part of Bhiwani had been suffering from a drought-like situation only due to the faulty policies of the consecutive governments on the SYL canal issue.

Governor asks rich to aid disabled
From Our Correspondent

PANIPAT, Dec 2 — The Haryana Governor Mahabir Prasad distributed 125 tricycles, 90 hearing aids, 15 artificial limbs and 50 sewing machines to the disabled orphans, distress and poor of the district and blankets for 181 students of the local blind school at a function organised by the district Red Cross Society on the eve of the World Disabled Day at the local Bal Bhawan today.

Speaking on the occasion the Governor called upon industrialists and the affluent to help voluntary organisations like the Red Cross through liberal donations.

The Governor also directed the district authorities to conduct a comprehensive survey to identify all the disabled for providing them necessary assistance.

Separate ESI Directorate planned
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Dec 2 — The Haryana Cabinet, which met here today, under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister, Mr Bansi Lal, approved the proposal of the Labour and Employment Department to set up a separate ESI Directorate with the administrative and budgetary control vested with the Labour Department. The decision has been taken to make the ESI scheme more effective and is likely to improve the level of employees state insurance medical services for 4,04,800 insured persons being covered under the scheme in Haryana.

Earlier, the budgetary control and implementation of ESI scheme was under the control of the Labour Department but the administrative control over the medical and para-medical staff was with the Health Department.

It was decided that a post of Director and two Civil Surgeons would be created and the Director would head the department and the Civil Surgeon would be posted at Faridabad and Jagadhari. Apart from looking after the hospitals at these two places, the Civil Surgeon posted at Faridabad will have jurisdiction over Faridabad, Gurgaon, Rewari, Jhajjar, Sonepat and Rohtak, whereas the Civil Surgeon posted at Yamunanagar (Jagadhari) would have jurisdiction over Yamunanagar, Panipat, Karnal, Ambala, Panchkula, Bhiwani, Hisar Sirsa and Jind.

At present, the ESI scheme is being implemented in 15 districts with its major activities in Faridabad, Gurgaon, Dharuhera, Sonepat, Jagadhari and Panipat. The Civil Surgeons to be posted in the new set up would be given supporting staff.

Mine workers, youths clash, jeep burnt
From Our Correspondent

BHIWANI, Dec 2 — A clash took place between the mine workers and youths yesterday with the former allegedly setting on fire an Armada jeep belonging to the youths in the hill area of Khanak in this district.

Both groups pelted stones at each other, causing injuries to some persons.

The police chief, Mr SS Deswal, has rushed to the site of the incident and police has arrested 8 persons in this connection. They are — Vikas, Ramesh, Dharam Singh, Som Veer, Vijender, Sanjay Singh, Sanjay and Parminder.

According to information, the President of the Mines and Skill Workers Union, Mr Ajit Singh, was to give a statement in court as a witness yesterday in connection with some matter, but the failed to do so. The youths were reportedly upset at this and arrived at the venue in an Armada jeep and Tata Sumo to meet Mr Ajit Singh. Hot words were exchanged, leading to a clash.

Construction of overbridge approved
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Dec 2 — The Haryana Cabinet, which met here today under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister, Mr Bansi Lal, gave its approval to the construction of a four-lane railway overbridge at Bata Chowk, Faridabad, on the basis of "build, operate and transfer" (BOT). This is the first such project which would come up on the BOT basis in the State after the Government's approval of the policy regarding private participation in road infrastructure on October 23, 1997.

The bridge will be constructed over the Delhi-Agra railway line in place of the existing level crossing and ease traffic congestion in Faridabad.

The Cabinet decided to continue the concessional rate of sales tax on wooden and steel furniture and footwear up to March 31, 1999. However, the rate of sales tax on these items for the period between July 1 last and the date of notification will be as charged. The concessional rates of tax on plastic goods except high-density ethyl woven bags would be 8 per cent till March 31, 1999.

The Cabinet also decided to levy sales tax at first stage of sales on PVC compound and granules (HDPE, LDPE and LLDPE), PVC and plastic polymers, being petroleum products. The step has been taken to minimise evasion of tax on these items. At present the tax was being charged at the last stage of sale of these items.

The Cabinet also approved the proposal of the Home Department to stand guarantee of the State Government in favour of the Haryana Police Housing Corporation, Panchkula, for obtaining a loan of Rs 652.24 lakh from HUDCO for the corporation. The loan is required to construct various buildings of the Police Department under housing and social infrastructure categories.

Illegal supply of bricks alleged
From Our Correspondent

SONEPAT, Dec 2 — Several truckloads of bricks are being sent to Delhi by brick-kiln owners of this district every day in violation of the ban imposed by the state government.

The police and the Food and Supplies Department have failed to check the illegal export of bricks.

Though the district administration has fixed the price of bricks at Rs 1,200 per 1,000, the brick-kiln owners were charging Rs 1700 to Rs 2000 per 1,000 from purchasers.

Many purchasers regret that their complaints to the authorities in this regard have fallen on deaf ears.

Meanwhile, the Sonepat Citizens Council has demanded stern action against the owners of the brick-kilns indulging in profiteering and creating crisis from time to time. It urged the state government and the district administration to take immediate and effective steps to check the illegal exports of bricks to Delhi.

Many brick-kiln owners of Delhi, it may be recalled, had shifted to villages of this district along the Haryana-Delhi border since they were asked by the Delhi Government to close down their units because of pollution.

Armed youths take away cars, cash
From Our Correspondent

ROHTAK, Dec 2 — Certain armed youths forcibly took away two Maruti cars and some cash in two separate incidents in the district today.

According to information received here, Mr Bahadur Chand Juneja, a cloth merchant of Kalanaur, 30 km from here, was on his way from Bhiwani to Kalanaur in his Maruti Zen. The car was intercepted by a jeep and three armed youths forcibly boarded the car. They reportedly forced the driver to take the car along a canal where the driver was pushed off and the money was looted from the merchant. Later, the abandoned car was found from the fields.

In a separate incident, some armed youths snatched a Maruti car at gunpoint near Liberty Cinema in the town. The owner of the car reportedly came from Delhi.

No arrest has been made so far in both cases.

Taxi driver stabbed to death
Tribune News Service

FARIDABAD, Dec 2 — Unidentified persons stabbed to death Rajender, a taxi driver, and threw his body in the bushes at Sheikhupura village, near Palwal, last night.

They had hired his taxi for going to a nearby village. On the way they killed the driver and escaped in the vehicle.

Taxi drivers of Khitwari Chowk in Palwal today blocked traffic on the national highway to demand the arrest of the culprits.

7 substations augmented
Tribune News Service

PANCHKULA, Dec 2 — In its efforts to make 24-hour power supply to the people of Haryana, the Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam (HVPN) has augmented seven substations with 104 MVA capacity and commissioned a 33-KV link line at a total cost of Rs 6.3 crore during November.

A spokesman of the nigam said here today that an additional 25 MVA transformer was commissioned at 220 KV substation, Sonepat, at a cost of Rs 1.5 crore thereby benefiting Murthal, Behalgarh, Sonepat city and other surrounding areas of Sonepat a 20 MVA transformer was added to 132 KV substation, Chandoli in Panipat district at a cost of Rs 1.12 crore which would benefit the Indian Oil Corporation project and villages comprising Beohli, Kabri, Barsat and Panipat city area of Panipat district.

Similarly, a 16 MVA transformer was added at a cost of Rs 100 lakh at 132 KV substation Badhra benefiting Lad, Ahmedwas, Barawas and Bhandwa of district Bhiwani, a 16 MVA transformer was added at 132 KV substation Ratia at a cost of Rs 75 lakh benefiting Haroli, Telwara, Hanspura, Phoolan, Ratta, Khera, Ramba, Runal, Nathuwan and Ghaswa villages of Fatehabad district. A 16 MVA transformer was added at 66 KV station, Nuh, at a cost of Rs 50 lakh benefiting Nuh town and villages comprising Malab, Ujina, Ghasera and Meoli of Gurgaon district, a 6 MVA transformer was added at 66 KV substation A-5 Faridabad at a cost of Rs 56.39 lakh which would be used to provide power to the NTPC gas based power plant at Faridabad and 5 MVA transformer was added at 33 KV substation, Ram Nagaria at a cost of Rs 41.21 lakh thereby benefiting Ram Nagaria, Bambeer, Kalina, Nanakpur villages of Sirsa district.

Villagers complain about water supply
From Our Correspondent

PANCHKULA, Dec 2 — Residents of Khetpurali and Parwala-Kharwala villages in the Barwala block today complained to the Deputy Commissioner about poor supply of potable water.

Mr Saroj Siwatch Deputy Commissioner, had gone to the village to hold an open darbar. The sarpanch of the village, Ms Santosh, said the posts of headmaster and a science teacher in government school had been lying vacant.

Farmers of Khetpurali village sought an extension of the water supply line for irrigation. The Deputy Commissioner directed officials of the Public Health Department to make arrangements for the supply of drinking water to Khetpurali and other surrounding villages from open springs.

The sarpanch of the Tibbi village, Ms Bishni Devi, sought construction of a boundary wall for government school in the village and starting of tubewells installed under the small irrigation tubewell scheme. Besides residents of Dulapur and Pralu villages also listed their grievances.

On a demand of residents to repair the Mattawala—Khetpurali road, she said an estimate of Rs 13 lakh for repairs had been sent for approval and the same would be sanctioned. There was a move to increase the width of the road to 18 feet, she added.