Check waterlogging, officials directed
SONEPAT, Oct 10 — Mr Harsh Kumar, Minister of State for Irrigation toured the rain-hit villages of this district yesterday to assess damage caused by rains last month.

450 cases settled at Lok Adalat
AMBALA, Oct 10 — As many as 450 cases were settled at a Lok Adalat held at the Sessions Court here today.

Rickshaw-puller run over, killed
AMBALA, Oct 10 — A rickshaw-puller was crushed to death by a private bus (HR-37-1667) near Indira Chowk in the cantonment area here today.

Resentment among excise staff

Traders observe hartal
Tribune News Service

ROHTAK, Oct 10 — Business activities in the town came to a grinding halt as traders observed a complete hartal to protest against registration of criminal cases against Qilla Road traders and alleged harassment by the sales tax officials.

The police arrested three traders in the wee hours today on charges of assaulting and beating sales tax officials on Wednesday last. Two more traders have reportedly been taken into custody but the police was yet to arrest them formally.

The agitating traders today blocked traffic on NH-10 near Bhiwani Stand Chowk and the police resorted to a mild lathi charge to clear the highway that passes through the city.

A deputation of the agitating traders, led by former Home Minister Subhash Batra, met the Excise and Taxation Commissioner, Mr R N Prashar, and the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Anil Kumar, to resolve the tangle. The deputationists offered to apologise for the incident and demanded cancellation of the FIR registered against the traders.

The Deputy Commissioner, however, turned down the offer and told the traders to condemn the attack on the sales tax officials. He also told them that the FIR would not be cancelled and the traders should agree for the action against the guilty traders. This was rejected by the traders who threatened to continue strike till the administration withdrew the agitation and released their colleagues.

The President, Rohtak Traders Association, Mr Naresh Chand Jain and the Secretary, district unit of the Haryana Beopar Mandal, Mr Yash Pal, condemned the arrest of the traders. They said that the agitation by the business community would continue till the arrested traders were released unconditionally.

Addressing a traders' rally, they demanded an enquiry by the CBI into the arrests amassed by sales tax officials.

Among those arrested by the police include Mr Anil Bhatia, President, Palika Bazar Traders Association, and District president, Haryana Beopar Mandal, Mr Deepak Kumar, and Mr Hem Raj. Two others taken into custody but not formally arrested are Mr Rajjas and Mr Mukeri Lal.

Mr Prashar has been camping here since yesterday and is reportedly pressurising the district administration to apprehend the traders involved in assaulting and attacking the sales tax officials.

The agitating traders, led by Mr Bajrang Dass Garg, President, Haryana Beopar Mandal, took out a procession and raised anti-government slogans.

Check waterlogging, officials directed
From Our Correspondent

SONEPAT, Oct 10 — Mr Harsh Kumar, Minister of State for Irrigation toured the rain-hit villages of this district yesterday to assess damage caused by rains last month.

The Minister visited Kakroi, Mehlana, Rohat, Jharot, Jharoti, Barona and Kharkhauda villages where rains had caused extensive damage to kharif crops paddy, bajra and cotton.

The minister was accompanied by Mr R.K. Garg, Superintending Engineer, (WJC) Feeder G.C. Circle and Mr M.K. Lamba, Executive Engineer, Rai Water Service Division.

The minister inspected diversion Drain No 6, the Drain No 8, the East Juan Drain and the Gurgaon Water Supply Channel between Kakroi and Barona village and directed the officials concerned to take steps to drain out rain water from the fields to enable sowing of rabi crop. He claimed that the government had sufficient funds for the desilting up and deweeding of the canals, distributaries and minors in the state. Lack of funds, he said, would not hamper completion of on-going irrigation projects in the state.

Addressing rural gatherings the minister criticised previous governments for not taking steps to check waterlogging in the area.

He assured the farmers that the government would enable them to sow rabi crops.

Earlier, the minister heard complaints of farmers in canal rest house at Kakroi village and redressed these.

Meanwhile, the local Water Service Division has pressed into service 35 pump sets to drain out rain water from the affected villages in the area.

Mr S.N. Sharma, Executive Engineer of the division said here today that these pumping sets were working round-the-clock to complete the work. He, however, regretted that erratic power supply to power-run sets had hindered the dewatering operations and the repeated requests to the officials of the Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Board for regular power supply had proved futile.

Mr Sharma hoped that rain water would be dewatered in a fortnight.

Mr Mukhtiar Singh Malik, former BJP MP, accompanied by other BJP leaders, toured the rain-hit villages of Chitana, Hullaherd, Barweshi and Sitawali yesterday to assess loss to kharif crop.

He said that paddy bajra and cotton crops had been damaged completely and the standing crop in large tracts was still submerged in water.

The BJP leader regretted that the Deputy Commissioner of Sonepat had so far, failed to visit the affected villages.

The BJP leader demanded compensation of Rs 16,000 per acre for the farmers hit by rain in the area.

Drive against illegal maxi cabs
Tribune News Service

FARIDABAD, Oct 10 —The Haryana Transport Department has launched a drive against 27,000 unauthorised maxi cabs plying in the state.

Stating this here today, Mr Krishnapal Gujar, Transport Minister, told TNS that the authorities had been directed to take strict action against the unlicensed maxi cabs. The number of posts of Regional Transport Authority had been increased to 10.

The General Managers of various depots had now been given powers to challan buses found violating rules.

In order to make plying of maxi cabs viable permit tax had been reduced from Rs 150 per passenger per seat to Rs 100.

Mr Gujar urged the Centre to restore the old provision in the Motor Vehicles Act so that the applications for claims for compensation for accidents be only submitted in the area where the mishap had occurred. The compensation in case of accidents should be given on the pattern of the railway which did not consider the status and age of the victim.

He said the insurance companies be directed to insure state transport buses which they had not been doing despite provisions in the Motor Vehicles Act.

Mr Gujar also suggested to the Centre to give more attention to the maintenance of the national highways which had been badly damaged in various parts of Haryana.

He disclosed that the state government had already sanctioned Rs 3 crore for new bus stand at Sector 12 in Faridabad. Work on the bus stand was expected to begin in the next three months.

River waters issue above party politics: Hooda
From Our Correspondent

ROHTAK, Oct 10 — The Haryana Pradesh Congress chief, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, has said he is ready to take part in any meeting concerning the long-standing issues like the water sharing problem with Punjab or for the implementation of the interim report of the Eradi tribunal.

Mr Hooda was reacting to the 'negative response' so far by the leaders of various political parties in the state to his proposal for holding an all-party meeting on the issue, at a press conference here today.

Mr Hooda alleged that the Indian National Lok Dal leader, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, had not given any positive response to the proposal. Moreover, he said the attitude of the leaders of the BJP and the Haryana Vikas Party had not been favourable. He said if any leader in the state, including Mr Chautala, called a meeting on the issue he would take part in it without any condition. He said the issue was above party politics.

Mr Hooda announced that the Congress president, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, would visit three villages of Narwana tehsil on October 12 before addressing a workers' meeting at Rohtak the same day. Senior party leaders like Ms Meira Kumar, Mani Shankar Aiyar, Mukul Wasnik and Ms Shelja would also accompany Mrs Gandhi.

450 cases settled at Lok Adalat
From Our Correspondent

AMBALA, Oct 10 — As many as 450 cases were settled at a Lok Adalat held at the Sessions Court here today. Mr Justice V.K. Bali of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Chairman of the Haryana State Legal Services Authority, presided. The District and Sessions Judge, who is chairman of the District Legal Services Authority, supervised.

Among the cases taken up were those relating to motor vehicle accident claims, matrimonial cases, traffic offences, and criminal cases under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act.

An amount of Rs 17.86 lakh was awarded as compensation to the accident victims and kin of the deceased. Nineteen cases of accident claims and 15 relating to matrimonial disputes were settled.

Rickshaw-puller run over, killed
From Our Correspondent

AMBALA, Oct 10 — A rickshaw-puller was crushed to death by a private bus (HR-37-1667) near Indira Chowk in the cantonment area here today.

According to eyewitnesses, the bus was being driven at high speed on the wrong side of the road.

The driver managed to escape.

The conductor, Sukhbir Singh, who also tried to run away, was nabbed by the police.

Resentment among excise staff
From Our Correspondent

FATEHABAD, Oct 10 — The Excise and Taxation Ministerial Staff Association has expressed resentment over the manner in which promotion to the posts of inspector have been made by the department.

In a press release issued here today, Mr Amar Singh Yadav, President and Mr Kimti Lal Bishnoi, Senior Vice-President of the association, said that the department had given a step-motherly treatment to steno-typists of the department working in the field in the matter of promotion.