• Showdown averted
• Life term for killing wife
• Concern over rising crime

• Lawyers serve ultimatum
• 'Stress on non-violence'
• Five held in shooting case

CM tells police to be tough with criminals

NARNAUL, Sept 20 (UNI) — Haryana Chief Minister Bansi Lal today said that stringent measures, including the setting up of police nakkas on the borders of the state with Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, where persons entering Haryana would be searched, to check crime in the state.

Talking to reporters here, the Chief Minister said that the police personnel had been instructed not to harass any body, specially aged, women and children, but deal sternly with anti-social elements. However, he appealed to the people to cooperate with the police in keeping a strict vigil on anti-social elements.

He said that the recent murders at Karnal were believed to have been committed by criminals from Uttar Pradesh. Special police parties had been sent to UP and Punjab in search of culprits where similar incidents had taken place.

He said that the law and order situation was under control in the state but leader of the Opposition Om Parkash Chautala was exaggerating crime figures to mislead the people for his vested interests.

He said that there was no bitterness in relations between the ruling BJP and HVP partners in the state. Both political partners were working in close coordination.

Replying to a question, Mr Bansi Lal said that the government had liberalised the scheme of giving permits for maxi-cabs to provide adequate employment opportunities to the youth besides improving transport facilities. He said that the state government was considering to lift the ban on the sale of mustard oil.

To another question, the Chief Minister said that the sacked P.W.D (B and R) Minister Dharamvir never talked to him on development works to be undertaken in the Ahirwal region. He said that the allegation of Mr Dharamvir that Ahirwal was being neglected, was totally baseless. He said that as many as eight colleges had been set up in the Ahirwal region during the past two and a quarter years whereas only one college was opened in Bhiwani district during the same period and that too only after, the people of the area provided a building for it.

He said that 220 kv 50-km long transmission line had been laid from Badshahpur to Rewari to improve availability of power in this region. He reminded that the Jawahar Lal Nehru lift irrigation canal was constructed to irrigate parched tracts of Ahirwal.

He said that his government was committed for the all-round development of the state and no area would remain under-developed in the state.

Earlier, Mr Bansi Lal laid the foundation stone of a Netaji Subhas Chander Bose memorial and a park at Narnaul and unveiled the statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. This whole project would cost Rs 60 lakh and would cover an area of around nine acres. It would accommodate an open air theatre, Netaji memorial and a library.

The Haryana Tourism would also set up a fast food counter in this year to cater to the needs of the foreign tourists passing through this town. Out of total 1500 INA soldiers of the state over 600 hail from the erstwhile district of Mahendergarh. A number of freedom fighters from Azad Hind Fauj greeted the Chief Minister on reaching the memorial ground.

Mr Bansi Lal alleged that leader of Opposition Om Parkash Chautala wanted to amass wealth and encash the old age of his father Devi Lal by celebrating the latter's birthday in the form of the Prerna Divas on September 25.

Congress, HLD-R for Bansi Govt's sack
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Sept 20 — The killing of a rice mill owner and his wife in Karnal two days ago has evoked widespread criticism of the Haryana Government and various Opposition parties have reiterated their demand for dismissal of the Bansi Lal Government for its failure to provide security of life and property to the people of the state.

In a statement issued here today the president of the Haryana Congress, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, urged the Governor, Mr Mahabir Prasad, to take a serious view of the increasing crime in the state and take effective steps to make the law-enforcing authorities answerable to the people to ensure the safety of their life and property.

He also urged the central government to depute a high-level team to study the worsening law and order situation in Haryana and, acting on its report, dismiss the state's HVP-BJP Government, which had miserably failed to provide security and protection to the people.

The Secretary-General of the Haryana Lok Dal (Rashtriya), Mr Ashok Kumar, also demanded the dismissal of the Bansi Lal Government and said total anarchy prevailed in the state. The law and order machinery had broken down completely and the state government had failed to discharge its constitutional obligation of protecting the life and property of citizens.

A general secretary of the Indian National Dal, Mr Pradeep Choudhary, said the Centre should dismiss the Bansi Lal Government even before it sacked the Rabri Devi Government because the situation in Haryana was more alarming than in Bihar. He warned the Centre that if it failed to act against the Haryana Government well in time, the entire country would have to pay for the fast-worsening law and order situation in the state which surrounded the Capital on three sides.

Mr Chaudhary said along with the people the bureaucracy, too, had lost faith in the Chief Minister. Hence it (the bureaucracy) was not cooperating with the Chief Minister in running the government. He also alleged that because of Mr Bansi Lal's dictatorial attitude, his Cabinet colleagues were showing signs of revolt against him.

Ban hits teaching, research work
From Our Correspondent

ROHTAK, Sept 20 — Haryana Government's ban on appointments has hit higher education in Maharshi Dayanand University as a number of posts have been vacant in various departments.

The ban on appointments in the teaching and non-teaching departments is being perceived as clipping of the wings of the Vice-Chancellor who enjoys autonomy in the matter of appointments.

The Haryana Government in a fax message on August 12 last to the Vice-Chancellors of three universities — Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak Guru Jambheshwar University, Hisar and Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra — said that it had been observed that the universities had been making appointments without assessing the workload. In certain cases the university had not adhered to the qualification laid by the University Grants Commission and the All India Council of Technical Education. In case the selections has been made, the appointments letters should not be issued, the order said.

However, Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agriculture University was exempted from the ban.

Thus fate of the candidates selected by various selection committees have been sealed in envelopes. The Vice-Chancellor Lt Gen (Retd) O.P. Kaushik when contacted said that the ban had hit teaching and research work in some of the subjects. He said it was undesirable to keep some of the posts vacant. He hoped that the government would lift the ban soon.

HAU's claim on new cotton seed
Tribune News Service

ROHTAK, Sept 20 — The Vice-Chancellor, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Prof J.B. Chowdhury, has claimed that the university has developed a cotton seed which has a good yield potential besides being resistant to leaf-curl virus and bollworm.

Addressing farmers at the cotton mela organised by the Krishigyan Kendra, Professor Chowdhury impressed upon them to follow the advice of farm scientists and save themselves from crop losses increasingly being caused by bathogens. He said leafcurl virus and American bollworm had become serious problems in the cotton belt of the state causing heavy losses every year.

He said the new seed material would be made available to the farmers after a thorough test in their fields.

Professor Chowdhury further revealed that a biocontrol laboratory, with the financial backing of the state government, was also being set up on the university campus at Hisar. Eco-friendly and cost-effective bio-pesticides for cotton crop would also be developed by the university.

Cotton growers from Sirsa, Hisar and neighbouring districts of Punjab thronged the mela in large numbers and witnessed the cotton cultivation technology displayed at the agro-industrial exhibition put up on the occasion. Rain failed to damper their spirits.

Congress for President's rule in Haryana
Tribune News Service

ROHTAK, Sept 20 — A district level conference of Congress workers has demanded President's rule in Haryana and holding of fresh elections to the Assembly in view of the government's 'miserable' failure on the law and order front.

By another resolution the conference criticised the Union Government for not controlling price rise and demanded its resignation.

At least 2,000 Congress workers from the district attended the conference and pledged to strengthen the party at the grassroots.

Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, President of the HPCC, was the chief guest and the conference was presided over by Mr Sultan Singh.

Among others who attended the conference included acting leader of Congress Legislature Party, Ms Kartar Devi, Mr Anand Singh Dangi, Mr Raghbir Singh Kadian, Mr Kripa Ram Poonia and Mr Surajmal. District Congress President, Prof Virender Singh and PCC member, Mr Bharat Bhushan Batra.

The conference passed a resolution criticising the Bansi Lal Government for not being able to maintain an uninterrupted power and water supply in the state.

Mr Hooda while supporting the demands for President's rule and fresh elections claimed that the Congress would emerge as an alternative to the Bansi Lal Government. He said farmers of the state would get power and water free of cost if the Congress was voted to power.

‘Probe’ Yadav’s charge against CM
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Sept 20 — A former Haryana Minister, Prof Chhattar Pal Singh, has demanded a judicial inquiry into the allegations levelled by the sacked PWD Minister, Dr Dharamvir Yadav, against Chief Minister Bansi Lal and the counter-allegations levelled against Mr Yadav by certain ministers.

In a statement issued here today Prof Chhattar Pal Singh said if the allegations and counter-allegations were part of politics of character-assassination, legal action must be taken against those who had levelled false allegation.

Prof Chhattar Pal Singh, who himself was dropped from the Bhajan Lal Cabinet for allegedly misbehaving with an air hostess, said it had become a routine in Haryana that members of ruling parties malign each other. But no independent inquiry had ever been held into such allegations. This had lowered the credibility of politicians amongst the public which had a right to know the truth.

He alleged that reports had been circulating about the involvement of several ruling party ministers and MLAs in corruption cases. He said the Chief Minister would take action against them now or only if they issued statements against him in the press. If Dr Yadav had been dismissed from the Cabinet on corruption charges, would it be appropriate to keep him in the HVP?

Haryana Roadways held guilty
of deficient service
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Sept 20 — The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum-I, headed by its president, Dr H.C. Modi, has held the Haryana Roadways guilty of deficiency service with regard to the facilities required to be provided in deluxe buses.

The complainant, Mr Pritpal Singh, has alleged that he and his friend purchased five tickets of a deluxe bus of the Haryana Roadways from Chandigarh to Delhi on March 22, 1995, worth Rs 118 each. It was further alleged that the ticket for the ordinary bus service was Rs 73 only and, therefore, the difference of Rs 45 was on account of the extra facility of video film and cushioned seats. The complainant said there was no music stereo system in the bus nor was a video film shown during the journey.

The Roadways, in their reply, admitted that the video could not function during the particular journey due to a mechanical defect. They said that in deluxe buses, video film was shown only to entertain the passengers but no extra fare was charged for it.

Dr Modi observed that the complainant "stood deprived of the facility of entertainment which otherwise was provided in the bus for which tickets were purchased by paying a higher fare than that of ordinary buses."

Accordingly, the Haryana Roadways has been directed to refund the difference in fare of Rs 215 and also pay costs of Rs 500, within 30 days.

Congress to field 25 women for
Lok Sabha seats
From Our Correspondent

ROHTAK, Sept 20 — The Congress Party has agreed in principle to field 25 women in the coming Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. According to highly placed sources, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, Congress president, has given her consent to this proposal moved by Ms Girja Vyas, a senior leader of the party. The Congress leadership has asked all PCCs to identify such Lok Sabha and Assembly seats from where the party could field women candidates.

The Congress is the first party in the country which has decided to give 25 tickets to its women workers while other political parties were advocating the women reservation in public but when the Vajpayee government placed the Bill in Lok Sabha a majority of the parties opposed the Bill on one pretext or the others.

Demand to induct Vij as Minister
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Sept 20 – With Chief Minister Bansi Lal indicating a possible expansion of the Haryana Cabinet in the near future, several organisations of Ambala Cantonment have demanded that the local MLA, Mr Anil Vij, should be made a Minister.

In a statement issued here today the Senior Vice-President of the Haryana Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr N.C. Jain, said for the past several years Ambala Cantonment, which besides being the biggest cantonment in this part of the country, was the home of the revenue division as well as a railway division, had not been given a representation in the Ministry.

The General Secretary of the Ambala Cantonment Traders Federation, Mr R.P. Gupta, said since Mr Bansi Lal was committed to encouraging honest people in politics and fighting corruption, it would only be fair if Mr Vij, a man of clean image, was given a berth in the Cabinet.

Supporting the demand the General Secretary of the Ambala Citizens Council, Mr Ajay Jain, advocate, said Mr Bansi Lal had himself described Mr Vij as the most honest and disciplined MLA of Haryana.

The President of the Ambala Aggarwal Sabha, Mr Raj Kumar, said opposition from the BJP, if any, should not come in the way of Chief Minister inducting Mr Vij in his Cabinet.

The President of the Ambala Science Apparatus Manufacturers Association,Dr Anil Jain, and the President of the Haryana Punjabi Vikas Manch, Mr Himat Singh Sodhi, have also demanded that Mr Vij should be made a Minister so that the people of Ambala cantonment too could consider themselves a partner in the government.

Resident doctors seek CM's intervention
Tribune News Service

ROHTAK, Sept 20 — Expressing concern over the 'alarming' rise in criminal incidents on the medical college campus, the Resident Doctors' Association (RDA) of Pt. B.D. Sharma Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, has sought intervention of the Chief Minister, Mr Bansi Lal.

In separate letters to the Chief Minister and the Home Minister, the Vice-President and the General Secretary of the RDA, have said a sense of insecurity had gripped the residents on the campus as on every alternate day there was an incident of theft, violence, robbery or molestation. The letter said nearly a dozen vehicles were stolen from the campus in the past six months. An amount of Rs 60,000 was stolen from the directors' residence. Dr Sameeksha Sangwan was deprived of his Maruti Zen at gun point from the campus in broad day light. Six unidentified youths beat up intern doctors at the hostel when the latter tried to restrain them from molesting women doctors.

The letter further stated that the association had repeatedly urged the police for action against the offenders, but the police administration had taken the matter very casually. Due to the "casual" attitude adopted by the police a feeling of insecurity had gripped the doctors and the employees of the institute. The women doctors hesitated in doing night duties, it added.

Chautala ‘collecting lakhs'
for Devi Lal's birthday
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Sept 20 — Two Haryana Ministers, Mr Ramesh Kaushik and Mr Sat Narain Lather, have alleged that the HLD (R) president, Mr Om Parkash Chautala, is collecting lakhs of rupees in the name of celebrating 85th birthday of his father, Mr Devi Lal, on September 25.

In a joint statement issued today the ministers said it was an open secret that Mr Chautala was in habit of collecting money in the name of organising demonstrations and rallies against the government.

In fact, they alleged, Mr Chautala formed new parties to evade scrutiny by the income tax authorities and the people into the funds collected by him. They demanded that Mr Chautala should make public funds collected by him in the name of various parties.

They said when Mr Chautala accused the entire ruling party of corruption, he should not forget how he had planned to grab land of several villages in Gurgaon district in the name of Disneyland. It was another matter that he had dropped the scheme in the face of stiff opposition by farmers.

They also alleged that Mr Chautala used to forcibly demand money from industrialists, resulting in the flight of industry from Haryana. By saying that countdown to the fall of the Bansi Lal Government had begun, Mr Chautala had proved that he was living in a fool's paradise.

Showdown averted
From Our Correspondent

FARIDABAD, Sept 20 — The district administration planned today to demolish an unauthorised colony called "Rahul colony" and evicted people from there. The people had been living there for more than 10 years and built pucca houses.

On encouragement from some present and former MLAs, MPs and ministers, they had prepared to face the police and demolition squad and not to vacate the colony.

Mr B.K. Panigrahi, Deputy Commissioner, and the SDM, averted violence and gave give them "one week time" to vacate the colony and shift to other places, proposed by the administration. The situation became tense and an unpleasant situation would have developed had the demolition squad implemented the plan to demolish the colony today.

Lawyers serve ultimatum
From Sushil Manav

FATEHABAD, Sept 20 — The District Bar Association has served an ultimatum on the district administration to provide infrastructure for the setting up of a district court here within seven days or else face an agitation.

A meeting of the action committee of the association, constituted for the purpose, was held here yesterday under the chairmanship of the bar president, Mr Surender Kumar Jain Senior advocates like Mr U.P. Mehta, Mr Upender Kumar, Mr Joginder Singh Virk, Mr S.K. Batra, Mr D.S. Kaswan, Mr Harjit Singh, Mr Shish Paul and Mr Satya Paul were present on the occasion.

The committee condemned the "go slow" attitude of the government towards the constitution of the district court. It passed a resolution through which it decided the attitude of the administration for its "inordinate delay" in providing suitable accommodation for the residence and office of the district judge.

The committee has sent a copy of the resolution to the Deputy Commissioner.

Man gets life term for killing wife
Tribune News Service

FARIDABAD, Sept 20 — Mr K.C. Gupta, District and Sessions Judge yesterday sentenced Mahinder Kumar, a taxi driver of Sector 10, to life imprisonment for murdering his wife, Vinod Kumari, alias Madhu, on April 26, 1997.

According to the prosecution, Mahinder Kumar was married to Madhu in 1984. Her sister, Seema, who got married in 1996, was given a scooter in her dowry. Mahinder Kumar expressed resentment to his in-laws at the discrimination and insisted on getting a scooter for him also. In order to press the demand he started harassing Madhu and finally murdered her on April 26, 1997.

In another case also, Mr Gupta awarded life imprisonment to Ombir of Badoli village for murdering Anaro Devi of Jiwan Nagar on May 10, 1997, for insisting on the refund of loan advanced by her to him.

Karan Singh's stress on non-violence
Tribune News Service

FARIDABAD, Sept 20 — Dr Karan Singh, MP and former Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, today inaugurated the local branch of the Temple of Understanding.

Dr Karan Singh regretted that today hatred was spread in the name of religion, which bound people of various faiths. He called upon the members of the Temple of Understanding to propagate the principles of "Sarv dharma sambhav" and non-violence in order to make a better world.

Mr Tahir Mohammed, Chairman of the Minorities Commission, presided over the function.

JD concern over crime situation
From Our Correspondent

ROHTAK, Sept 2 — The Haryana Pradesh Janata Dal has expressed concern over the "rising crime graph" in the state.

Mr Ved Prakash Vidrohi and Mr Hoshiar Singh, president and general secretary of the Dal, respectively said in a joint statement here today that a sense of insecurity prevailed among the people due to various incidents of crime and raised doubts about police efficiency.

Meanwhile, Mr Kulbir Singh Malik, a former minister, has condemned the Bansi Lal government for its alleged failure on all fronts. He said the erratic supply of power and water, deplorable condition of roads and deterioration in the law and order situation had made life miserable for the people.

Five held in shooting case
From Our Correspondent

GURGAON, Sept 20 — The district police has arrested five persons at Sohana. According to the police, they were involved in last week's shooting incident at a shop on Pataudi Chowk.

According to Superintendent of Police, Mr Khushi Ram Dahiya, Rahul, Chattarpal, Rekesh, Lalit and Samarjit were nabbed from the forest area near Sancholi village.

Mr Dahiya said Rahul was involved in a robbery at the Haryana Autocast Industry on the Sohana road.