• Mudrika bus service inaugurated
• PWD union seeks cop's dismissal
• 14 bulls rescued

Ladwa incident: action panel formed
From Our Correspondent

KURUKSHETRA, Sept 29 — Residents of Niwarsi village, near Ladwa, 12 km from here, today held a meeting on the premises of Baba Makhan Shah Gurdwara and constituted a 13 member action committee, including three women to meet the SP and demand action against police employees who entered houses and misbehaved with women on Saturday.

A deputation, led by Indian National Lok Dal leaders Kailasho Saini, and Ashok Kumar Arora called upon the SP and demanded that constable Inderjeet, who was arrested under Section 451, IPC, and later released on bail yesterday, be transferred out of this district. They also demanded stern action against those guilty.

Mrs Saini and Mr Arora alleged that Bansi Lal's government should be dismissed because it had failed to control the deteriorating law and order situation in the state. The villagers alleged that there were three more police employees involved in the case. The police, however, claimed that only Inderjeet, under the influence of liquor, misbehaved with the women. Mr Arora said there were more than one person because two police caps — one from near Baba Makhan Shah Gurdwara and another from the police Gypsy — were found by the villagers.

The SP would visit the village tomorrow.

Meanwhile, police commandos conducted a flag march on the Ladwa-Kurukshetra road near the village.

When contacted, the district police chief, Mr Y.P. Singhal, said as per the inquiry conducted by Mr K.K. Rao, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Headquarters, there was only one person — constable Inderjeet — involved in the incident. He said the intention of the constable was not to commit any robbery as he was not carrying any weapon. The matter for the inter-district transfer of the constable had already been taken up with the DIG.

Some villagers said only one person was nabbed and beaten up by them.

Meanwhile, another constable, Devender Singh, who allegedly misbehaved with women when he went to get the Gypsy used by Inderjeet, has been sent to the police lines.

Jail official held in murder case
From Our Correspondent

HISAR, Sept 29 — The local police has arrested Nar Singh Bir, Assistant Superintendent of the Ambala jail, in connection with the murder of Mohinder Singh at Juglana village in this district a few months ago allegedly by some persons in police uniform.

According to police sources here today, Bir was produced in a court here yesterday from where he was sent to police remand for two days.

The police had registered a case under Section 302 of IPC against Umed Singh, Sarpanch of Juglana, Rajinder and Mohinder on the basis of the complaint of Pratap Singh.

In another incident, a bus of Hansi depot of Haryana Roadways was stolen from the premises of the Hansi bus stand, about 26 km from here, last night.

Today, the police recovered the bus from Madan Hari village and arrested a driver.

In yet another case, the body of a young Sikh was found outside the PWD Rest House in Hansi this morning. The body bore injuries inflicted with some weapon.

Plea to reduce interest on farm loans
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Sept 29 — The Haryana Krishak Samaj (HKS) today submitted a memorandum to the Haryana Governor, Mr Mahabir Prasad, demanding a reduction in the interest in agriculture loans.

The president of the HKS, Mr Shamsher Singh Surjewala, later told newspersons the Governor assured the five-member delegation of the smaj he would direct the government to take effective steps to mitigate the problems of the farmers.

He alleged the indifferent attitude of the Bansi Lal government had caused "acute distress" to the rural masses in the state. No appropriate action had been taken by the state government to solve the pending issues of the farmers who were "committing suicides due to the wrong policies of the state government and various banks, particularly regarding loans."

Mr Surjewala said the postponement of recovery of loans for only six months was an eyewash and would not provide any relief to the farmers.

He said at least two-year moratorium should be ordered on the recovery of agriculture loans and the interest more than the principal amount should be waived.

He said Mrs Sonia Gandhi was likely to visit Narwana in Haryana in the second week of next month.

Gowda lays stone of library, hospital
From Our Correspondent

SONEPAT, Sept 29 — Former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda today laid the foundation stone of a public library and hospital to be constructed by the Chaudhary Om Prakash Charitable Trust at Rampur Kundal village, about 25 km from here.

Mr Sahib Singh Verma, Chief Minister of Delhi, and Mr Ajit Singh, former MP and son of former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh, were among those present.

Mr Deve Gowda hoped that these projects would benefit the rural folk, especially the downtrodden, of the area. He described a library as a temple of knowledge where the people of all communities can visit. He asked the people to cooperate and donate money for the completion of the project.

Mr Deve Gowda gave the speech in Hindi which was lauded by the audience.

Mr Verma paid rich tributes to the late Chaudhary Charan Singh and called him as a kisan leader. During his regime of Prime Ministership, Chaudhary Charan Singh had opened a separate wing in the Ministry of Agriculture for the welfare of the farmers but this work could not go ahead after his death, he said.

Earlier, Mr Kuldeep Singh, president of the trust, announced that the trust would give financial assistance to poor persons for solemnising the marriages of their daughters.

Traffic hazards galore
From D.N. Chaturvedi

FARIDABAD: Children learning to drive scooters and cars and stray cattle roaming freely on busy roads here have become grave traffic hazards. Parents who sit on the pillion of two-wheelers or by the side of the children on the front seat of the car seem to take pride that their minors can drive without realising the danger of accidents.

Early this month a retired engineer who was walking on the footpath in the market of Sector 17 was killed when a minor boy driving a Maruti car hit him. But in the report lodged with the police it has allegedly been shown that the father of the boy was driving.

A large number of driving schools have sprung up here. Although they are licensed by the government the authorities show no interest to find out whether the conditions attached with the permission are being followed or not. It is obligatory to have dual controls in such cars but they seldom have the facility. The schools even train minor children below the age of 15. It is stated that some teachers do not have a driving licence.

The schools charge a fee between Rs 900 and Rs 1100. It is not difficult to have a driving licence if one is prepared to give Rs 900 extra to the school. The applicant is not required to visit the licencing authority for the test and the licence is delivered at home. The money charged for the licence is shared between the school and the unscrupulous employees of the licencing authority. Even the minors are stated to have secured driving licences by this method.

Another traffic hazard is the stray cattle and pigs roaming about freely on roads in the busy markets, particularly in front of the shops of eatables and vegetables. A number of accidents have occurred when the unwary drivers dashed against them. Sometime back the civic authorities launched a drive against the pigs but it had to be given up after members of a community threatened an agitation.

Unauthorised Tata Sumo cars, being used as taxis, maxi cabsa, auto rickshaws and cycle rickshaws carrying passengers much more than their capacity are a common sight in Faridabad. But the traffic police is not bothered to check them.

Although the tractors and their trailers are meant to be used for agricultural purposes they are openly seen transporting bricks and big iron girders. The danger of accident increases at night in the absence of the street light in most parts of the city.

The biggest accident-prone area is the busy Delhi-Mathura national highway which is absolutely dark at night after the local municipal corporation got the power supply of the tube lights and mercury lamps disconnected, saying it had no funds to pay for the bill of electricity. A dispute is going on between the Municipal Corporation and the national highway division of the Public Works Department over who should bear the cost of the electricity bill.

Haryana to promote information technology
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Sept 29 — The Haryana Government will develop and promote information technology-based system in the state in a big way. The Haryana Cabinet which met here today under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister, Mr Bansi Lal, decided to rename the Department of Electronics as the Department of Electronics and Information Technology.

This department will be entrusted with the task of creating infrastructure facilities for rapid growth of information technology and equipment, developing data-base information technology system and provide facilities of data-base to the manufacturing units, promoters and enterprises.

The Cabinet also declared the Haryana State Staff Selection Commission as an independent department and the Chairman of the Commission as its head.

The Cabinet also exempted the film, "Jai Hind," from the payment of entertainment duty for four weeks.

Mudrika bus service inaugurated
From Our Correspondent

SONEPAT, Sept 29 — Mr P.K. Mahapatra, Deputy Commissioner, inaugurated the Mudrika bus service here last evening. Mr Rajiv Jain, political press adviser to the Chief Minister, was present on the occasion.

The bus service, introduced by the Haryana Roadways, has fulfilled the long-standing demand of the people of the city and its surrounding villages. The buses will start from the railway station and cover a distance of at least 30 km. The buses will stop at PWD Rest House, Gita Bhavan Chowk, the Railway Crossing near Hindu College, Chah Dayal Chowk, bus stand, Murthal Adda, Sectors 14 and 15, CR State College of Engineering, Murthal, Industrial Estate, Murthal, National Highway No. 1, villages of Nangal, Qumashpur, Kishora and Bahalgarh, toys factory, Fazilpur, Civil Hospital, the bus stand and the railway station, Sonepat.

PWD union seeks cop's dismissal
From Our Correspondent

ROHTAK, Sept 29 — The Haryana Government PWD Mechanical Workers Union has sought the dismissal of Mr Kulbir Singh, Head Constable, Sadar Police Sation, here on account of his "biased" action against a Dalit employee of the union in connection with a land dispute case.

Mr Inder Singh Suhag, president of the union, said a member of the union was allegedly beaten up by his neighbours on September 23.

The employee reported the matter to the union which appealed to the Deputy Commissioner and the police to protect the employee, but the Head Constable, the union said, had been pressurising the employee for a compromise.

14 bulls rescued
From Our Correspondent

FATEHABAD, Sept 29 — The police has rescued 14 bulls, reportedly, being transported to Muradabad (UP) for slaughter.

According to the SP, the police intercepted a truck carrying the bulls near Jakhal town in this district.

The truck has been impounded and five persons arrested in this regard. Cases under Sections 3 and 4 of the Cow Slaughter (Prevention) Act. have been registered.