M A I N   N E W S

Babu Parmanand is Haryana Governor
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, June 14 — A Former Speaker of Jammu and Kashmir, Mr Babu Parmanand, will be the new Governor of Haryana while Mr M.M. Jacob will continue as the Governor of Meghalaya.

Mr Parmanand will replace Mr Mahabir Prasad whose five-year tenure ended yesterday. Mr Jacob’s term is scheduled to expire on June 18. According to a Rashtrapati Bhawan communiqué issued today, the appointments will take effect from the date the appointees assume charge of their respective offices.

Mr Parmanand was earlier with the Congress, later with the National Conference and was now with the BJP.

The posts of three Governors were to expire between June 13 and 18, including that of Tripura, where the term of Prof Siddheswar Prasad end tomorrow.

Apparently, the Centre prefers to appoint a person with police or military background in this insurgency-hit state in the North-East.

This goes in line with the thinking of the government which had earlier appointed former police chief, Mr Ved Marwah, in Manipur and former RAW chief, Mr Arvind Dave, in Arunachal Pradesh.

Meanwhile, Minister of State Bandaru Dattatraya, will hold the office of Ministry of Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation, a Rashtrapati Bhawan communiqué said.

Distillery of Bhajan’s son-in-law sealed
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, June 14 — Associated Distillery, Hisar, which is owned by Mr Anoop Bishnoi, a son-in-law of the former Chief Minister, Mr Bhajan Lal, was sealed today by a special team of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board for allegedly releasing untreated effluent waste, according to information received here.

A spokesman for the distillery described the pollution board’s action as “politically motivated”.

He said the distillery had a treatment plant. The plan prepared by the Board and the instructions of the Supreme Court were being implemented.