 |
| Wednesday,
April 11, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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Power sector: state may not require WB
loan
Hooda’s functioning autocratic:
Bhajan Tau’s ashes reach
Sonepat Soldiers cremated |
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Cong rally to be held on May
21 Wakf Board rally
on May 8 Roadways staff hold
protest Stir put off after student’s
death Man killed by
wife, paramour Murder mystery solved Two kill brother over land dispute 
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Power sector: state may not require WB
loan Chandigarh, April 10 Official sources said so far the Union Power Ministry had sanctioned projects costing more than Rs 600 crore for the state. The Power Finance Corporation (PFC) alone had sanctioned projects estimated to cost Rs 350 crore. Funds were also obtained from the Rural Electrification Corporation (REC), the Accelerated Power Development Project (APDP) Fund and NABARD for the betterment of the power sector. “Proposals on projects costing more than Rs 1,000 crore were sent to the Union Government, which sanctioned Rs 600 crore under various schemes”, the sources said. They said the amount mobilised by the Haryana Government from the Union Ministry was close to what the WB would have made available in the next instalment of loan as per its agreement with the erstwhile Bansi Lal-led regime. The second instalment of the loan (APL 2), which was held back by the WB for the Haryana government’s reluctance to privatise the state’s distribution network, would have come to about Rs 700 crore, they said. The Power Utilities of Haryana had already initiated most of the works for which funds had been sanctioned by the Union Government. Eleven new grid substations had been set up, while 79 substations had been improved with the money, they said, adding that for the remaining works tenders had been issued and even works allotted in a large number of cases. The officials also argued that about 13 per cent interest on loans charged by the Central agencies was the same as in the case of the WB. Like the WB, which offered three years’ moratorium on the loans, the PFC also had three years’ moratorium, while the REC had two years’ moratorium on the loans advanced by it. The PFC also had incentives such as interest subsidy and bonus for timely repayments. Loans made available from APDP funds are also stated to have lucrative terms and conditions. The sources said 25 per cent of the APDP funds was given as grants while another quarter as soft loan at 9 to 10 per cent interest which could be repaid over a 20-year period. The remaining 50 per cent would have to be mobilised by the state government on its own and the state government was free to do it from any source it deemed fit. The sources said four districts — Karnal, Sonepat, Faridabad and Hisar — constituting almost one-third of Haryana — had been covered under schemes carried out with APDP funds. The state government was trying to obtain APDP funds for other Haryana districts as well, it is learnt. Does it mean bidding goodbye to the WB ? To this question state government officials said the main objective of obtaining a WB loan was to reform the power sector and that objective was being fulfilled, though the funds might have been given by other agencies. Side by side with improving the infrastructure in the power sector, efforts were also under way to improve revenue collection, reduce line losses, etc, the officials said. However, they added that the state government was yet to make up its mind on whether it should call off its agreement with the WB. Haryana had earlier obtained more than Rs 250 crore from the WB as the first instalment of a $ 600 million package for reforming the state’s power sector. The repayment of the loan would start from the year 2003 when the three-year moratorium on the loan would be over.
Pratap re-elected Faridabad, April
10 Mr Ranbir Deswal was elected senior vice-president while Mr Satbir Sharma, Mr Dharampal
Gautam, Mr Mangal Singh and Mr Jitender Singh Teotia were nominated vice-presidents. |
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Hooda’s functioning autocratic: Bhajan Sonepat, April 10 Talking to mediapersons here last evening, he admitted that the state unit of the party was faction-ridden and it required an unbiased approach by senior party leaders to bring an end to the ongoing wrangling in the party. He announced he would participate in any of the party rallies organised under the Congress banner adding that Mr Hooda should change his style of functioning. Answering a question, he said that involving the Congress president of the Karnataka unit in a corruption case was a conspiracy hatched by the Opposition and the BJP in order to divert people’s attention from the Tehelka expose. He said the Central government was not giving adequate funds for the development of the state. |
Tau’s ashes reach
Sonepat Sonepat, April 10 A sarvdharam sabha was organised at which scriptures from all religions were read. Later, the ashes were taken in a procession to other parts of the
state. PANIPAT: The urn containing the ashes of former Deputy Prime Minister Devi Lal was brought here today in a large procession accompanied by Mr Abhey Singh Chautala and Town and Country Planning Minister Dhirpal Singh. The veteran Congress leader and former Governor of Tripura Sultan Singh was also present. The procession was received at Kaath village on the Panipat-Gohana road and Haldana village on the GT Road by the Haryana Vidhan Sabha Speaker Satbir Singh
Kadiyan. Cooperation Minister Kartar Singh Bhadana, Deputy Commissioner
M.R. Anand, SP, Panipat, P.R. Dev, and other district officers were also
present. Enroute at many places people, particularly aged, could be seen standing along the GT Road in Samalkha and Panipat towns to pay homage to the departed leader. Community kitchens were also organised at Samalkha and Sewah for the persons accompanying the procession. Kurukshetra, April 10 The Vice-Chancellor also proposed to set up a chair in the name of the late leader in the university. The aims and objectives of the Devi Lal Chair would be to undertake an indepth study of the life, philosophy and achievements of the late leader with reference to his struggle for the farming community and as a mass leader of the farmers. The Vice-Chancellor maintained that the death of Devi Lal was a blow to the aged and poor farmers of the country for whom he had shown great love and concern. Dr Hawa Singh, Registrar, while paying tributes to the deceased stated that Devi Lal was approachable to all sections of society. Dr J.S. Yadav, Dean, Faculty of Science, gave instances of the sacrifices made by Devi Lal for bringing unity amongst different political parties to keep the country united. |
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Tau’s death mourned Yamunanagar, April 10 Mr Shiv Partap Bajaj, president of the sabha and former State President of the Haryana Chamber of Commerce and Industry, while paying tributes recalled the contribution of Chaudhary Devi Lal in the freedom movement and his services to the nation. Mr Bajaj said Tau Devi Lal was a man of masses and he always fought for the rights of the poor and downtrodden. The introduction of pension to the old, widows and poor during his Chief Ministership would always be remembered. Mr Bajaj said his death was a loss to every section of the society in Haryana. The void created as such would be difficult to fill. A two-minute silence was observed to pray for peace to the departed soul at the Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Management and Technology,
Jagadhri. |
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Soldiers cremated Ambala, April 10 A distraught Sukhvinder Kaur questioned, “Why me?” There was no dry eye at the brave soldier’s residence. The ladies of the house tried to console her but to no avail. “What do I tell her. How can I make her understand? There is nothing I can do,” an aged lady lamented. L/Nk Jasbir Singh was consigned to flames today at his native village, Kodwa Khurd near Shahzadpur. His father, Amrik Singh, lit the funeral pyre. The brave soldier from 11 RR was killed while on patrolling duty at Swaran Kot on April 8. His mother unit was 17 Sikh. L/Nk Jasbir Singh was the second soldier hailing from Ambala to be killed. On April 7, Sepoy Virender Singh of 8 RR had been killed. His body too, was consigned to flames today at Dheen village. L/Nk Jasbir Singh had left for the Valley on March 13. On April 8, at about 2.45 a.m., the patrolling party was hit by rocket fire and L/Nk Jasbir Singh and L/Nk Laxman Rai were killed. Nb Sub Jarnail Singh was injured in the attack. A brother-in-law of L/Nk Jasbir Singh, Hav Tara Singh, had been killed in action during Operation Pawan in Sri Lanka. L/Nk Jasbir Singh’s elder brother Amarjeet Singh had been killed in an accident about four years ago. His two other brothers, Gurnam Singh and Rajinder Singh, assist their father in farming. The villagers said that Jasbir Singh was a cheerful person and a good sportsman. Floral tributes were paid, among others, by the DC, Mr
D.D. Gautam and the SP, Mr Sandeep Khirwar. A large number of people from the village and nearby areas turned up to pay respects to the soldier. |
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Cong rally to be held on May
21 Chandigarh, April 10 Announcing this here today the president of the party, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, said the rally was to be held earlier on April 8. Though all preparations for it had been made, it was postponed at the eleventh hour as a mark of respect to former Deputy Prime Minister, Devi Lal. Mr Hooda said May 21 would be the 10th death anniversary Rajiv Gandhi. The intervening period would be utilised by state party leaders for making the necessary preparations for the rally. He said the “lalkar” rally would highlight the policies and programmes enunciated by Rajiv Gandhi to take the country into the 21st century. It would also expose the manipulations of the NDA government to torpedo all progressive policies of the previous Congress governments. He said the rally would also expose rampant corruption patronised by the NDA government as uncovered by
tehelka.com. It would also enlighten the people of the state on the anti-people and anti-farmer policies of the Chautala government. |
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Wakf Board rally
on May 8 Panipat, April 10 This was decided at a joint meeting of presidents of social organisations and Muslim bodies of Haryana, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh held here today. It is pertinent to mention that residents of Rajpura also announced a rally in protest against the policies of the Wakf Board on May 8. At the meeting, which was held at Dargah Kalandar Sahib, Mr Asif Khan, president of the Punjab Muslim Samaj Association, said the rally would be in response to the one announced by residents of Rajpura. He said a majority of those who were to take part in the rally against the Wakf Board were encroachers on Wakf land. According to him, the vice-president of the samiti constituted in Rajpura for the welfare of Muslims had allegedly occupied 600 sq yards of Wakf land. Maulana Mufti Abdullah, President of the ULMA Council, Himachal Pradesh, said the income from Wakf property should be utilised for running schools, renovating mosques and for the maintenance of industrial centres. The president of the Anjuman Ansarul Musalmeen, Mr Bashir Ahmed Sabri, said the May 8 rally would expose land mafias who had encroached upon Wakf land and tried to terrorise officers of the Punjab Wakf Board. The state president of the Jamiyat-ul-Phukra in Mewat, Haryana, Haji Mian Jaheer Pasa, said the Wakf Boards in Panipat, Malerkotla (Punjab) and Solan (Himachal Pradesh) were busy setting up schools, industrial centres and medical centres but the Rajpura Samiti was not doing the same for the Muslim community. It was decided that leaders from all parts of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh would stand by the Punjab Wakf Board for the May 8 rally. |
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Roadways staff hold
protest Kaithal, April 10 The employees were protesting over delay in arrest of those involved in injuring a driver near Kasam village on March 23. The driver, later, succumbed to his injuries at PGI on March 29. The employees leaders addressing the workers said even though a considerable time had elapsed, the police authorities had failed to bring the guilty to book. They threatned that if those involved in the incident were not arrested soon they would be forced to launch a state-level agitation. |
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Stir put off after student’s
death Hisar, April 10 Purav Rao, a student of the College of Agriculture, died here yesterday in a road accident. Student leaders said the agitation would be resumed on April 22. The students had been agitating for the past many days in support of their demand for the introduction of agriculture as a subject at the plus 2 level. |
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Staff commission’s directions Chandigarh, April 10 |
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Man killed by
wife, paramour Kaithal, April 10 The wife of the victim has reportedly been arrested and her co-accused is still at large. According to information, Raj Kumar of Pehowa was murdered near Batta village on April 1 and his body was recovered by the police from a roadside ditch. A case has been registered under Sections 302 and 201, IPC, against the accused. As the body was not identified and claimed, the police cremated it after an autopsy on April 4. |
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Murder mystery solved Rohtak, April 10 The police found the body of a youth from the Girawar minor yesterday. The deceased was identified as Ramraji of the village. Ram Bhaj of Budha Khera village said in the FIR that Ramesh, brother of the deceased, with the help of former’s wife had abducted the victim and threw his body in the minor after the murder. A case under Section 302, 34 and 201 of the IPC has been registered. In another incident a 15-year-old boy was murdered at Kharhar village in Bahadurgarh subdivision yesterday. The deceased has been identified as Sandeep, who had gone to see the VCR in a neighbouring house. The body was found behind a government hospital the next morning. His face and head were found crushed and his trousers were tied around his neck. In a separate incident, Santosh of Sector I here registered a complaint today that her husband, Satyawan, Junior Engineer, Public Health, posted at Bhiwani had been kidnapped by a contractor.
Two kill brother over land dispute Yamunanagar, April 10 According to police sources, there was a dispute between the brothers at Nagla Jagir, near here, in this district. Two brothers, Mohan Singh and Pavitra Singh, had differences with their two other brothers, Avtar Singh and Nirmal Singh, since a long time. After the death of their father in January, 1999, their dispute continued and the matter was taken to court. Last afternoon when Avtar Singh and Nirmal Singh were watering their field, the two other brothers reached the site and there was a scuffle. A complaint was lodged by Pavitra Singh at Chhappar police station that Mohan Singh was allegedly attacked with a sharp-edged weapon, resulting in his death on the spot, and that he himself was seriously injured by Avtar Singh and Nirmal Singh. The police has registered a case. Both brothers have absconded.
Robbery case solved Narnaul, April 10 According to Mr Satya Prakash Ranga, SP, the munim of a businessman was robbed to Kotputli of Rs 2.76
lakh.
Car thieves held Faridabad, April 10 According to the police, the suspects, identified as Vikrant and Sashi
Hussain, did not stop their car at a naka near Hathin Gate. The car in which they were travelling had been stolen from the Saran police station area on April 7. |
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