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Wednesday,
May 9, 2001, Chandigarh, India  
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HVP’s sharp reaction to CM’s charge 2 workers suspended on CM’s order Probe into school working Panel to probe MDU paper leak Trekking expedition for varsity students Farmers say no
to compensation |
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Protest at HERC hearings Involve more people,
Red Cross told Water project to be completed by Dec 31 Another award for HAU Dean Dharna at Punjab Wakf Board Mystery deepens in couple’s
death case Irrigation plan announced Police acquires new equipment
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HVP’s sharp reaction to CM’s charge Hisar, May 8 Reacting to the allegation, Mr Kanwal Singh, a former minister and currently chairman of the HVP Parliamentary Board, dared Mr Chautala to order a probe into the allegation. He said the Haryana portion of the canal was constructed before 1977 and in that year the Shah Commission had probed several allegations against Mr Bansi Lal. However, neither Mr Chautala nor his father, Mr Devi Lal, who was then the Chief Minister, had raised the issue of commissions then. It was evident, therefore, that the charge was baseless. He said Mr Chautala had raised this issue only to counter the rising graph of Mr Bansi Lal who had been touring the state extensively for the past several months to expose the wrongdoings of Mr Chautala. Another reason, he said, was that the Chief Minister was trying to sideline the SYL issue because he had failed to resolve the longstanding dispute. The charge also indicated that the Chautala Government had given up the issue of the completion of the canal. This, he said, was a serious development as the “self-styled champion of farmers cause had given up the fight for the lifeline of the peasantry of the state”. Mr Kanwal Singh said the Haryana part of the SYL canal was being used productively ever since its construction. The canal ran parallel to the Bhakra Canal downstream and it was used to bring water to several branches of the Bhakra Canal. The Jawahar- lal Nehru Canal which fed large areas of Rohtak, Jhajjar and other districts was also an extension of the SYL Canal and it was being used to irrigate thousands of acres in its command area. He said the issue of seepage along the canal’s course could never have cropped up had water not been flowing into the canal for years. This itself proved that the construction of the canal was not a wasteful expenditure. Besides, he said the canal had then cost only Rs 120 crore then. At present rates, mere repairs of the canal would cost four times this amount. The HVP leader said, however, that his party favoured a fresh probe into the allegations since these had been levelled by the Chief Minister himself and not one of his minions. It was, therefore, only fair that the government ordered a probe. If the Chief Minister failed to do so, he should apologise publicly to Mr Bansi Lal, he added. Mr Kanwal Singh said although the Shah Commission had not found anything against Mr Bansi Lal, Mr Chautala had been caught smuggling watches when his father was the Chief Minister. He was fined for it. Later, charges of hawala dealings were made against his father, Mr Devi Lal, his brother, Mr Ranjit Singh, and a nephew. The apex court had recently desired that the dropping of these charges was wrong. He said the Chief Minister’s brother had lodged a formal complaint against him alleging that he and his sons had amassed benami property worth Rs 1500 crore. He cautioned Mr Chautala against making irresponsible statements and advised him to instead do something to get the SYL project completed. |
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2 workers suspended on CM’s order Karnal, May 8 On a visit to the Gharaunda grain market, Mr Chautala declared that sewerage system at a cost of Rs 60 lakh would be installed in the market. In Karnal grain market, the Chief Minister expressed his inability to introduce 75 kg bag of wheat as demanded by the farmers. Mr Chautala clarified that 50 kg wheat was filled in bags as per the decision of the International Labour Court. The Chief Minister also ordered the Deputy Commissioner to make the new grain market in Karnal functional from next year. He also ordered that floor at the Nilokheri grain market be cemented. Mr Chautala also visited Nilokheri and Indri grain markets. He enquired from farmers about the arrangements of drinking water and payment of minimum support price to them. Mr Chautala assured the arhtiyas that there would be no shortage of gunny bags in future. |
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Probe into school working Gurgaon, May 8 The Deputy Commissioner, Gurgaon, Mr A.K. Singh, said today the school’s fees were the highest in Gurgaon. The management had raised the fee in one go by 30 per cent in the past one year. The parents, who are on a war path against the functioning of the school under the banner of the newly floated Millennium Parents Association (MPA), met the Governor yesterday in Faridabad and lodged a complaint against the management. The Deputy Commissioner was present at the occasion. The president of the MPA, Mr Vashist Kumar Goyal, said he was optimistic of getting justice following the Governor’s intervention. The parents alleged that the management often hiked the fee “whimsically”. The school authorities were “exploiting” the parents in the name of mid-day meal scheme for children. They also complained of “substandard” fabric used for the school uniform and the astronomical charges for small items of stationery. The parents pointed out to the Governor that they were treated with disrespect when they approached the management with their grievances. Rather, the police was roped in to intimidate them. The agitating parents have already staged a token strike against the authorities by not sending their wards to school for a day. They have decided not to deposit the fee till the authorities hammer out a solution acceptable to them. According to them, the principal of the school, Dr Indu Khetrapal, and the management authorities have done nothing except make “false” promises. However, Dr Khetrapal rebutted the allegations. She said the parents were not willing to come to the negotiating table and talk to the management. She said the fee hike was justified as the balance-sheet of school expenses showed it was in the red. Also, the school’s expenses had risen on account of affiliation with the CBSE. The increase was on account of the hiked salaries that had to be given to the staff members following the affiliation. Even before the parents met the Governor, the District Education Officer, Gurgaon, had called both parties for negotiations. |
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Panel to probe MDU paper leak Rohtak, May 8 The committee, comprising Dr Ravinder Vinayak, Head, Department of Commerce, and Dr M.S. Malik, Reader, Commerce Department, has also been asked to suggest measures to check the menace. The committee is also expected to suggest action against the persons found involved in the leak of the paper. The leak of the MA I paper — Contemporary English, sound, structure and usages — which was scheduled to be held on May 7 as per the date-sheet, had shocked the university authorities. The paper was cancelled and would now be held on May 20. This is not the first incident of leak of a paper at Maharshi Dayanand University. Nearly 16 years ago, when the then Chief Secretary of Haryana, Mr P.P. Caprihan, was officiating as Vice-Chancellor of the university, the English paper of BA I had leaked. The then Vice-Chancellor had also ordered an inquiry into the leak of the paper but the probe report has not been made public so far. The Controller of Examinations, Dr K.C. Bhardwaj, told The Tribune the results of BA I, II and III would be declared as scheduled on June 1, 6 and 10, respectively. The university had been declaring the results on these dates for the past nearly five years, he claimed. He said over 4500 cases of unfair means were reported during the annual examinations of undergraduate classes. This figure appears to be highest in the past three years. The university, he told, had also conducted re-examination of approximately 35 papers. The re-examination of papers held between April 2 and 7 at GGDSD College, Palwal, and later cancelled by the university on charges of mass copying and outside interference, was still in progress. |
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Trekking expedition for varsity students Rohtak, May 8 According to a press note, a contingent of 25 girl students will be sent for trekking from June 12 to 19 and 25 boys will take part in it from June 22 to 29. The university will organise a youth leadership training camp at Nainital for girls from June 12 to 19 and for boys from June 22 to 29. A sports coaching camp will also be organised at Chail (Himachal Pradesh) from June 14 to 23. Meanwhile, the swimming pool of the university would open shortly. The interested persons could get the swimming pool membership forms from the university’s sports office, the press note said. |
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Farmers say no
to compensation Sonepat, May 8 According to a report, the farmers alleged that the officials of the Revenue Department, particularly the patwaris committed irregularities in undertaking the special girdawari ordered by the state government and the district administration. The SDO (C) took a serious note of the complaints and assured the irate farmers that he would look into their complaints and give compensation after completion of enquiry. Meanwhile, representatives of various farmers’ organisation, including the BKU, have urged the state government to order a fresh survey for assessing the losses suffered by the farmers on account of the recent rains, hailstorms and fire. They also demanded the immediate increase in the amount of compensation earlier announced by the state government. As many as 41 villages of the district had been affected by hailstorm and rain. |
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Protest at HERC hearings Chandigarh, May 8 According to the senior vice-president of the HCCI, Mr N.C. Jain, the commission had not mentioned in its advertisement that the representations should be accompanied with affidavits. But now the commission had rejected their representations on the plea that they had not filed the affidavits. However, the commission maintained that since it was acting like a court, the persons representing before it should have known that they were required to file affidavits, as provided under the rules notified two years ago. It maintained that it would decide the issue of reconsideration of the rejected representations only after it had completed the hearing of the valid applications. The hearing began only after the protesters withdrew from the scene after they were threatened by the commission that they would be removed forcibly if they continued to disturb the proceedings. Representatives of the Faridabad Industries Association said the Power Utilities had taken the stand that the MMC had been raised not by them but by the HERC. The association said if the commission was a court, how could it raise the MMC in the absence of any such request by a party to the dispute. Mr Jain of the HCCI told newsmen that though the HERC was constituted to look after the interests of the Power Utilities as well as the consumer, it completely ignored the consumer and favoured the Power Utilities by revising the MMC 3.5 times. |
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Involve more people,
Red Cross told Faridabad, May 8 Praising the work done by the Haryana unit of the Red Cross, the Governor said the society had given help worth Rs 11 crore to victims of the Gujarat earthquake this year. It was also informed that as many as 19 villages in Gujarat were adopted for relief and rehabilitation work. The Red Cross in Haryana has about 12.96 lakh members and 27 family welfare and rehabilitation centres. There are 10 hostels for working women and three special homes for mentally retarded children in the state. With 64 ambulances and a large infrastructure in every district, the Red Cross Society held as many as 2088 blood donation camps last year and collected 64,000 units of blood. The Governor distributed 50 tricycles, 15 artificial limbs and calipers to the disabled and 50 sewing machines to poor widows. A local organisation donated Rs 2 lakh for the upgradation of the eye ward of the civil hospital here. The Faridabad Industries Association announced a donation of Rs 35,000 to the District Red Cross Society. A chetna rally was held by school children to let people know about the schemes of the Red Cross. An exhibition was also organised at Bal Bhavan. An essay writing
competition and a blood donation camp were organised on the occasion. PANIPAT: The District Red Cross Society, Panipat, has spent about Rs 48 lakh during the last financial year for promoting various welfare schemes, including promotion of health activities, service of needy and destitute persons, resettlement of orphans and free supply of life supporting machines and instruments. The Deputy Commissioner, Mr M.R. Anand, who is also the president of the District Red Cross Society, said this while presiding over the World Red Cross Day function organised at Bal Bhavan here today. He disclosed that during the year, the society organised 16 blood donation camps and collected 3,609 units of blood. The society also got 17,474 women medically examined and arranged 515 deliveries in Red Cross Society Maternity Hospital, immunised 7,845 children and transported 455 patients to different hospitals, he added. Under its social welfare activities, the DC said the society also provided financial assistance of Rs 1.93 lakh and arranged medicines of over Rs 93,000 free of cost for the deserving poor and destitute persons. The society also arranged artificial limbs, tri-cycles, sewing machines, wheel chairs to the needy persons involving an expenditure of over Rs 1.24 lakh. Mr Anand distributed 50 tri-cycles, 60 sewing machines and five wheelchairs costing around Rs 2.11 lakh to the deserving persons. |
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Water project to be completed by Dec 31 Yamunanagar, May 8 According to highly placed sources, on account of the progress in the project implementation and initiatives taken through reforms in the water sector, the World Bank has granted an extension by one year up to December 31. The implementation of the project was taken up in January, 1995, while the investment clearance by the Planning Commission, was received in December, 1995. The total outlay of the project at the time of the agreement was Rs 1,858 crore (works Rs 1362 crore and establishment Rs 496 crore) of which the reimbursement claim from the World Bank was Rs 975 crore and the balance amount of Rs 883 crore was to be financed by the state. The project objectives are to manage total available water resources efficiently and economically, to improve equitable distribution of water among the beneficiaries by rehabilitating and modernising the existing canals and drainage system and also to make the department self-sustaining by increasing water charges in agriculture, domestic and industrial sectors. Besides the completion of the ongoing modernisation and rehabilitation works, other works to be executed includes the construction of a modern office complex for Haryana Irrigation Department in Panchkula, replacement of Ottu weir in Sirsa distt and Pathrala Dam in Yamunanagar district. |
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Another award for HAU Dean Hisar, May 8 A well-known plant bio-chemist and bio-technologist, Dr Randhir Singh has earlier bagged the prestigious Hari Om Ashram Trust Award and the Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Memorial Award of the ICAR for his pioneering work in photosynthesis. The National Academy of Agricultural Sciences had also conferred on him the Recognition Award for his lifetime achievements in crop improvement. He is an elected fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, Indian Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences. He has published over 800 research papers. Meanwhile, two senior scientists of the Department of Genetics of the university, Dr P.K. Sareen and Dr R.P. Saharan have been elected vice-president and member of the executive committee, respectively, of the Environmental Mutagen Society of India. |
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Dharna at Punjab Wakf Board Ambala, May 8 The dharna was held to fight “Wakf Board’s anti-Muslim, anti-Wakf and corrupt policies”. The demonstrators held placards, criticising the Wakf Board and demanded that their grievances must be redressed at the earliest. The charter of demands includes that all the leases of the graveyards where Muslim are inhabiting should be cancelled forthwith in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh. “Mosques in the states are incomplete due to lack of funds and the states are lagging in the sphere of Islamic education,” the charter of demands states. They also demanded a CBI probe into the previous bunglings and the appointments of staff in the board should be made from within Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh. Meanwhile, a meeting of the All-India Council for protection of Aukaf and Imams was held here today. The General Secretary of the council, Maulana Mohd Yunus, talking to mediapersons said that the representatives from Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh participated in the meeting. “We have condemned the agitation in front of the Wakf Board,” he said. |
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Mystery deepens in couple’s
death case Ambala, May 8 The video had been shot by the boy’s family. The video shows the last rites of the couple in the presence of the girl’s family. A neighbour said that stress in the video seems to be on showing the girl’s family being present for the last rites. The girl’s father yesterday approached the Deputy Commissioner of Ambala, Mr D.D. Gautam, and submitted a complaint alleging foul play in his daughter and son-in-law’s death. The complaint was marked to the Superintendent of Police for necessary action. The police, which is inquiring into the matter, is looking into various aspects. The police is still trying to find the reason for their death. It is also not ruling out the possibility of a property-related dispute in the case. Jagdeep and Jasmeet, who were married in March this year, had been found dead. They were cremated without the police having being informed. |
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Irrigation plan announced Chandigarh, May 8 A spokesman of the department said top priority would be given to the filling up of village ponds as per the demand of the people of the area. The schedule had been divided into four groups. The rotation would be strictly followed and continue till October 4. |
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Police
acquires new equipment Chandigarh, May 8 Mr Ravi Kant Sharma, Inspector-General of Police, Modernisation and Welfare, said the dragon lights had been purchased at a cost of Rs 2.50 lakh. He said now criminals would not be able to dodge the police as the range of these portable lights was more than 1 km. Mr Sharma said polycarbonate lathis and shields were light in weight and easy of use. |
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