Thursday, July 12, 2001,
Chandigarh, India





THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS
50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS
H A R Y A N A

Private ITIs allowed to start courses
Chandigarh, July 11
The Haryana Industrial Training and Vocational Education Department today permitted private institutes to start classes in various trades and courses in the current year. The Department’s spokesman said under the craftsman training scheme, there would be 16 seats each for cutting and tailoring and embroidery and needle work in SD Indira Gandhi Mahila Shilp Vidyalaya, Industrial Training Centre, Ambala City.

Freedom fighter’s murder: 3 held
Ambala, July 11
The sensational murder of 100-year-old freedom fighter Mehtab Singh, who was shot dead at point blank range in Model Town area of Ambala City has been solved with the arrest of three persons. Two of them belong to Dukheri village, the parental of the freedom fighter. Mehtab Singh was shot dead on July 6 by two youths at Ambala City when he was on the way to his residence.

‘Reasonable’ hike in paddy price likely
Chandigarh, July 11
Though the recommendation made by the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) to increase the minimum support price (MSP) of paddy by Rs 10 per quintal figured during a representation made by the Chief Ministers of Punjab and Haryana to the Union Agriculture Minister, Mr Nitish Kumar, in Delhi recently, sources in the Haryana Government said here today that they were not too worried about the CACP’s proposal for a meagre increase in the MSP.

‘Probe escape of Dimpy, arrival of Zaffarwal’
Chandigarh, July 11
Mr Pratap Singh Chautala, a younger brother of the Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, has demanded a CBI probe into the escape of an alleged criminal, Prabhjinder Singh, alias Dimpy, from the custody of the Haryana police as well as into the circumstances under which a terrorist, Wassan Singh Zaffarwal, reached India.



YOUR TOWN
Ambala
Bhiwani
Chandigarh
Faridabad
Kurukshetra
Panipat
Rohtak
Sirsa
Sonepat
Yamunanagar


EARLIER STORIES

 

Dalhousie-Yamunanagar link by bus
Yamunanagar, July 11
Thirty new buses have been added recently to the fleet at the local depot of Haryana Roadways. Mr Rajiv Sharma Deputy Commissioner, said here yesterday that the local depot had added another feather to its cap by linking Dalhousie, a famous tourist spot of Himachal Pardesh, with Yamunanagar. He said the depot had earned a profit of Rs 3,65,933 in June against a loss of Rs 25,71,051 in the corresponding month last year.

7 Congress members surrender, freed on bail
Faridabad, July 11
Seven of the 10 Congress members booked for obstructing the flow of traffic on the national highway and on other charges at Ballabgarh on Monday during a protest against the replacement drive of power meters today surrendered and later released on bail.

Move to shift IT office draws flak
Fatehabad, July 11
The decision of the income tax authorities to shift the income tax office of this district from Hisar to Sirsa has come in for sharp criticism. Taxpayers from Rattia, Tohana and Jakhal are the worst-affected as they will have to travel 100 to 120 km to reach Sirsa.

KU inconveniences MCA candidates
Kurukshetra, July 11
Great inconvenience was caused both to the candidates who had assembled on the Kurukshetra University campus yesterday for counselling of Master of Computer Applications.

Lapse detected in MDU test
Rohtak, July 11
A reported lapse in the evaluation of the papers of M.Ed entrance test recently conducted by Maharshi Dayanand University has put the university administration in an embarrassing situation.

Industry disfavours power tariff hike
Chandigarh, July 11
Several organisations today opposed any upward revision in the power tariff as proposed by the Haryana power utilities before the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission.

Kidnapped man returns, three booked
Panipat, July 11
A resident of Shahpur village, Ram Mehar, who remained in the custody of his kidnappers for about one-and-a-half month, has finally returned home. On his statement, the Israna police has registered a case of kidnapping against three persons of his village and five other unidentified persons.

Congress grass menace in Ambala
Ambala, July 11
Spread of congress grass in Ambala has acquired menacing proportions. Open tracts of land and uncultivated areas are rapidly being taken over by it. In the past couple of years, there seems to have been a marked increase in the spread of congress grass.
Thick growth of congress grass in an open land in Ambala.
Thick growth of congress grass in an open land in Ambala. — Photo N. Chopra

5 murder cases solved in Rohtak
Rohtak, July 11
The district police claims to have solved five murder cases in the past two months. Besides, an inter-district gang of robbers has been busted and 20 out of 40 stolen vehicles recovered during the period.

Employees found absent from duty
Sonepat, July 11
Officials of the Chief Minister’s Flying Squad, headed by Mr N.S. Tanwar, IAS officer, carried out raids on a number of government offices in the city and other parts of the district yesterday.

TRIBUNE FOLLOW-UP
Landowner held for chaining labourer
Fatehabad, July 11
The police today arrested a landowner, Sukhdev Singh, of Lamba village in the district for torturing his farm labourer. The police booked him under Sections 16 and 17 of the Bonded Labour Abolition Act. Later, Section 3 of the Prevention of Atrocities on Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes was also incorporated in the FIR.

Trains running late
Ambala, July 11

Hundreds of passengers travelling to various destinations were today stranded at the Ambala Cantonment railway station as a number of express trains reached behind their schedules by up to six hours.

Irrigation Dept land to be auctioned
Ambala, July 11
Excess land of the Irrigation Department will be auctioned on July 19 and 20. The Deputy Commissioner, said a decision had been taken to hold an open auction for land of the Irrigation Department in six villages of the Naggal Assembly segment.

Police interviews re-scheduled 
Ambala, July 11
Sandeep Khirwar SP, said the interviews of the candidates for the posts of police constable could not be held today due to unavoidable circumstances.

Ex-patwari among 2 held
Sirsa, July 11
The district police has arrested two persons, including a former partwari for allegedly manipulating the government record of panchayati land.

5 more diarrhoea cases reported
Sirsa, July 11
Five more cases of diarrhoea from Kharian village in the district have been reported. Complaints have been received regarding the supply of polluted water in Ward Nos 8, 14 and 17 of the village. 

Rs 10 lakh prize for Haryana
Chandigarh, July 11
The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare today announced a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh to the Haryana Government for its outstanding performance in implementing various centrally sponsored health schemes.

Re-examination of matric on July 23
Bhiwani, July 11
As a result of the large-scale interference, three centres of the Haryana Open School Secondary Matric annual examination, June 2001, the Board of School Education, Haryana, had cancelled the paper of English. The re-examination of English at these centres will be held on July 23 at 11 a.m.

Last date for matric forms extended
Bhiwani, July 11
The Board of School Education, Haryana, has extended the last date for depositing the forms for the Matric supplementary examination, September 2001, from July 12 to July 18.

Implement quota policy, Governor urged
Chandigarh, July 11
A delegation of the Haryana unit of the All-India Confederation of SC/ST & BC Organisations met the Governor, Babu Parmanand, here today and presented a memorandum to him regarding various issues plaguing the Dalit community.

VC lays stone of college
Ismailabad (Kurukshetra), July 11
The Vice-Chancellor of Kurukshetra University, Mr R.S. Choudhary, laid the foundation stone of Manish Papneja Memorial Sanatan Dharam Girls College here today.


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Private ITIs allowed to start courses
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 11
The Haryana Industrial Training and Vocational Education Department today permitted private institutes to start classes in various trades and courses in the current year.

The Department’s spokesman said under the craftsman training scheme, there would be 16 seats each for cutting and tailoring and embroidery and needle work in SD Indira Gandhi Mahila Shilp Vidyalaya, Industrial Training Centre, Ambala City. He said there would be 32 seats in cutting and tailoring and 16 seats in embroidery and needle work in MMSD Industrial Training Centre for Girls, Ambala cantonment.

He said there would be 32 seats for cutting and tailoring and 16 seats for embroidery and needle work in Katurba Industrial Training Centre, Radaur. Similarly, there would be 32 seats each for cutting and tailoring, embroidery and needle work, Steno (English) and Steno (Hindi) in Industrial Training Centre Women League, Yamunanagar. He said there would be 32 seats each for cutting and tailoring and embroidery and needle work and 16 each for Steno (English) and Steno (Hindi) in women Industrial Home Sewa Samiti Industrial Training Centre, Karnal. He said there would be 32 seats for cutting and tailoring and 16 seats for embroidery and needle work in Samaj Kalyan Sabha Industrial Training Centre, Gohana.

He said there would be 16 seats each for cutting and tailoring and embroidery and needle work in National Modern Mahila C and T Industrial Training Centre, Ballabhgarh. Similarly, there would be 32 seats for cutting and tailoring and 16 seats for embroidery and needle work in MR Aggarwal Industrial Training Centre, Kaithal. He said there would be 16 seats each for Mechanic Radio and TV, Steno (Hindi), Steno (English) and Diploma in Mechanic in Vishawa Karma, Industrial Training Centre, Rohtak. He said there would be 16 seats each for Steno (English), Steno (Hindi) and Cutting and Tailoring and 20 seats for COPA in Industrial Training Centre, Sainik Parivar Bhawan, Rohtak.

He said in Industrial Training Centre, Sainik Parivar Bhawan, Hisar there would be 16 seats each for Steno (Hindi), Steno (English) and cutting and tailoring. He said there would be 20 seats for computer operator and programming assistant in Industrial Training Centre, Sainik Parivar Bhawan, Panchkula. Similarly, there would be 16 seats each for steno (English) and Steno (Hindi) in Industrial Training Centre, Sainik Pariwar Bhawan, Jind.

He said there would be 32 seats each for Steno (Hindi) and Steno (English) in Industrial Training Centre, Sainik Parivar Bhawan, Jhajjar and 16 each for cutting and tailoring, Steno (Hindi) and Steno (English) for Industrial Training Centre, Sainik Parivar Bhawan, Chhachhrauli. Similarly, there would be 16 seats each in cutting and tailoring, Steno (English) and Steno (Hindi) for Industrial Training Centre, Sainik Pariwar Bhawan, Rewari and Industrial Training Centre, Sainik Pariwar Bhawan, Charkhi Dadri.

The spokesman said there would be 16 seats each in cutting and tailoring and fitter in SOS Helmut Kutin Industrial Training Centre, Faridabad and 16 seats in cutting and tailoring in Raja Devi Multipurpose Industrial Training Centre for Women, Bherion (Pehowa). He said there would be 16 seats each for electrician, refrigerator and air-conditioning, electronics mechanic, wireman and fitter, 20 for computer operator and programming assistant and 24 for welder in CR Kissan Industrial Training Centre, Jind.

He said there would be 16 seats for cutting and tailoring in Anup Niketan, village Garhi Kundal, Sonepat. He said there would be 20 seats each for computer operator and programming assistant and computer operator and programming assistant, 16 each for electronics mechanic, refrigerator and air-conditioning motor mechanic, vehicle, welder, electrician and radio and TV in ITBP, Ramgarh.

The spokesman clarified that no other private institute had been granted permission to run classes in any trade or course in the State.

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Freedom fighter’s murder: 3 held
Our Correspondent

Ambala, July 11
The sensational murder of 100-year-old freedom fighter Mehtab Singh, who was shot dead at point blank range in Model Town area of Ambala City has been solved with the arrest of three persons. Two of them belong to Dukheri village, the parental of the freedom fighter. Mehtab Singh was shot dead on July 6 by two youths at Ambala City when he was on the way to his residence.

Mr Sandeep Khirwar SP, said Mehtab Singh’s murder was planned in Dukheri village. Mehtab Singh was having several acres of land in that village.

He said that two youths of Dukheri have been taken into custody for their alleged involvement in the murder conspiracy. Two UP youths were assigned the job of assassinating Mehtab Singh. Harpal, a youth of village Ameta (UP) allegedly involved in the murder of Mehtab Singh, has also been arrested while the other suspect has absconded. The country-made pistol used for the assassination has also been recovered from him.

The SP said the two suspects belonging to UP watched the routine activities of Mehtab Singh continuously for two days before committing the crime. They also visited the residence of M.M. Roy, where Mehtab Singh has been residing for the past several years. Even after their repeated efforts they could not meet Mehtab Singh before murdering him.

Mr Khirwar said the arrest of the second suspect was expected shortly. The other suspect also belonged to a UP village.

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‘Reasonable’ hike in paddy price likely
Shubhadeep Choudhury

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 11
Though the recommendation made by the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) to increase the minimum support price (MSP) of paddy by Rs 10 per quintal figured during a representation made by the Chief Ministers of Punjab and Haryana to the Union Agriculture Minister, Mr Nitish Kumar, in Delhi recently, sources in the Haryana Government said here today that they were not too worried about the CACP’s proposal for a meagre increase in the MSP.

The CACP had in fact suggested a reduction in the MSP of wheat in the last season. However, the Union Government ignored the CACP recommendation and increased the MSP of wheat by Rs 30 per quintal. Similarly, for paddy, the procurement of which will start from mid-September or early October, the MSP is expected to be increased by about Rs 30 per quintal over last season’s price.

While the CACP works out the MSP by taking into account the economic factors, the political dependence of the NDA government on the ruling parties of Punjab and Haryana is expected to play a more crucial role in the determination of the MSP. Moreover, with the Assembly elections approaching in Punjab and Haryana, a reasonable increase in the MSP is very much on the cards, sources here feel.

In case the announcement of the MSP of paddy by the Centre is delayed, the state government will move the Reserve Bank for the sanctioning of CCL (cash credit limit) on the assumption of an increase in the MSP by Rs 30 per quintal, sources here say. During the wheat procurement season also the Haryana Government had moved the RBI before the MSP was announced by the Centre, and the assumption of the state government regarding the increase in the MSP turned out be accurate.

During their recent meeting with Mr Nitish Kumar, the Punjab and Haryana Chief Ministers reportedly demanded a substantial increase in the MSP, though they did not specify the exact price expected by them. Sources here said that while the two Chief Ministers might demand a big hike in the MSP to please their political constituencies, a major increase would have an adverse fallout.

In the case of a major increase in the MSP of paddy, it will affect purchases by private traders from the market. Private traders virtually did not buy any wheat during the last season. However, in the last kharif season, private traders bought about 12 lakh tonnes of paddy out of 25.20 lakh tonnes of leviable paddy arriving in the market.

Sources though participation by private traders was expected to come down in the coming season, given the low market price of paddy, they might simply disappear from the market if the government agencies offered an exorbitant MSP. If the private traders were driven away from the market, it would have adverse effects in the long run, they added.

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‘Probe escape of Dimpy, arrival of Zaffarwal’
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 11
Mr Pratap Singh Chautala, a younger brother of the Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, has demanded a CBI probe into the escape of an alleged criminal, Prabhjinder Singh, alias Dimpy, from the custody of the Haryana police as well as into the circumstances under which a terrorist, Wassan Singh Zaffarwal, reached India.

Releasing copies of his letters written to the President of India and the Haryana Governor to the Press here today, Mr Pratap Singh alleged that the rulers of Punjab and Haryana, “who are hand in glove,” were protecting and giving shelter to hardened criminals of not only the two states but also of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi so that their services could be used for intimidating voters and rigging during the next Assembly elections in Punjab.

He alleged that these “politically protected criminals” were openly used during the Rori Assembly byelection in Haryana and then in the Sunam and Majitha byelections in Punjab.

Mr Pratap Singh, who wrote to the President on April 9 last, just three days after the death of his father and former Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Devi Lal, said under normal circumstances he would have written to the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee. However, since the Vajpayee government was weak, it could not dare to go against the wishes of persons like Mr Chautala and Mr Parkash Singh Badal, “belonging to casteist and communal parties”, who were in a position of strength.

Accusing his brother and two nephews of having a nexus with hardened criminals, Mr Pratap Singh, a former MLA, alleged that the Chief Minister and his sons could go to any length in getting their political adversaries liquidated.

He also alleged that a personal aide of the Haryana Chief Minister, “who posed as my well-wisher”, threatened him with dire consequences if he(Mr Pratap Singh) did not dissociate himself from the RPI MLA, Mr Karan Singh Dalal, or did not stop speaking against the ruling family.

Mr Pratap Singh alleged that Dimpy, who was arrested by the Karnataka police in January this year, was taken first to Punjab and then to Haryana on “flimsy grounds”. Alleging that Dimpy escaped under “political patronage”, he said the criminal was being kept in a safe hideout at the farmhouse of an influential Punjab politician, located in Haryana.

He also alleged that two proclaimed offenders, who were wanted in the connection with the gang rape of a girl in Jaipur’s J.C. Bose Hostel, were often seen in the company of two politically influential brothers. 

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Dalhousie-Yamunanagar link by bus
Our Correspondent

Yamunanagar, July 11
Thirty new buses have been added recently to the fleet at the local depot of Haryana Roadways.

Mr Rajiv Sharma Deputy Commissioner, said here yesterday that the local depot had added another feather to its cap by linking Dalhousie, a famous tourist spot of Himachal Pardesh, with Yamunanagar. He said the depot had earned a profit of Rs 3,65,933 in June against a loss of Rs 25,71,051 in the corresponding month last year. The depot had earned profit for the first time in the past four years.

Mr Sharma said the depot was covering 55,000 km daily with its average utilisation at 320 km. He added that as a goodwill gesture those who retired from Haryana Roadways on attaining superannuation were paid gratuity and leave encashment etc. on the last day of their service.

Mr Narender Singh, General Manager of the depot said the depot brought down its expenditure by plugging loopholes and added that the inventory of spare parts at the depot was the lowest in Haryana in terms of market value.

He said the distinguishing features of new buses were better looks with power brakes and power steering, tinted glasses and bouquet seats. These buses were very comfortable during journey and, therefore, had increased occupancy rates which added to the income of Haryana Roadways.

Mr Narender Singh said to add to the comfort of the passengers, the sitting capacity had been reduced from 50 to 47 seats. He said de luxe buses would be pressed into service on the Yamunanagar-Delhi-Faridabad route soon for the upper classes in the district.

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7 Congress members surrender, freed on bail
Tribune News Service

Faridabad, July 11
Seven of the 10 Congress members booked for obstructing the flow of traffic on the national highway and on other charges at Ballabgarh on Monday during a protest against the replacement drive of power meters today surrendered and later released on bail.

They reported at the office of the DSP, Mr Raj Singh, who produced them at a local court. The Congress activists, including the district president (women), Ms Sharda Rathore, Mr Gopi Chand Sharma, Mr Sewa Ram Verma, Mr Radhey Sham Kukreja, Mr Bhupesh Kumar, Ms Nisha, Mr Subhash Chand, Mr Sewa Singh and Mr Sohan Lal were among those booked by the police under various Sections of the IPC.

The police had resorted to lathi charge to disperse the mob, which was protesting against the replacement of electricity meters in various colonies of the town. Several persons, including some Congress workers, reportedly received injuries.

Ms Sharda Rathore and six other party members surrendered before the DSP today. The court released them on bail. However, three others have not surrendered so far.

Meanwhile, a spokesman of the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee has condemned the lathi charge.
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Move to shift IT office draws flak
Our Correspondent

Fatehabad, July 11
The decision of the income tax (IT) authorities to shift the income tax office of this district from Hisar to Sirsa has come in for sharp criticism. Taxpayers from Rattia, Tohana and Jakhal are the worst-affected as they will have to travel 100 to 120 km to reach Sirsa.

Taxpayers of Fatehabad and Tohana sub-division were earlier attached with the Hisar income tax office. After Fatehabad was carved out of Hisar in 1997, the locals hoped the IT authorities would set up a separate office at Fatehabad.

As the commissioner division and police range offices of this district are situated in Hisar, people have a link there but Sirsa is out of the way as there is no direct bus or rail service for Sirsa.

Lawyers who handle tax cases have been demanding a separate income tax office at Fatehabad. But now records of taxpayers have been shifted to Sirsa.

Though it does not make any difference to the lawyers as Sirsa and Hisar are almost equal distant from Fatehabad, the decision has come in for criticism from others who will have to travel 100 to 120 km to reach Sirsa.

Mr D.K. Singla of the Tax Bar Association, Tohana, termed the move as unwise and said it would inconvenience taxpayers and tax consultants.

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KU inconveniences MCA candidates
K. G. Dutt

Kurukshetra, July 11
Great inconvenience was caused both to the candidates who had assembled on the Kurukshetra University campus yesterday for counselling of Master of Computer Applications (MCA).

Inquiries made by this reporter show that lack of coordination between the Chairman of the Computer Science Department of the university, the registrar’s office and the specified advertiser of the university resulted in the creation of this messy situation. So much so that even till today the university authorities had not decided about setting a new date for counselling. Inquiries further revealed at least 2,000 students had appeared for the entrance test for MCA. The MCA courses are run under the guidance of the All-India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) at Doon Valley Institute of Information Technology and Management, Karnal (30 seats), the Kamra Institute of Technology, Gurgaon (40 seats), the Dronacharya Institute of Management and Technology, Kurukshetra (40 seats), the NC Institute of Computer Science, Israna (40 seats), the PDM College of Engineering, Bhadurgarh (40 seats), the Haryana Institute of Information Technology and Management, Jagadhari (40 seats), the Jai Parkash Institute of Management and Technology, Yamunanagar (40 seats), and the Faridabad Institute of Technology (40 seats).

It is further learnt the AICTE had sanctioned the opening of information technology courses in 10 new institutes affiliated to Kurukshetra University. Furthermore, in order to provide a boost to information technology education, the state government had reportedly decided to increase the number of seats for MCA and other related information technology courses in each institute.

The decision to increase seats probably led to confusion and the sudden cancellation of counselling on the Kurukshetra University campus. It may be added that hundreds of students along with their parents had assembled on the campus yesterday to appear for counselling for MCA. The date for counselling was intimated to the students much in advance.

As a result, students along with their parents had come from far-flung places like Delhi, Gurgaon, Faridabad, Roorkee and other parts of northern India to be in time for counselling. But to their surprise they found the counselling date had been postponed. The agitated students and parents then marched to the residence of the Vice-Chancellor and sat on dharna there.

Surprisingly, the parents and the students had to wait for more than one hour before they could meet the Vice-Chancellor and put their grievances before him. In the meanwhile, the agitated students and parents continued raising slogans against the university administration and its callous attitude towards the student community.

Inquiries further show the Chairman of the Computer Science Department of the university had come to know much in advance about the change in the date of counselling. In fact, he is reported to have sent a written memo to the office of the Registrar about the postponement of counselling for MCA and fixation of new dates. The Chairman had also suggested in his note that postponement of date should be widely circulated in newspapers through the authorised advertisement agency of the university. The authorities also maintain that they had sent the requisite notice for publication to the said agency about three days before the scheduled date of counselling. But lack of communication with the advertisement agency resulted into this faux pas.

The agency is alleged to have not taken timely steps for the publication of the postponement notice. It was only on the date of counselling that some newspapers from Chandigarh carried the notice for postponement. But it was too late in the day as the parents and students who had to come from far-flung places had already left for the university.

Another interesting fact is that while the university authorities are engaged in hair-splitting about who was at fault the students are still keeping their fingers crossed about the new date of counselling. As per the University Information Handbook, the total number of seats in various institutes for information technology courses is 530 but the number is likely to touch 950 after the new directive of the state government.
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Lapse detected in MDU test
Vipin Sharma

Rohtak, July 11
A reported lapse in the evaluation of the papers of M.Ed entrance test recently conducted by Maharshi Dayanand University has put the university administration in an embarrassing situation.

According to university sources, there were four sets of question papers of the entrance test for admission to the M.Ed course. These sets were to be evaluated by using four different keys as the sequence of questions was different in each set. However, all sets were reportedly evaluated by using a single key.

Due to this, several unworthy candidates reportedly got selected while number of deserving candidates were left out. The sources said there were 25 seats in the M.Ed course, for which 80 candidates had appeared in the entrance exam. The result was declared on July 9 and the successful candidates were asked to deposit the fee by the next day.

A girl candidate (Roll Number 119), whose name did not appear in the merit list, did not believe her failure in the test in view of her good academic record and satisfactory performance in the test. She had recently topped in the local Gaur Brahmin College in B.Ed exam and had attained good marks in the MA (English) examination conducted by the university.

Her father, Mr Sushil Sharma, Chairman of the local Improvement Trust, requested the university authorities to inquire into the matter.

After an inquiry by the Pro-Vice Chancellor, the university administration detected the lapse and immediately withdrew the merit list. However, three candidates had deposited the fee by that time.
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Industry disfavours power tariff hike
Yoginder Gupta
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 11
Several organisations today opposed any upward revision in the power tariff as proposed by the Haryana power utilities before the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC).

These organisations, which included the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Haryana Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Faridabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Faridabad Small Industries Association, said there was no justification for revision in the tariff for the second time in a calendar year.

They were participating in a public hearing held by the HERC under the chairmanship of Mr V.S. Ailawadi, at Red Bishop, a Haryana Tourism complex at Panchkula.

The PHD Chamber and the Faridabad organisations said the revenue gap of only Rs 76 crore could be easily bridged by controlling the transmission and distribution losses. They urged the HERC to direct the power utilities to draw up a programme for the next four or five years so that the losses could be brought down by 5 per cent every year.

They also criticised the power utilities for their “dismal” performance on the front of collecting their dues. They said the power utilities should improve their efficiency to reduce the transmission and distribution losses and make special efforts to recover the outstanding dues. Urging the commission to defer the proposal, these organisations said it could review the situation in December.

The Haryana Chamber of Commerce and Industry said the tariff should be based on the cost of power and not on the revenue requirement. It said instead of checking power theft, the utilities wanted to penalise the honest consumer. The utilities should reduce non-productive expenditure. The chamber said the consumers of those areas where the power bills were being paid honestly should be rewarded instead of being penalised because consumers of certain areas of the State were not paying their dues.

Mr Parmesh Bindal said there was no justification for imposing power factor penalties on consumers when the utilities could not supply power at the agreed voltage. He also wanted to know the amount of penal interest paid by the utilities due to the default in loan repayment or interest repayment.

The hearing will continue tomorrow also. 

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Kidnapped man returns, three booked
Our Correspondent

Panipat, July 11
A resident of Shahpur village, Ram Mehar, who remained in the custody of his kidnappers for about one-and-a-half month, has finally returned home. On his statement, the Israna police has registered a case of kidnapping against three persons of his village and five other unidentified persons.

According to the police, Ram Mehar was kidnapped on May 22 from the Panipat bus stand while he was returning from the local court after appearing in a case. He had been missing since then. A case was registered on the orders of the Superintendent of Police on June 6.

However, on the evening of July 5, the alleged kidnappers, after beating him up severely, threw him near Chausana village in Muzaffarnagar district presuming him dead. But after some time Ram Mehar regained consciousness and disclosed his identity to the villagers. He was taken to his village and admitted to the Civil Hospital.

Ram Mehar stated that he was kidnapped for ransom by three persons namely Ved, Karambir and Ranbeer. He also alleged that he was continuously tortured and mostly kept in unconscious state.
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Congress grass menace in Ambala
Rahul Das
Tribune News Service

Ambala, July 11
Spread of congress grass in Ambala has acquired menacing proportions. Open tracts of land and uncultivated areas are rapidly being taken over by it.

In the past couple of years, there seems to have been a marked increase in the spread of congress grass and now this disease spreading ‘kharpatwar’ has begun to affect local residents.

Old timers state that congress grass was witnessed in the area only a few years ago but now it can be spotted in almost every part of Ambala City and Ambala cantonment.

According to an agriculture expert congress grass was first spotted in India in 1951. It is said to have come to India from the West Indies. Initially it was spotted in Pune, Maharashtra and since then it has spread to different parts of the country. India is not the only country to have been affected by it. China, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are also facing the menace of congress grass.

The reason behind its speedy spread is its extremely light seed. About one gram contain up to 600 seeds which quickly take roots in open land. The Principal of Gandhi Memorial National College, Mr I.D. Shukla, who succeeded in eliminating congress grass from the college campus, said that it took about four years of sustained efforts to ensure that congress grass was no longer present in the area.

“It is easier to tackle it during the rainy season as during this season it can be easily pulled out from the root and then burnt,” he said.

According to him upon cutting it grows back with even stronger roots which makes the job of eliminating it all the more difficult. “Regular cultivation of land or complete submersion in water are two ways to check its spread,” he said.

According to him college students were also involved in the work of climinating congress grass from the college campus. The Deputy Director Agriculture, Mr Tej Pal Singh, said “congress grass releases parthinin which is harmful for both humans as well as animals. It release chemicals which affects the lungs and also cause various skin diseases.” “Animals do not generally eat congress grass, but if they consume it over a specific period of time it may lead to their death as the kidney is affected.”

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5 murder cases solved in Rohtak
Our Correspondent

Rohtak, July 11
The district police claims to have solved five murder cases in the past two months. Besides, an inter-district gang of robbers has been busted and 20 out of 40 stolen vehicles recovered during the period.

Mr A.S. Ahlawat, SSP, said here yesterday that the body of Dinesh of Aslapur in Uttar Pradesh was found in a field here on March 14. The police had arrested Hemnath, Mukesh and Ram Baksh of Aslapur in this connection. Similarly, Bijendra of Kheri Sadh village was allegedly murdered and his body burnt in a heap of fodder by the culprits near the village on May 7.

All four accused, including the Sarpanch of the village, were arrested and an Italian pistol recovered by the police. In another incident, the police arrested six persons, including a Sarpanch of the Kansala village, on the charge of murdering Pawan Kumar of the same village on May 23. Five accused who allegedly shot dead Ram Kumar, a pehalwan of Kiloi village, were arrested on May 31.

The SSP said with the arrest of four accused the police had busted an inter-state gang allegedly involved in several incidents of dacoity and robbery in Rohtak, Jhajjar, Jind, Bhiwani, Hisar, Kaithal and Sonepat in Haryana and Bhiwadi in Rajasthan.

The SSP said two cases each of dacoity and robbery and 20 cases of theft had been solved and goods worth Rs 8.36 lakh recovered.
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Employees found absent from duty
Our Correspondent

Sonepat, July 11
Officials of the Chief Minister’s Flying Squad, headed by Mr N.S. Tanwar, IAS officer, carried out raids on a number of government offices in the city and other parts of the district yesterday.

According to official sources, the officials checked the office of the local municipal council and found five employees, including three clerks, absent from duty. It was also found that employees of the fire-brigade were engaged in playing cards, and had not signed the attendance register for days together.

The officials also checked the office of the Deputy Excise and Taxation Commissioner and found all employees and officials present. They checked the government schools at Bayyanpur and Lehrara village and found the teachers on duty.

They also visited the Revenue, Food and Supplies, Industries, Country and Town Planning, Agriculture and District Public Relations Department Offices and found some employees absent from duty.

Later, Mr Tanwar told this correspondent that disciplinary action would be taken against the erring employees. The main aim of this step on the part of the state government, he said, was to ensure punctuality and improve the working of the government offices.
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TRIBUNE FOLLOW-UP
Landowner held for chaining labourer
Our Correspondent

Fatehabad, July 11
The police today arrested a landowner, Sukhdev Singh, of Lamba village in the district for torturing his farm labourer. The police booked him under Sections 16 and 17 of the Bonded Labour Abolition Act. Later, Section 3 of the Prevention of Atrocities on Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes was also incorporated in the FIR.

Sukhdev Singh and his brother Baldev Singh, landowners of the village, had allegedly treated their farm labourer Bachan Singh in a barbaric manner. The labourer had been chained and made to work in fields as he had failed to repay the money he owed to the landowners. He was rescued by some social workers and activists of the Khet Mazdoor Union with the help of the local administration.

The SP, Mr Hanif Qureshi, informed mediapersons today that he had asked the DSP, Mr Shiv Charan, to conduct an investigation into the case. It was found that Baldev Singh was bedridden for the past many years and was not responsible for the treatment meted out to the victim.

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Trains running late

Ambala, July 11
Hundreds of passengers travelling to various destinations were today stranded at the Ambala Cantonment railway station as a number of express trains reached behind their schedules by up to six hours.

Lohit Express 5651 Up, running from Guwahati to Jammu Tawi via Muradabad, was late by over six hours while Howrah duplicate 3049 Up also known as Amritsar Express, was delayed by over three hours, railway sources said here.

Mumbai Super 2471 Up, emanating from Mumbai Central to Jammu Tawi, reached Ambala Cantonment station late by 90 minutes.

The inter-city Bathinda-New Delhi 4732 was also late by over 30 minutes.

A railway source attributed the delay to a heavy rain fall. UNI

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Irrigation Dept land to be auctioned
Tribune News Service

Ambala, July 11
Excess land of the Irrigation Department will be auctioned on July 19 and 20.

The Deputy Commissioner, said a decision had been taken to hold an open auction for land of the Irrigation Department in six villages of the Naggal Assembly segment. Land in Amipur, Khaira and Mallour villages would be auctioned on July 19 at Government Senior Secondary School, Ismailpur, and land in Bishangarh and Segti and land near Tangri river would be auctioned on July 20 at Government School, Bishangarh, a press note said.

Only those who submit Rs 25,000 would be allowed to participate in the auction. The minimum reserve price was Rs 2.5 lakh per acre for cultivable land and Rs 1.10 lakh for banjar land. The highest bidder would have to submit 25 per cent of the amount immediately, while the remaining amount would have to be submitted within 30 days.

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Police interviews re-scheduled 
Tribune News Service

Ambala, July 11
Sandeep Khirwar SP, said the interviews of the candidates for the posts of police constable could not be held today due to unavoidable circumstances.

He said the candidates whose interviews were scheduled for today would now be interviewed on July 13 at 8 a.m. in the Police Lines, Ambala. 

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Ex-patwari among 2 held
Our Correspondent

Sirsa, July 11
The district police has arrested two persons, including a former partwari for allegedly manipulating the government record of panchayati land.

According to information given by the district police chief here today, Tehsildar Ram Singh of Rania township had lodged a complaint with the Odhan police against some persons for allocating a piece of panchayati land. On the basis of this complaint, the police registered a case under Sections 467, 468, 471, 420 of the IPC and arrested former partwari Ram Partap and Gopi Ram of Peerkhera village.

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5 more diarrhoea cases reported
Our Correspondent

Sirsa, July 11
Five more cases of diarrhoea from Kharian village in the district have been reported. Complaints have been received regarding the supply of polluted water in Ward Nos 8, 14 and 17 of the village. Some villagers have also complained of the non-availability of medicines and ORS packets at the local primary health centre.

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Rs 10 lakh prize for Haryana
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 11
The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare today announced a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh to the Haryana Government for its outstanding performance in implementing various centrally sponsored health schemes.

A press note issued by the state government said the Haryana Minister of State for Health, Dr M.L.Ranga, would receive the prize at the seventh meeting of the Central Council of Health to be held on July 12 and 13 in Delhi.
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Re-examination of matric on July 23
Our Correspondent

Bhiwani, July 11
As a result of the large-scale interference, three centres of the Haryana Open School Secondary Matric annual examination, June 2001, the Board of School Education, Haryana, had cancelled the paper of English. The re-examination of English at these centres will be held on July 23 at 11 a.m.

Disclosing this, the Board secretary, Mr Mohinder Singh Mor, told mediapersons here yesterday that the paper of English which was cancelled at Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Bhiwani-3 centre, would now be held at Uttami Bai Arya Girls Senior Secondary School, Bhiwani. The paper of English held at Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Bhiwani-4, would now be held at SSD Senior Secondary School, Bhiwani.

He further informed the paper of English cancelled at Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Rohtak-5 (B-1), would not be held at VKM Senior Secondary School, Kath Mandi, Rohtak.
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Last date for matric forms extended
Our Correspondent

Bhiwani, July 11
The Board of School Education, Haryana, has extended the last date for depositing the forms for the Matric supplementary examination, September 2001, from July 12 to July 18.

The Board Secretary, Mr Mohinder Singh Mor, told mediapersons here today that the candidates could now submit their forms of compartment, (re-appear, additional subject and partial improvement for the Matric supplementary examinations, September 2001, up to July 18 without any late fee. He clarified that the last date for depositing forms with a late fee of Rs 200 would be the same, i.e. July 31.

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Implement quota policy, Governor urged
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 11
A delegation of the Haryana unit of the All-India Confederation of SC/ST & BC Organisations met the Governor, Babu Parmanand, here today and presented a memorandum to him regarding various issues plaguing the Dalit community.

According to a press note issued by Mr Harichand Singh, secretary of the organisation, the delegation urged the Governor for the implementation of the reservation policy formulated by the late Devi Lal in 1979. The delegation also demanded that an Act be framed in Haryana to ensure reservation to people of the SC and BC communities.

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VC lays stone of college
Tribune News Service

Ismailabad (Kurukshetra), July 11
The Vice-Chancellor of Kurukshetra University, Mr R.S. Choudhary, laid the foundation stone of Manish Papneja Memorial Sanatan Dharam Girls College here today.

The Chairman of the college managing committee, Mr Jagdish Lal Papneja, said since a girls’ college was a long-standing demand of residents of the area, the decision to set up a college in the memory of late Manish Papneja was taken.

The Choudhary said the college would soon be affiliated with the university for BA-II and B. Com-II, classes in the current academic year.

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Rallies, functions mark World Population Day

Kurukshetra
To mark World Population Day, an awareness race, organised by the Sports Authority of India in collaboration with the Department of Family Welfare, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, was flagged off by the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Abhilaksh Liki, at Dronacharya Stadium here on Wednesday. Students of various schools as well as residents of the town participated in the race which passed through the main bazars of the town.

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Institute board reconstituted
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 11
The Haryana Government today reconstituted the Board of Governors for the YMCA Institute of Engineering, Faridabad, under the chairmanship of the Haryana Technical Education Minister for a period of three years.

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