 |
Sunday,
September 30, 2001, Chandigarh, India  
|
244 bombs found during digging Justification
for new meters questioned Haryana rules out action by panel Haryana
BJP to organise rallies |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
House
owners oppose new levy NFIR stir
against privatisation of Railways ends Massive duty evasion by Panchkula firm Villagers
block traffic Traders
told to exhaust polythene bags’ stock in 7 days HVP
criticises development tax Man kills
wife, daughters Classmate
strangles intern
|
|
244 bombs found during digging Ambala, September 29 The bombs were found lying close to the spot where the earlier bombs had been found during digging for laying cables by a private telecom company. The Army authorities had taken charge of the bombs and the bomb would be safely disposed off. The Army believed that the bombs which had been found were probably “shot” used for training purposes by the artillery. It was still not known why these bombs, most of which were live, were buried in the Shahzadpur area. Last week, the labourers, who were digging the trench for laying telecom cables by the private company, had not realised that the metallic object found by them was a bomb. When a number of these objects were found during digging the labourers reported the matter to their supervisor who realised that they were explosive. Initially, there were 37 live bombs and one fired explosive and now the number has gone up to 281 bombs. Similar bombs were believed to have been found at Pehwa as well as Raipur Rani. |
|
Justification
for new meters questioned Karnal, September 29 The Jan Sangharsh Manch has challenged the authenticity of the statement of the Chief Minister that the new meters helped in checking losses and power theft. The manch has drawn the attention of the Chief Minister that under Electricity Regulatory Rule 1910, Clause 26(6), the government has the power to only change the faulty meters. Then how the present government was going whole hog for changing all meters whether faulty or operational. Why the government was keen to waste public money on the purchase of 35 lakh new electronic meters. Recently, the Haryana Transport Minister along with the authorities of the electricity department and Kurukshetra district administration had undertaken a public exercise to prove that the new electronic meters did not run fast and were as good as the old ones. The people were convinced that the new electronic meters with plastic body were in anyway better than the old meters with iron body. Moreover, the governments’ claim is that the guarantee period of the new meters was only one-and-a-half year while the old meters have been functioning for years together. The letter alleges that the government had spent Rs 600 crore on the purchase of new meters and the funds have been raised on interest from the World Bank. Political parties, including the BJP, has raised its voice against the installation of new meters. In Karnal the traders did not allow the staff to enter their premises for installation. The Karnal Sangharsh Samiti has been opposing the move tooth and nail. In Panipat and Kurukshetra the move is being vehemently opposed. But despite this the government seems to be bent upon completing the exercise. |
|
Haryana
rules out action by panel Chandigarh, September 29 Four per cent sales tax was imposed on fertilisers and that on pesticides was increased from 2 per cent to 4 per cent and on diesel from 10 per cent to 12 per cent in Haryana as well as in Himachal, Delhi, Rajasthan and UP from September 1. Punjab remained the only northern state which did not comply with the proposed rates. However, soon after Chief Minister of Haryana Om Prakash Chautala announced rollback of the new rates of taxes as a mark of respect to late Mr Devi Lal. The decision was endorsed by the state Cabinet at its meeting here yesterday. Importantly, the Empowered Committee of Finance Ministers of States, overseeing the tax reform programme, is pushing the states hard for implementation of the uniform tax
structure. Off late it has also increased the number of its meetings to monitor the progress of compliance by the states on the proposed floor rates on 200 items. Three meetings of the Empowered Committee were held in the past five weeks. The next meeting is expected to take place in the first week of October. The committee has also threatened to take action against the defaulting states. While stating that the tax rates were rolled back in Haryana to prevent trade in these products from shifting to neighbouring Punjab, which presumably did not implement the minimum floor rates on these items in view of the impending Assembly poll, Haryana Government sources said the Empowered Committee was receptive to compulsions such as the one faced by Punjab. “Punjab is expected to bring these items under the uniform floor rate structure after the Assembly poll and then Haryana, too, would bring fertiliser, pesticides and diesel under the minimum floor rates,” a highly placed official said. Haryana’s decision to rollback the tax rates on these items is also expected to relieve Punjab of the pressure for complying with the minimum floor rates on the three items. Haryana Government officials, however, denied that there was any political consideration behind the move. |
|
Haryana
BJP to organise rallies Panipat, September 29 While talking to mediapersons here at a local hotel, where a district level workers’ meet was organised, Mr Kataria said that he would put forward the sentiments of party workers before the high command. Replying a question, Mr Kataria said the central BJP leadership had been informed on earlier occasions also about the resentment among party workers against the alliance with the NLD in Haryana. He also remarked that the INLD supremo, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, possesses “alladin ka chirag of five MPs” and the Centre was in need of MPs. However, he maintained that the BJP-INLD alliance in state as well as at the Centre would continue. He disclosed that the two stages of village level and district level party workers meetings, had been completed and the third phase of programme to hold joint meetings of the workers of three districts each had also commenced at Ambala on September 16. In order to strengthen the hands of BJP MPs in Haryana and accelerate the party’s campaign, Mr Kataria disclosed that the party had planned to organise massive rallies in every constituency where the party MP would be given a purse of Rs 10-11 lakh. The first such rally would be organised at Rewari in the first week of November, he said and added that later the party would hold a ‘samast Haryana rally’ at a centrally located place. |
|
House owners oppose new levy Panipat, September 29 BJP and Congress municipal councillors of the nagar parishad are reported to be supporting the house owners. However, municipal councillors of the INLD say that the policy was in favour of the house owners as a proper system had been introduced for the betterment of the common man. A similar situation had been created recently with the introduction of EMCO meters. A resident of Ward No 2 alleged that the area of his house was 5,400 sq ft but a house tax notice was received by him for an area of 54,000 sq ft. Moreover, there has been an increase of 5 to 8 per cent in the tax. The nagar parishad has given 30 days’ time to file objections, if any. Residents of Ward No 1, 2, 3, 16, 17 and 18 alleged that the new house tax policy was anti-people. Satnam Singh of Kachha Camp alleged that no one from the nagar parishad had come to his house for survey and the assessment was made in the office itself. Congress councillor Harbhagwan Chaudhay said they would fight against this high-handedness and if need be approach the high court. BJP councillor Devi Dittamal Rewari alleged that the public was being cheated. The newly elected Chairman of the nagar parishad, Mr Sanjay Bhatia, said he would try to convince the government to reduce the levy. |
|
NFIR
stir against privatisation of Railways ends Panipat, September 29 The agitators submitted 14-point charter of demands, including six main demands of not abolishing the designations of employees and labourers, for creating new vacancies, rejecting the Rakesh Mohan Committee’s report that is in favour of privatisation, retrenchment of employees, not filling vacancies, promoting “thekedari pratha”. Other demands includes implementation of the ACP scheme, giving job to a family member of employee removed on medical grounds, to exempt rail employees from Income Tax, not to harass gangmen, sanctioning risk allowance to the TRD section and maximum eight hours duty on Delhi-Ambala section were also raised. |
|
Massive
duty evasion by Panchkula firm Ambala, September 29 Sources said that certain documents of the private limited company located in the Industrial Area, Panchkula, were sent for verification. The certificates were submitted by the company to the Delhi Milk Scheme, New Delhi. Subsequently, on investigation these certificates were found to be forged as per the statement of a Superintendent who confirmed that the certificates in question were neither issued by him nor signed by him and the signatures appended to all the certificates were forged and fabricated. During further investigation, letters were issued to different buyers asking them to submit details along with copies of all the invoices under the Panchkula company had supplied goods to them. The reports from the buyers were found to be in order except for a milk plant located in Ballabhgarh. The milk plant at Ballabhgarh to whom six invoices were issued by the company were found to be fake invoices involving goods valued at Rs 8.73 lakh and Central excise duty amounting to Rs 2.18 lakh. The Delhi Milk Scheme (DMS) officials were also informed about the forged certificates and were asked to send all the invoices under which the Panchkula company had supplied them goods. On scrutiny of records received from DMS it was found that the party had cleared their products to DMS under invoices on which the Central excise duty had been shown to have been debited but in fact no such duty appeared to have been paid to the department. The total duty involvement on the invoices is about Rs 22 lakh. Sources said that this is a case of major duty evasion by forging fake certificates certifying the payment of duty while actually no Central excise duty was paid. Investigations conducted so far have revealed the fact that the private limited company cleared their products to the Delhi Milk Scheme under invoices on which Central excise duty had been shown to have been paid from their MODVAT account, but in fact no such duty appeared to have been paid to the department. The total duty involved comes to about Rs 37 lakh. |
|
Villagers
block traffic Rohtak, September 29 Residents of this village along with those from Baliana village were among the most affected so far the supply of electricity was concerned. They had been till a few weeks ago, getting uninterrupted power as the feeder serving these villages was connected with the JLN power house, which caters to the drinking water needs of the town. After the Public Health Department increased the gravity channel of its water supply courses, the electricity feeder serving these villages was disconnected from the pump house. Now these villages also get power as per the scheduled time fixed for the rural areas of the district. The Executive Engineer of the Sub-Urban Division said Bohar and Baliana villages were getting 17 hours of power supply like other villages. But the villagers alleged that the UHBVN authorities switch off the supply at mid-night. He said that about 50 per cent of the residents of Bohar and Baliana were defaulters. The line losses in these two villages were over 51 per cent, he added. Out of 1,995 consumers in Bohar, 926 were defaulters (46.4 per cent) They owe over Rs 59 lakh to the UHBVN. Similarly, out of a total of 1,396 consumers in Baliana village, 712 were defaulters who owe over Rs 68 lakh to the nigam, he added. The Executive Engineer said that the villagers lifted the blockade after they were apprised of the circumstances that led to the switching off the electricity at mid-night. |
|
Traders
told to exhaust polythene bags’ stock in 7 days Bhiwani, September 29 The DC directed intensification of sanitaries drive and check use of polythene. He appealed to people to use paper bags, jute or cloth. He asked the traders using polythene bags to finish their stock of polythene in a week. He said that action would be taken against these who traded in “polythene and the accused could be fined Rs 5 000 and imprisonment of one month. The Deputy Commissioner directed the municipal official of both towns that people should be educated on not throwing garbage around residential areas and use of polythene be discouraged. He said that dustbins of black, green and yellow colours be fixed in respective areas. Black dustbin for polythene, yellow for the medical and nursing homes waste and green dustbin should be specified for the trash and rubbish and pamphlets be printed and distributed to educate the people besides other means of publicity. He asked to ensure submission of progress report every third day onwards. |
|
HVP criticises development
tax Panipat, September 29 This was announced by the party secretary-general, Mr Surender Singh, while addressing public meetings at about 12 villages of Israna block in Panipat district on Thursday. He criticised the Chautala government for imposing the LADT of 4 per cent in wake of the abolition of octroi. The step had not only deprived municipalities of their source of income, but had also forced the major industrial companies like Indian Oil Corporation to abandon its expansion plans, he added. Announcing that the party will not forge any alliance with other political parties in the state, he added that owing to anti-people policies of the state government and differences among Congress leaders, people had started turning towards the HVP. |
|
Man kills wife, daughters Jind, September 29 Later, Rajesh consumed poison and died on way to the hospital. Although the cause of the crime could not be ascertained, but some dispute between Rajesh and his wife was said to be the reason for the murders. The police has registered a case. A note was found in the pocket of Rajesh in which he held himself responsible for the crime. |
|
Classmate
strangles intern Rohtak, September 29 The deceased was identified as Harsh Soni, a resident of Panchkula who was doing his internship. According to information, Harsh consumed beer with his friends, Yatinderpal Singh of Hisar and Mohit Singla of Gurgaon, at the Myna tourist complex here last evening. Later, Yatinder and Mohit allegedly offered him juice laced with excessive dose of a tranquilliser and returned to the hostel. Yatinder dropped Mohit at his room and allegedly strangled Harsh who had fallen almost unconscious in the car. He took the body to room number 16 of the hostel and locked the room. Then he rang up the police control room informing that someone had murdered an intern at the doctors’ hostel. He also phoned Mr N.D. Verma, father of the deceased. When contacted, the SSP, Mr A.S. Ahlawat, said Yatinder had been arrested and he had confessed his involvement in the murder. The accused reportedly told the police that he wanted to teach a lesson to the deceased as the latter often used to tease him by passing humiliating remarks. |
|
Janwadi Mahila
Samiti convention Bhiwani, September 29 |
|
KPSS
second-phase programme from October 2 Chandigarh, September 29 In a press statement here today, Mr Sher Singh Badshami, Political Adviser to Mr Chautala, said a series of conference of the KPSS would be organised from October 2, demanding that a separate state be carved out of western UP. A conference of KPSS workers would be organised on October 2 at Nirikshan Bhavan, Saharanpur, followed by another conference at Meerut on October 5. Such conferences would be later held in the remaining districts of western UP. |
|
Four arrested for plotting
gangrape Sirsa, September 29 Stating this here today, the district police chief said a case was filed under Sections 342, 366-A, 376, 354 and 120-B against six persons on the complaint lodged with the police by a woman. She accused her father-in-law of trying to have illicit relations with her as her husband was not well. She resisted and came back to Malout to her father’s house. After some time, she was persuaded to go to her in-law’s house. The complainant alleged that the accused had plotted a gangrape against her. |
|
Book on Devi Lal released Chandigarh, September 29 |
 |
| Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Editorial | | Business | Sport | World | Mailbag | In Spotlight | Chandigarh Tribune | Ludhiana Tribune 50 years of Independence | Tercentenary Celebrations | | 121 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
