H A R Y A N A

Snap ties with NDA, BSP tells INLD
Gurgaon, January 1
The Bahujan Samaj Party(BSP) has asked the ruling INLD in Haryana to severe ties with the NDA at the Centre to enter into an alliance with it for the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.

Jagmohan opens Devi Lal weir
Sirsa, January 1
Kurukshetra will be developed as a major cultural heritage tourist place. This was stated by the Union Minister for Tourism and Culture, Mr Jagmohan, here yesterday. He was addressing a public meeting after inaugurating the Ottu weir, which is named after Devi Lal and has been constructed with the help of the World Bank at a cost of Rs 35 crore.

Priyanka Chopra set to storm Bollywood
Ambala, January 1
Former Miss World Priyanka Chopra is all set to storm Bollywood. Priyanka Chopra, who ushered in the New Year along with her grandparents and uncles in Ambala, has already signed up eight films, five of which are already on production floor.

Former Miss World Priyanka Chopra in different moods in Ambala on Tuesday.— Photo N Chopra

• IAS officers of '73 batch to be promoted
• SP’s driver found dead
• New ID-cards for Haryana cops
• Physical test for constable posts

Snap ties with NDA, BSP tells INLD
Ravi S. Singh
Tribune News Service

Gurgaon, January 1
The Bahujan Samaj Party(BSP) has asked the ruling INLD in Haryana to severe ties with the NDA at the Centre to enter into an alliance with it for the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.

According to sources, the INLD approached the BSP leader and former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Ms Mayawati, for an electoral understanding in the state. A senior bureaucrat in the Haryana Government acted as an emissary of the INLD.

Ms Mayawati is said to have categorically told the INLD that an alliance with it would be tantamount to allying with the ruling NDA at the Centre and it must snap ties with the NDA to have an alliance with the BSP.

The sources further said the bureaucrat had approached Ms Mayawati, a few months ago. At that time, the BSP had taken the stand that although an alliance with the BSP would benefit its allies, not much benefit would accure to it.

The INLD’s moves will be better understood against the background of its going tough with the BJP to get a decent number of seats in Uttar Pradesh. The INLD has expanded its political activities in western Uttar Pradesh for the past eight months. Although Haryana Chief Minister and INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautala has stated in public that his party would contest the elections in Uttar Pradesh on its own, he had launched a campaign for cornering as many seats as possible from the BJP.

So far the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and BJP’s mascot for the elections, Mr Rajnath Singh, has adopted a negative stance toward the INLD. Mr Rajnath Singh and a section of the BJP headed by the Union Home Minister, Mr L. K. Advani, are pro-Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) headed by Mr Ajit Singh.

The RLD is strongly against giving seats to the INLD. The RLD and the INLD leaderships have been criticising each other at public meetings in Uttar Pradesh.

With regard to Yamunanagar Assembly seat, the BJP has gone ahead with preparing itself for the byelection occasioned by the death of Congress MLA J. P. Sharma. The three-member committee constituted by the BJP to assess the ground reality and draw up a panel of names has submitted its report to the state president, Mr Rattan Lal Katariya. 

Jagmohan opens Devi Lal weir
Our Correspondent

Sirsa, January 1
Kurukshetra will be developed as a major cultural heritage tourist place. This was stated by the Union Minister for Tourism and Culture, Mr Jagmohan, here yesterday. He was addressing a public meeting after inaugurating the Ottu weir, which is named after Devi Lal and has been constructed with the help of the World Bank at a cost of Rs 35 crore.

Mr Jagmohan said he would visit Kurukshetra to work out the plan for a cultural tourist place for which the Central Government would give assistance.

The minister also announced to initiate a survey for the development of Morni hills, near Chandigarh, and a green belt to connect the Surajkund tourist complex with the national Capital. He said the Archaeological Department was making efforts to trace the course of Sarawsati river in Haryana.

Earlier, welcoming the minister, Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala highlighted the details of the Ottu weir.

Sirsa Lok Sabha member Sushil Indora, Haryana Finance Minister Sampat Singh, Cooperative Minister Kartar Singh Bhadan, Deputy Speaker of Haryana Vidhan Sabha Gopi Chand Gehlot, INLD MLAs of the district, Chairman of Haryana Staff Selection Commission Amir Chawla, Haryana Land Development Corporation Chairman Ashok Verma, President of Rohtak Consumer Forum Jagdish Chopra were among the dignitaries who were present on the occasion.

Office-bearers of the district and state BJP were conspicuous by their absence from the function attended by Mr Jagmohan at Ottu village in the district.

Priyanka Chopra set to storm Bollywood
Tribune News Service

Ambala, January 1
Former Miss World Priyanka Chopra is all set to storm Bollywood.

Priyanka Chopra, who ushered in the New Year along with her grandparents and uncles in Ambala, has already signed up eight films, five of which are already on production floor.

Priyanka, who was dressed up in black with a coloured silk scarf thrown over her shoulder, said she was looking forward to an opportunity to act along side stars like Sunny Deol, Anil Kapoor, Salman Khan and Dilip Kumar. “Besides Hindi movies, I am also doing a Tamil movie,” she said.

“The audience will be able to see me on the silver screen by the middle of the next year. I am doing a variety of roles in different movies which range from being a Haryanvi girl, a convict, college girl, a businesswoman and a wife.”

Nineteen-year-old Priyanka stated that people are keen to see patriotic movies as well as see “dreams” on the silver screen. “For three hours, the audience forgets what is happening in the outside world,” she said.

To a query, Priyanka said that she is not against exposure in films if it is aesthetically done.

Among the present actors, her favourite is Shahrukh Khan while among the actors of yesteryear, she likes Guru Dutt as well as Kishore Kumar for his comedy. Among the actresses, Madhuri Dixit and Kajol are her favourite and she likes Waheeda Rehman from among the actresses of the yesteryear.

She admitted that the likelihood of her being compared to former Miss Universe Sushmita Sen and former Miss World Aishwarya Rai, both of whom have become film stars, cannot be ruled out. “Although, we do share certain qualities, we are different individuals.” “Being a Miss World is an exhilarating experience. Till date, there are only 51 Miss Worlds and I am proud to be one. There is definitely a lot of nostalgia,” she added.

5’ 7” Priyanka said that beauty is not just physical beauty. It also entails inner beauty. “One must never think bad for anyone and if one is good from within, it shows,” she stressed.

She is keen to complete her education. “I am in the first year at Jai Hind College in Mumbai. Education is extremely important,” she said. “I realise that I have become a role model for young girls. I would like to stress that being beautiful is not everything in life,” she added.

Martyr cremated
Our Correspondent

Bhiwani, January 1
The mortal remains of constable Vinod Kumar were consigned to flames at his native village Patwan today. Vinod Kumar was killed along with 17 other jawans of 12 Jat Regiment in a landmine blast that took place at Ramgarh village of Rajasthan on December 28.

Vinod Kumar joined the Army in 1992 and was working with the Ataki Batallion at Jaipur. He was recently deputed in Ramgarh sector of Jaisalmer district of Rajasthan in view of the tension at the Indo-Pakistan border. Vinod Kumar Lakhlan who accompanied the body of sepoy Vinod Kumar here said Vinod was laying landmine with other personnel's when suddenly a landmine blasted at about 10.30 a.m. killing 18 jawans.

Vinod Kumar is survived by parents, two brothers, a sister, a wife and two sons. His son Sombir lit the pyre. Education Minister Bahadur Singh, SDM S.B. Lohia, DSP, Loharu, Om Prakash Yadav, Subedar Bir Singh and Subedar Inder Raj placed wreaths on the body of the martyr.

IAS officers of '73 batch to be promoted
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 1
The Departmental Promotion Committee of the Haryana Government, which met here today, reportedly decided to promote IAS officers of the 1973 batch to the rank of Financial Commissioner.

It was also decided at the meeting that IAS officers of the 1986 batch would be promoted to the rank of Commissioner. Formal orders regarding the promotion of the eligible officers are to be issued shortly.

SP’s driver found dead
Our Correspondent

Ambala, January 1
The driver attached to the Superintendent of Police, Ambala, was found dead in his room this morning. The driver, Jagmal Singh, was a resident of Antwal village, near Shahbad.

According to information received, the driver had slept in his room located on the SP residence campus last late night. Due to an intense cold wave he kept an coal “chulha” in his room. The police suspect that the death caused dur to asphyxia. The body of Jagmal was brought to Civil Hospital and later handed over to his relatives after the post mortem.

New ID-cards for Haryana cops
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 1
The Haryana police has replaced the identity cards of the entire force in the state.

While stating this here today, Mr C.P. Bansal, IGP, Modernisation and Welfare, said the new cards would be effective from today. 

Physical test for constable posts
Our Correspondent

Panchkula, January 1
The physical fitness test for the posts of constable in the Indian Reserve Battalion of the Haryana police will be conducted at Hisar, Rohtak, Gurgaon and Ambala from January 7 to 30.

In a press note, Mr Manoj Yadav, SP, Panchkula, said that the test would be conducted from January 7 to 9 at Hisar, from January 15 to 17 at Rohtak, from January 21 to 23 at Gurgaon and from 28 to 30 at Ambala.