 |
Monday,
March 4, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
|
Kaithal on way to normalcy Haryana Assembly session begins today Cong to stonewall budget session Stress laid on change
in election process Chautala mourns Balayogi’s death |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
PGIMS doc files suit against Director State-level health camp on March 23 Dist chief of BJP quits party Youth beaten to death Sena activists burn effigies of cops
Two killed in roof
collapse
|
|
Kaithal on way to normalcy Kaithal, March 3 The Imam of the mosque in Timber Mandi here talking to reporters today said that anticipating a trouble he had informed the authorities which posted a few policemen outside the mosque for their safety. However at 9.30 a.m. a mob broke open the door and forced entry into the mosque. At that time he along with his five brothers and other family members shifted to the adjoining portion of the building used by them for residential purposes as the mob started pulling down part of the mosque and set on fire household items. Smoke entered their room and they felt as if their end was near. The police had arrived on the site and the Deputy Commissioner and the SP were present there. They could not take the risk of bringing us out when a mob of thousands had gathered and a few hundred were carrying on the demolition of a portion of the mosque. Worry of the administration was how to bring out those trapped inside and shift them to a safer place. Meanwhile, those trapped inside managed to widen a small ventilator in the wall and sneaked into the adjoining shop where they were provided with a bottle of water through a hole in the roof. Some Hindus standing outside too were becoming restless and discussing ways to evacuate their Muslim brethern and ready to any help. In the meanwhile the mob moved to indulge in vandalisation. Soon Commissioner Amabla Division Maha Singh Malik and Alok Joshi, I.G. Ambala range, too reached there and with help of local officials and the police rescued Imam’s family members who had taken shelter in the shop locked from outside. They were taken to the Police Lines for reasons of safety. The Imam of mosque at Kalayat Mr Mohammad Irshad, who also was camping in the Police Lines with his family after being rescued by authorities told reporters that at 12 noon on Friday he was advised by CID men to shift to a safer place as they had information about violence in Kaithal. Following this he took shelter in the house of ironsmith Kamaluddin, but he got wind that the mob gathered outside the mosque had attacked and started demolition and they were searching for him. Then he shifted himself and his family to the house of one Shamsher Lohar (ironsmith). Later he was given shelter by a Hindu neighbour Punna. When miscreants reached outside that house and enquired about the Imam and his family Punna and his family feigned ignorance about the whereabouts of the Muslim family and thus saved them from the crowd’s fury. As sunset, Irshad in disguise went to the Kalayat police station and informed there about the place where they had taken shelter from there they were shifted to the Kaithal Police Lines under security. Both Imams told mediapersons that despite incident of violence they would like to continue to remain at the places of their worship. Residents of the town here also heaved a sigh of relief over the safety of members of the minority community and the administration has started repairing of the damaged religious places. |
|
|
Kaithal violence: Hooda seeks probe Kaithal, March 3 Talking to mediapersons in the local PWD rest house, Mr Hooda expressed concern over the incidents of violence. He held the state government and the district administration responsible for their failure to control the situation and maintain law and order during the bandh observed here. He demanded a judicial inquiry into the incidents. He also informed that the Congress party would raise this issue in the coming Assembly elections.
|
|
Haryana Assembly session begins today Chandigarh, March 3 Not only did the Congress lose the Yamunanagar seat to the INLD, it also yielded its position as the main Opposition party to the Haryana Vikas Party, which was the nearest rival of the winning candidate. The BJP, too, would be demoralised as its candidate lost his security deposit in Yamunanagar. Under the circumstances, the ruling party is unlikely to face any embarrassing moment during the session, except during the debate on the Congress-sponsored notice for the removal of the Speaker, Mr Satbir Singh Kadian. Of course, on the basis of the numerical strength of various parties, the motion will be defeated ultimately. But the Opposition will get a chance to embarrass the Speaker. The Opposition is likely to raise issues like the alleged deterioration in the law and order situation, particularly the recent communal violence at Kaithal, and the shortage of power and water. But the Treasury Benches will easily tackle the Opposition assault. The BJP is still to decide whether it is a partner in the ruling alliance or it is to play the role of an Opposition party. Though the state leadership of the party announced the “divorce” with the INLD during the Yamunanagar byelection, subsequent actions of the party showed that the leaders themselves are not yet clear what stand they are expected to take in the Vidhan Sabha. The State BJP has sought the permission of the party high command to break its ties with the INLD. After a drubbing in the recently concluded Assembly elections in four states, the BJP high command may not be in a hurry to allow its Haryana unit to break the alliance with a party whose five MPs are supporting the Vajpayee government. The session will open with the Governor’s Address to the House. The Budget for 2002-03 is likely to be presented by the Finance Minister, Prof Sampat Singh, on March 13. According to the tentative programme, the session is likely to continue till March 19, with three days kept for the debate on the Governor’s Address. |
|
|
Cong to stonewall budget session Bhiwani, March 3 In the resolutions, district president, Vasudev sought equal distribution of water, constitution of a desert board and a CBI enquiry into the Khanak episode. Congress legislator Dharmbir Singh came down heavily on the INLD government. He said mine contractors were recovering royalty forcibly in the Tosham area for the past three months. He alleged that the amount had been assessed at Rs 5 crore per month. He announced that the party would recover this money when it came to power. He alleged that southern Haryana was being discriminated against. Mr Hooda said future of farmers and labourers was not safe in the state and country. The production cost of crops had increased, but farmers were being given less minimum prices. A former state president of the party Mr Birender Singh, demanded continuation of subsidy to farmers for the next 10 years, fixing of minimum support price for produce and procurement of the produce by official agencies. A two-minute silence was observed over the sudden demise of the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Mr G.M.C. Balayogi, and for those killed in Gujarat violence.
|
|
|
Stress laid on change
in election process Sirsa, March 3 A group of the local intelligentsia, who participated in the discussion, expressed concern over the deteriorating political scenario and gave suggestions to improve the same. The dominant view that came up and was concurred upon was that leaving the Lok Sabha elections for all other units of governance from panchayat to vidhan sabha should be conducted after a fixed period. The president of the Private Practitioners Association, Dr G.K. Aggarwal, favoured the Presidential form of democracy. He said the ad hocism of the government must be replaced with a government body, which is given a fixed period to prove itself. Advocate Kamal Relhan stated that fixing the tenure for elections was the only remedy. He added that if a body failed to work according to the Constitution or fell then the President’s rule for the remaining tenure must be implemented. The Deputy Secretary of the Indian Medical Association, Haryana, Dr K.K. Goyal, stressed the need for educating people for a change in the social environment of the country along with some changes in the electoral system so that the people develop the ability to judge the works of the politicians. Mahesh Sharda of the local City Cable also emphasised the need to fix the maximum age limit for politicians. Advocate Ravinder Monga drew attention to the need to put an effective control over the election expenditure by candidates or political parties. Mr Ashok Singal, Chartered Accountant, said like in the USA the head of the Indian Government should be given maximum two chances to fight elections for the post. The secretary of the local Panchnad unit said not only the term of the election be fixed at all levels, except the Centre, where byelection, if necessary, must be conducted only for the remaining period. He said the change would control horse-trading. Dr Ved Beniwal, president of the unit, welcomed the participants. Amongst others who participated in this discussion were Dr M.R. Bansal, Dr R.M. Arora, in charge of Ranbaxy Health Services, Dr Anita Arora, chief convener of Crisis Management Committee, Dr Vinod Gupta. |
|
Chautala mourns Balayogi’s death Chandigarh, March 3 During the state mourning the National Flag will be flown at half-mast and there will be no official entertainment during the period. The Governor, Babu Parmanand, cancelled the dinner to be hosted by him tomorrow at Haryana Raj Bhavan for MLAs. Babu Parmanand and the Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, expressed grief over the death of Mr Balayogi. In separate messages, they described Mr Balayogi as a seasoned parliamentarian and great social reformer. In his death the nation had lost a young, promising and popular leader of the masses, they said. Mourning his death, the Haryana Speaker, Mr Satbir Singh Kadian, and the Deputy Speaker, Mr Gopi Chand Gahlot, described him as an outstanding parliamentarian and good administrator. The Haryana Congress president, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who also mourned Mr Balayogi’s death, described him as a seasoned social reformer. |
|
|
PGIMS doc files suit against Director Rohtak, March 3 Dr Jagdish has filed a civil suit in the court of Civil Judge (Senior Division) alleging that the officiating Director of the PGIMS, Dr D.R. Yadav, was harassing him with mala fede intentions because he had in 1995 raised objections to the admission of Dr Yadav’s daughter to the MBBS course. Mridul Yadav, daughter of Dr Yadav, was not entitled to the benefit of reservation in the backward community category as her father was a Class I officer, he alleged in the complaint. Dr Jagdish, who is second in the seniority list in the Medicine Department, said he was directed by the Director on February 22 to vacate his office and hand over the charge to Dr M.S. Gupta, a junior ad hoc professor in the department, for the installation of a TMT machine. This was despite the fact that at a meeting chaired by the Director on October 10 last year, it had been decided that the machine would be installed in ward No 16. The Medical Superintendent, Dr S.S. Sangwan, the Head of the Medicine Department, Dr S.B. Siwach, and Dr M.S. Gupta had also attended that meeting, Dr Jagdish said. Dr Siwatch offered to provide two rooms adjoining the office of Dr Jagdish for the installation of the machine if it was not be installed in ward No 16 as per the earlier decision. He said asking Dr Jagdish to vacate his office was unjustified. Dr Jagdish, in his complaint, also alleged that Dr Yadav got his daughter admitted on June 27, 1996, almost a year after the start of the regular session in August, 1995. His daughter was allowed to appear in the Ist Prof MBBS examination just after six months of her admission instead of the required 18 months, he alleged. Dr Jagdish has sought an inquiry into the case and the cancellation of the admission and results of the subsequent examinations passed by Mridula Yadav.
|
|
State-level health camp on March 23 Karnal, March 3 He said a state-level health camp would be held under the series on March 23 at Ottaral near Hathin. The camp would be inaugurated by Dr C.P. Thakur, Union Health Minister. He claimed that polio would be eradicated from the state by December 31. Furthermore, the government planned to cover the entire state under the Central Government’s TB eradication programme. Already more than half a dozen districts had been covered. The Union Government had provided an aid of Rs 1 crore for each district in this regard. The government had deployed 16 mobile dispensaries to provide medical facilities on the doorstep of villagers. Mr Ranga said four trauma centres for accident victims were being set up along the National Highway No. 1 at Karnal, Delhi-Agra Highway, Delhi-Jaipur National Highway and Delhi-Sirsa National Highway which passed through Haryana. The trauma centre at Karnal had been completed. The Health Minister said a mental hospital was being set up at Rohtak. A proposal for this Rs 5-crore project had already been sent to the Union Government for sanction. The minister also said 250 doctors would be recruited and posted in villages. |
|
Dist chief of BJP quits party Jhajjar, March 2 While announcing this at a press conference here, Ms Ahlawat alleged that there was no respect for the common worker in the BJP and she was feeling alienated in the party for a long time. Giving reasons behind her decision to defect from the party, she said the central leadership had failed to give an assurance on the issue of linking the district headquarters to a rail facility when a delegation of the local unit met them earlier this year. She also termed the budget as “anti-people” and maintained that only the HVP led by Mr Bansi Lal could provide an efficient and pro-people administration to the people of Haryana. Mr Manphool Singh and Mr Anand Kadian, leaders of the HVP, were also present at the press conference. Meanwhile, reacting to the development the local BJP leadership termed the decision of Ms Ahlawat to defect from the party as “opportunist” adding that the local party unit would continue its struggle for the railway facility and that her decision was not going to affect the party in any way. |
|
Youth beaten to death Sirsa, March 3 In his complaint Sant Lal has alleged that his brother Nihal Singh was badly beaten by his uncles, Partap, Jagdish and Devi Lal, with the help of two others due to which his brother died. Sant Lal further alleged that due to a long-pending land dispute, the five had kidnapped his brother on Friday night while he was returning from the field. |
|
Sena activists burn effigies of cops Ambala, March 3 Eight effigies were burnt at the busy Sadar Chowk in Ambala Cantonment this evening. The protesters raised slogans against the police personnel and demanded that the cases should be investigated immediately. General Secretary of the state unit of the Shiv Sena, Mr Shiv Charan Sharma, said in the case pertaining to the Parao area, the persons involved in the rape and murder of a girl should be arrested. He said the second case pertains to a land dispute in the Mullana area. The third case is of a Himmatpura resident who alleged that he had been framed in a case and Railway Police personnel had taken money from him.
|
|
Two killed in roof
collapse Ambala, March 3 The incident took place at Prem Nagar. The roof of a house collapsed, killing 30-year-old Dhirendra Kaushik and his two-year-old daughter. His wife was working outside the house at the time of the incident. The family was from Udham Singh Nagar and was hiring as tenants in the house. Dhirendra Kaushik was working with a company at Lalru. Their bodies have been taken to their paternal home in Udham Singh Nagar. On February 28, two members of a family were killed and three others sustained serious injuries when the roof of a house collapsed in Regiment Bazar, Ambala Cantt. The incident had taken place when the family members were sleeping in their house. |
 |
| 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 | | 122 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
