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Wednesday,
March
20, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Oppn for CBI probe into land to Sukhbir
Budgetary demands of Rs 9,688 cr
passed
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HIGH COURT
Bindu murder: Pappu Kharbanda sent to custody Teachers on exam duty, students
suffer Retrenched teachers ask for review Freedom fighter
dead
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Oppn for CBI probe into land to Sukhbir Chandigarh, March 19 The Opposition had given notice of a call-attention motion on the issue, which was disallowed by the Speaker, Mr Satbir Singh Kadian, on the ground that only an issue that had arisen recently could be raised through such a motion. This led to a noisy protest by the Opposition MLAs, who alleged that the government had sold off Haryana’s interest to the Badal family, which had been benefited to the extent of Rs 600 crore. Making a suo-motu clarification in the House the Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, denied that there was any irregularity in the allotment of land to the Badals and the allotment had stood the scrutiny of the Supreme Court. Accusing the Opposition of levelling baseless charges, Mr Chautala said since the Bansi Lal government had declared tourism an industry vide a notification issued on December 3, 1986, there was no irregularity in giving an industrial plot to Orbit Resorts in 1989. The plot was resumed by the Bhajan Lal government on January 2, 1995. A petition challenging the resumption was dismissed by a Single Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. However, a Division Bench accepted the LPA filed by the company and quashed the resumption order. Mr Chautala said in its detailed judgement the court held that “the decision of resumption was entirely of the Chief Minister.... We are of the view that the decision had been foisted rather than consciously taken by the Haryana State Industrial Development
Corporation(HSIDC)”. The high court judgement was upheld by the Supreme Court which directed the company in December, 1999 (when Mr Chautala had taken over as the Chief Minister) to pay all dues and construct the resort within two years. Terming the Opposition charge that his government had not contested the case in the Supreme Court properly as baseless, Mr Chautala said when the high court had quashed the resumption order, Mr Bansi Lal was the Chief Minister. Rising to give a personal explanation, Mr Bansi Lal quoted certain official documents to allege that Mr Mahabir Singh, who had been appearing on behalf of the Badals in the Supreme Court, was engaged by the Chautala government and it was on his advice that the government engaged the counsel to appear on its behalf in the Orbit Resorts case. However, the Speaker said no court judgement could be discussed in the House and asked Mr Bansi Lal to resume his seat. But Mr Bansi Lal continued to read out the documents. When Mr Kadian told the House reporters not to record anything being said by Mr Bansi Lal, the entire Opposition staged a walkout. Its members raised slogans demanding a CBI inquiry and the resignation of the Chautala government on the issue. Showing documents to the Press Mr Bansi Lal said his government had engaged two legal luminaries, Mr Shanti Bhushan and Mr D.D. Thakur, to represent it in the Supreme Court in the Orbit Resorts case. However, when Mr Chautala came to power, the advocates were changed. He said the government must clarify under what circumstances the advocates were changed and on what date. Mr Bansi Lal said on November 3, 1999, Mr Mahabir Singh wrote to the Registrar of the apex court seeking the adjournment of the case for four weeks, because he had requested the state government to make alternative arrangements in the case. Though he was counsel for Haryana, he could not appear in the case on the state’s behalf because of his earlier professional relationship with the
Badals. On December 2, 1999, an advocate, Mr Anil Grover, sent a fax message at 4-31 pm to the HSIDC that the case was fixed for the next day and it should immediately depute some officer to sign the power of attorney document in favour of Mr Mahesh Babu, advocate on record. Just after nine minutes (4.40 pm on the same day), Mr Bansi Lal said the Commissioner, Industries, sent a fax message from the CM Control Room to Mr Mahabir Singh, informing him that “the state government has no objection to your advice regarding appointing Mr Mahesh Babu to represent the state”. Mr Bansi Lal said it was clearly proved that the Chautala government engaged an advocate whose name was suggested by a person who had been representing Orbit Resorts in the Supreme Court. He also said that from the court order, it appeared that the government’s advocate did not make any submission before the court because normally a court recorded the contentions made by advocates representing all parties. But in this case the court had recorded the submissions of the advocate of the private company only. Mr Bhajan Lal alleged that the Chautala family was a partner in Orbit Resorts. He said no industrial plot had been allotted to any tourism project, either before or after the allotment of the prime land to the Badals. In 1994, the HSIDC sold a 1652 sq m plot, adjoining the land of Orbit Resorts, for Rs 5.11 crore to Tubros Estates Private Limited. Another adjoining plot of 1300 sq m was sold to Sudarshan Finance & Housing Company for Rs 21 crore in 1995. He said he had advised the HSIDC to resume the plot allotted to Orbit Resorts because it had failed to construct anything on it for more than five years. The HSIDC resumed plots in other cases if the owners failed to execute their projects within three years. The resumption order, he said, was quashed on technical grounds. Mr Hooda said the allotment itself was illegal and irregular. Unfortunately, the allotment of land to the Badals was never raised before the courts. It was only the resumption order which was the subject matter of the petitions before the courts. Mr Krishan Pal Gurjar (BJP), Mr Karan Singh Dalal
(RPI) and Mr Jagjit Singh Sangwan (NCP), who joined the press conference, also alleged that the Chautala family was a partner in Orbit Resorts. |
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Remorseless Loharu alienates its minority Loharu, March 19 The reason is not hard to find. While the authorities are at best apologetic, there is hardly any sense of remorse among the locals. To make matters worse, yesterday’s bandh here was in protest against the arrests of perpetrators of violence rather than show solidarity with those whose houses and shops were gutted and whose psyche damaged irreparably by vandals. Understandably, this historic town is today sans its minority community. There is hardly any trace of the 50 odd minority community families here whose ancestors lived here for centuries. Most of them fled as violence struck on Sunday. Those who were trapped were rescued and sent to safer places of their choice. There is no reason for them to return for they have nothing to gain but everything to lose. The victims were all poor members of the minority community who have no money to start life afresh. Most of them were small shopkeepers selling bangles and trinkets or rural artisans. They have no intention of risking their lives again. Their faith in Loharu’s centuries-old tradition of communal harmony has been shattered rudely. “Why should I go back? What had kept us there all these years was the ostensible strength of Loharu’s social fabric. But it turned out to be so weak. I have toiled to earn a living all my life. Now I would better toil among my own rather than risk being lynched or seeing my home set ablaze by neighbours. I have nothing more to lose”, says Bashir Ali (not his real name) who is now putting up with a distant cousin in a neighbouring village of Rajasthan. That’s the dominant sentiment among the victims of shocking incidents on Sunday. A few who returned to assess the situation are yet to gather enough courage to stay on. Three days after the violence, there is still no clue to why it happened in the first place. There are conflicting reports of what triggered it off. The most commonly touted reason is that someone spread the word that some youths belonging to the minority community were planning to amputate a cow in a religious place on Saturday night. This angered the majority community who vented their ire the next morning. But this is hardly credible. There is not one soul in the entire Loharu who claims to have seen a cow tied inside a room in a place of worship. Even the woman who is said to have seen the youths preparing to amputate a cow has vanished in thin air. Nobody can tell who she was and where she is now. The youths who were said to be planning to create mischief remain unidentified. All that is clear is that the entire incident is enveloped in a haze. Yet, it is this very haze that clearly points to a well planned conspiracy to disturb communal peace here. Whatever prompted it, whoever did it, is irrelevant. What is important is that there certainly is a hidden hand behind it. While some allege that Loharu’s places of worship of the minority community were in the recent past receiving some suspicious visitors from outside, others tend to blame the INLD’s estranged partner — the BJP — for it. The arrests of senior leaders of the BJP’s Bhiwani district unit are cited as proof enough. But the BJP cadres term this a part of political vendetta against them on the part of the government. There are still others who put the blame on ISI agents. Nobody knows for sure. While it is for the authorities to clear the mist and bring the guilty to book, the police cannot escape responsibility for not acting in time. Even as tempers got frayed on Saturday, no steps were taken to diffuse the tension which erupted in violence the next morning. Most locals agree that there would be no need for the police flag marches now had someone acted a day earlier. Work on repairing the damaged places of worship is in full swing. Dozens of labourers are undoing the damage and covering the soot from the communal fires with a fresh coat of whitewash under the watchful eyes of senior district officials. Yet, one gets an eerie feeling that all this is cosmetic. There is hardly any evidence to suggest that the inner and deeper wounds are being dressed too. So, is that the end of the multi religious character of Loharu which once was also the home of Mirza Ghalib’s wife? As of today the answer is yes unless someone can douse the smouldering wounds inside the hearts of the victims of violence. And that someone is certainly not the horde of senior officials camping in the desert. It has to be the majority community itself. |
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Budgetary demands of Rs 9,688 cr
passed Chandigarh, March 19 The Opposition had moved several cut motions on the budgetary demands, but these were rejected by the House by voice vote. Earlier, replying to the three-day debate on the Budget, the Finance Minister, Mr Sampat Singh, said even in the face of worldwide recession, Haryana was the only state in the country whose fiscal health was sound. He said Rs 10 crore had been earmarked for the repair of the SYL canal in the state. If more funds were needed for the canal, these would be made available even if he had to cut the allocation of funds under some other head. He said in the next financial year, the state was likely to record an increase of 12.3 per cent in its revenue receipts, and revenue expenditure was expected to be 9.3 per cent, mainly because of good financial management. Referring to the fiscal deficit in the Budget, Mr Sampat Singh said during the current year a lot of pressure was put on the state's financial resources. The state’s share in Central taxes was reduced by Rs 90 crore and another Rs 130 crore was reduced in tax revenue due to economic recession. He said the new mining policy of the state government would pay rich dividends. There were again heated exchanges between Treasury Benches and the Opposition members on the Khanak mines. In response to an allegation levelled by the Chief Minister, the HVP President, Mr Bansi Lal, admitted that his brother was a partner in one mine in the Khanak area. But, he said, his brother did not commit any irregularity or evade any taxes. The House also passed the Haryana
Municipal (Amendment) Bill, 2002; the Punjab Passengers and Goods
Taxation (Haryana Amendment) Bill; and the East Punjab War Awards
(Haryana Amendment)
BIll, 2002, before rising for the day. The House will take up the Appropriation Bill tomorrow, when it is likely to be adjourned sine die. |
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HIGH COURT
Chandigarh, March 19 In her petition before the High Court, Pehal’s mother Ishwarti Devi, his wife Sunita Devi and minor son Guru Noor, had alleged that the victim, along with another person, was eliminated by the Haryana Police while they were in its custody and as such the state was under an obligation to “bear the consequence of the action of its force which was being maintained to protect the lives and properties of the residents”. Going into the background of the case, counsel for the petitioners had added that the Central Bureau of Investigation, after conducting an investigation into the matter, had sought sanction for prosecuting the then Director-General of Police, Mr Lachhman Dass, and other police officials under Sections 302, 201, 218 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code. The trial, he had added, was still pending before the courts. |
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2 murders, 1 rape in Haryana
daily Chandigarh, March 19 The Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, informed Capt Ajay Singh Yadav (Congress) that 854 murders and 424 rape cases were registered in the state between January 1 last year and February 15 this year. During this period 88 dacoities, 253 cases of kidnapping, 260 cases of abduction, 70 highway robberies, 6788 thefts, 3294 vehicle thefts, 144 snatching of vehicles and 277 cases of snatching of ornaments were registered. Of 654 persons arrested in murder cases, only one was convicted and 19 were acquitted during this period. In rape cases, of 380 persons arrested one was convicted and 22 were acquitted. For kidnapping and abductions, no conviction or acquittal took place. The number of absconders in the state, which stood at 6,742 on May 1, 1998, rose to 11, 263 as on February 15 last.
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Teachers on exam duty, students
suffer Fatehabad, March 19 With annual examinations approaching, the parents are in a dilemma whether to send their wards to schools or not. As per the earlier examination schedule adopted by the schools run by the Haryana Government, examinations for the primary classes, Classes VI, VII, IX and plus one were used to be conducted in March every year. By the time the Board examination process for the pre-Board classes were also finished. The examinations for the board and pre-board classes ran simultaneously. But from this year, the government has changed the entire system. The examinations for plus two classes have already finished while that for classes VIII and X have begun from today. These examinations will continue till April 15, 2002. The state government has not yet finalised the dates for pre-Board examinations. The Director of School Education, according to sources, has called a meeting on March 23, to take a decision on the issue. The examinations are expected to begin in the first week of April. Earlier the session in the government-run schools used to start on April 1 every year. The teachers and students used to attend the schools for five days only and the schools were then closed on April 5 for harvesting vacation. The schools reopened on April 14. The summer vacation started on May 20. This year the system has been revamped. The session itself will begin in May and there will be no harvesting vacation. The new system has posed a peculiar problem for students of pre-Board classes. The District Education Officer, Mr Shri Ram Thakar, himself was on examination duty and was away to Tohana heading a flying squad, when this correspondent tried to contact him. The Deputy DEO, Mr N.C. Wadhwa said the government had taken the decision to revamp the system to make it on a par with the CBSE schedule. He said earlier when the schools opened on April 1 not a single student used to turn up in village schools as they remained busy in harvesting. Even when the schools re-opened after harvesting vacation on April 14, fewer number of students used to turn up in schools. |
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Bindu murder: Pappu Kharbanda sent to custody Ambala, March 19 Political activist Pappu Kharbanda has been sent to three days’ police custody. The public prosecutor today submitted that other accused in the case had absconded and investigations were on to track them. Meanwhile, Pappu Kharbanda’s wife, Veena Kharbanda, in a letter addressed to the Chief Justice, Supreme Court of India, has demanded that investigations must be carried out in the Bindu murder case so that her husband can get justice. She alleged that a former Haryana minister had framed her husband, Pappu Kharbanda, in the case. One dies |
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Retrenched teachers ask for review Fatehabad, March 19 In a memorandum submitted to the Chief Minister through the Deputy Commissioner here, the union said as many as 4,000 teachers were recruited as project teachers in January, 2001, at a consolidated salary of Rs 3,000 per month on a contract basis for one year. The teachers were removed on December 31,2001, on the completion of their term. It said while relieving them the government had stated that their services were no more required as the DPEP was due to complete by March, 2002. The union further said now it had been revealed that about 20 per cent budget of the project was still unutilised and the Union Human Resources Ministry had already conceded to the demand of the state government to extend the project for a further period of one year. |
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Freedom fighter
dead Yamunanagar, March 19 Sohan Singh was born in 1917 at Sulha village in
Gujarat district in Pakistan. He served in the INA from 1939 to 1945 and went to Japan and Singapore for the freedom struggle. After the Partition he got settled in Mandhar village in the district and served till 1970 in the Defence security department. He was awarded Tamra Patra in 1972 by the late Prime Minister Ms Indira Gandhi and was also honoured by the Haryana Government in 1985. He has left behind his wife, two sons and two daughters. Rasam Pagri will be held on March 31 at his village. |
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