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Saturday,
May 4, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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TRIBUNE EXCLUSIVE Bureau probing loan scheme anomalies
Complaint withdrawn under pressure? Bill-payment scheme evokes good
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Chaudhary to be sworn in today 
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TRIBUNE EXCLUSIVE Chandigarh, May 3 The hike has come at a time when the Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, is touring the other states to assure the industrialists there that Haryana offers one of the best industrial environments in the country, and, hence, they should set up their ventures in the state. The increase in transportation cost subsequent to a hike in the government levy will definitely be a disincentive to the industrial sector. The trucks are usually allowed to carry either nine metric tonnes or 17 metric tonnes of load. Truck operators usually carry excess load to cut the cost as well as to earn an extra buck. The overloading charges for a nine-tonne truck have been increased from Rs 1500 per quarter to Rs 4500 per quarter. The charges for a 17-tonne truck will go up from Rs 2250 per quarter to Rs 10,000 per quarter. The overloading levy was introduced in the state by the Bansi Lal government following the imposition of prohibition. The then government imposed a uniform levy of Rs 150 per tonne of excess load per trip. Later, it extended an option to the trucks registered in Haryana. Their owners could pay a lumpsum of Rs 1000 per nine-tonne truck and Rs 1500 per 17-tonne truck for a quarter. By paying this amount, a truck operator could carry as much load as he desired and could make as many trips as he wanted. The charges were subsequently increased to Rs 1500 and Rs 2250 per quarter. According to sources in the transport trade, the system worked to the satisfaction of all concerned till last month. While the transporters were saved from harassment by unscruplous officials, the government earned about Rs 60 crore per annum. The sources said most of the transporters whose vehicles were registered in Haryana paid lumpsum levy for the quarter beginning April 1 last. However, at many entry points to Haryana, tax officials refused to recognise the receipts issued by the Excise and Taxation Department, which clearly stated that overloading tax had been paid upto June 30, 2002. The officials insisted that the truckers must pay Rs 150 per tonne of the excess load even if they had paid lumpsum tax. Strangely, different yardsticks were adopted in different districts. While in districts along the GT Road, the officials recognised the receipts of lumpsum tax, in districts like Rewari and Bhiwani, the officials insisted on demanding additional tax, ignoring the receipts of lumpsum tax. In one district, the officials were considerate enough to adjust the additional tax against the lumpsum tax already paid. A transporter, Mr Rajnish Singla, alleged that the state government’s tactics amounted to blackmailing the truckers before officially increasing the charges. He said the government perhaps wanted to give a shock treatment to the truckers so that they did not protest when the massive hike in the lumpsum charges would come. The events leading to the hike perhaps justified the allegation of Mr Singla. The government allowed overloading by trucks engaged in quarries of Faridabad and Gurgaon past week after the truckers there agreed to pay the increased rates. The government made this offer after the work in the quarries came to a halt. However, this offer was not made to other truckers. Representatives of other truckers from Faridabad district reportedly met the Excise and Taxation Commissioner, Mr Raj Kumar, today, and agreed to the hike. The sources said Rajasthan charged Rs 3000 per month from a 17-tonne truck registered in another state as overloading charges, besides a “convenience fee” of Rs 200. The “convenience fee” in Haryana was Rs 50, with of course, no receipt. For a nine-tonne truck, Rajasthan charged Rs 2250 per month. However, for trucks registered in Rajasthan, the “golden tax” (as it is known in the transporters’ jargon) was Rs 10,000 per annum. When contacted, official sources said tax was a penalty to check overloading of trucks. They said the government proposed to install weigh bridges on national and state highways to check this menace. |
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Bureau probing loan scheme anomalies Chandigarh, May 3 The committee, which originally recommended vigilance probe into the conducts of the HFC officials, is yet to give its report on the irregularities in the working capital loan scheme. In fact the committee has been meeting for this purpose and the next meeting in this series is scheduled to take place here on May 7 and 8. The committee of public undertakings report submitted to the Assembly on March 13, 2002, dealt with merchant banking scheme, equipment leasing scheme, vehicle sub-leasing scheme and public issue of the
HFC. The committee is presently engaged in looking into the issue of “observations made by the Comptroller and Auditor General
(CAG) in the irregularities in implementation of the working capital loan scheme”. The report will be ready in February, next year. The working capital loan scheme was introduced in October 1994 and the HFC decided to discontinue the facility in June 1996. According to the CAG’s report, out of a total of 252 units to whom the facility was extended, 156 cases were test checked in five branch offices (Bhiwani, Panipat, Rohtak, Rewari and Hisar) and it was found that 86 units were in default to the extent of Rs 20.79 crore as on March 31, 1998. A few illustrative cases were also mentioned in the CAG’s report. For instance, Sanjay Oil Mills of Jind took a loan of Rs 18.15 lakh from the
HFC. The unit defaulted in repayment and the corporation, on the request of the
loanee, took over the possession of the unit and sold it for Rs 6.01 lakh against an assessed value of Rs 13 lakh. Subsequently, the recovery certificate for recovery of balance amount of Rs 20.01 lakh (including interest) by the HFC was returned by the Collector, Jind with the remarks that no property existed in the names of partners and guarantor (who as per affidavit owned a house valued at Rs 10 lakh). Two other instances similar to this was mentioned in the CAG’s report. Sources said the committee would have a look at the bureau’s findings, if it were ready before the coming February, and would submit its observations. Importantly, the bureau has failed to comply with the deadline of three months set by the committee for giving its report on the areas already covered by the committee in its last report. The committee had also recommended a vigilance inquiry into the disappearance of a file, which contained HFC Board of Director’s recommendation regarding action against the then HFC MD, Mr Ajit Mohan
Sharan, from the Chief Secretary’s office. Among the various anomalies, the committee also found that in 12 cases of investments under the merchant banking scheme, involving Rs 3 crore, the decisions were taken by the MD though the proposals were supposed to be processed by a sub-committee. |
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Complaint withdrawn under pressure? Gurgaon, May 3 Meena (name changed), who along with her brother, lodged a complaint in the DLF police station a few days ago, alleging that an attempt had been made by Peeushi (name changed) and two other women to push her into immoral acts (sexual activities), has withdrawn her complaint. The Senior Superintendent of Police, Gurgaon, Mr Kuldip Singh Sihag, said the girls who were accused in the complaint were let off as there was no cognisable offence against them. Meena said that she had withdrawn her complaint as she had lodged following a quarrel with Peeushi, and at that time she was in a drugged condition. She made it known that she had now nothing to do with Peeushi or her life style. Moreover, she (Meena) was a married woman, as was Peeushi, and that she (Meena) about to go abroad. However, there are not many takers of the official line. They feel that the police has acted under extraneous factors and has hushed up the case. Incidentally, Peeushi is a daughter of an officer of the rank of DIG who was posted in Jammu and Kashmir. Meena is also from a well-to-do family as also the other girls who were rounded up following the complaint. All of them are residents of Gurgaon. According to sources, during interrogation in the DLF police station, Peeushi claimed familiarity with the bureaucrat in Gurgaon and called him on her mobile phone. The bureaucrat allegedly gave the staff members a dressing down on telephone, following which the girls were let off. Although the case stands hushed up for now, there are a number of social, ethical and legal issues that the police will find it hard pressed to answer. First, if the complaint was withdrawn why did the police not take action against Meena for lodging a frivolous complaint levelling accusations of a serious nature leading to the arrest of presumably innocent women. Also considering that both Meena and Peeushi are married, there could also be a case of aiding and abetting adultery. As Meena claims to have consumed drugs, why had the police not booked her under the Psychotropic and Drug Abuse Act. The case could cause embarrassment to the government on account of the alleged interference of its bureaucrat in the due process of law. |
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Bill-payment scheme
evokes good response Panchkula, May 3 An official spokesman of the Haryana Power Utilities today said that the consumers of these categories got their arrears amounting to Rs 236.54 lakhs settled. Thus a sum of Rs 178.81 lakh has been waived of by the Utilities in rural areas. He said consumers of Jind, Rohtak, Sonepat, Hisar and Bhiwani districts have warmly welcomed the scheme. Most of the consumers have paid their long-pending electricity bills in one go. It is also learnt that in view of the encouraging response to the scheme, the Power Utilities have decided to keep their cash collection centres open on May 4 and 5 (Saturday and Sunday) to facilitate the consumers who want to pay their arrears. Meanwhile, presiding over a meeting of district officers, Deputy Commissioner Jyoti Arora called upon the consumers to pay the arrears of electricity bills for the period ending April 2002 by May 15 and avail the benefit announced by the government. She asked the officials to seek cooperation of the people for the recovery of pending bills and arrange meeting of sarpanches, nambardars and prominent persons to create awareness of this scheme. Consumers who will pay 25 per cent of their dues by May 15, balance of 75 per cent will be waived off and on payment of instalment of Rs 100 per month, 50 per cent payment will be waived off and no surcharge or fine will be recovered from balance payment in future. The DC also directed the SDM, Panchkula and Kalka, Executive Engineer, UHBVN and BDPO’s to organise camps on May 6 at
Barwala, Pinjore, Morni and Raipur Rani.
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Chaudhary to be sworn in today Chandigarh, May 3 Mr Chaudhary, who was also a general secretary of the ruling INLD, had resigned his post yesterday. Today he resigned his party post also. His resignation from both posts was accepted today. Mr Chaudhary contested the Assembly elections on the INLD ticket from the Kalka constituency twice against Mr Chander Mohan, MLA son of a former Chief Minister, Mr Bhajan Lal. |
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No decision on power tariff hike Chandigarh, May 3 The meeting, however, failed to arrive at a decision. It has been now decided to hold another meeting on the issue later. |
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Interviews put off Chandigarh, May 3 |
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Direction hailed Ambala, May 3 |
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