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Saturday,
January 4, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Kaithal
villagers allege eviction Draupdi
abduction case: cop convicted
POSTINGS/ TRANSFERS BJP man refuses to vacate MC chief’s post |
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Farmers to
have training centre Trust move
to end ‘rehri’ menace Judicial
remand for ASI Bhaniarawala
case: hearing adjourned Order
reserved on Nain’s bail plea Hooda to stay away from Delhi protest
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Kaithal villagers allege eviction Chandigarh, January 3 A group of villagers from Kaithal alleged today that they were being evicted from their houses by the sarpanch of the village. Joginder Singh and Kulwant Singh of Arnoli village said that over 70 families of the village, who had migrated from Pakistan in the wake of Partition, were recently evicted from their houses by the police in connivance with the sarpanch. The sarpanch, Mr Beant Singh, alias Ujagar Singh, wants to appropriate their land, the farmers alleged. Mr B.S. Ramoowalia, leader of the Lok Bhalai Party and a member of the Rajya Sabha, who has stepped in to help the affected villagers, said he was surprised that Mr Parkash Singh Badal, a close political ally of Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala, was not doing anything to stop the harassment of people of Punjab origin in Haryana. He said he had carefully studied the legal positions in the case and felt that the administration should not have taken any action against the villagers since “the case was still pending in court”. Mr A.S. Chawla, SP, Kaithal, however, said that no villager had been evicted. The police, following a request from the civil administration, had dispossessed the villagers of 90 acres of land being held by them illegally. A police party accompanied the SDM of Kaithal to the village and took over 90 acres of agricultural land from the villagers. The land, which had no standing crop, was ploughed by the forest staff (who were also part of the official team) with tractors and saplings were planted there, Mr Chawla said. On October 1, a Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court had asked the villagers to pay rent at the rate of Rs 1500 per annum per acre for their landholdings. The court had further ordered that if the rent at the rate of Rs 1500 was not paid by the farmers within six weeks from the date of the order, the panchayat could initiate necessary action to take away the land. The villagers, according to the SP, refused to pay the rent following which a combined team of police and forest personnel, led by the SDM, dispossessed the villagers of the land, Mr Chawla said. He added although the annual rental of arable land in the village and its neighbourhood was hovering around Rs 12,000, these villagers were paying rent at the rate of only Rs 25 per annum as per an old arrangement. The affected villagers, however, alleged that the Deputy Commissioner and his staff did not cooperate with them when they went to deposit rent at the rate of Rs 1,500 per annum following the court order. The villagers had filed petitions also challenging the October 1 order but these petitions could not be taken up for consideration due to the winter vacation of the court. There was a clash between the police party and villagers on December 27 when the official party launched its drive to hand over the land to the panchayat. At least 12 persons including four women were arrested and were being kept in the Ambala jail. According to the SP, cases had been filed against 21
villagers who tried to resist the official team. He admitted that some women had also been arrested. |
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Draupdi
abduction
case: cop convicted Ambala, January 3 Draupdi, a resident of Karnal, has been missing since July 4, 1995. On the complaint of her mother Chander Kala, a case was registered on July 8, 1995, against Constable Suraj Mal, Raj Kumar Rana and Shivani, a friend of Draupdi in Karnal police station. Later, during investigation the allegation against Shivani and Raj Kumar was not established. The CBI counsel said on a writ petition of Chander Kala, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had handed over the investigation of the case the CBI which filed the charge sheet in this court in December, 1995. As many as 16 witnesses, including Shivani, were produced in the court. According to the charge sheet filed by the CBI in 1994-95 up to May 1995, Draupdi (then 18 years old) remained an employee in the PWD Office, Karnal, on daily wages. Later, she worked in the Congress Committee Office there. Accused Suraj Mal and Draupdi had illicit relations. The CBI also alleged in the charge sheet that Suraj Mal abducted Draupdi on July 4, 1995, and since then she was untraceable. |
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POSTINGS/ TRANSFERS Chandigarh, January 3 Mr Dharam Vir, Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Information Technology and Technical Education, has been posted as Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Technical Education and Science and Technology Departments, relieving Mr Sunil Ahuja of the charge of Department of Science and Technology. Mr
M. L. Tayal, Member, Sales Tax Tribunal and Commissioner for Inquiries-II, has been posted as Commissioner and Secretary, Education and Language, vice Mr
P. K. Chaudhery, who goes as Commissioner and Secretary, Cooperation, against a vacant post. Mr Harbaksh Singh, MD, Haryana State Industrial Development Corporation and MD, Haryana Tanneries Limited, Jind, has been given additional charge as the Commissioner and Secretary, Information Technology, relieving Mr Dharam Vir. Mr D.S. Dhesi, Additional Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister and Commissioner and Secretary, Environment, Sports and Youth Welfare, has been given additional charge as the Commissioner and Secretary, Civil Aviation, against a vacant post. Mr Shakti Singh, SDO (Civil), Meham, and MD Cooperative Sugar Mills, Meham, has been given additional charge as the Assistant Director, Consolidation of Holdings Rohtak, against a vacant post. |
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BJP man refuses to vacate MC chief’s post Ambala, January 3 The President’s term is for five years. But, according to an agreement between the BJP and the Vikas Parishad, the term was to be shared equally between their nominees. The two-and-a-half year term of Pandit Shankar Dass of BJP as President came to an end on December 31. But he was yet to step down from the office for Vikas Parishad’s Suresh Garg, who is currently the Vice-President. When the Municipal Council elections were held in 2000, the BJP and the Vikas Parishad had signed an agreement according to which the BJP candidate was to be the president for two and a half years followed by the Vikas Parishad candidate for the remaining period. When Vikas Parishad functionaries today reminded Pandit Shankar Dass of the agreement, he told them that he would obey his party’s directions. The agreement currently seems to be in a limbo as BJP Ambala Cantonment mandal president Mr Shish Pal Bhola said that while they would honour the party’s agreement, the President and Vice-President would again have to be elected by the House. Ambala Cantonment MLA Anil Vij, who heads the Vikas Parishad, said that they had entered into an agreement with the BJP for sharing of President’s post. “While the BJP nominee Pandit Shankar Dass was to be President for first two and half years, his tenure was to be followed by our nominee Mr Suresh Garg,” he said. He said that it was a written agreement and signed by office-bearers of the BJP as well as the Vikas Parishad. “Pandit Shankar Dass’s term completed on December 31. By that agreement, Mr Suresh Garg should become the new President of Municipal Council Ambala Sadar,” he said. Mr Vij said that Pandit Shankar Dass was reminded of the agreement. “Pandit Shankar Dass has said that he would obey the party’s directives. He should have consulted party before his term expired,” he said. President Municipal Council Ambala Sadar Pandit Shankar Dass, while admitting that his two and-half-year term had finished, said that he would talk to the party and obey their directives. BJP Ambala Cantonment mandal president Mr Shish Pal Bhola said that the commitment made by their party would be honoured. “The President as well as the Vice-President should resign and re-election should take place. The House must again elect since this is the democratic system,” he said. The Vikas Parishad and the BJP had entered into the agreement on June 16, 2000. The first point was that Pandit Shankar Dass will be President for two and half years and later Vikas Parishad nominee Mr Suresh Garg will be President for two and half years. Secondly, while Mr Suresh Garg will be Vice-President for first two and half years, a BJP nominee will be Vice-President for the remaining term. Also, the sub-committees will be headed by the Vice-President and the Vice-President will sometimes preside over the general meeting. The sub-committee will be formed together by both parties. Finally, a coordination committee will be formed. |
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Farmers
to have training centre Jind, January 3 This was stated by Mr Om Prakash Chautala, Chief Minister, while laying the foundation stone of the centre at Suchakhera village in Narwana subdivision, 50 km from here, today. The centre is being set up at a cost of Rs 42 lakh under the aegis of the PNB Farmers Welfare Trust. Mr Chautala said the training centre would open the doors of modern agriculture to the farming community. He said the centre would educate farmers on diversification of crops, maintenance of tractors and agriculture implements, and would also train them in the latest storage and marketing techniques. He said it would provide vocational training to rural unemployed youth for self-employment. Mr Chautala exhorted the farmers present on the occasion to adopt diversification of crops for economic development. He advised them to cultivate oilseeds, fruits, vegetables and other cash crops, and to adopt dairy farming. He stressed that thrust was being given to the growth of the food processing industry in the state so that the production of fruits and vegetables could be increased. He said a food processing policy was on the anvil. The policy would aim at ensuring remunerative prices for the produce of the farmers. Four food parks were being set up at Dabwali, Saha, Rai and Narwana. He called upon the youth to adopt dairy farming in a big way and assured them of all possible help from the state government. Mr Chautala said the state government had started a new programme, entitled Macro Management, under which a number of facilities would be given to farmers. The Chief Minister distributed PNB Krishi Cards to farmers on the occasion and also gave away cash assistance to the beneficiaries of the Apni Beti Apna Dhan Scheme. He also released a souvenir of the
PNB. |
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Trust move to end ‘rehri’ menace Karnal, January 3 As a first step to allow more walking space to the paedestrians, the District Magistrate has already issued prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC. Under the orders, the shopkeepers who are found keeping their wares, and articles on roads would be penalised. Not only that the luggage so found would be confiscated and sold in open auction. The Improvement Trust has already put markings of yellow strip on all roads beyond which the shopkeepers cannot keep their wares and articles. As a second step, the Chairman of the Improvement Trust, Dr Vijay Gupta, has held a meeting with the organisations of various traders in the city to impress upon them the
desirability of decongesting the city from traffic hazards. Infact, the tehbazari being charged from petty shopkeepers is the main problem. The tehbazari which had been done away with longtime ago is still continuing stealthly. In its new garb, a section of shopkeepers allow rehriwallahs to park in front of their shops on consideration of payment of a small sum by them. Some officials of the municipal council act in league with such shopkeepers and share the consideration money with them. In return these officials keep their hands off the road blocks by rehris thus adding to the discomfiture of the city residents. The administration has assured the shopkeepers to create sufficient parking space. Already the administration had provided parking space near the old District Court. But old habits die hard. A large number of visitors of the courts still park their vehicles on the main G T Road passing through the heart of the city. Another menace is that of tractor trailers. The village folk owning the tractor trailers are ignorant of the traffic rules and park their vehicles anywhere on the road while visiting the city. The administration also seems to be hesitant to take any action against them. Both the administration and the Improvement Trust are aware that there is not sufficient space in the city which could be earmarked for parking. It may be added in 1975, during emergency, Karnal was declared as a ‘khokha’ free city in India. Whether, the present administration will be able to free the city from the rehri menace is yet to be seen. |
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Judicial
remand for ASI Ambala, January 3 A team of bureau had nabbed the ASI while accepting a bribe of Rs
1,400 from an ex-police official, Banarsi Dass, to exclude his name
from an FIR registered against him under the Gambling Act a few days
back.
A resident of Husini, Mr Banarsi Dass had filed a complaint with
the SP (Vigilance) that an ASI of Naraingarh police station has been
demanding bribe from him. Inspector (Vigilance) Shyam Lal arrested the
ASI red-handed while taking the bribe. |
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Bhaniarawala
case: hearing adjourned Ambala, January 3 On the request of the
baba, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had transferred the case to Ambala a few months back. A few cases registered against the baba during the Akali Dal government in Punjab were also transferred to Ambala recently. The judge adjourned the case to January 21. |
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Order reserved on Nain’s bail plea Ambala, January 3 Earlier, the bail application was filed in the court of the Additional Sessions Judge, Mr
M. M. Sharma, but later on an application filed by the state, the District and Sessions Judge ordered its transfer to the court of Mr Kaushik. The argument on the bail application continued for two hours in the court today. After hearing the arguments of both sides the Judge reserved his order on the bail application for tomorrow. |
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Hooda to stay away from Delhi protest Chandigarh, January 3 Rao Inderjit Singh, a senior Congress leader, will also not participate in the programme. Mr Shamsher Singh Surjewala, another Congress leader, is also expected to take part. |
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