43 Kilayat villages face water crisis
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 21
The glaring difference between the condition of some of the villages in the Kilayat constituency and neighbouring Narwana throws light on Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala’s policy of offering special treatment to his constituency.

According to Mr Gaje Singh Muwal, an elderly social activist, 43 villages falling in the Kilayat constituency have been facing a shortage of drinking water. In neighbouring Narwana, which is represented in the Assembly by the Chief Minister the problem has been effectively tackled.

Kilayat, a seat reserved for a Scheduled Caste candidate, is currently represented by Mr Dina Ram of the INLD. Despite the constituency having a legislator from the ruling party, it remains in the backwaters as far as development is concerned, Mr Muwal says.

He added that 14 of the 43 villages in the Kilayat constituency were in Narwana subdivision and their administrative control was with Jind district. Even though Jind was high on the agenda of the government agencies because of the Narwana constituency, the cases of development of the villages in the Kilayat constituency was always ignored at the review meetings held by the district administration in connection with the Chief Minister’s “sarkar aapke dwar” programme. The villages of the Kilayat constituency in Jind district included Singsar, Singwal, Surdken Khurd, Surdken Kala etc, Mr Muwal said.

The remaining 29 villages were, however, controlled by the Kaithal district administration but their condition was also deplorable. There was no supply of proper drinking water at Kharak Panua, Ramgarh Panua, Mataur, Kamarpur and other villages, the social worker said. As drinking water was untreated most villagers were getting affected by major water-borne ailments.

Mr Muwal said he had been trying for the past two decades to get water supply and sanitation in these villages improved, his efforts were yet to yield any result. Besides officials of the Public Health Department, he had even met the Chief Minister and the Governor to bring to their notice the plight of the villagers. However, nothing had been done to improve the condition of these villages, he lamented.

CM offers probe into Indo-Fiji society funds
Our Correspondent

Hisar, January 21
The Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, today offered to hold a probe into the alleged misuse of funds collected by the Indo-Fiji Friendship Society for helping the Fijian struggle for restoring democracy, provided credible evidence was given in this regard.

Addressing a press conference here today he said the society headed by INLD MP from Rohtak Inder Singh had collected funds for the specific purpose as ousted Fijian Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry hailed from Rohtak district.

He maintained that the society had been maintaining proper records of the funds and the money was safely lying in a bank account. Mr Chautala said the Opposition was raking up the issue to defame him.

The Chief Minister said since the Punjab Government had failed to discharge its responsibility for completing the SYL canal he would now ask the Centre for completing the project through a central agency.

Last evening Mr Chautala laid the foundation stones of several projects in and around the town. His arrival was delayed by several hours as his plane could not land here due to dense fog.

The Chief Minister laid the foundation stone of a Rs 2 crore extension project of the mini-secretariat here.

Later, he also laid the stone of a 33-KV power sub-station at Sirsaud village. He also inaugurated the community centre at Sector 14 near the bus stand.

Degrees conferred on 800 girl students
Our Correspondent

Yamunanagar, January 21
Mr Dhanpat Singh, Higher Education Commissioner, Haryana, while speaking at convocation at Guru Nanak Girls College here today afternoon stated that learning was a continuous process. He urged that everyone should learn good things from others. He said the main objective of education was to inculcate the culture of learning.

He said real education was about sharing responsibilities and showing love, care and concern for the less fortunate ones or to create a future of which the coming generations could feel proud. He said the students of the college were lucky because it was established by Sant Nishchal Singh who laid stress on imparting religious and moral education.

He conferred degrees on 800 girls students of the college. Mr Manoranjan Singh Sawhney, general secretary of the college, lauded the Haryana Government’s role in promoting girl’s education in the state. Ms Tripat Kapoor, principal of the college, gave details of the activities of the college. Dr R.K. Behl, member, college governing body, and vice-chancellor, Kurukshetra University was also honoured on the occasion.

Polio case reported
Our Correspondent

Sirsa, January 21
A case of polio has been reported in the district. An eight-month-old child of Aathburji village in Rania block of the district is said to be suffering from polio. However, the District Immunisation Officer, DR Usha Batta, did not confirm the report. She said the WHO had asked for the details of the case, She informed that stool samples of two other cases, one from Mojdeen village of the district and another from Mormandi village, had also been sent to a laboratory.

Sources said the stool sample of the boy, was sent to a Kasauli-based laboratory a month ago.

Thieves decamp with money from temple
Tribune Reporters

Ambala, January 21
Thieves decamped with about Rs 9,000 from cash boxes of a charitable dispensary in the premises of a temple in Prem Nagar, Ambala City, today morning.

The thieves also broke the locks of the temple, but could not take away any valuables as the priest had woken up by that time.

The priest of the temple, Mr Mohan Lal, who lives in a room adjoining the temple, said around 3 am today, when he woke up for his routine work, he heard some noises near the temple. By the time he went there, the burglars had succeeded in running away. He found that two cash boxes of the dispensary had been broken and the thieves had decamped with the cash. The door of the temple had also been forced open. A few days back, another theft incident had taken place in this area.

The police has registered a case and is investigating the matter.

HIGH COURT
Plea admitted
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 21
A Division Bench of the high court has admitted a writ petition filed by the HUDA (Township) Residents Welfare Association at Kaithal, challenging the action of the state of Haryana and other respondents creating a new grain market at Kaithal in alleged violation of the master plan.

The petitioners had submitted that the respondents were wrongly changing the land user, reserved for amenities, including hospital and banks, and had decided to carve out commercial plots.

Additional charge
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 21
Mr G L Yadav, Estate Officer, HUDA, Rohtak, has been given additional charge as SDO (Civil), Rohtak, against a vacant post with immediate effect.