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Farmers allege irregularities in paddy
procurement Haryana Sikhs slam Tohra, vow to Fatehabad yet to recover house tax
arrears Two dengue cases
confirmed HIGH COURT |
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Counsellors’ term
extended MP hurt in road mishap LEAF FROM HISTORY
Rural handicraft fair concludes Varsity invites nominations for diploma
course
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Farmers allege irregularities in paddy
procurement Fatehabad, October 20 The trouble began in the morning today. When the Foods and Supplies Department, started the procurement operations, certain farmers started protesting against the alleged indifferent attitude of the government agencies. The farmers alleged that the government agencies had not been purchasing their produce on one pretext or the other. They alleged that the government agencies were hand in glove with the private millers and were deliberately creating circumstances under which the farmers were forced to sell their paddy to the millers at throwaway prices. They alleged that while the minimum support price (MSP) for the paddy crop was Rs.580 per quintal, the millers offered only Rs.500 per quintal. Rai Saheb, a farmer from Hasanga village alleged that he had been camping here since Thursday. He said government agencies had been rejecting his heaps of paddy without any reason. Inder Singh, another farmer from Bhirdana village alleged that he had been camping in the grain market for the past six days. The Government agencies had refused to purchase his paddy while the private millers had offered a rate of Rs. 500 per quintal. Pritam Singh of Ram Pura Dhani village, Manjit Singh of Matana, village, Jagtar Singh from Majra village and Jagdish Singh from Biranbadi village had also been camping here for the past four to five days and alleged agencies had not been purchasing their paddy. Mr Chander Bhan of the district unit of the Haryana Kisan Sabha alleged that the government agencies had been conniving with private millers to fleece the farmers. He led a procession of the farmers to the local Patwar Bhavan, where the Deputy Commissioner was holding his ‘open darbar’. The Deputy Commissioner assured the farmers to look in to the complaints. The allegations of the farmers were, however, denied by Mr I. D. Khan, District Food and Supplies Controller. He maintained that the government agencies had been purchasing every grain of the paddy brought to the market provided it was within the specifications set by the government. |
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Haryana Sikhs slam Tohra, vow to oppose
him Karnal, October 20 A few Sikh organisations had jointly formed a parallel body to the SGPC on an ad hoc basis under the banner of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Prabhandak Committee (ad hoc) in order to exert pressure on the Sikh leaders in Punjab. A meeting of this body was held here today, under the leadership of Mr Jagdish Singh Jhinda. All members of this ad hoc committee unanimously criticised the statement of Mr Tohra and said that the SGPC President had betrayed the Sikhs of Haryana. They reminded Mr Tohra about the meeting they had convened with him on September 6, this year at his Patiala residence in which the SGPC President had agreed to bring in a resolution regarding their demand in the general house of the SGPC for discussion. The Sikhs, who gathered here, also slammed Mr Tohra for continuing on the post of President even after the completion of the present term of five-year of the SGPC general house. “He cannot be accepted as the President of SGPC after the completion of five-year term of the general house”, said Mr Iqbal Singh
Waraich, secretary of the ad hoc committee. Mr Jhinda said that there were 74 gurdwaras under the control of SGPC in the state and all earnings from these religious places were being drained out of the state. “Nothing is being spend for the welfare of society or the Sikhs in particular in Haryana, even as millions of rupees are collected from the pockets of Sikhs residing in the state, he alleged. The basic reason behind the formation of a separate body was to block the money earned from 74 gurdwaras managed by the SGPC from going out of the state, maintained Mr Waraich. He said that Mr Tohra had laid the foundation stone of a medical college at Shahbad in 1992 but no progress had been made in this regard. Neither a building had been constructed nor a hospital, as promised, had been started as part of the medical college. The medical college project was estimated at a total cost of Rs 100 crore but so far only Rs 4 crore had been spend in a span of 11 years. It seemed that the project had virtually come to a standstill with no progress in the construction work in the past few years. The Sikhs of Haryana also alleged that they had contributed millions of rupees separately in the ‘shaheedi fund’ of SGPC but not even a single rupee had ever been given to the families whose kin had lost lives in the wars of 1962, 1965, 1971 and 1984 riots. However, in Punjab, the SGPC had given financial help in lump sum and even in the form of pension to the victim families, alleged Mr Waraich. He further slammed Mr Tohra as the sole person responsible for discrimination against the Sikhs residing outside Punjab. The ad hoc gurdwara committee today passed a resolution that if Mr Tohra failed to pass a resolution regarding recommendation of a separate gurdwara committee for Haryana in the coming general house meeting of the SGPC, scheduled in November, the Sikhs in Haryana would oppose Mr Tohra at all
political and religious fronts. Earlier, a delegation of the ad hoc gurdwara committee under the leadership of its vice president Nawab Singh Singhra and Chaudhary Dalip Singh, met SAD chief Parkash Singh Badal recently. Chaudhary Dalip Singh claimed that Mr Badal had agreed upon to form a separate interim committee to manage the administrative affairs of gurdwaras in Haryana. |
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Fatehabad yet to recover house tax
arrears Fatehabad, October 20 According to sources, the total demand raised by the authorities under this head for the year 2002-03 was Rs 58.50 lakh. A further sum of Rs. 11.39 lakh had been pending on account of the arrears of preceding years. Tohana town in this district has the poorest record with merely 17.59 per cent of the total house tax having been recovered yet. Rattia, another municipal town in this district, has a recovery percentage of 40.61, according to sources. Here, the municipal authorities have been able to recover an amount of Rs. 15.53 lakh out of Rs 38.25 lakh. In the matter of collection of rent for municipal properties rented out to private persons, the Tohana Municipal Committee tops with the best 47.75 per cent recovery. Out of the Rs.8.46 lakh of rent due from the tenants, it has already recovered Rs 4.04 lakhs. The Rattia Municipal Committee has the poorest record. The municipal authorities at Rattia have been able to recover only Rs 5.14 lakh out of the Rs 23.97 lakh due from its tenants. The Fatehabad municipal authorities have so far recovered Rs 7.17 lakh out of Rs 20.48 lakh rental dues. Tohana is again at the top in the matter of recovery of trade tax with 71.60 per cent recovery till date. The Rattia municipal committee is not far behind with a recovery percentage of 65. The Fatehabad Municipal Committee has the poorest record with a recovery percentage of 42. The local municipal committee lags behind others in the matter of recovery of miscellaneous taxes with a poor percentage of 12 only. The Rattia municipal committee, with a recovery percentage of 33.11, is in a slightly better position. Tohana is on the top with a recovery percentage of 70.21. The Deputy Commissioner, Dr. R. B. Langyan, when contacted, said the district administration has issued instructions to the municipal authorities in the district to expedite recovery of taxes in their respective areas. |
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Two dengue cases
confirmed Karnal, October 20 Disclosing this here today, Mr R.S. Doon, Deputy Commissioner, Karnal, said 16 cases of viral infection were reported in various hospitals in the district during the past couple of weeks and 14 blood samples were collected. He said the three patients, who had been confirmed to be suffering from Japanese encephalitis and dengue were out of danger. However, they were under the examination of medical experts, he added. Mr Doon said the Health Department had initiated a campaign of fogging and educating the rural masses through pamphlets and group discussions on a war footing. So far, 77 villages had been covered in the fogging operation, he said. He said no fresh case of dengue and encephalitis had been reported in the district yesterday and today. |
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HIGH COURT Chandigarh, October 20 The convict, Anil Kumar, was earlier booked by the Haryana police on the charge of committing rape on a minor. Claiming to have been implicated, the accused, when confronted with the incriminating evidence against him, had denied the allegation and sought trial. Taking up the case, Jind’s Additional District and Sessions Judge had acquitted the accused of the charge. Challenging the order, the state of Haryana, in its appeal, had sought directions for the setting aside of the same. After hearing the arguments in the case and going through the documents, the Bench, headed by Mr Justice S.S. Nijjar, ordered the setting aside of the order before sentencing him to 10 years’ imprisonment. |
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MP hurt in road mishap Fatehabad, October 20 Mr Indora represents the Sirsa constituency in Haryana. The accident occurred when the MP, along with his family, was returning to his constituency after attending a marriage in Bathinda. All three of them were taken to the local Civil Hospital and discharged after first aid. —
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Counsellors’ term extended Chandigarh, October 20 The counsellors were from among retired judges, executive officers, professionals like doctors, professors, non-practising advocates and educated housewives and appointed on an honorary basis. No fee was being charged from the persons who settled their disputes through counselling centres, Mr Justice Bali said. —
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LEAF FROM HISTORY Ambala: The fire brigades of Ambala City and Ambala Cantt date back to the pre-Independence period. The fire-fighting capability in the bygone era was rudimentary yet effective. Despite there being no hi-tech equipment, which are available today, the firemen had the ability to douse infernos. It would be interesting to note that the fire engine available with the fire brigade in Ambala City in the 1930s was being operated manually. Documents dating back to those times show that efforts were on to improve the fire brigade in Ambala Cantt and Ambala City. Incidentally, Rs 11,000, which was required for its
upgradation, was not available with the Municipal Committee, Ambala City, then. The documents also show that the financial position of the committee was far from satisfactory. A letter from the President, Municipal Committee, Ambala City, to the then Deputy Commissioner issued on December 4, 1930, states “referring to your office Endt No. 5491/M dated December 2, 1930, I have the honour to state that this municipality can be classified under appendix No.3, having population between 25,000 to 75,000, the expenditure for which is estimated at Rs 11,000 for the purchase of fire brigade equipment.” The letter points out that “this committee is unable to provide such a big amount when it is already facing financial difficulties. I beg to state that there is a fire engine being operated manually. It is under the charge of the city pipe layer stationed in the city service reservoir, who in time of need is assisted by the city
keymen, nine in number.” Local people used to help in controlling fires. In this regard the Citizens Association, Ambala
Cantt, on April 30, 1936, sent a communique to the Deputy Commissioner stating that “ in connection with the fire which broke out in the Sadar Bazar on April 27, 1936, I have the honour to refer to you the names of those gentlemen who rendered valuable services in attempting to extinguish the fire. They deserve credit for their selfless service for a public cause by putting their lives at risk.” Those who have been referred in the letter include Capt Rachhpal Singh, Cantonment Executive Officer, who “worked like a coolie demolishing the threatened building with his own hands”, M.D. Paul, Sanitary Superintendent, “who was assisted by 50 of his men equipped with fire extinguishing implements”, Peter John of the Postal Department and
P.K.D. Johnston, Inspector of Police, who “worked with all his vigour and was able to save a canister full of currency notes belonging to an old woman.” Barely a week after the major fire in Sadar
Bazar, the then Deputy Commissioner, B.R.Tandan, wrote to the Officer Commanding, Royal Air Force, Ambala Cantt “I write to request that the bill for services rendered in extinguishing the fire on April 27 in the Sadar Bazar may please be sent at an early date.” The system of seeking assistance of the military or the Royal Air Force fire brigade was already in place. A letter dated July 9, 1937, from the Station Staff Office to the Deputy
Commissioner stated “with reference to the correspondence ending in your letter no. 6751/M dated July 3, 1937, I have the honour to inform you that as Sadar Bazar area is now outside the Cantonment limits the Brigade Area Commander has directed the military or the Royal Air Force personnel that they will deal with a fire outside the cantonment limits only when a request in this regard is received by the Officer Commanding, Ambala, from you as Deputy Commissioner or Superintendent of Police or from the Cantonment Magistrate or Additional District Magistrate if both DC and SP are out of station.” Another letter on this issue from the President, Municipal Committee, Sadar
Bazar, to the Deputy Commissioner stated “I have the honour to say that all officers mentioned by the Officer Commanding, Ambala, are residing in Ambala City at a distance of about five miles from the Sadar Bazar municipality and in case a fire breaks out in the Sadar bazar area it will be rather a lengthy procedure to approach the Officer Commanding for help who is residing in the cantonment through the officers residing at a distance from both parties.” |
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Ex-soldier denied pension for 30 years Jaito, October 20 Bharpur Singh of Gumti Khurd village was honoured with three medals for bravery during the Indo-China and Indo-Pak wars. But for the past 30 years he has been struggling to get his monthly pension. “I am pained. I don’t know for what fault of mine they are withholding my pension. There is nothing on my report which prevents them from giving me pension,” he told reporters here. The military authorities have given him a clean chit and the government should look into the details and release the pension at the earliest, he said. “Or else, I will return all the three ‘Raksha Medals’ to the Centre,” he added. —
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Rural handicraft fair concludes Kaithal, October 20 The administration claimed that people from all walks of life visited the mela. Handicraft items prepared by artisans and a demonstration of non-conventional source of solar energy were a hit with the people. The district administration left no stone unturned to make this event a memorable one. The Department of Public Relations had made special arrangements to provide information to the public about the mela. Mrs Jaiwanti Sheokand, Special Secretary, Rural Development Department, Haryana, inaugurated this mela on Friday. She visited about 50 stalls set by rural artisans from Punjab Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh government departments and the District Rural Development Agencies of Punjab and Haryana. Representatives of Panchaytai Raj institutions, mahila mandals and large number of people from rural and urban areas were present on this occasion. Addressing the people, Mrs Sheokand lauded the role played by the District Rural Development Agency in organising such a big mela which not only provide an opportunity to rural craftsmen and artisans to show their talent, but also provide them with an opportunity to acquire knowledge about new ventures in their fields. She said the government would provide a special development grant to villages where residents adopted cent per cent indoor toilet facilities. The Deputy Commissioner speaking on this occasion said the main objective of development agencies was to eradicate poverty. Self-help groups constituted for this purpose were becoming very effective in providing employment opportunities to the unemployed. Mr JPS Dahiya ADC in his address said there was plenty of talent in rural and urban areas which needed proper guidance and financial help for excellent results. |
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Varsity invites nominations for diploma
course Hisar, October 20 The university has started this course in collaboration with the University of Hull, UK, which would be conducted by the Academy of Agriculture Research and Extension Management (AAREM) of the Directorate of Human Resource Management (HRM) of the university. The Director, HRM, Dr R.S. Dalal, said the duration of the course was one year and it was open to teachers, scientists and extension specialists. He said the fee of the course was Rs 2,000 and was payable at the time of the registration. Dr Dalal said this course was the first of its kind. It had been designed to meet the growing need to create gender awareness among development practitioners, teachers, researchers and extensionists for the formulation of gender-sensitive programmes and policies. Meanwhile, the HAU Department of Mathematics and Statistics will organise a workshop on mating designs from October 28 to 30 in which scientists from state agricultural universities and ICAR institutes will participate. The workshop is part of the ICAR project sanctioned to the university’s Mathematics and Statistics Department, with Dr L.S. Kaushik as principal investigator and Dr D.R. Aneja and Dr O.P. Sheoran as co-principal investigators of the project. According to Dr Kaushik, a software on mating designs and a practical manual prepared under the project would also be released during the inaugural function of the workshop. Both software and manual, he said, would be useful to geneticists, plant breeders and animal breeders working on hybrid breeding programmes. |
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