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MLA’s arrest: Cong
memo to Governor CM’s order on illegal
water connections Defunct railway memorabilia to be relocated in New Delhi No respite from ‘rehri’ menace Ambala, October 23 Three more children died of Japanese encephalitis in the district during the last 24 hours, raising the toll to 19. Two of them succumbed to the disease at the Civil Hospital, Ambala City, today noon, while the third died at the PGI, Chandigarh. |
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Haryana Day celebrations
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MLA’s arrest: Cong
memo to Governor Chandigarh, October 23 While State Congress President Bhajan Lal led a delegation of Congress leaders to present a memorandum to the Governor, Babu Parmanand here, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, held a rally at Jind in protest against the Barwala MLA’s arrest. The memorandum presented to the Governor claimed that Mr Jai Parkash had been arrested on false charges. Other Congress leaders like Mr Randeep Singh Surjewala, President of the All-India Youth Congress; Capt Ajay Singh Yadav, Deputy Leader of the CLP; Mr Tejendra Singh Mann, a former minister; Mr Dharam Vir, MLA, had also been slapped with false charges by the state government, the memorandum said, adding that cases were initiated even against Mr Bhajan Lal. Mr Karan Singh Dalal, MLA of the Republican Party of India, was also being persecuted by the state police because he had dared to oppose Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala, the memorandum alleged. The Congress memorandum urged the Governor to dismiss the Chautala-led government for following a policy of stifling democratic dissent. It also urged the Governor to assign the cases against politicians to the CBI or any other independent agency. Capt Ajay Singh Yadav, Mr Raghubir Singh Kadiyan, Mr Sher Singh, Mr Shadi Lal Batra, Mr Jeetender Malik, Mr O.P. Jindal and Mr Birender Singh, a former PCC chief were among those who took part in the Jind rally. Announcing that a rally would be held at Hisar after Mr Jai Parkash’s release, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda said Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala had no faith in democracy. The Congress had started a campaign to oust the Chautala-led government. Mr Birender Singh said the arrest of Mr Jai Parkash was an act of political vendetta by Mr Chautala. |
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2 MLAs booked
for blocking highway Kaithal, October 23 The case has been registered on a complaint of Naib Tehsildar Jagdish Chand who has alleged that two former MLAs, Mr Benarsi Dass and Bharat Singh Bedi, Halqa Congress president Paras Mittal, Mr Baldev Singh Balmiki, member HPCC, Joginder Singh, Suresh Sharma, Hardeep Singh, Gulab and Randhir Singh and hundreds of others blocked the traffic on bus stand crossing Kalayat. Most of the agitators armed with ‘lathis’ and sharp-edged weapons prevented the government servants from performing their duties, he has added. |
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CM’s order on illegal
water connections Chandigarh, October 23 Mr Chautala was reviewing the implementation of various schemes by the department at a special meeting held here today. He directed the Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Public Health, Mr N. Bala Bhaskar, to formulate a strategy to provide at least 40 litres of drinking water per capita per day in deficit villages in a time-bound manner. He also directed him to focus on ensuring the supply of adequate water in the Mewat area, where a Rs 425-crore water supply scheme should be implemented at the earliest. The scheme would benefit a population of 11 lakh in 242 villages in a phased manner. He also directed that water pump operators must remain on duty so that the pumps could be operated at the
scheduled time. He said the shortage of staff in the department should be met from the surplus staff in the departments of Irrigation and PWD (Buildings and Roads) immediately or through direct recruitment. Mr Bhaskar said the Central Government had sanctioned Rs 2.34 crore under the Swajaldhara programme to improve the availability of potable water. Out of it Rs 81 lakh had already been released by the Centre for Ambala, Sonepat, Kaithal, Panchkula and Kurukshetra districts. He said Nabard had also sanctioned 299 rural drinking water supply schemes, covering 694 villages at a cost of about Rs 200 crore. He said out of a total of 6,759 villages in the state, 1,756 villages were getting less than 40 litres of water per capita per day. |
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Defunct railway memorabilia to be relocated in New Delhi Kalka: The 100-year-old hand-operated crane at Kalka yard and a steam generator at Yadvindra Gardens, Pinjore, will be relocated at the National Railway Museum, New Delhi. This railway memorabilia, which has been lying defunct for over 50 years now, is being taken over to New Delhi on the request of the Indian Steam Railway Society (ISRS), in an effort to preserve these. Both machines, which form a part of railway heritage, reflect the glorious period of early mechanical age. Railway officials informed that these pieces of heritage had been lying unused for years till these were discovered by Mr P.J. Singh about two years ago. Since then, the ISRS has been making efforts to relocate these machines as exhibits in the National Rail Museum. The 1905-make hand-operated crane was lying in the Kalka yard till last year, before it was shifted to the Jagadhari railway shed for the 100 years of celebrations of the shed. The 1907-make steam generator, which was used to illuminate the Yadvindra Gardens during the early part of the century, is still lying in front of the main gate of the garden. Says the Station Superintendent of Kalka Railway
Station, Mr Rajinder Dutta, “This hand-operated crane is a rare piece and probably the only survivor of its kind. So it should be preserved by shifting it to the National Rail Museum.” What makes the crane unique is its wooden one-piece boom, with scars of nearly 100 years of use, beautiful casting, stabilising jacks on four sides and sliding counter weight. The crane was used by the mechanical wing to lift derailed boggies in case of accident. As many as eight persons were put on the job to rotate the handle of the crane and lift the material. This crane was made by T Worsdell Engineer, Birmingham; and weighs approximately 10 tons. It was in use till 1940’s, when it was replaced by the iron cranes in the Kalka yard. The steam powered generator, lying in Yadvindra Gardens, was specially imported in 1907 for illuminating the gardens during the royal visit, when these were the property of Maharaja of Patiala. This generator is also the only survivor of its time in India and has a capacity of 19 KW DC. Officials say that the engine is in a very good condition but does not blend with the aesthetics of the ancient architecture of the Yadvindra Gardens. It was thus that the ISRS was requested to have the engine shifted to the National Rail Museum. It may be mentioned that KSR Recovery Train (Train No 404 ), a wooden four wheeler, was relocated to the National Rail Museum from the Kalka yard in May, 2002. |
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No respite from ‘rehri’ menace Ambala, October 23 The only silver lining to the dark clouds of this problem is the action taken by the new Superintendent of Police, Mr Akil Mohammad, to remove these from near the Ambala Cantt railway station. The ‘rehris’ were severely hampering the movement of roadways buses and other vehicles. The strict action has brought about a sea change in the area. The step to remove the rehris has been welcomed by the local people who had to bear the traffic jams earlier. Immediately after taking over as the SP, Ambala, Mr Mohammad is believed to have given directions for the removal of rehris which were hampering traffic movement. While the SP’s directions have brought about the desired results near the Ambala Cantt railway station area, the effort has come a cropper in the area opposite the main bus stand. The ‘rehris’ outside the main bus stand are not only affecting traffic, but are also leading to losses to the market committee. A commission agent observed that when a vehicle enters the wholesale vegetable market, a fee has to be paid but some of the vehicles unload the vegetables outside the market. The vegetable vendors stand to gain from this `arrangement’. Recently, the Municipal Council, Ambala Sadar, had attempted to remove the ‘rehris’ but to no avail. The effort did not yield the desired result after a local politician reportedly intervened in the matter. With the vegetable vendors now openly flaunting their proximity to the politician, the good work being carried out by the police and the municipal council has come to a halt. To make the situation worse, the ‘rehri’ owners near the main bus stand now make fun of the authority of the police and the district administration. The common refrain is that they cannot be removed and at the most they will have to pay challan. Even the Hill Road looks like a garbage dump by nightfall. The vegetable vendors clog the busy Hill Road and traffic jams are frequent there. Despite frequent appeals by the local residents, no action has been initiated. Incidentally, the Army authorities had succeeded in clearing the ‘rehris’ from Jagadhari Road. Signboards had been put up which prohibited the ‘rehris’ from being stationed near the Supply Depot Chowk. But, again rehris of fruit sellers have reappeared on Jagadhari Road. Senior administration officials are believed to have directed the municipal council authorities to look for a suitable site where the ‘rehris’ could be stationed. But, there are two problems to this suggestion — firstly, a rehri is supposed to move around and not remain static. If a rehri remains static, then there is practically no difference between a shop and a rehri. Secondly, a large piece of suitable land is not immediately available. The problem of rehris is compounded by the fact that the shopkeepers charge a `fees’ from the rehri which in parked in front of their shop. The fees is an additional income for the shopkeeper. A municipal council official said if the shopkeepers realised that they were losing customers and ensured that no rehri remained stationary in front of their shops, then this problem will be solved to a large extent. |
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Three more encephalitis deaths reported Ambala, October 23 According to information, three-year-old Nishi, a resident of Sarang village, was admitted to the Civil Hospital in critical condition this morning. She died afte few hours. Another child
Ravi, a cousin brother of Nishi, was also admitted to a private nursing home in the city. He was referred to the PGI where he died this afternoon. The Civil Surgeon along with a team of doctors visited the private nursing home and collected the blood sample of the child. According
to hospital sources, another three-year-old girl of Samalkha village,
Priti, died of similar symptoms this morning. |
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Haryana Day celebrations Kurukshetra, October 23 Deputy Commissioner, Abhilaksh Likhi stated this here today among others Haryana Governor, Babu Parmanand, Haryana Chief Minister, Om Prakash Chautala, Haryana Cabinet Ministers, Members of Parliament and MLAs would participate in the celebrations. |
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Medical expenses to be reimbursed Chandigarh, October 23
Chandigarh, October 23
Chandigarh, October 23
Chandigarh, October 23 |
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