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Elections to 7 MC wards cancelled
Polling in wards of 47 civic bodies today
CM tries to expand Cong base in South Haryana
Malik violated poll code as Kaithal DC: complaint
Graft: CM to have e-mail identity for complaints
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Area under wheat, vegetable crops inundated
Seven scientists honoured with Goyal awards
Transporters go on indefinite strike
Fate of Devi Lal varsity students hangs in balance
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Elections to 7 MC wards cancelled
Karnal, April 15 The wards where elections have been cancelled include Ward Nos 1, 2, 3, 10, 11, 12 and 28. It was alleged that a few villages namely Baldi, Uchani, Kailash, Mangalpur, Budhakhera, Phusgarh, Rampur, Katabagh, Daha and Kambopura had come within the municipal council limits after the “wardbandi” held last year thereby affecting the electoral system of the local body. Besides, cancelling the elections to these wards, the State Election Commission has also asked the Department of Panchayats to immediately denotify the villages now included in the
municipal council limits. Panchayat elections in these villages were also held, last week. According to an official press note, election to Ward No.5 of the Gurgaon Muncipal Council has also been cancelled by the commission due to the death of one of the candidates, K.C. Verma. Elections to all these wards will be held separately after a fresh notification by the commission. Meanwhile, the state government has made all arrangements to conduct free and fair elections to the local bodies in the state. As many as 22,51,149 voters will exercise their franchise to elect 949 members out of 4,737 contesting candidates of 47 muncipal councils. As many as 117 candidates of political parties were in the fray across the state. A total of 2,416 polling stations had been set up for the elections in the state. Out of 997 members, 39 had been elected unopposed and one seat of Ward No.4, Ladwa Municipal Council had remained vacant due to withdrawal of candidature by all the candidates. The State Election Commission had also appointed election observers and expenditure observers to see that the elections to the municipal council wards were conducted in a free and fair manner. The observers (expenditure) had also reached their respective destinations to ensure that no candidate crossed the expenditure limit as prescribed by the State Election Commission. |
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Polling in wards of 47 civic bodies today
Chandigarh, April 15 A spokesman for the State Election Commission said 22,51,149 voters would exercise their franchise to elect 949 members out of 4737 contesting candidates of 47 municipal committees or councils. As many as 117 candidates of political parties were in the fray. He said that 2,416 polling stations had been set up for the elections. Out of 997 members, 39 had been elected unopposed and one seat of ward no.4, of the Municipal Committee, Ladwa, had remained vacant due to the withdrawal of candidature by all candidates. Election to ward no.5 of the Municipal Council, Gurgaon, had been cancelled by the commission due to the death of one of the candidates. Election to seven wards (1,2,3,10,11,12 and 28) of the Municipal Council, Karnal, had been cancelled on the request of the state government. |
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CM tries to expand Cong base in South Haryana
Gurgaon, April 15 After the official function at the temple, he went on socio-political visits to the residences and functions of leaders and sympathisers of the Congress organised in his honour. In fact, this was his second visit after assuming the office of Chief Minister, the first being to launch a statewide pulse polio programme. Among others, residences of the sitting Congress MLA from Gurgaon assembly constituency, Mr Dahramvir Gauba, a former minister, Rao Dharama Pal, and the party MLA from Pataudi, Mr Bhupinder Singh, were the venues of the Chief Minister’s visit. In fact, the political colour was visible at the entry point of Mr Hooda’s cavalcade on the Delhi-Gurgaon border on the Delhi-Jaipur highway where a large gathering received him.
The crowd waited him even though his arrival was delayed for more nearly three hours. Not only people from Gurgaon but also from the adjoining Rewari district — considered to be the nerve centre of the Ahirwal politics in South Haryana — were present on the border and at several places in the city the Chief Minister visited. According to a senior Congress leader, the core areas of South Haryana comprising Gurgaon, Rewari, Faridabad and Mahendergarh districts have been traditionally supporters of the Congress. Hence, Mr Hooda was understood to be aiming at further consolidating his party’s base in South Haryana. The Congress supporters appeared to be upbeat about the visit and they described it successful. The reason for this is said to be good turnout at the places the Chief Minister went. |
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Malik violated poll code as Kaithal DC: complaint
Chandigarh, April 15 Mr Malik, it was alleged, had sanctioned between 100 and 150 new arms licences after the Model Code of Conduct for the Haryana Assembly elections came into force on December 17. A number of arms licence applications were allegedly cleared by him after he demitted the office of Deputy Commissioner on March 14. Some 40 to 50 files relating to arms licence applications were alleged to be still in his possession. It was also alleged in the complaint that he had approved these applications as well. It was also brought to the government’s notice that Mr Malik had issued 16 no-objection certificates
(NOCs) for petrol stations during a period of just 20 days before demitting office (February 24 - March 14). The model code was in force till March 5 but this did not prevent Mr Malik from issuing the
NOCs. In fact, his transfer order was issued on March 13 with immediate effect and he should not have signed any order as Deputy Commissioner even on March 14. In view of Mr Malik’s conduct, the district administration later transferred the entire staff of the licensing branch on April 4 and further ordered the reconsideration of all new arms licences issued by Mr Malik after December 17, 2004. It was also stated that even though one month had elapsed since Mr Malik’s transfer to Chandigarh as Joint Secretary, Urban Development Department (with additional charge of Project Director, Swarn Jayanti Sehri Rojgar Yojna), he was yet to vacate the official residence of the Deputy Commissioner, Kaithal. Mr Malik apparently had no legitimate reason such as education of children or health problems of any member of the family for prolonging his possession of the bungalow. Usually, 10 staff members are posted at the Deputy Commissioner’s residence, but six of them had been withdrawn recently by the district administration. But still Mr Malik has shown no intention of quitting the Deputy Commissioner’s residence. Mr Malik, when asked by TNS about the allegations regarding the NOCs for petrol stations and gun licences, denied that he ever issued the NOCs or licences when the model code was in force in the state. He also denied that he still had in his possession some of the applications for arms licences. On his not vacating the Deputy Commissioner’s official residence at Kaithal, Mr Malik said he had been forced to retain the house as he was yet to be allotted accommodation by the government in Chandigarh. “I have some temporary arrangement for staying in Chandigarh but for bringing my family also to the city, I need a house”, Mr Malik said, speaking from Rewari where he had gone on election duty. “In any case I am entitled to retain a house in a place for two months after I am transferred from there”, he said. |
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Graft: CM to have e-mail identity for complaints
Chandigarh, April 15 Mr Hooda believes that the common man comes in contact with the government primarily through field offices like those of tehsildars, licensing authorities, the Haryana Urban Development Authority, police stations, and local bodies. He says the government’s image in the common man’s mind is primarily formed by the treatment he gets in the field offices. If the common man has to give bribes in the field offices, his perception of the government remains that of a corrupt government, howsoever honest its leadership may be. A record of the field offices will be kept so that it can be known which office and which officers are frequently mentioned in complaints so that strict action can be taken against them. Mr Hooda, who usually works late in the night, will be opening the e-mail of the day himself. The mail needing action will be downloaded and sent to senior officers for the necessary action with a compliance report to the Chief Minister. The system will be in place after the field staff are reshuffled after the expiry of the Code of Conduct enforced for the civic elections. |
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Area under wheat, vegetable crops inundated
Sonepat, April 15 According to a report, the breach occurred around midnight last night and the gushing water spread in the nearby fields of wheat and vegetable crops. Many residents who reached the site alleged that some employees of the Irrigation Department were sitting near the culverts of the minor and they disappeared after seeing the breach. Thereupon, they informed the Executive Engineer and other officials of the Rai Water Service Division, stationed here, about the breach. On receiving the information, they came to the site and started work for plugging the breach with earth and sand but failed in their attempts during the
night. The officials with the help of the village people succeeded in plugging the breach after dawn today. The gushing water submerged the fields of many farmers and they have sought the compensation for the loss they have suffered due to the breach. According to another report, standing wheat crop worth several lakhs of rupees, spread over 42 acres of land, was reduced to ashes in a devastating fire which broke out in four villages, Shekhupura, Bega, Ghasauli and
Ahir Majra, in the district during the past 24 hours. The cause of fire was not yet known. However, it was brought under control by the municipal fire brigade. The affected farmers have demanded compensation for the loss they have suffered. |
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Seven scientists honoured with Goyal awards
Kurukshetra, April 15 The recipients of the awards included Prof Sandip K. Basu, Director of the National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, for his contribution in the field of applied sciences; Dr J.S. Yaday, Director of the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad, in the field of chemistry; Dr Seyed E. Hasnain, Director of the Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics, Hyderabad, in the field of life sciences and Prof A.K. Sood from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, in the field of physics. They were given a cash award of Rs 1 lakh, a gold medal and a citation each. The other three recipients of the award were Dr Murali Sastry from National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, for his contribution in the field of chemistry; Prof Ramesh Panchagnula from the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Mohali, in the field of life sciences and Dr L.C. Tribedi from Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, in the field of physics. They were given a cash award of Rs 50,000, a silver medal and a citation each. Dr S.K. Joshi, member of the University Grants Commission (UGC), was the chief guest He was of the view that the Union and state governments should fill all vacant posts in the universities purely on the merit basis and do away with the policy of ad-hoc recruitments. Promotions of university teachers and research scholars should be based on the performance basis, he added. Mr Maha Singh, Vice-Chancellor of the university in his address highlighted the need of inter-disciplinary approach in research. Perceiving that religion should not be mixed with science in the 21st century, he said religion could not be taken to any laboratory to prove any theory. “We need to open more educational institutes rather than setting-up religious institutes or organisations”, he added. Earlier, Dr D.K. Chaturvedi exhorted the students to opt for a career in science. |
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Transporters go on indefinite strike
Yamunanagar, April 15 The SP in a letter to all police station yesterday asked the SHOs to ensure that the local truck unions would not harass outside operators. The problem started when a tender of M/s Haryana Distillery went to a Chandigarh-based operator, Satpal Garg and Transport Company. Earlier, Yamunanagar-based Haryana Kashmir Transport Company had the contract with the distillery. Today a delegation of local transporters met the Deputy Commissioner against the SP’s order. Sources said the Deputy Commissioner asked them to meet the DSP, Mr Surinder Malik. The DSP told the agitating transporters that the police would adhere to the order. Mr Rajinder Singh Chaudhary of the Yamunanagar Truck Transport Union and Mr Gurbaz Singh of Majha Transport said all truck unions in the district were on the strike. |
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Fate of Devi Lal varsity students hangs in balance Sirsa, April 15 According to sources, the final examinations, which are scheduled in the end of this month or in the first week of May, might be delayed. At present, the posts of the Registrar and the Controller of Examinations are lying vacant. Prof A.K. Rajan has relinquished the charge of Registrar 10 days ago. The state government had given the charge of Vice-Chancellor to the Commissioner (Hisar range), Mr R.R. Fuliya, who also holds the charge of Guru Jambeshwar University, Hisar.
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ASI among 3 cops suspended
Panipat, April 15 A police spokesperson said the Panipat Superintendent of Police (SP), Mr Anil Yadav, suspended ASI Balwan Singh and Constable Mohinder Singh at Bapoli police division and Head Constable Shamsher Singh at Samalkha police division. The spokesperson said while the ASI and Constable had not acted properly on the complaint of a party, the Head Constable had not handled the case of a car theft properly. |
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Honours classes
Chandigarh, April 15 |
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