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H A R Y A N A |  |
 Tuesday, August 18, 1998 |
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Sonia to tour Haryana GURGAON, Aug 17 — Congress President Sonia Gandhi has expressed her willingness to visit Haryana to meet some of the families of the Scheduled Castes who suffered atrocities and the families of the farmers who had reportedly committed suicides. |
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Badal’s demand on
Eradi panel "unjust" |
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| Congress leader to sell onions
No govt 'can supply' free power |
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One injured in bomb blast BJP activists burn Clinton's effigy Demand for octroi abolition flayed |
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Sonia to tour Haryana GURGAON, Aug 17 — Congress President Sonia Gandhi has expressed her willingness to visit Haryana to meet some of the families of the Scheduled Castes who suffered atrocities and the families of the farmers who had reportedly committed suicides. According to sources, Mrs Sonia Gandhi expressed her desire to the president of the Haryana unit of the Congress, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda. The details of the proposed visit will be finalised by the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) in consultation with the 10, Janpath by August 25. Indications are that she would visit in the third week of next month. There is a move to arrange Mrs Sonia Gandhi’s visit to Haryana so that it could be included in itinerary of her Punjab visit, sources added. After Mrs Gandhi disclosed her mind, the Congress leadership in Haryana has asked all district presidents to submit reports of atrocities on the dalits and also reported cases of suicides by the farmers. The details of the visit would be finalised only after the reports. Mrs Gandhi’s desire to meet the family members of the Scheduled Castes was in the context of the Congress’ efforts to win them back in the party fold. With Haryana being predominantly an agrarian state, the party’s overt sympathy towards the farming community would be in place from the point of view of strengthening the party’s base in the rural belt of the state. Taking cue from the Central leadership, the HPCC has launched a campaign to win over the Scheduled Castes and the OBCs. With regard to the SCs, the party has created Zones of the Dalits Cells of the HPCC. Soon the Cells will be established at the block level, a member of the All-India Congress Committee and former minister of Haryana, Dr Kripa Ram Puniya said. A leader in the HPCC said that it was party’s compulsion to win over the SCs, considering the dynamics of the voting pattern witnessed in the last few elections. The Bahujan Samaj Party had made a dent in the SC vote bank, which constitute about 10-20 per cent in a number of assembly constituencies. In the last two Assembly elections, a number of nominees from all the political parties lost the elections by a margin ranging from 200-2000 votes.In the last parliamentary elections, the Indian National Lok Dal, the erstwhile Haryana Lok Dal (Rashtriya) — the main Opposition party in the Haryana assembly — put up an impressive performance winning four Lok Sabha seats in alliance with the BSP. While the HLD(R) lost the Bhiwani seat by a small margin, its ally the BSP won the reserved Ambala seat. Senior Congress leaders in
the state are of the view that the party must make all
efforts to win over the Dalits to stop the BSP from
playing a major role in the state’s electoral
politics. As of today, the HPCC plans to contest the next
Assembly elections in the state on its own without
aligning with any party. |
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Badal’s demand on Eradi panel
"unjust" CHANDIGARH, Aug 17 — The Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Bansi Lal, today took exception to the statement of the Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, that the Eradi Commission constituted to solve the river waters issue between Punjab and Haryana should be dissolved immediately. In a statement, Mr Bansi Lal said it appeared that the Punjab Government was in the habit of backing out of every agreement on one pretext or the other which did not favour them. He said there had been several awards and agreements on the inter-State water and territorial issues but the Punjab Government had always failed to implement them in letter and spirit. Mr Bansi Lal pointed out that the Eradi Tribunal was constituted as a result of the Rajiv-Longowal accord signed between the then Prime Minister, Mr Rajiv Gandhi, and the then President of Shiromani Akali Dal, Sant Harchand Singh Longowal, on July 24,1985, for adjudication and verification of the matters referred to in para 9.1 and 9.2 of the said accord. The Punjab Government had been participating in all the proceedings of the Tribunal. The Eradi Tribunal had already delivered its award indicating the share of water of various States on January 30,1987. At present, the Tribunal was to give only clarification and guidance on certain points under Section 5(3) of the Inter-State River Water Dispute Act, 1956. He said the 'Riparian principle was totally irrelevant in the present context. Haryana, being a successor State of the erstwhile State of Punjab and also a part of the Indus basin, had equal rights over the waters of the Ravi-Beas rivers. Punjab could not claim exclusive rights over these waters. He said the river waters being a national asset, their use could not be restricted to the boundaries of any particular State. He said under Section 12 of the Inter-State Waters Dispute Act, the Central Government could dissolve a Tribunal only after it had completed its work in all respects and was satisfied that no further reference to the Tribunal in the matter was necessary. Therefore, the demand by the Punjab Chief Minister was not only unfair and unjust, it was also illegal being contrary to the provisions of the Act. He said it did not behove a Chief Minister of the status of Mr Badal to make such a statement. Mr Bansi Lal further said in respect of the territorial issue also, the Punjab Government had been repeatedly changing its stand. He said that the Shah Commission had given its recommendations on May 31,1966, awarding Kharar tehsil including the Chandigarh Capital Project to Haryana. He said this Award, which was based on the principle of equity, was not agreed to by Punjab. This was followed by the Indira Gandhi Award on January 29,1970, which gave Chandigarh to Punjab in lieu of Abohar and Fazilka along with 105 villages to Haryana. Even though initially this was welcomed by Punjab and there was great rejoicing in the State in the form of lighting of lamps, later on this too was rejected by Punjab. Mr Bansi Lal reiterated the demand for implementation of the recommendations of the Shah Commission in toto as that would be the only way to resolve the matter relating to Chandigarh and other territories. He also said that the Eradi Tribunal Award should be implemented without any delay. Mr Bansi Lal also expressed his concern over the fact that the control of headworks at Harike, Ropar and Ferozepur had not been transferred to the Bhakra Beas Management Board by the Punjab Government for the last 32 years even though they were obliged to do so under Section 79 of Punjab Reorganisation Act 1966. Also, Punjab had not been
able to maintain Bhakra mainline and Narwana Branch
canals to deliver legitimate share of Haryana's
irrigation waters despite the fact that the Haryana
Government had deposited Rs. 7.13 crore with the Punjab
Government to undertake special repair of these canals in
the Punjab territory. As a result, Haryana was receiving
1894 cusecs less than its full share of water through
these canals. He urged the Punjab Government to execute
the special repair work of these canals immediately. |
Chautala decries bifurcation of
HSEB KAITHAL, Aug 17 — Mr Om Parkash Chautala, a former Haryana Chief Minister, has strongly criticised the formation of two separate companies GENCO and TRANSCO for the generation and transmission of power in the state. Addressing a press conference here today he said it was a retrograde step and a cruel "gift" to the farmers and people of Haryana in the 51st year of independence by the Bansi Lal Government. He also anticipated about 30 per cent increase in the power tariff, to please the World Bank, which has provided financial assistance to the state government for the power sector. While bifurcating the HSEB
the state government had ignored the interests of the
consumers and the Board employees as well, he said. He
took the Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Bansi Lal to task for
making a statement at Gurgaon on August 15, that no
government could provide free power to the people. Mr
Chautala reiterated, that if the people voted him to
power, he would not only provide free power to the
agricultural sector, but would go a step further and
provide free power to some other weaker sections of the
society, including those living below the poverty line.
He reminded that whenever he or his father Devi Lal
remained Chief Ministers of Haryana they not only ensured
regular supply to the consumers including farmers but
also provided the power at much cheaper rates as compared
to the present state government. To a question, that free power to agriculture sector in Punjab over burdened other consumers by way of increase in power tariff and taxes, and the government had to withdraw the recent power hike, Mr Chautala replied that he knew the art of governance and whenever his party formed government it would keep the interests of all sections of the society in mind as in the past. Lashing out at the present HVP-BJP alliance government in Haryana Mr Chautala alleged that the economy of the state has been ruined due to wrong policies of the government and all development activities had come to a stand still. To prove his point, Mr Chautala urged the Bansi Lal government to issue a white paper on the development works completed by his government during its present tenure. He said corruption prevalent in the state had made the life of the common man miserable and alleged that even private and other transport vehicles owned by the Haryana Ministers or their relatives were plying without payment of taxes. Similarly illegal mining and grabbing of land by influential persons in different parts of the state were causing immense loss to the state exchequer. The Haryana government had failed to maintain law & order in the state and incidents of murder, rape, looting and kidnapping were increasing day by day, causing a sense of insecurity among the people, he alleged. In the present
circumstances, the farmers, employees, students, members
of business community and people of various other
sections of the society had been forced to come to the
streets, to protest against the misdeeds, illogical
policies and mis-governance of the present state
government and keeping in view the sentiments of the
people his party had also launched a campaign to uproot
this corrupt and inefficient government, he said. His
party has decided to submit memorandums to the central
government through the Deputy Commissioners at various
district headquarters urging the central government to
immediately dismiss this government for various acts of
omission and commission. Later Mr Chautala, Ms Kailash
Saini, M.P., Mr Rampal Majra, M.L.A. Mr Amar Singh Dhanda
and Makhen Singh, Ex. M.L. As and other prominent local
leaders addressed the public meeting in the Nehru Park,
here and then went in procession to submit a memorandum
to the Deputy Commissioner in support of their demands. |
Power authority chief, CHANDIGARH, Aug 17 — Haryana today became the second State in the country after Orissa and the first in north India to set up an Electricity Regulatory Authority. The State Governor, Mr Mahabir Prasad, administered the oath of office and secrecy to Mr V.S. Ailawadi and Mr Ramesh Chander as Chairman and member, respectively, at a simple function held in Raj Bhavan here. The third member would be sworn in after some time. While Mr Ailawadi is a retired IAS officer of the State cadre, Mr Ramesh Chander is a former Deputy Comptroller-General of India. He would be the member (finance). The Chief Minister, Mr Bansi Lal, later told newsmen that two corporations, GENCO and TRANSCO, had been set up in place of the Haryana State Electricity Board. Two distribution companies, one owned by the Government and the other in the joint sector, would be set up within six months. The joint sector company would be set up after floating global tenders and the State would be divided into two zones. Mr Bansi Lal said the staff of the erstwhile HSEB would be adjusted in the companies and there would be no retrenchment. Their service conditions would remain unaltered. He said the authority would fix power tariff after hearing GENCO and consumers. The agriculture sector would continue to get power at the subsidised rate of 50 paise per unit. The State Government would pay subsidy to GENCO. During the current year the subsidy amount would be Rs 700 crore. He said 1289 MW capacity was proposed to be added within a maximum of two years to the existing generation of 863 MW. He said the power tariff would not be hiked in the coming one year. Meanwhile, Confederation
of Indian Industry (CII) has welcomed the dismantling of
the HSEB. |
HSEB staff uncertain about
future ROHTAK, Aug 17 — After the setting up of the two corporations for the generation and transmission of power in Haryana, nearly 45,000 engineers and employees of the HSEB are uncertain about their future. They do not know whether they belong to the corporation or the board and are unsure about the authority which will disburse their salaries and have an administrative control over them. Although the two corporations have been constituted by the Haryana Power Regulatory Commission, no official notice had reportedly been issued to any of the board offices so far. Mr Bharat Bhushan, general secretary, of the HSEB Workers Union (Rohtak circle), alleged that the government had not taken the engineers and the employees into confidence regarding the bifurcation of the HSEB. Meanwhile, the employees of the board, on the first day of their statewide "protest week" today, held gate meetings and criticised the decision of power privatisation of the government. Addressing a gathering, Mr Narender Malik, president of the union, said the government with a view to concealing the "maladministration" and the huge "deficit" of the board, had handed it over to private companies. Meanwhile, power cuts have adversely affected the water supply in several parts of the town. The situation is worse in
the rural areas and the suburban towns of Kalanaur, Meham
and Sampla. |
Oppn gears up for Aug 20 bandh SONEPAT, Aug 17 — The all-party Sangharsh Samiti today geared up to make the August 20 bandh a complete success in this district headquarters. The bandh call has been given to register a protest against the continuous power and drinking water crisis in urban and rural areas of the region. Leaders of all opposition parties, trade unions and social and voluntary organisations have extended their support to the bandh call. Leaders of the ruling HVP and the BJP have opposed the bandh and blamed the Opposition for exploiting the people as the state government is making "concerted efforts' to ensure the supply of water and power. Meanwhile, the district administration is taking steps to maintain law and order at all costs on the day of the bandh. Police pickets will be deployed at all vulnerable points as a precautionary measure. The authorities will not allow any one to exert pressure on the shopkeepers to close their shops. Today normal life remained paralysed and the business activity came to a standstill following a six-hour load-shedding applied by the HSEB in a major part of the town without any prior notice. The power supply was switched off around 10 a.m. and restored around 4 p.m. This caused inconvenience to thousands of people in the affected areas. Snapping of power transmission wires was stated to be the cause of the breakdown. Residents are critical of
the HSEB authorities for their failure to ensure a
regular power supply. Villages, especially falling under
the jurisdiction of Murthal subdivision of the HSEB are
worst hit. |
Congress leader to sell onions ROHTAK, Aug 17 — The District Congress Committee (Rural) has adopted a unique manner to protest against the steep hike in vegetables. The committee president, with a view to attracting the attention of the state government towards the "unrestrained" prices of vegetables, has announced to sell vegetables on August 20, the birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi. He would sell potatoes and onions at the rate of Rs 4 and Rs 5 per kg, respectively, at the local Bhiwani stand chowk. The prevalent prices of potatoes and onions in the town is around Rs 10 and Rs 22 per kg. However, he said only 1 kg
would be sold to each customer. Two
killed
in group clash HISAR, Aug 17 — Two persons, including an aged woman, were killed and two others injured in a clash between the two rival groups in Khera Rangran village under Narnaund police station in Hansi subdivision of the district yesterday, the police said today. While a youth Balbir Singh died on the spot, the woman Dhan Kaur died later. Old enmity is stated to be cause of the crime. A case under Section 302
of the IPC has been registered against 12 persons,
including four women. No arrest has been made so far. |
No govt can supply free power: Bansi GURGAON, Aug 17 — Mr Bansi Lal, Chief Minister, Haryana has said that neither the present nor any other government can provide free power to the farmers. He has advised the farmers not to be misled by the propaganda of the opposition parties. Mr Bansi Lal said this while addressing a public meeting at Manesar village. He said the state government had signed an agreement with a private company and Maruti Udyog Ltd to purchase electricity for Gurgaon district. He said the industrial model township at Manesar would be the latest of its type in the country. The Chief Minister said 66- kv sub-station at Behra Kalani Gurgaon district would be completed in 1999. Earlier, he laid the
foundation stone of a 50-bedded hospital at Manesar. |
CPM campaign against inflation ROHTAK, Aug 17 — The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has launched a statewide campaign to protest against the maladministration of the Union and state governments. The campaign will continue for one month. A decision to this effect was taken at a two-day meeting of the state committee of the CPM yesterday. Mr Inderjit Singh, state secretary of the CPM said in the first phase. The party activists would visit various districts in large groups to mobilise people for the campaign. While in the second phase he said three state-level groups of party activists would assemble at Delhi on September 16 to attend the national level-rally. The main issues of the campaign are "unrestrained" inflation, power and water crisis, 'deteriorating' law and order situation, deplorable' condition of education and health services, 'rising' atrocities degeneration of politics and the "unethical" way of curbing democratic agitations by invoking the ESMA. The CPM described the
statewide strike by university and college teachers as
genuine and criticised the "negative attitude of the
Human Resource Development Ministry towards their demand.
It also sought restoration of the earlier status of Guru
Jambheshwar university at Hisar. |
Plus two students wait for
mark-sheets FATEHABAD, Aug 17 — The State Education Board has not issued detailed mark-sheets of the students who appeared in the plus two (Home Science) examination this year. According to parents of the students although the examinations were held in March this year and the result was declared in June, the board had not yet sent the detailed mark-sheets of the students. Plus two being the basic
class, the students have to plan their careers and take
admissions to the higher classes accordingly. But in the
absence of the mark-sheets the students are not in a
position to choose courses for their further study. Those
students who wish to change their college can't do so as
new institutions demand the mark-sheet. Parents allege
that the board has been playing with students' careers by
not sending their mark-sheets in time. Bomb blast in Bahadurgarh: one
injured ROHTAK, Aug 17 — Raja Ram, a rickshawpuller, was injured when a crude bomb exploded in the old industrial area at Bahadurgarh, 45 km from here, this afternoon. The injured has been admitted to the civil hospital in the industrial town bordering the Union Capital. He has sustained deep burns in the legs and arm. The SDM, Bahadurgarh, Mr Rohtash Singh Kharb, said the injured was out of danger. Mr Kharb told Tribune News Service on the telephone that the bomb was tied below the rickshaw with the help of a magnet. Another bomb-like obstacle was lying unexploded near the site of the incidence. He said forensic experts from Madhuban had been summoned to examine the potential of the exploded and unexploded bombs. The incident has sent shock waves in the industrial town which was rocked in the past two years with incidents of baby killings. When the explosion took
place, Raja Ram was resting in his rickshaw parked under
a tree. It is said that another rickshawpuller was also
sitting near Raja Ram's rickshaw, but he disappeared
minutes before the explosion. |
BJP activists burn Clinton's effigy BHIWANI, Aug 17 — Activists of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha blackened signboards and wall advertisements of Pepsi and burnt the effigy of President Bill Clinton at Ghantaghar Chowk in protest against the anti-India policies of the USA. BJP leaders and president of the morcha called upon the youths to oppose American companies. Meanwhile, the youth wing
of Indian National Lok Dal staged a dharna here today in
protest against the deteriorating law and order
situation, inflation and shortage of power and water in
both rural and urban areas. Demand for octroi abolition
flayed BHIWANI, Aug 17 — Former Municipal Council president and HVP leader Ramesh Masta has criticised the statement of BJP leaders, demanding the abolition of octroi in the state. In a statement issued here he said the BJP leaders had not studied the condition of committees before raising the demand. He said octroi was the main source of income of councils and committees. Various committees in the state received Rs 70 crore as octroi for their expenditure. Earlier they had been charging water tax from the public but now it had gone to the Public Health Department, likewise "tehbazari" too was banned by the government. Only house tax and octroi were used to incur the expenses. He said out of this, 75 per cent was spent on the salaries of scavengers, while no income was made through streetlights, rather, the committee paid commercial charges to HSEB and never charged the public. He said if octroi was abolished, the committees would meet their natural death. He said octroi in Haryana
was charged on weight whereas it was charged on value in
neighbouring states. |
Rs 197 cr investment in first
quarter CHANDIGARH, Aug 17 — The Haryana Government has got an investment of Rs 197.06 crore during the first quarter of the current financial year in small savings schemes as against Rs 105.65 crore during corresponding period last year. Stating this, Mr Charan
Dass Shorewala, Finance Minister Haryana, said in view of
the response, the Government had introduced a Golden
Jubilee Savings Prize Scheme from April 1, last December
31 next. As many as 13,000 attractive prizes had been
kept for two draws. The first draw would be organised for
the investment up to August 31 on the coupons issued on
the investment of Rs 5,000 each. The government would pay
the income tax on behalf of the winners of the prizes.
Lottery investors can also avail of the facility of
prizes by safe deposits in the scheme. CCA for Haryana staff from Jan
1 CHANDIGARH, Aug 17 — The Haryana Government has notified City Compensatory Allowance (CCA) for its employees, effective from January 1 last consequent upon the revision of pay scales. The Haryana Finance
Minister, Mr Charan Dass Shorewala, said employees
working at Chandigarh, Panchkula, Delhi and Faridabad and
those working at Chandigarh but residing at Mohali would
be entitled to modified CCA at the rate of 3 per cent of
the pay subject to a maximum of Rs.200 and minimum of
Rs.100 per month. He said employees working in other
towns with population of more than 1 lakh would be
entitled to 1.5 per cent of the pay subject to a maximum
of Rs.100 per month. The arrears of the CCA would be paid
in cash from January 1 last. The present classification
of cities in the State for the grant of CCA would remain
the same. |
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