HPCC woos minorities for membership
GHASEDA (Nuh), Oct 2 — The Congress utilised the kick-off of its membership drive in the state here today to give a thrust to its move to win over the minorities.

3 recommended for awards
BILASPUR, Oct 2 — Names of Manoj Kumar, Nandlal and Bhangiram of Deoli village near here who risked their lives to save two women from drowning in a rivulet have been recommended for awards.

Civic staff threaten stir
SOLAN, Oct 2 — The local MC Workers Union has threatened to launch an agitation against the recent appointments.

Six writers get national awards
SHIMLA, Oct 2 — Mrs V.S. Rama Devi, Governor, has stressed the need for bringing Indian languages closer with a view to establishing strong communication link between people.

Leopard found dead
HAMIRPUR, Oct 2 — A female leopard measuring about 160 cm was found dead in bushes near Samkari village of the district today. Gram panchayat pardhan Mundkhar brought this to the notice of the Forest Officer who has taken custody of the animal.

HPCC woos minorities for membership
Tribune News Service

GHASEDA (Nuh), Oct 2 — The Congress utilised the kick-off of its membership drive in the state here today to give a thrust to its move to win over the minorities.

The function regarding the enrolment of new members in the Congress was presided over by a party MP from Mahendergarh, Rao Inderjit Singh in which the state President of the party, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda,was the chief guest. It was organised by the Minoritiy Cell of the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC). The function was attended by senior leaders of the state, including a former Governor, Mr Sultan Singh and leader of the Congress in the Haryana assembly, Mrs Kartar Devi. A Congress MLA from Gurgaon, Mr Dharamvir Gabba, a Congress MLA from Rajasthan, Mr Tayab Hussain, the Chairman of the Minority cell of the HPCC, Mr Jagdeep Singh Cheema, a former minister of the state and Vice President of the HPCC, Rao Dharam Pal, and a former MLA, Mr Zakir Hussain, also attended the function.

Mr Hooda assured the public that should his party come to power, a separate district would be carved out for Mewat in response to a demand made by Mr Dharamvir Gabba.

Mr Hooda further said that the central leadership of the Congress was determined to bring back the minorities in the partyfold.

Rao Inderjit Singh lamented the shrinkage in the base of the Congress during the past few years in the country, particularly in Haryana, and attributed it to faulty leadership. The leadership had indulged in politics of manipulations, he added.

Mr Tayab Hussain, who is also a former Home Minister of Haryana and his son, Mr Zakir Hussain, were the star speakers. Both of them lauded the leadership of Mr Hooda and said that he had revived the party in a big way after taking over its reigns.

According to the organisers of the function, enough significance was attached by the party in chosing Ghaseda village as the venue for the kick-off of the membership drive in the state, which will come to an end on December 31. After several brainstorming sessions among senior leaders of the party, Ghaseda was preferred to Palwal in Faridabad district as Mahatma Gandhi had visited the village after Partition. He had come here with a specific purpose: to appeal to the Meos of the Mewat area not to migrate to Pakistan. He also assured them of a pride of place in independent India. The Mahatma had come at a time when the country was caught in the vortex of post-Partition violence. His appeal had reassured the Meos and acted as a balm, culminating in their stay in the country.

To the last man, the Mahatma’s visit here and the role of the Congress in the freedom movement was the leit motif of the speakers. In fact, Mr Cheema told TNS that as the Mahatma had himself come to reassure the Meos, it was only in keeping with the pro-minority gospel of the Congress under leadership of Mrs Sonia Gandhi to commence the membership drive in the state from Mewat.

Ghaseda falls in the middle of Nuh, considered to be the nerve centre of Mewat politics. The function started late as the shamiana erected for the function had been uprooted following a storm. People kept trickling in even after end of the event.

However, the Congress MLA from Nuh assembly constituency, Mr Khursheed Ahmed was conspicuously absent on the occasion. He is considered to be a traditional opponent of Mr Tayab Hussain, whose son was the main person in organising the event. Mr Hooda said that Mr Ahmed could not make it as he was busy with his son’s wedding. He said that the target for the enrolment drive was two lakh.

Manali bans use of polythene
From Tribune Reporters

MANALI, Oct 2 — Gandhi Jayanti was celebrated with a difference here. The local Beopar Mandal and Nagar Panchayat have decided to make Manali a "polythene free town" from Friday. It has become the first tourist town of Himachal Pradesh to ban the use of plastic bags.

A meeting was held here with representatives of various government and non-government organisations to ban the use of polythene bags. After consulting traders and shopkeepers, the Nagar Panchayat announced a ban on the use of such bags. It will sell 10,000 jute bags on a subsidised rate of Rs 10 per bag. It will purchase the entire stock of polythene bags lying with the traders and shopkeepers on a cost-to-cost basis.

SHIMLA: Glowing tributes were paid to Mahatma Gandhi on his birth anniversary here today.

The Governor, Mrs V.S. Rama Devi, and the Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, garlanded the statue of Gandhi at the Ridge and paid tributes to him.

Thakur Ram Lal, former Chief Minister, Mr Narinder Bragta, Minister of State for Horticulture, Mrs Vidya Stokes, former Speaker and senior officers of the state government were also present.

Tributes were paid to Gandhi at the Congress office where the CLP leader, Mr Virbhadra Singh, presided over the function.

The PCC president, Mr Sat Mahajan, launched a membership drive of the party at Kangra to mark the occasion.

Civic staff threaten stir
From Our Correspondent

SOLAN, Oct 2 — The Municipal Council Workers Union, Solan, has threatened to launch as agitation in case the council did not cancel the appointments made recently.

The Union General Secretary, Mr Gopal Singh Saxena, in a press statement issued here yesterday said the council while making the appointments had completely ignored the claims of those daily-paid employees who had been working against the same posts for more than five years. He said these employees had a better claim on these posts as they were experienced.

The Centre of Indian Trade Union General Secretary, Mr N.D. Rahnot, charged that the Council President had appointed only those persons who belonged to the ruling BJP. The CITU has threatened to launch an agitation in case the appointments made on "political ground" were not cancelled soon.

The council President, Mr Rajiv Bindal, said the appointments were made by a four-member committee, which also had a Congress councillor on it. The selections were made purely on merit, he maintained.

3 recommended for awards
From Our Correspondent

BILASPUR, Oct 2 — The Gram Vikas Committee, Solag, (Dobha), about 35 km from here, has urged the district administration to give suitable awards to three persons — Manoj Kumar, Nandlal and Bhangiram of Deoli village near here who risked their lives to save two women — Krishni Devi and Chenma Devi from drowning in a rivulet.

The committee Secretary, Mr Bhandariram, who led a deputation to the Deputy Commissioner here said these persons brought Krishni and Chenma on the bank. But Roop Devi was dead before being brought out of the swirling rivulet.

He said these women were crossing the rivulet and were washed away due to a flash flood at Solag village. The youths brought them out of the rivulet at Deoli village.

Six writers get national awards
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Oct 2 — Mrs V.S. Rama Devi, Governor, has stressed the need for bringing Indian languages closer with a view to establishing strong communication link between people.

She was addressing a congregation on the occasion of the 11th Akhil Bharatiya Rajbhasha Sammelan organised by Rashtriya Hindi Academy, Rupanbra, here today.

The Governor presented national literary awards to six writers. The recipients were Shreeniwas Shreekant, Dr Bal Shore Reddy, S.M. Shah, Dr Prasan Kumar, Dr Mahendra Karti Keya and Dr Sunita Jain.

She also presented the Rashtriya Rajbhasha Shield Samman to 13 public sector undertakings.

She said that Hindi could play an effective role in strengthening the link between different regions. Underlining the importance of cinema, TV and the print and electronic media in popularising Hindi, she said they should be used for creating awareness in society.

Mr Swadesh Bharti, president, Rashtriya Hindi Academy, in his welcome address said the academy was honouring literary works in all 218 Indian languages.

Dr Ratnakar Pandey, honorary president of the academy, said people with dedication should come forward for promoting Hindi. He moved a resolution to adopt Hindi as one of the languages of the United Nations.

Leopard found dead
From Our Correspondent

HAMIRPUR, Oct 2 — A female leopard measuring about 160 cm was found dead in bushes near Samkari village of the district today. Gram panchayat pardhan Mundkhar brought this to the notice of the Forest Officer who has taken custody of the animal.

Mr Sudhir Shiwal, Range Forest Officer, told the The Tribune that a post mortem examination of the dead animal would be performed tomorrow to ascertain the cause of the death.