Sonia to visit Punjab
on October 9
ROHTAK, Oct 3 — Congress President Sonia Gandhi is unlikely to address any public meeting during her two-day visit to Punjab and Haryana next week. Mrs Gandhi is likely to visit the two states on October 9 and 10 and a formal announcement about her tour programme is expected to be made by the AICC in a day or two.
50 cr for sub-stations at
Sonepat: CM
SONEPAT, Oct 3 — Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Bansi Lal, today announced that an amount of about Rs 50 crore would be spent during the next two or three years for setting up of eight new sub-stations, upgradation of nine old ones and laying of about 100 km of power lines.

• Sewage water on temple premises
• Security for girl students sought
• 10 injured as farmers clash
• Eight held for gambling
• Bomb hoax at bank

Sonia to visit Punjab on October 9
Tribune News Service

ROHTAK, Oct 3 — Congress President Sonia Gandhi is unlikely to address any public meeting during her two-day visit to Punjab and Haryana next week.

Mrs Gandhi is likely to visit the two states on October 9 and 10 and a formal announcement about her tour programme is expected to be made by the AICC in a day or two.

The Congress President, according to highly informed sources, would arrive at Amritsar on October 9 and after paying obeisance at the Golden Temple and the Durgiana Temple, she would preside over the meeting of the Jallianwala Bagh Memorial Trust of which she is the chairman. Prominent architects from Delhi and Chandigarh have reportedly been invited to attend the meeting where proposals would be discussed to beautify the Jallianwala Bagh complex.

The aim of her visit appears two-fold. First is to rejuvenate the party by going to grass-root workers while travelling through large parts of Punjab and Haryana. Secondly she would acquaint herself with the broad problems of the states by interacting with groups of professionals.

Mrs Gandhi will travel from Amritsar to Narwana and on her route she will meet farmers' delegations at camps being set up by the Punjab Pradesh Congress near Barnala and Patran. Farmers from various villages of the area will be transported there by the pradesh Congress.

Mrs Gandhi is likely to meet academicians from Maharshi Dayanand and Kurukshetra Universities during her stay at Narwana to understand the political, social and economic situation prevailing in Haryana. Agricultural scientists and others would apprise her about the problems of the farming sector after the green revolution.

Besides meeting rural women leaders, she is expected to interact with panches and sarpanches belonging to the backward classes and Scheduled Castes. Representatives of traders and small industries will also meet her.

Mrs Gandhi will visit certain villages in Narwana constituency on October 10 to meet and express condolences to farmers who committed suicide due to poor economic conditions.

Later, she will address party workers at Rohtak before returning to Delhi.

50 cr for sub-stations at Sonepat: CM
From Our Correspondent

SONEPAT, Oct 3 — Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Bansi Lal, today announced that an amount of about Rs 50 crore would be spent during the next two or three years for setting up of eight new sub-stations, upgradation of nine old ones and laying of about 100 km of power lines. The State Government had already spent about Rs 5 crore on streamlining of power supply in this district.

Mr Bansi Lal was addressing a largely attended public meeting at Kharkhauda in Sonepat district today. Mr Bansi Lal reiterated that the state government was committed to ensure speedy allround development of the state.

He said that the government recognised the importance of the power sector and initiated a number of ambitious 'action plans' to increase power generation and to replace transmission and distribution lines laid may back in 1970. More than 1200 MW of additional power would be generated within the next year as against 863 MW added during the past 31 years.

The major power projects included the 432 MW Faridabad Gas Power Project, refurbishment and renovation of four units of 110 MW each at Panipat Thermal Plant, setting up of a 210 MW 6th unit of Panipat Thermal Plant and a number of small power generating units of 25 MW each. Besides this, he said, about 3000 km long transmission and distribution lines had been laid to increase transmission capacity.

He detailed efforts being made to ensure canal water reached the tail end of channels and for saving the state from floods. He said that the area under irrigation had increased by 6 lakh acres during 1996-97 as a result of strengthening of the irrigation system. The Hathni Kund Barrage was being constructed on a war-footing and was likely to be completed by June next year. This barrage would increase irrigation supply in parts of the West Jamuna Canal System.

Mr Bansi Lal said that the Haryana State Flood Control Board had approved 144 schemes to be implemented at a cost of Rs 70 crore during the year 1998-99. The state government gave priority to flood control measures and Rs 125 crore was spent for this purpose during the past two years.

Referring to the demands of the area, the Chief Minister announced that a grant would be released for Kharkhauda Girls College soon. He also assured that when the requirements of building and other infrastructure were completed by the college authorities, the college would be taken over by the state government. He also announced upgradation of schools at Sisana, Khanda and Farmana villages.

The Chief Minister was presented with a purse of Rs three lakh on behalf of the people of the area. Among those who spoke on the occasion were Mr Sat Narain Lather, Mr Jagbir Singh Malik, Mr Krishana Gahlot (all Haryana Ministers), Mr Abhey Ram Dahiya, organising secretary of HVP and Mr Rajiv Jain, Press Adviser to CM Haryana.

Assembly poll: BSP to go it alone
From Our Correspondent

SONEPAT, Oct 3 — The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has decided to fight the ensuing assembly elections in Rajasthan, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Mizoram on its own strength and will not have any alliance with any political party.

Mr Aman Kumar Nagra, MP, told mediapersons here today that the results of the assembly elections in these states would prove the claim of the party that it had emerged a third force in the country.

He blamed the BJP-led coalition government at the Centre for ignoring the interests of Dalits and the people of minority communities. He alleged that in the name of reviewing the Constitution, the BJP was out to destroy the secular character of the Constitution.

He said the Vajpayee government would fall on its own as it was trying to create a rift among alliance partners.

Mr Nagra lashed out at the Bansi Lal Government for its failure to check the deteriorating law and order situation in the state. The Chief Minister had already admitted this fact but had not resigned on moral grounds.

The BSP leader also accused the state government of adopting repressive measures to crush the voice of its employees by not accepting their just demands. "The anti-people and anti-employee policies of the government had created chaos in the state, he alleged.

Mr Nagra also criticised the Indian National Lok Dal President, Mr Om Parkash Chautala who, he said, had failed to protect the Haryana's interests on river waters and territorial disputes with Punjab.

SJP unit plans padayatra
From Our Correspondent

SOLAN, Oct 3 — Drinking water scarcity, malnutrition, lack of medicines, illiteracy, caste and religion based discrimination were the five national problems which had largely remained unsolved since the attainment of freedom.

Former Prime Minister and Samajwadi Janta Party chief Mr Chandershekhar said that these issues should form the basis of a national agenda ‘‘to be implemented by all future union and state governments.’’

Mr Kul Rakesh Pant, senior vice-president of the Himachal Pradesh unit of the party, while addressing a press conference here yesterday, said that a meeting of the national executive of the SJP held at New Delhi last week had decided to launch a series of padayatras aimed at creating mass awareness about these problems all over the country from October 2 to 11.

He hoped that the padayatra would help evolve a national consensus on the need for making it mandatory for all political parties to give top priority to the solution of these problems.

He said that Mr Chandershekhar had yesterday started his padayatra from Mahatama Gandhi's birth place, Porbandar, while Mr Deve Gowda had begun his from Sitara, the birth place of late Mr Jai Prakash Narain. Similar programmes were being launched by prominent politicians all over India.

Low-lying areas submerged
From Our Correspondent

SONEPAT, Oct 3 — Heavy rains that lashed the city over the past one week have left behind a trail of uncleared garbage bins waterlogged roads. Conditions are particularly appalling in slum colonies on the banks of Drain No. 6 where many pockets are submerged.

More than 30,000 people live in unauthorised slum clusters and resettlement colonies.

In other parts of the city, the condition is no better. Residents in many colonies have to put up with choked drains, sewer systems and overflowing garbage bins.

Waterlogging in the low-lying areas and overflowing of storm water drains, has done a great deal of damage to the roads. Potholed roads, even in the posh colonies like Model Town and Sectors 14 and 15, are a common sight. Ironically, some of the roads were relaid only a few months ago.

A long portion of the Sonepat-Kharkhauda road and the Sonepat-Bahalgarh road have been in a state of neglect thanks to the failure of the authorities to repair them. Similar is the condition of the road leading to the inter-state Yamuna bridge from Bahalgarh and Sonepat-Jatheri road from the ITI.

Kidnapping of dealer: SHO suspended
Tribune News Service

ROHTAK, Oct 3 — Traders of Jhajjar observed a strike today in protest against the failure of the police in tracing petrol station dealer Sant Lal who was kidnapped on Thursday.

In a memorandum submitted to the Deputy Commissioner, they threatened to observe strike till Mr Sant Lal was traced.

Meanwhile, the Superintendent of Police, Mr Navdeep Virk, has suspended the SHO, Mr Suresh Hooda, for his failure in tracing the petrol station dealer.

Petrol station dealers of Jhajjar also observed a complete strike today. Mr Jagvir Singh, president, Petrol Pump Dealers Association, told TNS that the kidnapping had created a feeling of insecurity among dealers. They have now decided to close at 9 p.m.

The Deputy Commissioner, Mr Arun Kumar today claimed that the kidnappers had been identified. The police has reportedly taken in custody certain close relatives of the alleged kidnappers to force them to surrender.

Sewage water on temple premises
From Our Correspondent

JIND, Oct 3 — Devotees of the local ancient Thithani Mahadev Temple are sore over the accumulation of sewage water on the premises of the temple.

They say that they could not enter the temple for the last 10 days due to accumulation of dirty water in the temple.

Devotees allege that despite requests to the authorities concerned nothing had been done to drain out water.

Eight held for gambling
From Our Correspondent

FATEHABAD, Oct 3 — The police has arrested eight persons under the gambling act, one for black-marketing of kerosene oil and another for illicit trafficking of liquor. Two cases have been registered against four persons for stealing power.

According to the SP, Mr Rajbir Deswal the police arrested eight persons from Kalinga Restaurant, Tohana, when they were gambling. The police has also recovered an amount of Rs 21550/- from the spot.

In another case the police has arrested Bali Ram, a resident of Kalwan village in Jind district under the Essential Commodities Act, when he was carrying 200 litres of kerosene without a permit at Tohana. Som Nath, a resident of Khasa Pathana village was held with 100 pouches of country made liquor. The police has registered a case under the Excise Act.

Four persons have been booked for power theft on the complaint of sub-division officer, Haryana Vidyut Parasaran Nigam, Jakhal.

Bomb hoax at bank
Tribune News Service

FARIDABAD, Oct 3 — Employees and customers of the Nehru ground branch of Punjab National Bank this morning ran for safety after an unidentified man made a phone call that a bomb would soon go off in the bank.

The police was called and a search of the bank premises was made. But nothing was found, Mr Mohammed Aquil, Superintendent of Police, said.

Security for girl students sought
From Our Correspondent

ROHTAK, Oct 3 — Expressing concern over the "deteriorating" law and order situation in the state the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has sought adequate security arrangements in the vicinity of various educational institutions and at public places.

Mr Inder Jit Singh, secretary of the state CPM unit said parents of girls students were panic-stricken due to the "unabated" incidents of abduction, rape and murder. He said anti-social elements could be seen around educational institutes and posing a threat to the safety of girl students.

He charged the district administration with adopting an indifferent attitude towards the situation.

10 injured as farmers clash
From Our Correspondent

JIND, Oct 3 — Ten persons, including three women, were injured in a clash between two groups of farmers at Rajgarh Dhani village in the district.

One of the seriously injured has been referred to the medical college at Rohtak.

According to reports received here on Saturday the cause of the clash is said to be dispute over the possession of 14 acres of land. The police has registered a case under Sections 326, 323, 324, 148 and 149 of the IPC and has arrested four persons.