• Unruly scenes mark Congress meeting
• Poll put off due to lack
  of quorum
  

• Teachers of aided schools seek pay parity
• AICC observers for MP assembly poll
  

Haryana Congress prepares for poll role
From Ravi S. Singh
Tribune News Service

GURGAON, Sept 4 — Congress leaders from Haryana plan to play a role in the coming elections in Delhi and Rajasthan.

Two rounds of informal talks on the issue have already taken place among senior leaders of the Congress in the state, including the president of the Haryana unit of the party, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda. Talks in this regard have also been held among Congress leaders in Haryana, Delhi and Rajasthan.

Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda said the Haryana unit of the Congress will finalise its strategy after consulting the party high command and the leaderships in the two states. The Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) plans to set up teams of leaders who would take part in the election campaigns in the two states.

Although the HPCC was yet to finalise its strategy with regard to the elections in the two states, senior leaders of the party from Haryana have already been appointed as observers by the All India Congress Committee (AICC). The former industry minister from the state and a member of the AICC, Dr Kripa Ram Puniya, has been appointed the observer for the Jodhpur division comprising Jodhpur, Pali, Sirohi, Jalore, Barmer and Jaisalmer districts accounting for 34 assembly constituencies and the MP from Mahendergarh, Rao Inderjit Singh has been made the observer for the Kota division comprising 30 Assembly constituencies. Another former MP, Mr Ranjit Singh, has been attached with an observer for the Jaipur division. A former union minister from Haryana, Miss Selja, an AICC secretary, is already associated with Rajasthan affairs.

A former home minister of Haryana and a prominent Meo leader, Mr Tayyab Hussain, was expected to play a role in favour of his party in more than a dozen Assembly seats falling in the Mewat area of the state.
It may be recalled that a notice issued by the HPCC against Mr Hussain was recently withdrawn at the behest of the party high command. The HPCC had issued a notice to Mr Hussain on a complaint against him by his political adversary, the Congress MLA from Nuh, Mr Khurshid Ahmed. The Meo community is dominated in the Mewat areas, Bharatpur and Alwar districts.

The observers have been assigned the task of assessing candidates chances of success in Rajasthan elections according to sources.

The role contemplated by the HPCC in the elections in Rajasthan and Delhi is understandable. Majority of the areas of Rajasthan have cultural and ethnic affinity with Haryana. Jhunjhunu, Bharatpur, Alwar, Sikar, Ganganagar in Rajasthan are some of the districts which have cultural commonality various border districts in Haryana. There are cases galore where there were cross border family ties among people in Haryana and Rajasthan.

With regard to Delhi, the areas known as Outer Delhi are culturally and ethnically akin to the Jat heartland in Haryana, consisting of Rohtak, Sonepat and Jind districts. Also, a large number of families of the Punjabi community in Haryana and Delhi have blood relationships.

4 of family murdered
From Ashwani Dutta
From Our Correspondent

YAMUNANAGAR, Sept 4 — A family including the couple and their two children were murdered on Wednesday night. People learnt about the crime today morning.

A 43-year-old industrialist, Mr Mohan Singh, who was residing at Manohar Colony, Jagadhri, was running a stainless steel manufacturing unit M/s Anand Enterprises from there. His house was adjoining the industrial unit.

The persons murdered included Mohan Singh, his wife Taranjit Kaur, 38, daughter Gurpreet, 18, and a son Harleen, 11. The lone survivor of the family is his another son Simran Singh, a class 10 student of a residential school at Baru Sahib in Himachal Pradesh.

Four assailants entered the house-cum-factory and stabbed them with blunt weapons after pouring acid on them.

Today morning, a supervisor with Anand Enterprises, Jagadhri, Vinod found the factory closed. He went to the deceased's elder brother Savinder Singh at Jagadhri.

Savinder Singh on reaching the factory found its doors closed. He immediately informed the police.

The police on breaking the kitchen pane found bodies of Taranjit Kaur and the two children in a pool of blood lying on their beds. Mohan Singh's body was found in the factory premises. All the belongings of their house were scattered.

Mr Sheel Madhur, Superintendent of Police, Yamunanagar, said definite clues have been found and killers identified.

He said the accused include Kamlesh, Babloo and two others aged between 22 and 25. They are residents of Deoria in Uttar Pradesh.

He said Babloo was working in Mohan Singh's factory about a year back and had sought re-employment along with his three friends on September 1.

He said Babloo had insisted on night duty in the factory. Mr Madhur said Babloo and his friends were absconding after the incident. He said blood stained clothes of the accused have been recovered from their room at Kalyan Nagar in Jagadhri.

Mr Madhru stated a police team has been sent to Deoria to arrest the accused. Mr Madhur said the bodies have been sent for a post-mortem examination to the Civil Hospital, Jagadhri. A team of doctors has been constituted for the purpose.

The Jagadhri police has registered a case under Sections 302 and 460 of the IPS.

Mahasangh to hold black-flag protest
From Our Correspondent

SONEPAT, Sept 4 — The Haryana Karamchari Maha Sangh has decided to hold a black flag demonstrations on September 11 at all tehsil and district headquarters in protest against the non-fulfilment of the demands of the government employees and repressive measures taken by the state government to crush the peaceful agitation launched by it.

A decision to this effect was taken at an emergency meeting of the state executive committee here last night. Mr S.D. Kapoor, president of the state unit presided over the meeting. The meeting was also attended by all state office-bearers, district presidents and district secretaries besides district presidents and secretaries of 47 affiliated unions and associations.

The meeting reviewed the situation and finalised its strategy to make the token strike of the employees on September 16, a success. It also appealed to all unions and associations of government employees to join hands with the Haryana Karamchari Maha Sangh against the repressive measures of the state government.

Addressing the meeting, Mr M.L. Sehgal, general secretary of the Mahasangh said the imposition of ESMA to suppress the legitimate and peaceful agitations of the employees had forced the sangh as well as other unions and associations to intensify their agitation against the government. The continued silence on the release of bonus for 1995-96 to various sections of the employees and the refusal to implement the consolidated package over all economic demands as finalised through negotiations held between state Chief Secretary and deputation of the mahasangh, had caused resentment among the employees.

He also asserted that the partial announcement of releasing revised rates of medical allowance, house-rent allowance, cycle allowance, and CCA besides the non-removal of anomalies in pay-scales had also added fuel to fire, particularly when the state government had created a deadlock in the negotiations on the issue of acceptance of the employees demands.

Mr Sehgal also criticised the partisan attitude of the state Labour Commissioner on the issue and declared that the employees would go ahead with the proposed strike on September 16.

New scales for staff of 72 enterprises
By U.K. Bhanot
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Sept 4 – The Haryana Government is understood to have decided to release Fifth Pay Commission pay scales to the employees of 72 public enterprises, including cooperative institutions and private aided schools and non-teaching staff of private aided colleges.

The new pay scales had not yet been released to the employees of the boards and corporations in general as a separate committee styled as Ministers Committee for Pay Scales to non- government employees had been set up under the chairmanship of the Home Minister, Mr Mani Ram Godara.

The decision to give pay scales to the profit making boards/corporations/cooperative institutions was taken at a meeting which was also attended among others by Mr Charan Dass Shorewala, Finance Minister, Mr Karan Singh Dalal, Agriculture Minister and Mr Ram Bilas Sharma, Education Minister besides Mr A.N. Mathur, Finance Secretary, Mr N.K. Jain, member-Secretary, Bureau of Public Enterprises, and Mr Amit Jha, Joint Secretary, Finance.

Nearly 40,000 employees will benefit from today's decision.

While the decision to release pay scales to the employees of the boards and corporations also applies to those working in aided schools, the non- teaching staff of aided colleges and the Regional Engineering College, Kurukshetra, decision in respect of district rural development agencies and local bodies and voluntary bodies will be taken by the respective decision-making authorities.

The decision also deprives employees of the following 16 boards/corporations/cooperative institutions of the new pay scales as these institutions have been suffering losses for three years or more during the past five years. Haryana State Minor Irrigation & Tubewells Corporation (HSMITC), Haryana Handloom & Handicrafts Corporation, Haryana Harijan Kalyan Nigam, Haryana Backward Classes & Socially Weaker Section Kalyan Nigam, Haryana State Cooperative Housing Federation, Haryana State Industrial Cooperative Development Federation (INFED), the Panipat Cooperative Sugar Mills, the Bhuna Cooperative Sugar Mills, the Meham Cooperative Sugar Mills, the Kaithal Cooperative Sugar Mills, the Haryana Cooperative Sugar Mills, Rohtak, Sirsa Central Cooperative Bank, Yamunanagar Urban Cooperative Bank, Panchkula Urban Cooperative Bank, Karnal Urban Cooperative Bank and Council of Homeopathic System.

It has also been decided to credit the arrears to the employees provident fund for the period up to December 31, 1997.

Ex-MP seeks probe into varsity working
From Our Correspondent

ROHTAK, Sept 4 — Mr Ram Kishan Gupta, a former MP, has demanded a high-level probe into the functioning of Maharshi Dayanand University.

Talking to newsmen here last evening, Mr Gupta who also heads certain educational institutions at Dadri expressed concern over the affairs of university. He said he had already sent a detailed memorandum to the Governor, Mr Mahabir Prasad, who is also the Chancellor of the university for his intervention.

He alleged that irregularities had become rampant on the campus. The present Vice-Chancellor, Lt-Gen O.P. Kaushik (retd) took over. Mr Gupta said those students and teachers who opposed the style of functioning of the Vice-Chancellor were being harassed.

Demanding a probe into the appointment made by the Vice-Chancellor the former MP alleged irregularities in the M.Ed distance education programme — the 1997-98 session in which the daughter and daughter-in-law of the Vice-Chancellor stood first and second, respectively.

The Vice-Chancellor, Mr Kaushik, could not be contacted for his comments.

Board to develop Haryana mandis
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Sept 4 — The Haryana State Agricultural Marketing Board has decided to spend Rs 84.15 crore on development of mandis and roads in the State during the current financial year.

Disclosing this, the Minister of State for Marketing and Horticulture, Mr Jagbir Singh, said today that a sum of Rs 44 crore would be spent on repair and construction of rural and urban roads. A provision of Rs 22 crore had been made for providing additional facilities in the existing mandis and for the development of new mandis. Besides, a sum of Rs 18.15 crore would be spent on the construction and development works of the ultra modern vegetable complex at Rai.

He said the board has earned a profit of Rs 37.49 crore as market fee during the period from April to July as compared to Rs 34.25 crore during the corresponding period last year. He said during 1997-98 income from market fee was Rs 98.24 crore which was an all-time record.

The minister said that the Board had sanctioned 15 new link roads measuring 29.99 km up to July last. A sum of Rs 4.60 crore had been spent on the construction of new link roads and roads measuring 96.17 km length had been metalled during the same period. In the year 1997-98 the board sanctioned 140 new link roads measuring 297.05 km and Rs 11.68 crore was spent on the construction of link roads. In addition to this, 190.30 km length of link roads were metalled last year.

Yamunanagar cane growers seek
high-level probe
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Sept 4 — Sugarcane growers of Yamunanagar district have demanded a high-level enquiry into the alleged irregularities in the payment of additional price of sugarcane in accordance with the Bhargav formula by the local sugar mill for the 1993-94 season.

The demand for the enquiry has been made in a memorandum submitted to the Chief Minister, Mr Bansi Lal, by the Yamunanagar district unit of the Haryana Krishak Samaj through the Deputy Commissioner.

Releasing copies of the memorandum to the press here today, the President of the Yamunanagar district unit of the Samaj, Mr Sat Pal Kaushik, said the mill entered into separate contracts with the growers for different varieties sugarcane because the timings of their ripening were different. The rate for COJ-64 variety was higher by Rs 4 a quintal than that of the ordinary variety.

Mr Kaushik said in 1993-94 the Cane Commissioner of Haryana ordered that each grower who supplied the cane at purchase centres should be paid Rs 57.02 a quintal and those who supplied the cane in the mill should be paid Rs 57.34 a quintal.

He said for imposing penalty on the growers for non-supply of the bonded quantity, the mill treated the contracts for different varities as separate. But for paying additional price of sugarcane the mill calculated the average price of different varities.

Thus, Mr Kaushik alleged, the mill had violated the Sugarcane Control Order, 1966.

Villagers block traffic
Tribune News Service

ROHTAK, Sept 4 — Residents of Kharkara village blocked traffic on the national highway for the second day today to demand replacement of damaged transformers and restoration of power and water supply.

The villagers had yesterday also blocked traffic but the dharna was lifted after a former MLA, Mr Anand Singh Dangi, and officials assured to resolve the issue.

The Haryana Vidyut Parsaran Nigam, however, has taken a policy decision against replacing the damaged transformers of those villages who had not paid electricity bills for the past many months. Electricity consumers of Kharkara village owe over Rs 40.32 to the HVPN as nearly 60 per cent of the population was defaulter.

The villagers, mostly school and college students, blocked traffic for nearly two hours again today but lifted the dharna after the officials reiterated assurances of solving their problems.

Unruly scenes mark Congress meeting
From Our Correspondent

GURGAON, Sept 4 — Pandemonium prevailed at the district Congress workers' meeting here today when supporters of Mr Santokh Singh Randhawa, former PPCC chief, and Mr Khushhal Behl, a former minister disrupted the speech of Mr Chander Pal Singh, president of the District Congress Committee (DCC), accusing him of not including their names in his address.

The DCC president, however, said that if these workers had not intervened in his speech, he would have included their names. The meeting was later addressed by Mr Bir Davinder Singh, in charge of Gurdaspur district for making arrangements for Congress workers for a dharna proposed on September 11.

Poll put off due to lack of quorum
Tribune News Service

HISAR, Sept 4 — The election for the Chairperson of Hisar Zila Parishad was postponed today due to lack of quorum. Of the 30 members, only three turned up.

The election was scheduled for today and all arrangements made. The Returning Officer and the Deputy Commissioner, Hisar, Mr P.C. Bhidhan, waited for over two hours. Since no member except Mr Ishwar Singh Poonia, Mr Rajesh Godara and Mr Dhura Ram turned up, he declared the elections postponed.

In the 30-member parishad the ruling Haryana Vikas Party was claiming the support of 16. The Indian National Lok Dal and the Congress have six and nine members, respectively.

There was hectic lobbying for the election. But as it appears, no party was sure of victory.

The local MP, Mr S.S. Barwala, and the Congress leader, Mr Dhura Ram, termed it as "surrender" by the ruling party.

Teachers of aided schools seek pay parity
From Our Correspondent

YAMUNANAGAR, Sept 4 -- The 4000 teachers working in the aided schools of the state are on the warpath as the government has denied them the new pay scales being paid to government school teachers.

Mr Mithilesh Bhardwaj, district president of the Aided School Teachers' Union, said here today that the pay scales of these teachers were one-fourth of their basic pay.

Mr Bhardwaj alleged that the state government had shown no inclination ensure parity between the pay scales of the teachers of aided and government schools.

He said in most of the schools the teachers had not received salaries for the past many months due to non-receipt of the government grant. The government had also not decided about the bonus, medical allowances, house loan and LTC to be paid to these teachers.

AICC observers for MP assembly poll
Tribune News Service

ROHTAK, Sept 4 — Congress President Sonia Gandhi has appointed Mr Subhash Batra, a former Haryana minister, as the AICC observer for the forthcoming assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh.

A former PCC chief Mr Birender Singh and a CWC member, Mr Rajesh Pilot, have also been appointed AICC observers for the election.

Mr Batra has been asked to reach Bhopal on September 7. He would be allotted three or four assembly segments for campaigning by the MPCC president, Ms Urmila Singh.