A racket in ST evasion
SONEPAT, Sept 21 — The Haryana Excise and Taxation Department has been suffering a huge loss due to a ‘racket’ in which traders, shopkeepers, smugglers and transporters evade sales tax.

SC notice to Haryana
in Pahwa parole case
CHANDIGARH, Sept 21 — Mr S.P.S. Rathore, Additional Director-General of Haryana Police (under suspension), has moved a special leave petition in the Supreme Court assailing the order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court directing the state government to initiate appropriate departmental action against him and other Jail Department officers for granting parole to Dheeraj Pahwa.

• Congress drive on quota for women
• Freedom fighter dies in mishap
• Jat Mahasabha conference

A racket in ST evasion
From Our Correspondent

SONEPAT, Sept 21 — The Haryana Excise and Taxation Department has been suffering a huge loss due to a ‘racket’ in which traders, shopkeepers, smugglers and transporters evade sales tax.

This tax evasion is the result of the alleged collusion between the staff of the department deployed that the barriers and some transport companies.Unscrupulous traders are alleged to have swindled huge amount by evading the payment of the sales tax.

According to informed sources, traders in collusion with transport companies prepare fake ‘biltis’ showing non-taxable articles thus evading sales tax. It is also alleged that taxable goods are camouflaged under non-taxable goods while transporting them from Delhi to Sonepat and other towns to the state.

The checking staff posted at the sales tax barriers give clearance to the transporters after seeing the ‘bilties’.

A large number of commuters have also found a new way to evade the sales tax.

According to an estimate, nearly 20,000 persons commute daily between Sonepat and Delhi for service or business. On their return journey most of the commuters bring electric goods, radio and TV parts, photo-reels, medicines, watches and other goods of general merchandise in their bags or in small attache-cases. These goods are brought for the shopkeepers on a small commission. Neither the goods are taken into account nor any sales tax is paid on their sales.

According to trade circles here, more than 80 per cent amount of the sales tax is being evaded by shopkeepers and traders through this novel way and the authorities concerned have failed to check this ST evasion.

Similarly, livestock dealers in connivance with the barrier staff are also evading tax by showing less number of cattle exported from the state. Flat rates are charged for livestock which results in less tax to the state exchequer.

The brick-kiln owners are also evading sales tax on the bricks which are exported to Delhi every day. According to one estimate, at least 100 truckloads of bricks are exported to Delhi from the villages of this district daily in contravention of the ban on the export of bricks. The authorities concerned as well as the police have failed to check the export of bricks.

Several owners of rice shellers continue smuggling of rice outside the state, in contravention of the state government’s orders imposing a ban on the export of rice and paddy.

SC notice to Haryana in Pahwa parole case
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Sept 21 — Mr S.P.S. Rathore, Additional Director-General of Haryana Police (under suspension), has moved a special leave petition in the Supreme Court assailing the order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court directing the state government to initiate appropriate departmental action against him and other Jail Department officers for granting parole to Dheeraj Pahwa.

A two-judge Bench consisting of Mr Justice BN Kirpal and Mr Justice Qadri, before whom the special leave petition came up for hearing, issued notice to the Haryana Government seeking reply to the petition within four weeks.

The high court order was based on an inquiry conducted by the Sessions Judge of Karnal on its directions. Mr Rathore stated in his SLP that the Sessions Judge has given his finding without affording him an opportunity of being heard.

Mr Rathore added that the law did not restrict the statutory authority from granting parole to a prisoner before any fixed period of incarceration had been undergone by the petitioner. His plea before the apex court was that the Sessions Judge would not have made such adverse observations if he had been given the opportunity of being heard.

Dheeraj Pahwa was convinced on the charge of murdering Tejinder Singh and sentenced to life imprisonment on February 9, 1995. His mother, Jagjit Kaur, had filed an application in the high court saying that Deeraj Pahwa was granted parole from March 1, 1995, to March 9, 1995, by the Ambala Jail Superintendent. Mr Rathore had granted parole to Pahwa on the ground of his mother's illness and the death of his grandmother until April 5, 1995 "in accordance with the provisions of the Haryana Good Conduct Prisoners (Temporary Release) Act, 1988." He added that the remaining paroles were not granted by him.

He brought to the notice of the Supreme Court that Pahwa was acquitted by the high court and his acquittal was confirmed by the Supreme Court. He pleaded in the SLP that the Sessions Judge's observation that grant of parole to Pahwa was aimed at defeating the court verdict by a novel method adopted by jail officers was uncalled for in the face of his acquittal.

Conference on agriculture opens
From Our Correspondent

HISAR, Sept 21 — The two-day national conference of the Agricultural Economics Research Association began at CCS Haryana Agricultural University (CCSHAU) here today. A large number of participants from the stream of agriculture, social sciences, natural sciences, and academicians were presents.

Dr V.S. Vyas Professor Emeritus, Centre for Development Studies, Jaipur and former Director, Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, while inaugurating the conference said that economic liberalisation would be of no use unless adequate institutional and strong market support was provided.

He said so far emphasis had been laid on development of new technology and its dissemination among farmers. While many of the farmers for whom the technology was intended continue to remain illiterate, poverty stricken and in poor physical health thereby unable to get along with the new information age.

He said undoubtedly the nation had achieved remarkable success in boosting agricultural output but India's performance was not spectacular by the standards of some of the other developing countries, most notably China.

Dr Vyas urged participants to work in close rapport with the farmers and officials of the Department of Agriculture.

He released a souvenir brought out by the association on "domestic market reforms in India.".

Prof J.B. Chowdhury, Vice-Chancellor, CCSHAU in his presidential address said what was alarming was that after relatively high agricultural growth in the 1980s, there has been a deceleration in the growth of agricultural production in the 1990s. The deceleration had been more pronounced in the case of foodgrains. This, however had to be viewed against another trend of a decline in demand for foodgrains in Punjab and Haryana because of the availability of a wide variety of food items other than foodgrains, he added.

The Vice-Chancellor said the demand for foodgrains was likely to range between 206 to 240 million tonnes by the end of the century. It was imperative that research on meeting the demand for various food stuffs like dairy, eggs, meat and poultry and feed of cattle, goats, sheep and chicken was expedited, he added.

12 years’ RI for 5 rapists
From Our Correspondent

GURGAON, Sept 21 — The Additional Sessions Judge, Mr R.K. Bishnoi has sentenced, five young-men, namely Rinku, Ramesh, Krishan, Naresh and Shamsher, all residents Sukhrali village to 12 years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 10,000 each on the charge of gangraping a married woman of the same village six years ago. The convicts were also sentenced to five years RI and a fine of Rs. 5000 on a separate charge of snatching a gold pendulum and Rs 15000 from the victim. The prime accused in the case Suresh Kumar of the same village, died during trial.

According to the prosecution, 28 years old woman, had gone to her parent's house at Naya Bas village (Sonepat) On November 1, 1992 in the hired van of Suresh Kumar to bring Rs 15000 from her brother for purchasing a buffalo. On way back to Sukhrali, at about 8.30 pm when she reached near Sukhrali village. Suresh Kumar turned the van towards a deserted place near Sector 29. In the cluster of eucalyptus trees, Suresh parked the van and assaulted the lonely women. She raised an alarm but doors and windows were close and glasses tainted. Suresh gagged her and raped her.

In the mean time, Ramesh, Krishan, Naresh, Rinku and Shamsher, all between 20-22 years also cane there. All five raped her.

They also snatched her gold pendulum and Rs 15000 after committing the rape.

The court rejected the plea of the defence that the woman was deserted by her husband as she was issueless. Her husband had decided second marriage. The court observed that it did not mean that the woman was of easy virtue. The court also ordered to pay Rs 25000 as compensation to the victim out of the fine deposited by the convicts.

What will be Dharamvir’s next move?
By Yoginder Gupta
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Sept 21 — What will be the next move of the sacked Haryana PWD Minister, Dr Dharamvir Yadav? This question is being debated in the HVP, to which he belongs, as well as the Lok Dal, which is the main Opposition party in the State circles with equal interest.

After launching a tirade against the Chief Minister, Mr Bansi Lal, in a small village of Jhajjar district on September 12, and his interviews to selected newsmen in Chandigarh, Dr Yadav has by and large adopted a low profile.

The ruling party too, in turn, seems to have adopted an attitude of indifference towards Dr Yadav after his sack and the initial burst of allegations levelled by several Haryana Ministers against their former colleague. But the party has refrained from expelling Dr Yadav from its fold due to strategic reasons, though by openly criticising Mr Bansi Lal, who is also the President of the HVP, the former Minister committed an act of "gross indiscipline".

The HVP feels that by not expelling Dr Yadav, his freedom to hobnob with political opponents of the party is curtailed to a large extent.

A ruling by the Haryana Speaker, Prof Chhattar Singh Chauhan, in the disqualification case of the Finance Minister, Mr Charan Dass Shorewala, and the Medical Education Minister, Mr Vinod Kumar Marya, has strengthened the thinking of the HVP in this connection.

The Lok Dal is planning to hold a big rally in Rewari on September 25 ostensibly to celebrate the 85th birthday of the former Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Devi Lal. Rewari is an important town of the Ahirwal region of Haryana, of which Dr Yadav projects himself as a spokesman. Dr Yadav has tried to give an ideological basis to his battle against the Chief Minister by raising the issue of the alleged neglect of Ahirwal by the State Government.

It is also a fact that after his sack from the Cabinet, Dr Yadav met the Lok Dal President, Mr Om Parkash Chautala, in Delhi before the former Minister came to Chandigarh. However, both leaders have refrained from elaborating what transpired at their meeting.

Political circles of Haryana are debating if Dr Yadav would participate in the Rewari rally of the Lok Dal, which is likely to be a big event, given the scales at which the party is planning to mobilise the people from throughout the state. Politically it suits both Dr Yadav and the Lok Dal if the two cooperate with each other. Sahlawas, the Assembly constituency of Dr Yadav, has a large chunk of Jat votes, which are under the influence of the Lok Dal.

The Lok Dal too is in need of an important leader in Ahirwal, which proved to be a stumbling block in the party's quest of power in 1996.

If Dr Yadav joins the Rewari rally while technically remaining a HVP MLA, the ruling party is believed to have chalked out an action plan to be followed by it against the former Minister.

Reverting to the Speaker's ruling in the disqualification case, the ruling will come handy to the HVP to move for Dr Yadav's disqualification from the Assembly on the ground of defection.

So far the general view of the anti-defection law has been that it governs the activities of the legislators inside the House. However, Prof Chauhan extended the scope of the law to include the activities of the legislators even outside the House in its ambit. By doing so he rejected the Lok Dal's petition seeking the disqualification of Mr Shorewala and Mr Marya. Since the Speaker's ruling has not yet been overturned by a court, it can be used by the HVP to plead that by participating in an Opposition rally, Dr Yadav had defected from the party which had set him up as a candidate in the elections. Hence, he should be disqualified from the membership of the Vidhan Sabha.

It is another matter that the HVP's contention may not be legally sound, but it will take a long time for Dr Yadav to get redressal from the courts.

Haryana closer to total literacy
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Sept 21 — The World Bank-aided Rs 242 crore District Primary Education Programme (DPEP) launched in the districts of Jind, Kaithal, Hisar, Sirsa, Bhiwani, Gurgaon and Mahendragarh has maintained 90 per cent enrolment in schools, making Haryana near the goal of universalisation of primary education. It has also enabled students to learn language, mathematics and environmental science, which constitute the minimum learning at this level.

Disclosing this here yesterday, Education Minister, Ram Bilas Sharma said the D.P.E.P. was an innovative programme of primary education involving an elaborate decentralised planning process. The project was reducing dropouts to less than 10 per cent at the primary level. As per national policy, the programme was also providing formal basic education up to the primary level to all eligible children.

He said Rs 44.11 crore would be spent during the current financial year under this programme. The increase in the enrolment of girl students was 15 per cent and that of boys 9.23 per cent in the DPEP districts as against other districts.

The minister revealed that 55 block resource centres and 542 cluster resource centres were functioning in the DPEP districts for training primary school teachers and solving their day-to-day problems. Without providing a parallel infrastructure, the DPEP had substantially enhanced the pre-school activities component of the Integrated Child Development Services by providing five days’ training to their 6880 anganwari and balwari workers. The Department of Women and Child Development, had also started publishing a newsletter for anganwari workers to disseminate and exchange their experiences. Funds for this purpose had been provided by the DPEP. A special mobilisation drive for enrolment and retention of girl child through 278 "maa-beti melas" and puppet shows, etc had got a tremendous response from the community, resulting in higher enrolment of girls.

He said that alternative schooling centres had been established in rural and urban areas, catering to working children, migrant children and school dropouts. The state planned to set up 94 centres in the four DPEP districts. Of these eight centres were to be set up by the Bharat Scout and Guides Association and eight by the Environment Society. The remaining 78 centres were to be established by district projects information units.

Traders resent lawlessness

BHIWANI, Sept 21 (PTI) — The president of the Haryana Pradesh Beopar Mandal, Mr Bajrang Das Garg, today criticised the Bansi Lal government for its failure to maintain law and order in the state as murders, rapes, robberies, loot and thefts have became order of the day.

Addressing a meeting of businessmen, Mr Garg questioned the working of the Police Department and said that if a grandson of minister Seth Krishan Das could be kidnapped what would be the fate of an ordinary citizen.

Mr Garg said the rate of electricity had been increased manifold hitting the ordinary citizens hard. The industry was worst hit and many industrial units had migrated to Punjab and Uttar Pradesh from Haryana.

He said sales tax structure had not been simplified because of the unhelpful attitude of the bureaucrats who he alleged were amassing huge "benami" wealth. He claimed that sales tax in Haryana was highest in northern India.

Congress drive on quota for women
From Our Correspondent

REWARI, Sept 21 — The president of the All-India Mahila Congress, Mrs Ambika Soni, has launched a countrywide signature campaign to put pressure on the Vajpayee government to expeditiously provide 33 per cent reservation to women in Parliament as well as in State Assemblies.

This information was given to mediapersons here today by Mrs, Anita Yadav, joint secretary of the Mahila Congress. She said that signatures of 1 lakh women would be obtained from Haryana under this campaign. So far, the signatures of 10,000 women from Salhawas and its surrounding areas have been secured.

Freedom fighter dies in mishap

AMBALA, Sept 21 (PTI) — A well-known freedom fighter, Dr Hardayal Sahni, was killed in a road accident on G.T. Road, near Ambala City, last evening.

He was run over by a truck while on way to his home on a moped, the police said here today.

A case has been registered against the truck driver.

Prominent Congress leaders of Ambala and a large number of citizens were present at his funeral today.

The district administration also paid tribute to him.

Jat Mahasabha conference on Oct 24
Tribune News Service

FARIDABAD, Sept 21 — Delegates from all over the country will participate in the two-day conference of the All-India Jat Mahasabha being held at Ballabhgarh in Faridabad on October 24 and 25.

Maharaja Vishvedra Singh, ex-ruler of Bharatpur (Rajasthan), president of the mahasabha would preside film actor Dara Singh will be formally installed new president of the mahasabha.

According to Mr Bharat Lal Dagar, convener of the conference, discrimination against the Jats, reservation and agriculture policies of the government would be discussed.

Mr Bansi Lal and Mr Sahib Singh Verma, Chief Ministers of Haryana and Delhi, respectively, would be the chief guests.