• Teachers to get pay for strike period
• 3 MLAs boycott session, claim DA
• Breach in minor: case registered
• CPM protest march on price hike
• Walkout by MC Commissioner
• Session adjourned sine die
• Tributes paid to Sundarji

Show-cause notice to MDU VC
From Jatinder Sharma
Tribune News Service

ROHTAK, Feb 10 — The Governor and Chancellor of Maharshi Dayanand University, Mr Mahavir Prasad, has reportedly served a show-cause notice on the Vice-Chancellor Lt-Gen O.P. Kaushik (retd), and asked him to reply to the charges levelled against him by certain students and teachers of the university.

According to highly informed sources, the notice was delivered to General Kaushik on the night of January 29 by a special messenger. The contents of the letter are, however, being kept secret.

The Governor, however, has directed the Registrar, Mr Ashok Khemka, to provide the files for documents wanted by General Kaushik to reply to the charges.

Meanwhile, General Kaushik and Mr Khemka have locked horns on the administrative powers of the latter and procedural matters. Mr Khemka joined the university on January 13 this year.

Dissatisfied with the functioning of the Superintendent, Establishment Branch, Mr Khemka transferred him to another branch. This was not to the liking of the Vice-Chancellor, who reserved the orders of the Registrar and this led to a "feud" between the two.

Not contended with the cancellation of the transfer of the Superintendent, the Vice-Chancellor ordered that all transfers should be referred to him for final orders. The Registrar objected to the action of the Vice-Chancellor and said powers to transfer any employee up to the level of Superintendent were vested in him as per the university statutes.

Informed sources told TNS the real issue contention between the Vice-Chancellor and the Registrar lay elsewhere. The Parliamentary Committee for Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes has alleged Maharshi Dayanand University was violating the reservation policy and has sought a clarification from the Haryana Government. The government in turn asked the university to provide it the information sought by the Union Government.

The Vice-Chancellor, according to these sources, wanted the Registrar to submit the same reply which the university had provided earlier. But Mr Khemka refused to oblige the Vice-Chancellor and this led to the issuing of orders that any information or document sought by any "outside agency" should be given only after his prior approval.

The Registrar, with a view to counter the orders of the Vice-Chancellor, issued orders withdrawing all powers from his subordinates to sign on his behalf without his prior approval on the file. Any defiance, he said, would invite disciplinary action, including legal action.

The Registrar also asked the Transport Officer to provide him with the list of vehicles owned by the university. When he found that besides one car there was another car used as a "stand-by" for the Vice-Chancellor the Registrar asked for the summary of journeys undertaken in the stand-by car during the past two years.

This infuriated the Vice-Chancellor and he gave the charge of Controller of Transport to the Estate Officer, Col R.S. Malik, in addition to his present duties. The Registrar described these orders as violative of chapter LXIV of the university calendar (Vol III). This chapter says the Registrar is the controlling officer of the university vehicles.

Mr Khemka has urged the Vice-Chancellor to withdraw his orders immediately, failing which, he said, he would act in accordance with the Acts and statutes of the university.

Haryana to set up road corporation
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Feb 10 — The Haryana Government will set up a road and bridge corporation for construction and repair of important roads and bridges in the State.

This was announced by the Public Works Minister, Mr Karan Singh Dalal, in the Vidhan Sabha here today while answering several questions on bad condition of roads.

Mr Dalal told Mr Satpal Sangwan (HVP) and Mr Anil Vij (Ind) that in view of the paucity of funds the Cabinet had approved the proposal to set up the corporation which would function on "Built, operate and transfer" basis.

Admitting that the condition of roads in general, and the links roads in particular, was very bad, Mr Dalal said the first priority of the government was to repair State highways followed by main district roads. Only then it would take up the repair of link roads. However, he expressed the hope that the government would be able to start repair work of link roads after March next.

He told Mr Vij that he would take up the issue of four-laning of the Ambala-Chandigarh road and the construction of an overbridge on the railway crossing near Dera Bassi with his counterpart in Punjab. He said a proposal was under consideration to construct an elevated highway through Panipat so that congestion on the G.T. road could be eased.

The Social Welfare Minister, Dr Kamla Verma, told Mr Banta Ram (LD) that there was no proposal to increase the grant of Rs 5000 given to the Scheduled Castes for the construction of houses.

Dr Verma, who also hold the Local Government portfolio, told Mr Vij that a report had been sought from the Deputy Commissioner, Ambala, who had been declared as Estate Officer in respect of land in the excised area of Ambala cantonment, in respect of lease of shops in Rai Market and Randhawa Market, which had expired several years ago. The government would consider the issue only on the receipt of the proposal from the Deputy Commissioner through the Divisional Commissioner.

She said the Chief Minister had given clear instructions that no land belonging to any department should be transferred without the approval of the Cabinet.

The Transport Minister, Mr Krishan Pal Gujjar, said there was no proposal to decrease bus fares in view of the reduction in the price of diesel.

The Home Minister, Mr Mani Ram Godara, said it was wrong to say that quota fixed for sportsmen in the recruitment of police had been abolished.

Mr Bansi Lal told Mr Vij there was a proposal to replace wooden poles with pre-stressed cement concrete poles in Mahesh Nagar, Gobind Nagar and other areas of Ambala cantonment subject to availability of funds.

Proxy war with Pak ‘needs’ firm handling
Tribune News Service

ROHTAK, Feb 10 — The Chief of the Army Staff, General V.P. Malik today said that though India had improved relations with all its neighbours, it was engaged in a 'proxy war' with Pakistan.

Delivering a special lecture on "transition of Indian Army to 21st century" at Maharshi Dayanand University, he said though the nation was at peace, the Army was on war. The proxy-war waged by Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir and subversion in other parts of the country needed to be handled with a firm hand backed by effective deterrence.

The army chief said if militancy grew too big, both Pakistan, the initiator and India, the affected nation, would be tempted to use conventional weapons. By now, he said, Pakistan should also know that state-sponsored militancy was a double-edged weapon. "It is like a wicked dog that bites the hand that feeds it", he said.

General Malik said having crossed the nuclear threshold did not mean that a conventional war was out. Nuclear deterrence only restricts an allout war employing weapons of mass destruction.

Discussing the regional strategic environment, he said China continued to occupy 40,000 sq km of Indian territory and had laid claim to another 90,000 sq km.

"China also continues to provide military assistance to some of our neighbours," he said adding the potential for fuelling of tensions or a conflict with India remains in existence."

The army chief said on the plus side, confidence-building measures had proved beneficial. "The development of our strategic missile and nuclear capability will reduce the capability-gap between China and India thus scale down the chances of major confrontation".

He said the emergence of the Talibans in Afghanistan was a serious long-term threat to the region. If this succeeded, the spread of religious fundamentalism accompanied by violence and violent reaction to that might soon spread across south, west and central Asia.

Reviewing the domestic environment, General Malik said social, political and economic aspirations of groups in our multi-ethnic, lingual, cultural and communal social structure were rapidly rising. The prognosis was not good, particularly when one knew that external agencies were ready to exploit every vulnerable situation.

Referring to the deployment of the Army on internal security, he said military pressure alone could not resolve matters unless there was a strong thrust on the socio-political and socio-economic issues. Excessive and continued involvement of the Army in internal security was neither good for the Army nor for the nation.

The reduction in the military deployment would be possible only if the country could re-vamp the military, central and state police forces, particularly the armed forces. He believed that the paramilitary forces and armed police needed to be organised, equipped and trained better.

Stressing the importance of improved technology, which he described as the engine of change, General Malik commented that cyber war was to the 21st century what 'blitzkreig' was to the 20th century. Information technology, therefore, was going to play a pivotal role in any future conflict, he added.

He said sustained modernisation of conventional and nuclear forces was an extremely costly and debilitating process for a country which was still dependent on imports for some of its main weaponry. "We are now looking at ways to develop a leaner and meaner military. The emphasis is not on quantity but quality," he said.

General Malik said emphasis on human resource development stating that synergy was the key to success in modern warfare.

The new world order was in the nascent stages of development. The USA, China, Russia, European Union, Japan and India were the likely power blocks of a multi-polar world, he said adding "there may be more to come."

Earlier, the Vice Chancellor, Lt Gen O.P. Kaushik (retd), called for the updating of the Indian Army with the latest systems.

An unnecessary confrontation
By U.K. Bhanot
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Feb 10 — Has the Haryana Vikas Party-Bharatiya Janata Party Government in Haryana got another lease of life with the "uneventful" and what some described as "satisfactory" conclusion of the Vidhan Sabha’s Budget session?

Thanks to the eagerness displayed by Mr Attar Singh Saini, Minister of State for Power and Parliamentary Affairs, on February 2 to placate the Chief Minister, Mr Bansi Lal, this was, perhaps, the first time in the Haryana Vidhan Sabha that the State’s Finance Minister, Mr Charan Dass Shorewala, had to present his Budget speech only to the members of the ruling coalition with the entire Opposition Benches empty. Thus there was no heckling of the minister. Mr Saini’s action in securing the suspension from the House of nine opposition MLAs, aided by the Speaker, Mr Chhattar Singh, aimed at possibly saving the government from a possible embarrassment at the time of voting on the Budget proposals and escaping its criticism by particular speakers, including Mr Sampat Singh, Mr Birender Singh and Mr Randeep Surjewala, was unnecessary and uncalled for. The reason? There was no immediate foreseeable danger to the government after the abortive attempts to dislodge the Bansi Lal Government only a few weeks ago. Moreover, every member of the House was reported to be under strict surveillance. And if that was so, the government should have shown faith in its own information channels.

The boycott

The expulsion of four members of the Congress Legislature Party — Mr Birender Singh, Mr Randeep Surjewala, Mr Jai Singh Rana and Mr Satwinder Singh Rana — and five members of the Haryana Lok Dal (Rashtriya) — Mr Sampat Singh, Mr Ashok Gauba, Mr Krishan Lal , Dr Varinder Pal Ahlawat and Mr Ram Pal Majra — for the rest of the Budget session may have been a kind of service to the ruling parties but it was certainly a disservice to the State Vidhan Sabha and the people whom these MLAs represented.

Their expulsion, which provoked the two parties to boycott the remaining part of the session, turned the Finance Minister’s presentation of the Budget into a mere formality and the discussion initiated by a minister followed by other members/ministers of the ruling parties into an exercise in futility.

It was unfortunate that Mr Shorewala was left with nothing to reply to at the end of the Budget discussion. However, in the absence of the Opposition members and some comments, of course, not amounting to criticism but suggestions or demands made by the ruling party members and the Independents on their side, the Finance Minister had to take notice of the remarks made by the Opposition parties, particularly, Mr Om Parkash Chautala and Mr Surjewala, outside the Vidhan Sabha.

Apart from securing publicity, one wonders what purpose did the Opposition parties serve by criticising the State Budget through issuing of press notes or holding press conferences? By boycotting the entire Budget session after expulsion of nine MLAs on grounds of, what the Speaker described, "as misconduct and behaviour unbecoming of a member of the House". Mr Randeep Surjewala, with whose expulsion the chain reaction of boycotting the House began, had been thrown out for demanding time to speak on the motion of thanks to the Governor, particularly when his party had forwarded his name more than once in the list of speakers to express the party views. Was this an offence?

Once the Opposition members had begun the boycott of the session, it was, perhaps, irrelevant for them to have hung around for making statements on the Budget or the Governor’s Address. And in fact, the boycott of the session by those who had not been expelled was not understandable. The boycott could have been for a day or so. They could have easily made their contribution to the Budget proposals and some of the important bills having far reaching consequences for the people of the State.

Parents seek arrest of culprits
From Our Correspondent

ROHTAK, Feb 10 — Mr Ram Roop of Dattour village, near here, has been running from pillar to post for over the past two months seeking justice in connection with the alleged murder of his daughter, Sunita Devi by her in-laws.

Sunita Devi was allegedly poisoned and later strangulated by her in-laws at Baroda (Sonepat) nearly two months ago. Although the Baroda police has registered a case under Section 498 (A) and 304 (B) of the IPC against Naresh Kumar, Dev Dutt, Ramesh Kumar and Mrs Laachi, no arrests have been made so far. The persons booked are the husband, mother-in-law and the brothers-in-law of the deceased.

Mr Roop alleged that the police was shielding culprits as a minister of Haryana had been putting pressure on the police to hush up the case. He lamented that it was shocking to see culprits roaming freely. The Dattour panchayat has met the DIG, Rohtak, Range, and SP, Sonepat, and demanded immediate arrest of the culprits.

Mr Roop alleged that in-laws of his daughter had been demanding a scooter and a colour TV. He said both the demands had been fulfilled when his daughter gave birth to a baby boy. However, he alleged harassment of his daughter continued.

Ms Asha Hooda, district president of the BJP Mahila Morcha, has written a letter to the Chief Minister, appealing to him to take stern action against the 'erring' police officials for not arresting the culprits.

2 power distribution companies set up
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Feb 10 — The Haryana Government has decided to set up two power distribution companies namely Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam Ltd and Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam Ltd.

A decision to this effect was taken here today by the Haryana Cabinet which met under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister, Mr Bansi Lal.

The entire electricity distribution of the State has been bifurcated into two zones. This has been done on the basis of some basic principles including geographical and technical contiguity and the requirement that there must be no tariff difference between the two zones.

The Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam will cover 11 districts, namely Panchkula, Ambala, Yamunanagar, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Karnal, Panipat, Sonepat, Jhajjar, Rohtak and Jind, while the Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam Ltd will supply power to the districts of Faridabad, Gurgaon, Narnaul, Rewari, Hisar, Fatehabad, Sirsa and Bhiwani. These companies would become functional from April this year. Both the distribution companies will be able to achieve a debt service coverage ratio above 1.3. They will buy power from Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam and will own the distribution system of 33 KVA and below. They will take licences from the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC) which will monitor their efficiency. Tariff rates to be charged from consumers by distribution companies and from distribution companies by the HVPN will be decided by HERC. One of these company will remain wholly owned by the State Government and another will later be made a joint venture company.

However, it was not clarified which of the two distribution companies would be in the joint sector.

The Haryana Housing Board will construct 58 low income group (LIG) houses at Hansi at an estimated cost of Rs 49.81 lakh.

The Cabinet gave its approval to stand guarantee of the State Government in favour of Housing and Urban Development Corporation, New Delhi, for sanctioning a loan of Rs 40.60 lakh to Haryana Housing Board for constructing these houses.

Civic services in a mess
From D.N. Chaturvedi
Tribune News Service

FARIDABAD, Feb 10 — Civic services in this industrial town are in a mess and the situation seems to be worsening, thanks to the indifferent attitude of officials and elected representatives of the local Municipal Corporation.

Residents say civic amenities were better before 1994, when the corporation came into being.

Roads in the entire corporation area are full of potholes and huge pits because these have not been repaired for long. Roads dug up by the telephone and electricity departments for laying underground cables are rarely repaired.

Street lights, except in the areas where VIPs live, are not functioning. Even the busy Delhi-Mathura national highway which divides the city remains dark at night time. Power to the street light poles was disconnected by the civic body as it had reportedly no funds for paying the power bill to the Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam.

During the Kartik festival held in Ballabhgarh, mercury bulbs were fixed on poles but were soon taken out after a number of these were stolen.

The civic body is now negotiating with a private security agency to guard against the theft of bulbs.

The sanitation system in the town is in a shambles. The lifting of garbage is irregular. Sewers, nullahs and drains are choked. This is despite the fact that there is a large fleet of safai karamchari in the corporation.

There is also a water problem even during winter months, when the consumption goes down considerably. It takes several days to replace motors of tubwells or repair these when some fault develops.

The progress of the scheme to bore deep tubewells in the Yamuna bed to supply water to the HUDA sectors and NIT is slow.

Although the budget of the corporation has increased manifold since it came into being it continues to face financial crises.

More than half of the income of the corporation is spent on the payment of salary of the employees, telephone, fuel, electricity bills and overhead expenditure. This means that the residents are paying taxes only to maintain an army of employees.

Government departments and people are also to be blamed for the financial crisis of the corporation as crores of rupees are due from on account of the House Tax.

A demand is reportedly gaining momentum to dissolve the corporation, as it had failed to come up to the expectations of the people. They want switching over to the earlier system of the Faridabad Complex Administration, headed by a single person.

The corporation also blames the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) for its financial problems as the latter did not discharge its obligation towards the HUDA sectors handed over to the civic body for maintenance. The Corporation has been demanding extension fee charged from vacant plots. It also says that HUDA did not complete works in the sectors as agreed upon.

The corporation also demands HUDA to share the cost of maintenance of sectors as it had to spend much more than it gets as tax from them. It had also been suggested that the work of the approval of building plans be handed over to the corporation to garner more resources, but no result has yet come.

However, HUDA sanctioned an ad hoc grant of Rs 96 lakh to the corporation for repair of the roads in the sectors more than six months but the work has not yet started.

There seems to be little coordination between officials and the elected representatives. Most of the resolutions passed by the general house are pending with the government for approval. Many officials have also developed vested interests as they have not been transferred since they joined the service. Councillors also come in the way of strict action against encroachments for political reasons.

1800 cr Annual Plan ‘not to be cut’
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Feb 10 — The Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Bansi Lal, assured the Vidhan Sabha here today that the Annual Plan for 1998-99 would not be further reduced from Rs 1800 crore.

Reacting to a press statement issued by the Lok Dal President, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, that the Plan would be further reduced to about Rs 1400 crore, Mr Bansi Lal said the plan had to be cut from Rs 2200 crore to Rs 1800 crore because there was a shortfall in the Central grant to the tune of Rs 354 crore as well as in the state’s share in Central taxes to the tune of Rs 126 crore.

Intervening after an Appropriation Bill was introduced by the Finance Minister, Mr Bansi Lal said there was nothing unusual in presenting the state’s Budget before the Vidhan Sabha without the finalisation of the Annual Plan. This had been done in the past on several occasions.

Describing the allegations levelled by Mr Chautala as false, Mr Bansi Lal said the tax collection in the current year was more than what it was in the previous year by Rs 46 crore. He said the per capita income had gone up by 8.6 per cent. Similarly, the gross domestic product had shown an increase of 2.4 per cent.

Denying that rain water was not drained in time Mr Bansi Lal said rain water was drained out of 2.93 lakh acre within a record period of two months making the land available for rabi sowing.

Reiterating that power would be supplied round the clock from June next, Mr Bansi Lal said there would not be any increase in tariff for the agriculture sector. During the next financial year the government would pay Rs 928 crore as subsidy on power for the agriculture sector against Rs 880 crore paid this year. He expressed the hope that in coming months Haryana would not only become a power surplus state but would also be able to lower the tariff.

Appropriation Bills passed
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Feb 10 — The Haryana Vidhan Sabha today passed two Appropriation Bills to authorise payments out of the Consolidated Fund of the State.

Through Appropriation Bill No. 1 the Sabha authorised the payment of Rs 541.9 crore towards defraying several charges during 1998-99.

Through the Appropriation Bill No. 2 the government was authorised to appropriate Rs 10796 crore towards defraying several charges during the next financial year.

The Sabha passed the Haryana Private Colleges (Taking Over of the Management) Amendment Bill, 1999, to enable the government to take over the management of all education institutions, whether aided or private.

The Haryana Municipal (Amendment) Bill, 1999, was passed to check encroachments on shamlat deh. The Haryana Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 1999, was also passed to provide for the suspension of a member and to delete the provision of transfer of land by land-owners for public purposes without payment of compensation by the corporation besides to check encroachments on shamlat deh.

The Haryana Legislative Assembly (Allowances and Pension of Members) Amendment Bill debars the Leader of Opposition, the Chief Secretary Parliamentary Secretary and the Parliamentary Secretary from getting Rs 5000 per month as compensatory allowance so that their salary is not more than that of the Ministers.

The Bill also makes dearness allowance admissible in the case of former MLAs who get pension or family pension, which would put burden of about Rs 13.60 lakh per annum on the State exchequer.

The Haryana Legislative Assembly (Medical Facilities to Members) Amendment Bill, 1999, makes a provision for entitling MLAs and former MLAs to medical facilities.

Open darbar on power complaints
From Our Correspondent

PANCHKULA, Feb 10 — An open darbar for redressal of power-related complaints of the residents of villages falling under the Pinjore block will be held at the office of SDO at Pinjore on 24th of every month.

On a similar pattern open darbars will be organised for the electricity consumers of the Kalka area.

This was disclosed by the Deputy Commissioner at a public grievances redressal meeting at Johluwal village in Kalka, near here today.

During the meeting the sarpanch of Johluwal village, Mr Jeet Singh, sought the laying of a 1.3 km road from Johluwal to Kherawali, opening of a sewing centre at the village, and extension of the water supply line for irrigational purposes.

Mr Banta Singh, sarpanch of Karanpur village, drew the attention of the DC towards repair of Johluwal — Karanpur road and channelisation of a dirty water nullah passing through the village.

Another problem highlighted by the residents of the area was about the menace of stray dogs afflicted with rabies. A number of people and milch cattle had been bitten by such dogs, they complained. The DC asked the officials concerned to take action.

Lok Dal to enrol 3.5 lakh women members
From Our Correspondent

BHIWANI, Feb 10 — The Indian National Lok Dal will enrol 3.5 lakh women members before March 31. This was stated here yesterday by Mrs Kailasho Saini, MP and president of the women's cell of the state Lok Dal. She told mediapersons that her tour of the state was meant to strengthen the state unit the Lok Dal of mahila wing. She addressed mahila sammelans in five districts.

She criticised Mr Bansi Lal for improper handling of the Prohibition policy. She said the policy had created a new liquor mafia in the state.

Mrs Kailasho Saini also criticised the Congress for its kranti padyatra, which she said was aimless. She said Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, MP and president of the Haryana State Congress Committee, was in league with Mr Bansi Lal. She also criticised the Central Government for betraying the interests of the farmers by raising the prices of fertiliser and other commodities.

Mrs Saini said the Lok Dal would hold a meeting at Panipat to review its support to the Vajpayee government. While talking to mediapersons at Fatehabad yesterday evening she said her party's image had suffered due to its support to the BJP-led government.

She also said her party had taken a lead in implementing 33 per cent reservation for women within the party and that women's reservation was a necessity in the present day society.

Telecom staff strike over attack on JE, lineman
From Our Correspondent

SONEPAT, Feb 10 — Employees of the telephone exchange in the city and its adjoining areas observed a token strike today in protest against the alleged beating up of a junior engineer and a lineman by two persons at Hassanpur Kurar village, about 10 km from here, yesterday.

The striking employees assembled at the main gate of the telephone exchange here and held a demonstration. They were demanding immediate rearrest of the alleged assailants.

The incident occurred when two persons approached the lineman and asked him to repair their telephone. The lineman agreed to rectify the fault after the completion of the work in hand. On this, the two became furious and started beating him up. On seeing this the junior engineer rushed to rescue the lineman but he too was beaten up by them.

The Telecom Department authorities lodged an FIR with the Rai police against the alleged assailants but, they were later released on bail.

It is stated that the alleged assailants threatened the junior engineer and the lineman again after their release. This led to a token strike by Telecom Department employees.

Earlier, a delegation of the striking employees called on the SSP, Mr K. Selvraj, and apprised him of the facts of the case and demanded immediate rearrest of the alleged accused.

3 MLAs boycott session, claim DA
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Feb 10 — The Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Bansi Lal, had a dig at the Opposition in the Vidhan Sabha today when he pointed out the manner in which it had been boycotting the Budget session of the Assembly.

Mr Bansi Lal told the House that while the entire Opposition was claiming to have boycotted the session in protest against the suspension of nine MLAs from the House, its three members had been marking their presence in the Assembly register to claim daily allowance.

The Chief Minister informed the House that Mr Khurshid Ahmed and Capt Ajay Singh Yadav (both Congress) and Mr Dev Raj Diwan (Ind) had been marking their presence without participating in the proceedings, obviously to claim daily allowance admissible to the members attending a Vidhan Sabha session.

Mr Khurshid Ahmed later told The Tribune that they had been coming to the Assembly to "keep a watch on the doings of the ruling combine MLAs". Therefore, he said, there was nothing wrong if they marked themselves present.

The senior Congress legislator said from the way the ruling combine MLAs had granted medical facilities and dearness allowance on pensions for former MLAs, it was clear that they had seen the writing on the wall and were preparing for political retirement.

Capt Yadav said they had boycotted the proceedings of the House and not the Assembly.

Tributes paid to Sundarji
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Feb 10 — The Haryana Vidhan Sabha today paid tributes to the former Army chief, Gen Krishnaswami Sundarji, who died in Delhi on February 8.

Moving a condolence resolution, the Chief Minister, Mr Bansi Lal, described General Sundarji as a "valiant soldier of the Indian Army, in whose death the country had lost a valiant soldier and an able administrator".

The Education Minister and Leader of the BJP Legislature Party, Mr Ram Bilas Sharma, and the Speaker, Prof Chhattar Singh Chauhan, also paid tributes to the late General. Later the House observed a two-minute silence as a mark of respect to General Sundarji.

Session adjourned sine die
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Feb 10 — The Haryana Assembly was adjourned by the Speaker sine die here today after its 15-day Budget session. The House had 10 sittings during the session which began on January 28 last.

Teachers to get pay for strike period
Tribune News Service

ROHTAK, Feb 10 — The government has decided to release the salary of college and university teachers for the period they remained on strike last year.

The teachers had, it may be recalled, remained on strike from August 11 to September 5 to demand the implementation of the UGC recommended pay scales.

The Haryana Government had then banned the strike and invoked ‘ESMA’ to frustrate the strike. It had also announced that the striking teachers would not be paid salary for the strike period on the principle of "no work, no pay".

The government has reconsidered its decision on the assurance by the Haryana College Teachers’ Association, and the Haryana Federation of University and College Teachers’ Organisations (HFUCTO) that their members would make up the loss of study during the strike period.

The Union Ministry of Human Resource Development has also reportedly advised the state government to reconsider its decision and treat the strike period as duty period for intents and purposes as a goodwill gesture towards the teaching community.

HFUCTO, convener Vazir Singh Nehra has thanked the government for the gesture. He said the government was taking necessary steps to implement the revised pay scales.

He said the national executive committee of the All-India Federation of College and University Teachers Organisations will meet at Aurangabad on February 14 to review the situation and formulate its future plan.

Breach in minor: case registered
Tribune News Service

HISAR, Feb 10 — The police here has registered a case in connection with the breach in the newly constructed Sultanpur minor on Monday.

Well-placed sources said the samples of the material used in the construction were being sent for examination. The sources said, a thorough inquiry would be conducted into the incident.

Meanwhile, a spokesman of the Irrigation Department claimed the breach had been caused by some anti-social elements. He alleged, the water was flowing smoothly for several hours. Certain anti-social elements, who did not want its timely inauguration, caused the breach at Sepal village.

The spokesman said, the breach had been repaired and the canal would be inaugurated on the scheduled date, February 13, by the HVP MP from Bhiwani, Mr Surinder Singh.

CPM protest march on price hike
From Our Correspondent

SONEPAT, Feb 10 — More than 500 members of the CPM took out a procession here yesterday to register their protest against price hike by the Centre.

The procession was led by Mr S.N. Solanki, secretary of the district unit of the party and others.

The protestors raised slogans against the Vajpayee government. They marched through the main bazaars of the city and submitted a memorandum to the Additional Deputy Commissioner, Mr Sandeep Garg at the Panchayat Bhawan.

A rally was also held and the speakers criticised the BJP-led coalition government at the Centre for increasing the prices of essential commodities like wheat, sugar, rice, urea and LPG. They demanded immediate withdrawal of the hike.

Walkout by MC Commissioner
Tribune News Service

FARIDABAD, Feb 10 — The Municipal Corporation Commissioner along with other officials of the civic body today walked out of the meeting of the general house after heated exchanges with the councillors.

The councillors described the action of the Commissioner as contempt of the House and wrote a letter to the government against him.

An emergency meeting of the councillors has been called for tomorrow by the Mayor to decide the course of action.

The trouble started when the councillors took to task the officials for inadequate recovery of taxes. They also alleged that Commissioner, who did not take the councillors in confidence, was functioning in a "dictatorial manner". The Commissioner was offended by the remarks and walked out of the meeting saying he "would not change his style of work".