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H A R Y A N A |  |
 Sunday, June 6, 1999 |
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Cabinet expansion
stalled? |
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Sonia's
Sonepat visit on June 26 5-year-term for HSEB officials Hooda to fight Rohtak LS seat Sapling planted to mark World
Environment Day SDOs’ appointment in civil
wing opposed Demand to name road after jawan Rice trader robbed Trekking expedition flagged off |
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Cabinet expansion stalled? CHANDIGARH, June 5 — Has the much-talked about expansion of the Haryana Cabinet been stalled by the Governor, Mr Mahabir Prasad? Informed sources reply to this question is in the affirmative. It is learnt that the Governor has certain reservations about the probity of (re) administering the oath of office to Dr Dharambir Yadav, who was sacked from the Cabinet last year after he made derogatory remarks against the Chief Minister. Mr Prasad reportedly expressed his reservations on Dr Yadav at a meeting with the Chief Minister, Mr Bansi Lal, when the latter called on the former here on June 3, presumably to discuss the proposed expansion of the Cabinet. The sources say Mr Prasad pointed out to the Chief Minister that after the sack of Dr Yadav, a number of his former ministerial colleagues had issued statements through the public Relations department levelling serious allegations of corruption against him (Dr Yadav). The Governor is believed to have said that since Dr Yadav is yet to be absolved of the allegations, his reinduction into the Cabinet might generate a controversy which would be embarrassing to the government. When TNS contacted Haryana Raj Bhavan, a telephone attendant said the Governor was not well. Incidentally, Mr Prasad attended a function in connection with World Environment Day this morning. However, HVP sources say the expansion is likely next week. They also point out to the constitutional position that it is the prerogative of the Chief Minister to select his team of ministers. If the Chief Minister insists on inducting a particular person in his Cabinet, the Governor cannot refuse to administer the oath of office to him. Even a non-MLA could be taken in the Cabinet for six months. Meanwhile, the dissidents in the HVP, to whom Dr Yadav's somersault came as a big shock, have renewed their efforts to topple the Bansi Lal Government. Two prominent dissident leaders, a senior Haryana BJP leader and a senior Indian National Lok Dal leader are reportedly scheduled to meet in Delhi today. Sources in the dissident camp admit that Dr Yadav's expression of faith in the leadership of Mr Bansi Lal has been a set-back for rebels' efforts. But they say the setback turned out to be temporary because new persons have joined their ranks to fill the vacancy caused by Dr Yadav's desertion. The dissidents also claim to be in touch with three Scheduled Castes HVP MLAs — Mr Ram Bhaj, Mr Ram Sarup Rama and Mr Jagdish Nayar — who have since returned from "bharat darshan", an euphemism for being kept in a secluded place to guard against possible poaching by opposite camp. However, informed
sources say the dissidents are yet to establish any
creditable contact with the three MLAs. |
SP to contest all seats in
Haryana GURGAON, June 5 — The Samajwadi Party of Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav has decided to contest all Lok Sabha seats in Haryana in the coming parliamentary elections. The President of the Haryana unit of the Party, Mr Manohar Lal Saini, told newspersons here today that his party would contest from all assembly constituencies, in case assembly elections were held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections. The Samajwadi Party has decided to kick off its campaign for the Lok Sabha election at a state level rally here on June 26. Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav and other national leaders of the party will address the rally. In the last Lok Sabha elections, the Samajwadi Party had unsuccessfully fielded nominees for Mahendergarh and Faridabad Lok Sabha seats. In response to a question, Mr Saini said that his party had decided not to align with any political party in Haryana for the election. He said the rationale behind this decision was incompatibility of the party’s ideology with those of other political parties. He alleged that the ruling HVP-BJP combine and the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) were two sides of the same coin. The three political parties were trying to forge an alliance to mislead the masses. The Congress was faction ridden and it had been earlier rejected by the masses and now it was trying to win them over with false promises in the coming elections. Referring to local issues, Mr Saini urged the Haryana Government to give a sympathetic consideration to the cause of the farmers whose land had been acquired by the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) in south Haryana. The government should find out a way to give adequate monetary compensation the farmers notwithstanding the pronouncement of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Mr Saini announced
appointment of Mr Ramanand Yadav as General Secretary of
the Haryana unit of the party and Mr Rajan Yadav as
President of district unit. |
Literacy changes village face KAITHAL: Sikander Kheri seems to be undergoing a definite change. The village today boasts of a literacy club, youth club, sports club, a mahila mandal and a sewing centre besides a library and a "Samajik Chetna Manch" are under way. The process of change picked up with the adoption of the village by the Public Relations Department and Zila Gian Deep Samiti under the total literacy campaign on the martyrdom day of Mahatma Gandhi on January 30. When contacted Mr Rajbir Singh, DPRO, Kaithal, the moving spirit behind this campaign, said literacy did not merely mean learning of the alphabet. Rather it meant generating awareness among the villagers and helping them realise their potential. As a result of this literacy campaign, residents of this village are becoming aware of various welfare schemes launched by the government for their benefit. They realise that ultimately it is they who have to help themselves for raising their living standards. The people feel motivated and seem to have awakened to the lesson of self-help, a basic component of the campaign. When this reporter asked a school dropout why he had left school, he replied he found it "too bookish". But now he attends literacy classes. He says: "I come here to learn because I found that it pays in more than one way." Initially, 175 illiterates in the age group of 15-35 were identified out of which 150 were motivated to join literacy classes. According to information collected by this reporter from official and other sources, eight classes of men and women in the above age group are being held at the village Chaupal, residential premises and the sewing centre being run by the Nehru Yuvak Kendra. All this is being done with the help of 'akshar sainiks', volunteers of the Zila Gian Deep Samiti and other organisations. The Deputy Commissioner, Ms Jaiwanti Sheokand, who has been taking a lot of initiative to give a boost to this campaign, maintains that the campaign is becoming a programme. Awareness in womanfolk has risen. Almost every villager in Sikander Kheri has planted at least five fruit trees. Panchayat activities
have become more regular and participation by women has
increased. The villagers seem to have moved closer,
joining hands to make a collective effort for achieving
community goals. |
Sonia's Sonepat visit on June 26 GURGAON, June 5 — The Congress President, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, will address an election rally at Sonepat on June 26. The date of Mrs Gandhi's visit was confirmed today by the President of the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda. Earlier, the tentative date for her visit was June 21. With the confirmation of the visit, the state unit of the party has rescheduled its programmes. The state leadership of the party has decided to intensify the drive to mobilise people for the meeting in Rohtak, Jhajjar, Jind, Sonepat, Panipat, Karnal, Kurukshetra and Hisar districts. According to sources, the decision about the venue was taken after much deliberations. Sonepat was chosen as it falls in the Jat heartland of Haryana. If the Sonepat meeting is a success, it would have an impact in other districts too. The organisers of the meeting feel that Mrs Gandhi's public appearance in Sonepat would have a direct bearing on the Congress poll preparations in Rohtak, Karnal, Kurukshetra, Bhiwani and Hisar constituencies. According to observers,
the choice of Sonepat for the meeting has another angle.
The Congress considers the INLD as its main rival in
Haryana. The INLD has a strong base among the Jat
community. The Congress, which is said to have made
inroads into the INLD vote bank, would like to further
consolidate its position. |
5-year-term for HSEB
officials FARIDABAD, June 5 — Mr R.L. Sankhla, Additional District and Sessions Judge, today sentenced Lal Chand, Bhajan Lal and Nawal Singh, all officials of the Haryana State Electricity Board, Hodal, to five years' rigorous imprisonment under Section 452, IPC, for assaulting Mr Suraj Bhan, SDO, HSEB, on June 23, 1994. They have also been sentenced to one year's RI under Section 506 IPC, and three months' RI under Section 7 of the Protection of Civil Rights Act. All sentences will run concurrently. According to the
prosecution, the accused entered the house of Mr Suraj
Bhan and beat him on the pretext that they had been
transferred on his recommendation. They forced him to
write a letter to the Superintending Engineer for
cancellation of the transfer orders. |
Hooda to fight Rohtak LS seat ROHTAK, June 5 — The Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee chief, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, will be the party candidate from Rohtak parliamentary seat if the Lok Sabha poll is held in September next. Stating this, a party spokesman said here today that Mr Hooda would contest both the Lok Sabha and assembly elections if they were held simultaneously. Party workers would hold
two meetings at Rohtak and Jhajjar on June 13 and 12,
respectively, in connection with the Sonepat rally of the
Congress on June 26. |
Sapling planted to mark World CHANDIGARH, June 5 —The Haryana Governor, Mr Mahabir Prasad, planted a sapling of peepal tree on the Haryana Raj Bhavan premises to mark the celebration of World Environment Day here today. He also planted a bamboo sapling on the occasion as part of the bamboo development programme which was launched by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, in Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi, today to boost rural employment and reduce social and economic pressure on the he forests. In a formal talk with officers of the Haryana Forests and the Environment departments, the Governor said the maximum number of plants and trees of different species should be planted on waste land, fields, banks of the rivers, both sides of the roads and public places. Mr Prasad claimed that he never forgot to plant a sapling at every function he attended. Mr R.S. Hooda,
Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests,
Haryana, told the Governor that the Forests department
would plant over 1.11 crore saplings on 10,000 hectares
of land in the current financial year to make Haryana a
green state of the country. |
SDOs’ appointment in civil
wing opposed SONEPAT, June 5 — The Haryana Government has again shifted the office of the mechanical subdivision in the Irrigation Department from Karnal to this city with immediate effect. According to official sources, this followed as a result of the persistent demand made by senior officers of the department to the state government, requesting it to shift this office in the city. This office was reportedly shifted to Karnal last year without any reason, it is stated. Meanwhile, representatives of various government employees unions today opposed the appointment of certain SDOs (mechanical wing) as SDO in the civil wing and urged the state government to order immediate shifting of such officers as there was no dearth of the SDOs (civil wing) in the state. In a memorandum sent to the state government, a copy of which was released to the Press here, they also described the decision of the state government in this regard as unjust and unwarranted and threatened to launch an agitation against it on this issue. The representatives also appealed to the state government to revoke its earlier decision on this issue and avoid a confrontation with officials and employees. Referring to the alleged misuse of petroleum products in the working of the JCB machine, these representatives demanded a high-level probe into the complaints. They wanted stern action to be taken against the officials involved in this racket. They also alleged that the state government was being duped by the officials entrusted to the job who were minting money by showing bogus consumption of petroleum products. A high-level inquiry into the racket was likely to expose the misdeeds of certain officials, they said. The representatives also
demanded that the JCB machine should be handed over to
the SDO (mechanical wing) instead of being handled by
officials of the civil wing. |
Demand to name road after jawan PANIPAT, June 5 — Residents of Sanauli Khurd village in this district have urged the district administration to name the road leading to the village from the Panipat-Shamli road, after Naik Rishi Pal Tyagi, who died fighting intruders in the Naushera sector of Jammu and Kashmir on May 28. The demand was raised when the Subdivisional Magistrate, Mr P.K. Sharma, along with a team of district officers went to mourn the death of the brave soldier. Naik Tyagi who was
serving in the Rajputana regiment of the Army is survived
by wife, two sons and a daughter. His elder brother
Mahender Singh is also serving in the Army. |
Rice trader robbed HISAR, June 5 (UNI) — Two armed robbers waylaid a rice trader in a running train near Tohana and robbed him of Rs 6 lakh. According to a report lodged with the police, Ram Mehar, alias, Sonu was returning to his village after selling rice. This is the second
looting incident in this area in the past one week. |
Trekking expedition flagged off CHANDIGARH, June 5 — The Deputy Commissioner of Ambala, Mrs Navraj Sandhu, flagged off an eight-member trekking expedition from Ambala to Chander-Tal (4270 metre-high peak) at Ambala today. The team comprised eight members of the Youth Club, Haryana Civil Secretariat, Chandigarh. Led by Mr Satish Sharma,
the expedition is expected to return on June 15. It will
cover a trek of about 110 km via
Manali-Chhika-Chhatru-Chhota Dara-Batal-Chander Tal-Topko
Gangma-Topko Yangma and Baralachha Pass. |
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