 |
H A R Y A N A |  |
 Sunday, May 23, 1999 |
|
Rebel MLAs may get
Cabinet berths |
 |
|
|
Court summons
Panipat DC 100 houses to be razed Tension in village over plots KU Professor to attend World
Economic Congress Life term for 8 in murder case Stir threat by lawyers Power failure in Sonepat Date for claims extended Trekking expedition flagged off |
|||||||
 |
|||
Rebel MLAs may get Cabinet
berths GURGAON, May 22 — The ruling Haryana Vikas Party (HVP) has launched a major exercise to win over its dissident MLAs and ministers to avert a crisis to the Bansi Lal government. According to sources, there is a move for expansion of the Bansi Lal Cabinet, sometime next week. Some dissident MLAs including those who were made to resign from the Council of Ministers are tipped to be taken in the expanded Cabinet. It is learnt that emissaries of the Chief Minister, Mr Bansi Lal, who is also president of the HVP, are in constant touch with about six MLAs, who are former ministers and ministers, to persuade them give up their dissident activities in the interest of the HVP and the government. At least two MLAs — one from South Haryana — who were earlier made to resign from the Council of Ministers are reported to have agreed to mend fences with Mr Bansi Lal. The step to win over the dissidents follows the Haryana BJP’s move to withdraw support to the Bansi Lal Government being torpedoed by the party high command. Sources said when a delegation of BJP leaders from Haryana, including the state president, Mr Om Prakash Grover, and the leader of the party in the Haryana Assembly, Prof Ram Bilas Sharma, met the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, on the state unit’s decision recommending withdrawal of support to the Bansi Lal government, they were asked to reconsider it. When the delegation later met the Union Home Minister, Mr L.K. Advani, its members were reportedly given short shrift. Mr Advani was said to have made the snide observation that Prof Ram Bilas Sharma was angling to become the Chief Minister of Haryana. The BJP leaders from Haryana were also reported to have been firmly told by Mr Advani to avoid giving statements to the media. It was also made it clear to the delegation that as far as the relationship of the Bansi Lal government with the BJP was concerned, status quo should be maintained. The HVP leaders initiated efforts to win over the dissidents after some of them did rethinking on their activities in view of Mr Vajpayee and Mr Advani’s stand. There’s a
compulsion to win over the dissident MLAs and ministers
to thwart a split in the legislative wing of the HVP. |
Question mark on CID role ROHTAK, May 22 — The alleged surveillance of BJP leaders in the state government has added a new dimension to the controversial functioning of the CID in Haryana. Keeping a watch on the activities of the Opposition leaders by the ruling party is not a new phenomenon in the history of state. Two cops of the Haryana police were caught while shadowing Mr Rajiv Gandhi, the then Congress President in 1990. In protest against this secret vigil Congress withdrew support and toppled the Chandra Shekhar Government within a short span of four months. Although the cops, Prem Singh and Raj Singh were suspended on the charge of spying on Mr Gandhi, they proved to be the last nail in the coffin of the Union Government. The supporters of Mr Bhupender Singh Hooda, Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee chief, nabbed a cop with a tape recorder while keeping an eye on the activities of Mr Hooda during the Congress reign. Mr Hooda complained the matter to the party high command. Mr Jai Prakash, a former MP, who deserted the Haryana Vikas Party complained that his functioning was kept under secret supervision. Once he handed over a cop to the police who was allegedly shadowing him. Even the Chief Minister, Mr Bansi Lal, has been a victim of surveillance when he was in the Opposition. He was followed by some policemen in a vehicle while going to Delhi. However, they sped away when Mr Bansi Lal stopped his car. Besides, the industrialist-turned-politician, Mr Om Prakash Jindal, and a recently suspended minister, Rao Narbir Singh also complained that their activities had continuously been kept under secret supervision. Recently, Mr Om Prakash Grover, state president of the BJP and Prof Ram Bilas Sharma, leader of the Haryana BJP Legislature Party, publicly charged the CID with shadowing them along with several other BJP leaders. They have pleaded to the party high command to withdraw support from the HVP on this charge. It is to be seen how the central BJP would deal with these complaints of surveillance by its senior leaders and what action it might take. It is learnt nearly 1,000 CID men, including officials and employees, have been serving in the state at present. About 60 CID men have been deputed at Haryana Bhavan at Delhi while around 250 have been detailed at Chandigarh. Surprisingly, the CID
failed to smell two unsuccessful toppling bids by the HVP
ministers recently. |
Spare parts racket unearthed ROHTAK, May 22 — Alertness on the part of certain employees of Haryana Roadways led to the unearthing of an alleged racket in the disposal of usable metallic spare parts and scrap material worth several thousands from roadways workshop here. According to Haryana Roadways sources, certain officials at the bus stand got loaded some unusable items and waste products in truck to dispose these of on the Jind road. It is learnt that while three truckloads of such material had already been dumped in the past few days, some employees of the department checked the fourth truck and found that the waste material, loaded in the truck was valuable and could be sold by inviting tenders. They stopped the truck in the workshop and informed the matter to the Transport Commissioner, Mr Naresh Gulati, at Chandigarh yesterday. Mr Jalkaran Balhara, senior vice president Roadways Karamchari Union, Haryana, said the Commissioner had directed to the authorities to stop and unload the material at the workshop. He said the Commissioner had assured an inquiry into the matter. Mr Balhara alleged that as the general manager was not here, certain junior officials were trying to dispose of material in such a way. He demanded an inquiry into the functioning of the workshop at the bus stand. The general manager, has
started a preliminary inquiry into the matter. |
Court summons Panipat DC CHANDIGARH, May 22 — The Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed the Deputy Commissioner of Panipat to be present in the court on July 14 to explain as to why the high court order dated February 9, 1999, had not been complied with. Mr Justice V.K. Jhanji and Mr Justice Mehtab Singh Gill, who gave the order, observed that on July 9, 1999, the Deputy Commissioner was directed to appoint an enquiry officer to conduct a thorough probe into the allotment of land by the gram panchayat under the policy framed by the government. The report of the enquiry officer was directed to be produced before the court. The Bench held that neither the enquiry report had been placed on record nor the DAG, Haryana, had been able to state whether any enquiry was conducted. In fact counsel for the petitioner stated that according to information no enquiry had been held and if any held the petitioner had not been associated with the same. The allotment of land was questioned by Mr Sri Chand Chopra and Mr Dharan Singh. They had sought directives for cancelling the allotment of plots in favour of Mr Raghbir and 34 others. They had also sought a directive to the Haryana Government to allot plots to landless Harijans and people belonging to the backward classes for whom the land was acquired by the state government. The high court has slapped a sum of Rs 1,000 as cost on the DPI (Schools), Punjab, for his failure to file a reply to the petition filed by Mr Bant Singh and other teachers, questioning the seniority list prepared by his office after a lapse of 10 years by misinterpreting the high court. Mr Justice R.S. Mongia and Mr Justice J.S. Narang, who issued this directive, recorded that on August 11, 1998, notice of motion was issued for October 29, 1998. On October 29 the case was adjourned to January 27, 1999, at the request of counsel appearing on behalf of the respondent-state and the reply was to be filed by January 20, 1999. No reply was filed on January 20, 1999. The case was then adjourned to March 15, 1999, and the reply was to be filed by March 8, 1999. Again on March 15 the reply was not filed and another opportunity was prayed for, which was granted in the interest of justice and the case was adjourned to May 20. It was clearly mentioned in the order that this was the last opportunity. Even on May 20 no reply was filed and yet another opportunity was prayed for. "No one has come from the DPI's office to assist the Advocate-General, and counsel states that he has received no instructions whatsoever." the Judge observed. "In these
circumstances we direct the DPI (Schools), Punjab,
Chandigarh to be personally present in the court on the
adjourned date," the Judge held and added: "In
case there is no DPI (Schools) at the moment, then the
officer discharging the duties of the DPI (Schools)
should be personally present. This adjournment, which
according to us, is wholly unnecessary is being granted
subject to the payment of Rs 1,000 as costs which would
be recovered by the official-respondent from the officer
who is responsible to file reply. |
100 houses to be razed YAMUNANAGAR: Hundred houses will be razed at Hathni Kund Barrage by June 30. In 1996 Mumbai based Hindustan Construction Company Limited, which undertook the 168-crore Hathnikund Barrage project, constructed these houses for its officers and workers at a cost of Rs 3 crore. The complex has proper water, electricity and civic amenities. The works Manager of the Company, Mr S.P. Thosar, said to ensure round-the-clock water supply they had spent Rs 10 lakh to install tubewell and generators for 24-hour power supply. He said in July 1999 when they would shift to other places, they would have to dismantle the complex. He said the company had offered a section of the complex free to the Haryana Government. From the tourism angle,
the complex, which falls on the Yamunanagar-Poanta Sahib
highway, is of importance. |
Tension in village over plots ROHTAK, May 22 — Tension is mounting between two communities in Mahra village over the possession of residential plots allotted to landless Dalits out of panchayat land. The village is situated on Rohtak-Panipat state highway near Gohana, a sub-divisional town in Sonepat district. The village has nearly 4,000 inhabitants comprising mainly Jats, Dalits and backward classes. The panchayat had on March 23, 1996, allotted 53 residential plots of 100 sq yd each to landless Dalits and members of backward classes of the village. The allotment deeds were registered in their favour and the mutation was registered on November 27, 1997. Possession of the plots was also given by the administration to the allottees on June 10, 1998. They constructed walls and started tethering their cattle on these plots. The allottees, however, were taken aback when on October 11, 1998, the village panchayat adopted a resolution to donate the land allotted to the Dalits and others to Swami Achuta Nanad Dandi, president of the Bhooma Niketan, Hardwar for setting up an ayurvedic college and hospital in memory of his late Guru. The allottees alleged that on the night of November 3, 1998, the village sarpanch and some others demolished the walls and took away the bricks and stones in tractor-trailers. The aggrieved allottees reported the incident to the BDPO and the local MLA, Mr Jagbir Singh Malik, and sought their intervention . But no action was taken on their complaint and the allottees then approached the Deputy Commissioner, Sonepat for action. They also held a precession in Gohana on May 1 and submitted a memorandum to the SDM. The silence maintained by the district administration stunned the aggrieved allottees who, led by CPM leader S.N. Solanki, met newsmen here to seek their help in getting justice. Mr Solanki said the Dalits and other allottees were spending sleepless nights and living under constant fear. Mr Solanki alleged that some influential persons had conspired to grab the land in the name of the ayurvedic college. The aggrieved Dalits
repeatedly again met the Deputy Commissioner, Mr P.K.
Mahapatra, yesterday at Gohana and sought his
intervention in restoring the allotted plots to them and
action against the guilty. Mr Mahapatra has reportedly
directed the DSP, Gohana to look into the complaint and
ensure peace in the village. |
KU Professor to attend
World Economic Congress CHANDIGARH, May 22 — Dr B.K. Vashist, Professor in the Department of Economics of Kurukshetra University, has been invited by the International Economic Association (IEA) to present a paper on "Agricultural futures market": an analysis of equilibrium conditions and inter market relations" during the 12th World Economic Congress scheduled to be held at Buenos Aries in August. Informing about the honour, Prof Vashist said the paper had been co-authored by his son, Ashutosh Vashist, a management post-graduate. Both father and son are engaged in intensive research in the area of "derivatives". The two main questions highlighted in the paper are the determination of price of agricultural future contracts and its relationship with the expected spot price, and the role of the speculators in promoting inter-seasonal price stability are the two basic questions analysed in this paper. A contract system under
which the farmer is in the know of the price of his
produce even before the crop is sowed is prevalent in the
developed world. Such a system is working for black
pepper and coffee planters in the country. Prof Vashist
pointed out that price stability could be achieved for
all agricultural produce if a contract system, under
which the farmer knew the price beforehand, was
implemented. This would give the farmer an exact idea of
how much he should sow and how much of his land should be
brought under cultivation. |
Life term for 8 in murder
case HISAR, May 22 — The Additional District and Sessions Judge, Mr Diwan Chand today awarded life imprisonment to eight persons, including four brothers and a woman, after finding them guilty of committing murder in Kalirawan of the district on August 21, 1995. Those convicted are Jagdish, Dalbir, Hariya, Ramphal (brother), Chameli wife of Jagdish, Hanuman, Satbir and Krishan, all residents of Kalirawan village. The court also ordered a fine of Rs 13,000 each. However, Mani Ram and Ram Sarup, were acquitted by the court on the benefit of the doubt. According to the
prosecution, these persons went to the house of deceased
Nathuram on August 21, 1995, and attacked with sharp
weapons, lathis etc and injured him along with another
persons. Nathuram later died in hospital. A case under
sections 302, 323, 324, 148 and 149 of the IPC was
registered against them in Agroh police station. |
Stir threat by lawyers ROHTAK, May 22 — The District Bar Association has threatened to launch an agitation in case the alleged murderer of Meena was not arrested and the 'erring' police officials were not punished. Ved Prakash allegedly threw acid on Meena on April 16 when she reportedly refused his marriage proposal. She later died at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences. The parents of the victim said the accused had threatened to kill Meena nearly eight months ago. They said the matter was reported to the police but no action was taken against the accused which encouraged him to take the extreme step. The accused has not been
arrested so far. |
Power failure in Sonepat SONEPAT, May 22 — Prompt action by the Superintending Engineer (Operation), Sonepat circle, and other officials of the Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam (HVPN), saved the city and its suburbs from going without power for a long time after the collapse of a 16 MVA transformer installed at the 132 KV grid power substation, Fazilpur, last evening. The transformer was 23-year-old, it was learnt. However, the city and the suburbs remained in darkness for more than four hours and the power supply was restored around 9 p.m. According to official sources, it will take about two weeks to replace the defective transformer due to the non-availability of some of its parts. Official sources
revealed that loadshedding was being done in the city and
the rural areas fed by the Bhatgaon feeder, the Qumashpur
feeder, the Bhigan feeder, the Murthal Estate feeder and
the G.T. Road feeder. |
Date for claims extended CHANDIGARH, May 22 — As a result of certain lapses in the preparation and publication of voters' list of gram panchayats, panchayat samitis and zila parishad for the conduct of panchayat elections in Pinjore block, Morni and Barwala in Panchkula district, the State Election Commission (SEC) has modified the programme for preparation and the publication of voters' list in the aforesaid blocks of Panchkula. An official spokesman today said now the last date for presenting claims and objections had been extended up to May 28. The District Electoral Officer will, after holding summary enquiry into claims and objections, record decisions in writing by May 31. The voters' list will be
published finally on June 7 as prescribed earlier by the
SEC. |
Trekking expedition flagged off CHANDIGARH, May 22 — The Haryana Chief Secretary, Mr Ram S Varma, flagged off a 40-member strong contingent, including male and female participants, on a trekking expedition to Kedarnath, Badrinath, Valley of Flowers and Hem Kunt Sahib. The expedition was organised by the National Adventure Club of India. Mr Varma, who is the president of the club, said the adventure group was on a 10-day trip and would undertake 100-km stretch for trekking and 50 km for white river rafting at Shivpuri (Rishikesh) in the Gange. As a token of goodwill, the National Adventure Club had despatched a truckload of relief material, including 1,100 blankets, to the victims who were affected by the recent quake in Chamoli in Uttar Pradesh. The District Red Cross Societies of Gurgaon, Faridabad, Karnal, Rewari, Hisar, Panipat, Sonepat, Yamunanagar and Ambala had contributed 100 blankets each whereas Rohtak had sent 200 blankets. In addition, the
Adventure Club had also contributed 25 large tents worth
Rs 3 lakh. |
Yuva INLD to file habeas
corpus plea ROHTAK, May 22 — The state General Secretary of the Yuva Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), Mr Vijender Ahlawat, has said that he will file a habeas corps petition in the Supreme Court against the state government and the DGP if three Haryana ministers and a MLA belonging to the Scheduled Castes/Backward Classes were not produced before the people of their constituency by Monday next. In press statement issued here today, Mr Ahlawat alleged that the three ministers — Mrs Kanta Devi, Mr Jagdish Nayyar and Ram Sarup Rama — and the MLA, Mr Ram Bhaj had been kept in custody outside the state. Their family members and friends had not been told about their where abouts. He further alleged that
the silence of the government on this matter indicated
that a conspiracy had been hatched to keep them at an
unknown place. |
Hooda congratulates Mahender
Chaudhry CHANDIGARH, May 22 — Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, President, Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee, today congratulated Mr Mahender Chaudhry on becoming the Prime Minister of Fiji. Mr Hooda said the people
of Haryana, particularly of Rohtak district, were
delighted to know that a person hailing from
Bahu-Jamalpur village in Rohtak district had become the
Prime Minister of Fiji. |
May 31 last date for
Congress membership CHANDIGARH, May 22 — May 31 is the last date for enrolment of Congress members for the year 1999-2000 on the basis of which the ensuing organisational general election would be held sometime this year as decided by the Congress Working Committee. Campaign for the enrolment of Congress members began on January 1. Mr Ram Niwas Mirdha, Chairman, Central Election Authority of the All-India Congress Committee, has released the schedule for depositing the membership forms, primary as well as active, rerolled up to May 31 with the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee or the respective District Congress Committee. The last date fixed for
depositing the membership forms has been fixed as June
10. |
Two more join fast CHANDIGARH, May 22 — The indefinite fast of Mr Rajesh Sharma, vice-president, Haryana PCC, and a former Haryana Minister, demanding withdrawal of Mrs Sonia Gandhi's resignation from the presidentship of the partly entered its second day today. According to reports
reaching here from Yamunanagar, two more Congress
workers, Mr Ajay Kumar, Municipal Commissioner, and Mr
Dharmendra also joined Mr Rajesh Sharma in the hunger
strike while municipal councillors, Mr Ramesh Sharma, Mr
Ram Pal, Mr Rakesh Kashyap and Mr Satpal Mehta, sat on a
24-hour fast in support of the cause of Mr Sharma. |
Women decry water shortage BHIWANI, May 22 — Under the aegies of Janwadi Mahila Samiti, hundreds of women staged a demonstration in front of the office of the Superintending Engineer, Public Health Department, here today to protest against the shortage of potable drinking water in certain areas of the town. They later on presented a memorandum to the Chief Engineer. According to the women residents of the local Jagat Colony, they had shortage of drinking water throughout the year, but it became acute during the summer. A spokesperson of the Samiti said the supply of potable water at the boosting station on the B.T.M. road was getting very less quantity of drinking water supply against its demand. The spokesperson said that a 10-inch pipe was laid about 10 months ago but it has not been linked to the supply pipe. They demanded that
potable water supply should be improved in Meham road,
Vidya Colony, Shanti Nagar, Krishna Colony, Hanumaan
Dhani and Patram gate areas. |
Cases against 21 traders
withdrawn HISAR, May 23 — The Haryana Government has decided to withdraw cases against 21 local traders registered under Section 307 of the IPC two years ago. According to sources the Chief Minister recently directed the district administration to withdraw the cases against the traders following recommendations of Mr Om Prakash Mahajan, Excise and Taxation Minister. Four robbers had seriously injured two shopkeepers of Pooja Market on January 1,1997, after which the local traders launched an agitation and organised a Hisar bandh. During the agitation, it
was alleged that the traders clashed with the police
outside Nagori Gate. The police registered cases of
attempt to murder against 21 traders, including Mr
Bajrang Dass Garg, state president of the Haryana Pradesh
Beopar Mandal. |
Opium smuggler arrested SIRSA, May 22 — Maru Ram Vishni, a smuggler in narcotics and wanted in a case of smuggling of opium was arrested by the Sirsa police yesterday. Giving this information Mr B S Sandhu, SSP, said here today that the accused along with two others were carrying 8 kg opium in a jeep from Rajasthan when their jeep collided with a tree near Naruwana village on March 2. Satvir Singh, driver of the jeep died on the spot. The police had recovered
the opium from the jeep. |
 |
||
 |
| Nation
| Punjab | Himachal Pradesh | Jammu & Kashmir | Chandigarh | | Editorial | Business | Sport | | Mailbag | Spotlight | World | 50 years of Independence | Weather | | Search | Subscribe | Archive | Suggestion | Home | E-mail | |
