Chautala in hurry for snap poll: Bansi
CHANDIGARH, Sept 14 — A former Chief Minister and President of the HVP, Mr Bansi Lal, has demanded that Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala should now implement all the promises he had been making as the Leader of the Opposition.

Spate of robberies in Sonepat dist
SONEPAT, Sept 14 — A gang of robbers struck at the house of Mr Dilbagh Singh, a teacher at Government Senior Secondary School, Ganaur yesterday while they were asleep and assaulted them. The alleged assailants, however, managed to escape with cash and goods worth thousands of rupees after injuring Mr Dilbagh Singh and his mother.

Panchayat funds embezzled
SONEPAT, Sept 14 — The police has registered two separate cases against Mr Mehar Lal, a former sarpanch, and Mr Ram Dhari, a panch of Garhi Bala village, on the charge of alleged misuse and embezzlement and preparing bogus receipts.

SHO transferred on villagers’ complaint
YAMUNANAGAR, Sept 14 — The police has transferred the SHO of Yamunanagar Sadar Police station to police line with immediate effect.

Murder case solved
SONEPAT, Sept 14 — With the arrest of a couple, the Ganaur police today claimed to have solved the alleged murder of Mr Ram Gopal, a resident of Four-Marla Colony, Sonepat, about 16 years ago.

4 houses looted, 6 hurt
FARIDABAD, Sept 14 — At least six persons, including women, were injured yesterday night when miscreants forced their entry into four houses in New Bharat Colony, across the Agra canal on the outskirts of the city.

Strengthen party, INLD men told
CHANDIGARH, Sept 14 — Mr Pradeep Chaudhary, general secretary of the Indian National Lok Dal, has urged the workers to make concerted efforts to strengthen the party and frustrate the designs of those trying to malign the image of the party president and the government.

Bus conductor robbed
FATEHABAD, Sept 14 — Two miscreants snatched a bag from a conductor of a Haryana Roadways bus near Khajoori Jati village, in the district, on Sunday. The bag contained Rs 7,000 besides some belongings of the conductor.

Five policemen suspended
HISAR, Sept 14 — Five policemen, including an ASI, have been suspended in connection with the death of a student who had been stabbed to death by three persons last week.

Three IAS officers promoted

Floral tributes paid to jawan

Bid on life of Kaithal scribe
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Sept 14 — An attempt on the life of a newsman, Mr Parmanand Goyal of Kaithal, Haryana, was made in Kaithal on Monday, which has left him with fractures on both legs, injuries on hands, arms and on the head.

He has been admitted to the emergency of the PGI in Chandigarh.

Mr Goyal claimed that he was accompanied by another newsman, Mr Mahipal, on a scooter, when he was allegedly attacked by five masked men with rods and lathis.

In a case of attempt on their lives, a police Inspector of the town, Mr Dalbir Singh, has been placed under suspension for dereliction of duty with immediate effect, by the Inspector-General Police, Ambala Range, Mr H.S. Ahlawat, who has been camping at Kaithal.

A spokesman said the police had identified Krishan Pal Pahalwan and others involved in the incident and added that they would be nabbed soon as a massive manhunt had been launched.

Meanwhile, Mr Goyal talking to a TNS team from his bed alleged that the police of the town and certain rice mill owners were behind the incident. He also alleged that his family members were being harassed. Sources stated that the FIR lodged had named certain police officials and rice mill owners.

The DGP, Haryana, Mr A.S. Bhatotia, has denied any involvement of his men in the incident.

Meanwhile, Mr Goyal maintains that he was attacked on Monday afternoon because he had been writing stories against the rice mill owners and also the local police. He added that though he had now been given police protection, he feared for the life of his family members. Reportedly tension between the rice millers and Mr Goyal had been building up for quite some time.

Mr Jaswinder Sandhu, Chief Parliamentary Secretary of the state, and Mr Rampal Majra, the local MLA, visited the newsman.

The Haryana Police on Tuesday claimed to have identified the kingpin behind the murderous attack on journalist Parmanand Goyal.

The DGP said Krishan Pal Pahalwan, who organises "games of skill", an euphemism for gambling, at Red Cross melas, was responsible for the attack on Mr Goyal.

Mr Goyal had highlighted how innocent persons were being cheated in gambling at the Red Cross Mela organised at Kaithal recently. Following reports in Mr Goyal’s paper, the administration had ordered the closure of the games of skills organised by Pahalwan.

Mr Bhatotia said Pahalwan, who had to incur financial loss, was responsible for the attack on Mr Goyal. The DGP added that the culprits would be arrested soon as a massive manhunt had already been launched.

He denied any police officer’s involvement in the attack.

A few days ago another Kaithal-based newsman, Mr Mahipal, was assaulted.

Meanwhile, the Haryana Union of Journalists, affiliated to the National Union of Journalists, has condemned the attack on Mr Goyal and Mr Mahipal. In a statement here today the HUJ President, Mr Yoginder Gupta, said the attacks were part of conspiracy aimed at not only browbeating the press but to spoil the relations between the press and the government.

He demanded a high-level enquiry.

HUDA officer suspended
From Ravi S. Singh
Tribune News Service

GURGAON, Sept 14 — The Haryana government has placed under suspension the local Estate Officer of the Haryana Urban Development Authority(HUDA), Mr Sanjay Joon.

The Chief Administrative Officer of HUDA, Mr N.C. Wadhwa,who was here today confirmed the suspension order and said the possibility of more heads in other wings of the department rolling on various counts could not be ruled out.

According to him, the government has found, inter-alia, prima facie case against Mr Joon in the transfer of ownership of two plots in Sector 46 in an "illegal" way. The plots belonging to genuine owners were allegedly sold to two persons without their (owners') knowledge. One of the owners of the plot had also got an FIR registered. He had raised elements of forgery and fraudulent practice in the sale of his plot in the FIR.

When contacted, Mr Joon declined to make any comment. Mr Wadhwa said he had first ordered an inquiry into a number of complaints against the Estate Office. The local administrator of HUDA, Mr Ankur Gupta had inquired into the complaints and had submitted the report to the government.

According to sources, the complaints also include misleading the government on directive of the Consumer Forum court in connection with the transfer of ownership of a plot to a party.

Incidentally, all these cases had occurred during the previous government.

Mr Wadhwa, who had come here to inspect sites where development work of the HUDA was in progress, said that he had already hinted to some officials about the possible action against them. There had to be accountability and transparency in the functioning of the government, he said.

A process was on to streamline the functioning of he HUDA, added.

With regard to the piquant situation which had arisen in more than 12 villages of Gurgaon after the Punjab and Haryana High Court upheld the plea of HUDA against the District Court’s decision to enhance the compensation of farmers whose land had been acquired over the years for developing sectors, Mr Wadhwa said guarantors would be responsible for the payment of the money back to the government. HUDA had given the entire amount of the enhanced compensation to the farmers at the behest of the lower court.The entire enhanced compensation amount against the land acquired in the past few years was to the tune of over Rs 400 crore. An anomalous situation had arisen as a majority of the farmers had spent the money received by way of enhanced compensation. They did not have much land as they had sold it for colonisation or had been acquired by HUDA for developing the sectors.The farmers had launched agitations on the issue.

Mr Wadhwa said HUDA would approach the high court to direct the lower courts that it should be made to pay only about 75 per cent of the enhanced compensation settled by them.There should be some cushion for HUDA of the possible decision in its favour in appeals in the high court against the decisions of the district court.

He said efforts were being made to make Gurgaon a dream city.

Hope for bumper cotton crop
From Vimal Sumbly & Bhupinder Dharmani

SIRSA, Sept 14 — After three years of consecutive crop failures, the cotton growers in the northern region are hoping for a good harvest this year.

Ten days more without rain and there could be a bumper crop, hopes Shamsher Gupta, who grows cotton on a large scale.

The cotton production this year is expected to touch 40 lakh bales against about 22 lakh bales last year. This despite the fact that cotton cultivation has come down to about 15 lakh hectares against about 18 lakh hectares till last year.

The regional station of the Central Cotton Research Institute here has been monitoring cotton cultivation in the northern region. It receives inputs from the whole of the cotton belt starting from Hisar in Haryana up to Ganganagar in Rajasthan and Fazilka in Punjab.

The in charge of the station, Dr Dilip Monga, said the effective management of heliothis, commonly known as the American bollworm, and favourable weather have helped in bumper cotton production this year.

Since in the entire northern region, cotton was being cultivated in the irrigated area only, therefore the continued dry spell did not have any negative effect on the production. Rather, it proved beneficial for the cotton growers. He pointed out, that less rain reduced the chances of an attack by heliothis. The pest multiplies in humid conditions and dry weather is not conducive to its multiplication. However, though the recent rain did lead to a mild attack of heliothis, there was no cause for concern, he added.

Cotton production had come down from 50 lakh bales in 1992-93 to a mere 22 lakh bales in 1998. The decline in production is being attributed to the attack of the American bollworm, erratic weather, leaf curl virus, development of resistance in the insects and poor quality of seeds. This had led to the farmers switching over to other crops like rice.

Shamsher Gupta had sown cotton on 80 acres of land last year, but the production was not more than 20 kg per acre. Although this year he did not sow the crop on that much area, he expects to make up the losses of the past three years. This year, he expecting bumper production at the rate of 300 to 400 kg per acre.

He said the recent rain had led to the attack of 'hari sundi', which was more dangerous because it attacked the cotton bolls and not just the leaves.

Another farmer, Ram Kumar in a Fatehabad village, had taken a gamble by not switching to rice cultivation and his gamble may pay off. However, he is cautious. "Let us pray, the weather remains dry for another week and it will be a bumper crop," he says.

Phones for Haryana judicial officers
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Sept 14 — All judicial officers in Haryana were jubilant today. The reason? The Haryana Government has decided to provide them telephones at their residences.

The decision to provide telephones to judicial officers was taken by the Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, last evening. He directed the Advocate-General to place a copy of the government decision before the High Court, where a contempt petition was pending against the Chief Secretary, Mr R.S. Verma.

The government order placed by the Advocate-General on the record of the High Court, inter alia, said: "The state government has reconsidered the issue of providing telephone facility to all the judicial officers and has ordered that telephones be provided to them."

The Haryana Judicial Officers’ Association had been agitating on the issue of providing telephones at the residences of judicial officers since 1997, when it had filed a writ petition in the High Court. The High Court had allowed their request and had directed the state government to provide telephones at the residences of all judicial officers within three months.

In its judgement the High Court had observed that the state government had provided telephones to tehsildars. The duties performed by the tehsildars were not more important than those of judicial officers. In the administrative hierarchy, the tehsildar was far junior to a judicial officer. Yet the state government continued to deny this basic facility to the members of the Judicial Service. It was not fair.

The Bansi Lal Government decided not to comply with the judgement of the High Court. Instead, it contested the judgement before the Supreme Court by filing a special leave petition.

The stand of the Bansi Lal Government — whether a phone was a necessity or a luxury — was not the issue. For there was nothing to suggest that all necessities had to be officially provided to officers or members of the judiciary. It had observed that a refrigerator was a necessity, but it was not officially provided. The key issue was whether a facility was essential for the efficient discharge of official duties. By this criteria, there was no case at all for telephones at the residences of judicial officers.

The judicial officers were not handling matters where immediate communication was necessary as far as official matters were concerned, whereas the tehsildars were. They may be junior to judicial officers, but were important functionaries in the field and needed to be quite frequently contacted and summoned outside office hours. Therefore, by the criteria of need for efficient discharge of official duties, the tehsildars certainly required phones at their residences and judicial officers did not, the government had contended.

Taking up the special leave petition filed by the Haryana Government, the Supreme Court ruled: "Four weeks’ time, as prayed for, is granted to the learned counsel for filing an additional affidavit. The contempt proceedings against the petitioner (Mr R.S. Verma) statedly pending before the High Court, shall stand stayed till further orders."

Mr M.M. Dhonchak, president of the Haryana Civil Judges’ Association, who had filed the contempt petition before the High Court, contended: "On January 1, 1998, no contempt petition was pending in the High Court with regard to judgement dated July 15, 1997. The order dated January 19, 1998, speaks about the stay of proceedings in the contempt petition pending before the High Court on that day and there is no blanket stay of the operation of judgement dated July 15, 1997."

Chautala in hurry for snap poll: Bansi
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Sept 14 — A former Chief Minister and President of the HVP, Mr Bansi Lal, has demanded that Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala should now implement all the promises he had been making as the Leader of the Opposition.

Mr Bansi Lal in a statement here today said Mr Chautala was in a hurry to go in for mid-term Assembly elections immediately after the declaration of the results of the Lok Sabha elections so that he could avoid fulfilling his promises.

The HVP leader said now the restrictions imposed under model code of conduct had been lifted and Mr Chautala was free to give various concessions like doubling of the old-age pension, free power and water, abolition of octroi, a reduction in market fee from 4 per cent to 2 per cent and rollback of taxes.

Mr Bansi Lal said Mr Chautala should continue with the programmes of power sector reformation and road repairs started by his government. As per his information the Chautala government had put a stop to the repairs of roads.

Meanwhile, a general secretary of the INLD, Mr Pradeep Choudhary, has ridiculed the statement of Mr Bansi Lal, saying that it was surprising that a person who claimed himself to be a great administrator was not even aware that the model code of conduct was in force till October 10, 1999, as declared by the Election Commission.

Mr Choudhary said instead of reminding Mr Chautala about his promises, Mr Bansi Lal should not forget how the people of Haryana had rejected him, and his party because of his three-year misrule. If Mr Bansi Lal still entertained any doubts about this, the results of the Lok Sabha poll would prove "his complete rejection by the people."

The INLD leader said Mr Chautala had already reversed several unjust decisions of the Bansi Lal Government and had thus provided succour to the people.

Spate of robberies in Sonepat dist
From Our Correspondent

SONEPAT, Sept 14 — A gang of robbers struck at the house of Mr Dilbagh Singh, a teacher at Government Senior Secondary School, Ganaur yesterday while they were asleep and assaulted them. The alleged assailants, however, managed to escape with cash and goods worth thousands of rupees after injuring Mr Dilbagh Singh and his mother.

Both injured were immediately hospitalised and were stated to be out of danger.

According to another report, the robbers also entered the house of Anni Devi and forcibly snatched her ear-rings after injuring her. She was alone in the house.

The robbers also forced their way into the houses of Mr Ran Singh and Mr Prasada at Garhi Kesri village and injured the inmates and looted them.

A case has been registered.

Meanwhile, a group, comprising 30-40 persons, struck at the house of Mr Deep Chand, situated at the outskirts of Gohana town, 35 km from here, yesterday and attacked the inmates with sharp-edged weapons. They tied the inmates with ropes and beat them mercilessly.

Mr Deep Chand, his two sons, Jagminder Singh and Ranbir, and their wives Mrs Sewa Pati and Mrs Guddi, sustained serious injuries in the attack. They were pushed into a room and locked. The alleged assailants looted some cash ornaments and some head of cattle before they fled.

The alleged assailants reportedly fired some shots in the air to scare away the residents. A case has been registered.

Panchayat funds embezzled
From Our Correspondent

SONEPAT, Sept 14 — The police has registered two separate cases against Mr Mehar Lal, a former sarpanch, and Mr Ram Dhari, a panch of Garhi Bala village, on the charge of alleged misuse and embezzlement and preparing bogus receipts.

According to official sources, the police took the action on the report of the Block Development and Panchayat Officer, in the district, who alleged that the former sarpanch had misappropriated Rs 12,500 of the panchayat funds, but had failed to deposit the same even after receiving several notices.

It is also alleged that the sarpanch, in connivance with the panch, had prepared a bogus receipt with forged signatures of Ms Bimla Devi, sarpanch of the village.

Official sources revealed that investigations were in progress. However, no arrest had been made.

SHO transferred on villagers’ complaint
From Our Correspondent

YAMUNANAGAR, Sept 14 — The police has transferred the SHO of Yamunanagar Sadar Police station to police line with immediate effect.

It is reported that a bus carrying about 50 students of Guru Nanak Girls College was forcibly stopped at Bhoot Majara village, 10 km from here, last evening by five youths who were drunk.

The youths who are students of the local college after attending the birthday party of one of their friends, were going back of their village in a Maruti car when they saw the bus. They wanted to overtake it but could not as the road was narrow. After some time, they managed to stop the bus and there was a scuffle between them and the bus-driver, resulting in injuries to one of them, Rajesh of Sherpur village. When his friends saw him bleeding, they overpowered the driver, Ranjit Singh, and beat him up. Meanwhile, girl students sitting in the bus went to nearby village and informed villagers about the incident. The villagers who reached the spot immediately caught hold of the boys and handed them over to the police. The police had registered a case against them under Sections 147/148/323 and 294, IPC.

Today, the villagers blocked the Yamunanagar-Delhi highway near Jorian village and demanded that action be taken against the SHO who did not handle the situation properly. Later, the SDM, Jagadhari, Mr Narender Singh, and the DSP (Head-quarters), Mr Paramjeet Singh Ahlawa, reached the site, and assured the villagers that action would be taken against the SHO.

Murder case solved
From Our Correspondent

SONEPAT, Sept 14 — With the arrest of a couple, the Ganaur police today claimed to have solved the alleged murder of Mr Ram Gopal, a resident of Four-Marla Colony, Sonepat, about 16 years ago.

Senior Superintendent of Police, K. Selvraj told mediapersons here today that the arrested persons had been identified as Ram Parkash, alias Nanga, and Asha, alias Meena.

Giving details of the murder committed in December 1993, the SSP said the couple was a tenant in the house of Bhago Devi, a widow at Ganaur. In the meantime, Ram Parkash was arrested by the police in a theft case. He was released on bail on the surety of Ram Gopal. The couple was, thereafter, asked to shift his house. However, on December 2, 1983, the culprit and the deceased had some altercation and the culprit offered him liquor. Later Ram Gopal was allegedly murdered by the couple.

Hira Lal, a kin of Mrs Bhago Devi, lodged an FIR with the Ganaur police on December 10, 1983 in this connection.

4 houses looted, 6 hurt
Tribune News Service

FARIDABAD, Sept 14 — At least six persons, including women, were injured yesterday night when miscreants forced their entry into four houses in New Bharat Colony, across the Agra canal on the outskirts of the city.

They beat up the inmates with hockey sticks and snatched earrings and other jewellery from them. The injured have been admitted to B.K. Civil Hospital.

This is the second incident during the past few days. On Saturday armed persons snatched cash and jewellery from the family members of a senior executive of the Escorts Group of Companies in Sector 9.

In another incident, the police today arrested Harsh Dua of Sector 14 on a charge of dealing in pirated video and audio compact discs (CDs).

A police spokesman said 600 pirated CDs were seized from his shop located in Sector 15. He was bringing these CDs from Delhi for sale in Faridabad.

A case under the Copyright Act has been registered against him in Central Police Station.

Strengthen party, INLD men told
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Sept 14 — Mr Pradeep Chaudhary, general secretary of the Indian National Lok Dal, has urged the workers to make concerted efforts to strengthen the party and frustrate the designs of those trying to malign the image of the party president and the government.

Complimenting the party workers on the efforts made by them to bring the party to power in Haryana, he said now it should be their duty to ensure that anti-social elements did not succeed in bringing a bad name to the party and its chief. He cautioned that anti-social elements might try to mingle with them in the garb of party workers.

He said Mr Om Prakash Chautala had issued strict instructions to the administrative machinery not to allow any person, however, influential he might be to take the law into his own hands. He alleged that political parties like the Haryana Vikas Party and the Congress had given liberty to their workers to indulge in looting, but Mr Chautala was against such activities. Mr Chautala would not forgive any worker found indulging in such anti-social activities.

Mr Chaudhary reiterated Mr Chautala’s commitment to provide a clean and efficient administration.

Bus conductor robbed
From Our Correspondent

FATEHABAD, Sept 14 — Two miscreants snatched a bag from a conductor of a Haryana Roadways bus near Khajoori Jati village, in the district, on Sunday. The bag contained Rs 7,000 besides some belongings of the conductor.

According to delayed reports, a bus number HR 24 B-0218 of Sirsa depot was on its way to Sirsa from Chandigarh. Two youths in their late twenties boarded the bus at Bhuna. As the bus reached Khajoori Jati village bus stop on the Bhuna-Fatehabad road at 8 p.m. they snatched the bag.

Meanwhile, the police has registered a case under Section 356 of the IPC on a complaint of the conductor.

Five policemen suspended
From Our Correspondent

HISAR, Sept 14 — Five policemen, including an ASI, have been suspended in connection with the death of a student who had been stabbed to death by three persons last week.

Mr O.P. Singh, SP, told mediapersons here today that told the suspended policemen had been identified as Jai Prakash, ASI, Dayanand, Ajay Kumar, Ashok Kumar and Ramesh Kumar, all constables and were posted at bus stand police post. A departmental inquiry had also been ordered against them, he said.

He said all culprits involved in the murder were arrested.

Three IAS officers promoted
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Sept 14 — The Haryana Government today placed two IAS officers of the 1966 batch, Mr L.M. Goel and Mr P.R. Kaushik, in the pay scale of the Chief Secretary.

The government also promoted three IAS officers of the 1970 batch, Mr K.C. Sharma, Mrs Asha Sharma and Mr Prem Prashant, as Financial Commissioners.

Floral tributes paid to jawan

KARNAL, Sept 14 (UNI) — Hawaldar Sukhvinder Singh of 15 Punjab Regiment was cremated with full state honours at his native village of Sambhi in this district here today.

Thousands of people gathered at the village to receive the body of the martyr amid slogans of "Sukhvinder Singh amar rahe" and "Bharat mata ki jai".

Rich floral tributes were paid by Haryana State Minister Bhim Singh Mehta, Deputy Commissioner Devender Singh on behalf of the state Governor, Rajya Sainik Board Secretary on behalf of the Army, SDM O. P. Lohan on behalf of the administration and SP Ajay Singhal on behalf of the state police.

A large number of MLAs and other local personalities also attended the cremation.