Compensation sought for farmers
ROHTAK, Sept 27 — The President of the Haryana Krishak Samaj and Congress leader, Mr Shamsher Singh Surjewala, has demanded a compensation of Rs 10,000 per acre for farmers in the state as they had suffered losses due to scanty rain fall this year.

Chhatra Kalyan Parished merges with HKP
BHIWANI, Sept 27 — Mr Verender Kaushik, President of the state unit of the Haryana Chhatra Kalyan Parishad has announced his party's merger with Haryana Kalyan Parishad (HKP).

Plea to start paddy procurement
YAMUNANAGAR, Sept 27 — The Bhartiya Kissan Sangh has demanded that the procurement of paddy should be started before September 30 by the government agencies as the farmers in the state are suffering losses due to delay in purchase.

Patrakar sangh, SUCI seek probe
ROHTAK, Sept 27 — The district unit of the Haryana Patrakar Sangh (affiliated to the Indian Journalists Union) and the Rohtak unit of the Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI) have condemned the incident in which a local reporter of Amar Ujala, a Hindi daily, was rounded up and questioned by the police recently.

Ambala DCC gives memo to DC
AMBALA, Sept 27 — The District Congress Committee, Ambala, today in a memorandum submitted to the Deputy Commissioner alleged the police had been harassing Congress workers in the district under political pressure.

HTC discount card launched
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Sept 27 — The Haryana Tourism Corporation (HTC) today introduced a silver jubilee discount card scheme.

The Chairman of the Haryana Tourism Corporation, Dr Harbaksh Singh, launched the scheme.

Dr Harbaksh Singh said the cards would cost Rs 1,000 each and would be valid up to March 31, 2001. The holder of such cards would be entitled to 10 per cent discount on room tariff, which would be limited to a maximum of two rooms per month at a particular complex, food and beverages (except MRP items), liquor and banquet parties. He said it was expected that 2,000 such cards would be sold during the first month and another 5,000 in subsequent three months.

He said as a special incentive to its ex-employees, each such employee who had put in a minimum of 20 years of service and was neither removed from service nor dismissed would be entitled to get the employee's discount card. The ex-employees holding this card would be entitled to 50 per cent discount on food and beverages for a maximum of six persons except for the items sold on MRP.

He said the application forms for the discounts cards would be available at the Haryana Tourism resorts and its office at Chandigarh. These would also be available at Delhi bureau and Mehrauli Nursery in Delhi.

The Haryana Tourism would organise a musical night at Hotel Rajhans at Surajkund, on October 3. Hans Raj Hans will perform there from 7 p.m. Entry would be through dinner tickets of Rs 1000 each. Tickets would allow entry to two adults and two children below the age of 10 years. There would be a Rs 600 ticket for single adult.

Chautala assures all-round development

FARIDABAD, Sept 27 (UNI) — Haryana Chief Minister, Om Prakash Chautala today inaugurated an eye bank set up by the Sri Shakti Seva Dal at Chimni Bai dharamshala here and announced that he would also donate his eyes.

He called upon voluntary organisations to create an awakening among the people about the donation of eyes to enable blind to see this beautiful world. He described eye donation as the greatest favour of one person towards another and praised scientists for making transplant of parts of human body as the biggest wonder. He said that such research in the field of medical sciences had shown a ray of hope for the longevity of one’s life as it used to be in ancient scriptures and stories and saints.

Assuring the people of all-round development in the state, he said that no area would be discriminated against as had been done by the previous government. He directed officials of the Power Department that instead of charging electricity bills of cremation grounds on commercial rates, these be charged as domestic connections.

He said that special emphasis would be laid on the development of Faridabad as it was inhabited by not only industrialists and traders, but by hard-working farmers also.

Those present on the occasion included Cooperation Minister Kartar Singh Bhadana, Faridabad (Urban) INLD unit president Paramjit Singh Gulati, former ministers Krishan Pal Gujjar and Subhash Katyal and former MP Ram Chander Bainda.

Shakti Seva Dal worker Ram Chander announced to donate Rs 1 lakh and his eyes to the eye bank.

Director's assurance to principals
From Our Correspondent

AMBALA, Sept 27 — Director, Higher Education, Haryana Mrs Shakuntla Jakhu has assured a deputation of Principals of affiliated colleges of the state that she will make all efforts to get the salaries of teaching and non-teaching staff of colleges released regularly and in time. This was revealed here today by Dr D. P. Asija, president of the Haryana Principals Association. In most of the colleges the salaries for the past four months have not been paid.

According to Mr Asija, arrears of the salaries in the revised grade which runs into a sizeable amount have also not been paid though the state government has received this amount from the Centre. He said that the association also took up the case of diminishing cadre posts of demonstrators with director. It was also pointed out that these posts should not be allowed to lapse. He said that government should revive these posts because the work-load being shared by the teachers could not be ignored and it was difficult to run the colleges without them.

Dr Ramesh Kumar, General Secretary of the association said that there was a serious anomaly in the grant of pay scales of the Principals in the non-Government affiliated colleges. According to him in the new grades the Principals were drawing lower salary than that the lecturers working in the same institute. He urged the government to lift the ban on the regular appointment against vacant posts which might hit the studies of the students and likely to lower the academic standard of the state.

Husband suspected of murder
From Our Correspondent

SONEPAT, Sept 27 — The city police today claimed to have solved the alleged kidnapping and murder of a young housewife, Amita, daughter of Mr Sukhmal Jain, a local shopkeeper.

According to the police, the victim was allegedly kidnapped by her husband and in-laws on September 5 and was taken to Mathura in UP where she was allegedly murdered and her body was thrown along the GT Road near Mathura.

Om Parkash Jain, husband of the victim, has already surrendered himself before the police. However, four other named in the FIR are still at large.

According to FIR lodged by the victim's father, Amita had been harassed and tortured by her husband and in-laws since her marriage in March for not bringing sufficient dowry. She was sent back to her parents house even as her father had fulfilled the demand of her in-laws by giving a some of Rs 50,000 in cash.

On September 5 Om Parkash Jain told his father-in-law on telephone to send his wife at a place near Kohli Nursing Home in this city. When she reached there, along with her mother she was forcibly punished into a car and was taken away by her husband. Her mother-in-law and some other members of her in-laws family were also inside the car.

CM for discussion on genuine demands
From Our Correspondent

YAMUNANAGAR, Sept 27 — Mr Om Prakash Chautala, Chief Minister of Haryana, has said the decision to abolish octroi in the state would not only give economic benefit to the business community but would also help to create a sense of self respect and confidence among the community.

He was addressing a meeting organised at the residence of Mr Madan Lal Rawal, Punjabi leader here yesterday. He said the business community would benefit from the decision and their official work in the department concerned would now be settled easily. He appealed to the people to come forward with their demands and discuss these from a public platform and inform the government so that their demands could be fulfilled on priority basis. He advised the people to inculcate feelings of brotherhood, love and affection and support the reconstruction of progressive Haryana.

Mr Akram Khan, State Minister for Home, Fisheries and Wakf; Mr Ramji Lal, Chairman of the Haryana Harijan Kalyan Nigam; Mr Banta Ram, Chairman of the Haryana Cooperative Sugar Mills Committee; Mrs Kailsasho Devi, former MP; Mr M.C. Gambhir, former MLA and others were also present on the occasion

Compensation sought for farmers
From Our Correspondent

ROHTAK, Sept 27 — The President of the Haryana Krishak Samaj and Congress leader, Mr Shamsher Singh Surjewala, has demanded a compensation of Rs 10,000 per acre for farmers in the state as they had suffered losses due to scanty rain fall this year. He also urged the Centre and the state government to speed up the procurement of paddy on government rates to avoid distress sale.

Talking to reporters here today, Mr Surjewala, a former M.P. claimed that due to less procurement by various government agencies like the FCI and the HAFED the paddy growers were finding it difficult to get adequate rates for their crop and as a result several farmers had been forced to sell their crop at throwaway prices.

Mr Surjewala said the government had been ignoring the procurement of crop and farmers had to resort to distress sale whenever there was bumper crop.

He said the Krishak Samaj may launch an agitation if its demands were not fulfilled.

The Congress leader also sought suspension of the recovery of agriculture loans and waiving of interest on loans for a period of two years to provide immediate relief to farmers.

Chhatra Kalyan Parished merges
with HKP
From Our Correspondent

BHIWANI, Sept 27 — Mr Verender Kaushik, President of the state unit of the Haryana Chhatra Kalyan Parishad has announced his party's merger with Haryana Kalyan Parishad (HKP). The announcement was made by Mr Kaushik at a meeting of the parishad held at the local new grain market today. He said the Chhatra Kalyan Parishad would work as the students wing of the HKP in future. An appeal to the government for the early completion of SYL Canal was also made at the meeting.

Mr Kaushik said the meeting had been convened to highlight the SYL canal issue.

He said the person having annual income of Rs 30,000 or less and the farmers having up to 3 killa land should be declared as being below the poverty line and the state government should give a pension of Rs 100 to widows in the state as done by the Centre. The parishad also demanded 'draught effected' status for Bhiwani district and unemployment allowance of Rs 1000 for the unemployed youths.

Mr Kaushik said new membership drive would be launched and elections of the students' wing would be held in November.

Plea to start paddy procurement
From Our Correspondent

YAMUNANAGAR, Sept 27 — The Bhartiya Kissan Sangh has demanded that the procurement of paddy should be started before September 30 by the government agencies as the farmers in the state are suffering losses due to delay in purchase.

Mr Ghanshyam Dass, Vice-President of the Sangh said here today that in most of the mandis in the state, the government agencies had not started the procurement procedure as yet. He said procurement had not begun in the mandis in Barara, Kaithal, Kurukshetra, Karnal, Yamunanagar and Laadwa.

He also said a Kisan Sammelan would be organised on September 30 where the farmers would get a chance to raise the problems being faced by them.

Patrakar sangh, SUCI seek probe
From Our Correspondent

ROHTAK, Sept 27 — The district unit of the Haryana Patrakar Sangh (affiliated to the Indian Journalists Union) and the Rohtak unit of the Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI) have condemned the incident in which a local reporter of Amar Ujala, a Hindi daily, was rounded up and questioned by the police recently.

In different statements, spokesmen of these bodies demanded action against those police officials who took Dr Satish Tyagi, a reporter of Amar Ujala, to the police station and made him sit there for a few hours. The Patrakar Sangh said such an incident spoke about the high-handedness of the police in dealing with journalist. It asked the state government to order an inquiry into the matter.

Ambala DCC gives memo to DC
From Our Correspondent

AMBALA, Sept 27 — The District Congress Committee, Ambala, today in a memorandum submitted to the Deputy Commissioner alleged the police had been harassing Congress workers in the district under political pressure.

Mr Balwant Gupta, President of the DCC, Ambala, and some local party leaders said in the memorandum the law and order situation in the district had been deteriorating day by day and the crime graph has been raising.

The Congress leaders demanded that the police should deal with unsocial elements in a strong manner.