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| Thursday, March 30, 2000, Chandigarh, India  
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Legal
aid cells for Haryana prisons |
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| Tajewala — will it be
preserved? YAMUNANAGAR: Will the government dismantle the century-old Tajewala Headworks, or will it use the same as an antique or will the government form an autonomous body on the lines of the Shivalik Development Board to improve the environment of the area? ‘Withdrawal of facilities to hit exports’ CHANDIGARH March 29 — The Haryana Exporters Association, which has its head office in Ambala, has said if the government goes ahead with its proposal to withdraw facilities and concessions available to exporters under Sections 80HHC and 80HHE of the Income Tax Act, the country’s exports will plummet. Bumper wheat harvest expected HISAR, March 29 — Haryana is set to harvest a bumper wheat and oilseed crop. The Registrar of CCS Haryana Agricultural University and a senior scientist, Dr M.S. Kuhad said that wheat acreage had increased from 20.64 lakh hectares in 1998-99 to 22.02 lakh hectares this year. While oilseed acreage was down mainly in Hisar, Bhiwani, Mahindergarh and Jhajhar districts. 758 mentally ill kids in dist: survey ROHTAK, March 29 — As many as 758 mentally retarded children have been identified in the district, according to a survey conducted recently in about 28 villages of the district.
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Legal aid
cells for Haryana prisons CHANDIGARH, March 29 — The Haryana State Legal Services Authority has decided that legal aid cells will be set up in every prison in Haryana for helping the under trials. This was decided at a meeting of the Authority held here today under the chairmanship of Mr Justice V K Bali, Executive Chairman. It was also decided that the Member Secretary of the body would be included in the list of visitors in all the jails in Haryana to ensure that no prison was deprived of legal services. Also, legal aid counsels would be appointed for rendering legal aid to undertrial prisoners and one advocate by rotation, out of the empanelled advocates under the legal aid counsel scheme, would be asked to visit the prisons for providing legal advice to the inmates and for collecting and submitting their applications to the courts. The meeting also decided that non-government organisations and social action groups in the State would be identified and accredited with the help of Deputy Commissioners so as to launch campaigns on legal services, legal literacy and create legal awareness among the people. In another decision, the meeting also decided to push up the eligibility for obtaining free legal aid to those having a maximum annual income of Rs 25,000, instead of the prevailing Rs 18,000. It was also decided that permanent and continuous Lok Adalats would be set up in Government departments and statutory bodies in Haryana which were involved in large scale litigation with citizens for speeding up the disposal of pending cases. The meeting also urged the Punjab and Haryana High Court to earmark separate rooms for setting up permanent and continuous Lok Adalats in each district court complex. The senior most judicial officer, if there is no District or Sessions Judge in a district, will be designated as Chairman of the District Legal Services Authority, the meeting decided. The meeting was attended
by Mr M L Sarin, Advocate General of Haryana, Mr M N
Mathur, Commissioner in the Finance department, Mr SPS
Rathore, DGP, and others. |
Governor
launches development plan KURUKSHETRA, March 29 — The Haryana Governor, Mr Mahabir Prasad, launched many development schemes here today, to promote the religious and tourist status of some spots falling within 48 kosas periphery of Kurukshetra. The Governor, who is also the Chairman of the Kurukshetra Development Board (KDB), had assured the people of the state that these spots falling under the auspices of the KDB, would be developed. The Governor inaugurated the newly constructed women’s bathing ghat at Saraswati Tirath, Pehowa, and laid the foundation stones of a scheme to beautify Jyotisar and Bhishma Kund Tirath at Narkatari village. Mr Jaswinder Singh Sandhu, Agriculture Minister, Haryana, was also present on the occasion. expressing his gratitude towards the Governor, he said the Saraswati Tirath, Pehowa, would also get the same place on the religious and tourists map of the country. The Governor also laid
the foundation stone of Surya Dwar at Sannihit Sarovar
near, Brahmsarovar, Kurukshetra, and inaugurated Kamal
Kunj near the Sannihit Sarovar. Later on he alsol aid the
foundation stone of a scheme go renovate the Ban Ganga
Tirath at Dayalpur village. |
Khalsa
march from Nadha Sahib YAMUNANAGAR, March 29 — The Haryana Government has decided to raise Khalsa memorials at a cost of Rs 3.68 crore besides organising a magnificent Shobha Yatra touching pilgrim spots in Haryana to commemorate the memory of 10th Sikh Guru Gobind Singh. Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala, who presided over a meeting of the state-level committee constituted to celebrate the tercentenary at Yamunanagar last evening said a martial arts museum would be raised at Kapal Mochan in Yamunanagar district where the weapons and dresses of the period of Guru Gobind Singh would be displayed. A suitable memorial would also be developed at Badkhalsa in Sonepat district where a devotee sacrificed his life by lying to save the life of the guru. On the suggestions of the members of the committee, it was decided to take out the Khalsa march from the historic gurdwara at Nadha Sahib near Panchkula on April 8 to cover all significant Sikh shrines in Haryana before its culmination at Yamunanagar on April 13. Haryana Agriculture Minister, Mr Jaswinder Singh Sandhu will accompany the marchers. Mr Chautala said Haryana was proud that Dharam Dass, one of the Panj Pyaras of the Guru was from Haryana. More than 100 members of
the state-level committee comprising ministers, members
of Parliament, MLAs, members of the SGPC, Sant Samaj and
other prominent persons from all over the state
participated. |
Bill on
farmers’ rights soon: Verma HISAR, March 29 — The Government of India will soon enact a law on the protection of plant varieties and farmers’ rights. Disclosing this here today, the former Delhi Chief Minister and Chairman of the Joint select Parliamentary Committee for Agriculture, Mr Sahib Singh Verma, said, the law would be a model for the other countries to emulate. Mr Verma said, ‘The Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Bill’ had already been introduced in Parliament. Before making it a law, the committee was seeking views of the varsity experts, farmers, NGOs working for rural development, and the farmers’ bodies on the proposed legislation. Mr Verma said the individuals and the organisations whom the panel had met, had forwarded concrete suggestions that would help making the Bill more effective and useful. He said the recommendations of the panel would be tabled before Parliament in the current session itself. Answering a question, Mr Verma said, “we must not develop fear psychosis about the multinationals”. Indian scientists, he pointed out, were competent enough to face all challenges, The Bill would check multinationals reap the benefits of Indian farm research, he added. He said an authority
would be set up with the necessary powers to perform all
functions relating to the protection of plant varieties. |
DHBVN to
approach lok adalats CHANDIGARH, March 29 — The Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) has decided to utilise the forum of lok adalats for settlement of cases concerning the bijli vitran nigams, pending in the courts. Lok adalats will be organised in this regard on April 1 at Bhiwani, Siwani, Charkhi Dadri and Loharu, on April 8 at Narnaul, Rewari, Mahendergarh, Gurgaon, Ferozepur Jhirka and Nuh and on April 22 at Faridabad and Palwal. A spokesman of the nigam said here yesterday that the superintending engineers of operation circles had been authorised to take five categories of court cases to the lok adalats, including that of amount charged on detection, suspicion of theft of electricity, disputes resulting out of meter checking by the maintenance and protection (M&P) wing of the nigam, detection of unauthorised extension of load, amount charged by audit and detection of defective meters. In any other case, the parameters of settlement will be laid by the head office of the nigam. Officers of the nigam had been authorised to leave the claim of surcharge charged by it at the prevailing rates and agree for a settlement if consumers pay simple interest at the rate of 18 per cent in all type of cases. However, challans had been put up in the courts in theft cases, the settlement should be subject to the condition that the amount was not less than 50 per cent of the outstanding amount against the consumer at the time of settlement. After settlement of
theft cases, the nigam would request the government to
withdraw criminal cases and recommend withdrawal of the
FIRs, where challans had already been put up and yet to
be put up in the courts respectively. |
Tajewala
— will it be preserved? YAMUNANAGAR: Will the government dismantle the century-old Tajewala Headworks, or will it use the same as an antique or will the government form an autonomous body on the lines of the Shivalik Development Board to improve the environment of the area? The Tajewala Headworks, constructed in 1872 by the British and threatened by heavy floods more than six times, will be replaced by the Rs 167-crore Hathni Kund Barrage. On September 5, 1995, a record flow of 5,36,000 cusecs of water was reported to have passed through the barrage damaging all protection works at the site. The floods caused cracks to the bridge and wooden gates of the headworks were destroyed. In the floods on September 23,1978, the headworks faced the century’s maximum discharge of 7.06 lakh cusecs of water. On September 29, 1988 ,and October 18, 1999, also there was flooding. The state government on seeing the destruction, decided to construct a barrage which was delayed by more than 14 years. Mr V.K.Shukla, the then Union Minister, laid the foundation stone of Hathni Kund Barrage on September 6, 1994 along with Chief Ministers of all basin states, namely Mr Madan Lal Khurana of Delhi, Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav of Uttar Pradesh, Mr Bhajan Lal of Haryana and Ministers from Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh. Technocrats of the Haryana Irrigation Department declared the barrage unsafe and asked the government to replace it with a modern structure capable of facing discharges up to 10 lakh cusecs water, keeping in view the future requirements. Tajewala Headworks, a picnic spot, will attract a number of tourists because it is situated on the foothills of the Shivalik range. Residents of the area pleased that the century-old headworks would be preserved as a protected monument, which could be used as a tourist attraction, herbal garden and for water sports. The government should develop the area by forming a high level committee on the pattern of Shivalik Development Board without further delay. The new barrage is now
operational and water has started flowing through it. |
‘Withdrawal
of facilities to hit exports’ CHANDIGARH March 29 — The Haryana Exporters Association, which has its head office in Ambala, has said if the government goes ahead with its proposal to withdraw facilities and concessions available to exporters under Sections 80HHC and 80HHE of the Income Tax Act, the country’s exports will plummet. In a statement issued here yesterday, the Chairman of the association, Dr N.C. Jain, said Indian exporters had to face tough competition in the international market. The withdrawal of the concessions would virtually kill Indian exports. Which were playing a vital role in the country’s economy. Dr Jain said 45 per cent of Indian exports were contributed by the SSI, cottage and tiny sectors. Since these sectors were small players, withdrawal or even dilution of the concessions would invariably result in the shrinkage of their trade volume. Even the World Trade
Organisation considered the concessions under Sections
80HHC and 80HHE as subsidies, which it had permitted 19
countries, including India, to continue. |
Bumper
wheat harvest expected HISAR, March 29 — Haryana is set to harvest a bumper wheat and oilseed crop. The Registrar of CCS Haryana Agricultural University and a senior scientist, Dr M.S. Kuhad said that wheat acreage had increased from 20.64 lakh hectares in 1998-99 to 22.02 lakh hectares this year. While oilseed acreage was down mainly in Hisar, Bhiwani, Mahindergarh and Jhajhar districts. Quoting satellite data, Dr Kuhad said wheat production was expected to increase from 85.68 lakh tons in 1998-99 to 86.36 lakh tons this year. An increase in production is expected to go up in all the districts expect Jind, Kurukshetra, Panipat, Sirsa and Yamunanagar. The productivity of wheat is expected to increase marginally from 3916 kilogram per hectare in 1998-99 to 3921 kilogram per hectare this year. The crop yield has been estimated by using satellite data based on vegetation index and trend yield models, Dr Kuhad said. Satellite data has
indicated drop in acreage of rabi oilseeds by around 5
per cent. Despite this the production may increased by
0.33 per cent indicating a substantive increase in
productivity. |
Ex-gratia grants for massacre victims’ kin YAMUNANAGAR, March 29 (UNI) — Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala has announced an exgratia of Rs one lakh each to next of kin of the Sikhs gunned down by militants in last week’s massacre at Chatti Singhpura. The Chief Minister was presiding over a meeting of a state-level committee constituted to celebrate the tercentenary of the Khalsa here last evening.
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Protest
by Sikhs PANIPAT, March 29 —
A large number of Sikhs today staged a protest march to
condemn the killing of 36 Sikhs by militants at Chhati
Singhpora village in Jammu and Kashmir. Raising
anti-Pakistan slogans, they assembled outside the office
of the Deputy Commissioner and submitted a memorandum to
him. |
758
mentally ill kids in dist: survey ROHTAK, March 29 — As many as 758 mentally retarded children have been identified in the district, according to a survey conducted recently in about 28 villages of the district. The district administration has taken up a plan to rehabilitate such children. The Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, laid the foundation stone of a rehabilitation centre to be constructed at a cost of Rs 5 lakh. He announced that the state government would provide every possible assistance to the centre and such schemes which were being launched by the Arpan Institute for Mentally Retarded Children here. He said the
identification survey would continue and the district
authorities would identify such children for their proper
rehabilitation at their respective villages. The district
authorities have set up three centres at Bainsi,
Bhagwatipur and Sunderpur villages in the first phase of
the programme launched recently. |
2 Haryana
CM Advisers removed CHANDIGARH, March 29 — As an austerity measure the Haryana Government has dispensed with the services of two Advisers to the Chief Minister with immediate effect. The two whose services
have been dispensed with are Mr B.P. Sehgal and Mr Vineet
Punia, Additional Political Adviser to the Chief
Minister. While Mr Sehgal was stationed here, Mr Punia
was based in Delhi. |
April 2
closed day CHANDIGARH, March 29 — In view of the general elections of the municipal councils, municipal committees and municipal corporation on April 2, the Haryana Government has declared April 2 as closed day for all the shops and commercial establishments in the areas of the respective municipal councils and committees where the elections were scheduled to be held on that day. The government has also exempted all the adult workers working in the factories situated in the areas of municipal councils, committees and corporations and no adult worker shall be required or allowed to work on April 2.
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Nominated CHANDIGARH, March 29
— Mr Krishan Pal Gujjar, leader of the BJP in the
Haryana Assembly, has been nominated as a member of the
committee on public undertakings by the Speaker, Mr
Satbir Singh Kadian. Mr Gujjar will fill up the vacancy
created by the resignation of Mr Krishan Lal, MLA, from
the membership of the committee. |
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