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| Monday, May 1, 2000, Chandigarh, India  
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BJP
for constructive criticism of Chautala Are open darbars losing sheen? Abhay may contest Rori byelection
Pak envoy meets Haryana CM Buildings near air base a security
threat? |
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Rs 5 cr released for
Bhakra canal’s repair Fields being burnt despite ban
orders Seminar on trends in e-business Haryana raises price of atta Panjeta is coop bank chief
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BJP for constructive
criticism of Chautala CHANDIGARH, April 30 — The Haryana unit of the BJP has decided to pay its coalition partner, the ruling INLD, in the same coin as the latter is paying to the Vajpayee Government at the Centre. According to highly placed sources, the Haryana BJP will raise its voice against the imposition of heavy taxes in the urban areas by the Chautala Government. The president of the Haryana BJP, Mr Om Prakash Grover, says now the party will offer "constructive criticism" to safeguard the interests of its constituents. But the party will not stretch its criticism to breaking point. Mr Grover will lead party delegation to the Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, next week to voice the BJP’s concern over the "unprecedented" hike in house tax in the urban areas as well as the imposition of a new tax of Rs 1000 to Rs 2500 per establishment per annum. The delegation will comprise all the six party MLAs and office-bearers. The INLD, too has opposed the hike in the prices of PDS items and certain other commodities like urea and petroleum products by the Centre and has demanded its rollback. The party supremo has, however, also added that if the Centre does not withdraw the hike the INLD will not quit the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance. Mr Grover told TNS on the telephone that under the new formula approved by the Haryana Government for calculating the house tax, the latter would be hiked by at least 10 to 50 times at various places. He said one could understand a marginal increase in tax after a few years. It was also understandable if the tax was rationalised in those cases where it was abnormally low. But the hefty increase would cause a lot of harassment to the people, which the BJP could not watch silently. Expressing the hope that Mr Chautala would favourably respond to the sentiments of its coalition partner, Mr Grover said if the Chief Minister continued to be misguided by the bureaucracy, the BJP would not hesitate to adopt "other measures" also. However, he did not elaborate on the "other measures". Mr Grover said his party would also bring to the Chief Minister’s notice the "irrationality" behind the campaign to recover electricity dues running into lakhs of rupees per village. He said the farmers, who were told by the INLD all these years not to pay electricity dues, were in no position to pay the arrears without selling their property. The government should allow defaulters to pay the arrears in easy instalments along with the current consumption charges. No interest or surcharge should be levied on the arrears. He also opposed the hike in bus fares. The feeling in the BJP is that while Mr Chautala tried to justify his decisions to raise various taxes and levies by saying that since there was a general price rise, facilities like electricity and bus travel, too, could not escape the price rise. The BJP leaders say why the same argument is not applied to the Central Government in the case which Mr Chautala is resorting to unnecessary rhetoric. Meanwhile, the progress of the organisational elections in the BJP was reviewed at a meeting of the election observers held in Delhi on April 28. Besides the elections, participants at the meeting also expressed the view that the BJP should forcefully raise the issues of public interest with the Chautala Government. According to informed sources, Mr Grover has shown his unwillingness to continue as the president of the Haryana BJP after May 30 when a new head will be elected. The sources say Mr Grover has told the high command that Mr Ram Vilas Sharma should be entrusted with the responsibility of building up the party in the state. Mr Sharma, the BJP chief is believed to have told the high command, has all the necessary qualities to lead the party at the present juncture when the presence of a tall leader would galvanise the party cadre. However, a strong
section of the party is opposed to Mr Sharma’s
candidature on the ground that he lost the last Assembly
elections from two constituencies. Mr Sharma’s
opponents blame him for landing the party in the soup by
first hurriedly withdrawing support to the Bansi Lal
Government and then not handling the INLD leadership
deftly. |
Are open darbars losing
sheen? HISAR, April 30 — The much-touted open darbars held all over the state periodically under the Sarkar Aapke Dwar programme are losing their sheen as well as utility with the bureaucracy and the public losing interest in their proceedings. Although such darbars have been in the vogue for several years now, these were given added importance after Mr Om Prakash Chautala became the Chief Minister in July. Although these were initially viewed as a populist step, the darbars gained popularity after people found that their grievances could be redressed on the spot. However, over the past some time, the darbars have lost much of their charm. The only darbars that still retain their usefulness are those presided over by Mr Chautala himself in different parts of the state. Similar darbars presided over by the Deputy Commissioners in their districts have, however, been reduced to mere rituals. There are several factors responsible for this. A senior bureaucrat said that these darbars had become an extension of the district grievances panels. People were now bringing in their complaints to both the fora. Most of these complaints he said were such as could not be redressed instantly and had to be referred to the departments concerned. Thus these eventually got bogged down in the bureaucratic jungle as usual. Another senior officer said the corrupt government machinery had a vested interest in making these darbars an exercise in futility. "If everything had to be done at these darbars, who would grease the palms of corrupt government officials? It is, therefore, futile to expect that the babus will make these darbars -popular", he added. An utter lack of coordination between the police and the civil administration at these darbars is an important factor hindering redressal of public grievances. An HCS officer posted as an SDM in a nearby sub-division said almost every complaint he had forwarded to the police at these darbars were not attended to properly. At first he said, he tried to follow these up. But, he gave up when an inspector bluntly told him one day not to meddle in police functioning. Likewise, technocrats too resent the domination of bureaucrats at the darbars. While bureaucrats complain that the engineers holding key posts never bother about their diktats, technocrats said the bureaucracy tended to dominate them resulting in ego clashes. The end result was that the public suffered in the process. A false sense of hierarchy among officials of different departments is another factor affecting the popularity of the darbars. This was evident at many of the darbars attended by The Tribune. An HCS officer handed over a complaint to an XEN of the power department at one of the darbars and asked the complainant to see the officer concerned in his office the next day. The XEN remarked’ "Mujhe yahi kaam hai kya?" The HCS officer retorted, "Exactly, hum isi kaam ki pagaar lete hain". But the wordy duel produced no positive result. The electricity pole the complainant wanted removed stays where it was. Later, the XEN said he was senior in rank to the HCS officer who therefore had no business to send the complainant to him. Absenteeism among officials who are supposed to attend these darbars on one pretext or the other is also on the rise. At times even the DCs and the SPs are not present. It is at such darbars that complete chaos prevails. On the other hand, the clerical staff of different offices treats the darbar day as a "bonus holiday". However, the darbars presided over by the Chief Minister himself are a study in contrast. Every officer is at his attentive best and complainants are treated politely. Even individual complaints are entertained by the officers and redressal is speedy. Perhaps the best part of such darbars is the ease with which development projects for the area are sanctioned. But, the popularity of
the Chief Minister’s darbars is eroding the base of
the floundering darbars conducted by the bureaucrats. A
feeling has gone down among the people that it is better
to wait for the CM’s darbar rather than cool their
heels at ordinary darbars. |
Abhay may contest Rori
byelection CHANDIGARH, April 30 — The Rori Assembly byelection in Sirsa district will be held on May 26. Mr Abhey Singh, the younger son of the INLD supremo and Chief Minister, Mr Om Parkash Chautala, in all probability will contest the byelection on behalf of his party. The byelection has been necessitated by the vacation of the seat by Mr Chautala, who had also won from the Narwana constituency. Abhey had successfully managed the election campaign of his father in the February Assembly elections. Mr Chautala had defeated his younger brother, Mr Ranjit Singh, who was the Congress nominee. According to official sources, the notification will be issued on May 2 and the last date for filing the nominations will be May 9. Rori is considered to the home turf of the Devi Lal clan. It has been represented in the Vidhan Sabha at different points of time by Mr Devi Lal, Mr Ranjit Singh and Mr Chautala. If Abhey Singh also contests form here, he will constitute the third generation of the Devi Lal family to try his political luck from Rori. Earlier the Devi Lal scion had lost the Vidhan Sabha elections from Sangaria in Rajasthan. It will be tough job for
the Congress to find a suitable candidate from Rori. Mr
Ranjit Singh and a former minister, Mr Jagdish Nehra, who
had been representing Rori in the past, may not like to
contest this time. A successive defeat can bring them
within the purview of the Pachmarhi resolution which
forbade giving the Congress ticket to those who lose two
successive elections. |
Buildings near air base a security
threat? AMBALA, April 30 — The construction of some buildings close to the boundary of Air Force Station may cause a threat to the security of this most sensitive air base of the northern region. Last month, a German national possessing narcotic drugs and a huge amount of Indian currency entered the air base by crossing the fence. His passport was also found to be expired. Although the Ambala police and the Air Force authorities had ruled out the possibility of any attempt of spying in this case, but the entry of a foreign national in the air base premises is a serious matter. A few years back two militants had also managed to enter in the air base premises by crossing the fence when they were chased by the police. The Air Force authorities had a tough time locating as the air base is spread in several acres. During the past a few years, some residential colonies and commercial complexes have developed close to the Air Force boundary. Generally, the residents of these colonies throw their garbage in the nearby grounds, which attract birds. A few years back an air force plane of this air base was crashed reportedly after it struck with a bird near Baldev Nagar close to the air base as soon it took off from the runway. An intelligence agency’s officer said that the double storey constructions should be banned close to the fence from where the runway and the external activities of the station can be watched easily. The over bridge being
constructed near the Ambala-Chandigarh road will also
create problems as the air base sight can easily be seen
from there as the bridge is being constructed about 15
feet above from the present road level. |
Rs 5 cr released for Bhakra
canal’s repair CHANDIGARH, April 30 — The Haryana Government has released Rs 5 crore to Punjab for the repair of the Bhakra main canal. The canal brings water to Haryana from Bhakra Dam. According to official
sources, the designed capacity of the canal is 10,800
cusecs. But over the years the capacity has been reduced
to 9,500 cusecs because of silt and weakening of banks
making Haryana lose 1,300 cusecs in addition to its share
in the Satlej-Ravi waters. It will take a few months
before the canal is repaired. |
Fields being burnt despite ban
orders FATEHABAD, April 30 — Notwithstanding the prohibitory orders issued by the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Anil Malik, farmers of this district have been setting their harvested fields on fire. Along the 58-km-long stretch of the Fatehabad-Rattia-Tohana road, this correspondent saw scores of harvested fields set on fire. Following reports of wheat crop catching fire in many parts of the district, the District Magistrate had issued orders under Section 144 of the CrPC, prohibiting the farmers and cultivators from setting their harvested fields on fire. The orders, issued on April 27, 2000, are to remain in force till May 31. However, these orders have failed to deter the farmers from setting their harvested wheat fields on fire through combines. Most of the farmers this correspondent talked to said the orders were impractical. They said they had no other alternative but to set the fields on fire to make them ready for sowing the next crop. They said that those who harvest their fields manually and with threshing machines did not have any problem as the wheat straw is cut into fodder by these machines. However, those who
harvest their fields through combines have to either burn
the straw by setting it on fire or collect it. The latter
method’s difficult. As the sowing of cotton has
already started, they have no other choice but to set
their fields on fire. |
Seminar on trends in e-business AMBALA, April 30 — The fifth National Seminar was organised by Shri Atmanand Jain Institute of Management and Technology, Ambala City, under the leadership of Prof Mukesh Sehgal and Prof Anil Chandok on e-business: recent trends, projections and its implications for Corporate India (Vision 2010) here today. The chief guest, Dr Hoshiar Singh, Vice-Chancellor, Kurukshetra University, said it was a matter of great pleasure to the institute was bringing out a souvenir, highlighting the various achievements and developments made during the short span of time by the institute. He remarked that during his time the concept of e-business was out of the picture. He said in order to survive one must update himself. The function was presided over by Mr Raj Kumar Jain, Joint Managing Director, Enkay (India) Rubber Company Ltd, New Delhi. Mr Satish Kumar, Senior General Manager-IT, Rail India Ltd, gave the keynote address. He said e-commerce was a buzzword today and almost all national dailies carried articles related to it. It was a means of transacting business electronically and in many cases over the internet. Business through e-commerce provided improved efficiency, lower cost, less human errors, reduced paper work, better customer management and improved customer relations. In the near future, it might provide opportunities to boost up our economy by way of software export. It might also open up employment opportunities for our IT-professionals all over the world. The seminar was divided into two technical sessions. The first technical session was held under the chairmanship of Prof J.D. Aggarwal, Director-Indian Institute of Finance, New Delhi, and was co-chaired by Mr R.C. Srinivasan, Chief Economic Advisor, Rites, New Delhi. The second technical session was conducted under the chairmanship of Prof K.L. Jai Singh, Chairman, ICWA (Northern Region), and was co-chaired by Dr Prem Kumar, University School of Management, Talwandi Saboo, Bathinda. Prof J.B. Singh told about the various aspects involved in creation of money, muscle and machines, especially web-based technologies, its use in business and various relationships. He emphasised the exchange of information. Mr S.K. Bhatia emphasised Internet technologies. He also elaborated that in the coming time only knowledge would differentiate the management people from others. Prof G.S. Batra said e-commerce was trend-setter in international business, with the large-scale penetration of Internet and the reduction of the world into a small global village. He further said with the a click of button, one could transfer funds from one end of the world to another, close business deals within no time and conduct any business from one’s home or office. Dr Prem Kumar enunciated that e-business had caught the world of business by storm. Prof P. Rajagopalan explained how to manage business and people in the era of Internet. He also quoted various examples from the live business environment to support his views. In the valedictory session, Mr O.P. Aggarwal, Chief General Manager, IFCI, New Delhi, was the chief guest. This session was presided over by Prof Amar Singh, Dean of Colleges, Kurukshetra University. Prof Mukesh Sehgal said
the seminar was organised with the purpose of better
understanding of the concept of e-commerce and its
applications in various functional areas of management.
He further said in the era of intense competition in
management education and industry, AIMT has entered fifth
year of existence. He added that every business was
changing face with wide range of B2B and B2C services and
e-commerce was the new business mantra. The seminar was
attended by academicians, industrialists, executives and
students of different universities and management
institutes from all over the country. The President of
India, Mr K.R. Narayanan, extended his warm greetings and
felicitations to the participants and wished the seminar
a great success. |
Haryana raises price of atta SONEPAT, April 30 — The Haryana Government has decided to increase the sale price of atta from Rs 4 to Rs 6.50 per kg at its fair price shops from tomorrow. According to official sources, the state government will distribute 20 kg atta instead of 10 kg per ration card and the consumers will have to pay Rs 130 for it. This step has been taken on the directive of the Central Government. Meanwhile, the Food and
Supplies Department has cancelled the licences of 10 fair
price shops in the rural areas of this district for
irregularities. It has also asked the gram panchayats to
pass fresh resolutions for the allotment of new depots in
their villages. |
Pak envoy meets Haryana CM CHANDIGARH, April 30 — Pakistan’s High Commissioner in India, Mr Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, called on the Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, here this evening. It was a courtesy call which lasted for about half an hour. They discussed the issues of mutual interest. Mr Qazi hoped that bilateral relations between the two countries would improve in future. He expressed his desire to visit Kurukshetra. The Chief Minister apprised Mr Qazi about the number of welfare measures being taken by the Haryana Government to improve the quality of life of people. He presented a set of
books brought out by the Haryana Urdu Akademi to Mr Qazi,
who also presented a memento to the Chief Minister. |
Panjeta is coop bank chief CHANDIGARH, April 30 — The Haryana Government has appointed Mr J.P. Panjeta, Joint Registrar in the Cooperation Department, as the Managing Director of the state Cooperative Agriculture and Rural Development Bank, in place of Mr J.P. Yadav, who has been posted as the Managing Director of the Haryana Cooperative Bank. Mr Panjeta said here
today that in the current financial year the bank would
disburse loans worth Rs 300 crore. |
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