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| Monday, June 5, 2000, Chandigarh, India   
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Justice
‘eludes’ youth KDB action leads to tension Water scarcity plagues Sonepat Wheat chaff sale: Haryana
clarifies Spurious soft drink manufacturer
held
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BJP to oppose house tax Rail staff plead for quarters ‘Kidnapped’ employee
lands in police net Chautala approves IIIT model Women stage dharna on highway Contact touts for phone directory ‘Make green Haryana drive a
success’ Power boards make record
collection Capt Krishna Ram dead Work to begin soon on new exchange
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Justice ‘eludes’ youth ROHTAK, June 4 — Aggrieved at not getting justice at the doors of the Deputy Commissioner, the SSP, the Chief Minster and the Prime Minister, a disappointed youth approaches the President, Mr K.R. Narayanan. Accepting his demand for justice, the President forwards the matter to the Chief Secretary, Haryana. As many as 20 days pass. Strangely, he still does not succeed even in getting an FIR registered at the local police station. This is the woeful tale of a local carpenter, Rohtas, who has been running from pillar to post to seek justice for the past nearly three months but to no avail. Being on the verge of a financial collapse the youth has gone into a state of depression. Rohtas of the Raj Mohalla locality here stated in his complaint that he got a loan of Rs 70,000 sanctioned under the Pradhan Mantri Rojgar Yozna from the local branch of the Central Bank of India on July 25, 1997, for purchasing wood and a machine to start his own business. The complainant said he was working at a shop owned by Jhaman Lal at that time who convinced him to continue and to prepare items as per the orders received at the shop. However, he allegedly backtracked on his promise and refused to deposit the instalments and to hand over the machine to Rohtas when the latter left his job at the shop on March 1, 2000. After enquiries from the bank he was surprised to know that Jhaman Lal had not deposited even a single instalment in the bank. He was also not paid salary for his labour at the shop. Besides, the complainant alleged that he had handed over a cheque for Rs 21,000 to Jhaman Lal as he was left with this amount after purchasing the wood and the machine. This amount was allegedly not returned to the complainant. Moreover, the complainant alleged that when the matter was reported to the police Jhaman Lal along with some persons attacked him in his house on May 17 last and forcibly took away his scooter containing Rs 3,250 in the tool compartment. Rohtas told this correspondent that despite his appeal to the Deputy Commissioner, the SSP, the Chief Minister, the Prime Minister and the President, no action had been taken so far. He said although the Deputy Commissioner and the SSP had forwarded his application, no FIR had been registered so far for "reasons best known to the SHO concerned". The SHO concerned,
meanwhile, said an FIR could not be registered so far as
it was a case of mere cash transaction. However, he said
both parties would be summoned to the police station and
helped in reaching a "settlement" soon |
KDB action leads to tension KURUKSHETRA, June 4 — Tension gripped this town yesterday when the Kurukshetra Development Board (KDB) with the help of the district administration and a large number of police force took possession of Shri Krishna Adarsh Ayurvedic Pharmacy at Nabha House. Former Prime Minister Gulzari Lal Nanda had been instrumental in the establishment of the pharmacy, including the restoration of religious tirthas such as Brahamsarover and Sannit tank. In a telegraphic message jointly sent to the KDB Chairman and Haryana Governor Mahabir Prasad, Mr S K Sharma, secretary, and Mr Kuldip Singh, vice-president, of the three institutions — the pharmacy, Manav Dharam Mission and G L Nanda Foundation — have alleged that by trespassing, breaking locks and machinery and taking raw material and medicines. In possession the goodwill of the pharmacy has been damaged. Records were destroyed while taking forceful and illegal possession by the KDB in the absence of any employees or members of the management. The name of late Shri Gulzari Lal Nanda had thus been tarnished, it has alleged, adding that heavy losses had been caused to the pharmacy and the mission. The copies of this message have also been transmitted to the Haryana Chief Minister, the Prime Minister, the Deputy Commissioner, Kurukshetra, Mr P.C. Chib, the president of the three institutions as well as the Chief Justices of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and the Supreme Court. Both Mr Sharma and Mr Kuldip Singh recalled that the KDB at a meeting held here on September 16, 1998, under the presidentship of its Chairman and Haryana Governor Mahabir Prasad and attended among others by the then Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Bansi Lal, and Mr P C Chib, resolved that half of the portion of Nabha House under the custody of the pharmacy would be transferred to the KDB. Mr Sharma said the management was ready to vacate the place gracefully as the president, Mr Chib, who had attended that meeting, had already accepted the resolution of transferring Nabha House to the KDB. They alleged, "but it is lamented that neither any notice was served nor any prior information was given to the pharmacy management to vacate the possession. They said the gate lock, factory and office locks were forcibly and illegally broken. Heavy machinery had been damaged and light machinery, medicines, and raw material, including glass bottles and packing material, had been taken by the police in its possession. Mr Kanshi Chand, an employee of the pharmancy, immediately rang up Mr Sharma in Delhi and Mr Chib in Ahmedabad. Mr Sharma alleged the KDB authorities were not ready to talk to him or Mr Chib on the telephone. He said that when the vice-president, Mr Kuldip Singh, came to know of the incident he went to the KDB office but by that time the office almirahs, records, medicines, raw and packing material as well as light machinery had already been carried away by the KDB authorities. Heavy machinery and the building floors had also been damaged. Mr Sharma went to the pharmacy where he found the shops and the main gate locked. The pharmacy authorities are now demanding a piece of land for establishing the pharmacy, a factory, office and shops . They also want the management to be compensated for the losses suffered. Meanwhile, resentment prevails here among people. It is reliably learnt
that the Haryana Governor’s Secretary, Mr Manik
Sonawane, had allegedly directed the district
administration to send a police force for assisting the
KDB in getting possession of the pharmacy land. However,
the KDB Chief Executive Officer, Mr Girish Arora, has
been trying to evade mediapersons’ queries. |
Water scarcity plagues Sonepat SONEPAT, June 4 — The district administration seems to be helpless in tackling the chronic problem of drinking water shortage during the summer season in this fast growing industrial city as also in the rural areas of the district. Though the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Sudhir Rajpal, has directed the authorities of the Public Health Department to ensure regular water supply to the residents of the city they have failed to take steps to meet the requirements of the people. Many people alleged that when they went to offices of the Superintending Engineer and the Executive Engineer of the Public Health Department as well as other officials they had to return disappointed as no one was found in their offices during duty hours. Even the SDO and the junior engineers of the department always remained absent from their respective offices on working days. Several people also alleged the water supply was erratic and the pressure was always low. Their complaints in this regard to the officials concerned have fallen on deaf ears. Some residents blamed tubewell operators at the Murthal waterworks as well as the boosting stations for the water crisis as they ramained absent during duty hours. Thousands of residents in Mohalla Kalan and its adjoining areas could not get even a drop of water last evening following a disruption in the water supply system. People were seen carrying pitchers on their heads and fetching water from distant places. Leaders of the Residents
Welfare Association and the Sonepat Citizens Council
today urged the Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala,
to look into the complaints in this regard and order
immediate transfer of the Superintending Engineer, the
Executive Engineer, Xen and other officials responsible
for the water crisis in this city. They warned that if
the situation did not improve the residents would hold
flag demonstrations against the visiting ministers and
other ruling party politicians. |
Wheat chaff sale: Haryana
clarifies CHANDIGARH, June 4 — The Haryana Government’s decision to sell wheat chaff to Gujarat was prompted by an SOS sent by the latter for fodder for its drought-affected livestock. A Haryana Government spokesman said the decision to procure the wheat chaff through Hafed, in response to the call from Gujarat, was taken at the level of the Chief Secretary. "There was absolutely no secrecy about the tenders, for which all formalities were observed, including issuing advertisements in the press", the spokesman said. The issue, it may be stated, came in to focus following allegations made by a former MLA, Mr Pratap Singh, yesterday, who charged the Haryana Government with selling wheat chaff to Gujarat at exorbitant rates to benefit some suppliers close to the ruling party in Haryana. Mr Pratap Singh had alleged that while wheat was being sold in Sirsa at Rs 90 per quintal, the Haryana Government was selling it to Gujarat at Rs 305 per quintal, including the cost of gunny bags. The spokesman, however, said the rate offered by Hafed in consultation with the Gujarat Government covered not only the prices of the fodder and the bags, but also acounted for the labour charges, packaging expenses and transportation charges inside Haryana and Gujarat. "In the end, the suppliers who are sending the fodder will make a very modest profit", the spokesman said. The spokesman said Haryana had already collected thousand of tonnes of relief, worth a few crore rupees, through voluntary donations. These relief materials were sent to Rajasthan and Gujarat free of cost. Given the fact that
people had already made huge donations and the Gujarat
Government was willing to pay, it was decided to employ
private contractors for supplying wheat chaff to Gujarat,
the spokesman said. The Gujarat Government had put an
order for 4,300 tonnes of wheat chaff, out of which 2,400
tonnes had already been sent. While Mr Pratap Singh had
ridiculed the Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, and
his associates for flagging of relief with a lot of
fanfare, the spokesman said no relief material sent by
private contractors was flagged off by the Chief Minister
or any other dignitary. |
Fact and fiction of Krishna KURUKSHETRA:This place is haloed by its association with Krishna’s sermon to Arjuna in the battle of the Mahabharata. In order to preserve the spirit of the epic battle Krishna Museum was set up here in 1987 by the Kurukshetra Development Board. In 1991 it was shifted to the present building and in 1995 a block was added to it. According to Mr Girish Arora, Chief Executive Officer, Kurukshetra Development Board, the artefacts displayed here are connected with Krishna as an avatara of Vishnu, whose activities set benchmarks of social and political action. Works of art collected from different centres of art have been displayed in six different galleries. There are rare manuscripts, miniature paintings, stone, bronze and ivory sculptures, wood carvings, pichhvas and palm-leaf etchings. The archaeological artefacts of places associated with Krishna such as Kurukshetra, Dwaraka and Mathura have been housed in the museum. The most interesting archaeological collection of the museum is the rare underwater finds from Dwaraka. There are blow ups of the under-water structure of Dwaraka, potteries small objects and an insignia showing a figure of goat, unicorn and a bull. The miniature painting section houses one of the rarest collections of painting depicting the scenes from the Mahabharata .There are relief works on octagonal parapets showing some of the significant episodes of the epic battle. The Museum Curator, Mr Rajesh Purohit, says there are sculptures in stone from Haryana dating between Ist century BC and 12th century AD. The image of Ekanamsa, the daughter of Yasoda along with Krishna and Balrama in red sandstone of the Ist century BC and the composite image of Brahma and Vishnu called Haripitamaha are the main attractions. The museum has also a small restoration laboratory. Mr Arora further says that the museum has published a colourful folders, both, in Hindi and English, a guide book in English, a monograph-cum-catalogue titled ‘‘Bahuayami Vyaktitva — Shri Krishna’’ and ‘‘48 Kosa Kurukshetra Bhumi Ki Parikarma’’. Besides these books, postcards, posters and souvenirs are also on sale at the counter. There has been a consistent increase in the number of visitors to Krishna Museum ever since its establishment. In the year 1997-98, 1998-99 and 1999-2000, the number of visitors to the museum was 1,52,230, 1,60,372 and 1,65,153 respectively. The museum receives on an average about 580 visitors per day. The Kurukshetra
Development Board launched a website in 1999. The board
publishes newsletter ‘Gita Manthan’.It has cut
CDs and made video cassettes. These steps have been well
received by people. |
Spurious soft drink manufacturer
held FATEHABAD, June 4 — The police yesterday evening raided two-establishments manufacturing spurious soft drinks and recovered a large number of filled bottles of the soft drink along with the equipments used to manufacture and fill the bottles. According to the police sources, these factories were involved in manufacturing spurious soft drinks of popular brands. The police has also recovered cola compound, orange compound and RC flavours that are used in the preparation of these drinks. Two persons were taken into custody yesterday. However, the police confirmed the arrest of one person in this connection today. An official press release issued by the SP Mr Shrikant Jadhav said that Satpal, a resident of the local Vichar Ashram road has been arrested and 68 bottles of spurious cold drink and a large number of duplicate seals of popular brands of soft drinks have been recovered from his possession. In another case the
police arrested one Balraj for selling duplicate
cassettes of the T series and recovered 2280 duplicate
cassettes from his possession. |
BJP to oppose house tax HISAR, June 4 — The Haryana unit of the BJP will oppose the imposition of house tax on Faridabad pattern on the residents of urban areas and all type of trade taxes by the Haryana Government. This indication was given by Mr Shriniwas Goyal, vice-president of state unit of the BJP. Talking to mediapersons in Uklana Mandi near here yesterday, Mr Goyal said the BJP would oppose the government move if the state government imposed any fresh taxes on the people of the state. He said the BJP had constituted a committee under the chairmanship of Mr Kanwal Pal Singh and Mrs Veena Chibber, MLA, who would go through the situation arising out after the imposition of new taxes. After receiving the
report of the committee, a deputation of the party would
call on Mr Om Prakash Chautala, Chief Minister, Haryana
and demand the withdrawal of these fresh taxes. Mr Goyal
hoped the Chautala government would not impose fresh
taxes on the people of the state. |
Rail staff plead for quarters PANIPAT, June 4 — Resentment prevails among the railway staff working at the railway station here for the indifferent attitude of the authorities in the allotment of quarters out of which more than 80 per cent are not utilised by the allottees. According to available information, the strength of the railway staff working here is 760 and only 350 quarters are there. As per the low figures, about 54 per cent occupancy is there in quarters and the rest of the staff is residing on rental basis in different localities of the city. Even the in charge does not have a quarter. Sources confirmed that out of the 54 per cent of the allottees, only 10 per cent were genuine rail employees who were occupying quarters. The remaining allottees and those from Class IV and above were earning an extra income by subletting their premises. The sources further confirmed that mostly vendors on the railway station, working for 24 hours, were in possession of the quarters in front of the circulating area near the car parking and enjoyed light, water and toilet facilities putting an extra financial burden on the Railways as far as the basic services were concerned. This correspondent
visited many quarters and enquired about the owners who
were working at the station and found that the quarters
were mostly occupied by people other than the allottees. |
‘Kidnapped’
employee
lands in police net SONEPAT, June 4 — Ashok, a resident of Mahra village was allegedly caught in a web of his own making in connivance with his friend Ajmer for extracting money from his employer, a shopkeeper, yesterday. According to the police, Mr Malik Raj, proprietor of a shop on the Sonepat-Bahalgarh road, lodged a complaint with the police stating that his employee Ashok had been kidnapped and the culprits had demanded a ransom of Rs 4 lakh from him. The culprits had also threatened him that they would kidnap his son in case he failed to give the ransom amount to them. The police immediately
swung into action and contacted officials of the
telephone exchange for obtaining the number of the
telephone from where the threatening calls were made the
culprits. Its was revealed that the calls were made from
an STD booth near the general bus stand. |
Chautala approves IIIT model CHANDIGARH, June 4 — The Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, today approved a model of the proposed Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) to be set up in Gurgaon. He also cleared the creation of the corpus fund of Rs 5 crore for the IIIT and directed the officials concerned to ensure that the institute became functional from August next. According to an official spokesman, the model has been prepared by the Educational Consultants India Limited (ECIL), a Union Government undertaking, which was engaged by HARTRON as a consultant. According to the approved model, the IIIT will be registered as a society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. The society will be registered by roping in a major IT player as an Indian collaborator by signing an MoU in this regard. The spokesman said several IT majors had already evinced keen interest. The IIIT will be an autonomous institute with the corporate sector playing an important role in terms of finance, faculty governance and other issues so that it emerges as an institute of excellence. The Chief Minister
authorised the ECIL and HARTRON to scout and finalise the
Indian collaborator for the institute. |
Women stage dharna on highway HISAR, June 4 — A large number of women yesterday blocked traffic on Hisar-Delhi National Highway 10 in Hansi town, about 26 km from here, in protest against the acute shortage of drinking water in Vakil Colony, Vikas Nagar, Arya Nagar and its surrounding areas for the last many days. Traffic on this road remained suspended for three hours. This was the second time that women blocked the road. Last week also they had staged a dharna on this road to show their resentment against the shortage of water. The agitated women
started a dharna on the road at about 11 a.m. The SDM and
the DSP reached the spot after 2 p.m. Following
assurances given by these officers, the women lifted
their dharna. There is an acute shortage of drinking
water in several areas of Hansi also. |
Contact touts for phone
directory PANIPAT, June 4 — Touts around the telegraph office on the G.T. Road are nowadays busy in supplying telephone directories to subscribers and earn as "tip" around Rs 10 per copy. A helper of a tea vendor sitting aside the boundary wall of the office is also busy in this trade. He stands in the queue on behalf of the subscribers, shows the papers to the officials concerned and secures the directories for his clients. Subscribers avoid standing in the queue as there is no provision of a shelter and they have to stand in the open for at least half an hour in the scorching heat. Sources said even in
order to deposit the amount for telephone bills, heavy
rush could be seen during the last days and here also
touts are in action. The sweeper of the building is
alleged to be involved in depositing the amount for the
bills and charges Rs 50 per bill from the subscribers.
However, a newly painted signboard can be seen at the
deposit counter which reads —"Don’t pay
bribe", but in vain. |
‘Make green Haryana drive a
success’ CHANDIGARH, June 4 — The Haryana Governor, Mr Mahabir Prasad, and the Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, have appealed to the people to contribute to the success of the "green Haryana campaign" by planting saplings in a large number. In his message issued on the eve of the World Environment Day, the Governor stressed the need for checking the escalating rate of growth of population and the manner in which the trees were being felled. He said these factors were aggravating the problem of environment pullution. The Chief Minister said
7,517 hectares would be brought under afforestation
during the current financial year. Medicinal plants would
be planted in an area of 160 hectares under a special
project. These plants included bel, saptpati, neem,
kathal, dhak, amaltas, kapoor, harar, dhola dhak, mahwa,
ashok and arjun. |
Power boards make record
collection CHANDIGARH, June 4 — The Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN) and the Dakshin Haryana Bijli Nigam (DHBVN) recovered an all-time record payment of Rs 203.92 crore against the energy bills from consumers during May last. Giving this information
here today, Ms Meenaxi Anand Chaudhry, Chairperson of the
Haryana Power Utilities, said the UHBVN collected Rs
100.21 crore and the DHBVN collected Rs 103.71 crore. The
earlier highest collection in a single month was of Rs
184.94 crore during May, 1990. |
Capt Krishna Ram dead CHANDIGARH, June 4 — Capt Krishna Ram, PCS (retd), father of the Senior Vice-President of the Haryana unit of the BSP, Mr Jagpal Singh Chaudhri, died at Ambala Cantt yesterday. Joining the government service as Tehsildar in 1935, Capt Krishna Ram rose to become the first graduate and gazetted officer belonging to the Gujjar community of Haryana. He was 95. His cremation at Bheron
village, near Shahzadpur, in Ambala district this evening
was largely attended. |
Work to begin soon on new
exchange ROHTAK, June 4 — Work on the setting up of the new exchange in Bahadurgarh subdivision is likely to start by next week. The project will be completed in nearly six months at an estimated cost of Rs 13 crore. The capacity of the
present exchange at Bahadurgarh is 10,000 connections.
The new exchange will have a capacity of 15,000. |
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