H A R Y A N A

Surplus land ‘not allotted’ to SCs
CHANDIGARH, Aug 1 — A delegation of the Haryana Guru Ravidass Samaj Mahasabha today called on the Haryana Governor, Babu Parmanand, and submitted a memorandum in support of its demands.

‘Probe approval to meter firms’
CHANDIGARH, Aug 1 — The RPI MLA, Mr Karan Singh Dalal, today alleged that the Haryana Government and its power utilities had approved the names of three meter manufacturers for exclusive sale in the sate “just to extract money at the cost of the general public as the rates of these manufacturers are three to four times higher than that at which the meters are freely available in the market.”

PFA-kalandar clash reaches flashpoint
FARIDABAD, Aug 1 — The clash between kalandars and People for Animals (PFA) activists over the issue of right to livelihood and welfare of animals seems to be heading towards a flashpoint with both sides stepping up their campaign to prove their point.

Sabha seeks panel for SCs
ROHTAK, Aug 1 — The Guru Ravidas Samaj Mahasabha has demanded the setting up of a high-power committee to redress and monitor incidents of atrocities, excesses and discrimination against Scheduled Castes and Schedule Tribes in Haryana.

Top models throng NIFD show
YAMUNANAGAR: It was natural for an exhibition organised by the National Institute of Fashion Design to attract glamour girls from the world of fashion. And on Saturday when the exhibition opened in Yamunanagar, seven well-known models descended on the venue from Mumbai to lend it an aura of glamour and glitter.

Dental college to be named after Kapoor
YAMUNANAGAR, Aug 1 — The local DAV Dental Centenary College will be now named after J.N. Kapoor, according to Mr G.P. Chopra, President, All-India D.A.V. Institutions, New Delhi.

3 booked on rape charge, 1 held
JHAJJAR, Aug 1 — A case of kidnapping of a recently married woman and her repeated rape by three local youths has come to light in the district.

MLAs swallow bitter pill
CHANDIGARH, Aug 1 — Haryana legislators had to swallow a bitter pill today for the failure of the authorities to foot an electricity bill running into lakhs of rupees.

Cong plea on cases against Dangi
CHANDIGARH, Aug 1 — The Haryana Congress has demanded that investigation into cases registered against the former minister and party general secretary, Mr Anand Singh Dangi, should be transferred to any state, other than Haryana and Punjab.

Cadet’s death: father blames IMA
AMBALA Aug 1 —The father of Surender Singh Tanwar has held the administration of the Indian Military Academy responsible for the death of his son.

Official seeks protection from forest mafia
SONEPAT, Aug 1 — Mr Anand Sharma, a leader of the Haryana Forest Department Mazdoor Union, is reported to have received numerous threats from the forest mafia that if he did not stop making complaints regarding illegal felling of trees, his life will be in danger.

• R.N. Vasudeva retires

• 2 robbed of 2.47 lakh at pistol point

• 2 cops get 10-year RI for rape
  

 

 

Probe into Wakf working sought
From Our Correspondent

PANIPAT, Aug 1 — A Muslim institution, Idara-e-Islami, has alleged that there are a large number of irregularities in the working of the Punjab Wakf Board.

The organisation’s Karnal and Panipat executive, Mauz-ud-Din, gave a memorandum to the Accountant-General (inspection) and Director and Secretary, Wakf Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India, seeking an audit into the bank account of the wakf board and demanding abolition of the executive.

Mauz-ud-Din said that the Central Wakf Board had constituted the Punjab Wakf Board on November 18, 1981, with the headquarters at Ambala cantonment. Instead of constituting a management board, it had appointed an executive with full powers of the board and this was effective up to April 30, 2000. However, on April 30, Idara-e-Islami under Clause 13 of the Wakf Act demanded from the Union Social Welfare Minister, Ms Maneka Gandhi, that the executive be replaced by a management board.

Mauz-ud-Din said the Punjab Wakf Board had a bank account for the past 30 years in the name of Punjab Aukaf and almost 70 per cent income of the board was deposited in that account. The administrator of the board alone operated this account and incurred the expenses as desired by him. It was odd that the Punjab Government’s Auditor-General audited only 7 per cent of the expenses incurred and the balance 93 per cent remained unaudited, he alleged.

He alleged that the board’s administrator had been misusing his powers. The previous administrator, Feroze Khan, had also allegedly misused his powers to enhance the monthly aid to madarsas from Rs 4,000 to Rs 10,000. Similarly, the board’s deposit of Rs 1 crore in the State Bank of India was allegedly withdrawn and deposited in his Chartered Bank account. He said that under Clause 15 of the Wakf Board Act, 1964, the wakf’s money must be deposited in a nationalised bank.

He further alleged that the present administrator, F.U. Siddiqui, was violating the Wakf Act of 1995.

According to rules, the income of one wakf could not be spent for works of another wakf. Yet the money of the Punjab Wakf Board was allegedly being spent in violation of these rules.

Madarsa Islamia Makhdum Sahib at Panipat had been ignored and only Rs 500 per month was allotted to it, he alleged and demanded an inquiry into the ‘irregularities’ of the board by a high-powered agency.

Surplus land ‘not allotted’ to SCs

CHANDIGARH, Aug 1 — A delegation of the Haryana Guru Ravidass Samaj Mahasabha today called on the Haryana Governor, Babu Parmanand, and submitted a memorandum in support of its demands.

The memorandum alleged that surplus land determined in 1960 had not been allotted to members of the Scheduled Castes and the backward classes. “It is a matter of serious concern that the land has not been given to SC/BC people. In Rohtak district the surplus land measures 4,812 standard acres. Out of 4,812 acres only 4,755 acres were allotted. However, possession has not been given so far. Similar is the position in other districts of the state.”

Mr Ram Mehar, president of the mahasabha, further alleged that the government had not implemented the reservation policy in educational institutions. He added that the state government gave 95 per cent grant-in-aid to private educational institutions, but they had not implemented the policy. It amounted to discrimination against the Scheduled Castes. He demanded that the necessary orders for the implementation of this policy should be issued.

Similar was the case in government jobs. This policy was implemented with bias against the Scheduled Castes. “It is well known that Class I and Class II officers belonging to the Scheduled Castes are less than even 10 per cent,” said Mr Ram Mehar.

The memorandum demanded the opening of Dr Ambedkar schools in Haryana. He advocated the release of liberal financial assistance to such institutions.

The other demands of the mahasabha included financial schemes for the betterment of the Scheduled Castes and the opening of an SC/ST cell in the state.

Mr Ram Mehar also demanded a CBI inquiry into the kidnapping, rape and subsequent murder of a seven-year-old Dalit girl of Hatampura village in Bhiwani district on June 20, 1998.

‘Probe approval to meter firms’
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Aug 1 — The RPI MLA, Mr Karan Singh Dalal, today alleged that the Haryana Government and its power utilities had approved the names of three meter manufacturers for exclusive sale in the sate “just to extract money at the cost of the general public as the rates of these manufacturers are three to four times higher than that at which the meters are freely available in the market.”

Talking to newsmen here Mr Dalal alleged that the approval had been given at the instance of the Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, who also held the portfolio of power.

Urging the Governor, Babu Parmanand, to order an inquiry into the circumstances under which this approval was given, Mr Dalal said the action of the power utilities was unjustified and was taken for extraneous considerations.

He also claimed that the meters supplied by these companies were not even up to the standard of those which were lying in a large quantity with the power utilities.

Mr Dalal said while earlier the consumers had to pay Rs 400 and Rs 1,200 for single-phase and three-phase meters, respectively, now these companies were charging Rs 1,400 and Rs 3,400, respectively. The power utilities had written to their field officers that meters of only these companies should be installed.

He also alleged that the World Bank had not considered these companies fit enough to participate in a tender for the purchase of meters by the Haryana power utilities. But under pressure from the powers that be the utilities overnight issued certificates of approval to these companies after Mr Chautala came to power.

Alleging that all Chief Ministers had been using the power utilities for “making money” in purchases, Mr Dalal said a high-level inquiry should be held into the purchases made by the HSEB and its successor bodies.

Meanwhile, the government has denied the allegations levelled by Mr Dalal. In a statement issued here today an official spokesman said the meters were being replaced so as to check the menace of tampering. Many states were in the process of replacing electro-mechanical meters with electronic meters as was decided at a high-level meeting of the power utilities and the boards of the country presided over by the Chairman of the Central Electricity Authority.

PFA-kalandar clash reaches flashpoint
From Our Correspondent

FARIDABAD, Aug 1 — The clash between kalandars and People for Animals (PFA) activists over the issue of right to livelihood and welfare of animals seems to be heading towards a flashpoint with both sides stepping up their campaign to prove their point.

While the PFA has seized a large number of animals to save them from cruelty or slaughter, the kalandars on other hand have joined hands to put their viewpoint before the higher authorities in New Delhi very soon.

A large number of kalandars of the region have decided to stage a demonstration in front of the residence of the Prime Minister and other senior functionaries of the Union Government to demand their right to earn livelihood through their ancestral profession. They claim that keeping and using animals for games and entertainment was not cruelty as they were not being subjected to any torture. A bear keeper whose animals were taken away by PFA activists recently claimed that he and his family were starving as their only source of livelihood had been “snatched” away. Several other such persons who fear starvation demanded adequate employment or alternate source of income before any such step was taken.

On the other hand the PFA activists claim that their campaign was not against any human being but it was to stop unnecessary cruelty or slaughter of animals which was illegal. The chairman of the Haryana unit of the PFA said the organisation had been trying to save animals which were made to bear torture. He claimed that several of the animals which were being used by the kalandars, were left unattended or deserted when these animals fell ill or due to old age.

He said the PFA in Faridabad had recently saved as many as 11 camels from being slaughtered when a truck carrying them was intercepted by it. He said two of the camels died due to the inhuman way in which they had been packed into the truck.

Alleging that some of the slaughter houses had been functioning under the political patronage, he said some of the persons dealing in such work had started threatening PFA activists.

3 booked on rape charge, 1 held
From Our Correspondent

JHAJJAR, Aug 1 — A case of kidnapping of a recently married woman and her repeated rape by three local youths has come to light in the district.

According to the district police, Virender of Surenheti village allegedly kidnapped a 23-year-old woman of the same village from her house with the help of his associates, Ashok and Manjit of Dubaldhan village. They also stole Rs 30,000 and some jewellery from the house. The three accused then took the kidnapped woman to Nangloi in New Delhi where they repeatedly raped her for five months.

In the meantime, the family members of the woman went to the district police in Jhajjar but the latter allegedly did not register a case.

Later, the accused left the woman at her house and warned her not to report to anyone about the incident.

However, she met the SP yesterday along with her husband and revealed the incident. She gave her statement before the district attorney and filed an affidavit following which the police registered a case under Sections 366/376/343/344/506 of the IPC against Virender, Ashok and Manjit. Only Virender has been arrested so far.

Sabha seeks panel for SCs
From Jatinder Sharma

ROHTAK, Aug 1 — The Guru Ravidas Samaj Mahasabha has demanded the setting up of a high-power committee to redress and monitor incidents of atrocities, excesses and discrimination against Scheduled Castes and Schedule Tribes in Haryana.

The mahasabha submitted memorandum to the Haryana Governor in Chandigarh today and said the proposed committee should be headed by a senior IAS officer of the rank of financial commissioner with members from the police and other civil services. The proposed committee should also be entrusted with the monitoring of transfer of surplus land to the Scheduled Castes and backward communities.

The mahasabha president, Mr Ram Mehar, who led the deputation told the Governor, Babu Parmanand, that the land declared surplus as per the provisions of the Land Reforms Act, 1953, and its amended version of 1971 had not been made available to the Scheduled Caste and backward communities. In certain cases, although the Scheduled Caste and backward communities had deposited the price money of the allotted land, its possession had not been given, he alleged.

Citing examples, he said nearly 4,812 acres were declared surplus in Rohtak district alone. Of this only 4,755 acres were allotted to the Scheduled Caste and backward communities but these families had not been given possession till date Mr Mehar said.

The mahasabha regretted that at many places the land declared surplus had been transferred back to the original owners. Suspecting under-hand dealings in these transactions it demanded an inquiry by the Vigilance Department to expose the scandal.

The memorandum alleged that on May 4 an erring revenue official had transferred 50 acres of surplus land in the name of its original owners in Jhajjar district. This case also, it said, should be got investigated through the state vigilance agency.

The memorandum observed that the reservation policy was not being implemented in the government-aided private schools. It sought the intervention of the Governor in implementing the reservation policy in these institutions also.

The mahasabha pleaded for reservations for the Scheduled Castes in promotion to Class I and II posts as was being done in Punjab and some other states in the country. The strength of Class I and II officers belonging to the Scheduled Castes was less than 10 per cent.

Describing the education policy being followed by the government as a total failure, the mahasabha pleaded for setting up Ambedkar schools in Haryana so as to impart education to the deprived communities.

Top models throng NIFD show
From Ashwani Dutta

YAMUNANAGAR: It was natural for an exhibition organised by the National Institute of Fashion Design to attract glamour girls from the world of fashion. And on Saturday when the exhibition opened in Yamunanagar, seven well-known models descended on the venue from Mumbai to lend it an aura of glamour and glitter.

Mrs Seema Kathuria, head of the Yamunanagar centre of NIFD, introduced to mediapersons the models whose presence had sent ripples of excitement in this town which could base its claim to fame only for its few industrial units. She said these models had earned kudos in beauty contests and also given performances in video albums and films.

Helen Brodie is a graduate from London University but is so fond of modelling that she can think of no other vocation for herself. “Would you like to be in politics?” Someone asked as if trying to tease her.

“Oh, that is miles away from me and my profession”, she chuckled.

Megha Kawla from Mumbai who won the “Femina Look of the Year” (FLOTY) title in 1996, and made a mark in “Ashika Sarees” advertisement, says she comes from a family of politicians but intends to stay in modelling. She has featured in a number of newspaper and magazine advertisements.

Diandra Soares was Savvy Cover girl in 1996 and won the “Miss Beautiful Skin” title at the “Femina Miss India” competition in 1998. She can boast of music videos such as “Jalwa”, “Sholey 2000”, and “Khichdi”. She participated in several charity shows last year for Kargil heroes.

Jaessa Randhawa has done ramp shows all over the country and is the person behind the camera in Jassi’s video album “Kudi-kudi”.

Nasim Sheikh, a finalist at the “Femina Miss India 2000” contest, was inspired by her friends to go into modelling. Once in it, she wants to touch the sky.

Kavita has done a music video,” Mehndi Lagaungi Sajna Ke Nam Ki”. She believes that a large number of men and women in this country are keen to be in this profession.

Mridula Chandrashekhar, who was a finalist at the “Femina Look of the Year” contest in 1998, has shown her merit in a number of advertisement films. She has done fashion shots with some of the top designers and fashion publications.

Another model in the group was Bhavna Sharma who has made it to music videos, cover pages of magazines and ramp shows. She finds full satisfaction in the profession of modelling.

Mrs Kathuria also traced the history of NIFD since its inception in 1995 by Retu Beri, a designer of international repute, and said today the institute had 90 centres all over the country. Its courses included a one-year diploma in fashion designing and a two-year advanced diploma course. It had now introduced e-fashion on the Internet. The placement cell of the institute helped its students in finding employment.

Roll back power tariff hike: HVP
From Our Correspondent

HISAR, Aug 1 — Mr Surinder Singh, a senior Haryana Vikas Party leader and son of former Haryana Chief Minister Bansi Lal, today flayed the recent hike in power tariff in the state.

Addressing a press conference here, he said the Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, had stated at his rally in Kaithal on July 24 that the power rates would not be raised till the government was in a position to supply power round the clock. However, the very next day, the power rates were hiked for all categories of consumers.

Terming this as a “betrayal of confidence of the masses”, he demanded immediate withdrawal of the hike and added that paddy and other crops all over the state had suffered heavy damage due to inadequate irrigation owing to the shortage of power. He claimed that the southern districts of Haryana, including Mahendragarh, Rewari, Jhajjar, Bhiwani and Gurgaon, were facing severe drought-like conditions and the underground water level had gone down considerably.

Extending support to the Haryana bandh call in protest against the imposition of the Local Area Development Tax and introduction of Form ST-38, he said the Chautala regime was forcing businessmen to shift to other states since running a business in Haryana had become a losing proposition.

Mr Surinder Singh said the Badal government in neighbouring Punjab had persuaded the Centre to write off a loan of Rs 8,500 crore. As against this, the Chautala government had not been able to get anything from the Centre although like the Akalis, the INLD was also supporting the Vajpayee government.

Dental college to be named after Kapoor
From Our Correspondent

YAMUNANAGAR, Aug 1 — The local DAV Dental Centenary College will be now named after J.N. Kapoor, according to Mr G.P. Chopra, President, All-India D.A.V. Institutions, New Delhi.

While attending the kirya ceremony of J.N. Kapoor, an educationist and social reformer here on Saturday, Mr Chopra described him as “pole star who had sacrificed his life in the field of education”. He said that J.N. Kapoor had spent his entire life for the uplift of society even at the cost of his family life. Mr I.D. Swami, Union Minister of State for Home, said that Kapoor had established the chain of D.A.V. institutions with his efforts in northern Haryana. The people of this region can never forget him and his work in the field of education.

Dr J.P. Sharma, local Congress MLA, Dr Kamla Verma and Dr Ram Parkash, former ministers, Dr M.C. Gambhir former MLA, and Dr K.L. Johar, former Vice-Chancellor of Guru Jambheshwar University, Hisar, also paid tributes to him.

Interviews for B. Pharma course
From Our Correspondent

ROHTAK, Aug 1 — Interviews and counselling for 30 payment NRI industry-sponsored seats of Bachelor of Pharmacy (B.Phar) course in the Department of Phamaceutical Sciences, Guru Jambheshwar University, Hisar, and Hindu College, Sonepat, will be held on August 16 in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU) here.

According to a press statement issued by the university here yesterday the desirous candidates who have qualified the entrance test for the said course conducted by MDU on June 24, have been asked to send their applications with a demand draft of Rs 300 to the university within a week. No separate interview letters will be sent to the candidates, the statement added.

Cadet’s death: father blames IMA
From Our Correspondent

AMBALA Aug 1 —The father of Surender Singh Tanwar has held the administration of the Indian Military Academy responsible for the death of his son.

Surender had joined the academy last week. On July 29, he was found dead in his room. The academy authorities stated it to be a suicide case, while the father of the victim, Mr Gopal Singh, said his son was tortured to death during ragging in the academy by some senior students. He was cremated here on July 30.

The father of the deceased, a teacher in Joly village 20 km from here, has written letters to the President of India, the Chief of Army Staff, the Union Home Minister and the Chairman of the Human Rights Commission to hand over the inquiry to the CBI.

He said his son Surender had gone to Dehradun to join the academy on July 23. On July 26, he made a telephone call to his father, disclosing his cadet number and name of the company and battalion allotted to him. He said apparently his son was feeling scared and some threatening voices could be heard in the background.

“I tried to contact my son over the phone, but the person picking up the phone in the IMA said it would not be possible to call the cadet as his room was far from the phone”, Mr Singh said. On Saturday, an Army officer from Ambala Cantonment informed them that their son had sustained serious injuries in the academy. The family then rushed to Dehradun in an Army vehicle. A Senior officer present at the IMA said their son had committed suicide by hanging himself from a ceiling fan.

He alleged that the rope shown to them could not have possibly borne the weight of his son and the rope was also very short. “It is not possible for my son to have committed suicide by hanging from that rope”, he alleged. He alleged that when he saw his son’s body in the Army hospital mortuary, the body did not bear any marks on the neck. His son’s room number was 15 and some senior cadets were staying close by. He alleged that the senior cadets must have committed physical and mental torture, which forced his son take the extreme step of ending his life.

Mr Singh showed a note, which was written by the cadet. The note states, “I have not done any documentation certificate... and I am fed up all of what bloody things happen here at morning and night.” Surender was the only son. Out of his three sisters, one is married.

Official seeks protection from forest mafia
From Our Correspondent

SONEPAT, Aug 1 — Mr Anand Sharma, a leader of the Haryana Forest Department Mazdoor Union, is reported to have received numerous threats from the forest mafia that if he did not stop making complaints regarding illegal felling of trees, his life will be in danger.

According to a report, Mr Sharma has lodged a complaint to the authorities of the district and the police administration as well as the Forest Department and sought protection from the mafia.

Meanwhile, the union has urged the state government to order a high-level probe into the scandal and take stern action against those officials who are found responsible for the illegal felling of trees in the district.

R.N. Vasudeva retires
Tribune News Service

KARNAL, Aug 1 — Mr R.N. Vasudeva, Inspector General of Police and Director, Police Training College (PTC), Madhuban, retired yesterday after putting in 34 years of service. Mr Vasudeva who worked as a lecturer in D.N. College, Moga, and S.A. Jain College, Ambala City, joined the police service as D.S.P. in 1966 in joint Punjab.

He was allocated to Haryana and later worked as district police chief of districts like Faridabad, Karnal and Ambala. He was also Commandant of the HAP for three continuous years. Mr Vasudeva also held the important portfolios of S.P. (Vigilance) and S.P. (Crime).

On promotion to DIG, Mr Vasudeva worked on the pivotal post of DIG (CID) during the Bhajan Lal regime. He also worked as DIG, Gurgaon Range, and later DIG (Prohibition) during the Bansi Lal days.

Mr Vasudeva, who was awarded medal for meritorious service, also worked as I.G. Haryana Armed Police, Madhuban.

2 cops get 10-yr RI for rape
From Our Correspondent

KAITHAL, Aug 1 — The Additional District and Sessions Judge, Mr Harinder Singh Bhangoo, has sentenced two constables of the Haryana police to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment and fined them Rs 2000 each in a rape case registered in February, 1998, at Harsola village in the district. In case of default of payment of fine they would have to undergo further imprisonment of two years each.

The accused are Romesh Chand, No 425, of Chhatar village and Chander Bhan, No 229, of Harshola village. Both sentences will run concurrently.