H A R Y A N A

Khadi Board grants for entrepreneurs
FARIDABAD, Aug 12 — To generate more employment opportunities and encourage production from waste and recycled products, the Haryana Khadi and Gramodyog Board has decided to provide financial assistance to entrepreneurs and individuals who are interested in setting up such projects.

Work on complex at snail’s pace
KAITHAL: The delay in the completion of construction work on the judicial complex building in the HUDA colony here has caused resentment among lawyers and litigants.

BSP rules out tie-up with Cong, HVP, INLD
ROHTAK, Aug 12 — Describing the Chautala government as anti-people and unpopular, Mr Raghu Yadav, member, Bahujan Samaj Party Parliamentary Board and a former MLA from Rewari, said the party would project itself as an alternative to the present political parties and political alliances.

Traders blame INLD govt for violence
KURUKSHETRA, Aug 12 — Both the Haryana Beopar Mandal and the Haryana Pradesh Beopar Mandal held a joint protest rally on the premises of Arya Senior Secondary School, Thanesar, here, last evening. 

Demolition drive: 12 hurt in cane charge
FARIDABAD, Aug 12 — About 12 persons were injured when the police reportedly cane-charged a mob at Sector 24 here. They were protesting against the demolition of their jhuggis here this morning. 

Photo I-cards drive from Aug 17 to 31
FARIDABAD, Aug 12 — The district administration has launched a special campaign for preparing photo identity cards for eligible voters.

Net services hit due to snag
HISAR, Aug 12 — Internet services in the town and other nearby areas have been hit due to some technical changes in the dial up access system.

10,000 families lose PDS facility
HISAR, Aug 12 — As many as 10,000 families of income tax payers of the district have been deprived of the facility of drawing ration from the Public Distribution System (PDS) depots.

Staff strike hits hospital work
HISAR, Aug 12 — Work in the Agroha Medical College Hospital has come to a standstill following an indefinite strike by Class III and Class IV employees yesterday in protest against the suspension of 52 employees.

2 shot dead after family dispute
HISAR, Aug 12 — Two persons, including a woman, were shot dead and one was seriously injured in a family dispute at Agroha village near here last evening. The deceased were Raj Parkash and his wife Usha. Their nephew, Krishan, was injured in the incident.

Farmer shot dead
SONEPAT, Aug 12 — Jaipal, a farmer, was allegedly shot dead by five persons at Bhawar village in Gohana subdivision of this district yesterday.

Blood bank still not operational
AMBALA, Aug 12 — The newly constructed blood bank in the Ambala cantonment Civil Hospital campus, which was inaugurated by former Union Minister Sushma Swaraj past month, has not started working so far, causing resentment among the residents of the cantonment.

Chautala urges PM to convene NDC meeting
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Aug 12 — Rattled by the negative implications of the recommendations of the 11th Finance Commission report, the Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, has urged the Prime Minister to convene a special meeting of the National Development Council to deliberate on this and other issues of critical importance to Haryana.

In a strongly worded letter written to Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, Mr Chautala stated that the implications of the 11th Finance Commission report had left him with the belief that the Union Government had been punishing states like Haryana which achieved development and growth with some degree of success. The Chief Minister said this was amply demonstrated in the formulae for Central Plan assistance and in the methodology for devolution adopted by earlier Finance Commissions also. The state would lose at least Rs 1140 crore in the coming five years due to the recommendations, he added.

Citing detailed figures in support of his protest against the recommendations, he said the re-adjustment of weightage to areas, population, income, infrastructure factors are detrimental to better managed states like Haryana. The state’s share has been reduced to 0.9444 as against 1.238 per cent under the 10th Finance Commission, he said. He added that a handful of states have gained significantly, cornering almost 60 per cent of the total tax devolutions.

“I feel no hesitation in saying that the recommendations are heavily tilted in favour of chronically mismanaged states and, in a way, provides a disincentive for us in Haryana to manage and perform better. It creates an impression that sacrificing norms of prudent financial management is being rewarded”, he said.

The Chief Minister further stated that Haryana was not mentioned amongst states assured of the revenue deficit grants of Rs 10154 crore. It is ironical that Punjab, with a higher per capita income, has got a deficit grant of Rs 284.21 crore during 2000 - 01, while Haryana has been considered ineligible for the purpose in spite of the fact that Haryana was also a revenue deficit state, he added.

The Chief Minister also took up the issue of the alleged inequalities in the formulae evolved for distribution of proceeds from the cess imposed by the Centre on petrol and diesel. He wrote the Prime Minister that in his estimate the cess collection from Haryana would be about Rs 285 crore per year. But what the state is likely to get in return is a paltry sum. Mr Chautala recalled the role being played by the farmers of Haryana in increasing the consumption of diesel and petrol in the state and said that he felt seriously let down in the way devolutions were proposed to be regulated.

Khadi Board grants for entrepreneurs
From Our Correspondent

FARIDABAD, Aug 12 — To generate more employment opportunities and encourage production from waste and recycled products, the Haryana Khadi and Gramodyog Board has decided to provide financial assistance to entrepreneurs and individuals who are interested in setting up such projects.

According to a spokesman of the Board, the non-conventional areas which have been included in the list are the projects of manufacturing bricks from the flyash released by the National Thermal Power Corporations’ plants in the state and the breeding of earthworms (vermiculture) in agriculture-dominated areas.

Claiming that the scheme was first of its kind in the state and there was hardly any agency which had come forward to provide easy loans, he said the Board had been making serious efforts to expand its area of activity.

He said the Board, which was set up in 1969, had the provision of Rs 7.90 lakh for the loans and only 345 units had been benefited while the number of beneficiaries during this year had reached up to 37,957 and the amount of loans touched a whopping Rs 56 crore. The units assisted by the Board had a production worth Rs 61.70 crore and the sale target touched Rs 67.83 crore in the year 2000. The units provided employment to about 42,683 persons during the period.

It is reported that the Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, has shown a keen interest in the Board activities and reportedly drawn the attention of its Chairman, Mr Deshraj Numberdar, towards complainants of corruption at certain levels in the Board. The Chairman has been assured of all possible help by the government as the functioning of the Board has improved with rise in the recovery level. The local unit of the Board has recovered 72 per cent in the past year and approved an amount of Rs 153.93 lakh during the period.

Work on complex at snail’s pace

KAITHAL: The delay in the completion of construction work on the judicial complex building in the HUDA colony here has caused resentment among lawyers and litigants.

The foundation stone of the building was laid by the then Chief Minister, Mr Bansi Lal, on June 20, 1997. The building was likely to be completed at a cost of Rs 1.73 crore by December, 1999. However, with the delay in its completion, the cost of the project has escalated to about Rs 2.99 crore. It is now expected to be completed by December this year.

The three-storeyed building will cover an area of 69,156 sq ft and have 15 chambers for judges.

According to reports, a delay in the receipt of drawings from the office concerned and a shortage of funds from time to time has resulted in the work proceeding at a slow pace.

Interestingly, there is no provision in the building for advocates’ chambers and a hall where litigants can sit. Members of the Bar have expressed their concern in this regard and have even sent memorandums to the Chief Minister. A visiting Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Mr Justice K.S. Kumaran, was apprised of the drawbacks in the building plan. However, so far the plan has not been suitably amended.

Apart from this, construction work on the residences of judges has not yet been started. Two ADJs and other judicial officers posted here remain without official accommodation and are living in private rented houses.

Meanwhile, the district courts continue to function in old dilapidated buildings situated in a low-lying area. Roofs leak, there are no pucca chambers for lawyers and litigants have to sit in verandas.

During the monsoon, rain water accumulates on the premises of the district courts, causing inconvenience to everyone. Owing to a shortage of parking space, people coming to the courts are forced to park their vehicles on the roadside outside the court complex. A number of times vehicles have been stolen from there.

Advocates have demanded that work on the new judicial complex should be expedited. 

BSP rules out tie-up with Cong, HVP, INLD
From Our Correspondent

ROHTAK, Aug 12 — Describing the Chautala government as anti-people and unpopular, Mr Raghu Yadav, member, Bahujan Samaj Party Parliamentary Board and a former MLA from Rewari, said the party would project itself as an alternative to the present political parties and political alliances.

Addressing a press conference here today Mr Yadav said the party would soon launch a statewide “janjagaran” campaign to mobilise support for the party. He said meetings of party workers would be organised at the district-level in the first phase of the campaign. He was here to address the first such meeting.

The BSP leader said the people had been fed up with the “misrule” of the consecutive governments of Mr Bhajan Lal, Mr Bansi Lal and Mr Om Prakash Chautala. He claimed resentment prevailed among all sections of society against the “anti-people” policies of the present government.

Ruling out the possibility of alliance with the INLD, Congress and the HVP, he said the party had already experienced the unpleasant alliance with the INLD and the HVP. Rather, he said, the party would apprise the masses of the “misdeeds” of the these three political parties.

He alleged these three political parties were not keen on settling the disputes of Ravi waters about the state capital and Hindi-speaking areas with Punjab while all of them had availed an opportunity when their parties or allies were in power at both the Centre and at Punjab.

Addressing party workers after the press conference, Mr Yadav termed the commission set up the BJP to review the Constitution as a conspiracy against the party.

Traders blame INLD Govt for violence
From Our Correspondent

KURUKSHETRA, Aug 12 — Both the Haryana Beopar Mandal and the Haryana Pradesh Beopar Mandal held a joint protest rally on the premises of Arya Senior Secondary School, Thanesar, here, last evening. The traders urged the Haryana Government to withdraw false cases against these innocent persons who were beaten up allegedly by some INLD workers near Naya Bazaar here on Wednesday and demanded registration of criminal cases against those involved. The trading community would launch an agitation in case their demands were not met. This was announced by pradesh Beopar Mandal president Bajrang Das Garg and Beopar Mandal president, Laxmi Chand Gupta.

They warned the government and the district administration against the policy of terrorising the businessmen and threatening them about cancellation of licenses and implicating the members of the Kurukshetra Action Committee. They also warned the corrupt officers not to harass the traders. They said that the beopar mandals would stand by the Kurukshetra Action Committee’s agitation. They assured the participants at the rally that they would also talk to the Director-General of Police the Chief Minister for withdrawal of false cases and registration of cases against the suspects.

Mr Gupta thanked all traders and political parties who contributed to the Haryana bandh. He said although the government machinery tried its best to fizzle out the Bandh, yet it remained successful due to traders’ unity.

Demanding the withdrawal of implementation of transit challan ST 38, Mr Garg said its implementation would lead to corruption. He claimed the Congress and the HVP government tried to implement the same but ultimately, they had to withdraw it,

Mr Garg claimed the traders in Haryana played an important role in bringing to power the INLD government but Mr Chautala had forgotten this fact. Those who addressed the rally included Mr Sahib Singh Saini, former MLA, Mr Rattan Lal Bansal, vice president and Mr Makhan Lal Relhan, district president of the Haryana beopar mandal.

It is mentioned that a BJP leader and an advocate, Mr Krishan Bajaj, a student leader, Mr Nischal Dhingra, an SJP district president, Mr Om Parkash Sharma, a Congress leader, Mr Prithi Singh Turk and a shopkeeper, Mr Sunil Rajpal, were injured when the last Haryana bandh was observed by the traders against implementation of transit challan ST. 38 on August 9. Mr Bajaj, who sustained head injuries, was admitted to the local LNJP Hospital. They alleged they along with their other companions, had been requesting the shopkeepers to close their shops in support of the Haryana bandh call given by both factions but were assaulted by some INLD workers.

Hundreds of women marched in a procession through the main bazaar here yesterday and later joined the rally. They also demonstrated in front of the Krishna Gate police post.

However, Mr Bajaj denied he had misbehaved with a police employee on whose complaint the cases were registered. The Haryana Transport Minister, Mr Ashok Kumar Arora, and the INLD district president, Mr Maya Ram, said the allegations levelled against in the INLD workers were false and baseless.

Demolition drive: 12 hurt in cane charge
From Our Correspondent

FARIDABAD, Aug 12 — About 12 persons were injured when the police reportedly cane-charged a mob at Sector 24 here. They were protesting against the demolition of their jhuggis here this morning. The jhuggis were demolished as these had been built on an encroached industrial plot owned by the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA). The police also fired shots in the air to disperse the crowd.

According to reports, HUDA officials accompanied by local officials and the police reached the plot no. 262-L of Sector 24 in the morning to demolish about 90 to 100 jhuggis built on it.

When the bulldozer started demolishing a large number of people, including women and children opposed this and appealed to the officials to stop the exercise, as they had been living there for the past several years.

The situation later became tense as both the sides adopted an adamant attitude. The police then reportedly took to lathi charge and fired some rounds in the air.

While the police and the administration denied any such thing, some of the protesters reported injuries due to cane charging. Those injured include Nyajul, Manoj, Vashist, Ram Naresh Yadav, Vyas Giri, Anganuram, Acchelal, Bhim Shankar and Bihari Lal .

The residents alleged they were neither issued any notice , nor allowed to remove their belongings before the demolition started. They claimed that their dwellings were not built on the encroached land.

But the authorities claimed that the jhuggis had been unauthorisedly built on the industrial plot.

Senior district officials, including subdivisional officers (Civil) of Faridabad and Ballabhgarh and the DSP of Ballahgarh, were present on the occasion.

The authorities had also carried out a similar operation near Gonchi village on the Sohna road, a few days ago,which caused resentment among persons who owned these constructions. 

Photo I-cards drive from Aug 17 to 31
From Our Correspondent

FARIDABAD, Aug 12 — The district administration has launched a special campaign for preparing photo identity cards for eligible voters.

According to the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Anand Mohan Sharan, the work of photographing applicants will take place from August 17 to 31 at Mini Secretariat from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. He said the names of those persons who had left the assembly segment or had died would be deleted.

The authorities in a survey have found that the names of as many as 14,612 persons who have left the Faridabad Assembly constituency need to be deleted. Similarly, 3,147 persons who have died still have their names in the voters’ list. The names of 23.417 persons in the Mewla Maharajpur, 13,863 in Ballabgarh, 3,703 in Palwal, 2,925 in Hassanpur and 3,372 in Hathin Assembly constituency are to be deleted. A total of 87,730 persons will be issued voters cards.

Net services hit due to snag
From Our Correspondent

HISAR, Aug 12 — Internet services in the town and other nearby areas have been hit due to some technical changes in the dial up access system.

Subscribers complain that they have not been able to access the Net for the past four days. They say that while they are able to dial the number and the server’s modems trip but the post dial up screen where they are required to enter their username and password does not appear. Instead of “handshaking”, as the initial communication between two modems is called the modems keep emitting a peculiar howling sound.

Hundreds of subscribers have been making the rounds of the telephone exchange here but the problem has not been rectified so far. It is learnt that the local telephone authorities had commissioned a new digital line from here to the Ambala Internet node for faster and easier access to the Net on Wednesday. The same was tested only to the extent of server modem tripping. 

10,000 families lose PDS facility
From Our Correspondent

HISAR, Aug 12 — As many as 10,000 families of income tax payers of the district have been deprived of the facility of drawing ration from the Public Distribution System (PDS) depots.

The Centre and the state government had recently decided to withdraw the facility from those families which had a yearly income of more than Rs 60,000. The district Food and Supplies Department had identified taxpayers in a survey conducted last month.

According to official sources, there were about 35,000 taxpaying families in the district. However, low-paid government employees affected by the decision criticised the decision.

Staff strike hits hospital work
From Our Correspondent

HISAR, Aug 12 — Work in the Agroha Medical College Hospital has come to a standstill following an indefinite strike by Class III and Class IV employees yesterday in protest against the suspension of 52 employees.

A spokesman for the college claimed that the suspensions had been ordered due to a severe financial crunch. He said notices in this regard had been issued to the employees concerned last month.

Meanwhile, no patients have been attended to in the OPD since yesterday. Doctors have also begun discharging the indoor patients.

The spokesman said the college had not been getting financial grant from the state government because of which there were no funds with the college management to pay salaries.

2 shot dead after family dispute
From Our Correspondent

HISAR, Aug 12 — Two persons, including a woman, were shot dead and one was seriously injured in a family dispute at Agroha village near here last evening. The deceased were Raj Parkash and his wife Usha. Their nephew, Krishan, was injured in the incident.

According to a complaint filed by Krishan over the latter’s marriage. Raj Parkash had been married to Jaipal’s sister-in-law Usha, who was mentally retarded. Raj Parkash allegedly held his brother responsible for it.

Last night, during a quarrel Jaipal’s wife attacked Krishan with a sharp-edged weapon. Jaipal then shot at his brother Raj Parkash and Usha, and killed them.

Farmer shot dead
From Our Correspondent

SONEPAT, Aug 12 — Jaipal, a farmer, was allegedly shot dead by five persons at Bhawar village in Gohana subdivision of this district yesterday.

According to a report reaching here, the assailants also attacked Mr Chatar Singh, father, Ram Pal and Raj Pal, both brothers of the victim, and injured them with sharp-edged weapons before they escaped.

An old enmity over the canal water supply is stated to be the cause of the murder. The police has registered a case against Dayanand, a former Sarpanch, and his four sons namely Rajesh, alias Kala, Surinder, alias Dhola, Naresh and Subhash and launched a massive hunt to apprehend them.

According to another report, a youth, Anand, was shot at and wounded when he was on his way to his house at Sewli village, about 15 km from here, yesterday.

The police sources say the alleged assailant, Bunti of the same village, however, managed to escape immediately after committing the crime.

The injured youth was rushed to the local Civil Hospital from where he was sent to the medical college hospital in Rohtak for further treatment. He is stated to be in a serious condition.

The police has registered a case of murder.

Blood bank still not operational
From Our Correspondent

AMBALA, Aug 12 — The newly constructed blood bank in the Ambala cantonment Civil Hospital campus, which was inaugurated by former Union Minister Sushma Swaraj past month, has not started working so far, causing resentment among the residents of the cantonment.

The building of this blood bank was constructed through the grant provided by Mr Swaraj Kaushal, MP, Rajya Sabha, the husband of Ms Swaraj, from his fund allotted to an MP for the development work in his constituency. The various equipment like refrigerator required for a blood bank was provided by Rotary Club, Ambala cantonment. Ms Swaraj, while inaugurating it, had assured the people that it would start functioning soon.

According to information, the bank has not started functioning as the Health Directorate has not provided the staff for the blood bank so far. The blood bank should have a pathologist or a doctor having experience in blood bank for six months during regular service. He should have adequate knowledge and experience in blood group serology, blood group methodology and medical principles in procurement of blood. There should be at least two blood bank technicians, with MLT qualification, laboratory assistant and a laboratory attendant.

During the inaugural function of the blood bank, the local MP, Mr Rattan Lal Kataria, had also assured the people that he would request the Chief Minister to provide staff at the earliest, but even after passing a month, nothing was done in this regard. The former Governor, Mr Mahabir Prashad, visited this civil hospital around three months back to inaugurate a camp for the handicapped. He had also said he would ask the Health Department to provide staff for the blood bank. The Health Directorate did not even take note of the announcement.