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| Wednesday, August 30, 2000, Chandigarh, India   
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HUDA decision on house construction CPM seeks probe into AP firing HVP flays govt on taxes, power rates Cong to go ahead with Aug 30 meeting Train robbery: hunt
on for bandits Power cuts add to residents’ woes Two students
drowned |
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Dental services in disarray New MC members
take oath Document writers
go on strike HUDA gives 2 crore
for IT fund Legal aid: income
ceiling to go up Posts redesignated Woman stabbed
to death Lawyers take ‘oath’ to end corruption Opium, poppy husk
seized, 3 held Six suicides in
Faridabad Kaang on advisory panel for Punjabi
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HUDA decision on house construction CHANDIGARH, Aug 29 — The Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) today decided to regularise such construction of residential houses in mandi township areas and urban estates of HUDA where the allottees had not obtained the completion certificates and started living in their houses. A decision to this effect was taken at the 79th meeting of HUDA held under the chairmanship of the Town and Country Planning and Urban Estates Minister, Mr Dhirpal Singh. The meeting decided that in such cases extension fees would be charged till the time the allottees had actually constructed the houses. The Administrators concerned had been authorised to decide all such cases after obtaining documentary proof of the construction of houses as per the existing policy. For houses built before September 11, 1987, the old rates of compounding would be charged and for cases after this date, the present HUDA compounding rates would be charged. At present, HUDA is charging compound interest at the rate of 18 per cent per annum on the delayed payment of instalments. Huge arrears are to be recovered from allottees of HUDA. To liquidate the arrears, the authority decided to charge simple interest on delayed payment, instead of compound interest on the outstanding amount till today. The meeting decided to amend the HUDA rules for investment in the Housing Finance Company in the state being set up with equity participation of the HSIDC, the HFC, HUDA and the National Housing Bank. HUDA will have equity participation of Rs 1 crore in the company. With this amendment, the authority can invest funds after getting the approval of the state government in the shape of equity in joint ventures with the participation of the HSIDC, the HFC, the National Housing Bank and other financial institutions of the state and Central Government for the building of housing stock in the state. Private entrepreneurs may also be associated while forming such joint ventures. The company will be set up in Haryana exclusively for the people of the state. The meeting also approved the allotment of 750 sq m of land to Gurdwara Nawa Kot Bradari, Panipat, adjacent to the existing gurdwara, for setting up a dispensary. The land would be given at the institutional rate of Rs 1836 per sq yard. It was also approved at the meeting to allot religious sites in favour of the Mahesh Memorial Charitable Trust, Kurukshetra, the Shiv Shakti Mandir Sabha, Kurukshetra, the Urban Estate Welfare Society, Kurukshetra, the Shri Krishna Mandir Dharmarth Sabha, Jagadhri, and the Bhagwan Parsu Ram Mandir Jan Kalyan Samiti, Rohtak. |
CPM seeks probe into AP firing FATEHABAD, Aug 29 — The CPM has condemned the police firing on agitating a crowd in Andhra Pradesh and has demanded a high-level probe into the incident. In a press note issued here today, Mr Harpal Singh, a former MLA and district secretary of the CPM said there was a nationwide unrest against the “anti-people” economic policies of the NDA government at the Centre and that of its allies in some states. He said the people in Andhra Pradesh were up in arms against the recent hike in power rates and privatisation of the power sector there. He said these policies of the A.P. Government were detrimental to the interest of the public and many farmers had committed suicide due to the wrong policies of the Chanderbabu Naidu government. He alleged that the Naidu government, instead of listening to people’s woes, was working at the instance of multi-national companies (MNC’s) Mr Harpal Singh said the CPM stood behind the agitating peasants of A.P. and appealed to the people of Haryana to support the cause of A.P. farmers. He alleged that the Om Prakash Chautala government in Haryana was also working in tune with the AP Government and was supporting the Power Bill, 2000. |
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HVP flays govt on taxes, power rates AMBALA, Aug 29 — The secretary-general of the Haryana Vikas Party, Mr Surendra Singh, today criticised the Chautala government for new power rates and for imposing taxes ‘‘which are adversely affecting the common man.’’ Talking to newspersons here today, Mr Surendra Singh said that on July 24 while addressing a gathering, Mr Chautala had promised that till such time 24-hour power supply is not provided, there will be no hike in power tariff. ‘‘But Mr Chautala went back on his promise, and he has increased power rates,’’ he said. Mr Singh stated that Mr Chautala had imposed taxes, specially on urban residents and businessmen, ‘‘which highlights the difference between his promises and actions.’’ Mr Singh said that eight districts in Haryana are facing acute water shortage and the government is yet to initiate any action for relief in those districts. ‘‘The water table has gone down and power for tubewells is being supplied for a brief duration. By hiking power rates, the government has added to the woes of the farmers,’’ he said. Mr Singh observed that wrong policies of the Chautala government were forcing industries to think in terms of relocation outside the state. ‘‘Four per cent entry tax, tax on business community, city tax on vehicles, development tax on new power connections have adversely affected the common man,’’ he said. He said that during Mr Bansi Lal’s tenure as Chief Minister, farmers were benefited as they had got a good price for their crop. ‘‘However, this year, no government agency has as yet begun the process of procurement of foodgrain,’’ he said. ‘‘Villages in Rori are being turned into model villages which reflects the discrepancy in progress towards other villages. Villages outside Rori are not being declared as model villages,’’ he said. He stated that Mr Bansi Lal during his chief ministership had made successful efforts to provide water to the farmers. ‘‘The Hathni Kund barrage built at a cost of Rs 220 crore during Mr Bansi Lal’s tenure is providing 5000 cusecs of water,’’ he said. Mr Surendra Singh gave details of the power generation projects which were undertaken by the Bansi Lal government. He alleged that there has been a breakdown of law and order in the state. ‘‘The Chautala government has failed to ensure safety and security of the common man,’’ he said. |
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Cong to go ahead with Aug 30 meeting GURGAON, Aug 29 — The high-powered Coordination Committee of the Haryana Congress is determined to hold its meeting on August 30 to fine-tune its strategy to take on the ruling Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and its ally, the BJP. The Haryana unit of the BJP, with a change of its leadership at the Centre, is straining to send a message of adopting a forthright approach towards the INLD government in criticising its policies and functioning. Of late, a number of BJP leaders from the state have raised the pitch of criticism against the government. This is in marked contrast to the subdued tone of the leaders during the tenure of the all- Indian President of the BJP, Mr Kushabhau Thakre. The Congress’ Coordination Committee, with Mr Moti Lal Vora, General Secretary of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) and in charge of the party affairs in Haryana, as its convener, will meet to take stock of the latest political situation in the state. The committee, consisting of senior party leaders from the state, will meet against the backdrop of the “Haryana bandh” organised by traders, the farmers’ agitation in Gurgaon culminating in farmer-police showdown which resulted in more than 30 injuries on both sides and the hike in power tariff and other taxes. Also, this would precede the Congress’ threat to gherao the state Assembly during its coming session. According to a senior functionary of the Congress, the committee will also discuss the nitty-gritties of the process for recruitments of 2,000 constables in the state, which is presently underway. Already Congress leaders have started levelling allegations that although the policy was to recruit only locals in the districts concerned, a number of outsiders have been given domicile certificates in various districts. Notwithstanding the views of the Congress, Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala has publicly stated that the system will be made full proof to ensure against compromise on merit, including the status of being locals in the districts concerned. For the record, all the districts have been allotted the number of vacancies for the recruitments. According to sources in the Congress, many senior leaders of the party are strongly of the view that the party should step up its criticism and agitation against the INLD and its
ally, the BJP. They are of the view that the impending organisational election and the possible factionalism in the Congress on that score should not deviate the party’s focus against the government. On the other side of the political spectrum, the feeling doing the rounds in the BJP is that the party should now work on a policy that even though it was an ally of the INLD, it was only a marriage of convenience between the two parties. The BJP would now strain to give the message that its identity was unrelated to that of the INLD. A BJP leader says the drift of the situation suggests that the INLD will come under criticism from its opponents. Hence, it would be politic to distance the BJP from the INLD, on the political chess board. A number of BJP leaders are reported to be apprehensive that if the party is not distanced from the INLD, at least in public perception, its vote bank will be further eroded and tilt toward the Congress. Already there is uneasy nervousness in the BJP over the reportedly continued erosion in its base ever since it forged a coalition government with the HVP under Mr Bansi Lal. |
Cong coordination
panel meeting today CHANDIGARH, Aug 29 — The first meeting of the high-level coordination committee of the Haryana Congress will be held here tomorrow under the chairmanship of AICC General Secretary and in charge of Haryana affairs Moti Lal Vora. If the purpose behind the constitution of the committee by the AICC President, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, is to bring a semblance of unity in the strife-torn Haryana Congress, it seems to have been defeated even before the committee has met. The two groups led by the Haryana Congress President, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, and the former Chief Minister, Mr Bhajan Lal, respectively, have given their own interpretations to the formation of the committee. While the Bhajan Lal camp sees the committee as a replacement for the existing organisational set-up before the party elections, the Hooda camp disagrees with this interpretation, described by one of its members as “wishful thinking”. The Hooda camp is ostensibly angry over a reported statement given by Mr Bhajan Lal in this regard. It says the committee has been constituted to prepare an action plan against the ‘misrule’ of the Chautala Government. Under the circumstances, before the committee takes up the task of formation of the action plan, Mr Vora will have to smoothen the ruffled feathers of the Hooda camp. The inclusion of a former Union Minister, Mr P. Shiv Shankar, who otherwise has nothing to do with the party affairs in Haryana, in the committee is certainly a morale booster for the Bhajan Lal camp as is considered close to the former Chief Minister. Otherwise, a majority of the committee members owe their allegiance, at least for the movement, to Mr Hooda. It is yet to be seen what stand the two former PCC Presidents, Mr Shamsher Singh Surjewala and Mr Birender Singh, take at the meeting. |
Train robbery: hunt
on for bandits SONEPAT, Aug 29 — The Railways and the police have jointly launched a massive hunt to apprehend the culprits involved in last night’s looting of passengers travelling in the New Delhi-bound Himalayan Queen Express between Panipat and Ganaur on the Duk section of Northern Railway. According to official sources, Mr S.S. Deswal, DIG, Railways, accompanied by Mr Khushi Ram, SSP, Railways, arrived here in the wee hours today from Chandigarh and Ambala Cantt, respectively, to make an on-the-spot study of the situation. The police officers discussed the situation with the Deputy Commissioner and the Superintendent of Police, Sonepat, and formulated a joint plan to arrest the culprits and check such incidents in future. It was also decided to tighten security arrangements in the long-distance mail, express, superfast trains as well as the Shatabdi Express passing through Haryana. Mr Nishik Khurana, an employee of a Gurgaon-based industry who sustained multiple knife injuries, is undergoing treatment in a private hospital in Sector 14. Another injured person, Hari Ram, was reportedly discharged from the Civil Hospital after first aid. However, he is being interrogated by the police to seek information about the culprits who are believed to be Haryanavis as they were speaking in Haryanavi during the looting incident. A large contingent of the police has started combing operations around Ganaur and its adjoining areas where the culprits got down from the train. Meanwhile, the Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, has taken a serious note of the incident and directed the Director-General of Police to apprehend the culprits immediately. |
Power cuts add to residents’ woes FATEHABAD, Aug 29 — Erratic power supply in this district, particularly for the last fortnight, has left the local residents reeling under the heat. Frequent power cuts, both declared and undeclared, have been adding to the miseries of the residents. Though the power situation in this part of the state has never been good, but it has worsened during the past two weeks. Normal activities have been suffering for want of power as it has become almost impossible to work in the sweltering climate. Lack of rainfall in this part of the state is adding to this difficult situation. There has been virtually no rain in this area during the last one month. In fact during the monsoon rainfall has been less than normal here. This has increased the demand for power in the agriculture sector. The temperature in the areas have also risen. This increased demand in the agricultural sector has led to frequent power cuts in the urban areas. In Jakhal town in this district last week, a group of women beat up an SDO and a JE of the HVPN. The women were sore at the erratic power supply to their colony. They also held a demonstration against the power board officials. The situation took an ugly turn when the agitators were confronted by the SDO and a JE of the HVPN. The police has registered a case against some of the agitating women. The power situation is unlikely to improve in the near future, according to sources in the HVPN. A senior officer of the power board told this correspondent that untill it rained heavily, there could be no respite from the current power crisis. He said from today the HVPN imposed a regular cut of three hours per day. But this did not ensure that there would be no further cuts. Undeclared cuts could be still imposed at random, he said on a condition of anonymity. He said whenever there was a depression in the power grid, power had to be shut. He added their hands were tied in the present circumstances and they had to comply whenever there was “zero ampere load” direction from behind. There could be no time schedule for these unforeseen cuts, he added. The sorry state of affairs of the power situation is likely to continue. The HVPN sources say only with a good rain the demand for power for the paddy cultivation would decrease and the things would improve in the domestic
sector. |
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Two students
drowned ROHTAK, Aug 29 — Two students of Sri Baba Mastnath Engineering College here were drowned in Jawahar Lal Nehru Canal today. Agitated over the ‘delay’ in tracing the bodies by the administration, a large number of students of the institute blocked traffic on National Highway 10 for two hours. The blockede was lifted when the Additional Deputy Commissioner and the SDM reached the site and assured the protesters of timely action. They said the canal water had been stopped. According to sources, four students of the college — Rajat of Hisar, Manjit of Sirsa and Sandeep Arora and Sandeep Hooda, both of Rohtak, were consuming liquor on the banks of the canal. Under the influence of liquor, Manjit reportedly jumped into the canal for relief from the sweltering heat. At this, all three friends jumped into the canal to save him as he did not know swimming. After fighting the waves, Manjit and Sandeep Hooda came out of the canal while Rajat and Sandeep Arora were drowned. |
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Dental services in disarray KARNAL, Aug 29 — Dental services in Haryana are in disarray. Enquiries reveal that Dental Surgeons have been appointed where they are not needed and are posted where they are not required. The Haryana Civil Dental Surgeons Association had brought it to the notice of the Commissioner and Secretary, Department of Health at a meeting on January 4 this year that there was “mismanagement of the cadre of Dental Surgeons.” It is learnt that the Haryana Government during the regime of Mr Bansi Lal had created 100 posts of Dental Surgeon to provide service to rural masses. Already there existed 119 posts in urban, semi-urban and rural areas for dental care in the state. It is learnt that the Health Department created these posts in a casual manner. For instance, some areas with a population of one lakh got four posts while others with a lesser population had more than four posts of Dental Surgeon. According to Dr S.C. Sharma, president of the Haryana Civil Dental Surgeons Association, there were two Community Health Centres in Ambala district at Mullana and
Chormastpur. Four Dental Surgeons had been posted in CHC, Mullana, which had about one lakh population to serve while the
CHC, Chormastpur, had only one post while the population under the CHC was also about a lakh. Likewise, in Bhiwani district 15 posts of Dental Surgeon were created taking the number to 27 in the district. Twelve of these posts were created in a cluster of primary health centres where the distance between the places where two Dental Surgeons were serving was only 5 to 7 km. This was so because Mr Bansi Lal who represents the Bhiwani constituency, wanted to provide the maximum health facilities in Bhiwani district, during his tenure as Chief Minister. The population of Bhiwani district is 10 lakh with 27 Dental Surgeons to serve while Yamunanagar district with a population of about eight lakh has four to five posts of Dental Surgeons. In the month of March, 2000, the 27 Dental Surgeons in Bhiwani district examined 3,500 patients — that is two or three patients per day. On the contrary, at some district headquarters, the Dental Surgeons have to attend between 150-200 patients per day in district hospitals. The HCDS Association says that there is no senior dental services cadre in Haryana. The biggest anomaly is that a senior Dental Surgeon in the selection grade of Rs 12000-Rs 16400 and enjoying Class-I status has to work under a junior Medical Officer of Class-II status and a much lower grade of Rs 8000-Rs 13600. The association, in a memorandum to the government has demanded that a senior cadre of Civil Dental Services be formed on a par with the HCMS cadre. This needed the upgradation of only 44 selection grade posts of senior Dental Surgeons. According to Dr S.C. Sharma, despite representations to the government, no action was taken on their demands. Hence, the secretary of the HCDS association filed a writ in the Punjab and Haryana High Court whereby the court directed the Health Department and the Director-General of Health Services, Haryana, to decide on the representation of the HCDS Association within four months. But as the government did not decide on the entire gamut of the problems faced by the
association, it filed a contempt petition in the court on August 4, 2000. The court is learnt to have issued a show-cause notice to the Financial Commissioner and Secretary, Health Department.  |
| New MC members
take oath KAITHAL, Aug 29 — The SDM, Mr Ashok Bishnoi, administered the oath of office and secrecy to the newly elected members of the Kaithal Municipal Council here today. Out of the 29 members elected, 27 were present during the oath taking ceremony. Two members — Mohinderpal (Ward No. 3) and M.S. Urmila (Ward No. 19) — could not take oath today. Nine women members, seven of general category and two from Scheduled Castes and one from backward class category, have been elected to the municipal council. Document writers
go on strike KAITHAL, Aug 29 — Document writers, stamp vendors and property dealers at the local tehsil office today went on strike to protest against the prevailing corruption and various irregularities by officials and staff of the local tehsil office. In a memorandum submitted to the SDM, Mr Ashok Bishnoi, it was alleged that the their documents were not registered, until they bribed the staff concerned and the tehsildar. They also alleged that documents were not registered at the prevailing market rates. The memorandum also pointed out that some ‘outsiders’ were working at the tehsil office. Such persons worked as touts of the tehsildar, it alleged. The SDM then went to the tehsil office and found some outsiders, not on regular jobs, performing duties of clerks there. The SDM is reported to have taken in his possession some records of the tehsil office. On the other hand, the tehsildar has refuted the charges levelled against him and his staff and said that some document writers were unhappy with him as he followed the procedure as laid down in the Registration Act and as per government instructions. Meanwhile, the protesters have sent copies of the memorandum to the Deputy
Commissioner, Kaithal, Commissioner, Ambala division and officers of the State Vigilance Bureau. The SDM said that he was looking into the matter. |
HUDA gives 2 crore
for IT fund CHANDIGARH, Aug 29 — The Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) today contributed Rs 2 crore towards the Information Technology Initiative Fund (ITIF) for e-governance to promote information technology in the state. The Town and Country Planning Minister, Mr Dhirpal Singh, gave this information while presiding over the 79th meeting of HUDA. The ITIF will now have an initial corpus of Rs 10 crore which will be used for developing replicable and reusable models of e-governance. CHANDIGARH, Aug 29 — The Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, today cleared the proposal of the Haryana State Legal Services Authority (HSLSA) for enhancing the ceiling on annual income from Rs 18,000 to Rs 25,000 per annum for extending legal aid from the authority by amending the rules. This step will also benefit members of the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes and the backward classes as specified in Rule 19 of the authority. The enhanced limit relates to the availing of aid for filing cases in the high court. In the case of the Supreme Court, the ceiling on annual income will be Rs 50,000 per annum. The government has also amended Rule 15(2) (i) of the HSLSA Rules, 1996, according to which the seniormost Additional District and Sessions Judge or the seniormost judicial officer, as the case may be, will be the Chairman of the District Legal Services Authority concerned. This provision will be made where there is no District and Sessions Judge posted at the headquarters of the district as distinguished from a Sessions division. CHANDIGARH, Aug 29 — The Haryana Government today redesignated the post of Senior Assistant Director, Industrial Safety and Health (IS and H), Labour Department, as Deputy Director, IS and H. Similarly, the post of Deputy Director, IS and H, has been redesignated as Joint Director, IS and H. Henceforth, the Assistant Director, IS and H, will be promoted to the rank of Deputy Director, IS and H, and the Deputy Director, IS and H, to that of Joint Director, IS and H, and the Joint Director, IS and H, to that of Additional Director, IS and H. |
Woman stabbed
to death FARIDABAD, Aug 29 — A 30-year-old married woman was stabbed to death, allegedly by her nephew, at Sarai Khawaja here yesterday. According to information, the deceased identified as Kamlesh, wife of Haripal, had reportedly asked her nephew, Pintoo, about an amount of Rs 1400 which she found missing from the
house. When Kamlesh questioned Pintoo about the money, the latter stabbed her with a knife and fled away. A case under Section 302 of the IPC has been booked. Meanwhile, a cyclist, identified as Amarjit Singh of Sector-9 here, was crushed to death by a truck, according to police source. |
Lawyers take ‘oath’ to end corruption SIRSA, Aug 29 — The District Bar Association has decided to eradicate corruption from the judicial system. A joint meeting of the Munshi Association and the Bar Association was held here yesterday in which it was decided that nobody would bribe any official. The members appreciated the efforts of the District and Sessions Judge, Mr M.S. Sullar, for containing corruption. They unanimously resolved to extend full cooperation to him in his endeavour. They also took an oath to this effect. Later in the day Mr Sullar attended the meeting and assured the members that stringent action would be taken against the erring officials and thanked them for supporting his efforts. He said the Sirsa court would prove to be a model for others to emulate. |
Opium, poppy husk
seized, 3 held FATEHABAD, Aug 29 — The police today arrested three persons under the NDPS Act and seized 980 gm of opium from them. According to the SP, Mr Shrikant Jadhav, the district police under its special drive against narcotics nabbed Bhagwan Singh and Jarnail Singh, both residents of Mehmra village and Nath, a resident of Babanpur village and seized opium from their possession. In a separate case under the NDPS Act, the police arrested Gurmit Singh, a resident of Bahmanwala village in this district, and seized 11 kg poppy husk from his possession. |
Six suicides in
Faridabad FARIDABAD, Aug 29 — Six persons, including three members of a family, reportedly committed suicide in their houses in four separate incidents in the town during the past 48 hours. Raj Arora, her son Anshul and daughter Suchita consumed poison at their home in Sector 9 yesterday. The police is investigating into the cause of the suicides. While Mr Gurdayal Arora, husband of Raj, had gone out in connection with his work, the three reportedly consumed celphos tablets mixed in water. Their neighbours, upon hearing their screams, rushed to their help and took them to Escorts Medical Centre, but they could not be saved. In another incident, Poonam Kumari of Sanjay Nagar allegedly swallowed celphos tablets and died in a hospital. Devi Charan of Bharat Colony and Ashok Kumar of Dayalupur village also allegedly committed suicide in separate incidents. Kaang on advisory panel for Punjabi KURUKSHETRA, Aug 29 — Dr A.S. Kaang, a senior Professor in the Department of Punjabi, former Dean, Arts and Languages, and Director, Public Relations, Kurukshetra University, has been appointed member of the advisory panel for Punjabi in the National Book Trust of India for three years. Dr Kaang is also a member of the advisory committee, Sahit
Akademy, Government of India. |
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