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| Friday, January 19, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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MSP of wheat Ex-minister denied bail High Court HC seeks report on traffic lights Chautala urged to cooperate with BJP |
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| Polio cases ‘decline’ in
Haryana PANIPAT, Jan 18 — The Haryana surveillance officer of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) National Polio Surveillance Programme, Dr S. Bhasin, said not a single case of polio had been reported in the state since September 18, 2000. Dr Bhasin was talking to mediapersons here yesterday. Probe begins into harassment of
medicos Fauji gang spreads terror in Adampur KURUKSHETRA, Jan 18 — The workers of the district unit of the Haryana Vikas Party (HVP) led by Mr Surender Singh, Chief General Secretary, of the party demonstrated in protest against increase in power tariff and anti-people policies of the INLD-led state government, in front of the mini secretariat here today. District planning body formed Park work on war footing Foul smell ‘prevents’ patient’s
admission Jalandhar, Kanina to
have engg colleges ‘Haryana passing through dark phase’ Army man booked for
raping minor
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MSP of wheat CHANDIGARH, Jan 18 — Even as the Agriculture Cost and Price Commission has recommended to the Central Government to reduce the minimum support price of wheat by Rs 60, the Haryana Government is working on the assumption that the MSP during the ensuing rabi season will be somewhere around Rs 610. Accordingly, the state Government has decided to send a Cash Credit Limit (CCL) proposal of Rs 3000 crore to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for sanction for procurement during the rabi season. The proposal will be sent to the RBI in the first week of March, official sources said. According to estimates of the Agriculture Department of the state government, 96 lakh MT of wheat is likely to be produced in 23 lakh hectares in Haryana during the coming rabi season. The state agencies were expected to procure about 48 to 50 lakh MT of wheat, the sources said and added that the allotment of shares to various procurement agencies was under consideration of the state government. The sources said that last year the government agencies, including the Food Corporation of India (FCI), had procured 44.98 lakh MT of wheat at the MSP of Rs 580 per
quintal. The CCL granted last year was Rs 2,500 crore out of which Rs 2,444 crore was utilised. Since 1996-97, state funds had not been utilised for procurement, the sources said and added that there was no plan for the utilisation of state funds in the coming season also. Regarding the recommendation made by the commission, the sources said the Union Government was unlikely to abide by it since it would not be acceptable to the ruling parties of the wheat-producing states which were part of the government or supporting it from outside. However, the MSP tentatively projected by the state government makes it clear that it is not expecting any spectacular increase in the support price of wheat to be announced by the Centre. During the last decade, there were two major jumps in the MSP. In 1993-94, the MSP was increased to Rs 335 per quintal, Rs 80 more than the previous year’s MSP of Rs 255. Again, in 1997-98, the MSP was raised to Rs 510 per quintal from the previous year’s Rs 380 per quintal. Apart from these two instances, the increase in the MSP each year during the last decade had been nominal. The sources said that given the present scenario, when the possibility of the supply of wheat to the country from outside as a fallout of the WTO agreement was looming large and production inside the country had also gone up substantially, it was not expected from the Centre to hike the MSP beyond Rs 30 more than what was offered in 2000-2001. The Haryana Government, the sources said, was waiting for the MSP to be announced by the Centre. If it was lower than the price offered in the previous year, the state government would protest, they said. The state government might even demand the MSP to be Rs 640 to Rs 650, but the cut-off line for acceptance by it had been tentatively decided at Rs 610, the sources added. They, however, admitted that given the rate of inflation in the country, the value of Rs 610 in the current year would be about the same as that of Rs 580 last year, and offering an MSP of Rs 610 would effectively mean freezing of the price of wheat paid by the government to the farmers. |
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Ex-minister denied bail ROHTAK, Jan 18 — The Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), Mr R.K. Sharma, today rejected the bail application of a former minister, Seth Sri Kishan Dass, and remanded him in judicial custody till February 1. Mr Dass, who was awarded Padma Shri in the seventies, was booked by the state Vigilance Bureau under Sections 406, 409, 420, 476, 468, 471 and 120-B of the IPC and Section 13(1) (d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act on December 31, 1999. He had surrendered in the court of the CJM here yesterday. As soon as the former minister was brought to the court today, the DSP, Vigilance Bureau, Mr Banwari Lal, sought permission to arrest Mr Dass. The CJM allowed the arrest. The counsel for Mr Dass pleaded for granting bail to his client saying that he was 75 years old and sick. He argued that the accused was not required for interrogation as he had already joined the investigation many times under the directions of the Supreme Court. The defence counsel further argued that this court was empowered to grant bail as no offence, allegedly committed by the accused was made out against him. He pleaded that the accused had not forged any document and there was no allegation that he had taken any illegal gratification and therefore, no offence punishable under Sections 467, 468 and 471 of the IPC and offences under Section 13 (1) d of the Prevention of Corruption Act was made out and similar was the position of the offence punishable under Sections 406, 409 and 420 of the IPC. The public prosecuter, however, argued that the offence punishable under Section 13 (1) d of the Prevention of Corruption Act was exclusively triable by the court of the special judge, where the presence of the accused was required and, therefore, the court was not empowered to grant bail to the accused. The CJM said in view of the fact that the offence punishable under Section 13 (1) d of the Prevention of Corruption Act was exclusively triable by the special judge and the other offences punishable under Sections 467, 468, 471, 406, 409 and 420 of the IPC were very serious in nature and the offence punishable under Section 467 of the IPC was punishable with life imprisonment and, moreover, since the investigations were still in process, the accused was not found deserving the concession of bail and hence his bail application was rejected. “The accused is remanded in judicial custody and be produced on February 1,” the CJM ordered. The CJM, however, agreed with the defence counsel that Mr Dass was 75 years old and had a long history of ailment and ordered that he should be confined to the local PGIMS under the supervision of a senior medical officer so that immediate medical aid could be provided to the accused. He, however, left it to the Director, PGIMS, to provide a private room to the accused on his expenses. The CJM ordered that the medical officer attending on Mr Dass should submit his report regarding the condition of the accused on January 23 so that further orders may be passed regarding the place of custody. |
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High Court CHANDIGARH, Jan 18 — A Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court comprising Mr Justice G.S. Singhvi and Mr Justice Nirmal Singh today “dismissed as withdrawn” two writ petitions filed by the Haryana DGP S.P.S. Rathore seeking directions to the print media and the electronic media to restrain them from publishing news items regarding the controversial Ruchika molestation case. The first petition filed by Mr Rathore was against The Tribune and Indian Express and its correspondents beside making the CBI, Mr Anand Parkash, a resident of 407, Panchkula, his wife Ms Madhu Parkash, and daughter, Reemu, as respondents in the case. The petition filed under Articles 226 and 227 of the Constitution sought directions restraining the respondents from publishing false, defamatory and inflammatory news reports, editorials, interviews in relation to the petitioner in the Ruchika molestation case pending in the court of Special Judge, Ambala City. In the second petition, Mr Rathore had made Subhash Girhotra, a resident of 363 Panchkula, Parsar Bharti through Chief Executive Officer, Doordarshan, Mandi House New Delhi, Star TV, Zee TV and Jain TV besides those in the first petitions as respondents, alleging that the print and electronic media “have been building strong public opinion adverse to the petitioner in an illegal, mala fide, arbitrary and wrong manner which is unconstitutional and violative of Articles 14,15,19 and 21 of the Constitution”. The petitioner in both petitions sought directions to the respondents not to publish/telecast any such news item, editorial or interview till the case was decided by the court of law. During the 75 minutes of arguments, the petitioner pleaded that petitioner’s children were of marriageable age and were getting embarrassed by reading such news items published or telecast. Mr Justice Singhvi, while pronouncing the order in the open court, observed: “We cannot restraint any one from doing one’s duty. If we issue notice of motion to them today, tomorrow they would come to us to allow them to do their duty freely.”
Order reserved Mr Justice Amar Dutt of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Thursday reserved his order on a petition filed by the Haryana DGP S.P.S. Rathore pleading to quash the charge-sheet filed against him by the CBI in the Ruchika molestation case. Mr Rathore, in December last, had moved the High Court for quashing the order of the Special CBI Judge, Ambala , Mr K.C. Tyagi, for condoning the delay in filing the FIR against Mr Rathore in the controversial Ruchika molestation case. In the charge-sheet it had been alleged that Mr Rathore had called Ruchika, a tennis player, at her residence on August 12, 1990, and attempted to molest her. Mr Rathore was then IG, BBMB. Ruchika, a 14-year-old girl, had died under mysterious circumstances on September 29, 1993, and Ms Madhu Parkash, a friend of Ruchika’s mother, had high-lighted Ruchika’s alleged molestation. HC seeks report on traffic lights CHANDIGARH, Jan 18 — A Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court comprising Mr Justice R.S. Mongia and Mr Justice K.C. Gupta today directed the Chief Judicial Magistrates (CJMs) of Kurukshetra, Ambala and Karnal districts to visit National Highway No. 22 and National Highway No.1 of their respective districts after sunset for at least thrice a week and see whether traffic lights were in working order or not and submit their reports to the High Court before February 6. The Bench issued this order on public interest litigation (PIL) filed by a Pipli town resident, Mr Harish Kumar Puri, who said that traffic lights did not work on National Highways and traffic rules were hardly being followed. The petitioner alleged that his 27-year-old son, Ashok Puri, died in an accident on May 14, 1996, at Pipli Chowk due to criminal negligence on the part of the traffic police as he was left lying with both his legs under the wheels of a loaded truck for over an hour and none from the traffic police came to his rescue. He was rushed to the nearby LNJP hospital where no doctor was available to attend to emergency patients and after some time he was referred to the PGI. He died on his way to the PGI due to excessive bleeding. The petitioner has made the Haryana Government, its Transport Commissioner and DGP as respondents in the PIL which was adjourned by the Bench for further hearing to February 6. |
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Chautala urged to cooperate with BJP KAITHAL, Jan 18 — The Haryana BJP President, Mr Rattan Lal Kataria, said here yesterday that there was no proposal to withdraw the BJP support to Haryana INLD Government led by Mr Om Prakash Chautala. Mr Kataria, while addressing a press conference here last evening, said Mr Chautala should give proper respect to the BJP legislators and workers as was being done by the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, at the Centre. He said the mass contact programme launched by the BJP in the state was not aimed at weakening the state INLD Government but to widen the base of the BJP. He said the public was very responsive to the Jan Jagran Abhiyan launched by his party Mr Katari said till now the BJP was considered to be a party of upper castes, but now it was getting good response from the minority communities. He expressed happiness over the success of Gohana rally organized by his party. |
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Polio cases ‘decline’ in
Haryana PANIPAT, Jan 18 — The Haryana surveillance officer of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) National Polio Surveillance Programme, Dr S. Bhasin, said not a single case of polio had been reported in the state since September 18, 2000. Dr Bhasin was talking to mediapersons here yesterday. However, in the year 2000, only four polio cases — one in Gurgaon and three from the district — have occurred in the state, she said and added that four other polio cases were reported from Fatehabad, Faridabad, Panipat and Kaithal. The polio cases were reported from the district just before the start of the scheduled Intensive Pulse Polio Immunisations (IPPI) from November 5. She claimed that as a result of the WHO strategies the polio cases have declined satisfactorily in Haryana. Giving details of the success of polio eradication campaign in India, Dr Bhasin said in 1998, India accounted for more than two-thirds of the global polio cases. This figure came down to 39 per cent in 1999 with a further reduction in the percentage. In 2000 upto December 23, out of 1,985 total number of polio cases reported world wide, only 246 cases were reported from India besides 205 polio cases, she added. |
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Probe begins into harassment of
medicos ROHTAK, Jan 18 — The Chief Minister’s flying squad today started an inquiry into the alleged harassment of post-graduate students of the PGIMS by Dr A.D. Tewari, Professor and Head, Paediatrics Department, here. Mr Shiv Shakti Rao, SP, flying squad, recorded the statements of 16 resident doctors who were allegedly harassed by Dr Tewari. Most of the resident doctors are reportedly against Dr Tewari. A section of the doctors describe it as “a burst of anger” developing among the resident doctors of the department. Certain faculty members, however, call it an “avengeful step” taken by Dr S.B. Siwach, Director of the PGIMS. They said Dr Tewari had supported a former director of the institute, Dr Dubey, against the wishes of Dr Siwach. They alleged that all this had been done at the behest of Dr Siwach. According to sources, there are 27 junior medicos and four registrars in the Paediatrics Department. A majority of them had submitted an application to the Director and the Vice-Chancellor of Maharshi Dayanand University, seeking that Dr Tewari not be deputed as their examiner. They said they might be harassed. Nearly 20 students of the department had filed affidavits, levelling serious charges against Dr Tewari. Some of them had charged him with demanding money for passing them in examination. Some others alleged that he used to force them to do his domestic work and some of them were allegedly sent to distant places for his personal work. A few alleged that they were usually scolded in front of patients and their juniors. They also said that six students were illegally sent to Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim in 1996 at their own expenses when Dr Tewari was engaged by an international agency for a pulse polio survey. The students said they had met the Financial Commissioner and Secretary, Health Department, Mr G. Madhwan, four times and had demanded that Dr Tewari not be deputed as their examiner in the forthcoming examination. An application signed by a majority of students had also been submitted to him. In view of the aforesaid complaints, the National Human Rights Commission has also asked the Vice-Chancellor to conduct a probe into the complaints. Dr Siwach said the SP of the flying squad had recorded the statement of some students. He said he knew nothing more than that. |
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Fauji gang spreads terror in Adampur HISAR, Jan 18 — Panic gripped businessmen of Adampur, a nearby town, today after notorious criminal Subhash Fauji demanded a ransom of Rs 2 lakh from trader Raj Kumar
Bansal. As a precautionary measure, two constables have been posted at his residence and shop. According to information received here, Subhash Fauji rang up Mr Bansal on Tuesday night and told him to pay him Rs 2 lakh in two days or face death. He also directed him not to inform the police. Mr Bansal runs a wholesale tea business in
Adampur. However, no case has been registered in this regard formally, but police investigations are on. It may be recalled that Subhash
Fauji, a resident of the nearby Balsmand village, was arrested by the police seven months ago, but his associates freed him from police custody after ransacking the Balsmand police post. He has absconded since. Members of his gang have been demanding ransom from more than a dozen businessmen of the area. He has allegedly tried to shoot two persons in Fatehabad and Bhiwani districts during this period. Seven local traders have been asked to pay ransom by his gang members during the past week. Three motorcycle-borne youths had come to a shop in the local Grain Market three days ago and demanded a ransom of Rs 5 lakh from a businessman Bajrang
Lal. They also claimed to be members of the Fauji gang. The district police has deputed a special team to nab the gang members. The team raided many villages of the district during the past four days, but all efforts proved futile. |
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HVP protests
tariff hike KURUKSHETRA, Jan 18 — The workers of the district unit of the Haryana Vikas Party (HVP) led by Mr Surender Singh, Chief General Secretary, of the party demonstrated in protest against increase in power tariff and anti-people policies of the INLD-led state government, in front of the mini secretariat here today. The demonstrators also took out a procession and carried banners with anti-government slogans. Mr Surender Singh also submitted a memorandum to the Governor and the Deputy Commissioner. Earlier, while addressing a press conference at Neel Kanthi Yatri Niwas, Mr Surender Singh said the farmers of Haryana felt cheated because they were promised by the INLD Government free supply of electricity and water but now there was shortage of supply of electricity and water with enhanced rates. The residents in the southern region of the state were not getting even normal supply of drinking water, he added. The party has also threatened to launch an agitation if the paddy support price was
decreased. |
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District planning body formed PANIPAT, Jan 18 — With the election of five members from the local body institutions in the district the district planning committee has been constituted. The elections for these members — three from the Panipat Municipal Council and two from the Samalkha municipality were held yesterday. Of those elected, three members —
Rajbala, Praveen Tyagi and Archana — belong to the INLD and the other two — Shyam Sunder and Sunil Dutt — are of the BJP and the Congress, respectively. In this 20-member committee, 11 members are elected from panchayati raj institutions, five from the local body institutions and the remaining four are nominated by the government. The nominated members include Commissioner of the Rohtak division, the Deputy Commissioner besides the Additional Deputy Commissioner and the planning officer of the
DRDA. All MLAs and MPs are also ex-officio members of this committee which formulates development plans of the district. |
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Park work on war footing AMBALA, Jan 18 — The proposed visit of the Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, has changed the fate of the abandoned Subhas Park situated in the heart of Ambala Cantonment. The Chief Minister had announced to unveil the statue of Subash Chander bose in this park on January 23 on the occasion of his birthday. Work on the park, which was lying deserted for the past one year, is in progress. The work on the park had started around three years ago during the regime of the then Chief Minister, Mr Bansi Lal. Earlier, there was big pond known as
“Johan sahib ki diggi” at this place. Several land mafia had made attempts to grab this which is spread out in around 16 acres. The local MLA, Mr Anil Vij, had raised the issue with Mr Bansi Lal and had succeeded in getting the government’s approval for converting it into a park. Mr Bansi Lal has laid the foundation stone of this park. An amount of Rs 60 lakh has already been spent on the construction of the boundary wall and the filling work on the pond. As soon as the new government took over, the work was stopped due to shortage of funds. According to official sources, it needs at least Rs 1 crore for its completion. Some residents had supported the park proposal but a few had opposed it. The BJP, which has its Chairman in the Ambala Sadar Municipal Council, had also opposed the construction of the park on the basis that it would create problems for the surrounding colonies during the rainy season. Residents of some of the colonies had also opposed the park in place of the pond as it was used as a sewerage outlet by them. Some of them had even dismantled a part of the boundary wall during the last rainy season when water entered their houses. However, some residents feel that the park would provide relief from the polluted environment caused by the pond which remains full of garbage. Last month, when Mr Chautala visited Ambala Cantonment to attend their ‘sarkar aap ke dwar’ programme, the local MLA raised the issue of the park. The Chief Minister directed the district administration to complete the park by January 23. He announced that he would visit Ambala on that day to unveil the statue of Subash Chander Bose in the park. The construction of the park has been continuing on a war footing. The remaining part of the boundary wall has been completed and grill being fixed on it. The platform for setting the statue has been completed. The 6 ft high statue has reached here from Rajasthan. The local MLA said a few other projects like canteen and child corners would be added to the park later on. |
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Foul smell ‘prevents’ patient’s
admission FARIDABAD, Jan 18 — Getting treatment for the poor at the government hospitals, sometimes is not only a difficult task, but it could be “harrowing” experience for some of them. This holds true in the case of Mahender of Jhansi at Government Bhadshah Khan Hospital. The victim, who got his leg injured while working on a merry-go-round about a month ago, got the taste of the government hospitals staff’s apathy. Mahender (21) who came from Jhansi to work at the trade fair held here last month was left unattended by his employer, after he injured his leg. The employer had reportedly promised to get him treated after the fair was over but he left without keeping his word. Unable to walk Mahender kept waiting for someone who could take him to a hospital or a doctor, but he had to virtually live like a beggar on a footpath in Sector-9 here with no food and proper shelter. He asked passers-by to help him but nobody came forward, taking him for a beggar. A rickshaw puller took him to the government hospital. He said doctors and the staff on duty declined to admit him. The victim had to spend his nights in the open lawn in front of the hospital. When the doctor on duty was approached by some persons to know the reason for not admitting him they were reportedly told that the condition of the patient’s injury had deteriorated that it was not possible to admit him due to the foul smell from his wound. Senior officials of the hospital when contacted stated that they were not aware of the case and said the staff had been instructed to admit the patient. The authorities concerned also claimed that the patient was not on the hospital premises and there was no attendant. The alleged “indifferent” and negligent attitude of the staff has been a common problem, claimed an attendant of a patient. |
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Jalandhar, Kanina to
have engg colleges ROHTAK, Jan 18 — The DAV College managing committee, Delhi, has decided to set up an engineering college in Jalandhar and Kanina (Haryana) during the current year. The vice-president of the managing committee, Dr C. Parkash told The Tribune here today that three more engineering colleges would be set up in 2002 in Jammu, Himachal Pradesh and Uttaranchal. He told that the admissions to the Jalandhar and Kanina engineering colleges would start in July this year. The institutes propose to impart training in information technology and computer applications. Earlier presiding over the concluding function of the inter-school cultural festivities week organised here by DAV Centenary Public School, Dr C. Parkash said the main stress in DAV institutions was to provide holystic education to the students. Dr C. Parkash, who is in charge of the DAV educational institutions in Haryana, said all teachers would be provided training in first-aid under the Physical Fitness and Health Education Programme launched by the CBSE. The scheme was being introduced in certain schools on an experiment basis and would be extended to all schools later on, he said. The DAV College managing committee, he said, had also decided to provide refresher courses to its 30,000 strong teachers and also about the latest teacher technologies. |
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‘Haryana passing through dark phase’ REWARI, Jan 18 — Senior Congress leader and legislator of Jatusana Rao Inderjit Singh has asserted that the Chautala government was on the verge of collapse but the continued indecision to end the ongoing tussle between the two factions of the Haryana Congress has given a new lease of life to it. He expressed these views while addressing a press conference here today. He said if the party’s high command reconsiders the issue of the change in leadership in Haryana, it would not be anything harmful. Mr Rao also said Haryana was passing through dark phase as the “baap-beta trio” had wilfully concentrated the power in their hands. |
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Army man booked for
raping minor HISAR, Jan 18 — An Army man was booked for allegedly raping a minor at the local cantonment yesterday. According to a complaint lodged by the girl’s father, one of his colleagues had raped his 10-year-old daughter when she was alone in the house. The suspect lived in the same colony. Meanwhile, the police seized 2,200 pouches of illicit liquor at Hansi, near here, last evening. According to the police, Raj Kumar, a resident of Hansi, was found carrying the contraband in a Tata Sumo coming from Barwala road when a police party, on a tip-off impounded the vehicle. Raj Kumar was nabbed on the spot while the driver managed to escape. |
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Haryana plus two exam
from March 14 BHIWANI, Jan 18 — The senior secondary annual examination of the Haryana School Education Board will commence from March 14 and end on April 4. The examinations will be conducted during evening from 1.30 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. This was stated by the board secretary, Mr
R.P. Gupta, here today. |
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INLD meeting
on Jan 23 CHANDIGARH, Jan 18 — A meeting of MPs, MLAs, office-bearers and members of the state executive, conveners of various cells and presidents of district and constituency units of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) will be held in Rukmani Devi Hall, Ambala Cantt, on January 23. While stating this here today, Mr Dharambir Singh, office-secretary of
INLD, said Mr Om Prakash Chautala would preside over the meeting. |
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2 killed in road
mishap BARWALA, Jan 18 — Two persons were killed and three injured as the car in which they were travelling rammed into a tractor-trailor on the Panchkula-Barwala road, near here. last night. According to sources, Kamainder Singh and Prem Preet died on the spot, while Harbans, Sukhwinder and Amarnath sustained injuries. The seriously injured Harbans was rushed to the PGI in Chandigarh, while Amarnath was admitted in the General Hospital in Panchkula. A case has been registered in Chandi Mandir police station. |
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