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| Thursday, February 1, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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PM’s
Kurukshetra visit called off Centre
urged to raise wheat support price ‘Declare
Rs 700 as MSP of wheat’ Surcharge
waiver for urban defaulters also Sadar shops issue being
probed by police |
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MC against new house tax
formula SC
employees reverted US Trade
Centre chief visits Manesar Mobile
phone helps foil robbery bid Trauma
centre for Karnal BSP
flays power tariff hike Sahitya
Akademi prize announced Farmers'
threat on power bills Three
run over by trains Fallow
land to be mapped 2
rewarded free gas connections Recruitment
rally Gestures of sympathy Theft bid
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PM’s Kurukshetra visit called off GURGAON, Jan 31 — The engagements of Prime Minster Atal Behari Vajpayee on account of a earthquake in Gujarat has led to the cancellation of his February 3 visit to Kurukshetra. It has come as a relief to the Haryana unit of the BJP. The cancelled visit has led to a freshspell of feud between the ruling Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and its ally, the BJP. From the standpoint of the INLD, the effort of the INLD to make the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) veer around in favour of the visit was considered to be a deft political move, both in terms of the timing and the venue, by Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala. The cause for renewed reservations of the BJP leaders against the INLD stemmed from their belief that Mr Vajpayee was used by Mr Chautala to further marginalise them and their party. Although the BJP leaders are evading a direct reply, the heartburn in a section of them was understood to be on account of the party being not taken into confidence with regard to Mr Vajpayee’s visit. Mr Chautala, as the past developments have suggested, has been charting his political agenda in Haryana by using the BJP, evenwhile riding roughshod on senior leaders of the party. According to
reports, a section of the prominent leaders of the BJP had decided to ignore the suggestion of Mr Chautala for joint mass mobilisation by the two parties in the state to make the visit of Mr Vajpayee a
success. If the dominant mood of the BJP leaders was any
yardstick, they would only have gone in for mass mobilisation in Kurukshetra district. |
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Centre urged to raise wheat support price HISAR, Jan 31 — The Haryana Vikas Party today demanded the Centre to raise the minimum support price (MSP) of wheat from Rs 580 to Rs 625 per quintal. Addressing mediapersons here, Mr Kanwal Singh, Chairman of the Parliamentary Board of the party, said that instead of raising the MSP, the Centre was trying to bring the price down from the existing Rs 580 a quintal. He said if the Centre fixed the support price at less than Rs 625, his party would launch a statewide agitation. The Centre should declare support prices of different crops before the sowing season to enable farmers to take appropriate decision about the sowing of crops, he added. Mr Kanwal Singh said that the prices of inputs had gone up and any reduction in support prices would be an injustice to the farmers of the state. He alleged that the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were working against the farmers. He termed Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee and Mr Om Prakash Chautala as anti-farmer leaders. Criticising the Chautala government, he said that it had failed to provide adequate power and water to the farmers. He alleged that Mr Chautala had burdened the farmers by increasing power tariff recently. He also alleged that officials of the Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam were implicating consumers in fake cases of power theft. He demanded that the state government should reverse the hike. He said the law and order situation in the state was alarming as the people hesitated to travel even on the national highway during the day. Criminals were demanding ransom from traders freely. Mr Kanwal Singh alleged that Mr Chautala had joined hands with Mr Parkash Singh Badal, Chief Minister of Punjab, and the duo were working against the interests of the farmers of Haryana. Earlier, the Bhakra canal flowed for 15 days in a month but this duration had been cut to seven days in a cycle of 21 days now. The saved water was being given to the farmers of Punjab as Mr Chautala had a secret deal with Mr Badal in this regard, he alleged. Criticising the Congress leaders Mr Bhajan Lal and Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, he said that they had failed to launch an agitation against the Chautala government. He said the Congress was unable to act as a strong Opposition due to internal feuds. |
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‘Declare Rs 700 as MSP of wheat’ CHANDIGARH, Jan 31 — The president of the Haryana Krishak Samaj, Mr Shamsher Singh Surjewala, announced here today that activists of his organisation would show black flags to the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, if he visited the region before declaring at least Rs 700 per quintal as the minimum support price of wheat. Talking to newsmen Mr Surjewala, who is also a former president of the Haryana Congress, said due to the “anti-farmer” policies of the Vajpayee government, the prices of agricultural inputs had gone up while the prices of agricultural produce were being lowered systematically. He alleged that the Vajpayee government was hoodwinking the farmers and the country by saying that the prices of agricultural produce had come down because of a glut of foodgrains in the country and that the government had no space to store the grains. Mr Surjewala said the government was facing the problem of plenty because it had reduced the scope of the public distribution system and had increased the prices of foodgrains manifold, making them beyond the reach of the common man. As a result of these policies, a large population of the country was underfed. Terming the government’s claim on the glut of foodgrains as “grossly fallacious”, Mr Surjewala said on the one hand agricultural production was declining and on the other hand the population was increasing. “Then how can there be a glut?” he asked. He said if there was a glut of foodgrains in the country, the Vajpayee government should not have allowed the import of 30 lakh to 50 lakh metric tonnes of wheat at 0 per cent duty before the 1998 Lok Sabha elections. Coming down heavily on the Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, and his Haryana counterpart, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, Mr Surjewala said if they were sincere in their demand of Rs 735 a quintal as the minimum support price for wheat, they should have declared that if this demand was not accepted, their parties would withdraw support to the Vajpayee government. He said Mr Badal and Mr Chautala were interested only in pepetuating their “family governments” in the respective states with the support of Mr Vajpayee. This was proved from the manner in which the two Chief Ministers were showering praises on the Prime Minister. When farmers of the two states resorted to the distress sale of paddy, Mr Badal and Mr Chautala did nothing to save them from exploitation. In fact, persons close to the ruling parties in the two states were most active in exploiting paddy-growers. Such persons purchased paddy from growers at rates much below the support price and sold it to government agencies at the support price, making a neat profit for themselves. The Congress leader alleged that certain persons close to the ruling INLD purchased paddy from Tohana below the support price and sold it to government agencies in Dhamtana Mandi in Jind district at the official rate. He said it was wrong to say that agricultural prices had come down because of the WTO and that because of it subsidies to the farm sector had to be reduced. He said the USA was paying Rs 90,000 crore to nine lakh farmers as subsidy per annum. Moreover, any country was free to walk out of the WTO to safeguard its interests. Mr Surjewala said the Vajpayee government was being sustained by regional parties which had formed “family governments” in their states. He said a meeting of farmers’ leaders would be held in Jind next month to discuss the problems being faced by the farmers as well as the issue of the minimum support price for wheat. |
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Surcharge waiver for
urban defaulters also ROHTAK, Jan 31 — The Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN), has introduced the surcharge waiver scheme for defaulting consumers of urban areas also. Earlier this scheme was available to the domestic consumers of rural areas and tubewell consumers of the rural and urban areas. Giving details, Deputy Commissioner R.K. Khullar said the domestic urban consumer, who owed over Rs 5,000 as on January 31, would be allowed to pay the defaulting amount in four equal instalments. The first instalment would be payable on or before February 28, he said. The remaining three instalments would be payable in bi-monthly instalments along with the current bills, he said. In these cases, the surcharge would be waived on the receipt of the last instalment. Similarly, the defaulting rural consumers, against whom the arrears were more than Rs 5,000 as on January 31, would be allowed to pay the defaulting amount in four equal instalments along with their current bills. The defaulter, however, would have to pay the first instalment on or before May 15, along with current bills, Mr Khullar said. The second instalment, in the case of the defaulting rural domestic consumers, would be payable by November 15. The third instalment would be payable by May 15, 2002, and the last (fourth) by November 15 next year, Mr Khullar said. The surcharge would be waived only after the payment of the last instalment but the consumers in this category would have to be regular in paying the current bills, he said. Mr Khullar said the consumers of non-domestic category had been allowed to pay entire arrears in one go on or before February 28. In such cases the surcharge would stand waived. In case of AP category consumers, where the amount of arrears exceeded Rs 5,000, the consumers have been allowed to pay their arrears in four equal instalments. The first instalment shall be payable by May 15, the second by November 15, third by May 15, 2002, and the fourth by October 31, next year. The surcharge in such cases, however, shall stand waived only after the payment of last instalment as in the case of the urban and rural domestic consumers. The consumers would also be required to regularly pay the current bills, he said. In case of domestic consumers in urban and rural areas and non-domestic and tubewell consumers, where the defaulting amount was less than Rs 5,000, the entire amount should be paid up to February 28, and the surcharge in such cases would stand waived. |
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Sadar shops issue being
probed by police AMBALA,
Jan 31 — The controversy surrounding the sadar shops issue is refusing to die down, and the matter is now being investigated by a senior police officer. The Superintendent of Police from the flying squad has paid two visits to Ambala Cantonment in regard to the issue. During his first visit, the officer inspected relevant documents at the Municipal Council, Ambala sadar, and during his second visit, about a week ago, he met the shopkeepers of the four shops and officials concerned. President of Municipal Council, Ambala Cantonment, Shankar Dass, about six to seven days ago, the police officer asked me about the sadar shops issue and I told him in detail the correct position. The fresh investigation by the police officer closely follows in inquiry conducted by the Additional Deputy Commissioner, Mr Mahinder Kumar. The report submitted by the ADC had held the president of Municipal Council, Ambala sadar, four municipal councillors and two officials of the council responsible for the illegal construction in four council-owned shops by the tenants. The shops are located in the main bazar in Ambala sadar adjoining the sadar post office. The probe was ordered by the then Deputy Commissioner, Mr Ram Niwas, in
response to a letter written to him by the Ambala Cantonment MLA, Mr Anil Vij, demanding an inquiry into the illegal construction in the shops. The ADC in his report said that through a resolution of the council, the shopkeepers had been granted permission to replace their old tinned roofs by new ones up to a height of 10 feet. In lieu of this, the tenants had to pay a rent of Rs 2,000 per month to the council, while earlier they were paying only Rs 150. Later on August 3, 2000, through a fresh resolution the rent was reduced to Rs 300 from Rs 2,000. The ADC further said in his report that when the executive officer of the council sought permission to demolish the illegal construction, the president returned the file without signing the permission letter. The municipal councillors, including the president, Shankar Dass, after the report became public, strongly denied that they were involved in any way in the matter. They had demanded an independent inquiry into the matter. Earlier this month, the sadar shops issue had dominated the general meeting in which the main agenda could not be deliberated upon due to the discussions on the sadar shops by the municipal councillors. |
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MC against new house tax
formula AMBALA,
Jan 31 — The Municipal Council, Ambala Sadar, has opposed the new house tax formula and termed the new formula as yet another attempt to burden the people. In a unanimous resolution, the Municipal Council members stated the new house tax formula should be withdrawn by the government and the old house tax formula should continue. Although the Municipal Council was divided on other matters, the councillors unanimously termed the manner in which the formula was introduced as an insult. Mr Hira Lal Yadav, a councillor, claimed that the opinion of municipal councillors was not taken on the matter. He observed that the allegation of municipal councillors and officials being responsible for the taxation was wrong. Their demand was that the government should take back the new formula of house tax, he stressed. Mr Sudhir Jaiswal, another councillor, said there was dichotomy in the new house tax formula. The old house tax formula should be continued, he added. Mr Suresh Garg, Mr Kamal Kishore Jain, Dr V. Prakash, Mr Lalita Prasad and Ms Neelam Sharma also opposed the new house tax formula. The executive officer, Mr S.K. Goel, explained that the new house tax formula was an effort to improve the house taxation. There was greater transparency in the new formula and it would work within set parameters, he said. The house tax had been reduced in slum areas and only 5 to 10 per cent of the people would be affected, he elaborated. The new formula was based on land, covered area, depreciation provision, rebate, annual value and final rebate, he said. The house tax survey would begin tomorrow, he stated. There was bedlam in the house on the issue of handing over a library and canteen in Indra Park to a local youth club. While Mr K.K. Jain was in favour of handing over the structures to the youth club, Mr H.L. Yadav opposed it. Mr Bimal Prakash opined that while it should be handed over to the club, the possession of the structures must remain with the Municipal Council. After a much heated debate, the president, Mr Pandit Shankar Dass, said the youth club would be allowed to run the structures for two years but the Municipal Council would retain possession powers. There was debate on the issue of building of shops on open land with Mr Bimal Prakash opposing the proposal, saying that it would make the whole area congested. The other councillors were in favour of building shops, which they opined would generate revenue. Ms Neelam Sharma threatened to leave the meeting when her statement was objected to by the president. It was suggested that before permission to build shops was granted, the maps of the area should be prepared to make it clear as to which part of the land was being referred to. Earlier in the meeting, a two-minute silence was observed for those affected by the earthquake in Gujarat. The staff of the Municipal Council decided to donate one day’s salary to the relief fund. |
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SC employees reverted CHANDIGARH, Jan 31 — As a consequence of the Supreme Court judgement in the Ajit Singh Janjua case-II, the Haryana Government today reverted to their original posts a number of Scheduled Castes employees, particularly in the office of the Financial Commissioner,
Revenue (FCR). A number of employees have been promoted. Prominent among those who were reverted was Mr Sube Singh Behmani, Secretary of the Haryana Subordinate Services Selection Commission. He has been reverted from Under Secretary to the post of Superintendent and has been asked to report for duty in the office of the FCR. Mr O.P. Tobria and Mr Baljit Singh Redhu, both Superintendents, have been reverted as Deputy Superintendents, while Mr Balbir Singh, Deputy Superintendent, has been reverted as Assistant. Mr Ram Avtar Bansal, Superintendent, has been promoted Under Secretary. Mr Roop Ram Yadav and Mr Hazari Lal, both Deputy Superintendents, have been promoted Superintendents. Mr Satish Arora and Mr Suraj Bhan Dhankar, both Assistants, have been promoted Deputy Superintendents. |
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US Trade Centre chief visits Manesar MANESAR (Gurgaon), Jan 31 — The response of the Head of the American Trade Centre, Mr Samuel Kiddar, to the queries of officials of the Haryana Government on the “luke warm” response of the investors from the USA in India in comparison to China has put them in a fix. Mr Kiddar, who joined the US Embassy, a few weeks ago, had come here to visit the Industrial Model Township (IMT). While interacting with Mr Kiddar the state officials urged upon him to explain what was “special” about China that the foreign investors, including those from USA choose it as their destination. To leave nothing to chance, the officials urged upon his office to prevail upon the investors of the USA to choose Haryana as their destination. Mr Kiddar said that foreign investors were perhaps attracted to China on account of the higher economic growth rate. He further said that the reason could also be a better infrastructure. However, he apparently attenuated the drift of his views saying that it was now for those in the USA and India to promote business. In response to a question from a newsman on the general perception about Haryana in the industrial circles in the USA, Mr Kiddar said the automobile industry was much talked about. He also said that there was lot of competition among various states in India. The General Manager of HSIDC, Mr R.Malik, informed newsmen that Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala would visit the USA, tentatively in the third week of March. Mr Chautala would also visit some European countries to attract the foreign investors. |
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Mobile phone helps foil robbery bid SHAHABAD, Jan 31 — A mobile phone helped in foiling a robbery bid on the main Ladwa Road here last night. It is learnt that four armed persons entered the bungalow of Mr Anil Kakkar, an industrialist of the town, at about 1.30 a.m. and cut the telephone wire of the house with a view to robbing the family. Mr Kakkar, who saw the miscreants enter his house, gave the information to the local police and his friends through his mobile phone and sounded his car’s horn by a remote control. On hearing the noise of the grills and doors being broken by the miscreants, he is also reported to have fired shots in the air inside his room. The police reached the spot but the robbers fled in the darkness. While going back they robbed Rs 15,000 from the house of Mr Ashok Kumar in the New Model Town area here. The DSP, Mr Anil Dhawan, and the Inspector, CIA, Mr Surinder Singh Malik, visited the site in the morning. |
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Trauma centre for Karnal CHANDIGARH, Jan 31 — The Union Health Minister, Mr C.P. Thakur, will lay the foundation stone of a trauma centre at Karnal next month. The Haryana Minister of State for Health, Dr M.L. Ranga, said today that equipment worth Rs 80 lakh was being purchased for the centre as its construction would be started soon. The state government had already impressed upon the Union Government to sanction Rs 2 crore during the current financial year for the trauma centre. The minister, claimed that the services at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences at Rohtak were functioning smoothly. He denied the allegation that there was a short supply of oxygen and other essential gases, apart from other items. He added that the powers of the Director of the institute to arrange medicines and other essential items required for the hospital had not been withdrawn by the government. It was baseless to say that the government was starving the institute of
funds. |
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BSP flays power tariff hike ROHTAK, Jan 31 — Criticising the government for the recent hike in power tariff, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) yesterday urged the government to make efforts to check rising line losses in the state instead of hiking the power tariff. Addressing a press conference here, Mr Raghu Yadav member, BSP Parliamentary Board, alleged that the line losses were actually due to power theft by industrial units with the help of government officials or Politicians. He said the losses had risen to 50 per cent in the state. Instead of taking strict steps to check power theft, the government was shouldering the undue burdon on consumers by hiking the power rates. Mr Yadav said there was no equitable distribution of canal water in the state. He announced that a state-level meeting of activists would be held in Karnal on February 11 to prepare the future course of action. |
Sahitya Akademi
prize announced CHANDIGARH, Jan 31 — The Haryana Punjabi Sahitya Akademi today announced prizes and financial assistance to Punjabi writers for 1998-99 for the best books and manuscripts in prose and poetry. The Chairman of the
Akademi, Mr Bahadur Singh, said Bhai Santosh Singh Award of Rs 5,100 would be given to Prof Himmat Singh Sodhi of Ambala cantonment. Mr Joginder Singh of Shahabad would be given Rs 5,000 for his book
“Je Tu Akal Latif” and Dr Pal Kaur of S.A. Jain College, Ambala city, would be given Rs 5,000 for his poetry book “Inj Na Mile”. Mr Bahadur Singh, who is also Minister of State for Education, said Mrs Manjit Kaur of Ambala cantonment would be given a financial assistance of Rs 5,000 after fulfilling the conditions of the
Akademi. |
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Farmers' threat on power bills ROHTAK, Jan 31 —Farmers in the state will not pay bills until the recent hike in the power tariff is withdrawn. A decision to this effect was taken at a kisan mahapanchayat organised by the state unit of the BKU at Dhamar village yesterday. Mr Ghasi Ram
Nain, president of the Haryana unit of the union, presided over the meeting while Mr Mahender Singh
Tikait, national president, was the main speaker. Addressing the farmers, Mr Tikait cautioned them that the liberal policies of the Centre would ruin the farming community. He sought immediate withdrawal of the hike and waiving of the pending power bills. Mr Tikait announced that the farmers would gherao the Mumbai port on February 19 and would not allow unloading of imported cereals and food products. |
Three run over
by trains FARIDABAD, Jan 31 — Three persons, including two women, were run over by trains in the district in the past 24 hours. According to information, a middle-aged woman, who could not be identified, was killed after she was hit by a train near the Neelam flyover here today. In another incident, an 18-year-old girl, identified as Neeraj of Hodal town, was run over by a train yesterday evening. She was crossing the tracks near the Gadota rail crossing. In the third such incident, an unidentified person was run over by a train near the Old Faridabad railway station. |
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Fallow land to be mapped CHANDIGARH, Jan 31 — The Haryana State Land Use Board today entrusted the work of mapping and management of current fallow and waste land in six districts to the Haryana State Remote Sensing Application Centre at Hisar. A spokesman of the board said there was a large amount of culturable waste and fallow land in the state. The percentage of such land was very high in Sirsa, Rohtak, Hisar, Gurgaon, Jind and Bhiwani districts. He said it had also been decided to prepare a perspective plan for land use in the state for the next 25 years. This work had been entrusted to the National Productivity Council, Chandigarh, at a total cost of Rs 10 lakh. |
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2 rewarded free gas connections FARIDABAD, Jan 31 — Two persons, including a 12-year-old girl, have been given gas connections as reward by the LPG Distributors Association here in recognition of their role in getting four armed robbers arrested recently in Sector 17 here. At a function organised here yesterday, the recipients Munna (30), washerman and Reena (12) a maid were given free gas connection with a gas stove and two cylinders by the SSP, Mr Ranbir Sharma. Mr Sharma lauded their exemplary courage and timely action. He said if it had not been done, the robbers would have been successful not only in looting but also in fleeing after committing the crime. According to information, Reena, on seeing four youths, armed with knives, entering a house in Sector 17, informed about it to Munna who was ironing clothes in a nearly plot. The washerman raised the alarm and blocked the main gate of the house and challenged the robbers to come out. As a large number of residents assembled there within a few minutes, the robbers were forced to surrender before police which also reached there by that time. The inmates of the house had reportedly been locked in a room by the robbers. |
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Recruitment rally CHANDIGARH, Jan 31 — An open recruitment rally for youths hailing from Haryana for the Assam Rifles will be held at Gurgaon from May 9 to 15. An official spokesman said 170 youths would be recruited for general duty. Among the other posts were 30 of writer or clerk, 15 of nursing assistant and 10 each of barber and
safai karamchari. |
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Gestures of sympathy AMBALA,
Jan 31 — The State Bank of India, Ambala Cantonment, has donated 100 blankets for those affected in the earthquake in Gujarat. The blankets were given by the Manager, Mr R.K. Khosla, at a camp organised by Ambala cantonment MLA, Mr Anil Vij, as a relief measure for the earthquake affected. Among others, Mr S.S. Uppal, Mr Mohinder Singh, Mr
Sanolia, Mr Jagbir Singh Walia, Mr Rajinder Vij and Mr Ravi Sharan were present, a release said. |
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| PINJORE,
Jan 31 — The police has arrested Raj Kumar for making a theft attempt in a shop of electronic goods here on Tuesday. According to police sources, the accused was caught red-handed by shopkeepers while breaking into the shop in Shubhash Nagar. He was then handed over to the police. Later he was produced before the Panchkula Chief Judicial Magistrate and was sent to judicial custody. |
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