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| Saturday, February
24, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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Hooda, Bhajan men on mobilisation
spree Cong men sink
differences CM’s warning threat to democracy:
CPM 27 centres set up for sugarcane
growers Providing homes to quake
victims HIGH COURT |
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Nitish opens
institute HVP flays hike in form
price Bandh evokes little
response Special house tax
concession Shopkeepers “detain” 3
power officials 6-cr plan to build schools PM to open science centre Parmanand inaugurates library building 350 students receive degrees HKS stir threat over wheat
price
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Hooda, Bhajan men on mobilisation
spree Gurgaon, February 23 In what is seen as a sharp move, Mr Hooda today made it known to an assembly of Congress workers here this afternoon that the February 25 rally was not related to any individual, but in the best interest of the farmers and the nation. He emphasised that the rally of the farmers would be addressed by the party President, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, and made a fervent plea to the partymen in Haryana to leave no stone unturned for its success. In a bid to infuse enthusiasm in the Congress rank and file, Mr Hooda said the days of the INLD government in Haryana were numbered. The farming community had been targeted for the collection of tariff even though the supply of power was erratic, he said. Although leaders from all factions took part in today’s meeting convened by the District Congress Committee (DCC) and vowed for mobilising support for the Delhi rally, the ground reality is that supporters of Mr Bhajan Lal are spending more time on his proposed Bhiwani event. The supporters of Mr Bhajan Lal are taking it with all seriousness. They want to demonstrate it as the test of Mr Bhajan Lal’s popularity. In fact, while their guards are dropped during private discussions, they are more elaborate on the Bhajan Lal’s public meeting. One senior minister even went to the extent of saying that in Gurgaon district there was less enthusiasm among the masses for the Delhi rally on account of large number of marriages coinciding on the same day. The political barometer within the Haryana Congress was raised with Mr Bhajan Lal announcing a public meeting in Bhiwani and Mr Hooda announcing a separate public meeting to be organised by HPCC at the same venue, which was to take place at a later date. Mr Bhajan Lal, made shrewd political moves by extending invitation to Mr Hooda for his public meeting. Incidentally, the two are arch rivals in the Haryana Congress. The other factions in the party are playing second fiddle to camps of either of the stalwarts. The strategy of the Hooda camp in the Congress is to avoid any reference to Mr Bhajan Lal’s camp till the time the Delhi rally was completed. Mr Hooda has convened a meeting of the general body of the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) at Bhiwani on February 27 to take stock of the situation. In fact, this meeting was earlier slated for February 18, but was shelved as the AICC took decision on the date for the Delhi rally. According to sources close to Mr Hooda, he was not inclined to attend Mr Bhajan Lal’s public meeting. |
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Cong men sink
differences Ambala, February 23 Talking to mediapersons here today, Mr Surjewala said the focus was on the farm sector. “The Congress has always stood for positive economic and social changes. The party has been the harbinger of new socio-economic ideas,” he said. “When there was food crisis in the country, the Congress had stressed on food security. We had brought in guarantee of remunerative prices for the grower. The farmer was not at loss and the nation had become food surplus. The public distribution system had been set up so that the poorest of the poor had food to eat,” he said. Mr Surjewala refused to be drawn into the controversy surrounding the March 4 rally being organised by Mr Bhajan Lal. “I have not received any formal invitation and the matter is with Mrs Sonia Gandhi, a decision on which will be taken after the February 25 rally,” he said. Meanwhile, Congress leaders of Ambala cantonment yesterday set aside their differences to attend a meeting called by Kalka MLA and Mr Bhajan Lal’s son, Mr Chander Mohan, at Congress Bhavan here on Friday for the March 4 rally. Unlike the meeting held a few days ago at Ambala city where a number of Congress activists had abstained today’s meeting was attended by most of the Congress activists of Ambala cantonment. The supporters of Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Mr Surjewala were present at the meeting, lending an air of unity in the faction-ridden Congress in the state. Later talking to mediapersons at the residence of Mr Darshan Lal Budhiraja, Mr Chander Mohan, said there was enthusiasm among people regarding the March 4 rally. “We are simultaneously preparing for the February 25 rally to be held in Delhi and for the March 4 rally. Among others, Ms Mohsina Kidwai is expected to attend the state Congress rally,” he said. To a query, Mr Chander Mohan said invitation had been extended to everyone. “We have invited everyone. We can only invite someone and not force someone to attend,” he said. “There is no doubt that all those who are opposing the March 4 rally are causing damage to the Congress in the state. The state rally is meant for strengthening the party and opposition against the rally will be considered as opposition against the party,” he said. He said people were unhappy with the functioning of the Chautala government and prepared to protest against it. “This process will start from the rally. The future plan of action will be decided in the rally,” he said. Among others, Mr S.K. Sharma, Mr Ashok Jain, Mr R.D. Dhamija, Mr Om Prakash Malik, Mr Hira Lal Yadav, Mr C.L. Kalra, Mr Phool Chand Mullana and Mr Randhir Chaudhary were present. CM’s warning threat to democracy:
CPM Rohtak, February 23 The Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala while addressing newsmen at Hisar yesterday had warned that those agitating against power tariff hike and canal water issues would be dealt with strictly. He had also alleged that opposition leaders were misleading people on these issues for political benefits. The CPM state Secretary, Mr Inderjit Singh, said the right to agitation and peaceful protest was guaranteed by the Constitution and its denial under the pretext of some court order would amount to subversion of democracy. The party asked the Chief Minister to instead change the style of functioning of his government as a result of which widespread resentment prevails among all sections of the people who were resorting to streets, he said. The Chief Minister should have ordered the police to be tough against the anti-social elements who were holding the society to ransom rather than asking it to frame cases against the agitationists, he said. The party was confident that the people of Haryana would express their rejection of these policies by remaining away from the proposed Kurukshetra “tamasha”, the CPM leader said. |
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27 centres set up for sugarcane
growers Kurukshetra, February 23 Against the target of 63 lakh quintals of sugarcane, the mill has crushed 34 lakh quintals of sugarcane till date and the recovery of sugar during the season is 10.25 per cent per quintal which is highest in Haryana. This was stated here yesterday by the Deputy Commissioner-cum-Chairperson of the sugar mill, Mrs Jyoti Arora. She said for the convenience of the sugarcane growers, the mill had established 27 purchasing centres in its reserved area . Mrs Arora said as per the policy of the Haryana Government, the payment was being made within 14 days through the banks and the cooperative societies while prices fixed by the government for early, mid and general varieties of the sugarcane were Rs 110, Rs 106 and Rs 104 per quintal, respectively. The facility of interest-free loan against the sugarcane seed for development of higher varieties, facility of hot and moist air sugarcane seed free of cost and subsidy at the rate of Rs 300 per acre for sowing treated seed and interest free loan along with 20 per cent subsidy on pesticides were the facilities being extended to the growers. Keeping in view the problem of sugar storage, a new godown with a storage capacity of 70,000 quintals was being constructed. |
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Providing homes to quake
victims
Chandigarh, February 23 The Finance Minister, Prof Sampat Singh, today replaced the Agriculture Minister, Mr Jaswinder Singh Sandhu, as the leader of the relief team camping in Rapar since January 31. Mr J. Sehgal, president of the Haryana chapter of the Indian Institute of Architects, has taken a team of the Rotarians of Faridabad to Rapar to construct 100 make-shift houses in about 20 villages adopted by Haryana. The houses, to be constructed with bamboo, "chatais" and polythene sheets, will be round in shape. The walls and the roof will be plastered with mud, to make the houses heat-proof. Till the quake victims are able to construct their own pucca houses, which will take months, if not years, the houses designed by Mr Sehgal will provide them with a better alternative to tents. The team, which has already constructed 55 such houses, is also imparting training to the villagers in Gujarat to construct such houses, which cost about Rs 5,000 each. The cost of the material is about Rs 3,200 and the rest is the labour component. In Suvai, once a prosperous village having several multi-storeyed houses, Mr Sehgal and his colleagues with the cooperation of the Haryana officials has constructed a multi-purpose building, comprising an anganwadi, patwari's house and a panchayat ghar. The entire taluka (tehsil) of Rapar has only one senior secondary school for girls. About 120 girls, who used to stay in the hostel, were left roof-less by the earthquake. Haryana has constructed 25 such structures to serve as the hostel for girls till some permanent structure is constructed. When the Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, visited a number of villages in Rapar taluka on February 16, he was urged by the grateful residents to help them in constructing houses. On his return to Chandigarh, he ordered the Haryana Police Housing Corporation to explore the possibility of constructing low-cost quake-resistant multi-purpose structures for the community use in the Rapar villages. The corporation sought the help of two reputed architects, Mr V.N. Shah, a former Chief Architect of Haryana, and Mrs Lilly Rai, to design the structures. The architects came out with a design which covers 2,000 sq. ft. and will cost about Rs 2 lakh. The material cost includes 2’’ tubular pipes for the frame of the structure. The walls will be of 12mm-thick Bison board and the roofing consist of asbestos corrugated sheets. The structures, with a conglomerate flooring and having a life of about 20 years, will be constructed in all the villages adopted by Haryana. The corporation has already dispatched the construction material to Rapar. The Chairman-cum-Managing Director, Mr B.R. Lal, will take a team of his engineers to Rapar tomorrow. According to Mr R.S. Doon, the senior-most Haryana officer camping in Rapar, the Haryana team in Rapar has started a fresh survey in the adopted villages to assess the villagers' need for ration and other relief material. It is already providing milk and refreshment to the children attending schools set up by the state. |
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HIGH COURT Chandigarh, February 23 Mr Bhadana filed the petition against Mr Hari Singh Nalwa, the defeated Congress candidate and on whose petition Mr Bhadana’s election had been set aside, mainly on the ground that Mr Bhadana was not competent to contest the election on the ground that he was taking advantage from the state and had entered into contracts with the state and therefore, he suffered a disability under Section 9 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. On the other hand, Mr Bhadana in his recrimination petition had alleged Mr Arun Kumar, one of the candidates in the election, was given Rs 20,000 as bribe by Mr Nalwa in the presence of some persons. This made him a candidate to bring down Mr Bhadana’s votes. Therefore, he had already committed a corrupt practice. The Judge, however, observed that no such allegations were made in the main case and that it would not make any difference that if the number of votes secured by such candidate would affect the result of either side. Rather the lost candidate, Mr Nalwa, won on ground of incompetency of the winning candidate and prima facie the allegations (against Mr Nalwa) false and frivolous. Ex- Dy Speaker gets pre-arrest bail
Tribune News Service adds: Mr Ved Pal had earlier contended, that Mr Chautala was openly announcing that the petitioner would be put in jail in some case. Giving details, he had added that Mr Chautala, during a visit to his constituency in 1996, had declared that the petitioner would be arrested the day he became Chief Minister. Higher increment grant remains
Allowing a writ petition filed by head teachers working in the state of Haryana, a Division Bench of the High Court today quashed an order withdrawing the benefit of higher benefit increment earlier granted to the petitioners. In their petition taken up by Mr Justice Amar Bir Singh Gill and Mr Justice V.S. Aggarwal, Hem Raj Singh and Krishan Singh had contended that the increment was granted to them on their promotion from the post of JBT teachers. |
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Nitish opens
institute Karnal, February 23 He was here to inaugurate the Horticulture Training Institute at Uchani, about 8 km from the city. The institute, first of its type in the state, has been built at a cost of Rs 528 lakh. It has been constructed under the supervision of CCS Agricultural University (Hisar). The minister called upon the farmers to start diversification of cropping pattern in order to earn more. He wanted that the farmers should start growing pulses and oil seeds on a large-scale in order to end the scarcity of these food articles in the country. He stated that as fruits and flowers were more in use in the international market, India was exploring avenues for the export of these items. The Union Government was providing 25 per cent subsidy on the construction of cold storages for the preservation of fruits, vegetables and flowers. The Agriculture Minister said there was need to expand the market for horticulture-based products. The aim of the institute is to improve the manpower, planning and management with a view to upgrade the quality and relevance of education and in service training programme. The Chief Minister, Mr O.P. Chautala, presided over the function. |
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HVP flays hike in form
price Kurukshetra, February 23 Addressing a meeting of party workers at Bairagi Dharamshala here today, he described the move as a crude joke on the unemployed youth. He alleged the state government was taking advantage of the helplessness of the poor candidates as the amount was more than that charged from the HPSC and UPSC candidates. Mr Surinder Singh said the recruitment would be for 1600 posts only whereas about 1 lakh unemployed youth would apply for the posts. The state government would earn crores of rupees at the cost of unemployed and poor people, he said. Mr Surinder Singh alleged that Chautala government had miserably failed to fulfil the promises made to the public in general and to the farmers in particular, before coming to power. He said the farmers in the state had been promised round-the-clock power supply as well as irrigation water free of cost, instead these were made expensive. During Mr Bansi Lal’s regime, he claimed, the people used to get 24-hour power supply. Mr Bansi Lal laid foundation stones for various electricity generation plants, including Hathini Kund Barrage at Yamuna Nagar, and had the party been in power for another six months, construction work at 500 mw plants each at Hisar and Yamuna Nagar, would have begun. He claimed that the Bansi Lal wave was on in the state. Among others, who attended the meeting, were Mr Jitender Kaka, general secretary and Mr Balbir Singh, media adviser of the
HVP. Bandh evokes little
response Sonepat, February 23 This correspondent found that the fruit and vegetable market remained open as usual and the arhtias and retailers did a roaring business. In other areas like Halwai hatta and Ganhj bazar, most of the shops were open. Similar situation prevailed in Ram bazar, Sikka colony area, Municipal market and the Sarang road. However, the shops in Gita Bhavan Chowk, Ashok Nagar, Railway road, Telephone Exchange road, Anaaj Mandi etc remained closed. The police had made adequate security arrangements to check any untoward incident during the bandh. Duty Magistrates and senior district and police officials were put on duty to keep a strict vigil on the situation. The Deputy Commissioner, Mr Sudhir Rajpal, and the SP, Mr Paramjit Singh Ahlawat ,were busy for the visit of the Chief Minister, Mr Om Parkash Chautala, at Mandora village in the district. The mobile vans of the police and the district officials went round the city and appealed to the people to remain peaceful and not to put any pressure on anyone for closing their shops. Meanwhile, several hundred shopkeepers affiliated to the samiti and other trade organisations took out a procession here today in support of their demands. Carrying placards and raising anti-government slogans they marched through the main bazars and proceeded towards the mini-secretariat where a rally was held. The rally was
addressed by the leaders of the samiti and other trade organisations. They urged the state government to order immediate withdrawal of new policy for the house tax and professional tax to avoid confrontation with the people. A memorandum was also handed over to the district authorities on this issue. Workers of the BSP also sat on a dharna in front of Deputy Commissioner’s office. |
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Special house tax
concession Chandigarh, February 23 An official spokesman said the government had rationalised the structure of house tax and exemptions being given to categories such as small property owners, ex-servicemen, widows, handicapped persons and various types of institution. He clarified that the exemption limit for these categories of owners had now been doubled to Rs 2,400 in the case of municipal councils and Rs 1,200 in the municipal committee areas. Describing the process of assessment of the rental value of property in the state, the spokesman said after a test survey was carried out in areas under five municipal committees, the government had decided to give the special concession to bring the house tax assessment on a par with that paid by the residents in the past. While the survey of property was being conducted by the municipal committees through their own staff or private surveyors engaged for the purpose, each individual was also being given a self-assessment form. The process after self-assessment would be transparent and the property owners would not be left at the mercy of the assessment staff. This would also remove any element of corruption at the municipal level. The entire assessment would be publicly displayed before issuing the tax bills. |
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Shopkeepers “detain” 3
power officials Rohtak, February 23 According to information, Raj Kumar, a member of the vigilance team, Tirath Ram, assistant lineman and Pratap, a foreman of the UHBVN reached a shop, ‘Ganga Libas’ for inspecting the power meter at nearly 3.30 p.m. They detatched the meter saying the seal was broken. This infuriated the shopkeeper and his attendants who exchanged hot words with them. Mr Shripal, owner of the shop told this correspondent that the power employees had offered him to pay an amount to them for sparing the shop from inspection of electricity meters. However, they allegedly raided the shop when the shopkeeper declined the offer. The employees have reportedly confessed to have committed the offence of breaking the seal themselves in black and white. |
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6-cr plan to build schools Chandigarh, February 23 Minister of state for Education, Bahadur Singh said the construction work would be undertaken for those 100 schools which were being run in makeshift buildings or where the classes were being run in the open because of the rising number of students. The minister said 131 primary schools were running in make-shift buildings. Also, 56 primary schools were running in rented buildings. He said there were 1795 middle schools functioning in the state and no middle school was functioning in the open. He said the Education Department had been directed to prepare a plan for the next ten years. |
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PM to open science centre Kurukshetra, February 23 This was disclosed by the Haryana Transport Minister, Mr Ashok Kumar Arora, while addressing the workers at Pipli PWD Rest House here today. Mr Arora said the Prime Minister would lay the foundation stone of a parikarma on southern side of Bharamsarovar to be constructed by the local development board at a cost of Rs 3.65 crore. The minister said Prime Minister would also inaugurate a Panorama and Science Centre constructed at a cost of Rs 5.20 crore and address a rally at a theme park near ‘Gurudawara Chati Patsahi’ at 1.00 p.m. on the same day. Mr Maya Ram, INLD district President, Mr Mehar Singh Malik, INLD Vice-President, Mr Sat Pal Jangra, Mr Karnail Singh, Mr Dharam Singh and Mr Ram Nath were present on the occasion. |
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Parmanand inaugurates library building Sonepat, February 23 Speaking at a function organised by the Guru Ravidass Shikhsha Samiti in connection with the Guru Ravidass Jayanti celebrations at Gohana town, 35 km from here, on Wednesday, the Governor said people of all castes and communities should work for strengthening the society. The Governor paid rich tributes to Dr Ambedkar and called upon the people to follow his path for serving the poor in the country. Earlier, the Governor inaugurated a newly constructed Dr B.R. Ambedkar Library Bhavan in Guru Ravidass Nagar of the town. The bhavan has been constructed by the Guru Ravidass Shikhsha Samiti. 350 students receive degrees Shahabad,
February 23 In his convocation address, Mr Chaudhry advised the girls to work hard and be self reliant. In her report, the Principal, Mrs Raman Kanta Sharma, threw light on the activities of the mahavidyalya. The girls of this college had set records and achieved positions at the state, university and the national level. The Principal donated Rs 24,000, contributed by the students and the staff of the college, towards the Gujarat earthquake funds, to the Vice-Chancellor. The Principal of the Markanda National College, Shahabad, Dr K.L. Miglani, also donated Rs 31,000 towards the Gujarat relief fund, on the occasion. |
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HKS stir threat over wheat
price Chandigarh, February 23 In a press statement issued here today, Mr Satpal Kaushik, general secretary of the HKS, said while the cost of agricultural inputs had gone up twofold last year, the government was not ready to offer a reasonable price to the farmers for their produce. Alleging that Haryana Government ministers and officials were squandering crores of rupees, the statement added that the state government did not give any attention to the disbursement of grain stockpiled in the godowns of the state for three to four years. It said that the ruling INLD-BJP alliance of Haryana should not forget the tall promises made by them to the farmers before coming to power in Haryana. Thousands of HKS members would take part in the farmers’ rally being held at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi on February 25 to protest against the anti-farmer policies of the Centre, the statement added. Youths loot train passengers Sonepat, February 23 The police said they (armed youths), boarded the train at Sonepat and immediately started looting the passengers. Some passengers who resisted them were attacked with knives and sustained injuries. The condition of the two is stated to be serious, the police said. The culprits, however, escaped with looted valuables.
PTI |
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Robbers kill retired policeman Kaithal, February 23 According to information, six armed men attacked the house of retired Head Constable Gopi Chand Walia at about 2 a.m. They injured Gopi Chand and his wife with sharp-edged weapons when the couple resisted the attempt. Gopi Chand succumbed to injuries. Gopi Chand, son and daughter-in-law, who were sleeping in the adjoining room, were also attacked by the robbers. In the meantime, the neighbour on hearing cries, came to their rescue. However, the assailants fired in the air to scare them away. Rajesh was injured in the firing. The robbers took away cash and jewellery. The injured were admitted to the local Civil Hospital, Kaithal and later shifted to Patiala. The SP, Mr A.S. Chawla, said special teams had been dispatched to nab the culprits. The hand of Bawaria tribe is suspected behind the robbery. Five vehicle thieves held Gurgaon, February 23 According to the district police, following a tip-off a raid was conducted on the premises of the local Krishi Gyan Kendra where the five were making plan to steal vehicles. A stolen Maruti car and countrymade weapons, including two guns were seized from them. Those arrested are Jai Prakash of Bhoda Kalan, Dharamvir of Mandi in Hisar district, Dinesh of Barota in Gurgaon district, Surender of Jhajhar, Kisan Rajput of Merrut and Mohan of Basti-both in Uttar Pradesh. |
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Rs 136 cr paid to cane growers Chandigarh, February 23 The Chairman of the Haryana Sugar Federation, Mr Banta Ram, said the Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, had instructed the cooperative sugar mills to make payments to the cane growers within 15 days of the purchase. Grievance
panels Chandigarh, February 23 |
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