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| Thursday,
May 10, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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New Haryana-HP transport pact
likely Separate sessions division sought Scuffle hits forum working Irate farmers
block traffic Tubewell to overcome water shortage Nitish announces education project 10-yr term for carrying
poppy husk |
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Alcoholics Anonymous — a successful battle Drivers seek action against cops 16 IPS officers
for Centre Defer repayment of
loans: Chautala Speculation on Bhajan, Governor meeting SHO, 2 ASIs
suspended CJM summons Rupan Deol Bajaj 2 killed, 10 hurt as jeep overturns
Strike hits work at petrol stations HERC hearing concludes
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New
Haryana-HP transport pact likely Chandigarh, May 9 According to informed sources, the Himachal authorities have responded positively to the Haryana demand because the former have described the exceeding of the quota by its buses in Haryana territory as their compulsion. The agreement between the two states to ply buses in each other’s territory was signed about eight years ago. The agreement provided that each state would ply its buses on about 21,000 km of the other’s territory every day. However, while Haryana buses cover about 15,000 km in Himachal Pradesh every day, the fleet of the latter runs on about 35,000 km in Haryana. Thus, Himachal overshoots the agreed route length by about 14,000 km. Haryana Roadways feels that the Himachal buses are cutting into its profits. The sources say Himachal has also offered concessions to passengers if they travel in groups. The concessions include the offering of a free ticket after a certain number of passengers. Haryana feels that this leads to unnecessary competition on the lines of commercial organisations, while both in Haryana and Himachal passenger transport is in the public sector. The Haryana authorities feel that their state may be losing tax on free tickets. Also, Haryana wants that the bus fare for its territory should be on a par with that charged by its buses. All these issues were taken up by a team of the Haryana Transport Department led by the Commissioner, Transport, Mr R.N. Prasher, with the Himachal authorities yesterday. A team of Himachal officers led by the Secretary, Transport, Ms Renu Sahwney Dhar, had come here to sort out various angularities which had cropped up in the 1993 agreement. Ms Dhar reportedly told the Haryana officers that since Himachal was a landlocked state, its people wanted better and frequent bus linkages to Delhi and other parts of the country. Therefore, it was the compulsion of the Himachal authorities to exceed the quota. She reportedly offered to Haryana to run its buses on equal length of routes. If that was not possible, she said, Himachal would have no objection if private operators ran their buses on behalf of the Haryana Government in Himachal territory. The sources say the Haryana authorities liked Ms Dhar’s suggestion. The two sides also asked the field staff to resolve certain operational problems, like a common time-table, among themselves before a new agreement was signed. |
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Separate sessions division sought Yamunanagar, May 9 He said members of the Bar had been longing for the posting of a full-fledged District and Sessions Judge in the district but the same could not be achieved. He added that earlier there had been lack of suitable infrastructure for housing the district and sessions court but with the opening up of the new judicial complex in September, the problem regarding the building of the district and sessions court had been solved now that the building of the sessions house had also been completed as such there was no hurdle in the creation of a sessions division. The president stated that with the creation of a sessions division, it would also help the litigants. He stated that now they had a judicial complex consisting of 15 courts. At present, three additional district judges were working at Jagadhari courts exercising all judicial functions of the district and session judge, except administrative powers. He further demanded for creating fast track courts at Jagadhari. He said there was no post office either in mini secretariat nor in the judicial complex. |
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Scuffle hits forum working Kurukshetra, May 9 According to the district police chief, Mr Desraj Singh, a case under Sections 341, 332, 353 and 506 of the IPC has been registered against Mr Gupta for threatening Mr Bataan with dire consequences, assaulting him to create obstruction on duty and forcibly detaining him while another case under Section 353 of the IPC has been registered against Mr Bataan for beating up Mr Gupta. Meanwhile, on behalf of the forum Chairman, Mr Gupta, a notice has been pasted on the notice board on the forum premises saying that the forum working will remain suspended due to the misbehaviour of Mr Bataan. The differences between Mr Gupta and Mr Bataan surfaced while writing the decision of a case on May 4 last. The differences were raised to such an extent that both of them had a scuffle in the presence of forum staff and the litigants on the premises of the forum. |
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Irate farmers
block traffic Sonepat, May 9 According to a report, a large number of vehicles were lined up on both sides of the road causing inconvenience to the public. On receiving information, the SDO (Civil), the Deputy Superintendent of Police, a Naib Tehsildar and the SHO of Baroda police station reached the spot and assured the farmers that the authorities concerned would make arrangements for the proper supply of gunny bags. The farmers then lifted the blockade. In a similar case, farmers held up traffic on the Gohana-Jind road, near Gohana town, 35 km from here. They lifted the blockade on the intervention of the SHO, Gohana and the secretary Market Committee, when they assured the farmers of a regular supply of gunny bags. Meanwhile, a group of farmers, led by Mr Hari Singh Khokhar, president of the state unit of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), started an indefinite dharna in front of the SDM’s office at Gohana town yesterday to register their protest against the shortage of gunny bags and other malpractices during the procurement of wheat by officials of various agencies. Mr Khokhar also warned that if the administration failed to make suitable arrangements for the supply, the union activists would have no alternative but to launch an indefinite fast within a few days. |
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Tubewell to overcome water shortage
Kalka, May 9 However, to tackle the immediate drinking water shortage problem, she ordered to provide water to residents through tankers. She also directed the Executive Engineer of the Public Health Department that work of laying of 10 inch underground pipeline from Housing Board Colony up to Gandhi Chowk, which is in progress, should be completed at the earliest. The Deputy Commissioner also held a meeting with Sub Divisional-level officials, Municipal Commissioners of Kalka-Pinjore and prominent citizens of the town and noted the main problems being faced by residents of the town. On this occasion, district vice-president of the INLD Randhir Chaudhary requested that in order to improve power supply in the town, 6 KV power house, which has already been sanctioned should be installed at the earliest. She directed the Xen (Electricity) to take necessary action in this regard and put up the report to her in the next meeting. The non-availability of an eye specialist in the Civil Hospital was also brought to her notice. She directed the CMO to provide services of an eye specialist of a Panchkula hospital for two days in a week for Kalka Hospital until a regular eye doctor is posted. She also ordered the officials concerned to expeditiously complete the construction work of the connecting road between Kalka and Tipra. Opening of an electricity bill collection counter at Saket Hospital building at Chandi Mandir was also ordered. Members of the Ram Bagh Society brought to the notice of the Deputy Commissioner that in case “danghas” were not constructed in the Sukhna nadi, there was a serious danger of washing away of the Ram Bag cremation ground located in Sukhna nadi in the ensuing raining season. Upgradation of the primary health centre of Pinjore to that of Community Centre was also demanded. The Deputy Commissioner said that she would hold open darbars at regular intervals to remove grievances of public.  |
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Nitish announces education project Narwana (Jind), May 9 Mr Nitish Kumar was addressing a large public gathering on the occasion of the foundation stone laying ceremony of the Institute of Cooperative Management at Narwana today. Hailing the role of Devi Lal in the uplift of farmers and development of the agriculture sector, he said besides this, an all-India Agriculture Coordinated Research Project had been initiated for which an award had also been instituted in the memory of the departed leader. Paying tributes to the late leader, Mr Nitish Kumar said he owed his present day position to Devi Lal and added that his Samata Party and the INLD were one and the same and all of them were members of the same family. He assured the farmers that the Central Government would do everything possible to ensure that the interests of the farmers were not adversely affected by the WTO. To ensure this, heavy duties had been levied on the import of wheat, rice and milk. The Government of India had recently also increased the import duty on edible oils for ensuring remunerative prices for oil seeds. He informed the farmers that their interests were safe in the hands of the present government led by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee who had recently increased the minimum support price for their wheat produce. A similar increase had also been ensured for the rabi crops which included mustard etc. This price policy would also be followed for kharif crops so that the farmers did not suffer any losses. Mr Nitish Kumar also said a new national agriculture policy was being implemented throughout the country and a crop insurance scheme had been specially launched in every state for farmers at the panchayats level so that the benefits of the scheme percolate to the grassroots. He advocated a policy which would ensure good value for the produce of the farmers and at the same time reasonable prices for the consumers. He stressed that farmers should also adopt cash crops and fruit production which would pay rich dividents. To encourage this, a fruit processing industrial unit at a cost of Rs 4 crore would be set up in Haryana, he declared. Speaking to mediapersons soon after the programme, he said 50 lakh tonnes of wheat would be exported this year and added that 150 trains were waiting in Bangladesh to be unloaded. He said despite drought like situation in the states of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Chhattisgarh, the country had ample stocks of foodgrains. He also said that a central team would soon visit Haryana to assess the losses incurred due to hailstorms and rain as the Haryana Government had demanded Rs 613 crore from the Centre. The Minister announced a financial assistance of Rs 30 lakh for the construction of the building of the institute and said the Union Government would bear its recurring expenditure and would also provide more grants from time to time. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Chautala said during the past 22 months crop loans worth Rs 3,420 crore had been advanced by the cooperative banks in the state and for the current year a target of Rs 2,380 crore had been set. Similarly, cooperative land development banks had provided investment credit of Rs 476.20 crore during the last 22 months and for the current year a target of Rs 300 crore had been fixed. He demanded an assistance of Rs 300 crore from the Government of India for clearing the balance sheets of cooperative institutions which were helping the farmers. The Financial Commissioner and Secretary, Cooperative Department, Mr M.K. Miglani, in his welcome address said the Institute of Cooperative Management coming up at Narwana was the 15th institute of its kind in the country and the first in Haryana. It would be built at a cost of Rs 1.50 crore and would cater not only to the people of the state, but even those from other states, he added. |
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10-yr term for carrying
poppy husk Narnaul, May 9 The Judge also ordered that in default of the payment of the fine, Lal Chand would further undergo rigorous imprisonment for two years. According to the case Jhaber Singh, Excise Inspector, Om Prakash Deri and Hukam Singh, ASI, had laid a naka at tax checking point at Nangal Chaudhry. When the truck of the accused was checked it was found that it was carrying 99 bags of poppy husk along with 250 bags of chips. The samples were collected and sent to FSL at Madhuban. The guilty pleaded for leniency saying he had an old mother to support. |
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Alcoholics Anonymous — a successful battle Ambala, May 9 Mr Y’s family members are unhappy since alcohol has begun to dominate his life. His relationships are strained and Mr Y, who has always performed well in academics, seems now to be bereft of logic and clear thinking in his alcoholic haze. There is help which is not far to seek. Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) has undertaken a yeoman’s service here and the process of reforming the alcoholics has begun here. While anonymity is stressed by the alcoholics, those who have successfully battled the booze speak of the changes pre and post-alcohol. The transition is marked. Talking and counselling alcoholics by the reformed alcoholics is part of the therapy by AA. Alcoholics anoymous is an organisation of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope and with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism. A member of Alcoholics Anonymous says the only requirement for the membership is a desire to stop drinking. “There are no dues or fees for AA membership, we are self-supporting through our own contribution. We are there for any alcoholic,” he adds. Alcoholics Anonymous hold meetings every Thursday between 6.30 p.m. to 7.30 p.m. at a primary school in a church, behind the GPO in Ambala cantonment. A reformed alcoholic observes that there is no medical cure for alcoholism. “Its victims are usually forced to wage a losing battle, not only against the ravages of the disease, but also against the ignorance of a society which refuses to regard the alcoholic as a sick person,” he adds. “Many alcoholics continue to suffer when they either fail or refuse to recognise their illness because of the stigma that has been attached to its name through centuries of neglect to treat alcoholism as an illness,” he opines. AA members believe that alcoholism is an illness, a progressive disease which cannot be cured but which like some other illness, can be arrested. Many AAs feel that the illness represents the combination of physical sensitivity to alcohol, with a mental obsession to drink which regardless of consequences, cannot be broken by willpower alone. This implies that the alcoholics should abstain from alcohol altogether. The alcoholics can never indulge in ‘controlled drinking’. They have to keep away from the first drink. An AA member states “Remember, it is not how much you drink, how often you drink, when you drink or what liquor you drink. Alcoholism implies compulsive drinking. If you drink when you don’t want to drink, you are certainly an alcoholic, you may have crossed the line from normal or social drinking to alcoholic drinking.” Alcoholics Anonymous offer hope for the desperate alcoholics. AA gives an opportunity for sympathetic mutual discussions with other members, thereby helping to relieve the alcoholics of the burden of complexes and self-recriminations. At AA meeting there is identification at depth between the recovering alcoholics and the new comers and AA welcomes the alcoholics not inspite of their drinking but because of their drinking. An AA meeting usually consists of three parts - a talk on alcoholism or the recovery programme of AA, an autobiographical story and questions and answers. AA is promising not just hope but also the regaining a life which had become a slave to alcohol. |
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Drivers seek action against cops Faridabad, May 9 In a memorandum submitted by a delegation of autorickshaw drivers to the Deputy Commissioner here today, they have charged the policemen with harassing the drivers who failed to oblige them. They alleged the in charge of the chowki and other policemen had been riding in autorickshaws without paying for the services. Any one who dared to say no, invited their warth, they said. The alleged on May 7 a policeman had asked an autorickshaw driver to do some work without paying charges. When the driver refused to do the job, a police team raided the place and challaned the vehicle, they said. They appealed to the Deputy Commissioner to take action against the ‘erring’ policemen. |
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16 IPS officers
for Centre Chandigarh, May 9 According to informed sources, the IPS officers whose names have been forwarded for the Central deputation range from Inspector-General of Police to Superintendents of Police. The officers whose names have been recommended to the Centre include the Director-General (Rules), Mr Nirmal Singh of the 1968 batch, Mr V.B. Singh (1976), Mr P.V. Rathee(1977), Mr Satyendra Kumar (1979), Mr Mohinder Lal(1983), Mr Sheel Madhur (1985), Mr K. Selvaraj (1985), Mr M.S. Malik (1991), Mr Ajay Singhal (1992), Ms Kala Ramachandran (1994), Mr Navdeep Virk (1994), Mr Srikant Jadhav (1994) and Mr Sanjeev Jain. |
Defer repayment of
loans: Chautala Chandigarh, May 9 The Chief Minister called on Mr Vajpayee at his residence in New Delhi last evening and discussed the issue among other things, an official statement said here. Mr Chautala informed the Prime Minister that Haryana had suffered a heavy loss of revenue due to prohibition, heavy expenditure on combating terrorism and the implementation of the power sector reform programme, the statement said. The Chief Minister also sought financial assistance from the National Natural Calamity Fund to compensate the farmers affected by the recent hailstorms. He told the Prime Minister that the farmers in the state had suffered a loss of Rs 600 crore due to the hailstorms. Mr Chautala also sought extension of the Food for Work programme for states not affected by drought. |
Speculation on Bhajan, Governor meeting Chandigarh, May 9 When contacted, Mr Bhajan Lal described the meeting as a “courtesy call”. He said after the last Assembly session he had not called on the Governor. He said as the Leader of Opposition it was his duty to do so. He said he would not be able to participate in the Congress rally to be held in Panipat on May 20 because he had to visit London during those days to attend the marriage of the son of a friend. The Panipat rally is being organised by the president of the Haryana Congress, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, bete noire of Mr Bhajan
Lal. |
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SHO, 2 ASIs suspended Hisar, May 9 A police spokesman said SHO Prem Singh and ASIs Jagdish and Ramesh Kumar have been transferred to the Police Lines after suspension and an order had been issued for taking action against them. He said Constable Mohan Lal posted in the Adampur police station had also been transferred to the Police Lines for his alleged involvement in “satta”. Meanwhile, the district police claimed to have busted a gang of “satta” operators with the arrest of Umed Singh of Dhigtana village. The police chief said a mobile phone, Rs 5,130 in cash, a Maruti car and printed slips of various type were recovered from his possession. He said about 30 persons from various parts of the district, including an inspector of the Excise and Taxation Department, posted in Sirsa had been booked under the Excise Act.
PTI |
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CJM summons Rupan Deol Bajaj Sirsa, May 9 According to information received today, the CJM has issued the summons in connection with a defamation case filed by Mr Abhay
Chautala, MLA from Rori, and the son of Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala for making a derogatory comment on his father. |
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2
killed, 10 hurt as jeep overturns Fatehabad, May 9 One of the injured, Mr Tota Ram, a resident of Ferozepore district in Punjab said he had come to Shekhupur village in this district with his family members in connection with a bhog ceremony of his brother-in-law. When they were returning to their native place in a hired jeep, an oil tanker coming from the opposite direction hit the jeep following which the jeep driver lost control of the vehicle and it overturned. He said he rushed to nearby Dariyapur village and hired a jeep and brought the injured to a local hospital. But by then two of the victims had already died. The deceased have been identified as the jeep driver Pooran Chand and Gandhi Ram. The injured are Nek Ram, Savitri, Parvati, Baguli, Om Vanti, Maya Devi, Guddi, Kishan and
Madhu. |
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Rapists paraded through town Panipat, May 9 The suspects were escorted by a police contingent to save them from the fury of the public. They have been taken into police custody till tomorrow. Both suspects are alleged to have raped a minor girl on April 27 when her parents were away at Panipat to attend a marriage. After committing rape, the suspects allegedly threw her in a deep canal. Both of them were handed over to the police and during interrogation they confessed to the crime. The body of the girl was recovered from Jui canal in Bhiwani district after seven days of the incident. |
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Strike hits work at petrol stations Panipat, May 9 According to available information, the transporters are demanding increase in their present freight rates. The marketing division authorities and the transport associations are holding discussion on the issue. |
HERC hearing concludes Panchkula, May 9 On behalf of the rice-millers, Mr Parmesh Bindal, contended that no increase in the MMC could be made in violation of the provisions of the Indian Electricity Act, 1910. In its application for an increase in tariff, the HVPN had not sought an increase in the MMC. He said the reasoning given by the HERC to justify the increase in the MMC had no legal support. He contended that the provisions regarding the MMC in the 1910 Act had been ignored while increasing the MMC, which could not be charged in the absence of a valid agreement between the consumer and the power utility. |
Power nigams extend scheme to units Chandigarh, May 9 While stating this here today, a spokesman of the nigams said initially the scheme was launched for domestic and non-domestic categories only. The scheme would continue up to May 31 |
Haryana spares 2 police officers Chandigarh, May 9 |
Chautala heads
reconstituted panel Chandigarh, May 9 The Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, will be the Chairman of the committee, while Prof Teja Singh will be its Deputy Chairman. |
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2 killed in mishaps Kaithal, May 9 In the first incident, a rickshawpuller was seriously injured when he was hit by a jeep carrying passengers at Pundri, 16 km from here, this evening. He later succumbed to his injuries. In another incident, Rattan Singh (50) of Pahnawa village was run over by a tractor-trailer and killed last night. |
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