 |
| Tuesday,
August 7, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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HC cancels
engineering college entrance test Cong
woos non-Jats UHBVN to
regularise illegal connections Crimes
against women ‘decreasing’ Police helpline in Haryana soon |
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Haryana YC launches membership drive YC drive
against corrupt officials Cong warns
against low paddy price Ex-MC chief, 13 others to move HC Chaotic
traffic on Sonepat roads Refresher
course on defence studies Residents’
protest turns violent, case
registered Taxi
driver found murdered State BJP
meeting on Aug 11 Agarwal
is law institute director
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HC cancels engineering college
entrance test Chandigarh, August 6 Pronouncing the directions, the Bench, comprising Mr Justice Amar Bir Singh Gill and Mr Justice Swatanter Kumar, observed that the examination had not been conducted in a fair manner. In their detailed order, the Judges observed that serious prejudice had been caused to the students, who had taken the test, due to mistakes in the paper resulting in mental agony. Today’s order cancelling the examination for admission to the Bachelor of Engineering, Architecture and certain other courses in engineering colleges all over the state is significant as over 30,000 students had taken the test for 7,000 seats. As many as 25 students, in their petition against the state of Haryana, the university and other respondents, had earlier stated that there were certain irregularities in the entrance test. Giving details, counsel for the petitioners had stated on their behalf that the specimen answersheet was different from the ones handed over to the students during the test. Moreover, certain questions had incorrect options. He had further claimed that contradictory instructions were issued an hour after the examination commenced. |
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Cong
woos non-Jats Chandigarh,
August 6 During the
previous Assembly elections, the Congress could manage to win only a
few seats in the non-Jat belt along the GT Road. Barring Ahirwal, the
Congress performance in the non-Jat belt was pathetic. In contrast,
the INLD belied the general impression about it that its influence was
mainly confined to the Jat belt of Haryana. The GT Road belt, also
known as the “tubewell belt”, voted overwhelmingly in favour of
the INLD because the party in its earlier incarnation of the Janata
Dal under the leadership of Mr Devi Lal had left a lasting impression
on the farming community in this belt by providing it with largely
satisfactory power supply. Surprisingly, the Congress did relatively
better in the so-called Jat belt. The party is concerned that despite
having several non-Jat leaders of stature among its ranks, it was
found to be on a slippery wicket in the non-Jat belt. To woo this
belt, the Haryana Congress president, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, has
decided to visit the non-Jat belt extensively in the next few months.
Under the party’s campaign, “Congress Chaupal ki Aur”, Mr Hooda
will visit several villages in this belt every week. He will be
accompanied by local party leaders. The campaign will also provide
an opportunity to Mr Hooda to answer his critics, who often accuse him
of being a “leader of Rohtak and Sonepat”. How far Mr Hooda will
succeed in establishing his influence in the non-Jat belt of the
state, only time will tell. Mr Hooda has already covered pockets of
Ambala, Yamunanagar and Kurukshetra districts. Currently he is
visiting the Ahirwal area. His supporters claim that the public
response to his meetings is encouraging. However, the ruling party
does not seem perturbed over Mr Hooda’s campaign. The INLD general
secretary, Mr Pardeep Chaudhry, said the Congress was still to end its
infighting. Its various factions were more interested in settling
scores with one another than in cornering the ruling party. He said
this was amply demonstrated by the Congress by its dismal performance
in the last Vidhan Sabha session. He said for the first time the
so-called non-Jat belt was finding its voice heard in the corridors of
power. It would not be misled by the frustrated Congress leaders. |
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UHBVN to
regularise
illegal connections Rohtak, August 6 According to official sources, a sizeable number of residents in almost every village in the state were getting power supply in an unauthorised manner. Because of these malpractices, the line losses in the rural areas were about 45 per cent as against the tolerable limit of 21 per cent. As per the new scheme, a UHBVN team comprising an SDO (OP), Junior Engineer and linemen, would daily visit the villages under their jurisdiction to provide an opportunity to persons using unauthorised connections to get their connections regularised. These officials would also help the genuine prospective applicants by releasing new domestic and non-domestic connections in the villages. A spokesman for the UHBVN told this correspondent that the new scheme would be taken up in all operation circles of the nigam in Haryana. It would simultaneously launched from Kheri-Kumhar village in Rohtak operation circle and Shadipur Sainda (Kurukshetra), Noni (Ambala), Tejli (Yamunanagar) , Zarifabad (Karnal), Ikkas (Jind) and Shehzadpur
(Sonepat). The spokesman said a clerk of the Sub-Divisional Office would carry the consumer ledgers of the concerned village along with other records. He would also carry with him the requisite forms required for the release of new connections. An electrical contractor, he said, would also be asked to be present in the village to provide test reports at site for releasing new connections. The nigam would ensure that sufficient number of repaired meters were available on the day for the installation by the team. The team would carry the required material, such as cable, cut-out etc while visiting the village so that the new connection was released on the same day. |
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Crimes against women ‘decreasing’ Gurgaon, August 6 According to the police chief, all kinds of crime against women have
decreased, including cases of eyeteasing and chain snatching. The police, for the first time in many years, asserted that crimes against women were not concentrated in Mewat, a Meo-dominated area and considered to be the most backward place in Haryana. Mr Sihag asserted that cases of murder and culpable homicide were also on the decrease and cited statistics to prove his point. It is another matter that these statistics have been compiled and collated by the Police Department. The police chief attributed the fall in the rate of crimes to a number of steps taken by the department. One of these was the introduction of “beat” system for the constabulary. Teams, each led by an Assistant Sub-Inspector, were assigned localities in the district and were responsible for checking crime in their respective beats. A drive under the Motor Vehicles Act was paying rich dividends. The ban on tinted window panes had given the force an upper hand against the anti-social elements. Cases of theft of vehicles, he said, had decreased and several gangs involved in such theft had been busted. He said these gangs stole vehicles, especially motor cycles, and sold these in the Bharatpur area in Rajasthan. Mr Sihag said the force’s ongoing campaign to hone the skills of the Investigating Officers had helped in preparing foolproof cases against criminals by the state. He was hopeful that two new police stations in Sectors 5 and 55-56 would be set up by the end of the year. |
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Police
helpline in Haryana soon Ambala, August 6 Talking to mediapersons here today after inspecting the offices of IG Ambala Range and SP Ambala, Mr Malik said he had held an informal meeting with Commissioner Ambala Division regarding greater police involvement in the social direction. “We are going to start a police helpline with the objective of helping the needy and helpless in times of distress. Vehicles having first aid and water can be provided by the district Red
Cross. This will enable timely help for persons like the elderly”, he said. Mr Malik said they were also thinking of starting the neighbourhood watch scheme. “The neighbourhood watch scheme is already prevalent in Delhi and other cosmopolitan areas. For instance, in Panchkula colonies have boundary wall and gates. Similarly, we can start the scheme in other areas and we can provide volunteers who can look after 50 houses,” he said. He said directions had been given to the Superintendent of Police of the districts regarding servant verification and preparation of a tenants’ list. Mr Malik said the Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, had recently met the Union Home Minister, Mr L.K. Advani. One India Reserve Battalion had been sanctioned for which the Centre would pay Rs 13 crore. After raising of the battalion, the cost would be split equally between the Centre and the state. The India Reserve Battalion would be headquartered in Bhondsi. A second India Reserve Battalion would be raised in 2003. The DGP, Haryana, stated that under a new programme, Rapid Action Force was stationed at Gurgaon and Rohtak. “The RAF will consist of selected personnel, who will swiftly in move at times of need. When they will be off duty, they will be imparted the latest training,” he said. Mr M.S. Malik claimed that the crime graph, which was rising steadily since 1992 to 1999, had now begun to been decline. “We have solved 90 per sent of the murder cases, 70 percent of the rape and hurt cases, 71 per cent of dacoity cases and 67 per cent of theft cases. There has been a reduction in cases concerning the SC/ST,” he said. |
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Haryana
YC launches membership drive Ambala, August 6 Mr Satwinder Singh after addressing Youth Congress activists at Congress Bhavan, Ambala Cantonment, said that a meeting of the state Youth Congress Presidents had been held in Delhi and they had met Mrs Sonia Gandhi. “We are undertaking a membership drive in a time-bound programme from August 1 to August 31,” he said. The membership drive was being held after 23 years. “We are doing booth-wide membership drive. An active member will have to pay Rs 5 for three years while a simple member will have to pay Rs 2. We are going to enrol 30,000 active members and 3 lakh primary members in the age group of 18 to 35 years,” he said. Mr Satwinder Singh said the HPYC was going to participate in the “gherao” of Parliament in Delhi on August 13. The party’s demands were that the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister must resign over the UTI scam. |
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YC drive
against corrupt officials Hisar, August 6 Addressing party workers here on Friday, Mr Satvinder Singh Sandhu, state president of the Youth Congress, said the party workers would gherao the corrupt officials at the district headquarters. He said corruption in government offices was rampant and the common man was forced to pay bribes even for routine work. Officials were harassing people on one pretext or the other. He alleged that the state government had been indifferent towards the menace. He alleged that development activities in the state had come to a standstill after Mr Om Prakash Chautala came to power. All main roads in the state had potholes as the government did not repair these regularly. He alleged that Mr Chautala had burdened the urban people by raising the power tariff, house tax rates and imposing new taxes. He said the people of Haryana were fed up with the working of the Chautala government. During the past two years, anarchy had taken over the state and the people wanted to oust Mr Chautala immediately. There was strong resentment among the people over the move to replace old meters with new meters. He alleged that the new meters ran almost double the speed of old meters. He said the names of office-bearers of the state unit of the youth congress would be announced soon. Denying pressure from senior leaders to accommodate their loyalists, Mr Sandhu said dedicated and hard working partymen would be preferred. He said he would try his best to ensure that district presidents and members of State Working
Committee were elected. |
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Cong warns against low paddy price Kaithal, August 6 This was stated by Mr Tejinder Pal Mann, president, Kisan Cell of the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee, while addressing a press conference here yesterday. He said it was a pity that farmers throughout the state suffered huge financial losses on account of the distress sale of paddy last year. The present Chief Minister claimed to be a well-wisher of the farmers, but his acts were always contrary to their interests. During his tenure last year the state saw the worst-ever paddy scams and the farmers were not paid MSP for paddy, he added. He warned the officials of various procurement agencies against exploiting poor farmers. He also criticised the state government for corruption in the purchase of power meters. Mr Mann alleged that some SP, and DCs were overstepping their jurisdiction to please the Chief Minister his sons and other ruling party politicians. The incidents of murder, looting and rape were on the rise. He presented a woman, Murti Devi of Nand Karan Mazra village, before mediapersons who alleged that she was disrobed in the Kalayat police station in the presence of her relatives because she and members of her family had protested against the delay in arresting some accused involved in the murder of a seven-year-old boy. Mr Satvinder Singh Sandhu, President, Haryana Youth Congress, announced that he was touring the state with a view to constitute the district and block-level bodies and would ensure that two booth agents and 20 party workers were deployed at each polling booth during elections. |
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Ex-MC chief, 13 others to move HC Kalka, August 6 Ms Mohini Nanda said in order to solve the long pending dispute of payment of house tax of the residents of the local Housing Board Colony during 1995, she and 13 commissioners held a meeting, in which representatives of the Welfare Society of the colony also participated. They unanimously passed a resolution to charge house tax at fixed rates and also to waive some portion of the house tax
outstanding against the residents of the colony. This resolution was sent to the Deputy Commissioner for his approval. After some time, the commissioner, local Bodies, Haryana, sent recovery orders of Rs 6,68,000 against the 13 commissioners and the president of the committee. Since election to the municipal committee was approaching, all these affected commissioners made an appeal and got stay orders, which enabled them to become eligible for the election to the municipal committee. |
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Chaotic
traffic on Sonepat roads Sonepat, August 6 The traffic police is not able to cope with the situation as the town has grown considerably over the past four decades. The strength of the traffic police is less than what it was about 30 years ago. The situation is worsening day by day as 10,000 heavy vehicles come to the heart of the town. In the absence of any planning, there are frequent traffic jams and mishaps. To reduce the pressure of heavy vehicles on the highway and town roads, a bypass was conceived sometime ago, but the project is yet to begin. In the name of launching a drive for repairing the roads, agencies like the PWD (B&R), the Municipal Council, the Market Committee and the HUDA have been filling the craters with brick pieces. As a result the length of uneven surfaces has increased. According to sources in the engineering wings of the agencies concerned, patchwork repairs have become a regular exercise ever since the monsoon started this year. Potholes are filled quickly with bricks, red soil, and debris. These fillings also get washed away after another spell of showers. A large number of damaged roads are still lying unrepaired. These include the Mamoon-Bhanja-Subzimandi road via the bus stand, the Gohana road between the railway crossing and the Police Lines and the Sarang road. Encroachments on roadsides, which cover the drainage system, often lead to blockage of the drains. Moreover, laying down of a proper drainage system is often neglected while constructing roads. Official sources, however, point out that during the past few years, maintenance work on the roads could not be taken up on a large scale due to a shortage of funds. No contingency plan was drawn up by the official agencies concerned for maintenance of roads. Meanwhile, representatives of various political organisations, including the Haryana Vikas Party and the Congress, have urged the state government to order a high-level probe into the functioning of the PWD (B&R) and other official agencies and punish the officials responsible for the alleged irregularities and malpractices in the construction and repairs of the roads in the town and elsewhere in the district. |
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Refresher
course on defence studies Rohtak, August 6 Delivering his address on the theme of the course, “Strategic Environment in South Asia and India’s Security (concerns),” General Kadyan said new challenges emerging in South Asia and contemporary relevance. Though at present, the USA was dominating the world scene as a unipolar power, a quest for evolving multi-polarity and poly-centric system in the world had begun, he said. India, dominating the scene in South Asia, is now aspiring to be a regional and global power, he observed. However, problems like those ethnicity-related, border conflicts, separatist demands, terrorism and religious fundamentalism were causing obstacles in India’s security environment, he added. Commenting upon the inadequacy of strategic thinking in India, General Kadyan said a
comprehensive strategic policy was required to promote India’s quest for major regional and global power status. He said in view of its vast potential, India was destined to play a great role in world arena. |
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Residents’ protest turns violent, case registered Jind, August 6 They said their crops were withering for want of water as they were not getting adequate power to run their tubewells. They further alleged that the employees of Haryana Vidyut Parsaran Nigam (HVPN) had adopted discriminatory attitude in supplying power to their village. The HVPN employees posted at Taloda Kheri power substation alleged that the angry villagers switched off power supply to the control room and manhandled them. The villagers however, denied the allegation of employees and said they only held a peaceful demonstration to protest against irregular power supply to their village. The employees of HVPN demanded immediate arrest of those who indulged in violence at the substation. According to reports, the police has registered a case under Sections 353, 332, 186, 427 and 34 of the IPC against certain villagers in this connection at Pillu Khera police station in this district. |
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Taxi driver found murdered Faridabad, August 6 The victim identified as Subhash (20) was a resident of Khurja district in UP. He used to operate his Maruti van on hire basis. On August 3, he failed to returned home. His body was later found from the river bank near Chhainsa village in the district. He was strangulated to death and his face was burnt with acid. The suspected motive of the murder was to loot his van. In another case, Sant Ram of Jasana village has been arrested in connection with the death of his friend Ranvir of Dakola village in the district. The accused had allegedly pushed his friend out of a running train a fortnight ago. |
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State BJP meeting on Aug 11 Rohtak, August 6 Stating this here today, Mr Gulshan Bhatia, state office secretary of the party, said senior party leaders, including Mr Om Prakash Kohli, in charge of party affairs in Haryana, would attend the meeting. Various issues pertaining to organisational structure would be discussed at the meeting, it said. |
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Agarwal is
law
institute director Kurukshetra, August 6 A university spokesman said the National Institute of Law had been established from this academic session to meet the challenges of globalisation and liberalisation in the new millennium. The institute has started a five-year law course, awarding a composite degree of BA, LL.B. (Hons) from the academic session 2001-2002. The object of the institute is to disseminate legal knowledge with practical training in the rapidly changing economic, political and social scenario. |
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School
student crushed to death Faridabad, August 6 Identified as Upender Tiwari, son of Laxmi Kant Tiwari was returning home from school at 1.30 p.m., when he was hit by a tourist bus near the busy crossing. He was student of XI class. A case has been registered. |
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