 |
| Friday,
August 10, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
|
Public
meeting show of Cong unity
DHBVN to
regularise ‘kundi’ connections Landowners
losing out to sharecroppers? POSTINGS/TRANSFERS |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Cop kills
himself with service rifle Educate
cops about human rights: DIG Two Cong
leaders’ remarks decried EC
satisfied with Aravalli project WLL
service in Faridabad soon IN FOCUS Three
armed youths held Seven
hurt in mishap Power
station to be renamed Two held
for raping minor Vice-chancellor
against entrance tests MC subcommittees
constituted Stir against meters’ replacement, 6 held
|
|
Public meeting show of Cong unity Nuh (Gurgaon), August 9 At a well-attended public meeting
here, considered to be the nerve centre of Mewat the President of the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC), Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, the former Chief Minister, Mr Bhajan Lal, and the former president of the HPCC, Mr Birender Singh, shared the dais in the company of the central leaders of the Congress. The AICC General Secretary and in-charge of Haryana affairs, Mrs Mohsina Kidwai, a member of the Central Working Committee (CWC), Mr Natwar Singh and former president of the Uttar Pradesh Congress, Mr Salman Khursheed, attended the public meeting. The meeting was organised by the District Congress Committee, headed by a former minister and popular leader of
Mewat, Mr Khursheed Ahmed. The approval of the meeting was given by the HPCC. Significantly, the Nuh assembly segment is represented by Mr Hamid Hussain, an INLD leader, in the Haryana Vidhan Sabha. The venue of the meeting and the date was chosen by the Congress for its historic significance on August 9 the day “Quit India’’ movement was launched. Meo
Muslims, the dominant habitants of the area rejected the “two nation” theory and decided to stay back with India after the Partition on a call by the Mahatma. Beside setting up district headquarters at Mewat, the leaders also supported the demand for a canal for the areas of Mewat. Incidentally the leaders criticised the INLD government for not fulfilling its promise to the people of the area. They pledged to launch a campaign against it. The Central leaders of the Congress supported the idea of digging up the canal by the public in case the state government do not heed to the demand. Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda announced to observe a token fast at Ghasera, on October 2 to pressurise the Om Prakash Chautala led government to fulfil the popular demands of the people of
Mewat. Incidentally, Ghasera was the village where the Mahatma had come to persuade the Meo Muslims to reject the two nation theory which saw the birth of Pakistan. Mr Bhajan Lal said the Congress government led by him had initiated moves for the canal waters for
Mewat. He alleged that there was rampant corruption in the present government and jobs were sold at about Rs 3 lakh, each. “During my time there was no corruption”, he claimed. Rao Dharam Pal, Capt Ajay Singh, Mr Jai Prakash, Mr Sher Singh, Mr J.P. Sharma, Mr Hari Singh
Nalwa, Mr Om Prakash Jindal were some of the MLAs who attended the meeting. |
|
DHBVN to regularise
‘kundi’ connections Bhiwani, August 9 He said the campaign would be started after August 15, 2001, simultaneously in all eight districts of its area, including Bhiwani, Sirsa, Fatehabad, Hisar, Mahendergarh, Rewari, Gurgaon and Faridabad on village-to-village basis. A survey is being conducted to find out the number of houses and number of electricity connections in the villages. Fifteen villages having larger number of houses but lesser number of domestic electric connections would be selected in each district for launching a pilot campaign in the beginning. Under this campaign, giving an opportunity to the people, the DHBVN would regularise domestic kundi connections in villages quickly and in an easy manner by going at the doorsteps of the people. A team comprising an SDO, a junior engineer (JE), a lineman and a clerk and a representative of the district administration would visit the villages on day-to-day basis. All required formalities would be completed by the nigam’s officials without any inconvenience to the applicant. They would carry all required papers with them. A electricity contractor would also be present with them in the village to provide test reports at sites. People desirous of getting domestic connections would, thus, be given connections on the same day and they would not have to bother even to go to the office of the DHBVN. The dates for holding the campaign for the purpose shall be intimated well in advance. The nigam would ensure that sufficient number of meters and other required material such as cables and cutouts are available on the day for installation by the team in the village. The spokesman said a large number of people in the rural areas were stealing power by tapping low-tension lines or service cable which are called kundi connections. This is not only a cognisable offence but also proves to be a hindrance in the way of power development. This campaign would be an opportunity for the people to come forward voluntarily to get the kundi connection regularised in a hassle-free manner. |
|
Landowners
losing out to sharecroppers? Hisar, August 9 Though this may not yet be reflecting in their respective lifestyles, a cursory look at the account books of the traditional arhtias reveals that while sharecroppers’ accounts have positive balances earning interest, the landowners have negative balances for which they pay interest. Inquiries by The Tribune reveal that barring a few big landlords, most of the others are steadily falling into the debt trap deeper and deeper. However, those who cultivate their lands themselves continue to be well off. This turnaround in fortunes has been caused by their lifestyles. While the incomes of landowners who share their crop with the landless in return for cultivation have gone down by half, their pretentious lifestyles have kept their expenditures at the older level if not higher. But, the landless sharecropper has not let his good fortune go to his head. He continues to lead a simple life and prosper. Strangely enough, the problem began with expansion of educational facilities in the rural areas. While landless labourers’ children stayed away from schools and colleges to spare more hands for boosting family incomes, the landowners’ children made full use of the opportunities available at their doorstep. However, in the process, they took a fancy to white-collared jobs in nearby towns howsoever lowly or ill paid. Over the years, the exodus of male family members forced landowners to hire landless labourers for cultivation. With no cash reserves, the only option open was to accept them as sharecroppers. The landowners’ income plummeted. Since most of the landowners belong to higher castes, their rural mindset failed to adjust. They continue to have an opulent lifestyle by rural standards. “In the countryside, the landowner continues to view himself as a cut above the rest — a true chaudhary. He will move about in a jeep and maintain a large house. He will spend beyond his means on his daughter’s marriage even it means borrowing from the arhtia. And, above all, he continues to fund his favourite politicians, which is a big drain on his meagre resources. But he will not admit publicly that his finances are in a mess”, says Mr Rajinder Singh (not his real name) who owns 25 killas in a nearby village. “I owe my arhtia Rs 93,000, but my sharecropper’s deposit with the same arhtia has swollen to Rs 71,000”, he confided. Another landowner Mr Shamsher Singh (assumed name), who owns 25 killas of land in Sirsa district, said he would be forced to sell at least 5 killas in another year if his sons did not help him out. He has three sons. Two of them hold lowly jobs in Rohtak and Ambala. Both carry their share of the crop from the land to meet their household requirements. That leaves very little to spare for the market. But he said the lone son living with him could not cultivate it all by himself. So he had to hire labour on crop share basis. However, he is not prepared to change his “zamindara” lifestyle. He has a Maruti and travels to Chandigarh frequently to meet his areas’ legislator in the company of favour seekers. “I know I can’t afford it, but I am the chaudhary. For decades our family has enjoyed political clout. I am duty bound to keep the family tradition going by exercising my influence. I would rather die than ruin the reputation of my forefathers”, he said. In sharp contrast the sharecroppers are playing the wait and watch game. They continue to be miserly and humble. Sultan who hails from a village in Fatehabad said he had his three brothers and had saved Rs 3.5 lakh so far. “We want to keep saving so we can buy some land in another village. No landowner will sell land to his own sharecropper. But if their sons keep going to the towns and refuse to change, we are sure to get land for ourselves somewhere sometime in the future. If I don’t end up as a landowner in my lifetime, my children will. We can afford to wait”, he said with obvious glee. And his arhtia nods in agreement. |
|
POSTINGS/TRANSFERS Chandigarh, August 9 When Mr Om Prakash Chautala became the Chief Minister in July, 1999, Dr Harbaksh Singh was made the Managing Director of the high-profile Haryana Industries Development Corporation as well as the Commissioner and Secretary, Tourism. Dr Harbaksh Singh has been moved out of the Tourism Department at the time when the Haryana Tourism Corporation had just started showing good results. In the first quarter of the current financial year, the corporation earned a profit of Rs 2.62 crore, the highest for any single quarter in the history of the corporation. The doctor-turned-bureaucrat had been working on a number of novel projects, including the setting up of casinos, in the National Capital Region to make Haryana Tourism once again an organisation of envy for the other states. Perhaps Dr Harbaksh Singh’s ideas did not find favour with the powers that be. Dr Harbaksh Singh is another addition to the list of officers who were considered to be very close to the Chief Minister but were moved out of the corridors of power. Mr Chautala first moved out Mr S.C. Choudhary, his Special Principal Secretary, and Mr Sanjeev Kaushal, his Additional Principal Secretary, from his Secretariat. After some time Mr Jagtar Singh, who was a personal aide to Mr Chautala even when he was the Leader of the Opposition, was shifted out as the District Transport Officer, Panchkula. Now Dr Harbaksh Singh has been given the shock treatment. Now the Additional Principal Secretary, Mr D.S. Dhesi; and the Officer on Special Duty, Mr Vidya Dhar, are the only officers who have been functioning in the Chief Minister’s Secretariat since Mr Chautala took the oath of office. Perhaps, Mr Chautala does not want to be taken for granted by any officer. In another transfer order, Mr Vaijai Vardhan, Director and Special Secretary, Rural Development, has been posted as Secretary to the Governor vice Mr S.P. Sharma, who has been posted as Commissioner and Secretary, Prohibition, Excise and Taxation Department. This post was earlier held by Mr M. Shankar, who is going on deputation to the Union Government for appointment as Secretary in the Department of Official Languages. Mr Kuldeep Singh, DSP, Samalkha, and Mr Kuldeep Singh, DSP, Gohana, will swap their places of posting. |
|
Cop kills himself with service rifle Rohtak, August 9 Udaybhan was one of the 1500 cops, whose services were terminated by the state government in the wake of Supreme Court orders. He was to be relieved from service today. The decision was taken by the apex court after finding several irregularities in the recruitment process. Nearly 1500 cops who had completed around seven years of service, were removed by the court. The police headquarters had issued orders not to provide arms and ammunition to these cops to check possibility of any desperate action by them. However, a rifle had been issued to the deceased cop in gross violation of orders by the local police authorities. When contacted, SSP,
A.S. Ahlawat said the SHO’s had been apprised of the court orders several times. He said a probe had been ordered into the incident. Father of the deceased, Mr Ishwar Singh, Head Constable posted at Chhara in Jhajjar district said his son was under severe mental stress for the past several days, due to termination of his service. He said the deceased had three daughters and was worried about their future in the face of his dismissal. |
|
Educate
cops about human rights: DIG Rohtak, August 9 This was stated by Mr K.P. Singh, DIG (CID), Haryana, while delivering a lecture on Human Rights — points of view, especially, police point of view, in the ongoing law refresher course in Maharshi Dayanand University yesterday. The DIG said in India only the legally enforceable rights were considered human rights according to the Human Rights Act. He put forward the case of the Indian police in this scenario. He called for minimising plethora of laws and demanded better living conditions for police personnel. He said policemen and masses should be made aware of the human rights. Prof Gurpal Singh of Punjabi University, Patiala, spoke on crimes committed by the corporate sector. He explained the concept of ‘corporate killing’ being discussed in the Western countries. Prof R.N. Mishra, former Head of the Defence Studies Department of Punjabi University, Patiala delivered a lecture on ‘Strategic environment of South Asia and India’s security’ here in another refresher course organised by the Department of Defence Studies of the university. Border terrorism and drug trafficking were threatening India’s security. If not checked, it would adversely affect the situation in Kashmir, Assam, and Tripura, he said. India must join the international community with Iran, Russia, USA, and China to contain international terrorism, he added. |
|
Two Cong leaders’ remarks decried Jhajjar, August 9 Mr Manfool Singh was referring to their statements on the occasion of inauguration of the main building of Agroha Medical College on Tuesday. The leaders described Mr Bansi Lal as a thankless politician responsible for bringing financial crunch on Agroha Medical College. Both the Congress leaders had said Mr Bansi Lal had stopped the financial aid to the college when he became chief minister in 1996, Rebutting their allegations Mr Manfool Singh said that as per the government records, when Mr Bhajan Lal was the state chief minister in 1995, he held a meeting on July 11 in which Mr B.D. Gupta was also present. In that meeting, it was decided that the state government would bear the half of the construction cost and the other half would be borne by the college society. It was also decided that the state government would not bear any expenses of the college after March 31, 1996 and the college society would be responsible for the same. The financial aid stopped on its own after March 31 as per the decision taken at the meeting. Mr Manfool Singh said it was indecent on the part of the two Congress leaders to criticise Mr Bansi Lal who has played a major role in shaping their political career. |
|
EC satisfied with Aravalli project Chandigarh, August 9 The project helped restore the green cover in village common land and at the same time allowed the local population to meet its needs of firewood, fodder, timber and other forest products from the hills in an ecologically sustained manner. The Rs 91 crore project was started in 1991 covering 294 villages in Faridabad, Gurgaon, Rewari, Mahendragarh and Bhiwani districts with 82 per cent assistance from the European Commission and 18 per cent from the Haryana Government. |
|
WLL service
in Faridabad soon Faridabad, August 9 The Manger of the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) said here yesterday that the nigam had started the work of setting up the WLL’ telephone exchange in Sector-15A here. According to nigam officials, the exchange will have the core duct technique to provide 1000 lines. In this technology a small antenna is fixed on the roof of the consumer’s house, but the range of the phone will be only 5 km. The department has set up a new exchange at Khambi village in the district and it proposes to set up similar exchanges at Bahin and Gulavathi villages. The capacity of the exchange Centre at Sector 15-A here has been increased from 3000 to 15,000 lines. Three new exchanges will also come up at Sector 29, Sector 58 and at Anaj Mandi in Ballabgarh town. The department plans to replace old exchanges at some of the villages with new one RSU/RLU based exchanges and double the line capacity of some of the rural exchanges. |
|
IN FOCUS Ambala The main bazaars lie in its old part of the city and were built years ago when it had less than half its present population. Even now more than half of its population lives in the old part of the city. Originally built as a
mofussil town, it has narrow streets which fail to meet the requirements of today’s traffic. Although a number of colonies have developed around the old city, and some of these have small markets, yet people prefer to go to the old markets for their purchases. Those who own vehicles drive up to the cantonment for shopping, where parking is not so great a problem. Last year, the police took up the matter seriously and imposed one-way traffic in the main bazaars. Iron stakes were fixed in the centre of the roads to prevent heavy vehicles from entering these roads. The system continued for several months but then the police force was withdrawn. The stakes also disappeared. Recently, the Administration decided not to allow heavy vehicles in the main bazaar from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. The main problem is that transporters deliver the goods to shopkeepers from shop to shop in their trucks. Every time they unload the goods, normal traffic gets disturbed. A few days back the police challaned some heavy vehicles unloading goods in the bazaar during peak traffic hours. Different bazaar associations have different opinions on the need for having one-way traffic in the main bazaars. Some associations maintain that it will not be practical to introduce one-way traffic in the city as it will affect the blow of shoppers to the markets. Since Ambala City does not have crossroads, it will not be practicable to introduce one-way traffic. But there are other associations that favour introduction of one-way traffic in the main bazaars. The administration is also in a dilemma. There has been a suggestion that the administration should call a meeting of all bazaar associations to hammer out a solution. |
|
Three armed
youths held Jind, August 9 The S.P added the police had received an information that some car-borne armed youths were hiding on the local Hansi road near the new Telephone Exchange and planning to rob passengers. Acting on the information the police raided and nabbed all three youths, he said. The S.P said a case under Sections 398 and 401 of the IPC and under Sections 25, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act has been registered. He said the police has seized their Maruti car. |
|
Seven hurt
in mishap Faridabad, August 9 According to information, the wooden barriers at the Neelam overbridge were broken when the truck tried to make its way on it and in the process it hit a rickshaw and a three-wheeler autorickshaw. One of the injured is reported to be in serious condition. The police has arrested the driver and impounded the truck. |
|
Power station to be renamed Panipat, August 9 According to power station sources, after receiving information in this regard reportedly from the Chairman of the
Haryana Vidyut Nigam, Ms Meenakshi Anand Chaudhary, the authorities and the thermal power station immediately swung into action and the process to change the existing boards has begun. During visit to the power station, it was found that most of the boards which were put up on the main gates of the plants as well as the power generating units were removed. It was learnt that the boards had been removed for re-writting. Panipat is one of the prestigious power stations of the Haryana Vidut Nigam with 860 MW power generating capacity. There are four units of 110 MW each and two units of 210 MW each. Out of these one 110 MW unit has been closed for the past three years due to upgradation process and one newly installed 210 MW unit is to be commissioned shortly. |
|
Two held
for raping minor Sirsa, August 9 According to the information given by the district police chief here today, a resident of Panihari village alleged that his daughter was taken away by two youths Makhan and Nanku. On
his complaint, the police arrested them and recovered the minor which
was in their confinement. The medical examination report confirmed
rape. The police has registered a case under Section 363 and 366A and
376, IPC. The accused have been sent into judicial custody. |
|
Vice-chancellor against
entrance tests Yamunanagar, August 9 Mr Chaudhry said that he would take up the matter with the government. He said Kurukshetra University had taken a lead in this matter this year by giving admission purely on merit basis. He added this would also discourage the tuition culture. |
|
MC subcommittees
constituted Ambala, August 9 In a general body meeting of the Municipal Council, Ambala City, Municipal Councillors opined that the proposal of the Improvement Trust was an interference in their work. Three subcommittees were formed today. The members of the finance subcommittee are Mr Suresh Gulati, Mr Ratan Singh, Mr Inderpal Singh Pammi and Mr Harjit Singh. The members of works subcommittee are Ms Swaran Lata, Ms Gurpreet Kaur, Mr Sushil Aggarwal and Mr Vijay Bhasin. The members of the sanitation committee are Ms Poonam Rawal, Ms Prakash Kaur, Ashwini Saini and Amrit Lal Jain. |
|
Stir against meters’ replacement, 6 held Kurukshetra, August 9 The arrested persons were identified as the convener of the Haryana Jan Sangharsh Manch, Ms Sudesh, the district secretary, Ms Usha, the Mahila Congress district president, Ms Sona Devi, the Samajwadi Janta Party district president, Mr Om Prakash Sharma, a Congress leader, Mr Charanjeet Gaba, and a Communist Leader, Mr Som Nath Kapoor. The arrested were produced before Mr Narhari Singh Bangar, who sent them to Central Jail, Ambala, in judicial remand for 14 days. |
|
Prisoner escapes Ambala, August 9 Rajender, a resident of Ambala City, had been brought to Ambala from Nahan for a court case. He was met by a relative and during conversation, he reportedly managed to give a slip to the policemen accompanying him. |
 |
| Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Editorial | | Business | Sport | World | Mailbag | In Spotlight | Chandigarh Tribune | Ludhiana Tribune 50 years of Independence | Tercentenary Celebrations | | 121 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
