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Sunday, February
17, 2002,
Chandigarh, India  
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Murdered couple’s sons seek justice Novel scheme for quick administration Former minister, 8 others file bail bonds Youth Congress leader booked Timmy case embarrasses
Cong leaders |
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MC rejects house tax survey IN FOCUS
Parmanand gives away Goyal Prizes Former DC summoned in demolition case Refresher course in chemistry begins SP calls for transparency Replacing of power meters opposed Rotary conference begins
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Murdered couple’s sons seek justice Panipat, February 16 Fed up with the “indifferent” attitude of the police towards the case, the Gargs are all set to move the Punjab and Haryana High Court for handing over the case to the CBI. “We have lost all faith in the Samalkha police, the Panipat police and the CID crime branch. The high court seems to be the only ray of hope for us”, Mr Yashpal Garg, told The Tribune here today. The family also plans to shift to a “safer place” in Punjab even if the Om Prakash Chautala government pays half of the total investment of the family here. “Every day since that fateful night has been a nightmare for us and we shudder to venture out of our home after dusk”, Mr Yashpal said, adding that the safety of his family was more important than doing business amidst the “goonda raj” in Haryana. It may be recalled that the old couple was gunned down by assailants on the night of January 17 last year on the premises of the Aggarsain Spinners Limited at Jhattipur village, near here. Though the Samalkha police did register a case, it failed to make any headway in the case, which was handed over later to the Panipat police. The latter, however, came a cropper. Even as the police investigation progressed at a snail’s pace, the bereaved family put up a brave front and continued to follow the case vigorously. It announced a reward of Rs 60,000 to whosoever gave any clues about the culprits. The family continued to allege that it had no faith in the investigation conducted by the local police. When the DGP, Mr M.S. Malik, was gheraoed here on May 11 last year, the case was handed over to the CID but to no avail. Directions from the PMO’s Office to the Haryana Government also fell on deaf ears, with the result that the brothers kept moving from pillar to post to get justice. In the meantime, the local police and the CID allegedly harassed the complainants. “In the initial months, the investigation was centred around us as if we had ordered the killing”, alleged an angry Mr Yashpal Garg. “Even our pleas to provide us security cover was denied by the police on flimsy grounds”, he alleged. Coming down heavily on the functioning of the police, he said in a choked voice: “The police has time to provide security to VIPs but not for common people. We pay hefty taxes which are used to provide VIP facilities to officials and ministers. Seeking justice in return is not asking for the moon”, he said. Meanwhile, a trust have been formed in memory of the couple for providing medicare to the poor. The eyes of their parents, prominent social workers of the area, were donated to the needy after their death, Mr Garg said. |
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Novel scheme for quick administration Gurgaon, February 16 The Labour Commissioner and the Special Secretary, Industrial Disputes and Labour
Department, Haryana, Mr K.K. Khandelwal, said here today that the scheme would be implemented in his department from April 1. He said depending on the success of the scheme it would be extrapolated to other departments of the state. He was speaking at an interactive meet with the industrialislits organised by the Gurgaon Industrial Association. The measure would help create more short duration jobs, without any burden to the state
exchequer. As per the scheme, youths will be trained in various fields relating to procedural matters of departments concerned. These youths would be appointed in the departments on a short term basis to assist in the functioning of the related departments on certain emoluments. The end users would have to collectively bear the financial burden for the upkeep of the new appointees. The amount shelled from the public would be virtually peanuts in return for speedy disposal of their cases. For example, to start with, the Labour Department will employ youths in Gurgaon, Faridabad and at its state headquarters to help the owners of factories and other units to process their documents for procuring approvals of plans for factories and registration of the units under the Factories Act, 1948. Presently, large number of applications are turned down by the department as they are short on
details. The time process between the applications and final disposal of cases by the department runs into years to the detriment of the factory owners. Under the new scheme, the total time required for the disposal of the cases is expected to be up to one
month. The youths employed under the scheme will help in preparing the applications, and once cleared by them, would be accepted by the department without further inquiries, unless there was glaring mistakes in the documentation. No more the applicants will have to make trips to Chandigarh, the state headquarters, to get the work done. It would be the responsibility of the youths at the local level in Gurgaon, Faridabad, as well as at the state headquarters, to visit the applicants to help them in the documentations. But the Labour Department will make some amendments to the rules under the Factory Act to make the new scheme effective. It would codify all documents in one brochure listing items on which details are to be provided for the approval of the building plans and for the registration of factories. Some other measures are in the pipeline to make the system more transparent so that the applicants are aware about the details required by the department. According to sources, such novelties would be injected in the other departments depending on the expediency of their nature of public dealings for the implementation of Sahayata scheme. |
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Former minister, 8 others file bail bonds Ambala, February 16 On the complaint of a shopkeeper, the police had registered a case against the former minister and others for allegedly robbing him of Rs 25,000 on November 2 last, during a state-level bandh called by the Haryana Congress. The Magistrate ordered them to furnish bonds of Rs 20,000 each. The next hearing would be on February 21. Others who filed their bail bonds were Brahmpal Rana, Rupinder Singh, Balwinder Singh, Guljar Singh, Gurdeep Singh Gebi, Balkar Singh and Balkar Singh Chudiyala. Earlier, the Additional Sessions Judge had granted anticipatory bail to them. The police also filed a charge-sheet against Nirmal Singh and others in the court of Mr Najar Singh today. According to the charge-sheet, the shopkeeper, Mr Inderpal Kharbanda, in his complaint had alleged that on November 2, during the Haryana bandh, the former minister and a few other Congress leaders were forcing the shopkeepers to close their shops. When he refused to close his shop, the Congress leaders, including Nirmal Singh, manhandled him and took out Rs 25,000 from the cash box. The Congress has termed it as a politically motivated case. Congress workers had staged a dharna in front of the SP office for one week to protest against it.
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Youth Congress leader booked Chandigarh, February 16 According to a complaint filed by a local MC councillor, Mr Chander Mukhi Sharma, he was overcharged by the parking contractor in Sector 17, which led to arguments. He alleged that he was roughed up and threatened by the accused, while his companion was slapped. Meanwhile, the police has also registered a separate case under Section 188 of the Criminal Procedure Code against the parking contractor for failing to furnish details of his employees to the police.
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Timmy case embarrasses
Cong leaders Chandigarh, February 16 The
position of the party has been greatly embarrassed by the registration
of the case against its youth wing chief because the incident has
happened when the Congress is engaged in a crucial Assembly byelection
in Yamunanagar. Its leaders have been constantly accusing INLD leaders of indulging in criminal activities by threatening voters. What is more embarrassing for the Haryana Congress is the fact that the case of the alleged criminal intimidation(Section 506, IPC) and causing simple injury(Section 323,IPC) has been registered by the Chandigarh Police against Mr Timmy on a complaint filed by a Congress Municipal Councillor of Chandigarh, Mr Chander Mukhi Sharma. Mr Sharma is also a General Secretary of the Chandigarh Territorial Congress Committee. Mr Sharma alleged that he and his friend, Mr Vikram Sharma Dickie, former General Secretary of the Himachal Youth Congress, were assaulted by Timmy and three of his associates inside the Sector 17 police station last night. Mr Sharma had gone to the police station for lodging a complaint against the parking contractor. |
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MC rejects house tax survey Hisar, February 16 This was decided at a meeting of the council held here last evening. This special meeting had been called on the advice of the Deputy Commissioner Mr Anurag Rastogi. A delegation of councillors had complained to Mr Rastogi about the discrepancies in the survey. The survey report had caused much resentment among the house owners and hundreds of them were visiting the council offices daily for the past several months to file their objections against the house tax notice issued by the council. The decision to dump the findings of the old survey was taken unanimously. All councillors complained that they were facing the ire of their voters over this issue. The meeting also decided to order a fresh survey which would be conducted by the council staff. It was also decided to charge the house tax for the current year at the old rates as there was no possibility of completing the new survey before the end of the current fiscal. Incidentally, the house tax is the single biggest source of income for the council. Last year the council had entrusted the survey to a private agency and paid a huge amount for it. The agency, however, handed over the task to students of the local Industrial Training Institute. Who took about six months to collect data. Their inexperience took its toll. The huge discrepancies came to light when the council issued notices on the basis of the data collected by these students.
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IN FOCUS
Ambala, February 16 Indra Park, which is maintained by the Municipal Council, Ambala Sadar, seems to have fallen on bad times. However, recently a major facelift was given to the park with extensive whitewashing and painting, besides reconstructing a fountain wall. A visit to the park reveals that white-washing of the walls and painting of the flowerpot stands have given the park a fresh look. Also a building earmarked for a library within the park was given a fresh coat of distemper. The exercise would have had a better impact if the flowerpot stands had not been empty and the library did not continue to lie in disuse. Even outside the park, polythene bags are dumped along a nearby open drain. A visitor to the park first has to look at the heaps of polythene bags, which spoil the environment, before entering the park. A major attraction of any park is the place where children can play and enjoy on different games. Some of the games in Indra Park are in need of repairs and the same is the case with the fountains which are not functional. Some of the benches, particularly those near the library, need to be required. Mr R.P. Gupta, general secretary of Green Circle, a society which works for betterment of environment, said that the efforts made by the Municipal Council in improving the condition of Indra Park are commendable. “However, just whitewashing and painting does not suffice since regular maintenance of the park is required,” he said. He said that among other things, the nursery, water tank, children’s games and fountains are in need of repair. “The park requires cleaning everyday and sodium lamps should also be installed,” he said. Mr Gupta pointed out that despite requests made to the police authorities, no arrangements have been done for ensuring security in the park during the evening hours. “We have received several complaints of anti-social elements harassing girls during the evening,” he said. He pointed out that Rabindra Rangshala, which was constructed inside the park to enable holding of cultural functions, is lying unutilised. “Only a few functions have taken place at the Rabindra Rangshala. The administration must take steps to encourage holding of cultural functions there,” he said. The Green Circle has been regularly planting saplings in Indra Park and a few weeks back, about 1000 saplings were planted by the society after bringing it from Saharanpur. “Although effort is being put in to improve the park, the administration must take positive so that Indra Park regains its popularity.”
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Parmanand gives away Goyal Prizes Kurukshetra, February 16 He hailed the efforts of Mr Ram S. Goyal, an NRI settled in the USA, for instituting Goyal Prizes to boost the morale of scientists in India. The Governor said all religious granths like the Bhagwadgita the Bible, Quran and Guru Granth Sahib gave the message that it was the primary duty of a man to look after the welfare of others. Earlier, the Governor gave away Goyal Prizes to Dr C.M. Gupta, FNA, Director, Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow, Dr J.P. Mittal, FNA, Director, Chemistry and Isotope Group, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, Dr Lalji Singh, FNA, Director, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, and Dr O.N. Srivastava, FNA, Department of Physics, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, and Rajib Goyal prizes to Dr Naveen Arora, Centre for Biochemical Technology, New Delhi, and Dr Daizy R. Batish, Department of Botany, Panjab University, Chandigarh. All scientists were present on the occasion. The Goyal Prize carries a cash amount of Rs 1 lakh each a gold medal and a citation and the Rajib Goyal Prize carries a cash amount of Rs 50,000 and a citation. On the occasion, the Vice-Chancellor of Kurukshetra University, Mr R.S. Chaudhary, said is was a matter of pride for the university which would organise such functions every year for outstanding scientists of the country. He also complimented Mr Ram S. Goyal for extending help and encouragement to scientists. Mr Chaudhry underlined the need for research in science at a large scale for the progress of the country. Mr Ram S. Goyal, who came to attend the function from the USA, disclosed that the Goyal prizes function was started on a small scale a few years ago and had become an important function of Kurukshetra University now. He assured full cooperation and help in future. Professor Emeritus, Prof S.P. Singh gave a brief background of Goyal Prizes and Rajib Prizes. He said these prizes were instituted in 1992 and so far 28 distinguished scientists of the country had been honoured with these prizes. He said five such functions had been organised at Kurukshetra University. |
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Former DC summoned in demolition case Bhiwani, February 16 It may be recalled that on a complaint lodged with the public relations and district grievances committee, the Chief Minister had ordered that necessary action be taken if it was found that the building of Dronacharya Shiksha Niketan was constructed illegally. The municipal authorities, along with the demolition staff, reached the school located on Circular Road here on January 13, 2001. Tehsildar Dharmpal Pannu was appointed duty magistrate to maintain law and order while the demolition was on. |
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Refresher course in chemistry begins Rohtak, February 16 The three-week refresher course has been sponsored by the University Grants Commission and is being organised by the Department of Chemistry, Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU). In the absence of the Vice-Chancellor of the university, the course was inaugurated by Dr R.S. Chaudhary, Head of the Chemistry Department. Dr Dhindsa, a former Dean (Basic Sciences), HAU, Hisar, was recently a visiting professor at the University of Kiel, Germany. He traced the history of development of chemistry and gave an overview of the concept of acids and bases. He pleaded for establishing interactive mechanism between teachers of schools, colleges and universities for better understanding of the problems and expectations pertaining to teaching of science at secondary and higher levels. He said the basic purpose of education should be to help students sharpen their abilities and actualise their potential. The creativity lying dormant in them had to be discovered and nurtured to equip them to face future challenges, he said. Presiding over the inaugural function, Dr Chaudhary stressed the need for improvement in science education in colleges. About 50 college teachers from various colleges of Haryana are participating in the refresher course. Eminent scientists from various universities in the country are expected to deliver technical lectures during the course. |
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SP calls for transparency Bhiwani, February 16 The SP directed SHOs and other officials to give a patient hearing to complainants and try to solve their problems to their satisfaction. The SP also asked the staff to bring
transparency in their working. He said strict action would be taken against the corrupt. Referring to the Khanak crusher mine episode, the SP assured all concerned that no injustice would be allowed to be done to any person, especially workers engaged in mining. The SP disclosed that the district police had launched a fortnight campaign, “operation alert,” to book anti-social elements. He appealed to the people to cooperate in the campaign. |
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Replacing of power meters opposed Jind, February 16 According to reports, a large number of people assembled at the road when officials of Haryana Vidyut Parsaran Nigam (HVPN) started replacing old meters with the new ones. Later, they also took out a procession and held demonstrations to protest against the decision. They said only the defective meters should be replaced. Meanwhile, the HVPN authorities have postponed the installation of new meters on Court road.
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House session from March 4 Chandigarh, February 16 Giving this information here today, Mr Sumit Kumar, Secretary of Vidhan Sabha, said the Governor, Babu Parmanand, would address the MLAs on the opening day of the session. |
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Armyman held Ambala, February 16 During questioning, Naik B.K. Srivastav reportedly admitted to being involved in seven theft cases in military quarters from 1999 to 2001. The military police has recovered stolen goods worth Rs 2.47 lakh from him. Mr Khirwar said that Naik B.k. Srivastav was produced in court and he has been remanded to 14-day judicial custody.
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Rotary conference begins Yamunanagar, February 16 A former District Governor, Mrs Natalia from Indonesia, inaugurated the conference. Addressing the delegates, she deliberated upon the problems facing the mankind the
world over and how Rotary could help. She said Rotary had spent more than Rs 1,000 so far the world over on polio eradication. In his keynote address, Dada J.P. Vaswani, head of Sadhu Vaswani Mission, Pune, reminded Rotarians of the importance of service and said the Rotary movement was one of the 25 great movements in the past 150 years. |
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