H A R Y A N A

Suspension of MLAs: slanging match on
Chandigarh, March 9
Allegations and counter-allegations between the rival political formations are being traded following pandemonium in the Haryana Assembly on Tuesday resulting into the suspension of seven Opposition MLAs and the subsequent step by the ruling combine to refer names of six of these MLAs to the Privilege Committee for action.

Anubhuti 2002
Ambala, March 9
The Chief Commissioner, Income Tax, Ms Hardeep Kaur, today said most of the Permanent Account Numbers of applications filed upto March 31, 2001, had been issued.

Campaign against stone disease
Panipat, March 9
The local Rotary Club will organise a stone disease camp at R.P. Stone Clinic on March 16 as part of its "save kidneys" project which is aimed at creating awareness among the masses about the disease.

• Interim bail for Haryana YC chief

• Centre biased against farmers, says Congress

• Sugar mill’s trial run ‘successful’
  

Suspension of MLAs: slanging match on
Shubhadeep Choudhury
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 9
Allegations and counter-allegations between the rival political formations are being traded following pandemonium in the Haryana Assembly on Tuesday resulting into the suspension of seven Opposition MLAs and the subsequent step by the ruling combine to refer names of six of these MLAs to the Privilege Committee for action.

While the ruling INLD is trying to corner the Opposition Congress by accusing it of “failing to maintain decorum of the House”, the latter has put the ball in the court of the Treasury Benches saying that “provocation (for the Congress action) had come from the INLD”.

“Why the ruling party suspended the question hour on Tuesday and took up the removal notice against the Speaker without any intimation to the Opposition about this decision”, said Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, President of the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committe.

According to Mr Hooda and his fellow MLAs, including Mr Dharam Vir, Mr Jai Parkash Barwal and Capt Ajay Singh Yadav, what prompted the ruling party to stop the Opposition from going ahead with the motion seeking the removal of the Speaker, Mr Satbir Singh Kadian, was the figuring of Mr Kadian’s name in murder case at Panipat.

“Since the INLD has the number, they could have allowed admission of the notice and then defeated the motion after some discussion. However, they did not do it because they were scared that if the notice was accepted, the Opposition MLAs would rake up the issue of the Joginder Kaur murder case and people all over the state would get to know about it through press reports”, Mr Hooda as well as the other MLAs of his party alleged. The Congress theory, however, was challenged by Mr Sampat Singh, Haryana Parliamentary Affairs Minister. Mr Sampat Singh said that during the last session also, removal notice given by the Congress against the Speaker was turned down since it failed to satisfy the guideline about the minimum time period required for such a notice. “It was rejected on November 9 while the murder case in question took place after that date”, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister said. He claimed that in the ongoing session of the Assembly, the removal notice was taken up by suspending the question hour since the matter was considered important in view of the Opposition’s move to give the notice in two successive Assembly sessions. On Thursday, Mr Kadian also “disallowed” the Congress to move a privilege motion against himself without citing any reason. “The Speaker can disallow a notice without citing any reason”, an Assembly official stated here. Incidentally, on the same day Mr Kadian gave his “consent” to Privilege Motions brought against six suspended Opposition MLAs.

The Speaker’s decision to stop the MLAs from coming to the Assembly wearing black armbands to protest against the suspension of the MLAs also has sparked a controversy. While Mr Kadian said that he had spoken to the Secretary-General of the Lok Sabha who had approved of his action, Mr Jai Parkash, Congress MLA and a former Union Minister, claimed that he had spoken to “leading parliamentarians” on the issue. and they had expressed surprise at the Haryana Speaker’s stand.

Anubhuti 2002
Tribune News Service

Ambala, March 9
The Chief Commissioner, Income Tax, Ms Hardeep Kaur, today said most of the Permanent Account Numbers of applications filed upto March 31, 2001, had been issued.

Talking to mediapersons after inaugurating "Anubhuti-2002" cultural programme at Shri Atmanand Jain Institute of Management and Technology, Ambala City, Ms Hardeep Kaur said work was underway to speedily process the PAN applications.

She said PAN applications of Haryana are processed at Rohtak. In case, a person does not receive the PAN card, a register was being maintained in which the applicant could file his name and the status of the application could be checked up.

She added that sometimes delay was caused due to the applicant wrongly filling up the application form.

Ms Hardeep Kaur said steps had been taken to make the Income Tax Department people-friendly. " We have a grievance cell and people can approach officials in case of problems," she said.

Earlier, while addressing the students, Ms Hardeep Kaur, said a student must not work hard only in studies but should also participate in different activities for the development of personality.

About 160 students are participating in 14 different events which include Rangoli making, dance, one-minute show, group dance and painting. Among others, Mr Kuldeep Jain, Mr Kriti Prasad, Jain, Mr Anil Chandhok and Mr Atul Jain were present.

Campaign against stone disease
Our Correspondent

Panipat, March 9
The local Rotary Club will organise a stone disease camp at R.P. Stone Clinic on March 16 as part of its "save kidneys" project which is aimed at creating awareness among the masses about the disease.

This was stated by the president of the club, Dr Sudhir Sood, today. Plain X-rays, ultra sound examinations, consultations and medicines would be provided free of cost. Operations would be done at subsidised rates, he added.

The camp would continue for three months in which operations would be performed by the urologist, Dr Pawan Kumar Gupta on every Friday, he added.

Interim bail for Haryana YC chief
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, March 9
A local court has granted interim bail to Haryana Youth Congress president Satwinder Singh and directed him to join the police investigation in a case of assault and criminal intimidation filed against him.

Centre biased against farmers, says Congress
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 9
Mr Satpal Kaushik, a general secretary of the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee, has alleged that the Central Government has started pulling out from the procurement process of foodgrains from the states. “ The Centre’s intention is shown by the fact that till date the minimum support price of wheat has not been announced “, Mr Kaushik said in a statement issued here today.

Sugar mill’s trial run ‘successful’
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 9
Mr M.K. Miglani, Secretary, Cooperation Department, Haryana, said here today that the Devi Lal Cooperative Sugar Mill, Sirsa, had completed successfully trial and had crushed 9.40 lakh quintal of cane with an average recovery of nine per cent and had produced about 80,000 quintals of sugar. The Sirsa Cooperative Sugar Mill has created a record of cane crushing with highest sugar recovery in the trial season in the history of cooperative sugar mills in the state.