H A R Y A N A

Haryana Cong to table no-trust move
Hisar, March 10
Former Haryana Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly Bhajan Lal said here today that the Congress planned to bring a no-confidence motion against the Chautala government within the next few days.

Govt anti-employee, says Sangh
Karnal, March, 10
The Sarv Karamchari Sangh here today condemned the anti-employee policies of the state government and decided to raise its banner against the selective screening of employees from various departments.

Chautala to take up wheat MSP with PM
Yamunanagar, March 10
Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala today said he would meet Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee soon to impress upon him to enhance the procurement price of wheat in the larger interests of the farming community in the country and make its formal announcement without delay as the wheat would start arriving in mandis in the next few days.

Students of SD College performing at a function held to mark the first reunion of old students of SD College, Ambala Cantonment. — photo N Chopra

Two held for making threat calls
Panipat, March 10
The Samalkha police has arrested two gangsters who threatened a doctor of Samalkha town that his son would be eliminated if he did not pay them Rs 60,000.

YC to organise protest march
Chandigarh, March 10
The Haryana Youth Congress will soon organise a march in the state to protest against the decision of the Speaker, Mr Satbir Singh Kadian, to deny the right to enter the Vidhan Sabha to 15 Congress MLAs, who were wearing black badges.

Haryana Cong to table no-trust move
Our Correspondent

Hisar, March 10
Former Haryana Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly Bhajan Lal said here today that the Congress planned to bring a no-confidence motion against the Chautala government within the next few days.

Addressing a press conference here this evening, he said the Speaker had thrown all parliamentary norms to the wind in blocking the motion tabled by the Congress last week. He said the Congress legislators locked out and were not allowed to enter the hall.

He said he was consulting his lawyers on whether the high court could be approached to restrain the Speaker from behaving in this partisan manner, the Congress would file a petition. After that, his party would again table a no-confidence motion against the Chautala government, he added.

Mr Bhajan Lal said the Speaker had postponed question hour which was an unprecedented step. It was, by tradition, postponed only in case of some unprecedented exigency and not as a matter of routine.

Mr Bhajan Lal said the Congress would field a candidate for the forthcoming elections to the Rajya Sabha. He, however, neither named the party’s likely nominee nor explained how the party hoped to win a seat when the numbers were against it. He demanded that the Centre should raise the MSP for wheat by at least Rs 50 per quintal. 

Govt anti-employee, says Sangh
Our Correspondent

Karnal, March, 10
The Sarv Karamchari Sangh here today condemned the anti-employee policies of the state government and decided to raise its banner against the selective screening of employees from various departments.

Mr Poonam Chand Rutti, state president of the sangh, while addressing a meeting of employees in Ror Bhavan, alleged that the INLD government had so far sacked 15,000 employees in various departments. By doing so the INLD Government had backed out from its pre-election promises made to the employees, he alleged. He said in order to protest against privatisation and sacking of employees, the sangh would hold a state-level rally at Hisar.

Mr Y.P. Yadav, district president of the sangh, alleged that the state government was making large-scale changes in the rules and regulations of employment as well as service conditions in the Department of Irrigation, Pubic Health, PWD, Education and Civic Bodies Departments. All these changes were being made in the name of service reforms.

The employee leaders stressed the need for coordination among different sections of employees to oppose the anti-employee and anti-farmer policies of the state government. It was also decided to hold a state-level sammelan of employees in Chhottu Ram Dharamshala at Rohtak on April 7.

Chautala to take up wheat MSP with PM

Yamunanagar, March 10
Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala today said he would meet Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee soon to impress upon him to enhance the procurement price of wheat in the larger interests of the farming community in the country and make its formal announcement without delay as the wheat would start arriving in mandis in the next few days.

The Chief Minister was addressing a number of public meetings in villages and wards of the Yamunanagar Assembly constituency.

Mr Chautala also assured the farmers that like last year, each grain of their produce would be procured by the procurement agencies. He also added that entire sugarcane, too, would be purchased and crushed by sugarmills even though the mills had to run for a bit longer period. PTI

New ambulance services commence
Our Correspondent

Ambala, March 10
The services of the new ambulance for patients admitted to civil hospital, Ambala City have commenced from March 8. The Deputy Commissioner, Ambala had dedicated this ambulance to Ambala City Civil Hospital at a function in Ambala Cantt on February 22. The Rotary Club, Red Cross Society and Saint John’s Ambulance had collectively contributed Rs 5 lakh for its purchase. Serious patients referred to the PGI, Chandigarh require these ambulance services at a short notice.

According to information the ambulance could not come into operation immediately due to the non-availability of a full-time driver. Around six vacancies of drivers already lie vacant with the Ambala, Health Department for the past several years. Department sources said that it was difficult for it to spare a driver for this vehicle. It is notable that the driver who is getting the consolidated salary from the Red Cross Society has been handling the old ambulance for the past several years. There should be at least two drivers for round-the-clock operation of an ambulance, sources added.

The Deputy Commissioner Mr Mahender Kumar, said that the Red Cross Society had agreed to bear the financial burden of the driver required for its execution. He said that the administration had been planning to avail itself of the part-time services of several other drivers belonging to various government departments, for which they would be provided financial incentives. He said that the services of new ambulance would be available round-the-clock at Ambala City Civil Hospital.

The decision is learnt to have been taken to put the new ambulance into operation immediately on the direction of Deputy Commissioner after the appearance of a new item in Chandigarh Tribune in this regard a few days back. A doctor of the hospital said that the immediate action of Deputy Commissioner would be a big relief to poor patients who are not in the position to avail the services of the ambulance of private nursing homes which are comparatively costlier.

Two held for making threat calls
Our Correspondent

Panipat, March 10
The Samalkha police has arrested two gangsters who threatened a doctor of Samalkha town that his son would be eliminated if he did not pay them Rs 60,000.

On March 4 Vikas and Ravinder of Samalkha town demanded Rs 60,000 from Dr Ved Prakash Nasa. Again on March 5, they threatened him on the phone that if he did not meet their demand, his son would be killed.

Terrified, Dr Nasa informed the police about these threats. The police laid a trap by monitoring the phone calls and succeeded in nabbing the culprits last evening.

In another case, Zakir, who was arrested by the Panipat police last week, was handed over to the Karnal police for interrogation in a murder case.

YC to organise protest march
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 10
The Haryana Youth Congress will soon organise a march in the state to protest against the decision of the Speaker, Mr Satbir Singh Kadian, to deny the right to enter the Vidhan Sabha to 15 Congress MLAs, who were wearing black badges.

In a statement issued here today a spokesman of the party, Dr Pradeep Chauhan, said perhaps it was for the first time that constitutional functionaries were denied entry to the Vidhan Sabha, which, he said, was “highly objectionable, undemocratic and unconstitutional”.