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Sunday,
March 31, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Chautala
writes to PM All wheat
will be lifted, CM assures farmers Re-auction
of liquor vends fetches 350 cr Kurukshetra
under 6-cr project |
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UP Govt with INLD help: CM Businessman stabbed, robbed of cash
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Chautala writes to PM Chandigarh, March 30 After demanding a share in the power produced by Punjab from the waters of the SYL canal only two days ago, Mr Chautala today shot off a letter to the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, urging him to initiate the construction of the SYL canal in Punjab. Mr Chautala has made this request to Mr Vajpayee despite the Supreme Court giving a year to Punjab to complete the controversial canal. The court's deadline expires on January 15, 2003. So far Mr Chautala had been maintaining that no Punjab Government could afford to defy the apex court. Even in the recently concluded Budget session of the state Assembly, Mr Chautala had taken a similar stand when the Opposition had expressed doubts over Punjab's intentions on the implementation of the Supreme Court judgement. Mr Chautala has perhaps realised that the Supreme Court has not specified what action will be taken against Punjab if it does not complete the canal within one year. The judgement only says that if Punjab fails to complete the canal within one year, the Union Government will have to do the needful through its own agencies. However, no time limit has been laid down by the court for the Centre to complete the canal. This provides an escape route both to Punjab as well as the Central Government, which is likely to find itself increasingly beleagured in the coming days. Regretting that Punjab has not yet initiated any steps to restart the construction of the canal in its territory despite three months having already passed, Mr Chautala made a fervent appeal to Mr Vajpayee that "keeping in view the sentiments of the people of Haryana, I would be grateful if you could give necessary directions to the Union Water Resources Ministry to take necessary action so that precious one year is not wasted waiting for the Punjab Government to complete the work". The Punjab Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, is already on record that his government would not complete the canal. In view of the escape route inbuilt in the Supreme Court judgement, Capt Amarinder Singh knows that he can afford to take this stand, without inviting the wrath of the judiciary. Even if the Centre intervenes and employs its own agencies to complete the canal, Capt Amarinder Singh will be on a strong political wicket vis a vis the Akalis, under whose regime the apex court judgement came. Mr Chautala also urged Mr Vajpayee to issue necessary directions for initiating action for bifurcation of the Punjab and Haryana High Court as per the unanimous resolution passed by the state Assembly on March 14 last. The resolution demanded that Haryana should have a separate High Court with its jurisdiction on Chandigarh as well. It is the demand of giving jurisdiction over Chandigarh to the new High Court which will create a problem for the Centre to act on the resolution. Punjab too will demand jurisdiction over Chandigarh for its own High Court. Since the city is the capital of both states, it will not be easy for the Centre to decide which High Court should have
jurisdiction over Chandigarh. Ultimately the issue is bound to be linked with the transfer of Chandigarh to one state and the construction of a separate capital for the other. Otherwise, the orders of that state, the High Court of which may not have jurisdiction over Chandigarh, are likely to be challenged both before the state's High Court as well as that High Court which will have
jurisdiction over City Beautiful. The issue is too knotty to be untied in the near future. Of course, it will keep politicians of the two states busy in playing to the galleries. Mr Chautala also enclosed with his letter copies of the two separate resolutions adopted by the state Assembly unanimously on the construction of the SYL canal and the bifurcation of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. |
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All wheat will be lifted, CM assures farmers Fatehabad, March 30 The Chief Minister said that during his meeting with the Prime Minister he had requested him to convene a meeting of the Cabinet at the earliest to announce the MSP as the arrival of wheat crop in the grain markets was expected in a few days from now. He said he had demanded a support price higher than that of the previous year. Reacting to a question about the prospects of the completion of the SYL, the Chief Minister said the Punjab Government was duty-bound to complete the SYL located in its territory by January 15, 2003, as per the verdict of the Supreme Court. He said on its part, his government had earmarked a sum of Rs 10 crore in the next year’s budget for the purpose of repair of 91 km of canal in its territory. Later, addressing a party workers meeting in a local marriage palace on the Sirsa road, Mr Chautala said workers were the backbone of any organisation. Earlier in the morning, the Finance Minister, Mr Sampat Singh, announced that the MSP would be announced by the Central Government within 72 hours. Addressing a public meeting at Baropal village in his Bhattu Kalan Assembly constituency, Mr Sampat Singh said the opposition parties had launched a false campaign on this issue and appealed to the farmers not to be taken in by their false propaganda. He said the Prime Minister had himself assured the Chief Minister that the MSP this year would be higher than that announced last year. |
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Re-auction of liquor
vends fetches 350 cr Panchkula, March 30 As many as 64 groups of liquor vends in the state were auctioned off, with the bids for the remaining 113 groups of vends (of country made liquor and Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) having been confirmed by the Excise and Taxation Department earlier. The government netted sum of Rs 25 crore more than the ongoing year thus recording a hike of around 8 per cent. However, these bids are yet to be confirmed. A senior official in the Excise Department said since the Excise Act lays down provision for belated offers at 5 per cent of the reserve price along with the higher offer, such offers have been invited from the contractors till March 30 in the office of the Excise and Taxation Commissioner. “If required, negotiations for the bids will be held on March 31,” he said. According to Excise Department officials, the scenario in the liquor trade has not been very encouraging. “Except for the districts of Jagadhri, Jhajjat, Rohtak and Rewari, the auction in the remaining districts has failed to yield a good revenue.” said a senior functionary of the Excise Department. It may be noted that vends are auctioned for a one-year period starting from April 1. This year liquor trade looked gloomy when undercutting and intensive competition between the contractors had led to massive losses. Even during the auction held on February 28, the trade in Haryana had gone at rates below the bids offered last year. This year both in Punjab and Chandigarh, the auction of the liquor vends has been very good especially in Punjab where the state netted Rs 99 crore more than last year. The entire trade is affected as the rates in contiguous areas should be more or less the same for every trader to survive and to prevent cross border smuggling of liquor. According to sources, the amount of liquor selling in Chandigarh is far more than the consumption and it generally flows into the neighbouring states. The successful bidders deposited 5 per cent of the bid money as security amount at the fall of the hammer. Another 3.33 per cent will be deposited by March 31. Yet another 8.33 per cent of the bid money will be deposited till April 7. The rest of the money is recovered over the entire financial year as vend owners keep on making sales and depositing the excise money. The auction was conducted by Mr Yudhvir Singh, Assistant Excise And Taxation Commissioner, Haryana, at the Cricket Ground, Sector 5. |
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Kurukshetra
under 6-cr project Kurukshetra, March 30 Starting this to mediapersons here today, the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Abhilaksh Likhi, said the total span of the scheme was five years and within the next two years, a sum of Rs 2.5 crore would be available to the district administration for the execution of the project. Out of this, a sum of Rs 75 lakh as first instalment of the grant would be available by next week. On the steps being taken to give a facelift to the town, Mr Likhi said tower lights would be installed at a minimum 10 places, including Panorama Chowk, besides the provision of streetlight on the road from Sixth Paatshahi Gurdwara Chowk to the University’s third gate as well as grills on the road from Geeta Dwaar, Pipli, to the university (third gate). Similarly, the four-laning of the railway road would be undertaken Amin Road and Sallarpur Road from New Grain Market to the railway road would be strengthened. The purchase of dust-bins, wheel-barrows and refuse collectors had been proposed to keep the town clean. Talking about various proposals to be executed to enhance the tourist potential of this town, Mr Likhi said the Department of Culture, Government of India, and the state government would begin the construction of Kalaa Parisar near the holy Brahamsarovar here at a cost of Rs 2.5 crore. He said this would include an open-air theatre and other facilities for cultural activities, including dance, drama and theatre relating to the Mahabharata. The Chapter of INTACH for conservation of heritage was being revived at Kurukshetra with the Deputy Commissioner as its convener, Mr Likhi
added. |
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UP Govt with INLD help: CM Sirsa, March 30 The INLD chief claimed that his party had not gone to UP to fight Assembly election but party wanted to fight for the cause of the people of western UP who were being discriminated against as was being done with the people of Haryana during the joint Punjab. He said people of western UP admit that INLD was the only party who was sincerely committed to this cause. He said now nobody can stop the creation of a new state in Uttar Pradesh. Taking a dig at the BJP he indirectly referred that a party who claims its stronghold in the urban voters was placed fourth in Yamunanagar. Mr Chautala sarcastically took on the opposition parties and said that these parties who can’t perform the duty of an opposition unitedly can claim the formation of a new government. The Chief Minister while conceding to the demand of the Chairman, Mata Harki Devi Education Society, announced Rs 21 lakh for the construction of a women’s hostel. Earlier, the Chairman Bharat Singh Odhan announced that a sum of Rs 1 crore would be collected for this purpose. Earlier, he laid the foundation stone for a new ITI building in Chautala village and inaugurated the newly constructed waterworks at Malikpura village in the district. He also inaugurated the under 16 Haryana Rural Athletic Meet at Navodya Vidyalya, Odhan. |
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Businessman stabbed, robbed of cash Ambala, March 30 The incident took place when Mr Prem Malhotra, a businessman, closed his shop and was about to leave for home. Two youths accosted him at about 9 p.m. When he resisted, he was attacked by the duo with a sharp-edged weapon. The businessman was rushed to the Civil Hospital, Ambala Cantonment. Meanwhile, a man sustained injuries in Ambala Sadar after he was assaulted by another person yesterday evening. Rajendra Kumar, a resident of Kacha Bazar, was injured. He was admitted to a local hospital. |
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