H A R Y A N A

Scheme on power dues liberalised
Chandigarh, April 28
The Haryana power utilities have liberalised the recently announced scheme for the clearing of power dues by domestic, non-domestic and agricultural consumers. The Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, had announced last week that the consumers choosing to clear their arrears in one go would have to pay only 25 per cent of the amount pending on April 30, 2002, and 75 per cent of their arrears would be written off provided the 25 per cent payment was made by May 15, 2002.

Dharna against wakf board tomorrow
Ambala, April 28
The Anjuman Islahul Musalmeen will organise a dharna against the Punjab Wakf Board on April 30. The chairman of the organisation, Mr Siyad Ahahmad Khan, said here today that the dharna would be staged in front of the headquarters of the board at Ambala Cantonment.

National fellowship for former HAU don
Hisar, April 28
Dr I.S. Chandna, a former Head of Department of Veterinary Surgery and Radiology at Haryana Agricultural University has been awarded fellowship by the National Academy of Veterinary Sciences in recognition of his significant contributions for the advancement of veterinary sciences.

Scheme on power dues liberalised
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 28
The Haryana power utilities have liberalised the recently announced scheme for the clearing of power dues by domestic, non-domestic and agricultural consumers.

The Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, had announced last week that the consumers choosing to clear their arrears in one go would have to pay only 25 per cent of the amount pending on April 30, 2002, and 75 per cent of their arrears would be written off provided the 25 per cent payment was made by May 15, 2002.

Realising that even 25 per cent of the arrears may be too high in certain cases where the dues had not been paid for years by rural consumers, a spokesman of the power utilities said here today that 50 per cent of the arrears would be written off in case a consumer opted to pay the balance 50 per cent arrears in monthly instalments of as low as Rs 100. No surcharge or interest would be charged on the frozen 50 per cent of the amount to be paid in instalments.

The utilities have also decided to indicate separately in the electricity bills the amount of the arrears and that of the current bill so that the defaulting consumers could at least clear their current bill in addition to paying the arrears in monthly instalments of Rs 100. So far, the arrears and the current bill used to be clubbed together. This deterred the consumers from paying even their current charges.

The spokesman also made it clear that the percentage of relief(50 per cent or 75 per cent) would be decided by the DCs who would take the village as a whole or a group of consumers in a village as a unit. It is obvious from this provision that the government wants to break the collective resistance put up by farmers against paying the power arrears instead of approaching individual consumers. This approach would weaken the influence of the BKU, which is currently under attack by the INLD government, in the problematic villages.

It has also been left to the DCs to decide whose arrears for six months are to be written off on account of floods in 1995.

Dharna against wakf board tomorrow
Our Correspondent

Ambala, April 28
The Anjuman Islahul Musalmeen will organise a dharna against the Punjab Wakf Board on April 30. The chairman of the organisation, Mr Siyad Ahahmad Khan, said here today that the dharna would be staged in front of the headquarters of the board at Ambala Cantonment.

The board will also organise its 42nd annual general conference at the cantonment on April 30. The administrator of the board, Dr M.R. Haque, will preside over the conference.

National fellowship for former HAU don

Hisar, April 28
Dr I.S. Chandna, a former Head of Department of Veterinary Surgery and Radiology at Haryana Agricultural University (HAU) has been awarded fellowship by the National Academy of Veterinary Sciences in recognition of his significant contributions for the advancement of veterinary sciences.

Dr Chandna has been earlier awarded Team Research Award in Animal Sciences for the year 1985-86 for his outstanding contribution in the field of animal sciences with a gold medal and a scroll of honour by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research. He is Fellow Emeritus of the Indian Society for Veterinary Surgery. UNI