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Friday,
August 2, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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616 cr sought as drought relief: CM Haryana farmers face impoverishment Start relief work for farmers: Mann Ajit
clarifies on drought Pilgrims allege harassment by DTO’s staff 38
sarpanches, panches elected unopposed |
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Homage to Darbari Lal Railways
scam: Sarsar claims innocence Poor sanitation: PIL threatened Rail Yatri Sangh protest on Aug 5 Garg chief of governing body
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616 cr sought as drought relief: CM Hisar, August 1 Addressing mediapersons after inaugurating a Farmer Information Centre at the grain market here, he said all 19 districts had been declared drought-hit. He said he had met the Prime Minister who had assured him that the money would be given to Haryana. He said most of the crops in the state had been destroyed, adding that the government had ordered a special girdawari to assess the loss. The government had also asked officials to check the theft of irrigation water. The district administration would ensure the patrolling of banks of all rivers and canals. He appealed to people to conserve water and help the administration in checking water theft. Mr Chautala described the appointment of Mr Bhajan Lal as HPCC President as an internal matter of the Congress. He said he had called an all-party meeting at Chandigarh on August 14 to discuss the SYL issue. He said the Punjab Government would have to complete the SYL canal before the deadline fixed by the apex court. He said the government would try to adjust retrenched employees of the Minor Irrigation Tubewell Corporation in other departments. The government would also relax the age limit of these employees. He said there was no plan of banning “gutkha” in Haryana. |
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Haryana farmers face impoverishment Chandigarh, August 1 If there is no rain, there is going to be no crop and farmers will neither have cash nor grain. But even if it rains now, farmers will have to once again invest in seeds, fertilisers and other inputs. Take the case of Baljit, a well-to-do peasant who has 22 acres of land. He had sown bajra, cotton and rice. While, a portion of the paddy crop is surviving, bajra and cotton sowed by him has got completely destroyed due to the drought condition. If there is enough rain for a few days, bajra will be sown again which will mean additional expenditure which will not have occurred if the monsoon had come in time. For many farmers, it is not easy to mobilise additional expenses. Bhim Singh, a farmer having 10 acres of land at Kirawakdhani village near Tosham, who grows cotton, bajra and jowar, said he had taken Rs 15,000 as a loan from a cooperative bank for investing in land. “Interest is charged at the rate of 15 per cent annually for the money which will have to be returned within six months. Otherwise the bank will start charging compound interest,” Bhim Singh said. With all his crops getting wiped out due to lack of rain, Bhim Singh has no idea how he will repay the bank loan. A large number of farmers purchase seeds and fertilisers and other inputs from traders on credit with condition that payments will be made by them during the harvesting season. The traders reportedly charge a monthly interest of 2 per cent on these payments. The farmers who have already bought farm inputs from traders on credit will have to approach the traders again for a second time for their supply of seeds and fertilisers which is unlikely to be entertained unless past debts are cleared. “Seeing that the monsoon is delayed, some of the traders did not come to the rescue of farmers as a result of which vast areas have remained unsown,” said Hari Singh of Rupana village in Hisar. Hari Singh, elder brother of the village sarpanch, claimed that about 13 families of the village had mortgaged land to the bank for taking loans for supporting their families. The delayed monsoon has burdened the farmers with other unforeseen expenditure as well. Those who have diesel tubewells are using these more than they do normally and spending extra money for purchasing fuel. As the water level has gone down in most of the areas, the depth of the tubewells is being increased by farmers. Baljit Singh of Kandela village said that Rs 400 per one feet of depth was being charged. Those farmers who supplement their income by selling milk are also facing a tough time as the milk output has gone down due to a shortage of animal feed. Asked if they have any alternative plan, a helpless farmer said: “We are only praying to God for giving us rain.” |
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Start relief work for farmers: Mann Kaithal, August 1 He said though the government had declared the entire state as drought-hit, it had not announced any relief measures so far. Mr Mann was addressing a press conference here today. He demanded that the government should direct the sugar mills to clear the arrears of farmers amounting to about Rs 100 crore, defer the recovery of loans of farmers, waive interest, start food for work programmes, postpone recovery of power bills, double the limit of credit cards issued to farmers and ensure minimum 12-hour power supply to tubewells to save the withering crops. He said he price of fodder was rising rapidly. Mr Mann said Mr Om Prakash Chautala had not attended the meeting convened recently by the Union Agriculture Minister to discuss the drought situation due to political reasons, adding that the government should seek financial assistance from the Centre and start relief work on a war footing. He also took the state government to task for its failure to provide canal water at tail-ends which, he said, had affected the farmers badly. |
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Ajit
clarifies on drought Chandigarh, August 1 Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala was quoted to have to said at Bahadurgarh yesterday that the Union Government had already declared Haryana as a drought-affected state. However, talking to TNS over the phone from Delhi, Union Agriculture Minister, Ajit Singh said that
declaring a state as drought-affected fell in the jurisdiction of the state government. A senior official in the state’s Revenue Department said special girdawari 19 districts from August 5 to August 20 would be followed up by the state government taking a decision regarding drought and giving relief from the CRF to farmers. “About the Chief Minister’s reported statement from Bahadurgarh yesterday, the official said the Union Government had earlier called a meeting of 12 states which were facing drought. Inviting Haryana to the meeting was an indication of what the centre felt about the condition in Haryana. The Chief Minister perhaps meant that when he said that the Centre had declared Haryana as hit by drought”, clarified the official. |
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Suspend interest on bank loans: farmers Chandigarh, August 1 In a memorandum submitted to the Haryana Governor, these organisations demanded that the recovery of power bills should also be suspended and compensation paid to those farmers whose crops had been damaged by the drought or who could not sow their fields because of the lack of irrigation facilities. The memorandum said a food-for-work programme should be immediately started in the rural areas to provide employment to landless agriculture labourers who had been rendered unemployed by the drought. Among the other demands made in the memorandum were immediate payment of the arrears to cane growers, arrangement of fodder for the livestock, power supply to tubewells for at least 12 hours daily and absorption of retrenched employees in other government departments. |
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Drought may devour 50 pc basmati Taraori (Karnal), August 1 Agricultural experts opined here today that the production of scented basmati would go down by at least 50 per cent because of the drought. Farmers in the area who have been growing this type of basmati are panicky. Disappointment is writ large on their faces. The water level has also gone down by 5 feet. Mr Sukhwinder Singh, a progressive farmer, maintained that he was finding it difficult to retrieve whatever is left of the scented basmati crop standing in his fields. |
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Pilgrims allege harassment by DTO’s staff Yamunanagar, August 1 According to information here yesterday, a bus carrying the pilgrims of Gorakhpur was going to Jammu when they were stopped by employees of the department who demanded the papers of the bus when they entered Haryana from Kalanaur border. According to driver of the bus, they had deposited the tax of Haryana at the border, the receipt of which was shown to the members of the checking staff. The driver further alleged that the employees misbehaved with him as well as with the passengers. In protest, the passengers sat on the road, blocked the traffic and smashed the windowpanes of the DTO’s gypsy. Subdivisional Magistrate, Jagadhri, Ms Renu Phulia and Deputy Superintendent of Police, Mr Ashok Kumar, reached the spot and tried to pacify the pilgrims and returned them the papers of the bus. They assured the pilgrims that action would be taken against the culprits and on their assurance they restored the traffic. |
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sarpanches, panches elected unopposed Sirsa, August 1 District Election Officer and Deputy Commissioner D. Suresh said yesterday that the elections were to be held on August 4. These included election for four seats of sarpanch. But after the last date of withdrawal of nomination, only two candidates for panch seat remained in the fray. The elections to the panchayat of Madho Singhana village in the district has been unanimous. Doli Chand has been elected sarpanch while Om Parkash, Mahabir, Doongar Ram, Mani Ram, Hari Singh, Girdhavari, Mani Ram, Jhandu Ram, Lila Vanti, Subash, Pana Devi, Nathi Devi, Raj Kumar, Rani Bai, Sukhwant Kaur, Dilbagh Singh and Harbhajan Singh have been elected panchayat of their respective wards. |
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Bureaucrat,
poet rolled into one Ambala, August 1 However, he is neither a typical pen-pushing officer
nor a poet who is oblivious to developments in today’s world. Mr
Gambhir has managed to strike a balance between the two distinctive
roles. Talking to Chandigarh Tribune today, Mr Gambhir said his
second book “Gunchayan Ehsaas” was yet to be formally released.
“I began work on my second book soon after the release of my first
book of poetry in 1997,” he said. Mr Gambhir, who worked as a
lecturer from 1972 to ’79 before joining the department, said
initially he was not drawn towards poetry. “However, during my
tenure as DETC at Sonepat, I developed an inclination for writing
poetry. I learnt the finer nuances and felt that I could express
myself through poetry”, he said. He observed that people normally
did not give a true depiction of the prevailing circumstances. “My
effort is to boldly express the current scenario. Incidentally, I have
used Urdu expressions which are easily understood by the common man,”
he said. “My book does not contain notes since I am sure that people
will understand the language,” he said. While Mr Gambhir’s first
book “Katra Katra Ehsaas” was written in free verse, his second
book follows meter. “I want that my poems should carry weight and it
should not be poetry for the sake of penning down a few lines,” he
said. Mr Gambhir has divided his second book into three parts. The
first part deals with the experiences of a person and exposes of
people’s hypocrisy. The second part highlights the pleasant times
spent with a close confidante and it brings out the intensity of the
relationship. The third part deals with the mundane and issues that
agitate the minds of the common man. His poetry had a positive note and he wanted to bring out the fact that a person could succeed only after struggle, he said. To
a query, Mr Gambhir said it was not difficult being a bureaucrat and a
poet at the same time. “It is all about sensitivity. Even in my
dealings as a bureaucrat, I keep in mind the humane touch,” he said
with a smile. Mr Gambhir has now started work on his third book. “My
third book is going to be of ghazals. It is a process of evolution,”
he said. |
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Homage to Darbari Lal Chandigarh, August 1 Mr Gupta died on July 21 last at the age of 83. A meeting will be held at Jagadhari tomorrow to mourn his death. Fondly called “Lalaji”, many in the Haryana services still recall how merit was the only consideration when Mr Gupta headed the HPSC for six years right from the birth of the state in 1966. Before that he was a member of the Punjab Public Service Commission for two years. His contribution as head of the constitutional body having the responsibility of selecting the best talent for the state services is in sharp contrast to what was recently exposed in the infamous Ravi Sidhu case. Mr Gupta’s achievements assume particular significance, considering that he had to leave his formal studies when he was just in Class VIII because of an eye ailment. After joining the family business, he moved on to public life and held several assignments in various governments. His deep association with the Congress did not come in the way of the leaders of the other parties who wanted to take benefit of his experience and wisdom. The former Prime Minister, Mr Charan Singh; and the former Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Devi Lal, who differed with him politically, gave him responsible assignments whenever they were in power. He is survived by his wife, Sarla Devi, one daughter and six sons. |
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Railways scam: Sarsar claims innocence Ambala, August 1 His wife, Ms Kamlesh Sarsar, said the CBI sleuths had arrived at their residence in Mahesh Nagar at about 7.30 am yesterday. “We provided them with whatever they needed. They left after three hours, she said. She said the CBI personnel wanted to open the bank lockers and so it was done. Mrs Sarsar pointed out that their house in Mahesh Nagar had been bought through bank loans and that her husband had taken proper permission of the department. |
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Poor sanitation: PIL threatened Bhiwani, August 1 Talking to mediapersons, Mr Masta, an advocate, said people to go far away to fetch water. Public health functionaries had not even restored water supply, despite the fact that the water tanks which had exhausted four days back were filled after supply in the Jui canal, he said. |
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Rail Yatri Sangh protest on Aug 5 Bhiwani, August 1 General secretary of the sangh O.P. Chawla said here on Tuesday, a dharna would be held if the
authorities did not take action on their demands, including bringing Bhiwani junction under the Delhi Rail Mandal. The sangh, he warned might take resort to ‘rail roko’ in case of non-acceptance of demands. |
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Garg chief of governing body Kurukshetra, August 1 According to the Returning Officer, Mr Mange Ram Gupta, College Principal, Mr Harjoginder Singh was declared elected unopposed vice-president and Mr Praveen Gupta and Mr Ved Prakash Singhal were elected unopposed general secretary and treasurer, respectively. |
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Expedition flagged off Chandigarh, August 1 The expedition has been jointly organised by the National Adventure Club and a motorbike manufacturing company. |
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MCA counselling from Aug 12 Kurukshetra, August 1 |
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