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March 17, 2003, Chandigarh, India
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DEMOLITION 'EXCESSES' Faridabad, March 16 Local MP R C Bainda and MLA from Mewla Maharajpur, Mr Krishan Pal Gurjar, had to mostly face the public ire. Later, the BJP leaders claimed that they were caned by the police. However, eye witnesses’ accounts said that the local residents resorted to stone throwing and showered invectives on these leaders for not protecting their interests. Stones were also pelted on the vehicle of a local BJP MLA. Some of the senior leaders sustained minor injuries in the lathi-charge and stone throwing that followed the clash between the locals and the authorities. Mr Kataria even alleged that he received a lahti blow and threatened to raise the matter in the Lok Sabha. These leaders had come to take part in a meeting of the party. Some of the Senior BJP leaders later met the Union Home Minister L K Advani to lodge a complaint against the authorities. Meanwhile, the local residents alleged high-handedness on the part of the district Administration, contending that the use of JCBs was unwarranted since they had themselves started removing the encroachments. They said the visit of the BJP leaders was also an eye-wash as they had surfaced after the damage had been done. One of the residents claimed that the people were angry with both the leaders and the district authorities and the stone throwing was a reflection of that. He said the reckless action of the authorities had resulted in heavy loss of property and the site now resembled the quake-ravaged `Bhuj’ town of Gujarat. MLA K P Gurjar, who has threatened to resign, claimed that the drive was politically motivated and it was aimed at denting his vote bank. He said the authorities were not taking action in the Assembly constituency of MLAs supportive of the state government. Interestingly, a press note was issued today by the District Public Relations department, which said that no district official was available yesterday for his comments. The press note, without quoting any official, claimed that no lahticharge took place on Saturday. It also said that the leaders had to face the anger of the residents. Quoting a spokesman of the police and district administration, it said cases had been booked against several persons for indulging in stone throwing against officials, their vehicles and certain political leaders in Sector 29 here yesterday. It said the authorities had provided a security cover to the senior leaders who were present at the site yesterday. |
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MCD tribunal headless for five months New Delhi, March 16 No other court in Delhi has the jurisdiction to take up such matters under the MCD Act. The decision of the tribunal is final with the right to appeal only before the Lieutenant Governor. According to sources, hundreds of appeals against the orders of the MCD, NDMC and the DDA have come up before the tribunal since the last Presiding Officer B L Garg’s term ended on October two, 2002. However, in the absence of a Presiding Officer, the appellants are left with no option but to move the High Court after obtaining a certificate to this effect. This has caused a lot of hardship to the common man who has to go to the high court to seek justice. So far, five Presiding Officers have been appointed since the formation of the tribunal 17 years ago. The appointment is notified by the Central Government on the recommendation of the high court. According to sources, the Delhi High Court had sent its recommendation for the post to the Home Ministry on December 18, 2002.
Delhi Budget on March 25 Finance Minister Mahinder Singh Saathi will present the Budget 2003-2004 of Government of NCT of Delhi on March 25. Speaker of Delhi Legislative Assembly Prem Singh on Saturday said the House will be summoned for the Budget Session on Monday. |
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Nine NCR towns to get new fire stations Sonepat, March 16 According to official information, these schemes, which were earlier given approval by the Haryana Government before being submitted to the NCRPB, entail strengthening of fire services in Gurgaon, Bahadurgarh, Sonepat, Panipat, Palwal, Rewari and Rohtak and opening of new fire stations in Samalkha, Gohana, Ganaur, Jhajjar, Sohna, Hodal, Nuh, Meham and Bawal. A sum of Rs 52.49 lakh was released by the NCRPB as first instalment and as many as 13 chassis for fire engines costing around Rs 72.93 lakh have been purchased through the Director of Supplies and Disposal, Haryana. A sum of Rs 72 lakh as second instalment has also been released by the NCRPB. Against this amount, a sum of Rs 209.32 lakh was disbursed to the municipalities in August last year for the construction of fire station buildings and residences for the staff. As far as Sonepat is concerned, two fire stations are proposed to be set up in the town in the first phase and a third fire station is proposed to be established in the second phase as per the recommendations of fire consultants, M/s Institution of Fire Engineers (India), New Delhi. As one fire station already exists in Sonepat town remodelling was proposed within the available means of the municipal council. The two sites for the second fire station, as proposed by the district administration and the consultants, were not found suitable by a committee of the Haryana Slum Clearance Board. The third site located at Kakroi Road and belonging to the municipal council was found suitable and the council asked to take up construction at the site. It is pointed out that there are only 22 sanctioned posts of fire staff in the Sonepat Municipal Council. But no posts have yet been sanctioned for the fire services in Gohana and Ganaur municipalities. The district administration has submitted details about the new posts to be created. |
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Theft of deities’ statues: The plot only thickens Gurgaon, March 16 The deities relate to the Digambara sect of Jainism and the statutes were of the Tirthankaras-considered to be the gods by the Jains. The development drew curiosity of the followers all over the country. The Jain community installed the statutes in a newly constructed temple in the village, a stone’s throw from the site where they had been found. The temple is run by Parsanath Jinalay Dharmath Trust, headed by Mr Nemi Chand Jain. According to the members of the Jain community, the statues were worth about Rs 8 crore as they were made of compound and alloys of several metals. After the installation of the statues, the temple attained special significance and emerged as a religious centre for the community. Seven of the statues were, however, stolen under mysterious circumstances during the night of February 13-14. Significantly, the Union Minister of State for Shipping, Mr Duleep Gandhi, a member of the Jain community from Gujarat, had visited the temple in the company of some of his supporters the same evening en route to Teejara, another religious centre of the community in the bordering district of Alwar district in Rajasthan. Some of those who had accompanied the minister apparently showed admiration for the statues. While the theft incident is wrapped up in mystery, the fact that the culprits left other three statues has stumped the followers. Besides, the fact that the overhead canopies made of gold and silver as well as golden base of one of the statues were also left untouched has added to the mystery. The police registered a criminal case in the matter and the investigation continued. The police also visited the village today in continuation of the probe. About half a dozen members of the community from Delhi came to the village this morning and reportedly expressed dissatisfaction with the investigating officer. The members wondered why the police have not arrested the three security guards so far who were on duty that night. Also bewildering is the fact that all those present in the temple that night have reportedly been shifting their versions and also contradicting one another. The investigating officer, however, rebutted charges of ‘police inaction’ and simply said that the investigation was on. There are reports that the three security guards are from Kasan village and the villagers are resentful of any perceived police action against them. Some of the members of the community who had come from Delhi, alleged that a senior INLD leader of the district was also trying to influence the investigation. The common denominator of the versions of the employees, including the security guards, is that some unidentified persons locked them up in rooms in the temple complex before committing the thefts. Significantly, the three guards were locked up in the same room, a few yards from the sanctum sanctorum of the temple where the statues were installed. The adherents of the Jainism wonder how come all the guards were ‘deep-sleeping’ at the same time. |
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Driver of ill-fated Baleno arrested New Delhi, March 16 The driver of the Baleno, Manas, was also injured in the accident and admitted to a hospital. Since then, he has been arrested on the charge of causing death due to rash and negligent driving, only to be released on bail. He is believed to be still under treatment. The other injured are out of danger. The police said that Manas was reportedly under the influence of alcohol when the accident occurred. Roused by the Prithviraj Road accident, the police have launched a drive against drunken driving during the night. Youth of affluent families have late night trysts with their friends and try to reach their houses early which is dangerous, the police. The police also said that motorists were not allowed during the festival of Holy to drive the vehicle after drinks. Strict action would be taken against those who do not heed the police directive, the police said. |
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Phdcci opposes govt’s power to abolish contract labour New Delhi, March 16 While the recent decision of the Group of Ministers to make relaxation in the law on employing contract labour is a welcome initiative, the Act should contain provision only for the regulation of contract labour and emphasise on issues like social security benefits and wages. Increased competition amongst nations and industrial groups has necessitated reorientation of business leading to increased need of enhancing productivity and bringing about cost-effective manufacturing process, the chamber said, adding that such a situation needs greater flexibility in the course of manpower and labour deployment. According to the chamber, engagement of contractors who are specialised in rendering different types of services provides flexibility and leads to efficient utilisation of resources and improved productivity, which makes it important to ensure that there are no hurdles in getting the work done through contract labour. “The law should provide for regulation of contract labour and not for its abolition,” the Phdcci said. While the Unorganised Sector Workers Bill 2003 as drafted by the central government is a step in the right direction to achieve the goal of extending social security to workmen in the unorganised sector, the status of domestic help may be kept as that of a self employed person only and they may get themselves registered with the proposed board for social security benefits, the chamber recommended. |
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SPECIAL FOCUS ON SONEPAT Sonepat, March 16 Speaking to mediapersons on the premises of Shree Ram Krishan Sadhna Kendra at Murthal, about 8 km from here yesterday, he said that West Bengal led in cases of cow slaughtering and the Mewat region in Haryana came second. He regretted that both the West Bengal and Haryana governments remained silent and refused to impose a complete ban on cow slaughter and ignored the demand made by the Hindu organisations. He alleged that a number of cows are being slaughtered on the Muslim festivals. Even beef is served at the Iftar parties which, he said, has become an eyesore for the Hindus. The VHP leader criticised the Chautala government for appeasing the Muslim community to get political gains. He said the state government paid more attention to launch development schemes in the Mewat region at the cost of other regions of the state. He claimed that at least seven mosques had been built after demolishing the temples in different parts of Haryana and the state government has not taken any action to restore the land of the temples to the Hindus. He warned that if the state government failed to hand over the possession of such lands to the Hindus, the VHP would be forced to launch a statewide agitation. It would also knock the doors of the court for seeking excavation of these sites to prove its claim. Referring to the Ayodhya dispute on the construction of Shree Ram Mandir, the VHP leader said that a countrywide satyagraha is being launched from March 27 to April 2 for pressuring the Union government and the Lok Sabha members to pass a legislation to hand over the possession of disputed land to Shree Ram Janambhoomi Trust without delay. |
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CPI(M) to observe ‘anti-war’ week from March 23 Rohtak, March 16 The CPM leader alleged that the USA had been trying to impose war on Iraq to grab its rich oil wealth. He claimed that the war would also affect adversely the economy of our country. He said the USA had lifted all the restrictions from Pakistan but not from India. He said Iraq had always supported us on Kashmir issue and it was our duty to protect it in this crisis. Condemning the economic policies of the Centre, he alleged the public distribution system had collapsed due to the ‘faulty’ economic policies. Besides, he alleged there had been a considerable decline in the agricultural production and the small-scale industries had been closing down. He said the Centre had increased the prices of petroleum by times during the past 5 years. Schemes for cattle:
He urged the cattle owners to attend such camps as they could get information about the latest scientific techniques pertaining to the health of their animals. He said the government had announced cash prizes of Rs 1,000, Rs 5,000 and Rs 6,000 for the farmers whose cattle yielded milk up to 15 kg, 18 kg and above respectively. Mr K.C.Sharma, Financial Commissioner, Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development, said an amount of nearly Rs 200 crore would be spent on the upgradation of veterinary hospitals. Two held for gang rape:
The woman was gagged, dragged out of her house and gang raped in the fields. Those arrested are Mainpal alias Mannu and Bhajan alias Bhajani of the same village. The police said both the suspects were involved in the abduction but not in the gang rape. The Meham police had registered a case against Bijender, Dhola, Bhondu and Pradeep of the same village under Sections 342, 452, 364 and 34 of the IPC. |
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Haryana
traders to down shutters for 48 hours Sonepat, March 16 Announcing this, Mr Laxmi Chand Gupta, a leader of the Beopar Mandal Haryana, told mediapersons here today that the traders of Haryana will also take part in the all India rally being held on April 8 in Delhi on the issue. The state committee of the Beopar Mandal, he said, will meet on March 20 in Rohtak to chalk out the strategy for forcing the state government to revoke its decision in this regard. He said that it was not possible for the small traders and the small-scale manufacturers to maintain accounts as sought under the VAT Act. Meanwhile, the Executive Committee of the Bharatiya Udyog Vyapar Mandal has decided to organise protest dharnas in the markets of all states on March 21. They would submit memorandums and organise demonstrations on March 23 and present the same to the members of Parliament and the MLAs. The traders will also organise demonstrations before all the legislators and governors on March 26 and burn effigies of Vat in the states on March 29. |
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Human chain to protest US sabre-rattling New Delhi, March 16 Among those who formed the chain were D Raja (CPI), Prakash Karat (CPI-M), Surendra Mohan (Socialist Front), Swapan Mukherjee (CPI-ML), Syed Shahabuddin (Majlis-e-Mushawarat), Nirmala Deshpande (Gandhian), Prof Prabhat Patnaik, Mala Hashmi (theatre) and Brinda Karat (activist).
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Road in disrepair
Sonepat, March 16 At many a places, the road has lost its original shape not to speak of the potholes and ditches everywhere on the road. It was not possible to drive in top gear during most of the journey of around 35 km. The truck drivers, bringing sugarcane from weighing centres to the sugar-mill, drive at a snail’s pace lest their vehicles should overturn. The road condition had also adversely affected the transportation facilities as most of the owners of cooperative bus services have withdrawn their buses from this route as the route was allotted to private transporters way back in 1994. The villagers are left at the mercy of the maxi-cabs or private jeeps for undertaking journeys to Sonepat or Gohana. OC
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Five nabbed with Rs 5 lakh fake currency Our Correspondents Ghaziabad, March 16 Fake currency notes worth Rs 5 lakh and equipment used for printing were also seized by the police. Those arrested were identified as Nizam, Dhannu, Anwar, Arif and Sameer. Sameer of village Sahanpur Budana (Muzzafarnagar) was identified as the leader of the gang. The police nabbed Dhannu, Nizam and Anwar from the Mussori bus Stand after the special team was tipped off about the ongoing fake currency racket. During their interrogation, the criminals disclosed the location of their units. Dhannu operated in Dhobi Wali Gali in Kela Bhatta while Anwar was from Garima Garden, Passaunda, Sahibabad. As a result of these clues, the police party conducted raids in Charan Singh Colony in Vijay Nagar and arrested Arif and Sameer in the process of printing fake currency notes. District Bar Council
nominations Sonepat: As many as 13 candidates have filed their nominations for five posts of the District Bar Council during last two days. Only three nominations were filed on Saturday, which was the last day for submitting the nomination papers. The elections for these posts are scheduled to be held on March 22. Now, the stage is set for a triangular fight among Prem Singh Atri, Anoop Singh Dahiya and Dharamjit Singh Malik, Pawan Rawal and Virender Tyagi will contest for the post of secretary and Jitender Dahiya, Jatender Pawar and Rajiv Tyagi will fight it out for the post of co-secretary of the Council. Two years’ RI The Additional Sessions Judge of Sonepat, Mr R K
Bishnoi, has convicted one Joginder of Katlupur village under the Indian Arms Act and sentenced him to two years’ rigorous imprisonment with a fine of Rs 2,000 or, in default, to undergo further three months’ rigorous imprisonment. According to another report, another Additional Session Judge, Ms Anita Chaudhary, has accepted the bail application of an accused Ram Mehar involved in a criminal case registered against him by the police. ST Bar Assn Mr K K Gupta, a lawyer of Faridabad and Mr Ramesh Wadhwa, a lawyer of Sonepat were elected as the president and general secretary respectively of the Haryana Sales Tax Bar Association at a specially convened meeting of the association held here yesterday. Addressing the members of the association on the occasion, the newly elected president Mr Gupta highlighted the various aspects of the Value Added Tax (VAT) and said that the government has liberalised the provisions for the registration of the traders. Train blast condemned Mr Jatinder
Paswar, general secretary of the Haryana unit of the All India Anti-Terrorist Front today condemned the incident of explosion in a train in Mumbai by the terrorists and expressed sympathy with the families of the victims.
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DELHI DIGEST New Delhi, March 16 Yusuf told media persons the file had been sent to Raj Niwas for the Lieutenant- Governor’s approval. “The government has forwarded the file to the Lieutenant- Governor. The government arrived at this decision after studying the recommendations of the House Committee chaired by Mukesh Sharma,” he said. He said the farmers would also get Rs three crore worth of financial assistance to buy fodder for livestock. The government, he said, would like to see the amount distributed among the farmers before the month-end. An added incentive, he told the farmers, would be a Kisan Mandi in Burari. The mandi (market) at Burari, he said, would be one of the nine such markets on the drawing board. The minister said the first Kisan Mandi would come up in Andheria Mod near Mehrauli in South Delhi by May. Arya alleges rules violation in library appointments:
The new appointments were made with the consent of the Mayor, Ms Jaishree Panwar and the Leader of the House, Mr Ram Babu Sharma, he alleged. Even the executive members of the library were not informed about the new appointments. |
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Truck loaded with urea worth lakhs stolen Sonepat, March 16 Youth killed:
Body recovered:
Two assaulted:
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Satta racket busted New Delhi, March 16 Earlier, they were involved in the sale of lottery tickets near the Badarpur border. They got involved in the satta racket after they incurred losses in their business. The police received a secret information that a satta racket was being operated from Adarsh Nagar. The information was developed and a decoy customer was sent to the satta den. After a deal was finalised, the decoy called in the police deployed outside. When the police raided the premises, the suspects were busy in betting on the ongoing cricket match between Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka. Seven mobile phones, two listening and recording machines, one telephone and two speakers were seized. The police also seized Rs 2.68 lakh, the police said. Liquor Seized:
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SHOWCASE Giovani’s Spring-Summer 2003 collection, “Summer Romance,” comprises executive wear, casual suits, jackets, shirts and knitwear for both men and women at very affordable price. Giovani’s fabric orientation is towards extreme sophistication among blends like linen, cotton, viscose and silk. These blends are calmer in appearance but seemingly sophisticated in composition. Triple Choc:
Kwality Wall’s has announced the launch of the delicious Super Cornetto Triple Choc. The Super Cornetto Triple Choc cone has light chocolate flavoured rosettes on top, delicious dark chocolate flavour below, a central rich core of mocha sauce that runs right to the bottom, all topped with a generous sprinkling of roasted almonds. Special kids drink:
The special nourisher for kids provides nourishment to help build the developing immune system of the child, which is vital to help protect him against falling ill frequently and thus aid in promoting optimal uninterrupted growth. Tornado:
Miracle TV:
The product helps you catch your favourite show without waiting for your PC boot up. Just connect your monitor directly to Miracle TV and get ready for the show. Compact
cooktops:
Speedy hair colours:
Star Nuts:
Curative
power:
Kids Sun Block Cream:
Day 2 Day wear:
Cooling heads:
High Performance Fans:
Defining comfort:
Punjabi album launched:
Electric Kitchen
Chimneys:
It has been especially developed and patented by the Faber Spa for the Indian kitchen. The filter offers a one stop solution to all the basic problems attached to the present day kitchen chimneys like frequent clogging of filters due to the heavy release of oil and gas particles in the Indian kitchens and low suction power of chimneys. Baby care:
Casual
shoes for men:
Glitter
effects:
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