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Friday,
March 28, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Storm brews in Haryana Cong 60,000 lives lost to terrorism Remand for Pak spy HIGH COURT |
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New method to check power theft 50 animals die of mysterious disease ‘Implement’ policies
for Dalits’ uplift Ex-minister gets bail in graft case Exchange
inaugurated Hearing on Nain’s bail plea on March 31
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Storm brews in Haryana Cong Chandigarh, March 27 To quell the virtual rebellion by the sacked BCC Presidents, who staged a noisy demonstration at the AICC headquarters on March 25, the high command has allowed them participation in the two-day conference of BCC Presidents to be held in Delhi from tomorrow. They were given entry passes by the high command today. Of course, as a balancing act, the high command has also allowed the newly appointed BCC Presidents to attend the conference, which is being held for the first time in the past 27 years. The sacked BCC Presidents allege that while removing them from their posts, Mr Bhajan Lal had not followed the procedure laid down in the constitution of the Haryana Congress as well as that of the AICC. Interestingly, both constitutions are contradictory to each other. Under the Haryana Congress constitution, the Pradesh Congress Committee(PCC) President has the power to suspend an office-bearer of a committee subordinate to him in the case of a prima-facie breach of discipline. But Article XXVI specifically says that “the matter should be placed before the next meeting of the executive of the PCC and proceedings should be initiated so as to dispose of disciplinary action case within one month of the suspension order”. The sacked BCC Presidents claim that they had not been issued any suspension order nor any notice was given to them for any alleged anti-party activity. Nor the PCC President had convened a meeting of the executive committee, though the process of sacking BCC Presidents started in mid-February. The Haryana Congress constitution is silent on the right of an affected person to appeal against the decision of the disciplinary committee. However, the AICC constitution makes it mandatory that at least two-week notice must be given to an individual to explain his case. The notice period can be reduced only by the Congress Working Committee (CWC). The AICC constitution specifically provides that an appeal can be made by the person concerned to the CWC if disciplinary action is taken against him by the PCC executive committee. In the Haryana case, even if it is presumed that the PCC President had the authority of the executive committee to sack the BCC Presidents, their right to appeal to the CWC is unquestionable. There is another provision in the AICC constitution, which, the sacked BCC Presidents allege, has been violated by Mr Bhajan Lal. They say this is a violation which Mr Bhajan Lal cannot defend before the AICC. The AICC constitution is categorical that pending disposal of the appeal against the disciplinary action “involving removal from an elective committee, the vacancy thus created shall not be filled”. Since the sacked BCC Presidents were elected, Mr Bhajan Lal had no right to appoint new BCC Presidents, which he has done. It seems Mr Bhajan Lal’s legal advisers had not done their home work properly before they advised him about his powers under the party constitution. Article XXXIV of the Haryana Congress constitution says : “In the case of any conflict between the PCC constitution and the one of the Indian National Congress, the latter shall prevail.” Earlier, Mr Bhajan Lal had removed 16 Presidents of the District Congress
Committees (DCC), though under the constitution an elected DCC President can be removed only by the CWC(read AICC President). The high command had reinstated 14 of the 16 sacked DCC Presidents. There is a silver lining amidst this controversy. As a neutral Congressman remarked that now the high command would have to decide once and for all whether Mr Bhajan Lal is to be given a free hand to run the badly faction-ridden party. |
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60,000 lives lost to terrorism Yamunanagar, March 27 Mr Swami said India was fighting a proxy war for more than two decades and had sacrificed 60,000 lives, including those lost in terrorism-hit Punjab. In the past four wars against China and Pakistan, including the Kargil war, there were around 8,000 casualties while around 5,000 persons were killed in the struggle for Independence from 1857 to 1947. Mr Swami said after the Kargil war, tasks forces for internal security, intelligence collection, border management and countering external aggression were constituted comprising senior officers, including retired Army officers. On their recommendation, a report was submitted to Mr L.K. Advani, Deputy Prime Minister, for action. Mr Swami said on the basis of the report, fencing work, lighting, construction of roads and watchtowers had been given priority. The minister said there was 15,000 km of border facing Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal, China and Bangladesh. The fencing work in Rajasthan and on the Punjab border was going on to stop inflitration. The terrorists now came in groups of 20 and launched attacks. The minister condemned the recent massacre of Kashmiri Pandits at Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir. He said the Union Government had announced a compensation of Rs 1 lakh each to the families of those killed in the massacre. The strategy to curb terrorism was likely to change after the incident. Mr Swami, on being asked about the Iraq war, said it was unjustified and no country had the right to challenge the sovereignty of any country. He said the UN was not being given its due importance. When asked about the BJP’s relations with the INLD in Haryana, Mr Swami refused to comment. |
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Remand for Pak spy Ambala, March 27 The Ambala cantonment police had arrested him on Wednesday while he was transmitting a secret message to Pakistan through e-mail in a cyber cafe at Ambala cantonment. The prosecutor pleaded for the police remand on the basis that the spy had received a huge amount through ‘hawala’ to plant informers in the cantonment as well as in a civil area in Hisar. The spy requested the court to allow him to contact his family members in Pakistan on telephone. The prosecutor raised objection over it and informed the court that it had already conveyed officially to Pakistani High Commission regarding the arrest of Haidar. Meanwhile, a few more Central Intelligence agencies’ members were also reaching Ambala to interrogate Haidar. HISAR: The Pakistani spy, Masud Akhtar Haidar, arrested at Ambala yesterday has revealed to the local police that he was spying even during his five-month stay here. A police party from Ambala brought him here today for further investigations during which he is stated to have admitted that he had come here from Karachi via Dhaka, Kathmandu and Delhi. On arrival he hired a room in the Mahavir Colony here. He claimed before the landlord that he was a resident of Dhuri in Punjab. He identified himself as Ramu. During his stay here, he worked at several places, including a tent house, a dhaba and as a construction labourer. However, since he was not adept at any of these odd jobs, he hopped from job to job and finally left a few days ago. During his stint with the tent house, he went to the local military station for pitching a tent. Some weeks ago, he had gone to Mumbai to collect money from Pakistani agents for whom he spied. He claimed to have a brother in Dubai and often received telephone calls from abroad on his landlord’s phone. The last of such calls was received three days ago. The police raided his room here and seized all his personal belongings. He had drilled holes in the walls to hide sensitive documents pertaining to the Indian defence installations. |
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HIGH COURT Chandigarh, March 27 Claiming to be on the hit list of terrorists, Mr Bhajan Lal, in his petition, had earlier stated that his life was in danger as he had taken steps to contain militancy when Punjab was facing threat. Giving details, the petitioner had added that he was attacked by the militants in America following which five accused were nabbed by the police and sentenced to five years imprisonment for hatching a conspiracy to eliminate him. Seeking directions to the Union of India, the Director General of National Security Guards, besides the state of Haryana, to provide him with “necessary security cover by a central agency”, the petitioner had also claimed that the state of Haryana was informed by the Central Government regarding the decision to replace the NSG security cover with the local police. His counsel had added that the state was also asked to inform Mr Bhajan Lal regarding the move to change the security arrangement following which he had forwarded representations to the Union Home Minister and the Prime Minister but had not received any reply. |
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New method to check power theft Hisar, March 27 According to this method, if a consumer was caught stealing power but was willing to pay 70 per cent of the total amount of assessed penalty within 72 hours of notice, the offence of theft against such a consumer would be compounded and the matter would stand settled for all purposes. No FIR would be registered against such a consumer, he said. In case the erring consumer does not opt for this method, he would be dealt with under the existing instructions. The consumer would have to pay the entire amount thereafter and on failure to do so, an FIR would be registered and power supply disconnected. During the current financial year, the DHBVN detected 13360 cases of theft and imposed penalties of Rs 14.62 crores. About 47 per cent of the penalties could be recovered. |
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50 animals die of mysterious disease Hisar, March 27 According to residents of these villages, the epidemic broke out two weeks ago and is spreading to the adjoining villages. They said in the first stage, the affected animal’s feet develop a swelling and they fall to the ground. Later, they develop signs of flautulence and die a few hours later. They said that the disease first broke out among cows and later it affected bulls. Now all types of animal have been affected. The villagers complained that the Animal Husbandry Department have arranged some medicines, but these were not sufficient. There was a strong resentment among villagers against the department. According to sources, veterinary surgeons of nearby villages have been directed to keep a close watch on the epidemic in the area. None of the officials of the department was available for comments. Dr A.P.Singh of the Haryana Agricultural University said he had not received any information from the department. |
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‘Implement’ policies
for Dalits’ uplift Fatehabad, March 27 The Deputy Commissioner, Dr R. B. Langyaan, the ADC, Mr C.R. Rana, the SDM, Mr Yogesh Bhardwaj, the City Magistrate, Mr Jagniwas, and SDM, Tohana, Mr Satbir Singh Saini were present. |
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Ex-minister gets bail in graft case Kaithal, March 27 The state Vigilance Bureau had booked Mr Surinder Madan and four other officials — Mr Romesh Chopra, XEN, Public Health, an SDO, Mr S.K.Goel, E.O, and Mr C.L Gupta, Municipal Engineer — in 1998. The allegation was that when Mr Madan was minister, the officials, ignoring norms executed some development works to benefit Mr Madan and spent more than Rs 46,000 from government funds. |
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Exchange
inaugurated Sirsa, March 27 Mr Malhotra said to redress telephone complaints at the earliest, the BSNL was working on ‘pole-less’ telecommunication network. In Haryana, such a network had already been provided to six cities under the Jind district telephone exchange while work on such projects would start from April 1 at Sirsa, Dabwali, Rania and Ellenabad. |
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Hearing on Nain’s bail plea on March 31 Ambala, March 27 The state, while opposing the bail application of Mr Nain said that the BKU President was declared proclaimed offender by Additional Sessions Judge, Hisar, Mr J B Sharma in the case registered against him in Narnoad police station on March 1, 1995 under Sections 307, 332, 353, 148, 149 and 188 IPC. Moreover six of the co-accused in this case were already convicted in this case. Recovered: The CIA branch of Ambala police recovered 600 litres of black oil from a house in Sena Nagar at Ambala Cantonment here on Wednesday. The police got a tip-off that someone was selling adulterated diesel by mixing kerosene in black oil. The person,
Mahender Kumar, fled before the police could nab him. Theft: A theft was reported at Ambala Cantonment here on Wednesday. Thieves broke into a shop and took away a digital video device, Rs 8,000 and a few other electronic goods. The total loss was estimated around Rs 50,000. The police has registered a case. Case registered: The security branch of the Ambala SP’s office has registered a case against a couple for using fake ration card and other documents for making a passport. The passport authority in Chandigarh had prepared the passport but the passport authorities received information that the woman who had applied for the passport belonged to Afghanistan, and the ration card attached with the passport documents was fake. The passport authorities asked the Ambala police to investigate the matter. During the inquiry the documents were found fake.
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INLD MLA dead Chandigarh, March 27 |
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Ambala, March 27
