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July 18, 2003, Chandigarh, India
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Dwarka property dealer’s murder case cracked Jhajjar, July 17 Sources in the district police revealed today the Rohtak police had already arrested two persons named by Suresh as his accomplices in another case and they would be brought here later. The police had recovered a body lying in an abandoned Indica car near a canal on the Jhajjar road in Bahadurgarh on May 22. The body was identified as that of Ramesh Bhatia, a property dealer in Dwarka. However, the Crime Branch of Bahadurgarh yesterday succeeded in cracking the case following the arrest of the prime accused, Suresh Sangwan, from his residence in Sector 7 of Palam Colony in Dwarka. During interrogation, he confessed to the crime and disclosed the entire conspiracy behind the murder. He told the police his friend Sanjeev Goyal had bought a shop from the deceased and promised to pay for it later. However, when the victim started pressing Sanjeev for payment, the latter approached the accused, Ramesh, with the problem. A murder plot was hatched and Suresh got in touch with his accomplices. The deal was struck for Rs 3 lakh. The accused identified his accomplices as Balwan, Rajesh, alias Rajbir, Rambir, Kuldeep, Teju and Himmati. They reached the office of the victim on May 21 in a Qualis car. But he was not in the office, so they went after him and tried to abduct him near a petrol pump in Dwarkapuri at pistol-point. When the victim refused to accompany them, one of the abductors stabbed him and took over the Indica car. They reportedly killed him in the moving vehicle and abandoned the car with the body lying inside on the Jhajjar road in Bahadurgarh. The police sources said two of the accused in the case, Rambir and Kuldeep, had been arrested by the Rohtak. They were planning to murder a doctor in Kalanaur, who had refused to pay them ransom.
Aged man killed by
wife, sons An aged man was allegedly killed by his two sons and his daughters-in-law in Bhurawas village of the district. His own wife was an accomplice in the act. A property feud is said to be the reason behind the killing, which took place on the night of July 13. According to the police sources, the deceased, Ran Singh, was living with one of his three sons, Arvind. His two other sons, Anand Prakash and Rajkumar, had been living separately with their mother. Ran Singh owned 12 acres of land in the village, which was being cultivated by his three sons. According to Arvind, his father had raised a loan. Now, he wanted to sell the land and repay the same. This was not acceptable to the other two sons. This conflict took a turn for the worse when he was allegedly killed by Anand and Rajkumar, the deceased’s wife and his daughters-in-law. They reportedly bundled his body in a bag and threw it outside the village. However, some villagers spotted the body this morning and informed the police. The police have arrested the accused following the registration of a case on the statement of Arvind. |
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MONUMENTAL
FOLLY New Delhi, July 17 A Division Bench of Chief Justice B. C. Patel and Justice A. K. Sikri also requisitioned the records of the trial court in order to ascertain if the NDMC had sought the ASI nod before approving the construction plan of the said building on Janpath Lane. ASI counsel Sanjay Jain claimed Jantar Mantar was a protected monument and as per the Centre’s notification the said building could not be erected irrespective of the NDMC sanction as it fell within 100 metres of the 18th century monument. However, petitioner S Shivdarshan Singh’s counsel P. N. Lekhi pointed out that the ASI had failed to place on record the said notification of 1957. The court was perturbed to know from Mr Lekhi that the NDMC was constructing a high-rise within the prohibited area and the ASI was not doing anything about it. “How can you permit it?” the Bench asked the ASI. A Single Bench of the court had in October last allowed Singh to raise a construction after the NDMC gave its approval. However, the construction was stayed by the Division Bench after the ASI challenged the Single Bench order, claiming the NDMC approval was in complete violation of the law. According to the Ancient Monuments Act, no construction activity could be undertaken on the protected (where the monument exists) and prohibited (within 100 metres of the monument) area. Such activities in another 200 metres had to be regulated so as to protect the monument. |
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SURGING
AHEAD Panipat, July 17 Despite an occasional slump, the exports have been growing since the early 70s when they were pegged at just Rs one crore. Besides handloom products, Pachranga pickles, Basmati rice and blankets are exported from the city. Canada, Japan, Australia, Europe and the Gulf countries are the major customers. In 1997-98, the exports fell to Rs 400 crore from Rs 425 crore in 1996-1997. Similarly, the exports fell to Rs 400 crore in 1995-96 from Rs 450 crore in 1994-1995. However, in 1998-99, they staged a come back and jumped to Rs 600 crore. Panipat has 2,600 handloom units employing over 70,000 skilled and semi-skilled workers hailing from UP, Bihar, West Bengal and Bangladesh. It is learnt that Panipat exports about 35 per cent of the country’s interior products. Hand-tufted carpets are a major item and this year their export has contributed over Rs 60 crores. The Export Promotion Council has awarded the carpet industry with a gold medal for its quality products. Besides, four units had been awarded the state’s Export Award. Even as the state and local authorities claim credit for the galloping exports, the exporters have a different story to tell. A top exporter said on the condition of anonymity that despite poor infrastructure and rising crime graph, the dogged determination of the exporters and the easy availability of raw material and cheap skilled labour were the factors behind the spurt in exports. |
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Social activist moves court on selective demolitions Faridabad, July 17 Frustrated by the tepid response of the officials, a social activist here has moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The civil writ petition filed by Mr K. L. Gera, a resident of Sector 15-A, in this regard has been admitted. The court has asked the authorities to file their reply by July 31next. Giving details of the PIL, Mr Gera said he had issued a legal notice to the district authorities, including the Deputy Commissioner and the Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation Faridabad (MCF), stating that there had been rampant encroachments around the Government Senior Secondary School at Tikona Park in the NIT area. Earlier, he had brought glaring examples of unauthorised occupation in the area to the attention of the MCF. The civic body, in its response to him on March 10, 2003, had communicated that for removal of encroachments a request had been made to the SP and DC. However, about four months had passed with the authorities failing to take any action. He alleged that this could be owing to the vested interest of certain officials and the influence wielded by persons occupying the land. The petitioner has now demanded the removal of the auto market, shops and the subzi mandi functioning illegally near the school boundary. He has pointed out that the traffic congestion and the resultant air and noise pollution was dangerous to the health of schoolkids and other residents. The applicant has supplied about 38 photographs of the illegal structures. He has claimed that there were hundreds of illegal shops in the area and each shopkeeper had usurped 15 to 50 feet of public land. The green belt on both sides of the road had been encroached upon, either by the shopkeepers or the local residents who had constructed or extended the ramps outside the built-up area. A nearby park had also been illegally occupied. The encroachers had even constructed multi-storied buildings and complexes. He challenged the authorities to pull down these structures. He was forced to file a PIL as the authorities had failed to initiate the desired action. |
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With phones on the blink, BSNL lets go of rent Sonepat, July 17 Disclosing this, Mr R. C. Hooda, General Manager, Telecom, Sonepat district, told mediapersons here today that if any subscriber was inclined to take advantage of this scheme he should make payment of the amount outstanding against him in monthly instalments. If the first instalment was paid he could get the telephone connection without the STD facility. The STD facility, he said, would be given after the clearance of all dues pending against him. He said this scheme would continue till September 30 next. He also disclosed that the BSNL was providing Cell-One mobile telephone connection free of cost to a subscriber who had already one such mobile connection. If any basic telephone subscriber wanted to get a Cell-One mobile connection in his own name or in the name of his family member, he could get two connections for Rs 200 only. This scheme would continue till July 31 next. Mr Hooda also disclosed cash counters would be opened at Ganaur and Kundli telephone exchanges for providing the facility to the telephone subscribers. The capacity of the existing RSU telephone exchange (OCB) on the Gohana road was being expanded from 2,000 lines to 3,000 lines and this work would be completed soon. |
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Bus driver gets a thrashing, blocks traffic Sonepat, July 17 According to a report, on receipt of information, the General Manager of the Haryana Roadways Sonepat depot, Mr H. C. Jain, and the SHO of the city police station arrived on the spot and pacified the angry driver. The incident happened when two motorcycle-borne youths made an attempt to overtake the bus near the telephone exchange. The motorcycle was hit by the bus in the process, though the youth were not hurt. However, the duo took offence and parked their motorcycle in front of the bus. They dragged the driver out of the vehicle and thrashed him in the presence of a large number of people. The crowd, too, sympathised with the youngsters and asked them to flee. Not allowing the matter to rest, the crowd again roughed up the driver. Finally, the livid driver stopped his bus in the middle of the road and brought the traffic to halt. The logjam persisted for more than half-an-hour. |
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Interest rate cut on farm loans motivated: Cong Rohtak, July 17 The party spokesman, Mr Krishan Murti Hooda, said that had the Centre been sincere to help the farming community, it should have reduced the rate of interest on agricultural advances two years ago when the nationalised banks had brought down the interest rate on savings from 12 per cent to 6 per cent. But the Centre then preferred to provide the benefit of the reduced rate of interest to the industrialists and the rich sections of the society. Mr Hooda said that the Haryana Government should also reduce the interest on agricultural loans being advanced through the district and state-level co-operative banks. He regretted that the co-operative banks in Haryana had been charging 12 to 14 per cent interest on loans advanced to the farmers whereas the nationalised banks in the state were charging 9 to 12 per cent interest on advances made to the industrial sector. He described as baseless the allegations of the HVPN Chairman, Maj-Gen (Retd) B. S.
Rathi, that 1,700 employees of the HSEB were retrenched when Mr Bhajan Lal was the Chief Minister. He said that Mr Bhajan Lal always believed in providing jobs and not snatching it away. |
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Third Front accuses BJP, Cong of stoking communalism New Delhi, July 17 The constituents of Third Front on Thursday held a demonstration to protest the alleged miscarriage of justice in the trial of the perpetrators of communal riots in Gujarat. If the BJP is responsible for the Gujarat riots, the Congress is equally guilty of fanning communal passions and victimising the Sikhs in the 1984 riots, said the chairman of Third Front, Mr Ramvir Singh Bidhuri. “It is shameful neither party could get even one person punished for the anti-Sikh riots of 1984 … it is a blot on the nation,” Bidhuri told the demonstrators. The president of the Delhi unit of Janata Dal (S), Mr Shoaib Iqbal, demanded that the Union Government and the Government of NCT of Delhi fulfil their promise of providing relief to the victims of anti-Sikh riots. The spokesman of the Third Front and president of National Akali Dal, Mr Paramjit Singh Pamma, in turn said neither the Delhi unit of the BJP nor the DPCC did anything to ensure compensation to the affected Sikhs. He also came down heavily on the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) for keeping mum on the issue despite being an ally of the NDA government at the Centre. “Mr Badal rushes to plead with Mr Advani when his residences are raided but he has done nothing to get the BJP to give justice to the victims of the anti-Sikh riots,” he said. The Third Front also demanded regularisation of unauthorised colonies in the Capital, a halt to demolition of slums, exempting traders from Value Added Tax (VAT) and exemption of urbanised villages from house tax. The representatives of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Mr Samajwadi Party, National Lok Dal, Shakti Dal and Loktantrik Samajwadi Party took part in the demonstration. |
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Power Dept to give the stick to errant staff Gurgaon, July 17 Major-General Rathi, who visited Bhadas and Pinangwa villages in the Mewat area yesterday to bring the consumers and his department closer, stressed that it was in their own interest that they paid the dues and desisted from promoting corrupt practices among the lower staff of the department. As part of his programme, he has been touring the villages along with other officials. The programme was launched in June from Narnaul in Mahendragarh district. The districts covered so far include Mahendragarh, Gurgaon, Rohtak, Jhajjar and Sonepat in the NCR zone. Major-General Rathi, who took charge recently, said that the state had ample provision of power to meet the demand. However, he lamented that only 50 per cent of the power was accounted for. Thirty per cent of it was lost due to technical loopholes and worn-out infrastructure, including cables and conductors, and 20 per cent was lost due to thefts. The department has set a target of reduction of five per cent of the line losses in the next six months. This will enable the department to mop up Rs 250 crore per year, he added. Major-General Rathi said in order to bring efficiency in his department, his organisation has decided to punish the erring officials and reward the sincere and hardworking ones. Besides, there is a proposal to honour those consumers who are prompt in paying their dues. He attributed the shortage of personnel as one of the factors for the department’s functioning below par. To remedy the situation, a decision has been taken to recruit 6,000 technical staff in various categories. He said that his department has been augmenting the infrastructure for the distribution of more power supply in the system. The Transmission wing of the department has decided to purchase 12,000 transformers, each having capacity of 25 KVA. This will be the biggest bulk purchase at one go in the state. |
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Rains expose inadequacy of drainage Sonepat, July 17 The experience shows that the concept of systematic planning is alien to the administration, causing chaos in the city. What has happened during the rains provides conclusive proof of the gross negligence, inefficiency and lack of farsightedness on the part of the authorities and other official agencies concerned. The drainage system in most parts of the city is either non-existent or has been inadequate to handle the normal water discharge during the past few years. The administration has made little effort to augment its capacity. Though the government had spent crores of rupees on laying huge sewer lines under the Yamuna Action Plan in different parts of the city, the drainage facilities have not improved as desired. A high-level inquiry into the laying of sewer lines and public complaints into the misuse of public funds is likely to expose the truth behind this anomaly. The district administration, the Sonepat Municipal Council and the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) had obviously not taken into account the inadequate drainage network, which is under pressure in case of a vigorous monsoon. This results in the flooding of low-lying areas, jhuggi clusters and resettlement colonies. This is precisely what has happened during the current spell of rains when most parts of the city got submerged under knee-deep water, posing a serious flood threat to the residential colonies. Waterlogging in illegal colonies could be explained away as due to the absence of proper drainage network there, but the situation in other colonies, which have proper sewerage, cannot be easily explained. The residents of these colonies had to wade through knee-deep water for days. Faced with a flurry of complaints regarding heavy flooding, the municipal council came out with the explanation that the drainage network failed because of the discharge of sewage and sullage through these drains. It was also stated that lack of drainage facilities in many unauthorised colonies had resulted in the discharge of sewage from these colonies into these drains. In fact, most of the drains laid by the municipal council were found to be totally blocked. The council’s plea of non-availability of funds is seen as an attempt to save itself from the public outcry. Waterlogging has become an annual feature and the municipal council should realise the magnitude of the problem and initiate action on a long-term basis. |
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Sushma concerned over imbalance in Sohna(Gurgaon), July 17 Addressing a state level convention of multiple purpose female health workers of Haryana here, Mrs Swaraj lauded the state government’s “Devi Roopak” programme, which aimed at addressing the skewed male-female ratio. The convention, organised by the state Health Department, was attended by a large number of females, especially the
multiple purpose health workers. According to Mrs Swaraj, such conventions will be held in all the states. Incidentally, Haryana is the first state to host the state level convention. The Minister lamented the large number of deaths of women while giving birth. She urged upon the health workers to fan out in their areas of influence to awaken the women about health related issues. According to her, the Centre has already provided Haryana, as well as other states funds for purchase of disposable kits for the health workers. The Minister of Health, Haryana, Dr M. L. Ranga, said that the state was taking steps to promote both Ayurvedic and Allopathy system of medicine. In order to promote herbal cure and medicine, the state has developed the ‘Chaudhary Devi Lal Herbal Park’ on an area of 250 acres of land in Yamunanagar district. |
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National
consultation begins to harness youth power New Delhi, July 17 Organized jointly by Planning Commission of India and Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan, Mr K. C. Pant, Deputy Chairman, Planing Commission, was the chief guest on the occasion. The function was presided over by Mr Vikram Verma, the Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports. The Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports, Mr Vijay Goel, was the guest of honour. The programme “Youth for Development- Vision & Focus” is aimed to discuss issues such as employment, education, environment, health and disaster preparedness, which are critical issues in front of the nation today. The national consultation would highlight the role that the youth of the country need to play for the development of the nation. According to Mr V. Muraleedharan, Director General, NYKS, “it is often felt that the youth power of the country with its vast potential, if properly harnessed, could contribute much towards the solutions to these problems. Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan, the largest network of youth action groups spread all over the country should be geared up in this direction. This effort of applying youth power towards the development demands intense interaction and deliberation of experts and youth workers in the country.” |
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NCR
BRIEFS Rewari, July 17 The affected factories include Dinesh Ice Factory, Dahina, Deepender Ice Factory; Tankri and Krishna Ice-Cream Factory , Kund. The water being used for the manufacture of ice in these three factories was found unfit for human consumption by Pt. Bhagwat Dayal Research Centre, Rohtak, where samples of their water were chemically tested. The District Magistrate has also directed the Tehsildars of Rewari and Bawal to ensure that the factories stopped manufacturing ice with immediate effect. Earlier, two other ice factories of the district, Sharad Ice Factory, Qutabpur (Rewari) and Vicky Ice- Cream Factory, Kosli, were ordered to close down under the Act.
Van Mahotsav inaugurated Mr M. R. Popli, principal, Rao Birender Singh College of Education, inaugurated the Van Mahotsav celebrations (tree plantations drive) by planting a sapling in R.B.S. Model Public School here yesterday. To achieve the objective of making the environment free of pollution, as many as one thousands saplings of gul mohar, guldavdi, amla, kachnar, neem, sheesham etc. were planted by the staff and students of the school on this occasion. The students also took a pledge for the upkeep of the saplings. Mrs Sharad Sinha, director of the school, said that it was a matter of great satisfaction and pride that through their relentless efforts as many as 250 plants out of 280 saplings planted last year had successfully survived in spite of drought conditions.
Stadium demanded at Rohtak Rohtak:
Mr Virender Singh, president, DCC (Rural), has demanded the setting up of a modern stadium at Rohtak as it had the distinction of grooming a large number of sportspersons of national and international standard. Reacting to the statement made by the INLD MP and president of the Indian Table Tennis Federation, Mr Ajay Chautala, at Gurgaon regarding the setting-up of four indoor stadiums in the state, the District Congress Committee (DCC) has demanded that one such stadium be set up at Rohtak. In a statement here yesterday, Mr Virender Singh, president, DCC (Rural), said the INLD MP had announced to set up four stadiums at Gurgaon, Panchkula, Sirsa and Chautala at an estimated cost of Rs 10 crore each. He said the setting up of such a stadium at Chautala village, the native village of the Chief Minister, was unnecessary. The Congress leader argued that a modern stadium with international facilities be set up at Rohtak, as it was a centrally located district. Moreover, he pleaded that Rohtak had the distinction of grooming a large number of sportspersons of national as well as international levels. He said that number of players of the Indian Women Hockey team belonged to this district. A number of players from Rohtak had represented the country in the Asian Games who had brought laurels to the nation, he added. |
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DELHI
DIGEST New Delhi, July 17 The meeting was held at the Gali Bandookwali School, where most of the work has already been completed. During the meeting, Mr Goel explained the project to the participants and said that each NGO can look after one school. On their part, the headmasters apprised Mr Goel about the bad condition of the MCD schools and requested him to provide adequate infrastructure to run them. Mr Goel also visited a school at Gali Bansi Koylawali, which has also been adopted by him to improve its condition. The Deputy Director (Education), MCD, was also present in the meeting and suggested ways to improve the schools. Bridge over Yamuna Canal inaugurated:
The 15 mt wide and 20 mt long bridge has been constructed at a cost of Rs 1.77 crore. The area councillor Mrs Premlata Goel, Chief Engineer V.K. Malhotra and Deputy Commissioner of Rohini Zone Manpreet Singh were also present on the occasion. The Industries Minister said that a 200-bed hospital would be developed soon in the area, which would have specialist doctors from all departments. He said that another project worth Rs 78 lakh was being processed. The area councillor, Mrs Prem Lata Goel, said the inauguration of the bridge would ease traffic flow from Lawrence Road, Pitampura, Rohini and other adjoining areas. |
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Youth shot dead in revenge killing in Gohana Sonepat, July 17 The firing incident caused panic among the people. On receipt of information, the police arrived on the spot and launched a hunt for the alleged assailants, but failed to arrest them. The police have registered the case against the alleged assailants and further investigations were in progress. Body recovered:
New Delhi He was arrested while he was waiting for a bus at the Tahirpur bus stand last evening. Eighty-five grams of ganja was recovered from him. During interrogation, he disclosed that he had brought the ganja from Belarsa to supply to his contacts in the Capital, the police said He was staying at Darshni Vihar in the Capital. He entered the world of drug trafficking to earn easy money, the police said. Motorcycle recovered:
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