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Tuesday,
July 22, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Secrecy, Haryana style Illegal
sex-detection tests rampant CM to unfurl National Flag at Panipat Resentment against takeover of temples
Remission mooted
for 9 life convicts |
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34 children
flee school
Motor cycle police brigade to be set up
Abhey Chautala ends public contact programme Land earmarked for food park Freedom fighter Khema Ram dead
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Secrecy, Haryana style Chandigarh, July 21 This is indicated by a circular issued recently by the Chief Secretary’s office how to deal with the Cabinet’s agenda papers after its meeting. The circular also reflects the anxiety of the government over press reports about the decisions of the Cabinet, which are not included in official press notes issued after such meetings. The circular, issued on July 7, 2003, indicates that the government has more trust in officials than ministers. It informed the ministers it had been decided that after Cabinet meeting, they should leave the agenda papers in the conference hall itself. These papers would be collected by officials of the Cabinet branch(of the Chief Secretary’s office) later on. There are instructions for absentee Cabinet members also. “If a minister is unable to participate in a Cabinet meeting, he should please return the agenda papers to the Cabinet branch,” the circular says. It says that since the Cabinet agenda is confidential, its circulation is limited. Hence, the Cabinet Secretariat sends the agenda only to the Governor, the Chief Minister, the ministers and the officers concerned. The circular noted with concern that after the Cabinet meeting the ministers took away the agenda papers. Hence, the decision to ask them to leave the papers inside the conference hall. The circular also restricts the list of officers who will participate in the Cabinet meetings. It says the Chief Secretary(in his capacity as the Secretary of the Cabinet); the Financial Commissioner, Revenue; the Principal Secretary to Chief Minister; the Secretary, Finance; the Legal Remembrancer; the Deputy Principal Secretaries(I and II) to the Chief Minister; the Officer on Special Duty to the Chief Minister; the Joint Secretary or Special Secretary, Political and Services; and those Administrative Secretaries, proposals regarding whose departments are to be considered by the Cabinet; alone can attend the meetings. The circular says that it has come to the notice of the government that many Administrative Secretaries bring their heads of departments or Joint Secretaries or Deputy Secretaries to the Cabinet meetings with them. This, it says, is prohibited under Rule 16(6) of the Haryana Government Rules of Business, 1977. Criticising the decision, the Leader of Opposition in the Haryana Assembly, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, said since the Cabinet had a collective responsibility in a parliamentary democracy, it was highly unfair to impose such restrictions on the ministers alone. The circular, he said, was silent about the Chief Minister. He also alleged that the government had resorted to this practice to hide the decisions, the government would take to benefit certain sections of people for ulterior motives. Interestingly, among those who have been sent copies of the circular is the Deputy Inspector-General, CID. |
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Illegal sex-detection
tests rampant Faridabad, July 21 The fact is substantiated by the raids conducted by the Health Department in the past few months. The authorities have sealed more than 10 ultrasound machines and about half a dozen MTP centres. Though the Health Department has issued strict guidelines in the matter of registering ultrasound machines and MTP centres, it is reported that a majority of the district heads of department have failed to check the rampant misuse of the above facilities. Interestingly all raids conducted in the past over one year had been planned and
executed by the top authorities in Chandigarh. In a majority of the cases, the district officials, including the chief medical officers (CMO), got to know about the raids only when they were being carried out or were over. It is alleged that many district officials of the department were in league with the offenders and alert the accused about the raids or checks. Faridabad district, which had hit media headlines for registering three cases violating the PNDT Act for the first time in the country in 2001, has seen no development on this front for the past about 18 months. The authorities had caught some persons including two doctors, redhanded while conducting sex detection tests in 2001. A senior official of the Health Department admitted that the district-level teams or task force had failed to take steps to implement the Act properly in the state. A special team has sealed about 20 ultrasound machines for violation of the PNDT Act in the state so far. These include three at Ambala, two at Hisar, three at Karnal, two at Kurukshetra, four at Jind and one each at Pinjore, Kalka, Yamunanagar, Panipat, Naraingarh and Faridabad towns. |
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CM to unfurl National Flag at Panipat Chandigarh, July 21 The Speaker Satbir Singh Kadian will unfurl the flag at Gurgaon, Finance Minister Sampat Singh at Karnal, Town and Country Planning Minister Mr Dhirpal Singh at Kaithal, Transport Minister Ashok Kumar at Jind, Cooperation Minister Kartar Singh Bhadana at Sonepat, Agriculture Minister Jaswinder Singh Sandhu at Ambala and Deputy Speaker Gopi Chand Gahlot at Narnaul. Minister of State for Health M.L. Ranga will hoist the flag at Faridabad, Minister of State for Animal Husbandry Mohammad Illyas at Sirsa, Minister of State for Social Welfare Risal Singh at Hisar, Minister of State for Urban Development Subhash Goyal at Rohtak, Minister of State for Education Bahadur Singh at Panchkula and Chief Parliamentary Secretary Ram Pal Majra at Bhiwani. The Commissioner, Ambala Division, will unfurl the flag at Yamunanagar, the Commissioner, Gurgaon Division, at Rewari, the Commissioner, Hisar Division, at Fatehabad and the Commissioner, Rohtak Division, at Jhajjar. |
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Resentment
against takeover of temples Kurukshetra, July 21 According to the Bill, the administration and management of the temples, would vest in a Board, comprising a Chairman, Vice-Chairman and 11 members. The Chief Minister would be the Chairman and Minister of Urban Development the Vice-Chairman. The Urban Development Secretary would be ex-officio member and Deputy Commissioner of the district concerned the ex-officio Member Secretary. The Government would nominate other members. The funds of the shrine would be used for maintaining temples, performing ‘puja’ and rituals, providing amenities, setting up and maintaining of educational institutions. The Brahamin community and the temple priests and tirath purohits have criticised this move of the government. Shri Brahamin Aivam Tirthodhar Sabha, president, Jai Narain Sharma, said that the temples-runners were being contacted and the draft Bill was being studied and this state government’s decision would be challenged in a court, Mr Sharma said that it would cause a maximum harm to Brahamins and the Sadhu Samaj. Shri Advait Vigyaan Matth
(Sthanu Tirath)’s Shri Brahmchaari said that the Sadhu Samaj would sacrifice lives, if the government took over temples which were symbols of Hindu religion, he said that four temples situated on the southeast corner of Brahamsarovar here, were taken over by the Kurukshetra Development Board
(KDB) in 1977, but since then even their doors had not been opened and the KDB had failed to maintain and develop those temples, he added. The local Shri Sthaneshwar Mahadev Mandir’s Mahant Prabhatpuri said that take over of these temples would be opposed because according to Matth progeny, the Matths were to be run by the Mahants and not the government. This mandir had been described as a Matth in Vaaman Puran, he added. The Purohits at Pehowa temples have also threatened to oppose the state government’s decision. The Saraswati Tirath
Purohits, Pandit Subhash Chander, Pandit Somdutt Sharma and Pandit Mohit Sharma said the move would increase unemployment in the Brahamin community. Various purohits and priests including Mahant Banshi Puri and Swami Uttam Giri criticised the government’s decision. On one hand the government was going to privatise the transportation, education and electricity etc., but on the other hand it was taking over the temples. They have alleged that the government had transferred only those temples fetching more income and had already been developed while those without income, had not been transferred. They said that 12 temples situated on the banks of Saraswati tirath at Pehowa, had not been transferred because those had not been proved as source of income. One temple situated at Brahmyoni tirath there, had been transferred leaving behind the two adjoining temples named as Kali Mandir and Shiv Mandir. City Congress, President, Dina Nath Arora also criticised the government’s decision on temples. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) district spokesperson, Mr Fateh Chand Gandhi and Shiv Sena district president, Raj Kumar and Kurukshetra Tirath Purohit Sabha, president, Rajender Gautam have welcomed the government’s decision of taking over the temples. They said that if the government would undertake the temples’ management, the temples in the dilapidated condition would be restored. However, the right of worship in the temples and tiraths should remain with the tirath
purohits, they have demanded. |
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Pir an example of Hindu-Muslim amity Ambala, July 21 At a time when the relation between two communities is under strain following the alleged involvement of a junior engineer of the Punjab Wakf Board in the disappearance of a newly married woman, Mama Bhanja Pir displays a strong bond between the Hindus and the Muslims. The Mama Bhanja Pir is being managed by a committee comprising Hindus and Sikhs. People from different religions pay obeisance at the Pir with the hope of getting their wish fulfilled. The President of the Mama Bhanja Pir Baba Committee, Military Farm, cantonment, Mr Prem Chand
Saini, said the committee to manage the Pir Baba was formed in 1980. “Our is a registered body. We have 15 members. While there were two Muslims in the committee earlier, both of them have got transferred,” he said. Mr Saini said currently there were two Sikhs in the committee. He said the collections from the Pir were given to the Military Farm school as well as the Prime Minister Relief Fund. “We regularly donate articles to the school for the benefit of the students. Necessary repairs, desk, blackboard and other similar articles have been given periodically to the school by the committee,” he said. Mr Saini pointed out “As far as I know, ours is the only committee which is managing a
Pir,” he said. According to a folklore, two hawkers, a man and his uncle, were selling their wares in the area. They used to regularly visit an aged lady who offered them “lassi”. Thereafter, the aged lady discovered a venomous snake in the “lassi” pot.
However few months later, both the hawkers again came to the area. They were hale and hearty. It is believed that the mazars are of the man and his uncle. The Mama Bhanja Pir gained considerable importance during the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war. It was believed by the local people that the Pir was responsible for saving many areas from destruction. There is another Pir near the Employment Exchange managed by a Hindu family. Incidentally, Naga Baba which is located within the Air Force station is managed by the Dhulkot gurdwara committee. The Naga Baba is opened for darshan only during one day of the year. On that day, the arrangements are taken care of by the gurdwara committee of Dhulkot. The President of the District Congress cantonment unit, Mr Ashok Jain said these religious places were excellent examples of amity and brotherhood between Hindus and Muslims. “Such examples reiterate the fact that people from all religions want peace,” he said. Mr S. Khanna, a local resident, said a large number of people pay obeisance at the Mama Bhanja Pir on Air Force road every Thursday. “By seeing that Hindus are managing a Pir Baba, our belief in the brotherhood among Hindus and Muslims is strengthened,” he said. |
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Remission
mooted for 9 life convicts Chandigarh, July 21 The Cabinet, which met here on Friday, recommended to the Governor to grant remission to these convicts. It may be recalled that the release of some other life convicts from prisons earlier by the Chautala-led government using a similar method had created a furore with the
opposition accusing the government of taking this step to raise a private army. The issue had also figured prominently in the state assembly. |
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children flee school Sonepat (Haryana), July 21 The school principal filed an FIR with the police on the disappearance of the students. In the FIR, he said hooting by rival supporters in a cricket match between students of class XI and class XII on July 18 led to a quarrel. As a result, the students were rebuked and some beaten up by a school teacher, the principal said in the FIR. When the principal was informed about this, he gave orders for providing medical treatment to the students, the FIR said. But the students fled in the night by scaling the wall of the school, it said.
— PTI
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Motor cycle police brigade to be set up Chandigarh, July 21 Mr Malik later told TNS that 15 motor cycles would be provided in each district. The motor cycle brigade would also help in patrolling towns regularly. He said all policemen riding the motor cycles, including the pillion riders, would have to wear helmets. He said it had also been decided to provide the policemen on traffic duty with masks and goggles. Mr Malik, who also launched a human rights awareness drive, instructed the officers to ensure implementation of instructions laid down by the Supreme Court in the D.K. Basu case regarding human rights. He also released the logo of the Human Rights Cell set up at the police headquarters. The cell would check the human rights violations.
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One killed in roof collapse Ambala, July 21 Woman run over by train: The Railway police has sent the body to the Civil Hospital for a post-mortem. 10 hurt in road accident: When they were crossing Nanhera village their Jeep rammed into an Army vehicle. The injured were admitted to the Civil Hospital. The police has registered a case in this regard. PANCHKULA Injured:
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Abhey Chautala ends public contact programme Panchkula, July 21 Mr Abhey Chautala today addressed almost a 12 public meetings in the rural areas of the district. He said the Congress believed in the policy of divide and rule and had sown the seeds of casteism and regionalism for fulfilling their political ends. He visited Khangesara, Barwala, Sunderpur, Kami, Bhareli, Bhagwanpur, Rahaur, Bharaula, Bataur and Sultanpur villages. He also inaugurated the newly constructed building of Government Primary School at Bataur and planted a sapling on the school premises as part of Van Mahotsav celebrations. |
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Land earmarked for food park Sirsa, July 21 The administration has identified three villages,
Asakhera, Chautala and Tejakhera, for the park. The Deputy Commissioner said the HSIDC had already initiated the process in this regard.
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Freedom
fighter Khema Ram dead Fatehabad, July 21 He was cremated today. The SDM, Fatehabad, Mr Ashok Sheoran was present on behalf of the district administration at the cremation. Mr Khema Ram jumped into India’s struggle for freedom in 1939 and joined the Azad Hind Fauj of Netaji. He was imprisoned and remained in Tokyo and Multan jails during the freedom movement. He was honoured by former prime ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi and also by former Haryana Chief Minister Devi Lal. Mr Khema Ram was a man of principles and never accepted any of the benefits that are given to freedom fighters by the government.
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Haryana IAS officers shuffled Chandigarh, July 21 Mr
R.S. Doon, Deputy Commissioner, Karnal, has been given additional
charge as Officer on Special Duty, Land Use Board, Haryana.
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Traders’ mandal
to join politics Sirsa, July 21 He accused the Haryana Government of oppressing the trading community by imposing VAT, sales tax return and new taxes which has compelled them to oppose the politicians who had come to power with the help of the traders.
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BSNL facility
for Delhi Ambala, July 21 Mr Nagpal said the BSNL’s pre-paid cash card roaming facility had been extended to Delhi today. “With this, we are now covering complete North India,” he said.
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