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high command Rohtak, February 16 The central leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party has given the go-ahead to the Haryana BJP for contesting forthcoming Lok Sabha elections on its own. Symbolic walkout by two MLAs
Parties to rake up medical college issue
Cong promise to retrenched staff
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Stories from Haryana towns falling in the National Capital Region are put in NCR Tribune.
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Lord Swraj Paul for faster privatisation
Birth rate up, but so is infant mortality
Dalit women faring well as sarpanches
Haryana steps to check copying in exams
Students call off stir
High Court
Chaudhry heads police association
Two die due to asphyxiation
3 motorcyclists killed in mishap
Owner of PCO booth shot at
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LS poll: BJP gets go-ahead from high command
Rohtak, February 16 Haryana BJP chief Ganeshi Lal stated this at a news conference here today. The central leadership took this decision at a meeting in Delhi this morning. Mr Ganeshi Lal said the decision had been taken keeping in view the sentiments of the party cadres in Haryana who had been feeling let down by the Indian National Lok Dal. The Haryana BJP chief said the state unit had sent to the party high command names of three prospective party candidates for each of the five constituencies from which INLD candidates had won in the last election. He said no names had been proposed for the five seats on which the party had sitting MPs indicating that all of them would be renominated. The BJP leader said his party would strive to win all 10 seats from Haryana “to strengthen the hands of the Prime Minister”. Mr Ganeshi Lal announced that the party would organise mandal-level sammelans at all 365 party mandals in Haryana between February 18 and February 20. These would be addressed by 40 state leaders of the party. This would be followed by a rally at Rewari in Mahedragarh Lok Sabha constituency on February 26 and a Yuva Shakti Sammelan here on February 29. He said constituency level rallies would be organised at Fatehabad on March 2 for Sirsa Lok Sabha seat, Kaithal on March 4 for the Kurukshetra constituency and Bhiwani on March 9 for the Bhiwani seat. He also announced the appointment of three party spokespersons for the duration of the party’s campaign. Mr Pardeep Jain would look after the entire state while Mr Bharat Bhushan and Mr K.C. Sharma would look after north and south Haryana respectively. |
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Symbolic walkout by two MLAs
Chandigarh, February 16 The motion was about the foot-and-mouth disease which, Mr Dalal and Mr Sangwan said, was spreading in “Faridabad district in particular and the state of Haryana in general”. In reply to the motion, the government said in a statement it was incorrect to say that hundreds of animals were dying due to the foot-and-mouth disease. While Haryana was not free from the disease, it was perhaps the first state to take concrete steps to control it. A foot-and-mouth control programme was being implemented in Jind, Fatehabad, Sirsa, Bhiwani, Hisar, Jhajjar, Rohtak and Sonepat districts Later, Mr Majra, speaking on behalf of the Chief Minister, said while Mr Dalal had mentioned about serious outbreak of the disease in Faridabad, the government record showed that not a single case had been reported from that district. Cattle mortality was the maximum at 93 in Hisar. Saying that the answer is not correct, the two MLAs briefly walked out of the House. Mr Ajay Singh Yadav (Cong) and Mr Karan Singh Dalal also gave call-attention notices on an increase in the birth and infant mortality rate in the state, as reported in a Hindi daily today. The Speaker said he would announce his decision on the notices tomorrow. |
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Parties to rake up medical college issue
Karnal, February 16 The local unit of the Congress, including state Mahila Congress President Sumita Singh, has announced to block the rail traffic at the local railway station on February 29 to show their resentment against the Union and the state governments for betraying the people of city after announcing the establishment of the medical college. Meanwhile, the district administration has clarified that they had not received any such proposal from either the state or the Union Government. On the other hand, the Congress, the HVP and the Ekta Shakti had already announced to establish Kalpana Chawla Memorial Medical College at Karnal. |
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Cong promise to retrenched staff
Sirsa, February 16 He said the Congress would withdraw VAT, increase old-age pension to Rs 300 per month, would give unemployment allowance on the Australian pattern according to the educational qualifications and an interest-free loan to the tune of Rs 2 lakh for three years to the farmers, for which a bank of Haryana would be established. He claimed that the Congress had gained strength in the state after Mr Bhajan Lal’s taking over as the state party president. He claimed that the Congress would win all 10 Lok Sabha seats, as people of the state were sick of the INLD and the Chautala government. Denying factionalism in the Haryana Congress, Mr Kuldeep repeated his challenge to fight against Mr Ajay Chautala if the high command conceded to his request. When asked whether Ms Selja would contest from Sirsa Mr Kuldeep said the party wanted to field strong candidates on all seats. |
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It was
murder, not suicide Ambala, February 16 The case was registered after the family members alleged foul play and handed over to the police love letters written by one of the accused to Anshul. The police has detained two of the three accused for questioning. Satpal, father of Anshul, had informed the police that Anshul used to work as a computer operator in the factory. Anshul, a resident of Mochi Mandi, Kaccha Bazar, was working with the firm for the last three years. Anshul’s younger sister, Shalu, told mediapersons outside the Sadar police station that on Valentine’s Day, Anshul had paid obeisance at a temple before going to work on that fateful day. She was cheerful. Shalu has told the police that there was no reason for her to commit suicide. The factory owners had earlier claimed that they learnt about Anshul’s death when they found that she was not answering phone calls. Anshul was found dead in the pantry. Following her death, the local residents had demanded that thorough investigation must be carried out. A number of residents of Kaccha Bazar were present at the police station this evening. |
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Lord Swraj Paul for faster privatisation Charkhi-Dadri, February 16 The Punjab-born Chairman of 500 million-pound Caparo Group said productivity in India was hindered by government ownership and noted that the country still faced the challenges of providing safe drinking water, elementary health facilities and literacy for all. “India should move more quickly on the path of privatisation,” he said at the convocation of Apeejay College here. Terming as worrying India’s debt and fiscal parameters which “need to be addressed to attract Foreign Direct Investment
(FDI)”, he stressed the need to attract more private and foreign investment in infrastructure and energy programmes. Listing India’s strengths, Lord Paul said Agriculture and manufacturing had been overtaken by the knowledge-based industries which now account for 50 per cent of the country’s GDP, he said. “Indian software exports, starting from scratch only a few years ago, now generate $ 10 billion US each year. The important role of Indian software engineers in the success of Silicon Valley is well-known,” Lord Paul said. Paul pointed out that a quarter of Fortune 1000 companies outsource part of their product development to India and 35 per cent of NASA scientists are Indian. He said more work needed to be done in the fields of drinking water, higher literacy and elementary health facilities.
— PTI |
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Birth rate up, but so is infant mortality
Chandigarh, February 16 While the birth rate has shot up from 23.1 per 1000 to 26.5, the IMR in the state is up from 56.8 to 62 per 1000. This comes despite the tall claims of the government made in population control. Although the figures of the Economic Survey prepared by the Planning Department, Haryana, are provisional, the visible trend in the BR and IMR is alarming. Interestingly, this year, the two figures of BR and IMR found no mention in the budget speech of the Finance Minister, Prof Sampat Singh, during the Budget session. Unlike previous years when he mentioned the BR and the IMR, especially emphasizing that the two were lower than the national average, this time the government conveniently chose to drop these figures out of the speech. In the speech made last year, Prof Sampat Singh had said the state had a BR of 23.1 against a national average of 24.8 while the IMR was 56.8 against the national average of 67.6 per thousand. In the Budget speeches made in 2001 and 2002, the Finance Minister had quoted the same figures. Going by the statistics mentioned in the Economic Survey, the birth rate in Haryana has crossed the national average as well. This comes despite the first of its kind Devirupak scheme aimed at population control and increasing the male-female ratio in the state. Under the scheme, couples opting for sterilisation after their first or second child are given cash incentives. The Budget speech mentions that only 181 couples have gone in for sterilization though 3915 couples have registered themselves under the scheme in the last two years. The scheme was implemented in the state from November 25, 2002. It may be mentioned that the sex ratio in Haryana is the lowest in the country. Against the national average of 933 women per 1,000 men, Haryana has a sex ratio of 861 per 1,000, according to the census of 2001. The situation is even more grave in the age group of zero to six years where the male-female ratio is as low as 820 per 1000 males.
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Dalit women faring well as sarpanches Ambala, February 16 The Dalit women here have been able to change the age-old mind set that being a woman and a Dalit is a handicap while discharging duties. It has gradually come to light that Dalit women are able to perform their elected role more effectively as compared to upper caste women. This interesting change has been witnessed primarily in this division. The observation is critical in view of the fact that most women sarpanches and panches in other parts of Haryana are considered by many to be mere “rubber stamps”. The former Governor of Himachal Pradesh, Dr Suraj Bhan, opined that it was indeed a healthy sign as Panchayati Raj had succeeded in giving an opportunity to Dalit women to shoulder responsibility. “In my opinion, there are a couple of reasons for Dalit women to do better than their upper caste counterparts in this region. Firstly, men and women in the Dalit community are more or less on equal footing. Secondly, due to lack of literacy, every step is a challenge. Thirdly, Dalit women are not under unnecessary pressure from their husbands, unlike in upper castes where women are dominated upon. Finally, there is hardly any ‘purdah’ among the Dalit women in this region,” Dr Suraj Bhan stated. A Dalit woman sarpanch said Panchayati Raj had been a godsent opportunity to transform their lives. “Earlier, we were mute witnesses but today we are agents of change. Although I do feel that some villagers are still hesitant about my role as sarpanch, I am confident that my work will win them over,” she said. Dr Ramesh Madaan, a social scientist, said Dalit women sarpanches and panches in the districts of Ambala, Kurukshetra, Panchkula, Yamuna Nagar and parts of Kaithal are doing much better than upper caste women sarpanches and panches. “The Dalit women sarpanches and panches are able to articulate and play their role, which the upper caste women have been unable to do,” he said. Dr Madaan opined that there was a historical reason for the difference in Ambala and other areas of Haryana. “There is greater political consciousness among the Dalits in and around Ambala. It is because the Ambala parliamentary seat is a reserved seat,” he said. He observed that Dalit women sarpanches give preference to educational awareness and improving the economic status. “Dalit women sarpanches and panches are clear that the major works of development in the village will have to be carried out through MLAs and the MP. This clarity helps them in concentrating in areas that are normally neglected by others,” he said. |
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Leaf from History AMBALA Club, located in Ambala Sadar, is a fine example of the club culture inherited from Britishers but established by Indians during the Raj era. While clubs had been set up by Britishers in the region, Ambala Club was formed by Indians who were keen to have their own club. The club, which is being run today, is a pale shadow of the time it was formed. Mr Narender Bangali, general secretary of Ambala Club, said that the Ambala Club was known by another name when it was set up in early 1930s. Then, it was called Penn Simon Club. The club was named after Brigadier Penn Simon, who was an Army officer serving in Ambala Cantonment. Brig Simon is believed to have been instrumental in smoothening the process of the club formation. The club was set up in the land allotted by the Government for library and entertainment. The facilities included tennis courts. It is said that the best tennis players in the region were members of the club so that they could hone their skills in the courts. The tennis players who spent endless hours in the club tennis court include Mr Harmohan and Mr D.D. Thapar. Initially, there were three tennis courts in the club premises. But tennis came to a grinding halt after Partition. Later, it was through the efforts of local tennis enthusiasts that tennis was revived in the club. Tennis is played in the club to this date. Even Air Force officers like Air Commandore Bawa and Mc Mahon are said to have played tennis in the club. Mr Bangali said that the name of Penn Simon club was changed to Ambala Club in 1950. The name change took place as the club members felt that the name sounded British. So, after much deliberation, it was decided that the club should be named after the place it was situated, hence it was called Ambala Club. Thereafter, the club faced rough weather. In 1959, a local girls school approached the authorities concerned to requisition the club so that the area could be utilised by them. Mr Bangali observed that in 1977 after the formation of the Municipal Council, Ambala Sadar, a plan was mooted to bring together Ambala Club was well as Phoenix Club under a single complex. The close proximity of the clubs was cited as a reason for the easy execution of the plan. However, the club officials turned down the proposal. Currently, the club has one hall, two card rooms, another room and a kitchen. A proposal is believed to have been mooted for making a banquet hall within the club premises. |
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Haryana steps to check copying in exams
Sirsa, February 16 He cautioned the centre superintendents that if any student was found having slips the centre superintendents concerned would be held responsible. Admitting that the examination system over the past couple of years had become a joke he stressed that the dignity of the same had to be restored. The education board had admitted the importance of the role of teachers in this, he added. |
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Students call off stir
Hisar, February 16 They had been on strike for the past five days in protest against the proposed merger of their institution with the Guru Jambeshwar University (GJU) here. The university sent a proposal to the state government in this connection two years ago. According to sources, Mr B.S. Jain, Additional Director, Technical Education Department, along with other officials reached here and assured them that the institution would not be merged with the GJU, and no students would be shifted to other college. After this, the students resumed classes from today. |
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A rape a day in state
Chandigarh, February 16 This was revealed in a statement by Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala presented in the Assembly today during question hour in response to a question by Mr Tejbir Singh. There were 355 cases of rape and 705 cases of murder in the state last year. It was, however, added the police was able to crack a majority of the cases of rape, murder, dacoity and looting registered last year. Of the 355 cases of rape, 349 were cracked by the police which solved 574 of the 705 murder cases as well. As many as 216 of the 281 cases of looting and 57 of the 63 cases of dacoity were also solved, the statement said. In response to another question by Congress MLA Anita Yadav, Mr Rampal Majra, Chief Parliamentary Secretary, replying on behalf of the Chief Minister, ruled out any shortage of drinking water in Kosli, Jhanswa, Mohanbadi, Khanpur Kalan, Nilokheri and Mundahera vilages in the Salhawas constituency. “The status of water supply in Kosli, Jhanswa, Mohanbadi, Nilaheri and Mundahera is 70 litres per capita per day while it is 40 litres per capital in Khanpur Kalan,” Mr Majra said. In reply to a question by Mr Ramesh Rana, Mr Chautala replied that the burning of distribution transformers was not an uncommon phenomenon. INLD legislator, Rambir Singh’s question regarding the number of trees planted in the Pataudi constituency triggered off a row in the House. In his written answer to the MLA’s question, Mr Chautala said 2,55,770 saplings had been planted in Pataudi at a cost of over Rs 22 lakh during 2000-03. When Mr Ajay Singh Yadav, Congress’ Deputy Leader, asked a supplementary question, Mr Chautala replied that 4.5 crore saplings had been planted all over the state during this period. The answer was objected to by Mr Yadav, Mr Bhajan Lal and Mr Raghubir Singh Kadiyan, all Congress MLAs. They said if the figure quoted by Mr Chautala was authentic, the whole state would have become green by now. |
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High Court Chandigarh, February 16 Blaming the in-laws for levelling false allegations against her, the petitioner in an earlier petition had submitted that the two, after obtaining stay orders, were constantly threatening her and her father to withdraw the complaint. |
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Chaudhry heads police association
Rohtak, February 16 The association is an unrecognised organisation set up a few years ago after Mr Chaudhry and several other constables were dismissed from service for agitating for scrapping the B1 test for promotions. Addressing newsmen after a meeting of the general body of the association here yesterday, Mr Chaudhry said he had been authorised to constitute the executive committee and nominate other office-bearers. This would be done in a month, he added. |
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Two die due to asphyxiation
Bhiwani, February 16 They were admitted to civil hospital where the doctor declared them brought dead. The bodies were handed over to their relatives after a post-mortem examination today. — OC |
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3 motorcyclists killed in mishap
Yamunanagar, February 16 Jagpal Singh Manjeet Singh and Pal Ram of Prithvi Nagar of Yamunanagar were going from Khizrabad to Paonta Sahib when they lost balance and collided with a Haryana Roadways Yamunanagar depot bus (HR58-8873). All of them died on the spot. The police has registered a case. Manjeet Singh was running a tea stall at Jagadhri railway station, Jasgpal was an employee in the Railway Department whereas Pal Ram was a mason. |
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Owner of PCO booth shot at
Bhiwani, February 16 Ghanshyam was sitting at his booth when two unidentified persons entered the booth and dialled a number. Later, one of them fired two shots at Ghanshyam which hit his stomach. The assailants managed to escape. The police has registered a case.
— OC |
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