Rohtak, September 19
In a major policy decision, Haryana has decided to “neither seek nor accept any political settlement” on the vexed issues of the construction of the SYL Canal and the sharing of river waters, the Finance Minister, Mr Sampat Singh, said here today.

In an interview with TNS, he said this decision had been taken because it had been found that whenever the state had agreed to a political settlement of these issues, its interests had been ignored to favour Punjab. “We, therefore, want a judicial settlement of both these disputes and will go by the Supreme Court decision”, he added.

“We have reason to believe that the UPA government has adopted delaying tactics after Punjab terminated the water agreements with its explicit approval, to attempt another political settlement of the twin issues. But we will never accept that. This is final”, he said.

Elaborating the reasons behind the decision, he said according to a Central Government notification issued in 1976, Haryana and Punjab had been allotted 3.5 maf of water each with the proviso that Punjab’s share would not exceed this amount. This meant that excess waters if any would go to Haryana.

However, when Haryana signed the Indira Gandhi Award in 1981, its share remained the same while Punjab’s allocation was hiked to 4.22 maf. Haryana suffered because it made a settlement which was out of court. Then the Haryana Government was asked to withdraw the court cases filed by the Devi Lal government in 1979 in this regard. Had that not been done, the issue would have been decided by now, he said.

He said Haryana suffered another blow in 1985 under the Rajiv-Longowal Accord. The clause 9.1 of the accord fixed Punjab’s share at a level that existed on July 1, 1985, when Punjab was drawing more water. This was done at the cost of Haryana. “That is why we opposed this clause after the accord”, he said adding that the Rajiv Gandhi government had made a mockery of political settlement of inter-state disputes by signing an agreement with the head of just one political party of Punjab.

Mr Sampat Singh, who also held the irrigation portfolio for several years, said the Eradi Tribunal, which was appointed under this accord, again raised Punjab’s share to 5 maf while Haryana’s allocation was increased only marginally to 3.83 maf. This happened because the clauses in the political accord favoured Punjab, he added.

Tracing the history of litigation on these issues, he said though his party was the first to take the issue to the court in 1979, even the Congress as well as the Haryana Vikas Party governments in Haryana in the past had to take the court route at one point or another. But, the Centre kept pressurising the various governments to either withdraw or go slow on the cases from time to time.

He said since there was no such pressure on the present government. It forcefully contested the case in the apex court and it was finally decided in Haryana’s favour. “However, the Centre is again adopting delaying tactics. It pressurised the Punjab Governor to sign the water agreements termination Bill in haste. The presidential and court references were unnecessary too. All this is being done to force another political settlement on us”, he said.

Mr Sampat Singh said the Central Government had purchased river waters from Pakistan under the Indus Waters Treaty in 1960 at a cost of £ 6,62, 60000 for use in arid zones of the then Punjab and Rajasthan. The present Haryana was the part of the arid zone of joint Punjab at the time. The Food Committee set up after the treaty allocated 4.56 maf for this zone. So, legally, Punjab had no claim on these waters ever. Its share had been hiked in political settlements illegally, he emphasised.

He maintained that if the Centre wanted it could go ahead with the construction of the canal immediately since there was no bar by any court on doing this. Besides, the Punjab Termination of Water Agreements Act had no sanctity since Article 262 of the Constitution clearly stated that “Parliament may by law provide for adjudication of any dispute or complaint with respect to use, distribution or control of water of or in any inter-state river or river valley”. There was no provision for a state deciding the issue on its own, he said.

“But, despite all this the Centre wants to force a political settlement again and this is not acceptable to us”, he concluded.

Panipat, September 19
The representatives of one of the frontal organisations of the Haryana Congress have criticised Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala for taking former Punjab Chief Minister and SAD president Prakash Singh Badal's son and MP Sukhbir Badal to Pakistan during his recent visit to the neighbouring country.

Haryana CM was criticised by the state general secretary of Haryana Congress Kisan Khet Mazdoor Sangh, Mr Khusiram Jaglan, during a press conference here today.

Mr Jaglan said Chautala should have not taken a member of that family to Pakistan, which had been opposing the construction of Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal for several decades.

Mr Jaglan further said the Haryana team had gone to Pakistan to bring a pitcher of water from the birth-place of Bhai Kanhaiya, who had provided water to even those injured soldiers who were from the enemy forces, but the people of Punjab, the followers of Bhai Kanhaiya, were not ready to provide even a drop of water to its neighbouring state.

The general secretary of the Sangh said the people of Punjab should learn a lesson from Bhai Kanhaiya and should not create any problem in the construction of the SYL.

Mr Jaglan also critised Chautala led INLD government on the issue of irregular power supply to the different parts of the state.

He said that as much as 160 transformers of the Naulatha constituency were out of order but no one bothered to repair or replace them. He also alleged that no developmental work had been done in the constituency.

The general secretary said freedom fighter and former MP Ranbir Singh Huda would be honoured during a public meeting of the Sangh at Israna on October 2.

Hisar, September 19
The Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Om Praksh Chautala, said here today that all rivers of the country should be nationalised so that every state could get its due share of water and electricity.

Addressing a gathering at the inaugural function of Farm Darshan Mela organised by Haryana Agricultural University (HAU), he announced that a thermal power plant would be established at Hisar.

He said the Punjab Government had terminated the agreements on river waters even though excess water from Punjab was flowing into Pakistan territory. He criticised Capt Amarinder Singh for the unilateral move. The diversion of excess water from Punjab had led to floods in Haryana recently, he added.

He also visited the research farm of the university. He advised the farmers to use farm manure and avoid chemical fertilisers. He also released three books on the occasion.

The HAU Vice-Chancellor, Mr M.K. Miglani, said various plant varieties developed by the scientists of the university were being used by farmers of Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

Mr Chautala laid the foundation stone for a waterworks building at Bado Patti, near here. He said the state government had drawn up a plan of Rs 425 crore for Rainiwell project in the Mewat region.

He also attended the annual conference of the Haryana Civil Medical Services Association in the university auditorium. Addressing doctors, he said state Finance Minister Prof Sampat Singh and Health Minister M.L. Ranga, would look into the fiscal and legal aspects of their demand for non-practising allowance (NPA). He said if possible, the doctors would get 25 per cent NPA on Haryana Day.

The Health Minister said CT scan facility had been provided at the Civil Hospital, Panchkula, and it would soon be provided at Karnal and Sirsa. He said Rs 17 crore had been provided for the 19 civil hospitals in the state.

Rohtak, September 19
Mr Virender Singh Chauhan of Dainik Tribune, has been elected president of the Haryana Union of Journalists (HUJ) for the second consecutive term. According to an HUJ press release issued here today, Praveen Khurana (Jhajjar) was elected general secretary.

The following were elected as members of the state executive: Jatinder Sharma, Satvir Singh and Jasmer Hooda (Rohtak), Deepinder (Jhajjar), Anoop Ahlawat (Bahadurgarh), D.N. Diwakar and Shashi Malhotra (Ambala), Rajesh Jain (Panipat), B.S. Malik (Sonepat), Sanjeev Chaudhary (Ladwa), Surinder Pal Singh Wadhawan (Kurukshetra), Dharmendra Yadav (Bhiwani), Dalbir Johri (Nangal Choudhary) and Ajay Attri (Rewari).

The press release said the President, General Secretary and the members of the Executive Committee were elected unopposed.

Later, Chauhan, in consultation with the newly constituted executive committee, nominated D.N. Diwakar as senior vice-president, B. S. Malik as vice-president, Dharmender Yadav and Mr Sanjeev Chaudhary as secretaries and Rajesh Jain as treasurer.

Fatehabad, September 19
Vehicular traffic passing through Fatehabad town on the Delhi-Fazilka National Highway will be diverted from Kharakheri-Bhattu Kalan-Ding on September 25 in view of the massive rally being organised by the state government here to celebrate the 91st birth anniversary of former Deputy Prime Minister Chowdhary Devi Lal.

No ordinary vehicle except those bearing passes issued by the district administration will be allowed to ply on the highway in the vicinity.

The Deputy Commissioner, Mr Mahtab Singh Sehrawat, and the SP, Mr Saurabh Singh, told mediapersons in a press conference organised here today that the administration has made elaborate arrangements for the peaceful conduct of the rally.

Mr Saurabh Singh informed that the entire rally ground had been divided into 27 sectors. Out of these, five sectors had been reserved for women.

Around 1700 police personnel would be on duty for maintaining vehicular traffic during the rally.

Five officers of the rank of Superintendents of Police, 30 of the rank of Deputy Superintendents of Police and 150 of the rank of Inspectors would oversee the policing arrangements on that day, he said.

The Deputy Commissioner informed that a media centre had been set up in the community centre of the Haryana Urban Development Authority near the venue.

The administration has made arrangements for the parking of vehicles at three different places. Vehicles coming from Hisar side would be parked in the police lines area. Those coming from Bhuna side would be parked in the HUDA, sector 3 and those coming from Sirsa side would be parked in the open area opposite the mini secretariat.

Sonepat, September 19
The Haryana unit of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) has decided to launch a ‘satyagraha’ against the decision of the state government to take over the control of temples in Kurukshetra district and elsewhere in the state.

Mr Sapan Kumar Mukherjee, secretary of the VHP, told reporters here today that the parishad had already constituted an action committee of sadhus. The members would submit a charter of demands on the issue to the Governor.

He described the decision of the Chautala government as unjust and unwarranted. A dharna would be organised outside the residence of the Deputy Commissioner of Kurukshetra on September 24 next if the state government failed to take back its decision, he added.

A memorandum would be submitted to the Kurukshetra DC for forwarding it to the Governor and the Chief Minister, he added. A demonstration would be held at Chandigarh and it would be followed by a ‘satyagraha’ if the government failed to withdraw its earlier decision, he added.

The government was taking over the control of only temples and not of any mosque or church, he said. Political leaders, he alleged, were dividing the people on the basis of caste and religion.

He said there was no justification for taking over the control of Hindu temples and if the government did not take back its decision the VHP would be left with no alternative but to continue with its struggle.

Chandigarh, September 19
Haryana expects a production of about 40 lakh metric tonnes of paddy this year. Out of this, 31 lakh metric tonnes of paddy would arrive in the mandis, which included 11 lakh metric tonnes of Basmati and superior varieties and about 20 lakh metric tonnes of leviable paddy.

The State Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Food and Supplies, Mr H.C. Disodia, said here on Friday arrangements had been made for the smooth procurement of paddy and other kharif foodgrains, which would commence from October 1. The state has arranged a cash credit limit of Rs.700 crore from the Reserve Bank of India to ensure payment to farmers within 48 hours to 72 hours.

Mr Disodia said that the six government agencies would procure the foodgrains. The Food and Supplies Department would procure 20 per cent, Hafed 33 per cent, Food Corporation of India 20 per cent and Haryana Agro-Industries Corporation, Haryana Warehousing Corporation and Confed 9 per cent each.

The minimum support price(MSP) of common variety of paddy had been fixed at Rs 560 per quintal and of grade ‘A’ variety at Rs 590 per quintal. Similarly, the MSP of bajra and jowar had been fixed at Rs 515 per quintal and that of maize at Rs 525 per quintal.

He said the leviable paddy purchased by the procuring agencies would have to be got milled and the entire custom milled rice manufactured from such paddy would have to be delivered to the Central pool by the end of February, 2005. Similarly, the millers purchasing leviable paddy would have to give 75 per cent rice manufactured from such paddy to the Central pool by the same period. At present, there were 871 rice mills functioning in the state.

He said that this year bajra had been sown over five lakh hectares and its production was expected to be about 4.50 lakh metric tonnes. It was expected that about one lakh metric tonnes of bajra would arrive in the state mandis. The production of jowar and maize was likely to be 25,000 metric tonnes and 51,000 metric tonnes, respectively.

Chandigarh, September 19
The Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, today thanked the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, for easing visa rules for certain categories of Pakistani nationals, including those above 65 years of age.

In a letter written to the Prime Minister, Mr Chautala expressed the hope that this gesture would be reciprocated by Pakistan. He said he was optimistic that the liberal visa rules for accredited journalists, academicians, medical doctors and persons above 65 years would hasten the pace of people-to-people contact and demonstrate to the world that India was prepared to walk the extra mile to normalise relations with Pakistan.

It may be recalled that Mr Chautala had led a goodwill delegation Pakistan last week. During his visit he met several persons who unanimously demanded that there should be less cumbersome travel facilities so that people could visit their ancestral homes.

Mr Chautala had then promised to take up the issue with the Government of India and work for a multiple visa and for granting visa exemption to those migrants who were born before Partition on humanitarian ground. Mr Chautala’s promise had drawn editorial comments and attention from leading newspapers of Pakistan, including The Dawn, The News and The Business Recorder.

Yamunanagar, September 19
The local Mukand Lal National College has become the only college in North India to be granted “college with potential for excellence” (CEP) status by the University Grants Commission (UGC). The UGC has granted CEP status to 46 other colleges of the country.

Dr Ramesh Kumar, Principal, said here yesterday that the CEP scheme had been devised by the UGC to promote higher education in the country and help it attain the international standard.

“When GATE clauses would come into effect in 2005, international universities and institutions would play a vital role in higher education,” he said.

Dr KL Johar, former Vice-Chancellor, Guru Jambheshwar University, and secretary of the college, also congratulated the college staff.

As per UGC guidelines, each college which is awarded CPE status will be eligible for financial assistance ranging between Rs 35 lakh and Rs 1 crore, depending upon whether it is affiliated only, autonomous and (or) accredited college.

A total of 84 universities of 27 states and union territories had recommended 239 proposals of colleges to the UGC for award of CEP status. A standing committee chose 47 colleges for CPE status using a scale based on 70 parameters. A second round for identification of colleges would be completed by January, 2005, by inviting fresh proposals from colleges.

Kaithal, September 19
The district police arrested Narinder Singh, a constable, here today on the charge of inciting members of police force against senior officers and creating dissension among various ranks by distributing pamphlets.

The constable was caught red-handed while distributing pamphlets in the name of a police organisation to conceal his identity.

Giving this information to mediapersons here this evening, the SP, Mr Ranbir Sharma, said that the constable had been booked under Sections 124-A, 153, 153-A, 167, 177, 199, 200, 500, 501, 332, 353, 186, 420, 506, 120-B, IPC, under Section 3 of the Police Incitement Act, 1922, and Section 4 of the Police Force Restriction of Rights Act, 1966.

Mr Sharma said that the constable was suspended 13 years ago for his undesirable activities and distribution of posters levelling allegations against him the then SP, not only this, he was booked for picking the pocket of an advocate, Balraj, in Jind in 1991, but later he prevailed upon the witnesses to withdraw in his favour.

Later Narinder Singh had stolen the kit, clothes and the official belt of Head Constable Rajpal Singh of the city police station, Kaithal. He was placed under suspension and later dismissed from service in 1991 by Mr K.P. Singh, SP, but the constable was reinstated on the orders of the high court and he had been given the duty of serving court summons for the past four years.

The SP added that when Narinder Singh was withdrawn from the post of summon server, which was to his liking, he went on a long leave and started distributing posters at Police Lines, Kaithal, and Madhuban and other places, levelling baseless charges against senior officers to malign them. But the police officials, who were already seized of this matter, caught him red-handed while distributing pamphlets here today.

Karnal: A special team of the National Vector-borne Diseases Control Programme from Chandigarh that came here recently has initiated a special survey of the malaria-affected areas in Karnal district.

The health authorities in the district have so far detected more than 1000 cases of malaria during the past six weeks. The total number of malaria cases detected in the whole district during the current year has crossed the 1600 mark.

Dr DP Goel, District Malaria Officer of Karnal, said that the team would study the history-sheet of malaria patients, besides carry out a research study on the various kinds of mosquitoes present in the region.

He said that the special team would trap different kinds of mosquitoes from the most affected areas and conduct academic studies on them. “This will help in studying the nature of mosquitoes and their potential to spread various other diseases like Dengue and Japanese Encephalitis,” he added.

The study on the nature of mosquitoes was also considered more important in Karnal district as few suspected cases of Dengue apart from hundreds of cases of malaria were reported from the nearby district of Panipat. The health authorities say that the villages adjoining the Yamuna along the Uttar Pradesh-Haryana border in both the districts were the most affected areas.

Mrs Sushma Maidan, state Director of the National Vector-borne Diseases Control Programme, also visited various areas of Panipat and Karnal districts and monitored preventive measures being taken by the health officials at the local level. She also held a meeting with the health officials of Gharaunda, the worst affected area in the state from where more than 1000 cases of malaria were reported as on date during the current year.

Dr Goel claimed that the incidence of malaria was on the decline during the past three days as compared to the last week. However, the incidence of viral fever was rapidly spreading. — TNS