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BJP to go it alone in Haryana election
HVP-Cong merger okayed
Re-admission of leaders into
Cong opposed
Repoll likely in
Garhshankar booth
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Stink, garbage at canal banks
HCS officer’s bail plea rejected
Uncertainty persists over Satyamev Puram
Convention of Excise & Taxation Staff Assn on Dec 5
Kapal Mochan fair from Nov 23
Training programme on wheat concludes
Rally against hike in petro prices
Cancellation of trains criticised
IYC plans gherao of Assembly NRI jailed for 22 days for
no fault
‘Sanskrit is soul of all languages’
Two arrested in attack case
Draw for plots in Gurgaon
on Nov 25
Mini-bank staff rally today
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BJP to go it alone in Haryana election
Chandigarh, November 17 After a high-level meeting held in Delhi today, the BJP reiterated its stand to go it alone in the next Haryana Assembly elections. The meeting was attended, among others, by senior BJP leaders from Haryana. According to informed sources, representatives of the Haryana unit included its President, Prof Ganeshi Lal; a former party chief, Mr Rattan Lal Kataria; a veteran party leader, Mr Ram Bilas Sharma; a general secretary, Mr Veer Kumar Yadav; the BJP MP from Sonepat, Mr Kishan Singh Sangwan; a former Union Minister of State for Home, Mr I.D. Swami; Mr Ram Pyare Pande, party’s organising secretary for Haryana and two more States; and Mr Bhagwat Saran Mathur, organising secretary of the Haryana BJP. Among the Central leaders who attended the meeting were Mr L.K. Advani, president of the party; and Mr Shiv Raj Chauhan, general-secretary in charge of the party affairs in Haryana. The meeting was convened to discuss the strategy for the forthcoming Haryana Assembly elections as well as the proposed BJP march to Parliament on December 1 to protest against the hike in the prices of petroleum products, including cooking gas. When the issue of poll strategy in Haryana came up, the sources say the entire state leadership of the party unanimously opposed any tie-up with the INLD. The Haryana leaders are believed to have told the High Command that the party rank and file would not accept an alliance with the INLD at any cost. Even if the high command “thrust” an alliance on the state unit, it would be meaningless without the support of the party cadre, which has to mobilise voters.
Mr Chauhan, who has intensively toured Haryana in the past few months to feel the pulse of the grass-root workers, is also believed to have endorsed the views of the state leaders. The sources say sensing a strong sentiment against the alliance with the INLD, the Central leadership decided to go alone in Haryana. |
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HVP-Cong merger okayed
Chandigarh, November 17 Following the Speaker’s decision, Mr Bansi Lal and Mr Ram Kishan Fauji, another HVP MLA, will now sit along with the Congress MLAs when the Assembly meets for a two-day session on December 1. |
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Re-admission of leaders into
Cong opposed
Ambala, November 17 In a memorandum sent to Mr Janardhan Dwivedi, General Secretary AICC and Haryana in charge, Mr Malik said that some political leaders had betrayed the Congress for their ends as they believed that the BJP would form the Union Government. But the Congress has formed the government at the Centre so these leaders are now trying to come back. Mr Malik said that the Congress under the leadership of HPCC president Bhajan Lal would win majority of the seats in Haryana. |
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Repoll likely in
Garhshankar booth
Chandigarh, November 17 Though reports regarding booth capturing were received from Kapurthala also, the authorities in the Election Department could not confirm the information. They added that in all probability the ruckus was created outside the booth. Overall, the polling percentage in both the Assemblies remained “high”. Though the response was sluggish in the morning, more than 70 per cent votes were polled in Kapurthala. The situation was not very different in Garhshankar. By the end of the day, over 65 per cent of the electors had exercised their franchise. Till noon just 25 per cent of the votes had been polled in both the constituencies. The voting in both the constituencies was, as always, relatively high in the rural areas as compared to the urban areas, giving a possible edge to the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). Giving details of the incidents of “violence” in the Garhshankar Assembly constituency, the staff under Punjab’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) G.S. Cheema revealed that at about 3.30 pm, hooligans barged into the polling booths in Kalawalan Bhagtan and Nangal Churian villages. They managed to escape with poll related material even before the security personnel present at the spot could pin them down. The police authorities do not rule out the possibility of the same gang being involved in both the cases. A First Information Report has reportedly been registered by the police authorities and further investigations are on. The polling resumed soon after the incidents. A complaint regarding the same was forwarded to the CEO’s office at about 4.15 pm by BJP’s Member of Parliament Avinash Rai Khanna and party secretary Anil Sarin. The sources in the CEO’s office added that the Returning Officer would be sending his reports to the Election Commission of India (ECI) for necessary action. He is likely to recommend polling in just one booth. The final decision in the matter would be taken by the ECI. The entire matter was likely to take a day’s time, they added. In case of a repoll, the elections would in all probability take place on October 15. Formal announcement regarding the polling date would be made soon after the ECI’s decision. As far as Kapurthala was concerned, the ruling Congress party was facing a straight fight against main opposition party SAD. On the other hand, Garhshankar was witnessing a four-cornered contest. In fray were candidates belonging to the Congress, SAD’s ally BJP, the CPI (M) and the BSP. The Congress has fielded Lok Sabha member Rana Gurjit Singh’s sister-in-law Sukhjinder Kaur against former minister Raghbir Singh of SAD. In Garhshankar, Luv Kumar Goldy of the Congress is contesting the elections against BJP’s Mahinder Pal Mann, CPI(M)’s Maha Singh Rori and BSP’s Rachhpal Singh. |
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Stink, garbage at canal banks
Yamunanagar, November 17 As per the tradition, women stand in water and offer water to the Sun at dusk and again on dawn the following morning. All ceremonies of the puja will be performed along the ghats on November 18 evening and the following morning. About 50,000 families of migrant labourers, who are living in Yamunanagar in different colonies, residents of Azad Nagar, Gandhinagar, Lajpatnagar and City Centre Area, told The Tribune that they had made numerous representations to the Municipal Committee to clean the banks before the festival but no action had been taken. They informed that in past the banks used to be cleaned up two to three days ahead of the festival. The banks of the canal are littered with polythene bags, waste paper and other domestic and commercial garbage. Last year the banks of the canal were specially cleaned for the puja. A visit to the banks yesterday revealed that the Municipal Committee had not made efforts to clean up the banks. One of the major sources of pollution in the canal is a nullah, which empty itself in the canal near the Baddimajra Ghat on the canal. The Shiv Ghat built at a cost of Rs 54 lakh as part of the Yamuna Action Plan in 1995 is covered with silt and garbage and the flow of water has also stopped because of silt. A safety wall built in the canal has also caved in. The Chitta Mandir Ghat and Baddimajra Ghat require cleaning as polythene bags and garbage lie scattered all over. Sources said that Municipal Committee dumpers are also emptying the garbage in the low-lying private plots situated along the canal. The designated places for emptying garbage are near Kail village, about 10 km from here. No official of the Municipal Committee was available for comments. |
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HCS officer’s bail plea rejected
Panipat, November 17 Mr Sharma stated in his application that a false FIR had been filed against Mehra and requested the court to provide him anticipatory bail. However, in his arguments, Mr Sangwan requested the court to reject Mehra’s anticipatory bail plea as adequate evidence regarding a marriage fraud had been presented before the court. He argued that if Mehra was given anticipatory bail, being an HCS officer he would tamper with the evidence. |
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Uncertainty persists over Satyamev Puram
Chandigarh, November 17 The Delimitation Act of 2002 clearly says that once the delimitation work starts, a state government would not make any change in the administrative units. The delimitation work in Haryana was deferred yesterday till the completion of the Assembly elections due early next year. The Chairman of the commission, Justice Kuldip Singh, had also declared the working paper prepared by the Secretariat of the commission as “null and void” following objections by the Election Commission and an overwhelming majority of the associate members. When contacted on the phone, Justice Kuldip Singh did not give a categorical answer to the question if the decks had been cleared for the creation of Satyamev Puram. He said when the commission would receive a formal request from the Haryana Government seeking the commission’s permission to make a new district, it would consider the issue in totality. Justice Kuldip Singh said since the Delimitation Commission worked in tandem with the Election Commission, it was to be seen if the creation of a new district a couple of months before the Assembly elections would pose any logistic problem for the Election Commission. He also agreed that the delimitation work had only been deferred and not completed in Haryana yet. The Delimitation Act had prohibited the change in administrative units till the completion of delimitation work in a particular state. Satyamev Puram is unlikely to come into existence after December 15 as was announced by the Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, in view of the observations made by Justice Kuldip Singh. |
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Convention of Excise & Taxation Staff Assn on Dec 5
Kaithal, November 17 Mr Amar Singh Yadav, state president, Mr Randhir Sheokand, senior vice-president and Mr Roshan Lal Atela, district president while talking to mediapersons here today said Mr M.L. Sehgal, general secretary Haryana Karamchari Maha Sangh (HKMS) and Mr Nihal Singh Matana, former general secretary of the Haryana Roadways Workers Union have been authorised to conduct the elections. Mr Yadav said Mr Kitab Singh Malik and Mr S.D. Kapoor, former presidents of the HKMS will be chief guests at the function. Mr Mangal Singh Dilawri, former chairman, of the HKMS will inaugurate the convention and Mr Dhara Singh, state president of the HKMS will perform the closing ceremony. A number of senior employees and union leaders would be present at the convention, he added . Mr Yadav expressed resentment over the attitude of senior officers of the Excise and Taxation Department and said inspite of repeated representations and attempts to apprise the Commissioner of the problems of the employees no action had been taken by the department to redress their problems so far. He warned that now the employees would not tolerate any injustice. |
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Kapal Mochan fair from Nov 23
Yamunanagar, November 17 The annual three-day Jor Mela at Kapal Mochan Gurdwara will start on November 24. Over one million pilgrims are expected to take holy dip in Kapal Mochan, Rin Mochan and Surajkhund sarovars situated here. This time the timing of the mela has brought cheers to the faces of local traders as it is being held after the end of the sowing season in Punjab. The district administration has claimed to have made elaborate arrangements for the smooth conduct of the mela. As per Hindu mythology Kapal Mochan has the workplace of Maharishi Ved Vyas, son of Maharishi Prashar. There are five tirthas in the vicinity of Kapal Mochan. It is believed that the Pandavas along with Draupdi visited the place and took dip in the holy tanks to wash off the sins they had attracted by killing their relatives in the battle of Kurukshetra. According to another Hindu mythology, in Lord Rama had visited Kapal Mochan in the Pushpak Viman while returning to Ayodhya after killing Ravana. Kapal Mochan has great following among the Sikhs as well. Guru Gobind Singh had cleaned his weapons in the sarovar after the Bangani war and stayed there for 52 days. The Haryana government had built a museum in the name of Guru Gobind Singh. for showcasing his weapons. But there are no weapons in it, as the Punjab government, which had promised to provide the weapons, has not honoured its commitment so far. According to the organisers, a cattle fair would also be held simultaneously. An exhibition depicting various development works of the government has also been planned. Different institutions will organise community kitchens during the mela. |
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Training programme on wheat concludes
Karnal, November 17 The main aim of the
training programme was to establish scientific collaborative links
between Australian institutions and the Rice-Wheat Consortium for the
Indo-Gangetic Plains on soil environmental health and system
sustainability, focusing on issues of rising water tables and the
build-up of herbicide resistance, which are of great concern to both
countries. The Australian team was led by Prof David Coventry from
Adelaide University and comprised Jay Cummins, Principal Consultant
(Field Crops) of Rural Solutions, and David Coombes from DTC
Communications as team members. Professor Coventry said, “Our
projects have an increased emphasis on achieving practical farmer-level
and policy targets so as to increase productivity and production in an
efficient manner”. The DWR has recently introduced the “Crop
Plus” programme for Indian farmers on the pattern of the “Top
Crop” programme of the ACIAR in Australia. According to Dr Jag Shoran,
Project Director of the DWR, the “Crop Plus” programme aimed at
enabling farmers to compare the output of their fields with those of
others, identify the limiting production factors and to take appropriate
decisions related to wheat crop management. Dr Randhir Singh and Dr R.K.
Sharma both from the DWR, stressed the need for maintaining crop records
at the level of farmers. They said, “By maintaining crop records,
farmers can identify the shortcomings at their level and adopt strategic
measures to increase production”. The “Top Crop” programme in
Australia provides the means for the transfer of new technology and
innovation among grain growers. It supports the development of training
and information packages and crop monitoring systems, in addition to
supporting the development of group networks. “The net outcome of
these efforts is to increase the sustainable and profitable production
of high quality grain through self-directed groups”, said Professor
Coventry. To make such a programme a success in India, it was the
first ever-training programme organised for officials of the Agriculture
Departments of Haryana and Punjab, progressive farmers of Karnal and
Kurukshetra districts and scientists of the DWR and Haryana Agriculture
University. |
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Rally against hike in petro prices
Sonepat, November 17 The workers reportedly assembled at the general bus stand from where a procession started under the leadership of Mr Hari Prakash, secretary of the district committee of the SUCI. Holding placards, they marched through the main bazars of the city and raised slogans against the government. The procession ended in the Ashok Vihar area where a rally was held. The speakers criticised the Central Government for increasing the prices of LPG, petrol and diesel. They also condemned the CPI and the CPM for supporting the UPA Government. They warned the government that if it failed to roll back the price hike they would have no other option but to continue the struggle against the anti-people government at the Centre. Mr Ishwar Singh Dahiya, secretary of the state unit of the Democratic Youth Organisation (DYO), also addressed the rally. |
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Cancellation of trains criticised
Sonepat, November 17 The three trains are 1 DP (Delhi-Panipat), 303 (Delhi-Ambala-Kalka) and 2 DU (Panipat-Delhi). The services of these trains are likely to be restored after two days. The cancellation of these trains has left the passengers with no other alternative except to travel by Express trains during that time or by bus and spend at least double the passenger train fare. Moreover, most of the express trains are running full capacity, making the journey difficult for passengers. The general secretary of the Dainik Yatri Mahasangh, Mr B.C. Sharma, has criticised the decision of cancelling these trains. Thousands of daily commuters, mostly working in government offices, private establishments depend on these trains. Many of them have passes to travel by these trains. “It will be difficult for us to reach our offices in time during these days,” he said. The authorities could have converted some of the Express trains, running around the same time, into passenger trains, at least between Delhi and Panipat during these days, he added. He also said that the Railways should have announced the cancellation of these passenger trains at least 12 hours before the scheduled time. |
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IYC plans gherao of Assembly
Chandigarh, November 17 While stating this here today, Mr Satvinder Singh Sandhu, president of the Haryana Youth Congress, said an important meeting in connection with the demonstration would be held on November 19. All the state-level office-bearers of the IYC and all district presidents would take part in the demonstration, he said. Mr Sandhu said AICC general secretary Ashok Gehlot, AICC in charge of the Congress party's Haryana unit Janardhan Diwedi and national president of the IYC, Randeep Singh Surjewala would take part in the demonstration. Mr Bhupinder Singh, Youth Congress leader and former president of the Panjab University Students Union, claimed thousands of activists would take part in the programme.
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NRI jailed for 22 days for no fault Ambala , November 17 The NRI, Mr Gurdeep Singh Peeter, had come from the UK to India to see one of his relatives at Phillaur on October 25. During his journey, he got down at Ambala Cantt by mistake and a rickshaw-puller dropped him near the Air Force station. While he was wandering around near the Air Force station, the Air Force security guards nabbed him on suspicion and handed him over to the
police. A case under Official Secrets Act was registered against Mr Peeter and he was remanded to police custody by a local court. Later, he was sent to judicial custody. Mr Peeter had repeatedly told the police that he was not a spy but the police did not believe him. A few days later the Ambala police received a fax message from the UK Embassy saying that Mr Peeter was a mentally challenged person. The Embassy also submitted medical records of the New Cross Hospital where Mr Peeter was being given medical treatment. Later, the police filed an application in the court of the CJM, Ambala, Ms Kanchan
Mahee, seeking the case be discharged as no case could be made out against him given the medical evidence submitted by the UK embassy. The court accepted the request today and ordered his discharge.
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‘Sanskrit is soul of all languages’
Hisar, November 17 Dr Langyan was the chief guest at a quiz contest on the Gita organised at Dhiranwas village, around 20 km from here, today. The competition had been organised in collaboration with the Haryana Sanskrit Academy. Mr Mahender Hans, a Sanskrit scholar from Pondicherry, observed that progress of the country was not possible without Sanskrit. Sanskrit teacher Mithilesh Vashisth conducted the contest in which 15 teams participated. The team of Government Senior Secondary School, Dhiranwas, won the first prize, while the team of Government Senior Secondary School, Shahpur, got the second position. |
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Two arrested in attack case
Bhiwani, November 17 The complainant said that the said assailants entered his house and attacked Pradeep, son of Mr Ved Prakash. He said that the assailants had threatened him with dire consequences. The police has registered a case under relevant sections of the IPC. |
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Draw for plots in Gurgaon
on Nov 25
Chandigarh, November 17 The draw was postponed last month under controversial circumstances. Officially it was stated that since the market rates of land in Gurgaon had gone up manifold after HUDA invited applications for the plots, the government wanted to enhance the price of plots. However, the Opposition alleged that the political leadership had released land in Sector 57 to private builders at the cost of the common man. |
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Mini-bank staff rally today
Chandigarh, November 17 Mr Om Prakash Agghi, national organising secretary of the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, Mr Kartar Singh, general secretary of the Punjab BMS and Mr Jang Bahadur, general secretary of the Haryana BMS, will address the rally. |
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