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No ban on fresh regular appointments, says Ajay Chautala
BJP identifies candidates for 50
BJP’s manifesto soon, says Sangwan
Cong to project women, youth, says Hooda
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NCW chairperson tells Haryana to improve jails
IAS officers’ body asks for donations
Vande Mataram Yojna left in the lurch
Campaign against ‘runaway’ criminals
Registration of cable TV operators
mandatory
No trace of kidnapped oil mill owner
4 booked for duping youth of Rs 7 lakh
CPM convention concludes
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No ban on fresh regular appointments, says
Chandigarh, December 29 Talking to newsmen here today Mr Chautala said the code prohibits only ad hoc appointments and the Haryana Government, as per his information, had not made even a single such appointment after the code came into force. When quizzed about the Opposition allegations that the government was violating the code by making large-scale appointments, Mr Chautala said the “appointments were made by the Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC) and the Haryana Staff Selection Commission (HSSC), which are independent bodies, and the government has merely allowed the appointees to join their posts.” He did not agree that the HPSC and the HSSC merely select the candidates and the appointing authority is the government. Mr Chautala said it had been the practice of the Congress to call its political rivals corrupt at the time of elections. Earlier the Congress did the same in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh and now it was doing so in Haryana. He alleged that the foundation of the Congress was based on corruption. The Congress Election Committee, he alleged, was making money even the distribution of the party ticket. He accused six prominent Congress leaders, Mr Bhajan Lal, Mr Bhupinder Hooda, Mr Birender Singh, Mr Randeep Singh Surjewala, Ms Selja and Mr Janardan Dwivedy, of “selling” the Congress tickets. The INLD leader reiterated his allegation that the Congress leaders first planned news against the ruling party in the media and then on the basis of the newspaper reports complained to the Election Commission that the code had been violated. He said the INLD would be the first party to declare its nominees. The first list of the candidates was likely to be released at the proposed “Nav Sankalp” rally to be held in Bhiwani on January 2. Claiming that about five lakh persons would participate in the rally, Mr Chautala said the party would declare on that day what it proposed to do for the people in the next five years. He said the INLD would face no problem in contesting the urban constituencies without the support of the BJP. The party already proved its hold in the urban areas when it won the Yamunanagar and Fatehabad byelections on its own. The party also controlled municipal committees in several towns. He said the former Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, would campaign for the INLD in the next Assembly elections. Mr Chautala announced that all Rajya Sabha members, Ministers, MLAs and Chairmen of various boards and corporations belonging to the INLD would contribute their one-month salary towards the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund for the tsunami victims. |
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BJP identifies candidates for 50 Haryana seats
Chandigarh, December 29 Talking to newsmen here Mr Sharma said unlike the last Lok Sabha elections, this time the BJP would not wait for leaders from the Congress and other parties to come to it after denial of ticket from their respective parties. In the Lok Sabha elections, the party lost at least two seats by waiting for such leaders. He claimed that while the ruling INLD would be wiped out, the contest would be between the Congress and the BJP. He said his party would make the SYL canal an election issue to corner the Congress-led Central Government. He said by saying that the SYL canal was no issue the Congress General Secretary, Mr Janardan
Dwivedy, had rubbed salt into the wounds of the Haryanvis. He alleged that the Congress had emerged as the biggest hurdle in the construction of the SYL canal, which was essential to provide water to the parched lands of southern Haryana. Mr Sharma said while the Congress MLAs did not resign from the Vidhan Sabha despite an earlier announcement, the BJP MLAs quit the House to protest against the enactment of the controversial Termination of the Agreements Act by the Punjab Assembly. He said the BJP President, Mr L.K. Advani, had protested to the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, on the Act. The BJP leader said under the UPA Government the unprecedented price rise was a matter of concern. The people were angry with the Congress and were now remembering the days of the NDA Government. Admitting that the BJP had played an important role in bringing the INLD to power, Mr
Sharma said his party vehemently opposed wrong policies of the Chautala Government whereas the Congress only paid lip service to the cause of the people. He demanded that the accused of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in Delhi should be tried outside the national Capital. |
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BJP’s manifesto soon, says Sangwan
Ambala, December 29 Addressing a well-attended gathering at Naggal, Mr Sangwan said they were considering a host of issues for the welfare of the people. “We are planning to give free power to fields of the farmers, who have less than five acres of land. Also, the power tariff for farmers will be brought on par with the rates prevailing in 1991,” he said. The rally was organised by Mr Pavitar Singh Bajwa against the rise in prices of basic commodities. Mr Sangwan said the party was also considering to allot plots at cheaper rates to the poor. He said the issue of retrenched employees was also being considered by the party. Former Union Minister, Mr I.D. Swami, said the BJP-led NDA government had brought overall development in the state. “The number of development projects accomplished by the NDA government in five years was more than what had been accomplished since the Independence,” he said. Mr Swami said under the Congress-led UPA government, people were directly affected by the steep hike in prices of basic commodities. The president of Haryana BJP, Prof Ganeshi Lal, said the election in Haryana would be a fight between a democratic party and political parties ruled by family dynasty. |
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BJP eyes Yadav votes in Ahirwal
Rewari, December 29 The decision appears to be a precursor of the manoeuvring of the Samajwadi Party, which has already made it known that the party supremo and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav would be visiting Ahirwal on January 14. Babu Lal Gaur will address his first election meeting at Rewari, which is now popularly known as the ‘London’ of Ahirs (Yadavs), tentatively on January 10. The venue of his second election meeting will be either Mahendergarh or Narnaul. This information was given today by Mr Veer Kumar Yadav, state general secretary of the BJP. He maintained that electioneering by a Yadav leader of the status of Babu Lal Gaur would certainly boost the electoral fortunes of the BJP in Ahirwal where almost all 10 Assembly constituencies were Yadav-dominated and where a host of Yadav candidates were also going to be fielded by the BJP. Besides Babu Lal Gaur, noted film stars Dharmender and Hema Malini, former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Raj Nath Singh and party stalwarts Uma Bharati and Sushma Swaraj were also being roped in for electioneering in Ahirwal, added Mr Yadav. As regards the possibility of electoral alliance with the INLD, he categorically stated that it was now a closed chapter. Regarding the nomination of party candidates in Ahirwal and other parts of the state, Mr Yadav disclosed that a meeting of the state election committee would be held at Rohtak on December 31 to finalise the names of prospective candidates. The list of names would be handed over to the party’s central election committee, which would then finalise and publicise the list at its meeting in Delhi on January 4. |
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Cong to project women, youth, says Hooda
Jhajjar, December 29 Mr Hooda said, “Strong candidates would be fielded and preference would be given to women and young workers who are in steady position in their segments”. He claimed that the rally being organised at Rohtak on January 3 would decide the course of Haryana politics. Earlier, the Congress leader called upon the party workers to reach in the proposed rally to show their political strength. He held that the rally had gained significance for the region as it would not only affect the political scenario but also decide the political fortune of the people of this region for whom this Assembly election would be a do or die battle. Mr Raghubir Singh Kadian, MLA from Beri and Mr Anand Singh Dangi, a former state minister were among those who addressed the party workers. |
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Brahman sabha to back Cong
Sonepat, December 29 Announcing this, Mr Hari Parkash Sharma, president of the state unit of the
Maha sabha told mediapersons at Ganaur, 16 km from here, today that the Maha
sabha had demanded the allocation of Congress ticket in 15 Brahmin-dominated constituencies of the state. These constituencies are Ballabhgarh in Faridabad district, Narnaul, Kailana, Gohana, Rajond, Safidon, Gharaura, Yamunanagar, Pundri, Bahadurgarh, Thanesar, Ambala Cantt, Bhiwani, Samalkha and Rai. He claimed that the decision to extend support to the Congress had been taken with the consent of Mr Ishwar Sharma, president of the All-India Brahman Maha Sabha and the workers of the Maha Sabha at a meeting held at Panipat on December 12. He alleged that the present INLD government headed by Mr Om Prakash Chautala was adopting anti-Brahmin attitude during the past five years and this was the main cause of extending support to the Congress. |
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Cong alleges code violation
Sirsa, December 29 Talking to The Tribune, the vice-president of the Youth Congress, Mr Surinder Singh Nehra, said that the District Election Officer (DEO), Mr Vikas Yadav, was apprised of the controversy and a copy of the complaint had been sent to the Chief Election Commissioner of India. Mr Nehra alleged that the government was trying to lure the poor villagers in connivance with the handpicked officials of the district administration. Employees of the Depained of district Food and Civil supplies were busy roaming around in the villages and also making pink and yellow ration cards, Mr Nehra added He alleged that the ruling INLD was flouting rules to “buy” votes for the forthcoming assembly poll. In a complaint to the District Election Officer, Mr Nehra also demanded the immediate removal of the hoardings and other outdoor publicity material from the home district of the Chief Minister. He said despite repeated complaints to the officials concerned no action had been taken yet. Sources said the process of making pink ration cards was on for the past about five months as per the direction of the Union Government. The tightlipped officials of the district administration said they were making queries if the same was violation of the code of conduct. Despite repeated attempts, the District Food and Supply Officer, Mr Hansraj Bhadoo, was not available for comments throughout the day. |
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NCW chairperson tells Haryana to improve jails
Ekta Kapoor summoned
Chandigarh, December 29 In an exclusive interview with The Tribune, Ms Advani talked about the measures which the Commission wanted Haryana to adopt for the betterment of womenfolk. Largely satisfied with the implementation part, the NCW chairperson was particularly convinced with the efforts Haryana was making to improve the condition of women lodged in prisons. She added that the state had done well to set up "mahila desks" in police stations across the region. She, however, expressed displeasure over non-establishment of a proper statutory commission for women by the state, besides mentioning the poor plight of women in the unorganized sectors like hosiery and pickle industry. On the prisons front, Haryana recently released Rs 1.20 crore for improvement of living conditions in jails. The project will particularly focus on cleanliness in kitchens. The proposal was mooted after the NCW pulled up the government for inhuman conditions prevailing in Ambala jail. The government has reportedly also started effective ambulance services for jail inmates. Regarding educational infrastructure available in the state, Ms Advani said the Commission was most interested in arresting the dropout rate which was very high. "In this context, we are told, Haryana distributed 20,000 free cycles to girl students in villages. The idea is to encourage them to attend school regularly. A special donation function was organized on August 15, 2004." Among other revealing bits of information which Ms Advani shared with The Tribune, one pertained to the number of which the state has registered to prevent couples from going in for Pre-Natal Diagnosis. In all, 23 cases under the PNDT Act have been booked, but the deterrent action in most of them has been unsatisfactory. Admitted Ms Advani, "We want more aggressive actions to be taken against the offenders and we have told the government officers in charge to come down heavily on them. As of now, there is no coordination between the Health and Home Departments. This link is very crucial if a healthy sex ration has to be maintained." Speaking about the yearly reviews of states by the Commission, Ms Advani said the step would go a long way in making the governments accountable for the promises made earlier. "We visited Haryana last year and talked about the problems ailing the region. We are here to see how much progress has been made along the lines of promises made. Haryana's project to educate the girl child is well conceived, so is its initiative to fight the menace of dowry. Increasing number of child marriages is another key area that needs to be addressed urgently. The state must also look for ways to ensure that some part of property is in the name of its women."
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IAS officers’ body asks for donations
Chandigarh, December 29 He said the contribution should be sent to the treasurer of the association. Larger contributions from the members would be appreciated, he added. |
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Vande Mataram Yojna left in the lurch
Fatehabad, December 29 The Vande
Mataram Yojna was launched in April this year all over the country with much fanfare. The idea of the scheme was conceived by the then Union Health Minister, Mrs Sushma Swaraj. The health authorities under this scheme adopted leading hospitals and nursing homes, which had the services of gynaecologists. In Fatehabad district too, over a dozen hospitals and nursing homes were selected for this purpose. The scheme was aimed at providing free pre-natal care to pregnant women. The doctors adopted under the scheme were to provide free check up facilities to pregnant women on every 9th day of the month. Iron tablets, tetanus injections and contraceptives were to be supplied free of cost to the women. Even ultrasound tests were to be conducted free of costs. The medicines and contraceptives were to be supplied to these hospitals by the health authorities. The scheme began with a big fanfare. Large sized advertisements were given in newspapers to propagate the scheme. Pamphlets were distributed giving the names of hospitals adopted under the scheme. Hoardings and signboards were distributed to the adopted hospitals to be displayed outside their hospitals. A lot of money was spent on the scheme. The health workers of the Health Department visited the adopted hospitals regularly to supply medicines and contraceptives and collect record of the pregnant women examined and medicines consumed. But, the things started changing after the change of guards at the Centre. Though, the doctors adopted under this scheme were never informed about the plight of the scheme, the health authorities stopped showing interest in the scheme. The health workers stopped visiting various hospitals for collecting data of the patients or the stock of medicines. Slowly, the doctors have also started showing disinterest in the scheme. A gynaecologist, whose hospital was adopted under this scheme, told this correspondent on condition of anonymity that she continued the scheme for several months even after the health workers stopped visiting her nursing home, but now she had also stopped the free examination of pregnant women after she was told by a health worker that the scheme had been closed. The health authorities, she said, were not confirming this and had been giving evasive replies. She said that the boards supplied by the Health Department had now been dumped in stores. She complained that the authorities should have conveyed about the closure of the scheme, if at all it had been closed. Dr S.L. Mehra, Civil Surgeon, Fatehabad, denied that the scheme had been closed or dumped by the authorities. He said that rather the health authorities had not received encouraging response from the private hospitals. He said that the workers of the department had been visiting the adopted hospitals regularly, but the response they had been getting was far from encouraging. Amidst the claims and counterclaims of the private doctors adopted under the scheme and the health authorities responsible for the successful implementation of the scheme, one thing is certain that a welfare scheme launched with heavy expenditure and much fanfare had died a slow but sure death. |
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Campaign against ‘runaway’ criminals
Kaithal, December 29 Besides this, the police has intensified checking of vehicles to check transportation of illegal weapons and other objectionable material from one place to another. This was stated by him while addressing representatives of different political parties, Returning Officers of all five assembly constituencies of the district and police officials. Mr Malik directed all political parties to follow the Model Code of Conduct in letter and in spirit and warned that any one violating these instructions would be dealt with under the law. He said under the Model Code of Conduct no foundation stone or inauguration function would take place. No promises for construction of roads or for providing drinking water can be made during the election campaign. He said action would be taken against all those affixing red lights atop their vehicles without valid authorisation. He further said the political parties would have to seek prior permission from the respective SDMs for using loud speakers which could be operated between 6 am and 10 pm and added that public meetings could be held only at the specified places earmarked by the district administration. He also clarified that the name of the printing press from where any political party gets its posters printed was mandatory and information in this connection should be given to the District Election Officer. |
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Registration of cable TV operators
mandatory
Karnal, December 29 The District Magistrate, Mr R.S. Doon, told The Tribune that anyone interested in starting the cable satellite television business would have to apply for registration on Form-1 and get it sanctioned from the DM’s office. However, the registration certificate would be issued by the Postmaster or the other competent registration authority. The registration number issued for a particular area could not be transferred to another place, said Mr Doon. It was also mandatory for the cable operators to get a no objection certificate from the police and no dues certificates from the Local Bodies concerned, Power Corporation and BSNL to get the registration renewed every year, he added. Each cable operator would have to keep a register under Form-5 in his office to maintain proper record of the programmes being telecast through his local cable network system. The authorities concerned would regularly monitor the record maintained in the register from time to time. Similarly, each cable operator would have to send a detailed report after every three months to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry regarding the total number of connections and money collected from the consumers along with the details of pay channels being shown by them. |
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No trace of kidnapped oil mill owner
Sonepat, December 29 Lakhi Ram left his house in the evening of December 24 for strolling and when he failed to return till midnight, the family members started, looking for him. In the meantime, a telephone call received from Rohtak said that Lakhi Ram was in their captivity and he would be killed if a ransom of Rs 20 lakh was not given to them. |
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4 booked for duping youth of Rs 7 lakh
Kaithal, December 29 Mr Gurnam Singh, a resident of Sair, in his complaint to the police alleged that he wanted to send his son, Charanjeet Singh, abroad in search of some job. He came in to contact with Dalbir Singh, a resident of Delhi, who promised him to arrange a visa for Canada for his son. In lieu this he paid Rs 7 lakh and handed over the passport and some other papers of his son to Dalbir, and his wife Roma in the presence of Raghbir Singh and Jasbir Singh of Panipat. But even after seven months of making the payment, his son was not sent to Canada. When he demanded his money and passport back, he was threatened of dire consequences by the alleged accused. The police registered an FIR and started investigation. In another case, Shiv Kumar, a resident of Karora village, complained to the police that Suresh, a resident of Jajanwala, and Sukhdev of Bhana village prepared fake documents of his motor cycle and sold it to some one. The police has registered a case of cheating. |
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CPM convention concludes
Hisar, December 29 The CPM members vowed to make efforts to keep the ruling INLD as well as the BJP out of power in the state. The meeting decided to field party candidates in the coming assembly elections to achieve social justice. It was also decided at the meeting to collect relief material for the tsunami victims. The newly elected secretary claimed that disillusioned with the limited options, the people of Haryana were looking for a political alternative. Mr Inderjit observed that forging a pre-poll alliance with the Congress in the elections to the state assembly was not necessary. He expressed hope that some CPM nominees would make it to the Vidhan Sabha this time. CPM MP Hannan Maula lamented horse-trading and frequent switching of loyalties by politicians of Haryana. |
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Chandigarh, December 29
