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Groupism rules CLP
meeting
Women MLAs eyeing ministerial berths
No differences with Chautala: Dhirpal
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Govt to step up birth, death registration
CBI given 6 more months to complete probe
Cong leader acquitted
12 Bangladesh nationals held
Rs 4.29 lakh looted from PNB branch
Missing woman’s skeleton found
Jaundice cases reported from Baldev Nagar
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Groupism rules CLP
meeting
Chandigarh, March 1 Seven of the nine Congress Lok Sabha members had landed in Haryana today in connection with the meeting. As far the break up of the MPs go, the Bhajan Lal faction was hopelessly weak. The HPCC chief only had his MP son Kuldeep Bishnoi to back him. The rivals, on the other hand, had six who had joined hands to prevent Mr Bhajan Lal from becoming the next Chief Minister. Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Ms Selja, both MPs, are themselves aspirants for the CM’s post and both of them are ready to accept the other as the CM if the question is to keep Mr Bhajan Lal out of the race. Mr Bhajan Lal gave the impression of having the support of all MLAs he needed to convince the AICC observers. The Bhajan camp came to the venue of the meeting in a cavalcade. Mr Dura Ram, Mr Bhajan Lal’s nephew and MLA from Fatehabad, was in high spirits and made the exaggerated claim of more than 50 MLAs accompanying the HPCC chief. Mr Chander Mohan, Mr Bhajan Lal’s elder son and MLA from Kalka, who is otherwise a courteous person, apparently sensing that power was within reach, remained aloof. In the committee room, where the reporters had gathered, Mr Bishnoi, his MP brother, on the other hand, exuded bonhomie. The nine-member strong Congress party’s women contingent also made their presence felt at the meeting. Among the women MLAs, the demure Ms Sharda Rathore, first time MLA from Ballabhgarh, looked particularly attractive. |
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Women MLAs eyeing ministerial berths
Chandigarh, March 1 For the first time, 11 women have been elected to the House. The earlier highest number of women MLAs in Haryana was in 1968, when seven women were elected. During the 2005 Assembly elections, 60 women candidates were in the fray from 44 Assembly constituencies. This was the second highest number for women candidates in fray after 1996, when 93 women candidates contested the elections. This time, nine of the women MLAs belong to the Congress, while a rebel Congress MLA, Ms Shakuntala Bhagwaria, has won the election from the Bawal constituency as an Independent. The party had given ticket to 10 women for contesting the Vidhan Sabha elections and nine of them — Sumita Singh (Karnal), Prassani Devi (Naultha), Anita Yadav (Salhavas), Meena Mandal (Jundla), Kartari Devi (Kalanaur), Geeta Bhukkal (Kalayat), Sharda Rathore (Ballabhgarh), Krishna Pandit (Yamunanagar) and Raj Rani Poonam (Asandh) — have won at the hustings. Ms Rekha Rana, Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) candidate from Gharaunda, has also been elected, though with a narrow margin of 21 votes. Propelled by their astounding success, these MLAs say that with a dynamic leader like Mrs Gandhi at the helm of affairs, they hope for a fair share of seats in the Cabinet. Ms Selja Kumari, Union Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Urban Development, while expressing her happiness at the astounding success of women in the elections, says that the demand for adequate representation of women in the Cabinet had been made to the party high command. “We will fight for the women MLAs being given 33 per cent of the ministerial berths,” she says. Ms Kartari Devi, MLA from Kalanaur, says they are hopeful that Congress President, Sonia Gandhi, will ensure that they get their due share in the Cabinet. Ms Sumita Singh, MLA from Karnal, too, supported her views. Dr Krishna Pandit, MLA from Yamunanagar, who has won with a massive margin of 24, 550 votes, said women in Haryana were ignored by successive governments. The working President of the Haryana Congress Committee, Mr Randeep Singh Surjewala, when contacted, said the Congress had a commitment to the cause of women. “The party will definitely give due representation to women in the Cabinet,” he said. |
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No differences with Chautala: Dhirpal
Rohtak, March 1 Talking to The Tribune over the telephone, he said he had not been officially informed about his expulsion and he had only read about it in newspapers. The minister said “he was” and “continued to be a diehard loyalist” of the INLD. “I joined politics in 1977 and was groomed by the late Devi Lal. Since then I have shouldered every responsibility entrusted to me by the party”, he said, adding that “even now” he had no differences with Mr Om Prakash
Chautala. Mr Dhirpal Singh said he had declined to contest the election because of health reasons. “I have a pacemaker installed for several years and my doctors told me not to strain myself physically as it could trigger a fatal heart stroke”. So far as the campaigning was concerned, he said, he had visited every village of his constituency to canvass for the party candidate. However, he added that he could not canvass door to door as his health did not permit him. Another expelled INLD leader and former MLA from Sahlawas Hukam Singh said if action was to be taken against any INLD leader, “the party president, Mr Ashok
Arora, should have been the first one”. |
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Govt to step up birth, death registration
Faridabad, March 1 According to the Census Commissioner of Haryana, Mr Sunil Gulati, the percentage of the registration of births and deaths in the state is hovering between 70 to 75 per cent for the past several years, while it has reached to hundred percent in some other states, including Kerala, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Delhi, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh. He said states like Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and
Maharashtra had been doing well and were nearing the cent per cent target. He said even in the neighbouring state of Punjab it was 89.3 and 87.8 per cent respectively. In Haryana the rate of birth and death registration was just 75.7 and 72.6 per cent respectively. The situation in the rural areas of the state is well below the average and a small number of people are able to produce the birth certificate of their children at the time of admission in the school. He said as a part of the measures, the authorities concerned had distributed 37 lakh certificates to the children born in the past two years. In Faridabad district 1.30 lakh and 2.05 lakh certificates had been given in the rural and urban areas, respectively, during this period. He stated that the government had made compulsory to produce birth certificates at the time of admission in government and private schools. The Census Commissioner also announced that the Union Government would soon be providing multi-purpose identity cards to the residents and for getting such a card , one would be need a birth certificate. He said from January 1, 2005, the government had authorised the primary health centres to register birth and death, which was earlier being done by the police stations of the area concerned. He said now all such incidents could be recorded by authorised persons, including the Anganwadi worker, village chowkidar, multi-purpose health workers and Sarpanch of a village. He said the applicant would be required to fill a form and submit at the health centre. He asked the district officials to create full and proper awareness among the people, especially in the rural areas about the need and importance of the registration of births and deaths. |
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CBI given 6 more months to complete probe
Chandigarh, March 1 Taking up an application filed by the CBI seeking more time to finish probe in three cases, which had been handed over to it by the High Court, the Bench of Mr Justice H.S. Bedi and Mr Justice Viney Mittal allowed the request. While one of the cases being investigated by the CBI pertains to murder of journalist Ram Chander Chattarpati in 2003, another relates to the alleged murder of dera follower Ranjeet Singh. Ranjeet's father, Joginder Singh, had sent a letter to the High Court, alleging therein that his son was killed after he tried to part ways with the dera. The third case pertains to the anonymous letter sent by an alleged female resident of the dera, who alleged that women residents of the dera were being sexually exploited at the place. |
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Cong leader acquitted
Panchkula, March 1 The Additional District and Sessions Judge, Mr L N Jindal, while pronouncing the orders said no charges could be made out against the accused, as the victim had failed to appear for evidence. Mr Bawa, along with
Sukhpreet, Rajiv, Paramjit and Hardeep, had been accused by Mohali resident, Mr Narinder Pal Singh of attempt to murder. He had alleged that the accused assaulted him at Pinjore on July 12, 1998. However, he later went away to Canada and failed to appear in the court for evidence. In another reprieve to Mr Bawa, the local police has submitted an application before the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate saying they wanted to drop the proceedings against three Himachal police men. These cops were earlier accused of disobeying the orders lawfully promulgated by the police, while they were trying to arrest Mr Bawa from Himachal Pradesh on November 28, 2003. The police had then alleged that the cops- Inspector Jagdish Chand, Sub Inspector Bhishm Bahadur and ASI Jatinder, had prevented them from discharging their duty. However, the police now says that these cops had helped the Panchkula police reach Pinjore safely, and no charges could be framed against the Himachal cops. The CJM has now directed the then S HO Pinjore and complainant in the case, Mr Kaptan Singh to appear before the court on March 4. |
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12 Bangladesh nationals held
Gurgaon, March 1 The district police chief, Mr Alok Kumar Roy, while making the disclosure today, said the Bangladeshis during interrogation admitted to having crossed the border illegally into India after paying Rs 300 each. He said his department would take up the issue with the Intelligence Bureau (IB) to ascertain the veracity of the exchange of money at the Indo-Bangladesh border for illegal entry of foreigners. The 12 have been held under the Foreigner Act, 1946. While seven of them were picked up near hotel Bristol, the others were arrested in the Sushant Lok area. |
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Rs 4.29 lakh looted from PNB branch
Ambala, March 1 The armed robbery at the Punjab National Bank branch at Jalbera village today comes close on the heels of an armed robbery at Allahabad Bank branch in Shahpur village which had taken place a fortnight back. The police is yet to crack the Allahabad Bank armed robbery case. The incident at the PNB branch took place at about 3.30 pm after the public dealing time was over. The bank personnel have told the police that two youths on a motor cycle came to the bank branch and they were armed with a revolver. As soon as the youths entered the bank branch, they directed the bank employees to raise their hands. The youths threatened the bank staff with dire consequences if their command was not obeyed. Thereafter, the youths ordered the bank cashier, Mr A.S.
Wadhawan, to hand over the cash present with him. There was about Rs 4.29 lakh. After collecting the money, the youths sped off on their motor cycle. The bank personnel have told the police that the youths were speaking in the local dialect. Unlike the Allahabad bank robbery case in which the staff was locked up in a room, in today’s incident the armed robbers went off after committing the robbery. Although, the PNB bank branch did not have a bank guard, the district police had allocated police personnel to be on guard duty following the bank dacoity at Allahabad bank branch in Shahpur village on February 16. A police official said that apparently the bank manager had granted permission to the police personnel to leave at about 3 pm after the public dealing time was over. The armed robbers had struck half an hour after the police personnel had left the bank premises. The official said that they are looking into the incident. He said that the possibility of the youths having kept a watch on the bank cannot be ruled out as the armed robbery took place soon after the police personnel had left the bank. He said that nakabandi has been done and teams have been formed to trace the robbers. |
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Missing woman’s skeleton found
Kaithal, March 1 The police has converted the case of kidnapping into that of murder and added Sections 302 and 201 of the IPC. The family members of the woman recognised the body from the clothes, bangles and other articles found on the body. SSP Ranbir Sharma told mediapersons that the viscera had been sent to the medical college in Rohtak to ascertain the cause of death. According to reports, Sunehra, a resident of Padla, had lodged a complaint with the police on June 17, 2004 that his daughter-in-law Meena had disappeared after she slept alongside her two kids on the roof of the house. He alleged that a village youth, Jaili, who had been indulging in harassing Meena, was behind the kidnapping. |
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Jaundice cases reported from Baldev Nagar
Ambala, March 1 A three-member team of senior doctors is monitoring the situation. The team comprises Civil Surgeon, Dr B.K. Parinja, District Health Officer, Dr Umesh Lamba and Dr L.N. Garg. Four new jaundice cases were reported today. Ten teams have been formed to go to different areas and check for jaundice cases. A government doctor said officials of the Public Health Department have been informed about the jaundice cases. He said that preliminary assessment had shown that there could be a possibility of leakage in some water pipes. He said that in some places, unauthorised hand pumps had been installed. He said that 12,000 chlorine tablets had been distributed in the area and the situation was at present under control. “We are also running the civil dispensary in the area from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Blood tests are being carried out on all suspected patients,” he said. |
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