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Hisar mourns the death of its son
An industrial wizard’s life cut short
Obituary
Surender Singh to be cremated at Bhiwani today
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Cong leaders mourn deaths
All roads lead to crash site
Hooda resolves to clean up politics
8 postal employees suspended
Thousands of fish die in Yamuna
Kenya seeks India’s help in quelling AIDS
Rs 10 cr allocated to CDL varsity
Trader shot dead in Hansi
high court
MD varsity to hold PMT on May 22
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Hisar mourns the death of its son
Hisar, March 31 Jindal’s body was brought to his house in the city where a large number of his friends, relatives, employees and supporters had assembled to pay homage to their beloved “Bauji”. The cremation will take place tomorrow. The Congress MP from Hisar, Mr Jai Prakash, who was present on the occasion, described the demise of Mr Jindal as a “personal loss”. “Today is the darkest day in the history of Hisar. The sudden death of two senior ministers is a big jolt to the newly formed Congress Government in Haryana,” he observed. Leaders of various political parties, trade bodies, employees’ associations and other social organisations, including state Congress president Bhajan Lal, local BJP MLA Ram Kumar Gautam, former minister Hari Singh Saini, the local unit of the RSS and the Haryana Pradesh Vyapar Mandal, expressed shock and grief over the tragic death of Jindal and Surender Singh. In the beginning, it was hard for the local residents to believe the news of the air crash. Gradually, as the enormity of the tragedy began to sink in, the commercial establishments were closed and people started gathering at the departed leader’s house. Condolence meetings were organised at Jindal Hospital and various other places in the city. Jindal was born in a simple family of Nalwa village in the district. After remaining engaged in farming for some time, he shifted to Hisar and started a small bucket-manufacturing unit. Though he did not receive any formal technical or higher education, he took his steel business to great heights not only in Haryana, but in the entire country. He was among the prominent industrialists of the country and his business was spread all over the globe. The prestigious “Forbes” magazine bracketed him with the top industrialists of the world. Jindal began his political career in 1990 and had been elected to the Haryana Legislative Assembly as well as the Lok Sabha. Mr R.P. Jindal, the Executive Director of Jindal Stainless, recalled Jindal’s remarkable ability to remain calm even in the midst of most trying and adverse circumstances. He is survived by his wife, four sons and five daughters. Jindal leaves behind a huge business empire. |
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An industrial wizard’s life cut short
Chandigarh, March 31 The life of this wizard of an entrepreneur, who started with a bucket-manufacturing unit at Hisar to gradually become the owner of one of India’s biggest steel-manufacturing industries, was cut short when the chopper carrying Mr Jindal, Mr Surender Singh, Agriculture and Revenue Minister of Haryana, and three others, including the pilot, crashed near Saharanpur in UP. Mr Jindal would have been 75 years on August 30. This was Mr Jindal’s third stint as MLA. He had also remained a member of the Lok Sabha from Kurukshetra, but this was for the first time that he had become a Minister and that, too, of Cabinet rank, something which had pleased the industrialist-turned-politician. The Rajindra Park helipad from which the ill-fated chopper took off today could be seen from the balcony at the rear of the room used by Mr Jindal’s secretary and other personal staff provided to him as a Minister. “We could see from here that the shining helicopter took off around 12-30 p.m. today”, a member of the staff said. Mr Jindal, according to his staff, was going to Delhi to take part in a function being held at the India International Centre to felicitate the Chief Minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh. Mr Jindal’s travel plan was ready last evening, but Mr Surender Singh, son and political successor of Mr Bansi Lal, was not listed as a passenger accompanying the Power Minister. “It must have been decided in the morning only that Mr Surender Singh, too, would go to Delhi with Mr Jindal”, said one of Mr Jindal’s assistants. The Agriculture Minister, who made a new beginning in his political career by winning the February Assembly elections from Tosham, had come to his office in the morning and even signed a press release regarding the computerisation of revenue records. Mr Surender Singh was born on July 25, 1946, in his ancestral village of Golagarh in Bhiwani district. According to information furnished by the Public Relations Department of Haryana, he became an MLA for the first time in 1977. He had remained a Minister in Haryana earlier. He was also a member of the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha at different stages of his political career. The chopper also claimed the life of the pilot, Col P.S. Chauhan, while Mr Ved Goel, a businessman, and Mr Vinod Yadav, personal security officer (PSO) of Mr Jindal, suffered serious injuries. Incidentally, Mr Yadav, who was earlier attached to Mr Jindal, was recently recalled by him to be his PSO. Just as he set up an industrial empire from scratch, Mr Jindal also made a beginning towards establishing a political legacy. His son, Mr Naveen Jindal, fought the last Lok Sabha elections from Kurukshetra and defeated Mr Abhay Chautala. Mr Surender Singh, on the other hand, was the second generation of a political family with his father, Mr Bansi Lal, anointing him as his successor. |
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Farmer’s boy who became ‘a man of steel’
Kulwinder Sandhu Tribune News Service
Karnal, March 31 Since his childhood the young Jindal had keen interest in technical work. After matriculation he pursued his higher studies at industrial training institutes of Bengal and Orissa. He started his industrial career with a small bucket-manufacturing unit in Hisar in the 50s and in 1964 set up a pipe unit, Jindal India Limited, which is at present known as Jindal Industries Limited. He laid the foundation of a large factory, Jindal Strips Limited, in 1969. Today, the factory has the largest share in India's total stainless steel production. Mr Jindal always maintained that India should be self-sustained in every sector of industry. He visited several foreign countries and acquired a great deal of knowledge which he applied to enhance production in his establishments. At present, his conglomerate comprises 20 factories worth Rs 10,000 crore giving livelihood to thousands of families directly or indirectly. He was also the Chairman of N.C. Jindal Charitable Trust under whose auspices 500-bedded N.C. Jindal Institute of Medical Care functions in Hisar. A Vidya Devi Jindal School for girls up to the level of plus two is also run by the trust in Hisar while N.C. Jindal Public School is being run in Delhi. Keeping in view his selfless social services and philanthropic contributions, he was unanimously nominated chairman of the Maharaja Agarsen Medical Education and Scientific Research Society. He was also the custodian trustee of the Agroha Vikas Trust. He was married to Mrs Savitri Devi Jindal and they had four sons and five daughters. He was elected Member of Parliament from Kurukshetra in 1996 and was elected to the Haryana Assembly in 1991, 2000 and 2005. His favourite pastime was to acquaint himself with the latest knowledge in industry and farming and listening to music. He took keen interest in horse riding, kabaddi, wrestling and walking to keep fit. The Times Group of Newspapers published a book "A Man of Steel" on his life. He widely travelled and visited almost all countries in the world. One of his sons, Naveen Jindal, is Member of the Lok Sabha from Kurukshetra.
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Surender Singh to be cremated at Bhiwani today
Bhiwani, March 31 Mr Bansi Lal and Mr Mahendra left for Delhi soon afterwards by car. Mr Bansi Lal was accompanied by his personal physician as he is not keeping good health for the past few weeks. However, the trio returned soon after as they were reportedly informed on the way that the body was being brought here in the evening. The local police swung into action to prevent crowding of the minister’s private residence. Two barriers were erected on the Hansi Road and near the PWD Rest House to stop vehicles from proceeding towards the house. However, despite these measures, mourners gathered outside the house to console the relatives of the deceased minister. All markets here and at Tosham — the constituency Surender Singh represented — were closed as soon as the news of his death broke. The cremation of Surender Singh will take place in his native village Gohlagarh in this district tomorrow, family sources said here. Surender Singh is survived by wife Kiran Chaudhary, former Deputy Speaker of the Delhi Assembly, and a daughter. As soon as the information about the death of Surender Singh spread, a pall of gloom descended on his native village, which Surender Singh had recently visited after becoming
minister. Rohtak: The Chief Minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, was on his way to Bhalot village, near here, when he was informed about the helicopter crash. He immediately left by road for the accident site, cancelling all his engagements. Several Congress MLAs who were with the Chief Minister during the tour also accompanied him. |
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Cong leaders mourn deaths
Kaithal, March 31
In a statement he said he was deeply shocked to learn about the death of O.P. Jindal and Surinder Singh in a Helicopter crash near Sarsawa in Uttar Pardesh today afternoon. He said the death of these two senior ministers was a great personal loss for him and the Congress Party. He said he had long association with the family of Chaudhry Bansi Lal, father of Surinder Singh. Mr Tejinder Mann, MLA and a former minister, also condoled the death of Jindal and Surinder Singh. He said their untimely death was a big blow to the people of Haryana. Mr Surinder Madan, a former minister, Mr Ishwar Singh, president, DCC, Mr Dharam Pal Chhot, Mr Mukesh Jain and a large number of party office bearers and workers left for Delhi after hearing this news.
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All roads lead to crash site
Berkhedi (Saharanpur), March 31 Ministers, MLAs, MPs, politicians, DCs, SSPs and mediapersons made a beeline to the accident spot. A plane reportedly carrying MP Naveen Jindal also hovered over the accident site for sometime. Apart from the families of the deceased and injured and the Congress Party, it was Mr Nirmal Singh, a resident of the village, who bore the brunt of the accident - the crowd and vehicles destroyed his wheat crop standing in about three acre. As per a rough estimate more than 50,000 persons, including women and children, reached the spot to see the crashed chopper. The local police administration had a tough time controlling the swelling crowd. Senior police officials of Uttar Pardesh also reached the spot. Everybody there was trying to get near to the chopper. The cops from Haryana, who had reached there, were guarding the crashed chopper, while the UP police was busy handling the crowd. A resident of the village, Satish, who claimed to be the first to reach for the rescue of the victims told The Tribune that the chopper hovered over their houses for quite sometime before it crashed in the field. The villagers did not wait for the police help. They took out the five occupants of the chopper and took them to a nearby hospital. The villagers said the police reached the spot after about one hour of the accident. Meanwhile, a large number of the Congress leaders from Yamunanagar, from where O.P Jindal was once Member Parliament, also reached here. |
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Hooda resolves to clean up politics
Rohtak, March 31 In an exclusive interview with The Tribune here today he said it was unfortunate that the tag of a “land of gutter politics” should have stuck to the “land of the Gita”. “My first job is to lead by example and establish the rule of law where the Constitution would be the guiding spirit of the government. That will clean up politics and once that happens people will prosper”, he said. Mr Hooda said to him the Constitution was the modern day Gita and it was his “dharma” to ensure that politics never got the better of the Constitution. “As a child I saw my father Mr Ranbir Singh, Dr Rajendra Prashad, Jawahar Lal Nehru, Dr B.R. Ambedkar, Vitthal Bhai Patel, N.G. Ranga, Shiban Lal Saxena and other leading members of the Constituent Assembly conjure up dreams of making independent India a truly modern democratic state. This was the aim of the Constitution the elders gave to the nation. I believe that upholding the constitution is the primary duty of every politician”, he added. The Chief Minister said in the recent past the roles of the political wing, the executive and the legislature had been obliterated. The result was the emergence of nexus under which the dishonest elements prospered at the cost of the common man. This had to be undone if Haryana was to prosper as a whole. He said despite being a comparatively younger Chief Minister, he belonged to the old school of politics “where service was supreme and self had no place”. “I have told the bureaucracy to stay clear of any kind of politics and stick to its job of implementing the state policy. The roles are cut clearly and every wing of the government had a duty to discharge. I will ensure that every one does his or her job and that applies to me too.” Mr Hooda said. He claimed though it was too early to judge, the results were already coming in. The sale auction of liquor vends had yielded Rs 120 crore more which is a record. This became possible because the politician-bureaucrat-businessman nexus was broken. “When people pay the money it should go back to them to make their lives better. They don’t pay to make the politician and the bureaucrat to get rich. I am planning for a transparent, honest and professional administration and I am sure I will succeed”, he said. The Chief Minister said his idea of “Sarkar Aapke Dwar” was not queuing up people in front of him and doling out favours like a maharaja. “I am a servant of the people and will deliver good governance to peoples’ doorsteps. For this I have to go to them and not seek their presence in my court. The roles have to be reversed. I represent their ambitions and aspirations. The onus is on me not on them”, he said. The new Chief Minister admits he has a Herculean task before him. “I know it is easier said than done. But, I have my people backing my efforts. I seek their cooperation in my endeavours and I promise them I will make their state the number one state in the country”, he said. Mr Hooda said corruption and crime were the two biggest enemies of any state. “Haryana too suffers from this malady. Let me assure my people that these two maladies will be rooted out. There will never be any compromise on these issues. Once, we succeed here, there will be no going back”, he added. |
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8 postal employees suspended
Sonepat, March 31 According to a report, the employees suspended are Mr J.K. Mehra, an Assistant Postmaster, Mr Hukam Chand, Mr D.K. Tyagi,Ms Kamlawati, Ms Kamla Devi, Mr Rajinder Dahiya, Mr Braham Parkash and Ms Meena Chhabra. All of them have not been charge-sheeted by the department so far. The circle office of the department has already constituted a four-member inquiry committee for the disposal of the complaints by the depositors about the non-depositing of the amount invested by them in various small savings scheme. The depositors also alleged that Manohar Kumar had duped them in connivance with the staff of the Head Post Office. Manohar Kumar had duped several hundreds of people to the tune of crores of rupees and fled along with other members of the family from Sonepat a few |
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Thousands of fish die in Yamuna
Yamunanagar, March 31 Officials in the Irrigation Department claimed ignorance about the death of the fish. Villagers said industrial waste from Uttar Pardesh, flowing into the river, caused the death of the aquatic animals. They said the Maskara nullah that emptied itself into the river was polluted and killed the fish. There are several nullahs, which empty into the river. The villagers said that nullahs discharged polluted water into the river throughout the year, but the effect was noticed only when the level of the water was low. On Tuesday there were only 160 cusecs of water in the river. Mr Dalbir Singh, Superintending Engineer, Irrigation Department, admitted that several nullahs were emptied into the river. However, he said that he was not aware of the death of fish. An official in the Irrigation Department admitted that industrial waste from Uttar Pardesh was being discharged into the river. According to residents of Bibipur, Kanalsi, Lapra and Kmalpur villages, the river water turned to black on Monday morning and by afternoon, fish started dying. By evening, dead fish were lying along the banks of the river. The colour of water was dark blue on Tuesday. Residents and fishermen from scores of villages on either side of the river reached the river banks and started collecting dead fish in buckets and other utensils. Mr Mehndi Hassan of Lapra village said it was for the first time in his life that he saw so many dead fish. |
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Kenya seeks India’s help in quelling AIDS
Ambala, March 31 The company is one of the six companies manufacturing 15 types of anti-retroviral drugs needed for the treatment of HIV positive and AIDS patients. He said that there were 15 lakh patients in Kenya who were HIV positive. He further said with the support of India and other countries, the Kenya Government had been doing hard to control AIDS. He added that there was great possibility of mutual cooperation in the field of pharmaceutical between two countries. The chairman of McNeil & Argus, Mr G.D. Chibber, said the African countries were in the grip of AIDS adding that as per the WHO report, there were 42-millions people infected with HIV in the world. Five million new cases were added every year which meant every six seconds a person was getting infected with HIV, he revealed. Mr Chibber informed that three million people died of AIDS every year. He said there were five major classes of anti - retroviral drugs available for the treatment of this disease. Anti-retroviral drugs of Indian companies were quite economical as compared to drugs manufactured by other countries. He said his company had decided to set up a manufacturing unit in Nairobi for undertaking production of anti-retroviral drugs at economical rates so that people of African countries could get this medicine on a cheaper rate. He informed that the company would invest more than one million in this project. The former Governor of Punjab, Lieut-Gen B.K.N. Chibber along with Mr H.S. Ranauta, President, Chandigarh Chapter of United Nations, and a number of dignitaries were also present on the occasion. |
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Rs 10 cr allocated to CDL varsity Sirsa, March 31 According to sources the council had also benefitted the non-teaching staff on deputation staff by announcing a one-rank up promotion. At present, the entire staff of the university is called on deputation from other universities of the state. In an interesting decision taken today, the council had passed a resolution to appoint the teaching staff whose interviews had been conducted last year during the tenure of then Vice-Chancellor, Dr R. P. Dahiya. A council member said some objection had been raised by a few members of the council on the issue of the “delayed” orders but the resolution was passed in the meeting. The money allocated in the budget would be spent on providing proper infrastructure and other development-related activities on the campus besides other expenditure, sources said. The council also approved the directions of the state government to release funds worth over Rs 8 crore to Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak, and Kurukshetra University. The university had recieved a letter asking it to release funds to both the universities on Wednesday and it approved a sum of Rs 5.72 crore and Rs 3 crore for MDU and KU, respectively. Much to the relief of the teaching community, the council also approved the upgradation of pay scales and promotion plans of PhD lecturers as per the UGC norms.
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Trader shot dead in Hansi
Hisar, March 31 However, before he could reach his house upstairs, he was shot dead by some unidentified assailants. Two shots were fired at him. Vinod raised the alarm, but before somebody of his family could reach, the assailants had fled. Following the incident, the traders assembled there and took him to a hospital, but he succumbed to the bullet injuries on the way. The Hisar SSP, Mr Arshinder Singh Chawla, reached the Hansi General Hospital and recorded the statement of the father of the deceased. He also led a team of the local police officials to the scene of crime and initiated the investigations. The traders observed a bandh in protest against the murder today. |
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high court
Chandigarh, March 31 The no-confidence motion is scheduled to be put to test tomorrow afternoon. Today, during hearing, Ms Chaudhary's counsel termed the notice calling for meeting for no-confidence illegal and prayed that the proceedings scheduled for tomorrow be conducted by secret ballot. The petitioner pointed out that the Deputy Commissioner had authorised the SDM (Civil) to convene a special meeting of all the members of the council under Section 21 (1) of the MC Act following the motion of no-confidence issued to her as well as Vice-President Kuljit Kaur. She further said the SDM had not indicated any procedure for carrying out the proceedings at the meeting by secret ballot despite demand made by the petitioner vide representation dated March 22. Some days back, the High Court had issued notice of motion on the petition. No court work
The Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association on Thursday asked its members not to attend to court work as a mark of respect to the two ministers of Haryana, who died in a chopper crash on Thursday. According to Mr Munish Jolly, Secretary, Bar Association, the decision to keep off courtrooms was taken at an emergent meeting of the office-bearers. Meanwhile, the association has also mourned the death of the two ministers, one of whom had remained a member of the association.
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MD varsity to hold PMT on May 22
Rohtak, March 31 An official press note issued here today said that the state government had declared the MDU as the competent authority to conduct the examination. The last date for submission of application forms is April 25. The prospectus and forms will be available tomorrow onwards, it added. |
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