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Raids on to nab Pataudi, others
ADGP to probe police recruitment before poll
Kiran to lead supporters of Surender Singh
‘Goonda tax’ move sparks protest
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Varsity postpones exam after faux pas
MLA’s mill served notice
2 forest officials held captive, beaten up
PHDCCI welcomes new industrial policy Woman, daughter missing case: 1 remanded
SAD leaders meet Hooda
Teachers to be accountable
Youth shot dead over poll rivalry
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Raids on to nab Pataudi, others
Jhajjar, June 10 Seven of the eight accused have been evading interrogation for the past several days. They had been given time till 5 p. m. today to appear before the Investigating Officer of the case. Superintendent of Police Hanif Qureshi said the police teams had reached these places earlier in the day and raids began in Gurgaon, Pataudi, Delhi, Bhopal and Hyderabad as soon as the deadline expired. If any of the accused, who were evading interrogation, if found would be arrested and would then be produced in the Special Environment Court in Faridabad. He clarified that at this stage the police need not procure their arrest warrants from a court. The police could legally arrest them without a warrant. A big team of mediapersons had descended on the judicial courts complex here in the hope that Pataudi and the other co-accused might surrender in a court rather than appear before the police. However, the vigil proved to be fruitless. Outdoor broadcasting vans of TV news channels remained parked at the courts complex and the office of the SP throughout the day. A local lawyer, who claimed to be representing Pataudi, said the former cricketer was unlikely to surrender or appear before the police without first seeking anticipatory bail from the Special Environment Court in Faridabad. “This is his legal right. Besides, no summons have so far been served on him personally. Pasting the summons on the doors of his servants’ quarters does not mean these have been served on the person concerned”, he added. |
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ADGP to probe police recruitment before poll
Chandigarh, June 10 Dr George has been asked to look into various aspects of the issue, including whether the SPs in various districts received a directive from the police top brass to carry out the recruitment. And, in case any such directive was given, why they complied with it. This was illegal since the Model Code of Conduct for the elections was in force in the state. Dr George has been also asked to probe the allegation of blatant violation of the selection procedure while recruiting these personnel. The Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led government has already terminated the services of 819 constables who were recruited by the Chautala-led state government in a hurry. The constables were recruited at Rewari (for the Gurgaon Range), Kurukshetra (Ambala Range), Bhiwani (Hisar Range) and Karnal (Rohtak Range). The Election Commission (EC) had also taken note of the violation of the model code and, on January 13, it directed the Haryana Government to transfer the district police chiefs of Ambala and Panchkula, Mr Des Raj Singh and Ms Mamta Singh, respectively. The EC, which sent a team of two officers to Haryana to look into allegations of constables being recruited despite the model code being in force, also asked the government to transfer the SP of Jhajjar, Mr Akil Mohammed, and the SP of Rewari, Mr Hanif Qureshi. Acting on the two-member team’s report, the EC had also transferred the DGP, Mr M S Malik. Official sources said while the EC was only concerned about recruitment in the police disregarding the model code, the probe ordered by the state government would also focus on the flouting of norms while selecting the constables. The sources added that an inquiry into the latter aspect could see even those police officers, who were not subjected to any action by the EC landing in trouble. |
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Kiran to lead supporters of Surender Singh
Chandigarh, June 10 The message was loud and clear. “I am not a greenhorn in politics. I cannot be confined to Tosham. The entire state is my constituency as I will lead followers of my late husband, who are spread
throughout Haryana.” Mrs Choudhry, widow of former Agriculture Minister Surender Singh, who died in a chopper crash in March last, did not say so in so many words. But she did not mince words when she said the supporters of Surender Singh should not feel orphaned. “I will fight for their cause. One reason behind my decision to shift to Haryana is to look after them since they were attached to my husband without any motive.” She said she would strengthen the Chief Minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, in whichever capacity she was asked to work. She said it was the prerogative of the Chief Minister to induct anyone into his Cabinet and she would not
interfere in that in any manner. “I am not ambitious but hard working. I will carry forward what Mr Surender Singh left behind. I have come here to serve the people.” Mrs Choudhry said Mr Hooda had brought about transparency in the administration and had decentralised power. “In this government, decisions are not being taken by one person alone.” Perhaps to dispel the notion that her record victory margin in Tosham may be because of her family ties with a former Chief Minister, Mr Bansi Lal, Mrs Choudhry pointed out that she rose to become the Deputy Speaker of the Delhi Assembly and had been active in the politics of that state for 20 years. “I had nobody’s legacy in Delhi.” In response to a question, she admitted that Mr Bansi Lal wanted her daughter, Shruti, to contest from Tosham. “It was Shruti herself who persuaded me to shift to Haryana politics. Shruti herself is very much political as she had worked in 10 elections of her father and six of her mother. Since she was married only two years ago, she may have some family commitments. She will join active politics at an appropriate time,” she added. Mrs Choudhry said she had already talked to the Railway Minister, Mr Lalu Prasad, for the renovation of Bhiwani station. A flyover would be constructed on the Bhiwani-Tosham road without dislocating an orphanage from the site. She would also work for the Bhiwani-Loharu rail link. She would also talk to the Union Civil Aviation Minister for reviving a proposal to set up a cargo terminal at Bhiwani airport for private airlines. She denied that her arrival on the Haryana political scene would affect the position any leader of the party. “I have no ill-will against anyone. Life is too short and I am a firm believer in destiny.” Mrs Choudhry said since she was new to Haryana politics, she was not aware of the Congress charge-sheet against the former Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala. |
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‘Goonda tax’ move sparks protest
Khanak (Bhiwani), June 10 However, the state government has now decided to revert to the earlier system, causing widespread resentment among the owners of stone-crushers as well as the labourers. The affected stone-crusher owners have even started a relay fast to register their protest in this regard. The work at stone-crusher units has come to a grinding halt, affecting thousands of labourers from the nearby villages. A number of labourers are also staging a dharna against the Hooda government’s move to re-impose the “goonda tax.” The protesters have decided to hold a “maha panchayat” on June 12 to decide their future course of action. Representatives of stone-crusher owners and labourers have threatened to intensify their agitation in case the government did not change its stance. Talking to The Tribune here today, Mr Rajender Kumar and Mr Bhuvnesh, executive members of the Khanak Dadam Stone-Crusher Association, said earlier, the stone-crusher owners used to get the lease of the mining plots. However, in November, 2001, the then Chautala regime changed the mining policy and gave the lease to Baba Mungipa Mines and Mineral Company. Crusher owners allege that in collusion with the government, the owners of the company established illegal check-posts outside the leasehold mining area and started extorting excess royalty. The stone-crusher owners staged a demonstration in Chandigarh in February, 2002, to protest against giving the lease to the said company and its wrong and illegal practices. At that time, several senior Congress leaders, including Mr Hooda, Mr Bhajan Lal and Mr Randeep Singh Surjewala, had supported their struggle. “As against the approved rate of 96 paise, the contractors charged Rs 3.50 per square foot during the Chautala regime. After coming to power, the Hooda government had abolished the system. However, it has now decided to revert to the same system, though at a reduced rate,” they maintain. |
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Varsity postpones exam after faux pas
Kaithal, June 10 According to information two sets of papers with code number 1005 and 1007 were circulated among the examinees at the RKSD College examination centre here. The students who received the question paper with code number 1007 did not have any problem but the students who received the question paper with code number 1005 were shocked to see that the question paper given to them was incomplete. The paper contained only two sections — A and B — and the last Section C had not been printed. Though the paper was of three-hour duration and started at 9 am, the students were in a fix as they did not know whether to start answering the questions or to wait for any information from the university. However, most of them reluctantly started attempting the paper. However, the university authorities realised the mistake after getting some information from some examination centres. The authorities contacted the centre superintendents and asked them to inform the students that the examination of the students who had received question paper under the code 1005 had been postponed and would be held on June 20. This announcement dampened the spirits of hundreds of students who had entered the examination halls fully prepared to take the examination but had to return disappointed. Some students told this reporter that the information regarding the postponement of the paper reached very late at about 11.30 am and by then they had attempted most of the questions. The centre superintendent of an examination centre at RKSD College here, he confirmed that he had received instructions over telephone from the Examination Branch of the university regarding the postponement of this paper to June 20, but he was not told about the reason behind this decision. Meanwhile, the affected students have strongly criticised the university authorities and demanded stern action against those responsible for this faux-pas. However, the Controller of Examinations of the university could not be contacted for his comments. |
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MLA’s mill served notice
Karnal, June 10 This paper mill is reportedly owned by Mr Tejinder Pal Mann, a former Haryana minister and presently a member of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha and his family. Earlier, the Joint Excise and Taxation Commissioner (Appeals), Ambala vide orders dated February 8, 2005, had also rejected the appeal filed by the owners/proprietors of the mill demanding not to recover the pending taxes following certain objections. Subsequently, Mr O.P. Garg, Excise and Taxation Officer-cum-Assessing Authority of Karnal, has issued the notice last week asking the paper mill to deposit the said amount within 10 days, otherwise, proceedings would be initiated under the Land Revenue Act to attach the properties As per the details available from the Excise and Taxation Department, for the assessment year 1996-97, the pending CST amount is Rs 35,545 and HGST amount is Rs 6,57,525 against this mill. Similarly, for the assessment year 1997-98, the pending CST amount is Rs 4,646 and HGST Rs 9,03,481. For the assessment year 1998-99 and the year 1999-2000 , the CST was not assessed by the department, however, the HGST arrears amount to Rs 89,09,060 and Rs 1,70,29,063, respectively. The mill also did not pay the taxes for the assessment year 2000-2001 that amounts to Rs 7,86,979 against CST and Rs 51,97,887 against HGST. A senior official of the Excise and Taxation Department said the paper mill was issued many notices from time to time to recover these taxes but the mill owners approached the Excise and Taxation Commissioner (Appeals), Ambala, against the notices of the department in a bid to evade paying taxes. However, the appeal was rejected after discussions, he added. This paper mill had been in controversy for the past many years. The Vigilance Bureau had reportedly registered a criminal case against owners/proprietors of the mill four years ago for allegedly selling diesel in the open market that was meant for industrial use only. This case is still under trial, confirmed sources in the Vigilance Bureau. Few years ago, the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN) had disconnected the electricity connection of the mill for non-payment of the bills. However, it was learnt that the mill settled the dispute of bills by paying the amount and the matter of providing the mill a fresh electricity connection was under process. It may be mentioned that the mill was shut down few years ago during the regime of the previous state government but the MLA and his family allegedly has now begun to use his influence in the Hooda government to restart the paper mill. |
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2 forest officials held captive, beaten up
Yamunanagar, June 10 No case was registered after a meeting of forest officials, villagers and the SDM at Darpur Forest Rest House this evening. The villagers told the forest officials that they were not into the smuggling activities and would not brook unnecessary checking by forest officials. These days the Forest Department is counting trees in the Kalesar Forest Range to find out illegally cut trees and the smuggling of timber. The counting was disrupted for two days when some timber smugglers allegedly threatened labourers engaged in the counting of trees process. However, later the counting process was resumed. According to information, DFO M.P. Sharma, along with Range Officer Harish Walia and two forest guards reached Jattonwala village last evening. They found timber in a hut belonging to Gulamudin of the village. The DFO reportedly asked about the timber from Gulamudin. Gulamudin later was asked to sit in the jeep In the meanwhile, villagers gathered and allegedly attacked the DFO and the RO. The DFO and the RO “fled” in the jeep. The villagers threw bricks and stones on the jeep. Two forest guards, Naresh Kumar and Vijayender Kumar, were allegedly held captive by the villagers, said sources. The DFO reported the matter to the police and also sent Mr Walia to the village to enquire about the guards. When Mr Walia reached the village he too was taken into “captivity” and lodged in a house of a former village sarpanch. When three cops reached the village they too were taken into captivity. Later, more police force reached the village. The villagers freed “captives” at midnight after a meeting between the villagers and the forest officials was fixed for this evening. At the meeting, which was also attended by the SDM, Jagadhri, the villagers reportedly told the forest officials that they did not indulge in smuggling and, hence, they would not allow unnecessary checking by forest officials. |
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PHDCCI welcomes new industrial policy Chandigarh, June 10 Reacting on the overall financial position of Haryana, PHDCCI has called for substantially increasing the allocation for the state plan, presently Rs 3,000 crore as against projected expenditure of nearly Rs 13,000 crore. The endeavour of the Finance Minister should have been to allocate higher funds for the development as these would ultimately benefit the people. The decision to introduce Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act has been welcomed as in future the government would have to follow a deficit and debt reduction path. Since there is scarcity of public funds for developmental projects, Mr Vikram Kapur, said better fiscal management would enable the state government to avail low cost funds from international lending agencies such as World Bank, ADB and other agencies. The road map for the implementation of 600 MW Yamunanagar thermal project has not been cleared and needs urgent attention because adequate supply is the biggest challenge for attracting industrial all-round development. The Budget spells out the overall economic policy for the development of the state but PHDCCI had expected the Finance Minister to address the tax irritants affecting industry, including abolition of the Local Area Development Tax
(LADT), reducing VAT and CST on a variety of goods. |
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Woman, daughter missing case: 1 remanded Ambala, June 10 Jeevan Lata and her college-going daughter Nikita had disappeared in January 2004 while they were on their way to Samana in Punjab. Jeevan Lata’s son Tarun, who was accompanying them had told the police that his mother and his sister had jumped into the Bhakra. The bodies were never found. Jeevan Lata’s husband Ashok was away on tour when the incident had taken place. On his return Mr Ashok had alleged that Ambala City resident Pradeep Khosla was responsible for the disappearance of his wife and daughter. Mr Ashok had claimed that his son was not well and the family was facing financial problems. It was then that Mr Pradeep had extended support to the family. He alleged that Mr Pradeep had ulterior motive and was blackmailing his wife. He alleged that his wife and daughter had committed suicide out of shame. The police had filed report, contending that the two disappeared from Samana, Punjab, which was out of jurisdiction of the Ambala police. Mr Ashok had filed objections to the police report in court, following which a re-investigation was ordered. After the re-investigation was ordered in March this year, a UCO bank locker in Ambala City was opened. The locker was being operated by Jeevan Lata. The locker was opened following Mr Ashok statement that the locker contained crucial evidence. When the locker was opened by the police a suicide note said to have been written by Jeevan Lata was found. The note was forwarded to handwriting experts who stated that the handwriting matched that of Jeevan Lata. The suicide note reportedly corroborates the allegations levelled by Mr Ashok against Mr
Khosla.
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SAD leaders meet Hooda
Chandigarh, June10 Mr Badal and other Akali leaders expressed their concern about the Haryana Government's move to set up a separate Gurdwara Parbhandhak Committee in that state. They also apprised Mr Hooda about the Nehru-Tara Singh pact wherein it was agreed that no amendment in the Gurdwara Act of 1925 could be made without the approval of the general house of the SGPC. At present, gurdwaras in Haryana are under the control of the SGPC which was set up under the Act. Mr Badal and other
Akali leaders have been opposing the Haryana's decision on separate Parbhandhak Committee. Akali leaders said that the Haryana Chief Minister had assured them that he would look into the matter. Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said the it were the Akalis who accepted the Punjab Reorganisation Act in 1996. And the Sikhs of Haryana were asking for the setting up of the separate Gurdwara Parbhandhak Committee under that Act. He said that if the Haryana Sikhs were asking for such a body, the SAD leadership, which asked for reorganisation of Punjab, was responsible for it. |
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Teachers to be accountable
Rohtak, June 10 Talking to mediapersons after the concluding session of North Zone Vice-Chancellors’ Conference at Maharshi Dayanand University here, he said government schools were not performing up to the desired standards and this was mainly because there was no accountability system. He said the Director, Secondary Education, had been assigned the task of developing the system. Asked for details, he said this could be a diary where the performance of the teachers would be recorded and steps suggested to ensure better performance. He said the new government had taken back the administration of primary schools from panchayats as the earlier system had failed to deliver the goods. He said the fate of about 3,000 teachers recruited by the panchayats was yet to be decided. The association of Indian Universities (AIU) chief, Prof Vachaspati Upadhaya, in his presidential address pleaded for introspection by universities. |
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Youth shot dead over poll rivalry
Jhajjar, June 10 According to police sources, deceased Ramesh, a son of Dalip Singh, had gone to the fields this morning when the assailants, identified as Jaiveer and Raju, reached there. They fled on foot after shooting him dead. Villagers said that the deceased was a poll agent of a candidate, Krishna, who lost the poll, while the supporters of Sheela, who became sarpanch, had warned him not to support Krishna. It may be mentioned here that three persons were shot dead on the polling day at this village. |
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Infant’s father arrested for murder, SHO suspended
Panipat, June 10 It may be recalled that Jai Kumar had killed his son on Saturday night as he thought that his wife had immoral character and the child was born out of extra-marital relations. While the district police was claiming that the child had died due to diarrohea, however, autopsy on the body after exhuming it on Wednesday confirmed that the child was murdered. |
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Survey camps for
physically challenged
Kurukshetra, June 10 This was revealed by the Chief Executive Officer of the Kurukshetra
Development Board, Ms Hema Sharma, after presiding over a meeting of the officials concerned with the task of carrying out the survey.
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Rs 2.45 lakh looted from bank
Panipat, June 10 According to information, three masked persons came on a motor cycle at around 1 pm. No security guard was posted in the bank. One of the robbers asked the manager at gunpoint to hand over all cash and fled with it. |
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2 drugged,
looted Ambala, June 10 Surender and his acquaintance had come from Kot Khai in Himachal Pradesh to board Jan Nayak from here. They were found in an unconscious state at the railway station. They were admitted to local Civil Hospital. While Surender has partially regained consciousness. Surender told the police that he lost cash and belongings at the railway station.
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