New Delhi, September 30
Contrary to popular perception, veteran Congress strongman Bhajan Lal is likely to continue as Haryana PCC chief.

The Congress leadership is veering around to this view as Mr Bhajan Lal is insisting that his son Kuldeep Bishnoi be given his post if at all there is to be a change. If not, he would rather continue himself.

The party is not particularly enthused with this suggestion since Mr Bhajan Lal’s other son Chander Mohan is the Deputy Chief Minister. “How can we have two brothers holding two important posts at the same time....it will not give a good impression,” argued a senior Congress leader. Given this situation, the party’s best bet is retain Mr Bhajan Lal.

Having already denied him the Chief Minister’s post, the AICC does not wish to humiliate Mr Bhajan Lal any more, especially now when he is not keeping well.

Although the party announced the names of other state unit chiefs several months ago, a decision on the Haryana, Chhattisgarh and Gujarat PCCs was kept pending because of the intense factional battles in these state units.

In the case of Haryana, the leadership’s decision was made easier because of the temporary truce called between political rivals Bhajan Lal and Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. The PCC chief recently endorsed Mr Hooda’s son’s candidature for the Rohtak seat while the Chief Minister is learnt to have dropped his objections to Mr Bhajan Lal retaining his post.

While Haryana is likely to be resolved amicably, the situation is Chhattisgarh is far more tricky. AICC Treasurer Motilal Vora, who is at present doubling as the state unit President, is to be replaced as the senior leader has a very heavy portfolio.

However, the party is unable to find a suitable replacement because of the bitter infighting in the state unit, which is sharply divided into anti and pro-Ajit Jogi camps. Mr Jogi, party leaders said, does have a strong base in the state and his views cannot be brushed aside and finding a compromise candidate is proving to be an uphill task.

Rohtak, September 30
The Haryana government has thwarted a bid by Vice-Chancellor of Maharshi Dayanand University to transfer about three dozen vacant seats of BDS course in various dental colleges of the state to the management quota.

According to highly placed sources, the government on learning about the plan intervened and overruled the Vice-Chancellor’s directions. It ordered a third counselling for these seats under the state quota category which concluded here yesterday under supervision of the Commissioner, Rohtak Division.

It is learnt that the colleges concerned sought the opinion of the university for filling the vacant seats since the rules permitted only two counselling sessions which had already been concluded. The MDU branch concerned, in turn, sought the directions of the higher authorities.

The sources said while the Vice-Chancellor favoured transferring the seats to the management quota, the Registrar noted on the file that handing over these seats to the managements would be against the rules and would also involve financial irregularities since the managements were likely to offer these to the highest bidders.

The Vice-Chancellor sought the opinion of the legal cell which agreed with his contention. Accordingly, the Vice-Chancellor on September 23 asked the managements to fill these seats under the management quota category. The managements even published advertisements at their own level to fill these seats.

It is learnt that the Director of the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences here wrote a letter to the government on September 25 seeking its views on the matter. As a result, the government issued a directive the next day saying that offering these seats to the managements would violate the apex court orders which had fixed the maximum quota for managements at 50 per cent of the seats.

According to sources, the government is also contemplating action against the management of M. M. Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Mullana, for trying to fill five vacant seats for MBBS course in violation of the rules. The Registrar of MDU has written to the Vice-Chancellor to ask the Kurukshetra University to take action against the Mullana institute which is affiliated to that university.

Earlier, a similar scandal had rocked admissions to the B. Ed course. The managements reportedly hijacked the vacant state quota seats. The government is considering an inquiry into this matter also.

Meanwhile, the Maharshi Dayanand University Teachers Association (MDUTA) today demanded a probe into the matter. In a communication to the Chief Minister and the Chancellor of MDU, the MDUTA President Dr Vazir Nehra and Secretary Dr Gulshan Taneja said the Vice-Chancellor’s role in these admissions needed a thorough probe as his actions went against the government’s efforts to conduct the admissions in a transparent and fair manner.

They said the number of B. Ed seats could be as high as 100 and the current rate for management quota seats for the course varied from Rs 1.5 to two lakh. Likewise, MBBS seats were being quoted at Rs 35 lakh each and BDS seats at Rs 10 lakh each.

The communication said the Vice-Chancellor’s approach had tarnished the image of the university.

Yamunanagar, September 30
An ambitious project of the Haryana Employment Department to assist rural population of the state in finding jobs has collapsed, at least in the district as all 11 information centres opened here in this connection have downed their shutters.

Last September, the department had decided to open information centres in far-flung villages of the state. The aim was to provide information regarding vacancies, both in government and private sectors and admissions to various educational institutions to the rural population. Photocopies of advertisements regarding vacancies and admission notices published in newspapers were to be put on display boards of the centres.

An NGO was to be attached to assist the department to help reach its goal. The NGOs were also to help the interested people with their applications and other related things. The centres were to be started at public buildings of the villages.

In Yamunanagar district, 20 villages were shortlisted. However, the centre started only in 11 villages. Display boards were set up and the district Nehru Yuva Kendra was chosen for assistance. The response was very good, claimed an employee of the district employment office.

But, only after two to four months the information centres were “shut down” and the display boards disappeared.

When contacted, the District Assistant Employment Officer, Ms Urmila Shokand, admitted that centres were not functional. She said the information centres could be made functional again if asked by the department as the scheme was very good.

Mr Ashok Kumar of Rampur Khadar village told The Tribune that the centre remained functional for two months only and the response was positive. Mr Gurdeep of Tigri village claimed that he did not see any cuttings or photocopies on the display board of the information centre of his village.

One of the major reasons behind the closure of these centres was that the department had not made clear from where the funds would come to run the centre. Another reason was shortage of staff. Sources in Nehru Yuva Kendra claimed that they were doing their job, but the Employment Department failed on its part.

The post of Employment Officer at Sadhaura is lying vacant. The post of superintendent, an assistant and four posts of clerk at Yamunanagar office are also lying vacant. Several posts of fourth class category are also lying vacant. 

Karnal, September 30
A city court has issued summons to former Chief Minister and president of erstwhile Haryana Vikas Party (HVP), Mr Bansi Lal, to appear as a witness in a criminal defamation case filed by a former general secretary of HVP, Mr Ved Pal, now president of the state unit of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

The Judicial Magistrate, First Class, Mr Amit Kumar Sharma, issued summons on Tuesday to Mr Bansi Lal to appear before the court on November 11, the next date of hearing.

Summons to appear as witnesses have also been issued to a former Haryana minister Seth Shri Krishan Dass, who was also the treasurer of the HVP, and Mr Abhey Ram Dahiya, who was organising secretary of the party.

Mr Ved Pal, a former Deputy Speaker of the Haryana Assembly, filed this case on March 30, five years ago against Mr Balbir Singh, then president of the Karnal district of the HVP, and certain newspersons in the city court.

He stated in his complaint that Mr Balbir Singh while addressing mediapersons in December, 1999, had alleged that Mr Ved Pal had misappropriated Rs 10 crore of the party funds. The allegation was levelled against Mr Ved Pal when he had left HVP after the fall of the Bansi Lal government in 1999.

Chandigarh, September 30
The Commissioner and Director-General, School Education, Haryana, Mr K.K. Khandelwal, has ordered the registration of criminal cases against teachers who had obtained jobs in the handicapped quota by furnishing false certificates.

Mr Khandelwal confirmed his orders and said that a Vigilance inquiry was held after a complaint was received in this regard. The inquiry report identified 76 such teachers who got jobs in 2003 by furnishing false disability certificates. The report also pointed out the involvement of various doctors and the staff of civil hospitals.

While the directorate has already ordered the registration of criminal cases against seven teachers, it would send the inquiry report to the government along with the recommendations made in it for taking disciplinary action against the others.

Mr Khandelwal said the Vigilance inquiry had found that the persons who were employed as handicapped teachers were either physically fully fit or partially handicapped, not fulfilling the minimum condition of 40 per cent disability. They had fraudulently obtained physical disability certificates from various civil hospitals, including Bhiwani, Hisar, Panipat, Jhajjar and Yamunanagar.

He said cases under various sections of the IPC would be registered against Mr Bijender, Mr Krishan Kumar, Mr Sukhbir Singh, Mr Rajesh Kumar, Ms Bimla Devi, Ms Sushila Devi and Ms Anju Sharma. Another woman teacher, Ms Shakuntala, had managed a fictitious certificate by manipulating the hospital record.

Chandigarh, September 30
The Central Insecticide Board has asked the Punjab Government to give its observations on toxic reactions of several pesticides which are banned or restricted for use in other countries but are being used in India.

The CIB has a list of 37 banned pesticides, but in the first list sent to Punjab it has named 10 pesticides. These are Monocrotophos, Mancozeb, Quinalphos, Butachlor, Diclorvos (DDVP), Acephate, Fenitronthion, CarbendaZim, Atrazine and Pendimethalin.

The CIB has sought views on various aspects of toxicology, fate of the environment and eco-toxicloloy.

Even as the state government is considering what recommendations to give, an NGO, the Kheti Virasat Mission, has asked the government to recommend the banning of the 37 pesticides since these are known to cause pest-resistance and resurgence thus putting farmers to economic loss. 

Ambala , September 30
Several thousands followers, including a large number of women devotees of Dera Sacha Sauda, took out a protest march in Ambala City today to protest against an alleged conspiracy to tarnish the image of Baba Gurmeet Singh and the dera. The followers raised slogans against CBI officials.

The protest march started from a Sector 8 ground and passed through the important markets of the city.

Later, a delegation of prominent leaders of dera, including Amarjeet Singh, Jasmer Chand and K.P. Chauhan submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner Ambala addressed to the Chief Minister, Haryana. They said in the memorandum that two officers of CBI, Armandeep Singh and Satish Dagar, had been investigating the case against the dera on an anonymous complaint for last three years. More than 200 prominent devotees of the dera had been interrogated during this period. It was alleged in the memorandum that during the interrogation the CBI officials had used derogatory language against the dera and Baba Gurmit Singh.

The followers alleged in the memorandum that the CBI had been conspiring to falsely implicate several saints of dera in murder case of Chatrapati and Ranjit Singh. They alleged that the CBI had been pressurising the manager of the dera, Kishan Lal to admit the involvement of Baba Gurmeet Singh in those cases. They further alleged that CBI officials had been physically and mentally torturing Krishan Lal who was in the CBI custody.

The followers demanded in the memorandum that the investigation should be stopped immediately as it was causing resentment among the followers. They warned in the memorandum that if the CBI continued its activities to defame the dera, the followers would be compelled to launch a stir.

Chandigarh, September 30
The Haryana Government today reshuffled the managing directors of the state-run power sector corporations.

Mr P.K. Das, Managing Director, Haryana Power Generation Corporation Limited, has been posted as Managing Director, Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam Limited, vice Mr V. Umashankar who has been posted as Managing Director, Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam, and Additional Managing Director, Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam Limited.

Ms Jyoti Arora, Managing Director, Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam, and Additional Managing Director, Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam Limited, has been posted as Managing Director, Haryana Power Generation Corporation Limited.

The government also posted Mr R.K. Khullar, Special Secretary, Health Department, and Mission Director, Reproductive Child Health, as Director, Agriculture and Horticulture, vice Mr Dhanpat Singh. Mr Dhanpat Singh has been posted as Managing Director of three corporations. These are the Haryana Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation, the Haryana Backward Classes and Economically Weaker Sections Kalyan Nigam and the Haryana Women Development Corporation. He has been also appointed Special Secretary, Cell for Proper Utilisation and Disposal of Government Property, against a vacant post.

Mr Sudhir Rajpal, Administrator, HUDA, Faridabad, has been given additional charge of Administrator, Haryana Trade Fair Authority.

Jagadhri/Barara, September 30
Because of a wrong signal at Brara railway station the Jalandhar-New Delhi Express (4682) did not stop at the station this morning and the passengers, who were to alight at the station, forced the guard and driver to bring back the train at the station.

Back at the station, the passengers, waiting for the train and those onboard, gheraoed the Station Master, Mr Parmood Kumar, who was later suspended.

When contacted, ADRM Ambala Division, Mr A.K Gupta, said the Station Master of Brara has been suspended and an inquiry has been ordered into the incident.

The train, known as Super Express, had left the Ambala station at 7.55 am and was scheduled to stop at Brara at 8.20 am (the train was running late from its schedule time). But the train was given go-through signal at the station and the train continued to run. The passengers, who had to leave at the station, pulled the chain about two-and-a-half km ahead of the station. The angry passengers got caught hold of the guard and asked him to take the train back to the station.

In the meanwhile, the driver moved the train and passengers again pulled the chain to stop it. The guard, Mr Udaye Ram, kept pleading with the angry passengers that the train was not stopped as it was given green signal at the station. He was allegedly manhandled by the passengers.

The train returned back at the station. At the station, the passenger, who were waiting for the train and those who had left the train, gheraoed the station master. He told the passengers that the station was given wrong information by the last station (Kesari) about the train. He said the information was that Hemkund Express (4610) was approaching and as the train had no stoppage, it was given green signal. Hemkund Express crosses the station ahead of the Super Express. The train (4610) was running late, said sources.

While the passengers had gheraoed the station master, the driver of the train, Mr Ram Phal reportedly made three futile efforts to move the train. But it was only after the station master and guard, Mr Udaye Ram apologised, the passengers let the Super Express go.

Hundreds of office-goers travel by the train and today they went late.

Yamunanagar, September 30
After being attacked with a knife by her drunkard husband, 42-year-old Kanta of Jathlana village here allegedly stabbed the former to death late last night. She later reached the police station and informed the police about the incident. She has been arrested under Section 302 of the IPC.

As per police sources, last night Tejpal returned home after consuming liquor. He started beating up his wife and also tried to attack her with a knife. Kanta sustained injuries on her wrist. The exact sequence of the events was not yet known, but it is said that Kanta snatched the knife from Tejpal and attacked him. There were injury marks on a neck and lower abdomen on the body of Tejpal.

Her three teenaged sons were reportedly present in the house at the time of the incident. It is being said that her whole family was fed up with Tejpal, a dail- waged labourer, who used to abuse and beat up his wife frequently after getting drunk.

After the incident, Kanta along with her three sons reached the police station and surrendered. A post-mortem examination on the body has been performed and Kanta has been arrested.

Chandigarh, September 30
The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) has condemned the “miserly” increase in the minimum support price (MSP) of rabi crops. In a statement issued here today Mr Om Prakash Chautala, President of the INLD, said the increase of Rs 10 per quintal in the price of wheat and Rs 15 in that of mustard was a cruel joke on farmers of the country.

Mr Chautala said it was ironical that only a few days ago the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, had expressed concern over the inability of the agricultural sector to achieve the targeted growth of 4 per cent in his address to the Planning Commission. “In the wake of these views of the Prime Minister and the pitiable increase in the MSP for the rabi crops, it is clear that the concern for the farm sector is nothing but shedding crocodile tears,” he added.

The INLD leader said that in the recent past the price of diesel had been increased a number of times. There had been a corresponding increase in the cost of fertilisers, pesticides and other farm inputs. In most of the states the farmers had been facing a shortage of electricity, thereby making them dependent on tubewells. Instead of compensating these farmers for the increased cost of inputs, the government had only rubbed salt into their wounds.

Ambala, September 30
A train missed its scheduled halt at the Barara railway station this morning. The Station Master of the railway station, Mr Pradeep Gupta, has been placed under suspension over the incident.

Additional Divisional Railway Manager Anoop Kumar Gupta said they had taken serious note of the incident. The Station Master had been suspended and an inquiry ordered.

Superfast Express (No. 4682), which runs between Jalandhar and New Delhi, stops at the Barara railway station at 8 a.m. However, this morning, the train did not stop there.

After the train had passed the station without stopping, the Station Master realised that a mistake had taken place. Subsequently, the passengers onboard the train, who were to disembark at Barara, pulled the chain.

The train came to halt near Mustafabad. Thereafter, the train was brought back to the Barara railway station. The train passengers objected to the incident. They were joined by those passengers who were to board the train at Barara railway station.

Following the incident, a team of railway officials from Ambala division headquarters went to the Barara railway station. Later, the Station Master, Mr Pradeep Gupta, was suspended.