Panipat, October 1
Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda claimed false cases registered with political vendetta had been withdrawn.

He was addressing a press conference after inaugurating a library, constructed at a cost of Rs 36 lakh and dedicated the Gandhi Samriti Udhan here today. He also paid tributes to the father of the nation.

Replying to a question, Mr Hooda said that there was no labour problem in the state and Haryana was the first state in the country which had implemented labour policy. Referring the construction of district secretariat at Panipat, he said that the tender for it had been floated and work would start soon.

Answering a question for reducing interest on agriculture loan, the Chief Minister said at the recently held Chief Ministers’ Conclave at Nainital, he had raised the issue and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and AICC President Sonia Gandhi took keen interest in it. The Centre had constituted a committee to resolve the issue of reducing interest rate on agriculture loans.

The Chief Minister maintained a number of schemes had been implemented for farmers. At the Nainital conclave he had also advocated facilities to the cooperative banks on a par with nationalised banks as 60 per cent loan was being given by NABARD to the cooperative banks.

On the controversy involving Power Minister Venod Sharma, he said the law would take its own course. To a question on fraud in the cooperative societies buses, Mr Hooda said when the matter would come to his notice action would be taken against erring people. He made it clear the government was not patronising anybody as it was done by the previous regime.

The Chief Minister announced Rs 2.51 lakh from his discretionary fund for the library to purchase the books. He directed the Deputy Commissioner that such types of books should be kept in the library so that poor students could take advantage of these books which were not able to purchase costly books.

Later addressing a gathering of the Khatik Samaj, Mr Hooda assured them of considering demands sympathetically about the due representation in higher posts in corporations and state Assembly.

He declared Rs 1,51,000 for the chaupal of samaj at Panipat and land for a dharamshala at Kurukshetra also.

MP Arvind Sharma, Mrs Parsanni Devi, Mrs Sumita Singh, Mrs Raj Rani Punoom, Mr Bharat Singh, Mr Balbir Pal Shah all MLAs, Political Adviser to Chief Minister Virender Singh, Deputy Commissioner D.P.S. Nagal and S.P. Alok Mittal were also present.

Chandigarh, October 1
Thanks to the initiative taken by the S.P., Haryana Government Railway Police (GRP), Mrs Bharti Arora, the search by six families for their dear ones has come to an end.

The GRP had displayed the photographs and belongings of about 2400 unidentified persons, whose bodies were found on the rail tracks of the state in the past over five years, for three days in Ambala from September 29.

Mrs Vidyawati and her brother-in-law, Dilbag Singh, had come to look for her husband, Raj Kumar. The 51-year-old Raj Kumar, who was mentally depressed, had gone missing in June, 2004, from Bhiwani district. His body was found in Sonepat district from a railway track. Today they identified his photograph. Since he died in a railway accident, his heirs would now be able to get compensation from the Railways.

Similarly, the 65-year-old Shanti Devi had been missing from Jind district since December, 2004. Her body was recovered from Sirsa district but her family never knew because she was never identified. Today her daughter, Nirmala, and her son-in-law, Hari Singh of Gohana, identified her.

Subhash identified the photo of his 70-year-old grandfather (Nana), Duli Chand, who had become a sadhu and died on the Kurukshetra railway station of natural causes on January 19, 2004. Deepak Hooda was able to know the fate of his mentally disturbed father, Ram Bhaj, whose body was recovered in Faridabad district. Deepak had been searching for his father since January last.

Ranjit Singh of Bassi Pathana identified the photo of his friend, Mastdin, who died in a rail accident on September 25 last.

Satish Kumar and Sonu of Ratanheri village in Ambala district were in tears when they saw the photograph of their 45-year-old brother, Pawan Kumar, who went missing in December, 2003. Pawan was also mentally disturbed and his body was found on the rail tracks in Ambala district on December 10, 2003.

Encouraged by the success, even if limited, the GRP has now decided to hold similar exercises in the office of D.S.P., Railways, Faridabad, from October 6 to October 8 and in the office of D.S.P., Railways, Hisar, from October 13 to 15.

Ambala, October 1
The HUDA and Housing Board authorities have started action against the owners of those houses who had been running commercial activities in their houses.

The municipal council has also conducted a survey and started the process of serving notices to the nursing homes and other commercial institutions running in the residential complex.

An Executive Engineer of HUDA visited a number of shops located in Sector 7, 8 and 9 on Saturday evening and asked them to submit an affidavit that the residential building would not be used for commercial purpose in future.

The HUDA authorities disconnected the power connection of such nine houses whose owners refused to give such affidavit.

Some of the doctors have removed their boards who had been running OPD in their houses without the prior approval of competent authorities.

According to information, around 100 shops located in Sectors 7, 8, and 9 have to face the action soon which are constructed in the residential plots of housing board. Interestingly, a bank has also been functioning in a Housing Board Colony which is solely meant for residential purpose.

The Estate Officer of Ambala Urban Estate, Mr Mukesh Ahuja, said directions of the court would be implemented at every cost. He said notice had been served to those nursing home which had not taken permission from the HUDA authorities to run their OPDs in various sectors.

It is to be mentioned that some of the nursing homes had been providing indoor medical services to the patients while in HUDA sectors it was treated as a serious violation.

The BJP and INLD leaders have been opposing the move of the administration while the Congress leaders have been facing embracement as it would affect hundred of residents of Ambala.

The president of Ambala City unit of the BJP , Mr Sandeep Sachdeva, said the state government should find out some legal way so that the people could get some relief.

A housewife of Sector 9 said the government should take up this issue in a serious way as it would led to a great resentment among the people.

Chandigarh, October 1
If the former Chief Minister, Mr Bansi Lal, popularised the concept of highway tourism at least in this part of the country, her daughter-in-law, Mrs Kiran Choudhry, as Haryana’s Tourism Minister, is determined to make heritage tourism and sufi tourism the key words in the future plans of the Haryana Tourism Corporation (HTC).

Mrs Choudhry’s first attempt in this direction will be “Pinjore Heritage Festival” at the Yadavindra Gardens, Pinjore, from October 5 to 9. Most appropriately, the grandson of the man after whom the famous Mughal garden is named, will be present at the inaugural function. The Punjab Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, scion of the ruling family of Patiala, which once owned the gardens, has consented to be present when the Haryana Governor, Dr A.R. Kidwai, will inaugurate the event which will henceforth become part of the annual calender of the HTC.

Mrs Choudhry said here today that the HTC has already started restoring the original beauty of the gardens by hiring professionals, who were hired after inviting bids. The Centre had given Rs 5 crore for the restoration work, which was estimated to cost about Rs 25 crore.

She said the HTC would also organise functions at tombs of Sufi saints in Kurukshetra and Panipat from November onwards so that Haryana could be brought on the Sufi circuit. She would invite Qawals from Pakistan for the functions. She said time had come when the HTC should move forward from highway tourism to heritage and cultural tourism.

The Managing Director of the HTC, Mr Vijai Vardhan, said Haryana had always been an example of communal harmony, primarily because of the influence of the Arya Samaj and the inherent Sufi influence.

Mr Vardhan said the funds for the Pinjore Heritage Festival had been raised through private sponsorship. Against a target of Rs 25 lakh, his men had been able to raise Rs 53 lakh.

He said the HTC would also restore the ancient Bhim Devi temple, discovered by chance near the Pinjore gardens.

The Haryana Secretary, Tourism, Mr Sanjay Kothari, said special buses would ply between Chandigarh and Pinjore during the festival days.

Rewari, October 1
Hindi translation of Ben Weider’s book “Napoleon — The Man Who Shaped Europe” by president of the Youngmen’s Association of India Amit Swami has been appreciated by several top dignitaries of India and France. Ben Weider is the president of the International Napoleonic Society (INS), while Amit Swami is also a fellow of the INS.

In a letter of appreciation sent to Amit Swami here, President Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam has said that it has been finely translated into Hindi and will be his superb contribution to Hindi literature.

French Prime Minister Dominique De Villepin has also lauded the work of Amit Swami. The translator has also received letters of appreciation from Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil and Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee.