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Factionalism among Congress leaders to the fore
Congress leaders hail hike in MSP
Wheat MSP: BJP flays UPA govt
Focus on admitted writ petitions
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Mishra heads KUTA
HAREDA clears 6 projects
Help reduce line losses, get regular power supply!
Sudhir Mohan
Minor fire on Shatabdi
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Factionalism among Congress leaders to the fore
Karnal, October 31 Several programmes were organised by Congress leaders separately in the district to mark the 22nd death anniversary of the late Prime Minister. Out of the five Congress MLAs from Karnal, only one attended the public function while no one was officially present on behalf of the local MP. Deputy Commissioner Balbir Singh Malik chaired the function held at Panchayat Bhavan here this morning. Interestingly, several MLAs organised functions in the district while other legislators did not participate at the functions organised by local MLAs or other party functionaries. After participating the public function, the president of the Karnal District Congress (Urban) and the local MLA, Ms Sumita Singh, organised a programme at a banquet hall in which the MC president, Mr Balwinder Kalra, and her supporters were present. The Cooperative Minister and MLA from Jundla, Ms Meena Mandal, held a function at her residence here. The District Congress (Rural) president, Mr Surender Singh Narwal, organised a separate function at Karan Park. The Congress MLAs from Nilokheri and Indri, Mr Jai Singh Rana and Mr Rakesh Kamboj, did not attend the functions in the district. Similarly, Congress leaders of different factions held their own independent functions.
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Congress leaders hail hike in MSP
Chandigarh, October 31 Hailing the hike, the Chief Minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, expressed his gratitude to the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, the AICC president, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, and the Union Agriculture Minister, Mr Sharad Pawar, for protecting the interests of the farmers. He said the increase of Rs 100 per quintal in the MSP of wheat was the reiteration of the firm view of Mrs Gandhi and Dr Manmohan Singh that the country would not become prosperous unless the condition of farmers improved. The chairman of the All-India Kisan-Khet Mazdoor Congress (AIKKMC), Mr Shamsher Singh Surjewala, too, said the hike in the msp of various rabi crops was the outcome of the commitment of Mrs Gandhi and Dr Manmohan Singh to the cause of the farmers, who had been given the much awaited “Divali bonanza.” However, he urged the Centre to further increase the wheat price to Rs 800 per quintal when the procurement started. Mr Surjewala said the hike would go a long way in bridging the gap between the procurement target and the actual procurement. He said Mrs Gandhi had recently told a delegation of the AIKKMC that the food security of the country and the remunerative prices of farm produce were closely inter-linked and this fact would be reflected while fixing the MSP of various crops by the UPA Government. He urged the Prime Minister to launch a scheme for one-time settlement of agricultural loans for the entire country. The secretary of the Haryana Congress, Mr Satpal Kaushik, said it was for the first time in the history of the country that the MSP of various crops had been announced before the start of sowing. This would enable the farmers to decide which crop would be remunerative for them. He said the similar practice should be adopted for all crops, including sugarcane.
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Wheat MSP: BJP flays UPA govt
Rohtak, October 31 In a press note issued here, he said the Centre had fixed the MSP at Rs 650 per quintal last year. It later announced a bonus of Rs 50 per quintal bring the effective MSP to Rs 700 a quintal. Thus, the actual increase was just over Rs 50 over that of last year. He said the Centre had been importing wheat at the rate of Rs 950 per quintal. However, it was not prepared to pay even this price to its own farmers whose financial problems were increasing day by day leading to suicides. Even otherwise, he said wheat was being sold in the market between Rs 950 to Rs 1100 a quintal. Thus, the MSP of Rs 750 was a “cruel joke,” he said adding that this did not even cover the farmers’ cost. Mr Hooda said unless the Centre increases prices of all crops, farmers would have no option but to end their miserable lives. Accusing the Centre of failing to protect the interests of farmers, he said the crisis was the result of mismanagement of agriculture in the country. He appealed to the Prime Minister to reconsider the MSP of wheat and ensure that farmers were paid at least Rs 950 per quintal. He said the MSP for mustard should also be announced immediately. |
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Focus on admitted writ petitions
Chandigarh, October 31 However, by that time, he had died. Charan Singh and Bhagat Ram filed separate petitions against the Punjab Government against the denial of back wages in 1983. Their writs were admitted. After two years, Bhagat Ram’s case was decided in the light of the law laid down by the court in the Hari Palace, Ambala City, versus Presiding Officer, Labour Court, case, which was reported in the Punjab Law Reporter of 1979. But Charan Singh had to wait for justice for another six years when his case, too, was decided according to the judgement in the Hari Palace case. Since the law was laid down in 1979, why were Charan Singh and Bhagat Ram made to wait for justice after their writ petitions were admitted? This and related questions have been raised in a study conducted by a senior member of the Haryana Civil Service(HCS), Mr Abhe Singh Yadav, who currently is posted as the Secretary, Haryana State Information Commission, Chandigarh. Mr Yadav has compiled a list of about 1,000 cases in which the writ petitions remained admitted for several years before the high court delivered the final verdict, in pursuance of his research work, “Efficacy of Writ Jurisdiction : A Soco-Legal Critique”, which was approved by the Panjab University Syndicate on October 29 for awarding the degree of Doctor of Philosophy(PhD) in the Faculty of Law to Mr Yadav. The focus of Mr Yadav’s study is mainly on the outcome of “admitted” writ petitions before the Punjab and Haryana High Court under Article 226, that had to wait for a decision for a long period ranging from 15 years to 20 years. On the basis of over 100 Supreme Court judgements on the law of writs and the response of over 100 advocates to a questionnaire, Mr Yadav has identified 38 distinct trends in the admitted writs. A majority of the writs are decided by the court at the motion stage itself. But selected writs are admitted and remain pending for decision for a long period. Mr Yadav is of the opinion that in view of the emphasis of the apex court on the efficacy of the writ jurisdiction, pushing the admitted writs “into the state of dormancy” is not in the interest of justice. He demonstrated with the help of specific examples from the judgements of the High Court in his study, how the discretion of the court in disposing of the admitted writs resulted in discrimination, denial of justice, non-exercise of powers by the court, undue advantage, uncertainty and its impact on individual and society, legal and administrative complications, violation of the principles of natural justice and inefficiency and unfair practices. The fact that the writ jurisdiction has essentially been conceived by the Constitution as a speedy and efficacious remedy, mainly to protect fundamental rights, Mr Yadav says keeping the exercise of that jurisdiction in abeyance for a long period is against the very spirit of the Constitution and its basic structure. Mr Yadav has suggested in his study that the High Court should observe an “admission holiday” for at least six months on an experimental basis to overcome this tendency. Apart from filling posts of judge, he has also suggested the provision of expert legal assistance for enabling the judges to appreciate the facts and law points involved in every case listed before them. He says those advocates who have the potential to be elevated to the Bench, must be made to work as honorary legal associates with the High Court Judges for a stipulated period. Mr Yadav says the process of appointment of High Court Judges should conclude at least two years before the actual vacancy and during the intervening period they may work as “apprentice judges” under the direct supervision of the Chief Justice. This would give them first-hand exposure and they would also get tested for their potentiality and legal acument”.
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Mishra heads KUTA
Kurukshetra, October 31 Announcing the results, the Returning Officer, Mr Raj Rikhi, said that both of them had been re-elected to their respective posts for the second consecutive time this year. Similarly, the post of joint secretary was won by Dr Santosh Dahiya, who got 245 votes and defeated Mr Jai Kishan and Mr Naresh Kumar, who secured 89 and 44 votes, respectively. Both Dr Rajesh Kumar and Mr Sanjeev Ahuja were declared elected unopposed as vice-president and treasurer, respectively. Besides, 16 were declared elected as KUTA executive committee
members. — OC |
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HAREDA clears 6 projects
Chandigarh, October 31 The projects, consisting of three categorised as biomass power projects and the rest falling in the small hydro power category, are set to generate 16.7 MW. In other words, when all these units become functional, an additional 3 lakh units of power will be available to the state daily. The companies will make a total investment of over Rs 84 crore in the state. Haryana Biomass Power Projects, a Chandigarh-based company, is on the top of the list with a proposed investment of Rs 20 crore for a 5 MW project in Ambala block. Another 5 MW project, cleared at a meeting of the HAREDA board here yesterday, is proposed to be set up in Hisar II block. The third biomass project of 2 MW is proposed to be set up at Barwala block in Hisar district. The small hydro power projects proposed to be set up are all in Karnal district. The sites are the Musapur augmentation canal, the Khukhni augmentation canal and the WJC Main Branch, Gogripur. |
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Help reduce line losses, get regular power supply!
Hisar, October 31 A spokesman for the nigam said here today that under the scheme, the DHBVN had offered that in case line losses on a feeder came down to 10 per cent, the nigam would give that feeder the status of essential feeder with a guarantee of 22-hour power supply per day. The nigam proposes to create another category of zero-cut feeders under the scheme where the line losses are less than 5 per cent. Though, if technically possible, there would be no power cuts on such feeders. However, the DHBVN would guarantee 23-hour power supply per day with provision to make it up next day or later. This would exclude local faults in low-tension (LT) system. But there will be a commitment to attend the fault in less than half an hour. For adopting the scheme, the consumers will have to sign an agreement with the nigam by giving commitment not to indulge in theft of power and to keep vigil on others and inform the DHBVN about theft. The DHBVN would provide new meters, meter relocation, renovation of the system, protected transformers and fast fault attendance times. The billing would be monthly to ensure energy audit and close monitoring of losses. If the losses remain less than 10 per cent for consecutive six months, the nigam offers rebate on tariff slabs up to 28 paise per unit for the highest slab.
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Sudhir Mohan
Chandigarh, October 31 Mr W.S. Goyat, awaiting orders of posting, has been posted as Secretary, Haryana Urban Development Authority, Panchkula, against a vacant post. |
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Minor fire on Shatabdi
Kurukshetra, October 31 Nobody was injured in mishap.
— PTI |
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