Rohtak, May 19
Politicians of all hues campaigning for the success of their candidates in the byelection to the Gohana assembly seat have a common grievance: voters’ silence.

Jagbir Singh Malik of the ruling Congress seems to be locked in a direct contest with Dr K.C.Bangar of the INLD, while the Haryana Janhit Congress’ Dharampal Malik and the BJP’s Pradeep Sangwan are also trying their luck.

Having failed to gauge their electors’ minds, the contenders have started attributing this lack of enthusiasm to factors like hot weather and the election being of ”little” significance for the residents. But in their heart all major contestants are perplexed at the ambiguous stance adopted by voters of this constituency.

On the other hand, the voters seem to be weighing all options before them before finally casting their vote. And they seem to be enjoying all the attention they are getting from all parties, thanks to their “strategic silence”.

“We accord a warm welcome to the leaders of all parties whenever they come to our village. We also go to listen to them; and never say no to anybody who comes to us asking for votes,” says a resident of Gumana village.

Another elderly resident observes that they have seen the tenures of different parties and “know the leaders inside out”. “We know who has done what for us and will vote for who we know is good,” he maintains, but refuses to divulge who is close to his heart.

It is this attitude of the voters that is giving sleepless nights to the candidates, their party leadership and supporters.

“Sometimes we find the houses of our supporters covered with flags and other publicity material of a rival party.

However, if we ask them why they allowed this, they say they couldn’t say no because of the village fraternity,” says an office-bearer of a political party, adding that in such situations, they have no option but to remain quiet.

Even as the election draws near and the vote-seekers get more and more desperate, voters have deftly managed to keep them guessing, at least so far.

Karnal, May 19
Even as the countdown to the Indri bypoll, slated for May 22, has started, the Haryana Janhit Congress (BL) remains “overengaged” in pacifying the “annoyed” BSP cadre. 

In the latest move for a patch-up, the HJC leadership today said the party wanted to see Mayawati as the Prime Minister and Kuldeep Bishnoi as the Haryana Chief Minister.

The statement came this evening after BSP workers today burnt effigies of both Bhajan Lal and Bishnoi here over the alleged derogatory statements.

Political observes say it will be interesting to see who is able to “cash in on the political situation created by the BSP stand” at this crucial time.

The observers said following the political uncertainty caused by the ongoing BSP-HJC row, the Indri bypoll had generated immense interest.

Since no major local issues are involved in the bypoll, the local voter seems to be silent.

A visit to different pockets of this rural belt revealed that even though the countdown to the bypoll has started, there is hardly any enthusiasm among villagers.

Various party offices in villages wore a deserted look and workers remained gathered at the poll headquarters in the Indri township.

Established as an assembly constituency in 1977, Indri is a multi-community constituency with no particular community dominating.

Meanwhile, in a final attempt to convince voters, the top leadership of all three major parties - the Congress, the HJC and the INLD - will organise rallies at Indri tomorrow morning, the last day of canvassing.

B.S. Malik adds from Sonepat: While praising the leadership of Mayawati, Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) supremo Kuldeep Bishnoi on Monday said she should be the Prime Minister of the country to uplift the socio-economic status of the downtrodden and neglected sections of society.

He said this while addressing an election rally in support of his party’s nominee Dharma Pal Singh Malik in Gohana.

Admitting that he was offered the post of a minister at the centre and his father was offered the post of the Governor by the Congress leadership, he said the offer was declined in the interests of people of the state.

Claiming that his party would comfortably win in Adampur and Indri, he confidently said the party would give a tough fight in Gohana also.

Meanwhile, the BJP also organised an election rally in support of its candidate Pradeep Sangwan at the new grain market in Gohana. The rally was addressed by senior party leaders, including Vijay Goyal, MP and in charge of party affairs in Haryana, and Vinod Pande, national president of the Kisan Cell of the party.

They chided the Congress leadership in the state as well as at the centre for pursuing policies, which were not in favour of farmers, common man and poor sections of society. The centre had also failed to control activities of terrorists and anti-national elements in the country, they alleged.

Later, the party organised a road show in the town as a show of party’s strength in the constituency.

Faridabad, May 19
Criticising the bureaucracy in Haryana, local Congress MP Avtar Singh Bhadana today said it was insensitive to progress and development.

He also alleged that it was ignoring the directive of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and was misleading him on various issues relating to development works.

Presiding over the monthly Vigilance and Monitoring Committee of the district, Bhadana said the bureaucracy in the state was misleading the Chief Minister.

Visibly annoyed with the functioning of officers, he said they had been giving wrong feedbacks to the Chief Minister in a manner that suited them.

He said when the officers were not “amenable” to the direct intervention and directives of the Chief Minister, he did not expect them to listen to him.

He categorically said the Congress government in the state was losing popularity among the masses. He attributed this chiefly to the “apathy and insensitive” attitude of the officer class. He said the trend had to change.

He lamented that he had given money from his MP development fund for setting up a road at Coat village in the district about four years back, but it had not been completed.

lso he had provided funds for setting up tubewells in Kabulpur and Panchaari villages about four years back but they had not been installed yet.

Moreover, he had allotted funds for setting up a Schedule Caste chaupal in his native village, Anangpur, but it had not been set up.

He said when the Chief Minister took up the matter, the babudom gave him wrong feedback that the chaupal could not be set up, as there was opposition to it in the village.

The Chief Minister was told that a foundation stone of a project had already been laid at the site chosen for the chaupal by another political leader. However, no such stone had been laid, he added.

He alleged that hundreds of illegal tubewells had been installed in areas of Faridabad district bordering with the national capital. Lakhs of gallons of water was being drawn out and illegally supplied in Delhi by a mafia.

According to him, people in Delhi were being supplied water even while people of Faridabad were facing shortage of water. He said all this incongruity was happening on account of collusion of a section of the babudom.

He also alleged that poaching of land was being facilitated to the mafia in Surajkund area of the district by a section of the officers.

He alleged that the official class would presently allow grabbing of land and illegal constructions on them, but would later stage a drama of their demolitions.

Ambala, May 19
The Congress won an absolute majority by winning five of the total eight seats in the Ambala Cantonment Board elections, which were held here yesterday.

The Vikas Parishad managed to bag two seats while the BJP won only one seat. The INLD was not able to win even a single seat.

Only three of the elected members from the last time were able to win again.

The elections to the board were held after a period of 10 years.

The Congress’s win is being seen as a positive sign by many for the upcoming byelections.

D.K. Bansal, Congress MLA from Ambala Cantt, said this was a mandate for the Congress and its policies. Whether it was cantonment-level elections or state-level it would be the Congress all the way, he added.

The results were finally declared at 5 pm today. The counting began at 8 am. With the results of only four wards declared before lunch, no one was sure which party would emerge as the winner.

Of the five Congress candidates, Virender Gandhi, outgoing vice-president, was returned from ward number 6 while Umesh Sahni won the election for the second time. The remaining three winners from the Congress included Subedar Singh, Joginder Kaur, former members, and Simi Sahni, wife of Umesh Sahni.

Umesh said this victory was a victory for the Congress and was a clear indication of how popular the Bhupinder Singh Hooda government was.

When the elections were held last in 1998, the BJP and the Congress had bagged equal number of seats and it was an irony of sorts that both the political parties had thereafter worked together.

Joginder Kaur, Virender Gandhi and Umesh Sahni have won for the second time while the others will be taking office for the first time.

The total number of votes polled in ward number 1 were 2,330, of which 37 were declared invalid, in ward No. 2 - 2,336 votes were polled, ward No. 3 - 1,630 votes were polled of which 36 were declared invalid, in ward No. 4 - 1,194 votes were polled of which 47 were declared invalid, in ward No. 5 - 1,569 votes were polled of which 24 were declared invalid, in ward No. 6 - 1,561 votes were polled of which 55 were declared invalid, in ward No. 7 - 1,917 votes were polled of which 37 were declared invalid, in ward No. 8 - 1,766 votes were polled of which 26 were invalid.

Chandigarh, May 19
The Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC) has decided to construct 192 single-room dwelling units and 36 dormitory units for industrial workers at Manesar.

Giving details of the project today, HSIIDC managing director Rajeev Arora said: ''This is the first time that a state agency is developing a dedicated housing complex for industrial workers in Haryana''.

The corporation had invited applications from entrepreneurs of fully operational industrial projects of IMT Manesar for the allotment of these dwelling units.

However, those industrial units and companies which had been allotted group housing plots in residential sector 1 at IMT Manesar would not be eligible for allotment. Workers of the industrial units who had formed their housing society at IMT Manesar or the members of any other housing society of the HSIIDC would also not be eligible for allotment.

Arora further said the dormitory units would be allotted as one unit for 12 persons to the existing industrial units.

An industrial unit could apply for a maximum of four dormitory units.

Individual dwelling units would also be allotted to the existing units at IMT Manesar.

In case the applications exceeded the number of dwelling units, the same would be allotted 
by draw of lots, he added.

The tentative cost of a dormitory unit with a covered area of 84.55 sq m had been fixed at Rs 15 lakh whereas a single-room dwelling unit
covering 28.66 sq m would cost around Rs 3.80 lakh.

Arora said that after the successful implementation of this project at Manesar, the corporation would be replicating it in other industrial estates such as Kundli, Rai, Barhi, Rohtak, Saha and Bawal. — UNI 

Chandigarh, May 19
The road network in the Mewat region of the state is in for a makeover with work on the Gurgaon-Alwar road and the Hodal-Nuh-Pataudi-Patauda road commencing shortly.

Stating this today, public works minister Ajay Singh Yadav said these projects would cut across the Mewat region as the north-south and east-west corridors. He said the fourlaning and widening of the 89-km-long Gurgaon-Alwar road had been allotted to PNC Infratech.

The work of widening and strengthening the Hodal-Nuh-Pataudi-Patauda road had been awarded to Centrodorstory (India).

Yadav said work on five road in the Mewat region, having a length of 70 km at an estimated cost of Rs 36 crore, had been approved under the state Plan.

Yamunanagar, May 19
Neelam of Tharwa village, Ambala district, who had an inter-caste marriage with Satish Kumar of Kohliwala village here against the wishes of her parents and relatives, has alleged that she is facing a threat from her parents.

Her husband too expressed similar apprehensions from his parents’ side.

The district police today provided a security cover to the couple.

Kumar has alleged that certain members of the village panchayat have issued orders that the couple will not be allowed to enter the village.

However, village sarpanch Raghubir Singh said the panchayat had no objection to the marriage.

The couple, who had been living in Chandigarh after the marriage, today shifted to Kohliwala.

The couple had tied the knot at the Kali Mandir Charitable Trust in Chandigarh on May 7.

They had earlier moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court for security and the latter had ordered the superintendents of police of Ambala and Yamunanagar to provide security to the couple, said Neelam.

The couple today asked the Yamunanagar SP to provide them security. The local police provided them with a gunman.

Sawan Ram, father of Satish, and Rameshwar, maternal uncle of Neelam, were called to the SP’s office and directed not to harm the couple or else action would taken against them.

Earlier, Satpal, father of Neelam, had filed a complaint at Mulana police station that Satish Kumar had abducted his daughter.

However, Neelam claimed that the FIR was baseless as she was major and had gone with Satish on her own.

Sonepat, May 19
Hitesh, a convict sentenced to life imprisonment in a murder case and resident of Kasandi village, was shot dead allegedly by five car-borne criminals near his village this morning. Hitesh had come on a 28-day parole and was to return to jail after two days.

Hitesh was sentenced to life imprisonment in a case of murder of Amar Singh of Sirsadh village about three years ago.

He, along with Narender and Vinod of Kasandi and a youth of Farmana village, had gone to Gohana today to meet Mahender Singh Thekedar.

While they were returning from Gohana on two motorcycles and had reached near the village, Hitesh’s motorcycle was knocked down by a red Indica car. Five armed gangsters came out of the car and one of them fired three rounds at Hitesh. After killing him on the spot, the gangsters sped away.

The police reached the spot and brought his body to the CHC, Gohana, for a post-mortem. A case has been registered at the Sadar police station, Gohana.

Jind, May 19
The district police has arrested two youths for allegedly murdering a truck driver and looting his vehicle laden with aluminium scrap worth Rs 25 lakh a few days ago.

The incident had taken place in Narnaul district while the truck was on its way from Indore in Madhya Pradesh.

The victim was a resident of Hisar district.

According to the police, the CIA wing of the department conducted a raid and arrested two persons identified as Shamsher and Krishan, residents of Kithana village of Kaithal district, along with the truck, which was parked on the Narwana road in the district last night.

The truck was missing from a spot near Nangal Chaudhary village in Narnaul district since May 16 after the police recovered the body of Kala, who was the driver of the truck.

Though the Narnaul police had booked a case in this regard, a message had been flashed to the police of other districts regarding the incident.

The CIA staff nabbed Shamsher and Krishan along with the loaded truck last night after they got information in this connection.

The arrested persons revealed during interrogation that they had taken a lift in the truck of the deceased near Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh, when their own vehicle had broken down.

They said when they heard that the truck was laden with material worth Rs 25 lakh, they decided to eliminate the truck driver near Narnaul in order to become rich overnight.

Meanwhile, in another incident a labourer was killed after he accidentally fell from the rooftop of a house here today. The victim identified as Bhagirath was trying to remove a damaged part of a house when he accidentally fell from the rooftop. He succumbed to his injuries at a hospital.

Kurukshetra, May 19
The Haryana Pensioners Welfare Society has decided to start an agitation against the government for its alleged apathy towards them.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the society held under the leadership of its president Kasturi Lal Sharma at Sri Krishana Dham here today.

Stating this, general secretary of the society Jagdish Gupta told mediapersons here that while addressing the meeting,

All-India State Employees Federation president M.L. Sehgal, who had been invited as the chief guest to the meeting, criticised the government for ignoring the demands of pensioners.

The pensioners are demanding an enhancement in the basic pension at the rate of 5 per cent and 10 per cent on attaining the age of 65 and 75, respectively.

Sehgal told the meeting that the proposals of the Sixth Pay Commission were not as per the expectations of the pensioners.

Addressing the pensioners, former state general secretary of the Haryana Adhyapak Sangh Nawal Kishore Nawal criticised the government for not showing sympathy towards the pensioners, who had contributed a lot to the progress of the state.

It was also resolved that the pensioners would meet here in the third week of July to chalk out their agitation strategy.

Fatehabad, May 19
A trader of the local grain market here has allegedly fled from the town leaving his creditors in lurch.

According to sources, the trader owed crores of rupees to farmers, friends, relatives and other traders of the local grain market.

The trader, who was also associated with a political party as its worker, left the town last night along with his wife and three children.

Sources said the trader was yet to supply 225 bags of wheat to a government procurement agency. Surprisingly, the agency had released his payments without getting the delivery of the bags of wheat.

Sources said the creditors had been pressurising him for payments for the past few days and a number of meetings of traders had been organised on this issue.

The creditors have locked the grain market shop of the trader and some of them have taken the possession of his house by breaking its lock.

Sources said the trader was ruined due to cheating by some farmers, who continued taking advance money from him throughout the year, but when his turn of recovery came, they sold their produce through some other traders.

President of the Beopar Mandal, Fatehabad, Tek Chand Midha said he was busy campaigning in Adampur for the past three days.

He said he had received information in this regard on telephone from some local traders but he could not tell the exact amount the trader owed to others.

He said he would call a meeting of traders immediately after the byelections and initiate suitable legal action on behalf of the mandal.

Fatehabad, May 19
One person was killed and two others were injured when the jeep they were travelling in overturned near Dhingsaran village last night.

Prem Singh, driver of the jeep, died on the spot while Om Parkash and Kalu Ram, who were also travelling in the vehicle, were seriously injured.