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Missing couple: Tension grips village
Parthasarthy for political consensus on terror
International affairs expert G Parthasarthy addresses a seminar on terrorism and internal security in Karnal on Sunday. Tribune photo: Ravi Kumar |
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Cong ticket aspirants on their toes
Karisma opens equestrian championship
Free
Treatment
No govt calendars in offices till poll
Rao Inderjit kicks off poll campaign
HJC leader joins Cong
Mathematicians dwell on operational research
Poll Toll
Ex-OSD to CM clears the air on exit
Media fest begins
‘Paswan right choice for PM’
Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan at a public meeting in Badshahpur village near Gurgaon on Sunday. Tribune photo: Sayeed Ahmed
HJC warns officers
Farmers block traffic
Protest against fee hike
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Missing couple: Tension grips village
Jind, March 22 Villagers suspect that the youth and the girl were having an affair and their disappearance from the village on the same day confirms their fears. Village elders had lodged a complaint with the police and a case was registered under Sections 363 and 366 of the IPC on March 10 itself. However, as the police failed to track the missing couple, the villagers met the Superintendent of Police a few days ago and sought the immediate arrest of the youth. A group of elders from villages falling under the Banwala khap met the district authorities three days ago. They reportedly told them that if the police failed to track the couple within three days, the panchayat would consider taking stern steps on its own. The deadline expired today. Official sources deny that the panchayat had handed the death sentence to the couple. They even termed the reports of a formal panchayat meeting in this connection as mere speculation. They maintain that only a group of elders from Singwal and neighbouring villages had called on the SP to stress for recovery of the missing couple. In rural Haryana, a boy and a girl hailing from villages which share boundaries with each other cannot get married as residents of such villages are considered brothers and sisters. Since the girl and the youth hail from such villages, their disappearance has raised villagers’ hackles. Residents of Banwala khap villages are tense since such love affairs in rural Haryana usually have a gory end. Two years ago, Manoj and Babli of Karora village of Kaithal district were found brutally murdered two months after they married in Chandigarh. Both belonged to Banwala gotra. The villagers considered their marriage as incest. In 2004 a khap panchayat in Asanda village of Jhajjar district directed a couple - Sonia and Rampal - married for more than a year to dissolve their marriage, abort the unborn baby and accept each other as siblings. The panchayat believed that both belonged to Rathi gotra. It was only after Sonia’s father declared in the panchayat that he was not a Rathi that the villagers relented and that too under pressure of the high court. In 2007 villagers had objected to the marriage of Pawan and Kavita of Katlaheri village in Karnal district. Their infant son was snatched from them and they were asked to separate. The baby was restored after judicial intervention and the couple fled to Mumbai for good. |
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Parthasarthy for political consensus on terror
Karnal, March 22 Speaking at a seminar on “Terrorism and Internal Security”, organised by the Citizen Grievances Committee at
NDRI, here, he said a strong political leadership, broad national consensus, joint efforts of the Centre and state governments and unity were essential for combating the terrorism. “Nothing can justify terrorism and it should be crushed with a firm hand. No matter what happens, we should not surrender before the terrorists and Parliament should pass an Act in this regard,” he said, reminding that Maulana
Masoor, who planned attack on Parliament, was the same person who was let off for seeking release of hostages of Khandhar
hijack. Parthasarthy said the public should come forward to demand strengthening of security agencies and modernisation of weapons and equipment provided to the Forces. Making a startling revelation that Rs 40,000 crore out of the Defence Budget between 1990 and 1999 remained unspent, he said the consequences of this callous approach were before us. He said the reaction to the terrorism should be measured, proportionate and internationally justifiable and observed that a strong leader like former Indira Gandhi was needed to wipe out terrorism. Former Punjab DGP KPS Gill, responsible for ending terrorism in Punjab said the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attacks had added new dimensions to the terrorist activities which were otherwise confined to the blasts at important places and buildings. He said the police version that there was only one bullet proof car available to the Anti-Terrorist Squad
(ATS) and the driver was off duty at 5 pm was a sad commentary on our preparedness to fight the terrorism. Gill said the government woke up only after the 26/11 attacks and set up 20 Commandos training stations, located NSG troops at five places for “quick response” by reducing time gap in the event of any terrorist strike and purchased equipment and observed that had these steps been taken earlier, the Mumbai attacks would not have taken place. |
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Cong ticket aspirants on their toes
Chandigarh, March 22 Sources in the Congress said that though the process of selection of candidates had been rolled out with a joint meeting of the three-member screening committee and the state election committee of the party in Delhi earlier this month, the party chose to take the crucial decision after deliberation and discussion. The party’s sitting Members of Parliament were the ones to be first invited for a feedback and suggestions. The screening committee met them individually and sought their
opinion for allotting the party ticket. However, it was subsequently decided that the members of the screening committee for Haryana should also meet the MLAs to decide the “winning candidates” for each of the seats while making known their own recommendations. The sources said at present, the party was stuck with its own idea and was undecided about whether or not the MLAs should at all be involved in the process of candidate selection. One stream of thought among leaders believes that the involvement of MLAs in the process would lend the much-needed support to the candidate propped up by the party. “This is primarily because the MLAs of respective constituencies would be party to the final decision taken,” a leader said. However, on the other hand, there is a thinking that seeking the MLAs opinion on candidates could, in fact, put the entire process in back gear. The sources said the top brass in charge of Haryana was debating that in case the MLAs reject the name of the candidate proposed on the grounds of the “winnability” factor and, in turn, suggest a name of their own, it
could push the entire process backward. Also, it would translate into giving the MLAs a free hand in the selection process but also absolve them of any responsibility of defeat in case the candidate chosen by the party is not their recommendation. So, while the party debates what line to toe before the names of its candidates are announced, party probables are on their toes, lobbying hard to get a ticket and left
shuttling between their “chosen battleground” and Delhi. While the Congress leaders put their head together to identify “winning candidates”, the Indian National Lok Dal, too, is learnt to be adopting a wait-and-watch approach before giving out its list of candidates. Though its alliance partner, the Bharatiya Janata Party, declared names of its candidates over a week back, the INLD is learnt to be waiting for the announcement of the Congress
list before it announces its names. |
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Karisma opens equestrian championship
Karnal, March 22 The colourful extravaganza was declared open by Karisma after taking a salute from a squad of more than 200 mounted police personnel and paramilitary forces who had converged here from various parts of the country to participate in the meet. In a brief inaugural address, Karisma lauded the role of the brave people of Haryana in defending the country and said the rich culture of the region had been attracting people from all over the world since ages. Recalling that she had visited Karnal after 14 years, the noted actress appreciated the Haryanvi hospitality and observed that Karnal city had become more beautiful. Karisma, who was accompanied by her husband Sanjay Kapur, said she had come to Karnal in 1996 along with actor Sunil Shetty for the shooting of film “Krishna”. She thanked Haryana DGP RS Dalal for extending an invitation to her and said her husband was a well-known polo player. She also went around in an open jeep and reciprocated the greetings of her fans. Welcoming Karisma and her husband, Dalal said her life was an example that how one could struggle to make one’s own identity. He said the Haryana Police was aiming at winning the maximum number of medals at the forthcoming Commonwealth Games in 2010. Earlier, Karisma, the winner of the 2002 Fimfare Award, was greeted by women police personnel and other distinguished women present on the occasion. The participants were administered an oath by Haryana team leader Ramphul to display a spirit of sportmanship during the competitions. PR Dev, IG (Haryana Armed Police), proposed a vote of thanks. The following are the results of the show jumping six bar on the first day: Deputy Commandant Tej Pal Dadar (BSF)-I, Head Constable Radhey Shyam (Delhi Police) - II, ASI Nirmal Singh (Haryana Police), Sub-Inspector Sumer Singh (BSF) and Constable Aatma Ram (Gujarat Police), all III. |
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Free
Treatment
Fatehabad, March 22 At least the case of Vijay Khayal, a former martial arts coach, makes the fact very much evident. Khayal, who had suffered from an abdominal injury during coaching a decade ago, has been living in abysmal poverty for want of any source of livelihood. He suffered a fracture on his arm when he met with an accident with a fire engine here and approached Fatehabad Deputy Commissioner JS Ahlawat on March 13 for free treatment of his broken arm after he was advised surgical operation by doctors. However, even after unambiguous orders of Ahlawat, Khayal has not only been made to purchase items like drill, screw driver, plates, bone tape and some other items for over Rs 4,000, he has still not been operated upon despite pre-operative tests and giving a final date for the operation for yesterday. Interestingly, while the money for the items has been paid by Khayal, the bills for these have been issued in the name of the general hospital by the Hisar-based firm from whom Khayal’s father was asked to purchase the items. “I was made to run from pillar to post and finally hospital orthopaedic surgeon Manish Sheoran asked me to come to the hospital in a fasting condition yesterday for surgical operations. Before this I was asked to undergo several pathological tests on Thursday and even for some of these tests was referred to a laboratory outside the general hospital for which I had to pay Rs 150,” Khayal alleged. After all tests as well as the ECG were found to be normal, he was asked to come to the hospital in the morning. However, he was allegedly made to wait for his turn throughout the day and then sent back at 2.30 pm on the plea that hospital timings were over. Dr SR Siwach, Senior Medical Officer of the general hospital, said the surgeon was busy in some other operation, which took too much time. The Civil Surgeon was not available for comments, while Deputy Civil Surgeon Hira Lal Gupta said medicines and other items for the poor were supplied by the hospital authorities and even could be purchased from Swasthya Kalyan Samiti funds, if these were not available in stock. Meanwhile, following a probe ordered by the Deputy Commissioner, a team of the health
authorities visited the hospital today. |
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No govt calendars in offices till poll
Chandigarh, March 22 This implies that Haryana calendars on display in all government offices would have to be removed till the election gets over since they not only carry photos of the President and the Governor but also of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. However, the Election Commission has taken a lenient view of photos of leaders on display in rooms of Haryana ministers. The commission has stated that the ministers should be allowed to use their own discretion with regard to the exhibition of photographs because their offices are not frequented by the public very often. The CEC clarification comes after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) had, separately, raised objections about calendars carrying photographs of the Chief
Minister on display in government offices. While the BJP had demanded removal of these calendars at a recent press conference, the INLD had submitted a representation to the CEO seeking their removal. Following this, the CEO had sought a
clarification from the commission. |
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Rao Inderjit kicks off poll campaign
Nuh/Gurgaon, March 22 Addressing a series of public meetings in Nuh, Shikrawa, Shakras, Jalalpur and several other villages of the Mewat area, Rao Inderjit said though the Congress high command was yet to take final decision on the party candidates, he had been asked by the central leadership to begin canvassing. He assured the people of Mewat that on returning to power, he would ensure the provision of basic amenities in the area and find a solution to the common difficulties faced by them. The minister exhorted the youth of the area to shun their negative mindset and channelise their energies in some positive direction. “It is of common knowledge that while the advanced western nations like the UK and the USA have been hit hard by the slump, our economy is doing reasonably well,” he said. He appealed to vote in favour of the Congress in the ensuing elections so that the ongoing developmental activities could continue. Meanwhile, addressing mediapersons at Gurgaon today, INLD leader and former Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala’s son Abhey Chautala said his father would kick off the INLD’s poll campaign tomorrow.
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HJC leader joins Cong
Rohtak, March 22 The state president, HJC Traders Cell, Krishan Singla joined the Congress, along with others, here today. Hooda said those joining the party would be given due recognition and honour. He said the Congress was fully committed to the welfare of the traders. He lauded the contribution of the Vaishya Community towards the society, including their contribution to the freedom struggle of the India. He said the sate government had provided a fear-free atmosphere in the state where traders and businesspersons could prosper. He said the country was making remarkable progress in the business sector under the stewardship of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the visionary leadership of Congress leader Sonia Gandhi. Former minister Hari Singh Saini, who recently joined the Congress, said there was a great wave for the party in the state and the party would sweep the polls in Haryana. Singla claimed that the main reason of his joining the Congress was that the interests of the business and trading community was safe in the hands of this party only. |
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Mathematicians dwell on operational research
Fatehabad, March 22 In his valedictory address, Kuldeep Singh Dhindsa, Director-General of JCD Vidyapeeth, Sirsa, said operational research, which was initiated during the World War II to inflict maximum damage to the opponents, with the minimum use of resources, had now become a multi-disciplinary function involving mathematics, economics, statistics, industrial engineering and management. “In layman’s terms operational research is all about completing a task of any field with minimum expenditure and minimum manpower,” he said. Earlier, DK Kaushik Principal of the college, welcomed Dhindsa to the college. Subhash Sharma, college director, expressed a vote of thanks. Around 25 teachers of mathematics read their papers during the seminar. Prominent among those were Jai Singh, a former professor of the NIT, Kurukshetra, SC Malik from Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak, SL Saini from MLN College, Yamunanagar, and SP Yadav from the IIT,
Roorkee. |
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Admn gets tough with staff
Tribune News Service
Rohtak, March 22 The Deputy Commissioner, in an order issued today, has asked all officials to remain present at the headquarters after officer hours and even on Saturdays and Sundays, which are holidays for state government offices, in view of the coming polls. It is stated that it has been observed that some officials do not stay at their headquarters after office hours and particularly on Saturdays, Sundays and on gazetted holidays, which has been causing inconvenience in dealing with the work of the general administration, particularly regarding the General Election, implementation of the model code of conduct, the Prevention of Haryana Defacement of Property Act, 1989, and instructions issued by Election Commission from time to time. For this purpose each official of the district is to be assigned multifarious duties by the office of District Election Officer. Officials have been told not leave their headquarters without permission. They have been directed to ensure that their contact numbers remain functional round the clock and ensure their availability at any point of time. Any lapse would be viewed seriously.
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Ex-OSD to CM clears the air on exit
Sirsa, March 22 Talking to mediapersons here today, Singh said the INLD had been spreading a lot of canards on this issue but the fact of the matter was that he had requested Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda not to extend his contract for the
post that expired on March 5, 2009. He said the post of the OSD to the Chief Minister was a contractual appointment and did not come under the preview of the election code of conduct, but the INLD had been needlessly targeting
the state government on this issue. He said he had taken this decision to stop the INLD from making baseless allegations on this issue. Singh said ever since he had expressed his intentions to contest the next Assembly elections from Dabwali, which the INLD considers to be its stronghold, that party’s leaders had been targeting him on one pretext or the other. He said he had taken the decision to get relieved of the post of the OSD in order to work wholeheartedly for the forthcoming parliamentary elections. |
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Media fest begins
Kurukshetra, March 22 The fest will now onwards be an annual feature of the institute, which will help in familiarising the students with practical aspects of media. It will groom them and prove to be a landmark in their upcoming careers,” he added. The much educating and enriching inaugural item - media quiz, comprised of 6 interesting rounds - current affairs, print media, electronic media, advertisement world, media rapid fire and
bollywood. Along with the eight teams, the intellectual audience comprising of institute students and faculty members participated and the brain storming set of questions kept the excitement high. |
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‘Paswan right choice for PM’
Gurgaon, March 22 He said their party belonged to the poor. Ajay Pratap said his father always used to fight for the cause of the poor and he always wanted persons from the Backward Classes to be in power. “No one other than Paswan can be the right choice for the post of next Prime Minister and this is the reason that I merged my Jan Morcha Party, formed by my father, with the Lok Janshakti Party,” he said. Paswan also declared Jaspal Prajapati, party president and organiser of the programme, as a candidature from Gurgaon in the Lok Sabha election. |
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HJC warns officers
Chandigarh, March 22 The appeal was made at a meeting of senior party leaders held at the Delhi residence of Bishnoi. The HJC leader alleged that due to the rising popularity of his party, Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had lost his nerve and had directed the officers to remove the hoardings of the HJC. Bishnoi said his party was preparing a list of those officers who were actively involved in removing the hoardings of the HJC and it would take stern action against them when it would come to power. The meeting also discussed names of suitable candidates for the remaining seven Lok Sabha seats in the state. The HJC has already named its candidates for Gurgaon, Faridabad and Rohtak. The party also discussed its electoral strategy but gave out no details about it. |
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Farmers block traffic
Rewari, March 22 Following a breach in JLN Canal near Khera village yesterday, water flooded farmers’ fields, damaging their wheat crop. The blockade lasted several hours. It was lifted only after Deputy Commissioner CG Rajini Kaanthan assured them that he would forward the matter to the government. |
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Protest against fee hike
Jhajjar, March 22 Jhajjar SDM Satyender Duhan reached the spot and spoke to the agitating parents. The protesters lifted the road blockade following an assurance by the SDM that he would talk to the school management over the issue in the presence of the parents on Monday. The protesters alleged that the school management had increased the fees unreasonably, which they could
not afford. |
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Former career diplomat G Parthasarthy today called for complete “political consensus” on “terrorism” and urged the electorate to put pressure on politicians to rise above politics and arrive at consensus in lager national interest.
The week-long 27th All-India Equestrian Championship and Mounted Police Duty Meet got off to a spectacular start with noted film actress Karisma Kapur inaugurating the mega event at the Police Complex in
Madhuban, near Karnal, today.
Gurgaon, March 22
