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Batra faction to reorganise HJC
New alliance faces challenges from within
Expressway death toll mounts as authorities pass the buck
Projects under NREGS |
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Miscreants rob trader
Untouched by power shortage?
Widows, elderly await pension
Freedom fighter cremated
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Batra faction to reorganise HJC
Faridabad, June 21 According to a senior leader of the HJC, Balwant Singh Dhalamwala, the announcement of the details regarding the reorganisation of the party and the office-bearers would be made at a meeting of party workers to be held in Jind on July 12. The Jind rally has evinced keen interest in political circles of Haryana as HJC workers will endorse the decision of making Batra as the interim president of the party. The ratification will make Batra the new and full-fledged president of the party. Party leaders, including Batra and Krishan Murti Hooda, were expelled from the party by president Kuldeep Bishnoi after the Lok Sabha elections. They “expelled” him in return. They said Bishnoi was not the president as he had dissolved all party units and office-bearers during the run-up to the parliamentary elections. A number of party leaders had resigned on account of the action taken against Batra and Hooda. Dhalamwala said the mass mobilisation campaign for the Jind rally was on. Senior leaders, including Batra, had been visiting districts and getting good response from the publc. The campaign would be completed by the end of this month, he added. According to him, former Chief Minister Bhajan Lal had made several efforts to assuage Batra, who refused to meet him. Dhalamwala added that Batra was the senior most Punjabi leader of Haryana and Punjabis in the state were hurt by Bishnoi’s action. He further said Bhajan Lal had always used non-Jat section of the society, especially the Punjabis, to subserve his own political ends. Now he was in the “emotional clutch” of his sons, especially Kuldeep Bishnoi. According to Dhalamwala, Bishnoi took action against Batra on account of his rising clout among the public, especially Punjabis. |
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New alliance faces challenges from within
Chandigarh, June 21 The first challenge comes from setting their house in order before revolts and attrition become stumbling blocks for the alliance, hoping to emerge as an alternative to “so-far-unchallenged-by-the-opposition” Congress in Haryana. In the HJC, if expelled members Krishanmurti Hooda and Subhash Batra have raised a banner of revolt against party supremo Kuldeep Bishnoi, the “trickling away” of leaders and workers of the BSP and their joining the Congress fold, too, is a cause for concern for the parties. On Friday, the BSP general secretary, Shamsher Singh Gogi, along with his supporters joined the Congress camp. However, despite these “irritants”, the alliance seems to augur well for both parties, which recorded a vote share of nearly 16 per cent (BSP) and 10 per cent (HJC) in the Lok Sabha elections. The alliance comes as a boost especially for the HJC, which will don the role of the “superior party” in the assembly poll slated for early next year. Also, the projection of Bishnoi as the chief ministerial candidate comes as a shot in the arm for the HJC, which is confident of striking it big with this platform. Riding high on the non-Jat wave, the USP of both parties, the alliance is hoping to gain ground with support from the non-Jats and Dalits in particular. Speaking to TNS, Bishnoi said that, together, the two parties would be a force to reckon with. “We have had Jat Chief Ministers for 14 years. Another five years would take the tally to 20 years. The non-Jats can’t take more discrimination and we have emerged as a strong alternative, the Congress can’t wish away,” he said. “Post-election, we realised we needed a partner to oust the Congress. Our leader, Mayawati, decided on the alliance in consultation with the state unit of the party. The Congress, which was till now having a field day in the face of a scattered opposition, is, too, now sitting and rethinking its strategy,” BSP leader in charge of Haryana, Mann Singh Manhera, stated. After much dithering on forging an alliance before the Lok Sabha poll and having tested the waters alone in the recent Lok Sabha election in Haryana, the BSP and the HJC, joined hands in the state to combat the Congress. |
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Expressway death toll mounts as authorities pass the buck
Gurgaon, June 21 Replying to an RTI application, the NHAI maintains that as per the concession agreement, the concessionaire has to take all reasonable precautions for the prevention of accidents on the project highway and for provision of all reasonable assistance and emergency medical aid to the accident victims. It further states that in case of proved negligence of the concessionaire, action may be taken against it as per the concession agreement. However, facts and figures tell a different story. The expressway, on which a large number of fast-moving vehicles run round-the-clock, does not have any foot overbridge or underpass ready for pedestrians to cross the road even one and a half years after it was commissioned. The emergency medical facility also exists in the name and there is hardly any effective system to check the entry of two-wheelers, which are not supposed to run on the expressway. Due to these factors and lack of any check on the concessionaire or the NHAI, more than 100 persons have lost their lives on the expressway so far. The authorities concerned have failed to take any concrete action against the concessionaire or the NHAI till date. “More than 50 pedestrians have been killed while crossing the road amidst heavy traffic, while a number of motorists have died due to lack of proper operation management and non-provision emergency medical aid,” said KS Anand, who recently lost his 19-year-old son in an accident on the expressway, while talking to The Tribune today. After the death of his son, Anand had pledged to bring those responsible for the deaths on the expressway to book. It was on Anand’s RTI application that the NHAI has conceded the aforesaid facts. Anand maintained that he had been making the rounds of various government offices to ensure the provision of safety measures on the expressway, but to no avail. He has also filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) at the Punjab and Haryana High Court in this regard. |
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Projects under NREGS
Sirsa, June 21 The village sarpanch Amarjit Singh Sidhu and several others have been booked by the police for allegedly ransacking the house of Baldev Singh, whose son Rajinder Singh has raised doubts over the expenditure made on certain projects during the meeting. The police is also investigating the allegations of robbing pension money made by the sarpanch against Rajinder Singh and others. Factions owing allegiance to the sarpanch Amarjit Singh Sidhu and Baldev Singh Momi clashed at a meeting of the Gram Sabha that was being held for the purpose of social audit of the works completed under the NREGS in the village school on Saturday after Baldev’s son Rajinder raised questions over some expenditures made on the projects. Sidhu lodged a complaint against Baldev Singh, Rajinder Singh and others for preventing a public servant from performing his duty and looting pension amount of Rs 2 lakh from him. Later, the sarpanch and his followers are alleged to have barged into Baldev Singh’s residence and ransacked the house besides beating up a family member. The sarpanch has, however, denied the allegation and accused the other faction of creating trouble. The two groups again clashed outside the Rania police station, when Baldev Singh and his family members were coming out after lodging a complaint against the sarpanch and his men. DSP Balbir Singh said a case had been registered against Sidhu, panchayat members Kuldeep, Gurucharan, Jaskaran and 40 to 50 unidentified persons for rioting, criminal trespass, causing hurt and criminal intimidation.
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Miscreants rob trader
Fatehabad, June 21 The vehicle was, however, recovered by the police within hours, as the miscreants abandoned it near Sadalpur in Hisar. The trader, Ramesh Mehta, was returning in his Tata Safari vehicle, when some Scorpio- borne miscreants stopped his vehicle by overtaking it near Bhoda Hoshnak village at about 11 pm on Saturday. Three youths entered the vehicle and one of them took over the wheel after throwing Mehta on the back seat. The miscreants hit Mehta on his head with the back of a pistol when he tried to resist and took the vehicle on the Chinder road from Badopal. They later threw him out near Chinder and escaped with the vehicle and his purse containing some cash, credit card and driving licence. A villager came to Mehta’s rescue, when he raised the alarm and the police was also informed. The SP, Dr Chakkirala Sambasiva Rao, himself reached Chinder with a police party that chased the miscreants towards the direction they had gone. However, the Tata Safari snatched by them was found abandoned near Sadalpur village. The police has registered a case and begun investigations, said Dr Rao.
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Untouched by power shortage?
Kaithal, June 21 Tubelights, fans, coolers and ACs in many offices remain on even if the official or the staff are not present. When the reporter visited the office of the Kaithal City Magistrate, an HCS officer, he found that the AC in the office was switched on even when no one was present in the office as the official was on maternity leave. Besides, tubelights and fans in the rooms of her staff were also on though no one was present in the seats. All this was happening when a minister was presiding over a meeting of the district grievances committee on the first floor of the building. Visitors to various government offices told the reporter that this was a routine in government offices. They said the staff never bothered to ensure that lights, fans, ACs and other electric gadgets were switched off when not required. Tubelights remain on during the daytime even when there is sufficient light. Deputy Commissioner Amneet P Kumar said she would get the matter examined. |
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Widows, elderly await pension
Kaithal, June 21 Despite best efforts of the district administration during the past few years, a large number of deserving beneficiaries continue to remain deprived of old age, widow and handicap pensions and the yellow ration cards meant for BPL families as per the state government policy. For the past couple of years, there seems to be no end to the problems of such persons and they go from one office to the other for redressal of their problems. A large number of women from Balu village of Kalayat sub tehsil visited the office of Kaithal SDM Hawa Singh here on June 18. The women submitted a memorandum to the official saying that they have been deprived of old age pension and some of them have not been allotted yellow cards for BPL families. |
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Freedom fighter cremated
Jhajjar, June 21 The pyre was lit by his nephew Ram Chander as a contingent of the Haryana Armed Police reversed its arms to pay respect to the veteran freedom fighter. He died late last evening. He was 100. Jhajjar City Magistrate Hoshiar Singh on behalf of the district administration laid a wreath on the body. |
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