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Kanda’s brother joins Cong
Ellenabad contest crucial for both Cong, INLD
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HC pulls up govt for needless litigation
Foeticide
Ishita begins drive against foeticide
Six more test positive for swine flu
Power plant awarded
High Court
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Kanda’s brother joins Cong
Sirsa, November 19 “I have joined the Congress impressed by the welfare policies being pursued by the party under the guidance of Sonia Gandhi and the leadership of Bhupinder Singh Hooda in Haryana,” he declared soonafter. Gopal Kanda and Gobind Kanda enjoy close ties. Gobind Kanda looks after Baba Tarkeshwar Trust of the family in Sirsa that is associated with various philanthropic activities. The trust also looks after Tara Baba Kutiya, a religious place. Gobind Kanda organises eye operation camps in the kutiya and holds a trust function every year in which several Bollywood stars and playback singers have participated. Like his elder brother Gobind Kanda, he has not had much formal education but the two brothers have been very successful in business and have made big fortunes in the past one decade. The brothers ran a footwear business in the town till the late nineties. The business did not go as per their expectations. So, Gopal Kanda left the town around the beginning of this millennium and started real estate business in Gurgaon, which became a roaring success. While Gopal Kanda looked after the family business in Gurgaon, Gobind Kanda held the fort in Sirsa. Success came almost instantly and they soon became owners of hotels, malls and the prestigious MDLR
Airlines. The Kanda brothers were once close associates of the Chautalas. Gopal Kanda has admitted on several occasions that he has had business ties with them. However, the Kandas fell out with the INLD supremo, om Prakash chautala, before the assembly polls with Gopal Kanda contesting as an Independent.After his victory, efforts were made by the Chautalas to mend fences with Gopal Kanda, but he chose to side with the Congress and declared his support to Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on the day he was declared elected. Sharma said with Gobind Kanda joining the party,the Congress would emerge even stronger in the district. |
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Ellenabad contest crucial for both Cong, INLD
Chandigarh, November 19 The BJP, the BSP and the decimated HJC of Kuldeep Bishnoi, if they contest the byelection, will be smaller players. The possibility of the BSP entering the fray is remote. First, it is supporting the Hooda government from outside. Second, as a matter of policy the BSP does not contest byelections in states where it is not in power. It did not contest the three assembly byelections in Haryana in 2008 also. The Ellenabad seat fell vacant after OP Chautala chose to retain Uchana Kalan. The byelection is to be held before April-end
next year. For the Congress, Ellenabad will be an opportunity to prove that it is still favoured by the electorate despite the very good performance put up by the INLD in the just- concluded assembly elections, winning 32 seats in alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal. The latter managed to win one seat. If the ruling party wins the seat, it can argue that the Chautalas’ success was due to miscalculations on the part of the Congress and not because of the love of the people. The victory would also enable the Congress to have a majority of its own. For the INLD a win would mean that the party continues to be seen as a viable alternative to the Congress. The party leadership could then argue that the success in the assembly elections had indeed been a positive vote for the party. A defeat in Ellenabad will be a loss of face for the ruling party, more so for the Chief Minister.. Ellenabad is part of Sirsa district, the native place of the Chautalas, and continues to be their pocket-borough. The Congress will have to work hard to defeat them on their pitch. The first task before the ruling party is the selection of a candidate, which should be acceptable to all its factions. A tough task indeed! |
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Picture of discontent
Rohtak, November 19 The Chief Minister’s photograph playing a shot at a badminton court has been pasted on banners and posters placed at various sites in the city. Hooda will be chief guest at the inauguration ceremony of the games to be hosted by the Haryana Olympics Association headed by PV Rathee, an IPS officer, on August 21. At least 5,000 players are likely to take part in as many as 28 events. The picture of a deer, mascot for the games, is pasted on one side of the poster/banner with the CM’s photograph playing badminton on the other. Though the poster has caught the fancy of many, some term it as sheer sycophancy by
organisers. It may be recalled that the games gained importance following the Haryana Olympics Association’s recognition by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) early this year. There had been a long-standing dispute between two factions of the HOA, one of them headed by Abhey Singh Chautala, younger son of former CM Om Prakash Chautala. Both factions approached the court a number of times to press their claim. In February 2003, when Chautala was in power, Abhey Singh was elected president of the HOA for four years. On June 23, 2004, the constitution of the HOA was “amended” making him lifetime president. “These games will attract 5,076 players, including women, in 28 events, including athletics, badminton, fencing, judo, weightlifting, netball, football, throwball and volleyball,” said sources. |
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HC pulls up govt for needless litigation
Chandigarh, November 19 The strictures came on a bunch of petitions involving an already answered question of law on withholding pensionary benefits due to pending criminal
proceedings. Taking up the petitions by Faquir Chand and others, Justice Ranjit Singh said: “Can the pensionary benefits be withheld on account of pendency of criminal proceedings is the short issue that arises in the present writ petitions. “This issue could have easily been resolved by making reference to Haryana Civil Services Rules, Volume II, Part I. Still it has come before the court, which will not speak well of the state functionaries. “The present petitions could have easily been avoided if the respondents had done their duty or at least applied their mind to the position that has been settled by more than one judgment delivered by this court”. The observations come at a time when the courts are reeling under the burden of pendency. Justice Ranjit Singh’s assertion is significant as until recently, at least 12 lakh cases are under adjudication in Punjab, Haryana and
Chandigarh. Going into the background of the controversy, Justice Ranjit Singh asserted the petitioner, allegedly implicated in a case dated April 6, 2005, retired from service on June 30, 2008. But his gratuity, encashment of earned leave, computation of pension and pension were released. Before parting with the order, Justice Ranjit Singh: “Merely because the state has filed an appeal against the order of acquittal would not mean that this acquittal can be taken as conviction to withhold or withdraw pensionary benefits. “ Concededly, the departmental proceedings initiated against the petitioners have been held in abeyance to await the decision in the criminal case. “That would also, therefore, not give any justification to the respondents not to release the pensionary benefits to the petitioners. The writ petitions are, therefore, allowed. “Directions are issued to the respondents to release the entire retiral benefits of the petitioners within three months….” |
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Foeticide
Sirsa, November 19 The Deputy Commissioner, Mansa, had informed the local authorities that the woman had informed the authorities in Mansa that her ultrasound test for determination of sex of the foetus and subsequent abortion of the female foetus was done at Garg Diagnostic Centre of Sirsa and she paid Rs 15,000 for that. The incident came to light in the last week of October and was brought
to the notice of the local authorities immediately. Dr Jeewan Garg, proprietor of Garg Diagnostic Centre, however, denied the charges. SDM SK Setia, who was entrusted the inquiry by Deputy Commissioner Yudhvir Singh Khyalia, was not available for comment. However, civil surgeon Dr PS Dhawan said today that the CPU of the diagnostic centre has been sealed to check
its data. Dr Jeewan Garg is well-known in the city. He reportedly has a memorandum of understanding with the local health authorities under which all CT scan tests prescribed by the doctors of the general hospital, Sirsa, are performed by him. |
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Ishita begins drive against foeticide
Chandigarh, November 19 Ishita, a Class VII student of a Panchkula school designated as Brand Ambassador of this campaign by the Chandigarh Administration, was also designated Brand Ambassador of Haryana for the cause. Soonafter the function today, Ishita left for Fatehgarh Sahib in Punjab, where she is to take part in various anti-female foeticide programmes. Tomorrow she reaches Ambala. It was about two-and-a-half years ago that Ishita first read about female foeticide in newspapers. Deeply touched, she came forward to raise her voice against the
menace. Present at the flagg-off ceremony were Haryana Congress president Phool Chand Mullana, Health and Education Minister Geeta Bhukkal, Home Secretary, Chandigarh Administration, Ram Niwas, and a large number of schoolchildren. |
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Six more test positive for swine flu
Bhiwani, November 19 The Health Department has sent swabs of 10 students, who had complained of cough, cold and fever. Dr Rajendera Sumotra, PMO, Civil Hospital, said more samples had been sent to Delhi for testing today. “About 25 students of different age groups came to hospital with complaints of cold and cough and they have sent samples of all these students to Delhi for testing,” said the PMO. Dr Sumotra said since all seven patients had minor symptoms, they had been kept isolated at their home and their treatment would continue as per medical instructions. The principal of local KM Public School, where positive cases were detected, Asha Awasthi, clarified that the primary wing (up to eighth standard) had been closed till November 23 and not up to December 1 and Saakshi, first student to be tested positive, is a student of class IV. |
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Power plant awarded
Chandigarh, November 19 Managing Director of HPGCL Sanjeev Kaushal said here today that the award, in recognition of good project management of the prestigious thermal power project of Haryana, was given by the Union Minister of State for Power Bharatsinh Solanki during the 2nd India Power Awards, 2009, ceremony held at New Delhi on November 17. On behalf of HPGCL, the award was received by Arun Kumar, Director, Projects. |
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