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Ellenabad Bypoll
Industrial development likely to accelerate
Ad hoc panel to oppose SGPC elections in state
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Theatre, cinema effective
media to fight terror: Raina
Bar Poll
Theatre, cinema effective media to fight terror: Raina
2,300 houses face demolition
Karamchari sanghs to revive agitation
50 sports nurseries to be set up
Disgruntled voices at meeting
Rs 5,000 crore to be spent on roads: MP
Film fest to be ‘a regular event’
CM tours Kiloi villages
Blood camp in memory of freedom fighter
1 more tests positive
for H1N1
Fake Visa
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Cong nominee likely today
Sushil Manav Tribune News Service
Sirsa, December 25 Besides Hooda, Prithviraj Chavan, Union Minister for Science and Technology and AICC general secretary for Haryana affairs, Phool Chand Mullana, president of the HPCC, and Ashok Tanwar, president of the Indian Youth Congress and Congress MP from Sirsa, attended the meeting. “It was an informal meeting but the issue of candidate was the centre of discussion at the meeting,” said the sources. The Congress leaders came straight to Hooda’s residence from Sonepat, where they had gone for Rahul Gandhi’s visit. The sources said the party leadership had finally zeroed in on some contenders and might announce the candidate by tomorrow. Bharat Singh Beniwal, who lost to former Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala in the last election, is being considered the front runner for the ticket. However, if the party leadership decides to field a fresh face, the names of Ved Beniwal, KV Singh and Ramesh Bhadu are likely to be taken into consideration. Beniwal is a local physician and his father, Inderaj Beniwal, contested a bypoll against Devi Lal on the Congress ticket during Bansi Lal’s regime in the seventies. Bhadu is a youth Congress leader. Meanwhile, Ranjit Singh, a senior Congress leader and younger brother of Chautala, today clarified that he was not a contender for the party ticket for the bypoll. “My name is being mentioned in a section of the media as a possible candidate but I want to clarify that it is mere speculation,” said Ranjit Singh. He added that he had not met AICC president Sonia Gandhi for the past one month and had never sought the ticket during his recent meetings with the Chief Minister and the HPCC president. He said in his opinion Bharat Singh Beniwal, who gave a good fight to Chautala in the last election, deserved to be nominated again. However, he clarified that he would wholeheartedly work for any candidate, who was fielded by the party.
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Industrial development likely to accelerate
Chandigarh, December 25 The country’s largest exhibition-cum-convention centre will come up in Gurgaon to facilitate industry there. Giving impetus to industry, a major expansion of the Industrial Model Townships (IMTs) in Faridabad and Rohtak is expected in the coming year. While the first phase of IMT Faridabad, spread over 1,750 acres, is now complete, the second phase is expected to be complete in 2010. Similarly, the first phase of IMT, Rohtak, spread over 800 acres, is now nearing completion, after allotments have been made to different industries. Work on the second phase, spread over 1700 acres, is expected to begin soon. Besides, the industrial estate of Bawal will see a lot of activity as the Haryana State Industries and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC) goes ahead with its expansion. The two food parks being developed at Rai and Saha will also get commissioned in the next year. The biggest impetus to industrial growth in the state is expected as work on the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) gets underway. Though the project will take several years to be commissioned, Haryana stands to benefit with one of the total 24 early bird projects being sanctioned in the state. The DMIC Development Authority has plans to invite bids for setting up a multi-modal logistic hub at IMT Manesar next year. Among the six investment regions selected for this project, Manesar has been selected for promotion of auto components and automobiles. Faridabad, too, will benefit as it has been selected among the industrial areas to be developed along the DMIC. But what is to be seen is whether this industrial development will yield more revenue for the state, as Haryana now witnesses a cash crash. It is after a long time that the state is forced to borrow heavily from the market, through auction of its state development loans. This year, thanks to pre-budget sops and the implications for the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations, the states coffers are near empty. Haryana may also find it difficult to achieve its target for collections from Value Added Tax (VAT) during this financial year. With just four months left for the fiscal to end, the state has not even achieved 50 per cent of its estimated target through this tax. Though the state’s Central Sales Tax (CST) collections have shown a rise of almost Rs 1,000 crore (from Rs 5,752 crore in November 2008 to Rs 6,736 crore in November this year), it is mainly on account of the refund on VAT and CST received from the Government of India. It is learnt that the state has received a refund of Rs 729.85 crore, on account of this compensation for up to October 2009, which has helped the state record growth, despite no major upswing in total VAT collections. The only area where the state has done well in its tax collections is purchase tax. Officials say that the record paddy production this year, too, would add to the state’s coffers by ensuring a high-purchase tax collection. The state has already received Rs 315 crore as purchase tax from wheat. As a result, the new year will see the state cutting down on its own expenditure and trying to mop up more resources through VAT and CST. A new excise policy is likely to be worked out to ensure that the excise collections see a minimum 10 per cent year on year growth. |
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Ad hoc panel to oppose SGPC elections in state
Panipat, December 25 Speaking to The Tribune, general secretary of the ad hoc panel Didar Singh Nalvi said Sikhs in Haryana would not let the government or the SGPC to hold elections in Haryana, which, he claimed, was a violation of the Punjab Reorganisation Act of 1966. He said the elections should not be held as per the Gurdwara Act of 1925, but as per the provisions of the 1966 Act, which provided for the formation of a separate body in Haryana. Nalvi said the ad hoc panel would be launching a mass movement to generate public opinion against holding of SGPC elections in the state. He said it had been learnt the state government had been preparing to hold the gurdwara elections in the state. Even as the Chief Minister himself had endorsed the demands of the Sikhs, including formation of a minority commission, due status for Punjabi language and a separate SGPC for the state, no concrete measures had been taken so for. He stated that the minorities in the state were feeling suffocated as despite repeated assurances, the government had done nothing for them. He claimed that Sikhs were being discriminated against by the ruling party, which was causing a dent in the ‘secular party’ image of the Congress. Nalvi said the Sikhs of the state would not rest till their 19-year-old demand for a separate body was not met. If need be, the ad hoc panel would seek a legal remedy through the court of law or take up the matter with the National Human Rights Commission and even the United Nations Organisation, Nalvi said. |
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Theatre, cinema effective
media to fight terror: Raina
Yamunanagar, December 25 Raina, who recently acted in “Taare Zameen Par” and has also acted in and directed a number of feature films, including “Satah Se Utha Aadmi”, “Ek Ruka Hua Faisla”, “Tamas”, “Titli”, “Genisis”, “Tarang” and “Ankur”, said they had witnessed a lot of change in youths after organising workshops and plays in rural areas and educational institutions. Acting gave the youths confidence to express themselves and develop their personality, Raina told The Tribune during the Second Haryana International Film Festival here today. “We are channelling the creative energy of the youth in the right direction. We have also organised special workshops in Kashmir for children whose parents were killed by terrorists. They were initially terrified but after attending the workshops on writing, acting, photography and film-making, they came out of the trauma,” he added. “I consider it my social responsibility for the development of this terrorism-affected area,” he said. Raina said he had been making documentary films for many years. He was honoured with the Sanskriti Samman in 1980, the Sahitya Kala Parishad Award in 1981, the best director of the year by the West Bengal government 1982 and the best director award of the Punjabi Akademi, Delhi, in 1987. He has also received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1995 and the Swarn Padak from the Jammu and Kashmir government in 1996 for his contribution to Indian theatre. |
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Rival groups announce different dates
Our Correspondent
Kurukshetra, December 25 One group held a meeting in the Bar room of the DBA under the joint chairmanship of Jagjit Singh Virk and CB Madan and decided unanimously to conduct the ensuing elections on January 9. The meeting resolved to dislodge the DBA team members headed by Mohinder Singh Tanwar from their respective posts at the expiry of their term and decided to appoint a special committee of Ram Pal, Baldev Singh Virk and Anurag Bhardwaj. They were authorised to take over the charge, including the accounts of the DBA and construction of chambers, which is going on at the malkhana site and also resolved to seize the bank accounts. The meeting also resolved to appoint Ram Pal as the returning officer and Dhian Singh Mehla as the assistant returning officer. They were authorised to issue the entire schedule of elections. The other group leader, Mohinder Singh Tanwar, president, DBA, Kurukshetra, said the DBA election would be held on January 18 as per the amended rules, “The Bar Association (Constitution and Registration) Rules 2009” regarding election of the Bar associations and other matters approved by the Bar Concil of Punjab and Haryana at its meeting held on November 30, 2009, and approved by the Bar Council of India. He said the date of election had already been notified by the DBA executive in November 2009 and about 800 members accepting the above date had deposited their annual membership dues with the DBA. Tanwar alleged that some advocates without the approval of the DBA executive and in the absence of all office-bearers held an “illegal” meeting against the rules of the DBA, Kurukshetra, which was uncalled for. In this connection, a show-cause notice was being given to Jagjit Singh Virk, Subhash Sharma, Ashok Bhardwaj, CB Madan and Ram Pal, advocates, for violating the rules for convening an “illegal” meeting.
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Theatre, cinema effective media to fight terror: Raina
Yamunanagar, December 25 Raina, who recently acted in “Taare Zameen Par” and has also acted in and directed a number of feature films, “Satah Se Utha Aadmi”, “Ek Ruka Hua Faisla”, “Tamas”, “Titli”, “Genisis”, “Tarang” and “Ankur”, said they had witnessed a lot of change in youths after organising workshops and plays in rural areas and educational institutions. Acting gave the youths confidence to express themselves and develop their personality, Raina told The Tribune during the Second Haryana International Film Festival here today. “We are channelling the creative energy of the youth in the right direction. We have also organised special workshops in Kashmir for children whose parents were killed by terrorists. They were initially terrified but after attending the workshops on writing, acting, photography and film-making, they came out of the trauma,” he added. “I consider it my social responsibility for the development of this terrorism-affected area,” he said. Raina said he had been making documentary films for many years. He was honoured with the Sanskriti Samman in 1980, the Sahitya Kala Parishad Award in 1981, the best director of the year by the West Bengal government 1982 and the best director award of the Punjabi Akademi, Delhi, in 1987. He has also received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1995 and the Swarn Padak from the Jammu and Kashmir government in 1996 for his contribution to Indian theatre. |
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2,300 houses face demolition
Rohtak, December 25 The area coming under some of the existing wards of the local civic body has been on burner for the past few years due to large-scale encroachments and construction of residential units by local residents, who were perhaps unaware of the spot being protected and the involvement of the nexus of the land mafia which has been able to sell and resell the land here on fake assurances and improper documents. The region was notified as “protected” by the government way back in 1938 and again in 1991. However, constructions took place despite the ban, claimed Deputy Commissioner RC Meena. He said the authorities would take an action against the encroachments if the residents fail to remove these or shift from here after the stipulated time period of issuance of the notices by the ASI. Most of the houses here came up in the past 25 years and involvement of the land mafia having support of some of the officials of the revenue department could not be ruled out in selling and reselling the plots here to unsuspecting residents, said sources. Dharambir (45), a resident of the locality, said the notice served to him has been dated as September 29 and has asked us to vacate the land within 10 days. He claimed that while over 5,000 houses had been built here, as many as 200 houses had registration papers. The extensive mound here locally known as Khokrakot is identified with the ancient town of Rohtak mentioned in the Mahabharata. A carved pillar capital found here shows winged lions with riders assignable to the Kushana period. A large number of coin moulds of the Yaudheyas, a terracotta plaque belonging to the Gupta period, and a coin of Samanta Deva, a 10th century Hindu ruler of Kabul, have been excavated from here. According to the local tradition, the town was rebuilt by the Chauhan ruler, Prithvi Raj in the 12th century and later destroyed by Muslim invaders. According to historians, it was an archaeological site that signified the existence of the Indus Valley civilisation. The site covered 400 sq metres.
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Karamchari sanghs to revive agitation
Sonepat, December 25 In a press statement issued here, state president Azad Singh Malik and general secretary Jeevan Singh of the sangh said the agitation was postponed following the Lok Sabha elections. However, it was revived when the state government did not pay heed to their demands. After the Rohtak rally on August 11, representatives of the sangh were invited for talks on August 24 and there was an agreement on some of the demands. However, these could not be implemented because of the model code of conduct during the state assembly elections. The karamchari leaders alleged that a letter was written to the newly formed government for resolving the issue through dialogue, but there was no response from their side. “This attitude of the government had left them with no option but to revive the agitation,” they said, adding that the protest would be organised at the district level during February and at the state level in March if the government kept “ignoring” the employees’ demands. They also demanded lifting of the ban imposed on fresh recruitment on posts lying vacant for the past two years. |
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50 sports nurseries to be set up
Sirsa, December 25 State Minister for Home, Industries and Sports Gopal Kanda said this at a function organised at Maharaja Agrasen Girls Senior Secondary School here recently. He said besides setting up sports nurseries, sports wings would also be set up in various schools and colleges of the state. “Traditional sports would be developed, besides promoting modern sports in the state,” he added. A sports academy would also be set up in Haryana to promote rural traditional sports such as kabaddi and wrestling. Sports specialists would groom the budding sportspersons in the state, he added. Kanda said a water park would soon be set up in Sirsa city, where facilities related to water sports and amusement would be made available for children. He added that it would be the first water park of Haryana and the foundation stone of the park would be laid soon. He said to promote sports in the state, the government had increased the prize money being given to medal winners in national and international sports events. Besides, sportspersons of Haryana qualifying for Olympic Games would also be given an amount of Rs 11 lakh. Sportspersons giving good account of themselves in national and international sports events were being recruited in the police at higher ranks. Hockey player Sardar Singh of Sirsa had been appointed as DSP in the Haryana police. |
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Disgruntled voices at meeting
Ellenabad, December 25 Disgruntled voices were heard at a meeting of Congress workers held in the local Agarwal Dharmashala today. The meeting was presided over by Naurang Lal Parikh, president of the city unit of the Congress. Malkiat Singh Khosa, a former chairman of Confed, who was a contender for the party ticket in the Assembly elections held in October, Devi Lal Arora, secretary of the city unit of the party, and several local workers of the party participated. Khosa was earlier close to former Deputy Prime Minister Devi Lal and was chairman of Confed from 1988 to 1989. He later joined the Congress in 1990 and is at present also the general secretary of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (ad hoc)headed by Jagdish Singh Jhinda. “The meeting was organised to plan the strategy for the forthcoming bypoll. However, the workers felt that the candidates are decided by the party from Delhi but local workers, who sweat it out in the open for victory of the party, are often forgotten after the elections,” alleged Parikh. He said they had constituted an 11-member committee of Congress workers, which will take a decision on the strategy to be adopted in the forthcoming bypoll. |
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Rs 5,000 crore to be spent on roads: MP
Sonepat, December 25 He was addressing public meetings at Bhatgaon, Nakloi, Bidhlan, Silana, Didhau, Sehri and Khanda villages in the Kharkhoda Assembly constituency. He was accompanied by local MLA and CPS Jaiveer Balmiki, AICC member Sumitra Chauhan, vice-president of the Haryana Women Commission Chander Prabha, besides other Congress leaders. The government would ensure that the canal water supply reached the tail-end, he said, adding that the construction of the Hansi-Butana canal was aimed at sorting out this problem of farmers. He announced a grant of Rs 25 lakh for the Silana gaushala. During a brief interaction with the media at Silana, Deepender termed the Ruchika incident unfortunate stating that it reflected that the investigation into the case was not satisfactory in the opinion of the people.
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Film fest to be ‘a regular event’
Yamunanagar, December 25 “Cinema is not only business and entertainment but is education as well. In this film festival and appreciation course, we must enjoy cinema as well as study it. We are going to celebrate 100 years of Indian cinema in 2012. This festival will change the image of Haryana outside the state and abroad,” said the coordinator of film appreciation course, Prof Manmohan Chadha. A special section dedicated to children was inaugurated by Bharti Parsoon, where “Blue Umbrella” and Charlie Chaplin’s film, “The Great Dictator” attracted a huge audience. |
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CM tours Kiloi villages
Rohtak, December 25 Addressing a series of public meetings at several villages, including his native village Sanghi of the Garhi-Sampla Kiloi Assembly constituency, Hooda thanked the people for reposing faith in the policies and programmes of the Congress. He said the state had made unmatched progress during the past four and a half years and asserted that he would work for the equal development all constituencies without any discrimination. |
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Blood camp in memory of freedom fighter
Sirsa, December 25 Shilpa Verma, a daughter-in-law of Pat Ram Verma and president of the District Mahila Congress, yesterday organised a blood donation camp on the death anniversary of the freedom fighter. Kuldeep Singh Dhindsa, Director-General of the JCD Vidyapeeth, inaugurated the camp. Kapila Kumar, a noted social worker, presided over. Veteran Gandhian leader and contemporary of Pat Ram Verma, Shankar Lal Verma, narrated the incidents of Verma’s trysts with British rulers during the Independence movement. Several people, including women, donated blood on the occasion. |
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1 more tests positive
for H1N1
Fatehabad, December 25 The victim, a 25-year-old youth, had gone to Bhiwani to appear in a test and probably contacted the virus from there. “He visited the general hospital with symptoms of breathlessness and fever on December 15 and his samples were sent to the National Institute of Communicable Diseases for testing,” said Civil Surgeon OP Arya. The youth was later shifted to a private hospital from where he was shifted to the PGIMS, Rohtak. “The victim is still in the PGIMS and is fine now,” said Arya. Earlier, a Jakhal woman had died of swine flu in the PGI, Chandigarh. |
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Delhi cops conduct raids
Tribune News Service
Fatehabad, December 25 The accused, Madan Lal, is alleged to have provided a fake visa to another villager, Raj Kumar, who was arrested by the Delhi police while he was trying to go to Europe. Raj Kumar, who told the police that Madan Lal managed a visa for Switzerland for him for a sum of Rs 9 lakh, was caught by the emigration authorities in Delhi and handed over the police.
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Haryana is likely to continue its march towards building itself as the ultimate destination for the industry. With a host of infrastructure projects to be initiated and/or ready for commissioning in 2010, the state is expected to see good industrial development.
