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Hooda has little choice on Kanda
Rapid rise: From shoe shop owner to a minister
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23 injured in clash over land dispute
Kalpana Chawla Medical College
Haryana Health Minister Rao Narendra Singh (right) lights a lamp during the 32nd convention organised by the Haryana Civil Medical Service Association in Karnal
on Sunday. Tribune photo: Ravi Kumar
No single caste group behind Maruti unrest
To keep records safe
Free treatment for govt school students
Diarrhoea outbreak in Gaganheri village, 11 cases detected
Kanda was harassing Geetika, alleges cousin
Chautala, Bishnoi want Hooda govt sacked
Loharu MC poll held
Ayush Dept to offer Panchkarma therapy
A view of a ransacked room of a private hospital in Ratia. A Tribune photograph
5-year-old girl killed, 11 injured in road mishap
5 mobiles seized from Rohtak jail
FDA conducts raids to check drug abuse
Violation
of Environmental Rules
Allegations baseless: MDLR Airlines manager
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Hooda has little choice on Kanda
Chandigarh, August 5 Opposition parties have started demanding the sacking of the Congress government . Citing the principal of “collective responsibility as enshrined in the Constitution”, the
INLD, the Haryana BJP, the Haryana unit of the TMC and the HJC have come together to demand Kanda’s termination. After the Delhi police registered a case of abetment to suicide this morning, it has failed to reach Kanda. Though Kanda has been available to the media to clarify his position, the failure of the Delhi police to reach him has raised eyebrows. All the more because Kanda has previously been involved in controversies in which he emerged unscathed, both legally as well as politically. The rapid pace with which Kanda has emerged as a top-notch politician-cum-industrialist-cum owner of a now-grounded airline from a petty shopkeeper in Sirsa has put question marks over his success story. For Chief Minister
Hooda, the incident took place when he was away to Kolkata, leaving little scope for him to blunt the attack of the opposition. But when he returns to Chandigarh, he will have to take some hard decisions with regard to this episode. Insiders in the party say that the Chief Minister has not been very happy with Kanda, whose contribution in checking the law and order situation as the MOS (Home) has been found wanting. Haryana has witnessed a series of agitations across the state, including the mayhem at the Maruti factory in
Manesar. Kanda has not played a pro-active role that the Chief Minister expected of him in all these incidents. There is a growing demand in conservative Haryana to probe the role of Kanda in the entire episode. Kanda (46) has termed Geetika Sharma (23) as only an employee. But he had made Geetika a trustee in his
Sirsa-based school, presented her with a BMW car and extended a loan of Rs 7.5 lakhs to pursue her MBA degree. Opposition leaders want to know how many other employees of Kanda were treated so lavishly. For now, INLD President and former Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala has demanded Kanda’s arrest and his immediate dismissal.
Haryana TMC chief KD Singh has demanded a CBI probe into the incident, saying that Kanda with his money power and position would never let the truth come out. He has supported Chautala’s demand for sacking Kanda. HJC chief Kuldip
Bishnoi, too, has demanded sacking of the Hooda Government, claiming that the state was facing a complete breakdown of the law and order
machinery. Haryana BJP chief Krishan Pal Gujjar too has said that if Hooda did not sack the minister, the entire Opposition would agitate for his removal. He has pleaded for justice to the air hostess who committed suicide. Opposition guns for kanda
Opposition parties have started demanding the sacking of the Congress government. Citing the principal of “collective responsibility as enshrined in the Constitution”, theINLD, the Haryana BJP, the Haryana unit of the TMC and the HJC have come together to demand Kanda’s termination. |
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Rapid rise: From shoe shop owner to a minister
Chandigarh, August 5 On his way up, he turned industrialist for a while, dabbled in property dealing and reaped rich dividends and even tested the waters in the aviation sector till his flight was grounded before realising his calling lay in playing politics. Two decades ago, Kanda was a shoe-shop owner in Sirsa’s Hisaria Bazar till he graduated to a showroom full of branded shoes. But,
Sirsa, with it’s small-town mentality didn’t have a market for brands and the business came a cropper. In the late 1990s, lady luck finally smiled on Kanda when he stepped out of Sirsa to dabble into the real estate sector in Gurgaon as money began to flow in. Despite filling his coffers, Kanda, a nobody till then, shot into limelight for his proximity to INLD chief Om Prakash Chautala when he weighed Sirsa’s party candidate, Padam
Jain, in currency notes instead of coins during the 2000 elections. After that there was no looking back for Kanda who “managed the show” for the Chautalas at the organisational meetings and parties. Around this time, as his real estate business travelled beyond Haryana’s boundaries, Kanda started the MDLR Airlines which initially took wings but finally “crashed out”. Sources maintain that till the May, 2009, parliamentary elections, Kanda’s honeymoon with the Chautalas was blossoming. In his own words, he says nursing personal ambitions of contesting elections struck a discordant note and soured his relationship. That’s how, INLD chief Om Prakash Chautala’s one-time confidant parted ways to contest his first assembly election in October ,2009, as an Independent and won it. Since then, the Chautalas and Kanda have been at daggers drawn. Immediately after he was elected MLA and as he readied to leave for Delhi, Kanda alleged that a few INLD workers descended at his residence to “kidnap” him since he had dared the Chautalas and sought the Chief Minister’s intervention. The Superintendent of Police then dropped him off at the airport. In September, 2010, Kanda, then a minister, was in the news for the wrong reasons again. The issue of a gang rape in a car, which, Chautala alleged, belonged to Kanda, rocked the Assembly session. Chautala also alleged that when the crime took place, Kanda was driving the car, something Kanda vehemently denied. Again, in the government supported by Independents, Kanda was known to be very active in holding meetings of the Independents to “fight for their due”. His differences with local MP Ashok Tanwar are also well known. In July last year, former cricketer Atul Wassan had alleged that he had been roughed up for trying to overtake Kanda’s car in
Gurgaon. Kanda no stranger to controversy
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23 injured in clash over land dispute
Ambala, August 5 The police said the clash took place following a dispute over a three-marla plot located near the Ravidas temple in the village. Both groups were claiming ownership over the plot. Villagers said a similar situation was averted some 20 days ago with the timely intervention of other villagers. However, today the situation went out of control. Dozens of men armed with rods and sticks and agricultural implements turned against each other in the village. It was learnt that one Balbir Singh was residing on the piece of land for the past many years. But recently, the Ravidas temple committee staked a claim over the land. Around three weeks ago, ACP Mukesh Malhotra had called a meeting over the issue and the matter was amicably settled. Last night, when Balbir Singh was sleeping with his family members, members of the rival group attacked him with iron rods and sharp-edged weapons. As Balbir raised an alarm, some of his supporters reached the spot and pelted the rival group with stones. Of the total 23 persons injured in the clash,
17 were referred to the PGI, Chandigarh. |
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Kalpana Chawla Medical College Bhanu P. Lohumi Tribune News Service
Karnal, August 5 The Heath Minister, who was here to address the 32nd state-level convention of the Civil Medical Service Association, said the foundation stone of the college would soon be laid by Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. "Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda will soon lay the foundation stone of the 500-bedded Kalpana Chawla Medical College, which will be constructed at a cost of Rs 400 crore," he added. The medical college project, which spreads over an area of 40 acres, had become an emotional issue for the residents, as the Indo-US astronaut hailed from Karnal. Financial Commissioner-cum-Principal Secretary, Health, Rajan Gupta had announced on August 3, 2010, that work would start by the end of the month. But after that, except acquisition of land, nothing much has been done.
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No single caste group behind Maruti unrest
Chandigarh, August 5 However, a study of the caste and domicile profiles of about 100 workers arrested in connection with the violent agitation does not support the argument that the agitation was due to workers belonging to the “politically influential areas”. Their profiles are the reflection of the cosmopolitan character Gurgaon has developed over the years. Among the arrested persons, the number of those belonging to UP is highest at 27 after Haryana, followed by six from Rajasthan. The number of arrested workers from Punjab and Himachal is five each. MP, Delhi, Uttrakhand and Chandigarh have one each. Among Haryana districts, Karnal tops the list with eight persons among the arrested workers while Rohtak, the home district of the Chief Minister, has only two. Sonepat and Jhajjar, supposed to be two other “politically influential districts”, have five and four arrested workers, respectively. From Gurgaon, the district in which the plant is located, only two persons figure in the list of the arrested workers whereas four workers each belong to Sirsa, Jind, Ambala and Hisar. One worker each has been arrested from Bhiwani, Panipat and Palwal districts. Kaithal, from where Industries Minister Randip Singh Surjewala comes, has three workers in the list arrested persons. According to the caste profile of the arrested workers, about 20 are Dalits while 15 belong to the Backward Classes. Similarly, about 20 arrested workers belong to the Jat community out of which only nine belong to Haryana while the others are either from UP or Rajasthan. Among other arrested workers are 13 Brahmins, seven Ahirs, two Rors, one each belonging to the Kamboj, Christian, Saini, Sikh, Aggarwal and Bishnoi communities. As many as six Rajput workers have also been arrested so far. |
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Govt to computerise panchayats in Hindi
Bhanu P. Lohumi Tribune News Service
Nilokheri (Karnal), August 5 Addressing the gram sachivs (panchayat secretaries) undergoing training at the Rajiv Gandhi State Panchayati Raj Institute here yesterday, he said, “Due to increase in population, the workload of the Panchayat and Development Department has also increased and it has become imperative to convert panchayats into e-panchayats to keep the record safe and updated.” In order to keep a close watch on the functioning of the panchayats, implementation of schemes, providing guidance and ensuring transparency, the government has decided to appoint Cluster Panchayat Development Officers and the Finance Department has already given its nod for the appointment of 2,300 such officers, he said. Rao said, “The government is sanctioning about Rs 2,000 crore for the development of the rural areas every year and the entire amount is being spent through panchayats and as such an independent agency for social audit is being created to keep the panchayats free from local pressures.” He urged the gram sachivs to properly maintain the accounts and place the same at the gram sabha meetings and take innovative steps to bring efficiency and transparency in functioning. The Principal Secretary also laid the foundation stone of Rs 2.24 crore hostel building of the institute, inaugurated the administrative block constructed at a cost of Rs 80 lakh and also planted trees. Karnal Deputy Commissioner Renu S Phulia urged the gram sachivs not to succumb to any pressure and use their own discretion. She said the government had set a target to make all villages in the state "Nirmal villages" by 2015 and gram sachivs would be required to play a pro-active role to achieve the target. Explaining the training programme, Institute Principal Dr KK More said basic training of gram sachivs was essential for proper functioning and 295 gram sachivs from five districts of Ambala, Fetehabad, Kurukshetra, Yamunanagar and Karnal would get training in two phases from August 3 to August 17 and from August 27 to September 7. “The training is being imparted to both old and new gram sachivs and a large number of new sachivs are ex-servicemen,” he said.
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Free treatment for govt school students
Chandigarh, August 5 Rakesh Gupta, director of the National Rural Health Mission, said the scheme would also include treatment for cancer and heart ailments to prepare a blueprint for better execution of the IBSY in the state. Under this scheme, children would be given treatment at the PGIMS (Rohtak), PGI (Chandigarh), and other major health care institutes. The IBSY being run by the Health Department could be given a new dimension with the help of the Sarva Sikhsha Abhiyan and the Education Department to improve the health of children between 0 and 18 years, he said. Gupta said the children would be diagnosed for anaemia and this work would be carried out jointly by the Education and Health Departments. For this, teachers would be trained at the block level to examine children and laboratory technicians of the Health Department would visit schools to check the level of haemoglobin in children. If the level is low, the child would be given medicine free of cost and if any child is found suffering from severe anaemia, he/she would be referred to a health institute for free treatment. He added that under this scheme, eyes of children would be checked, and if needed, free spectacles would be provided to them. Differently abled children would also be diagnosed and they would be provided with a Disability Certificate after evaluation of their capabilities, besides free remedial surgery.
— PTI |
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Diarrhoea outbreak in Gaganheri village, 11 cases detected
Ambala, August 5 Waking up to the gravity of the situation, the district health authorities have deployed a team of health officials in the village, which has been examining patients. Besides the officials, the Public Health Department has been asked to collect water samples and take measures to ensure that proper supply of drinking water is restored in the village. A resident Jeet Ram said three days ago some children from the village reported pain in their abdomen along with vomits and loose motions. Soon more people started complaining of the same problem. This is when they reported the matter to the district health authorities, which sent a team of doctors to the village. The authorities are now distributing chlorine tables among residents. The district authorities have directed doctors to remain stationed in the affected area and administer medical treatment to those who were suffering from gastroenteritis. So far, doctors have confirmed 11 cases of diarrhoea while others with similar symptoms are also being treated. |
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Kanda was harassing Geetika, alleges cousin
Gurgaon, August
5 Geetika hanged herself on Saturday night at her Ashok Vihar residence in Delhi. Talking to The Tribune, Geetika’s cousin brother Gaurav Sharma said the police recovered the suicide note which read, “I have believed these people, but they are not trustworthy. Whatever has happened with me, it shouldn't happen with anyone else. To save myself from circumstances, I am taking this step”. The suicide has created a political storm in the state with the opposition parties burning effigies of the minister and demanding his removal from the cabinet. The opposition accused the minister of misusing his authority as an
employer. Geetika had been working with Kanda for the past one-and-half months but suddenly stopped going to the office. The management also called her up but she didn’t go back, he said, adding that Kanda was harassing her. On the basis of the suicide note, the police booked Kanda for abetment to suicide. He said Kanda had been stalking her and used to call her from his phone saying that he would not let her work anywhere if she did not work for him. At the time of the suicide, no member of her family was at home. Her father, Suresh Sharma, owns a private printing press, her mother Anuradha Sharma works in the J&K’s Finance Department and her younger brother Ankit Sharma is a fashion designer in
Mumbai. |
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Chautala, Bishnoi want Hooda govt sacked
Fatehabad, August 5 The Delhi Police today booked Kanda under Section 306 of the IPC after Geetika Sharma, a former staffer of Kanda’s airlines, ended her life holding Kanda responsible for the extreme step. Chautala, who was here to address the 10th Institution Day function of the Indian National Student Organisation (INSO), alleged that several ministers and the MLAs in the Hooda government had crossed all limits of morality. He said as far as Kanda was concerned, it was not the first instance when he had been found involved in criminal activity. Terming Kanda as a man with criminal past, Chautala alleged that earlier, the minister’s personal car was involved in a case of gang rape, a member of his family was involved in a scuffle with a former cricketer, he and his supporters were involved in an attack at income tax officials and INLD workers during Sirsa bandh. Hisar: HJC chief and Lok Sabha member from Hisar Kuldeep Bishnoi on Sunday demanded dismissal of the Bhupinder Singh Hooda government following the registration of a case of abetment to suicide against Gopal Kanda. He said the Apna Ghar scandal and the Kanda case had exposed the involvement of Congress bigwigs in criminal activities in Haryana. The Chief Minister ought to quit owning moral responsibility otherwise the Governor should dismiss the Hooda government, he said. Bishnoi said despite the state staring at a drought, the Hooda government had not taken any steps to mitigate the suffering of the farmers. The government had not been able to seek a special relief package from the Centre. |
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Loharu MC poll held
Chandigarh, August 5 He said it was held as per the election programme issued on July 12 by the State Election Commission, Haryana. One Election Observer and one Expenditure Observer for the general elections of the MC, Loharu, were appointed for smooth conduct of elections. One Returning Officer and one Assistant Returning Officer were appointed for Municipal Committee, Loharu. The polling started at 7.30 am and concluded at 4.30 pm. He said the counting of votes started at the polling station immediately after the close of poll. |
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Ayush Dept to offer Panchkarma therapy
Gurgaon, August 5 The minister said the introduction of the Panchkarma therapy was at a planning stage and modalities were being worked out to offer it at the Ayush Departments in the General Hospitals. Gurgaon would be one of the districts where this therapy would be introduced. |
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Youths ransack private hospital in Ratia
Fatehabad, August 5 The attackers alleged that a doctor summoned Om Parkash, a tea stall owner, to the hospital, where he and four others allegedly thrashed him for several hours in captivity. The tea stall owner sustained serious injuries on his head and other parts of his body and was admitted to General Hospital. The victim told
mediapersons that the doctor and his accomplices beat him up mercilessly
for the offence he had not committed. His family members lodged a complaint with the police in this regard. Om Parkash said the doctor accused him of making unsavoury calls to a member of his family, but he didn’t do it. As the news of the attack spread, supporters of the doctor assembled and demanded immediate arrest of those responsible for ransacking of the hospital. |
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5-year-old girl killed, 11 injured in road mishap
Gurgaon, August 5 Eyewitnesses told the police that the occupants of the car were in an inebriated condition. "We reached the spot within two minutes. But by the time we reached there, they had already fled because their car did not sustain any damage," said Hardeep Singh, a senior police officer from the Sector 29 Police Station. |
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5 mobiles seized from Rohtak jail
Rohtak, August 5 A police spokesperson said the police yesterday seized several mobile phones from the district jail complex at Sunarian village following a raid. He said SSP Vivek Sharma received an information that some of the inmates were possessing mobiles. He said while the mobiles had been seized, the
police would soon be taking all accused on production warrant after registering a case. The police had booked several cases and arrested 20 inmates in connection with possession of mobiles and SIM cards this year. |
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FDA conducts raids to check drug abuse
Chandigarh, August 5 A spokesman of the Health Department said 200 raids had been conducted, 50 licenses of chemist shops had been cancelled, 40 licenses of chemist shops suspended, legal action taken against 40 chemist shops and seven chemist shops had been booked under the Narcotic Drug Psychotropic Substance Act, 1985. Besides, an awareness campaign and training programmes had been organised. He said members of the Panchayti Raj Institutions were also being involved in this campaign. |
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Violation
of Environmental Rules
Chandigarh, August 5 In a representation to the chairman of the Central Empowered Committee of the Union Government, Vijay Bansal, president of the manch, alleged though an inquiry committee report of the Haryana Forest Department was sent to the state government on April 19 yet nothing had been done so far. Bansal said the inquiry committee had highlighted serious irregularities on the part of the Himalayan Expressway in the run-up to the completion of the toll plaza. The report had also alleged many instances of violations of environmental rules and regulations. — TNS
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Allegations baseless: MDLR Airlines manager
Gurgaon, August 5 |
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Karnal, August 5
Fatehabad, August 5
