The Tribune...Haryana

H A R Y A N A

Thursday July 9, 1998

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Surjewala demands probe into farmers' suicide
CHANDIGARH, July 8 — Mr Shamsher Singh Surjewala, M.P and former Irrigation and Power Minister of Haryana, today claimed that between 15,000 and 20,000 farmers had committed suicide during the past three years in Haryana alone.

Focus on rift in HPCC
GURGAON, July 8 — Factionalism in the Haryana Congress is bothering the party’s central leadership.
With the central leadership effecting changes of guard in the politically important states of Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab, the focus would now be on Haryana, say sources.

1 lakh candidates
for 1800 posts
CHANDIGARH, July 8 — More than one lakh youth are trying their luck to claim just 1800 posts of constable in Haryana. A good number of them are postgraduates or graduates. Even among the Scheduled Caste candidates are a number of graduates or post-matriculates.

Four held for assault on patrol
SONEPAT, July 8 — The police has arrested four persons in connection with the alleged assault on a patrol, injuring two constables on the G.T.Road near Bari village of this district on June 25.

Mandir demolition: showdown in offing
HISAR, July 8 — A showdown is imminent between the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) and the Shiv Mandir Sangarsh Samiti, Hisar, over the construction of a temple at Red Square Market here.

Surjewala demands probe
into farmers' suicide
Tribune News Service
CHANDIGARH, July 8 — Mr Shamsher Singh Surjewala, M.P and former Irrigation and Power Minister of Haryana, today claimed that between 15,000 and 20,000 farmers had committed suicide during the past three years in Haryana alone.
Talking to newsmen here this morning, Mr Surjewala, who is also President of the Haryana Krishak Samaj, questioned the veracity of figures released by the Government of India on the basis of details supplied by

various state governments.
He demanded that a commission or committee of members of Parliament should be set up to organise a sample survey of farmers who had committed suicide in, say, 10 villages of each district in the country on account of their inability to clear debts.
Nearly 100 farmers, according to a sample survey done by Mr Surjewala himself, had ended their lives during the past three years by taking pesticide or some other poisonous substance used in farming as they did not find farming or working on the farms as labourers a viable profession.
He quoted instances of seven villages of Jind district Chhattar, Balarkha, Dhakal, Karamgarh, Danauda Khurd, Farain Kalan and Badanpur. A majority of the farmers who committed suicide were aged between 20 years and 35 years and some children in cases involving family suicide pacts, he added.
He said 95 per cent of the farmers owned less than five acres of land and out of these 50 per cent had between one and two acres of land. It was unfortunate, he said, that nearly 70 per cent of the farmers were still depending on money-lenders and the nationalised and cooperative banks covered a mere 28 per cent chunk of the loan receiving farming community.
He demanded that the Government of India should set aside a sum of at least Rs 25,000 crore for modernising agriculture in the country and take package measures to uplift the lot of the poor farmers.
He also demanded a grant of Rs 5 lakh for the family of each of the farmers involved in suicides, amendment of law to ensure that no farmer was arrested for non-payment of loans, reduction in rates of farming loans to 6 per cent and Rs 500 as unemployment allowance for educated major sons/daughters of farmers.
He also said that the government should save the farmers from the evil influence of market forces let loose by the multinationals under the cover of liberalisation.

Focus on rift in HPCC
From Ravi S. Singh
Tribune News Service
GURGAON, July 8 — Factionalism in the Haryana Congress is bothering the party’s central leadership.
With the central leadership effecting changes of guard in the politically important states of Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab, the focus would now be on Haryana, say sources.
A broad indication to the leadership’s concern over the "internecine" fighting was also given by the general secretary of the All-India Congress Committee (AICC) and in charge of Haryana affairs, Mrs Meira Kumar, at an extended meeting of the executive committee of the state unit of the party held in Faridabad a few days ago.
Addressing Congress leaders, Mrs Kumar sternly said that no one was bigger than the party and that the central leadership was seized of the ongoings in the state unit.
Mrs Kumar’s statements were in response to senior leaders of the Haryana Congress openly levelling charges of anti-party activities against former Chief Minister Bhajan Lal ever since Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda took the reins of the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee. Significantly, Mr Bhajan Lal and his supporters were conspicuously absent in the meeting. "They did not attend the meeting in spite of letters of invitation sent to them", claimed a spokesman of the HPCC, Mr Prem Gupta.
What is said to be giving anxious moments to the Bhajan Lal lobby was Mrs Meira Kumar’s reported praise of the efforts made by Mr Hooda to strengthen the party. The joint secretary of the AICC, Mr Mukul Wasnik , who is also involved with the Haryana affairs adopted the same line in the meeting.
The two national leaders urged upon the state leaders to strengthen Mr Hooda’s hands. They also assured support to him by the central leadership.
However, the other faction in the Congress headed by former HPCC president Birender Singh, which has openly expressed its reservation against the leadership of Mr Hooda, has already launched an exercise to counter the allegations of indiscipline levelled against party leaders. By implication, the exercise was seen as an effort to shield its leaders and members of the Bhajan Lal lobby.
Mr Birender Singh, speaking at the meeting of the extended committee of HPCC, said the charge of indiscipline against party leaders was misplaced. He said Mr Lal and Mr Hooda were aspirants for the post of Chief Minister. Aspiration for the post was democratic and it was for the central leadership to settle the issue, he added.
Referring to the charges of anti-party activities levelled by some leaders during the last parliamentary election in the state, he said that the party had fared better than the earlier Lok Sabha election. The people rejected the Congress leaders it did not adopt. Therefore, wrong conception by way of attributing anti-party activities for the loss of some party nominees should not be indulged in, he added.

Four held for assault on patrol
From Our Correspondent
SONEPAT, July 8 — The police has arrested four persons in connection with the alleged assault on a patrol, injuring two constables on the G.T.Road near Bari village of this district on June 25.
The SP told mediapersons here today that the accused have been identified as Mange Ram of Kundli village, Mazhar Khan of Hapur (UP), Gurdayal of Neemka (UP) and Surinder. He said a hunt has been launched for four others who have been identified as Jhambra Yadav and Ram Bir Yadav of Dundhiapur, Prem Yadav of Tiket village and Amarnath, brother of Mange Ram.
They are wanted in several cases of thefts.
As many as 16 cases of thefts have been solved and stolen property worth Rs 40 lakh recovered following the arrests.
A canter loaded with stolen goods was also seized by the police.
The SP said the accused had fired shots at inmates of jhuggis and escaped with household articles etc. They also broke into a brass factory near Qumashpur village and stole some goods. They had committed thefts in Panipat, Karnal and Rohtak, he added.

Mandir demolition: showdown in offing
Tribune News Service
HISAR, July 8 — A showdown is imminent between the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) and the Shiv Mandir Sangarsh Samiti, Hisar, over the construction of a temple at Red Square Market here.
A few days back the HUDA authorities demolished a structure under construction at Red Square Market. According to Mr Suresh Kumar, convener of the sangharsh samiti, it was a temple under construction. He claimed the temple had existed there for the past 15 years. Now they had only been expanding it within the permissible limits.
He said the construction had been started with due permission from HUDA and it had approved the map. However, according to Mr Suresh Kumar, the HUDA authorities came with a heavy police force and demolished the structure. However, the HUDA authorities have been

maintaining the temple had been extended beyond the permissible limits.
Although most political and social organisations here have maintained a discreet silence on the issue, the local unit of the Bajrang Dal has supported the cause of the mandir sangharsh samiti. It claimed it had started the registration of kar sevaks for completing the construction of the temple. Mr Suresh Kumar said, on the first day of the registration more than 100 volunteers had registered themselves for the "kar seva". He said, women had also come to register themselves for the "kar seva".
Meanwhile, the samiti has resumed construction at the same site. It plans to complete the temple before Shivratri, when it would be formally opened for the devotees. Yesterday, an idol of Lord Shiva was installed at the site.
Currently, the activists of the samiti are sitting on a dharna and undergoing a relay fast. From July 16, the samiti claimed, some of its activists will start a fast unto death in case the government did not intervene and allowed it to construct the temple.

1 lakh candidates for 1800 posts
By Gobind Thukral
Tribune News Service
CHANDIGARH, July 8 — More than one lakh youth are trying their luck to claim just 1800 posts of constable in Haryana. A good number of them are postgraduates or graduates. Even among the Scheduled Caste candidates are a number of graduates or post-matriculates.
Haryana's Director General of Police, Mr S.K. Sethi giving these details said that the department had evolved a good foolproof recruitment system.
"After the applications are found in order, there is a test to find the physical measurements pertaining to height, chest and other relevant requirements. Next is the minimum fitness test that includes racing, jumping and other endurance tests. Once the candidates go through the tests, they are called for interviews", Mr Sethi said.
The state police chief said that each selection board consisted of the district police chief and two deputy superintendents of police, one drawn from the same district and the other from outside. This was meant to keep transparency. Anyone with a complaint of any kind could approach the Deputy Inspector General of the range within three days."There is no point entertaining complaints for the sake of complaints. The officer concerned has to look into these and take suitable measures immediately," he added.

Asked about the charge of corruption and nepotism levelled by certain political leaders including the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, Mr Sethi said that he would not like to directly comment on the charges, but the proof of pudding was in the eating. "We have evolved a good system and that is working well. The process is on and it is premature to make complaints of nepotism. I check with the selection boards on a daily basis. The Deputy Inspectors-General of Police have not received many complaints. People can also come to me, but with specific complaints", he added.
Mr Sethi said that the police officers were aware of what had happened in the past. The last selections in 1995 were challenged in courts and in fact the Supreme Court judgement was awaited in that case. "We have taken measures to check malpractices", he added.
Mr Sethi also said that since the number of aspirants was very large, there was bound to be resentment. The real problem was unemployment. The leaders must address to this menace on a war footing.
Asked to comment on the law and order situation and the charge by many Opposition leaders including Mr Chautala and the State Congress President, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, (MP), Mr Sethi said that the general crime situation compared with the past was not bad, but admitted

that a large number of youth were taking to crime in a big way. "There is a rising trend of robberies, snatching and other crimes. More and more people are getting small local-made arms which are available cheaply from Moradabad and other areas of Uttar Pradesh. Recently we recovered such "kattas" from Sirsa, Fatehabad and other parts of Rohtak and Jind. Boys who had taken to smuggling of liquor during prohibition have now taken to crime. This is worrying the police a lot, "he admitted.
Asked what measures the police was taking to enforce law and order, he said that better policing was one answer, but the criminal justice system too should be activated. It had become sluggish and then the problem of unemployment should be addressed more seriously.
"I am also encouraging registration of all types of crime so that we have a correct picture. We stand for a transparent system and whenever a complaint comes to me, I try to find out if the case has been registered or not", Mr Sethi added.