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| Tuesday,
November 13, 2001, Chandigarh, India
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SPOTLIGHT Nuh (Gurgaon), November 12 For yet another woman, Sumrauti, a native of village Dewla Nagli, who subsists on the poverty line, it was the high-spot of her adult life: The fact that she and 1,100 other women of Nuh Block were attending the assembly. The Mewat Development Agency (MDA), a government body constituted for the all-round development of the area, in tandem with a voluntary organisation called Development Support Team(DST), had organised the assembly (Comprising women of 50 villages of the Nuh Block). The participants were members of Self-Help Groups(SFGs) set up in the villages. Such groups are operating in all parts of Mewat -- spanning Gurgaon and Fardiabad districts of Haryana. The groups, supported by the voluntary organisations working under the supervision of MDA, take up activities aimed at economic and social empowerment of the women members. The event was organised to give the women of Mewat, the most backward area of Haryana, an opportunity to exhibit their talents. According to the Chairman of the MDA, Mr S.A.Khan, “The MDA will continue to provide an outlet to the women of Mewat to display their skills and come out of their clichéd image of backwardness. According to observers, this was the biggest assembly of women in Haryana. What caught the fancy of many was the strong turnout of women in Mewat, considered to be the bastion of a patriarchal society. Incidentally, the Meo Muslims have dominated Mewat. The DST project Director, Ms Shobha Sharma, said that the women had come out of the closet in spite of the negative attitude of a section of menfolk. Those present on the occasion were surprised that women came to the venue from far-flung areas of Nuh Block. To cap it all, they delivered speeches with elan. The speakers, many of whom came to the venue with a child in arms, even urged the participants to send their children to schools, keep their house and environs clean and develop a distinctive personality. The female animators of MDA, all from Mewat, also put up displays in exhibition stalls at the venue. The stalls bore one-liners, inspiring the women to stand on their own feet. Adages like "Hum
do, hamare do" and "Chotta parivar, sukhi parivar”, buttressed by pictures, were the leitmotifs in the stalls. One of the visitors moved by the display of self-confidence of the fair sex was the member of the National
Commission for Women, Mrs Nafisa Hussain. Mrs Hussain, the chief guest on the occasion, stressed that apart from training the women, who were already burdened with all kinds of chores, the menfolk of Mewat must also be asked to fulfil their obligations vis-à-vis their families. She debunked the theory that Islam did not permit the women to have formal education. |
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Businessman robbed of Rs 5 lakh New Delhi, November 12 The incident occurred when the victim, Rajesh, was returning home from his garment shop in Gandhi Nagar. He was carrying the cash in a bag on his two-wheeler, the police said. According to the police, the suspects were seen moving around in a scooter rickshaw and were apparently lying in wait for the businessman. The instant they saw him, they rammed their vehicle into his two-wheeler, forcing him to lose his balance. The victim received some injuries and was momentarily immobilised. In the ensuing melee, the suspects escaped with the cash and the vehicle. He was rushed to a hospital by a police control room van, which was called to the spot after some passers-by spotted the scooterist lying on the road crying for help. According to the police, the criminals seemed to be professional and reportedly followed him from Gandhi Nagar. They chose an isolated spot in Anand Vihar to strike. This is the third major robbery in the Capital in the last few days. Earlier, a courier of a Jaipur jeweller was robbed of his cash by armed men in the Kashmere Gate area. A Delhi Police constable, posted as the Personal Security Officer of a Union minister, was also attacked and robbed by armed suspects in the Desh Bandhu Gupta Road area; he was returning home with his salary. The incidents have occurred even as the police claims to have strengthened the security in the city in view of the festival season and the constant threat of terrorist strikes in the backdrop of the September 11 bombings. The police said that efforts were being made to trace the suspects involved in the aforesaid cases and patrolling in
the city was being further intensified. |
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Decks cleared for annual trade ritual New Delhi, November 12 Thousands of Delhiites are expected to throng the sprawling Pragati Maidan complex to catch a glimpse of products
both avant garde and commonplace which will be on display during the two-week annual India International Trade Fair (IITF) that gets under way from Wednesday. Amidst elaborate security arrangements and in the backdrop of gloomy economic scenario, TF 2001 seeks to showcase India’s vast and diverse socio-cultural heritage along with the latest developments epitomising the country’s industrial and technological prowess. Over 6,500 companies from all over India along with exhibitors from 21 countries including Brazil, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Belarus, China, Hong Kong, Iran, Korea, Myanmar, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Tunisia, Turkey, the UAE and Vietnam are taking part in this mega event. Besides, trade and business delegations from Russia, Ghana, Sri Lanka, Norway, Moldavia, the UK and Pakistan are expected to visit the exhibition organised by the Indian Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO). The development of Pragati Maidan as the country’s premier exhibition complex has quite a history. Spread across an area of 150 acres on Mathura Road in the heart of the Capital, the complex has 27 permanent pavilions. |
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Hassled by cops, driver ends life Jhajjar, November 12 They said that the deceased had given money to the policemen once, but they came again two days ago and asked him to fulfil their demands. |
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Bus operators lay siege New Delhi, November 12
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FACE TO FACE One faction or the other of the Shiromani Akali Dal has managed the gurdwaras in the Capital. A split in the parent organisation or merger directly affects the political affiliations of the Sikh leaders in Delhi. Paramjit Singh Sarna who heads the Shiromani Akali Dal Delhi owes his allegiance to former head of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, Gurcharan Singh Tohra. Sarna headed the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee before the present committee took over. In an exclusive interview with R. Suryamurthy, the former DSGMC chief highlighted the achievements during his tenure and the lacunae in the functioning of the present committee. The industrialist-turned-political activist is a close associate of the veteran Akali leader Tohra. He has been taking up the cudgels for the Sikh community and has also raised his voice against the ‘denigration’ of the community in the NCERT history books. He has also been organising jathas to Sikh shrines in Pakistan. What has been the significant achievement of Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee during the past one year? There is hardly any achievement of Delhi Singh Gurdwara Management Committee during the past one year and five months. There are only negative ‘achievements’. During my first term, my team and I initiated new projects. To meet the rising demand for MBAs, we opened the Guru Nanak Institute of Management in Punjabi Bagh. We also planned to open a residential International Public School for the wards of Sikhs in India and abroad. Gurcharan Singh Tohra laid the foundation of Guru Tegh Bahadur International Public School at Beeghar in Hissar District. But, my successive committee stopped the work on it. The Guru Tegh Bahadur Institute of Technology affiliated to Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University was opened at Tilak Nagar. We also initiated the project for a 200-beded Guru Harkrishan Sahib Hospital and Research Centre at Gurdwara Bala Sahib. The work on Sant Harcharan Singh Longawal Sport Stadium was completed and foundation stone was laid for the Department of Sikh Studies in Khalsa College. The land for Bala Sahib Gurdwara was regularised by the DDA. Similarly, the two-acre land in Gujaranwala Town was regularised which had been under the illegal occupation of thousands of jhuggis for the past several years. A fresh plot of four acres of prime land was procured from the DDA in Hargobind Enclave in exchange of the plot of Gujranwala Town without any additional payment. Not only this, we improved our educational institutions. We stopped all leakages in their revenues and brought them out of the red. Administration of Gurdwaras and Dharam Prachar was activated. About Rs 1.5 crore was spent on the engineering college and more than Rs one crore was given to Baba Harbans Singh for starting the hospital at Gurdwara Bala Sahib. And, still fixed deposits were about Rs 4.5 crore during those years. We spent Rs 80 lakh for the completion of Guru Gobind Singh College and Rs 65 lakh for Guru Tegh Bahadur International School. Our Committee also started the project to build a Master Tara Singh Auditorium and Sant Harcharan Singh Longowal Sports Stadium on the premises of Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa College. We also started the project for constructing new buildings for Guru Gobind Singh College for Commerce and Guru Tegh Bahadur Polytechnic at Vasant Vihar. The administration of gurdwaras under the management of DSGMC was significantly improved. Only duly qualified teachers were appointed and we did not resort to any over-employment anywhere. Avtar Singh Hit Committee, on the other hand, made no savings during the years. They instead started eating up the old savings by prematurely withdrawing the fixed deposits. They have recruited more than 800 employees in DSGMC without need. There is a lot of leakage resulting in bad financial condition. They have spent about Rs 1.75crore for the computerisation of DSGMC. The standard of the school and other institutions has been adversely affected owing to a large-scale indiscriminate appointment of undeserving candidates. No attention has been paid towards Dharam Parchar on Amrit Sanchar. Corruption is rampant everywhere. This is the general feeling in the Sikh circles. What are the areas in which improvement could be made? The present DSGMC should have exercised control on the financial management and increasing incidents of corruption. Computerisation could have done at the expense of Rs 40 lakhs. They should have done without any fresh recruitment in both DSGMC and educational institutions. They could have continued work on projects to open new institutions. What are the areas of main concern for the Sikh community in Delhi? The DSGMC has opened a large number and variety of educational institutions. But of late, their standard has suffered owing to over-indulgence by politicians, over-staffing and sub-standard recruitments. This needs attention. The DSGMC is not doing enough Dharam Parchar work and Amrit Sanchar. The involvement of the Sikh youth in religious matters is not up to the desired level. The elections to the DSGMC are long due. Are you in favour of its holding. What steps are your party taking to build pressure on the Delhi Government to hold early elections? I firmly believe that election for all bodies including DSGMC must be held timely. Any delay in holding these elections breeds corruption, lethargy, and inefficiency. Our party has been trying to hold general election of DSGMC for the past two years but the other party taking advantage of their proximity to the Central government and state government, has been successful in stalling the elections. We, however, also believe that till general elections are held, the executive elections should continue to be timely conducted. But, Avtar Singh Hit is not holding executive elections, which have become due since May 12, 2001. The concentration of the Sikh community in the Capital is largest outside Punjab. However, the politics here continues to be controlled by the people in power in Punjab. Is it the right practice or there needs to be some change? Our party and myself have never been in favour of the people in power in Punjab controlling the politics of Sikhs in Delhi and even elsewhere outside Punjab. Their interests are not always similar. Master Tara Singh also used to say that the Sikhs outside Punjab should make their own political decisions according to the political situations in their states and as per their interests. We had formed Shiromani Akali Dal Delhi in February 1999 with the consultation of the Sikhs in Delhi.
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SONEPAT Sonepat, November 12 Most of these consumers are being fooled and fleeced by those running the fair price shops every month. These consumers are deprived of their monthly ration of levy sugar and kerosene and all complaints made to the authorities concerned in this regard have fallen on deaf ears. Members of BPL families interviewed by this correspondent said that poor quality atta was being sold at the fair price shops. The flour millers are learnt to have earned profits through adulteration of recycled atta and extraction of maida and suji from the PDS wheat, thus making it devoid of essential nutrients. Many consumers have complaints relating to the poor quality of sugar, faulty weighing, overcharging and diversion of the rationed sugar and kerosene to the black market. They also alleged that the owners of the fair price shops never issued proper receipts to the consumers in the absence of any check by the authorities concerned. Certain other consumers alleged that the office of the District Food and Supplies Controller had become a den of corruption and no work was done without greasing the palms of the officials. Most of the employees in this office had been working for the past three decades in one position. Their posts had in fact become non-transferable. The role of the inspectorate staff had also come under a cloud. Those in the know of things revealed that every inspector collected money as nazrana from the owners of the fair price shops, LPG dealers, owners of petrol stations and shopkeepers for turning a blind eye towards their irregularities and malpractices. Money is alleged to exchange hands at different levels in the offices of this department. To make up for all the expenses, some of the unscrupulous fair price shop owners fleece consumers mostly in the rural areas. The situation in this city is going from bad to worse as the officials of the department are least bothered about public complaints regarding misdistribution of the rationed commodities. According to the consumers, the owners of the fair price shops in their area fill up the kerosene tins in such a manner that out of five litres that they draw on their cards they actually get only 4.5 litres. The rest goes to the owner. The same situation prevails in the case of other rationed articles. Some consumers said that in the past one year that they had been drawing ration the owners had never asked them to sign on the registers maintained by them for making entries. The most thriving black marketeering racket is perhaps in the sale of kerosene. It is alleged that about 50 per cent of rationed kerosene is sold off by the dealers or owners of fair price shops on the black market. While the rationed price of kerosene, which is used as a cooking fuel by the poor is Rs 7.75 per liter its market price varies from Rs 14 to Rs 16 a year. Thus, it is most lucrative for the dealers or the owners of the fair price shops to sell it on the black market. While the state government gives the dealer or owner of a fair price shop a nominal commission only in the open market he can get a profit of as much as Rs 9 for each liter of kerosene. Representatives of various consumer organisations have demanded a high-level probe into the racket and sought stern action against the erring officials. They have also threatened to launch an agitation in case the authorities fail to check the malpractices and irregularities indulged in by the officials. Meanwhile, the Residents Welfare Association and the Sonepat Citizens Council have also urged the Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, to appoint a senior officer for making a thorough probe into the racket and punish the erring officials in the department concerned. 9 plaints settled at monthly meeting
As many as nine complaints were settled on the spot at the monthly meeting of the Sonepat District Public Relations and Grievances Committee held here on Sunday. Two more complaints were referred to the department concerned for redressing the grievances of the complainant on a priority basis. The Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC), Mr Ashok Yadav, presided over the meeting in the absence of the state Town and Country Planning Minister, Mr Dhirpal Singh, and the Deputy Commissioner, Mr S. N. Roy. The ADC also ordered the registration of a case with the police against a bogus ayurvedic doctor of Kharkhauda on a public complaint. The Civil Surgeon presented a report of the inquiry against the doctor at the meeting and alleged that he had been practising without any degree from the Ayurvedic Directorate, though he claimed himself to be an under-matriculate. It is interesting to note that the complainant made a plea for not taking action against the doctor but the ADC declined. Crushing season The Additional Deputy Commissioner, Mr Ashok Yadav, inaugurated the new crushing season of the Cooperative Sugar Mills here on Sunday. A ‘havan yagna’ was also performed on the occasion in the presence of district officials, employees of the mill and the sugarcane growers. Seed sale centre The Kisan Welfare Club has decided to set up at least 20 centres for the sale of certified seeds, fertilisers and pesticides in the district during the current financial year. According to official sources, Mr Satbir Singh Kadyan, Speaker of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha, will inaugurate the first centre on November 16 on the Murthal road in the city.
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Dalits oppose widening of road in park Sonepat, November 12 At a meeting held here yesterday, the samiti also constituted an 11-member committee to meet the Deputy Commissioner, Mr S. N. Roy, to resolve the issue through negotiations. Mr K.R. Punia, a former Haryana Minister and a senior Congress leader, presided over the meeting. Later, talking to mediapersons here, Mr Punia said that he had discussed the issue in detail with the Deputy Commissioner who, in turn, had assured him that the district administration would not touch the statue of the national leader. Instead, the park would be developed and beautified and iron grills would be erected around it as a safety measure. However, he demanded that the entire land of the park should be handed over to the samiti for the purpose of its development. Meanwhile, a 21-member Ambedkar Park Bachao Samiti (APBS) was also constituted at another meeting of the Dalits here yesterday. A former MP and former president of the state unit of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Mr Aman Kumar Nagra, presided over the second meeting. Mr Rajiv Jain, general secretary of the Haryana Vikas Party (HVP), was among those who were present. The convenor of the APBS, Mr Balbir Chhachhia, told mediapersons here today that the next meeting of the samiti would be held on November 18 on the premises of the Ambedkar Hostel on the Kakroi road of the city to decide on launching a statewide agitation on the issue. The meeting strongly opposed the widening of the road within the park and warned that the samiti would strongly oppose the move. It appealed to all political parties to take a united stand on the issue and not allow the district administration to take the land from the park for the purpose of widening the roads. |
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Road show on power reforms a big draw Sonepat, November 12 Over 2000 such road shows would be organised at all the district headquarters and state capitals in the initial stage of the campaign for dissemination of information on the power sector reforms, energy conservation and power thefts being organised by the Union Ministry of Power, Mr R. S. Johri, General Manager of the Power Finance Corporation (PFC), Delhi, said here. He was addressing a meeting of district officials and officials of the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN) in the Panchayat Bhavan here yesterday. Senior officials from the Union Ministry of Power, Central Electricity Authority and the public sector undertakings such as the PFC, PGCIL, NTPC and NHPC would participate in the road shows, he said. He also said that the ministry was committed to providing electricity in all the villages of the country by the end of 2007. The power generation in the country had increased to 1 lakh megawatt at present from 1,362 megawatt at the time of Partition he said and added that the government was taking steps to augment the generation of power in the country. Additional transmission lines would be erected at a cost of Rs 4 crore. The presentations made at the road show highlighting the message sought to be conveyed in regard to ‘Mission 2012 - Power for All’ were well received by students as well as the public. |
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Samagam ends, Baba decries violence New Delhi, November 12 The Baba’s statement comes a day after Saudi exile Osama bin Laden admitted the involvement of the Al Qaida outfit behind the September 11 attacks in the US. “There is violence in the names of God without realising the oneness of the Supreme Being. Man’s ego makes him jealous and violent so much so that he can go to any extent to oppress and torture the fellow beings,” Baba Hardev Singh said, without a direct reference to the events in Afghanistan and the US. The Union Home Minister, Mr Lal Krishna Advani, who attended the samagam, said whichever political party one belongs, those who are given the responsibility of ruling the country must seek the blessings of saints, because it is they who teach us the moral and spiritual values that make life noble and virtuous. “This has always been a tradition in the Indian culture and it needs to be followed even today,” Mr Advani said. The former Delhi Chief Minister, Mr Sahib Singh Verma, lauded the Nirankari Mission for its services rendered in Gujarat during and after the Bhuj quake. The three-day meet held along the Burari Road in North Delhi was attended by thousands of people from different parts of the country. A mini-township had come up in the 400-acre land to meet the needs of devotees who camped in the city during the samagam. The samagam started in 1948 for the first time, when devotees came to express grief and anguish for Nirankari Baba Avtar Singh who lost his son Sajjan Singh at a young age. Since then, the devotees have been assembling in the Capital to discuss the ways and means to spread the ideology of the Sant Nirankari’s mission. Nirankaris believe that ego is the greatest enemy of man and ignorance its reason. |
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Empower women
spiritually: Sheila New Delhi, November 12 The Chief minister was speaking at the Mahila Shakti Sammelan held here last night to mark the end of a two-month long ‘All-India Women’s Spiritual Empowerment Campaign 2001’, organised by the Prajapita Brahma Kumaris Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya. Meanwhile, Ms Kiran Bedi, Joint Commissioner (training), Delhi Police, said the male-dominated society was surviving just because of more tolerant, peaceful, adjusting and forgiving powers of women. The India’s first woman IPS officer emphasised the need for greater participation of women activists and leaders in raising their voice against social evils. Presenting memento to the campaign leaders of nine women rallies from different parts of India, the Mahila Daskhata Samiti president, Ms Suman Krishan Kant, said the degeneration of human values had weakened our social fabric. |
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INLD open to electoral pact in UP Gurgaon, November 12 While speaking to mediapersons, Mr Chautala, MP from the Bhiwani constituency, said negotiations were being held with Mulayam Singh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party, the Bahujan Samajwadi Party and allies of the NDA. He claimed today the INLD was in a position to influence the electorate strongly in 22 districts of western Uttar Pradesh, thereby affecting the fate of 138 MLAs. He remarked the INLD would garner maximum votes if these political parties had to contest the election on their own steam. In these districts, 40 per cent of the electorate constituted the Muslim community who were feeling cheated by parties.
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Flats ready
ahead of time: DLF New Delhi, November 12 The managing director of DLF Universal Limited, Mr T. C. Goyal, said commitment to the buyers was the most important factor from a builder’s point of view. This was particularly significant as most of the buyers in these complexes had done so by taking home loans. Getting delivery on time would help them to meet their repayment commitments as planned, he said. The DLF’s ability to adhere to its delivery schedules in a fluctuating market scenario explained why DLF properties continued to be in great demand, he claimed. These condominiums had ushered in a new era in the field of community living, which is on par with international standards. The facilities provided to the residents include dedicated parking places, clubs, parks, and schools to name a few, he said. |
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Betting racket unearthed New Delhi, November 12 The police conducted a raid after a tip-off and arrested Darshan Lal Gulati, Suresh Kumar and Vijay Yadav from the Laxmi Nagar area of East Delhi today. The suspects had reportedly booking of Rs 15, 34, 500. The fourth suspect, Anand Saxena, has absconded. Youth arrested With the arrest of a youth who had absconded for over a month, the North-West district police today claimed to have solved the daylight murder of a jhuggi dweller of Baniwal Nagar in Saraswati Vihar which sent shock waves in the Narela Industrial area. The police said that the accused, Moolchand, alias Mullu (25), resident of Baniwal Nagar jhuggi, Saraswati Vihar allegedly shot Tabrez (21), with a country-made weapon on October 28. Tabrez was a ruffian and had snatched Rs 1,000 from Mullu during Dasehra. Mullu shot Tabrez after the latter refused to return the money he had snatched from Mullu and began abusing him. Gangsters held The Special Cell of the Delhi Police claim to have arrested two gangsters of the Anoop-Balraj gang who were reportedly planing to murder one of their rival gang members. The gangsters, Yudhvir Singh and Sunil, were arrested on the Bahadurgarh road near Najafgarh. Two 30-caliber Chinese pistols and 11 live cartridges were seized. |
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