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CM
‘expanding’ Cabinet to prevent MLAs’ desertion Detractors
aim at clipping Hooda’s wings INLD
did not take SYL canal issue seriously, says Nain State
buys power at penal rates Govt
step darkens future of research institute |
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Inside
Babudom 200 HIV
positive cases in Sonepat Lift
ban on recruitment, say college teachers Applications
for child award invited 4
children flee bal gram, brought back 
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CM ‘expanding’ Cabinet to prevent MLAs’ desertion Chandigarh, June 30 Addressing a press conference here today, Mr Yadav claimed that no Congress MLA had deliberately invalidated his/her vote during the Rajya Sabha elections. He alleged that it was through “manipulation” that one vote cast in favour of the Congress candidate in the elections was declared invalid. The Congress leader, however, did not elaborate on the modus operandi of the “manipulation”. He claimed that it was not possible to ascertain whose vote was found invalid since all papers had been already sealed. Mr Yadav said that the Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, had become so nervous on the eve of the Rajya Sabha elections that the INLD legislators were packed off to Goa so that they did not join hands with the INLD opponents during the elections. “In his desperation Mr Chautala also allured the MLAs by saying that they would be inducted into the Council of Ministers. That is the reason that Mr Chautala made an announcement about the expansion of the ministry on the very day the Rajya Sabha results were announced” the Congress leader said. He dismissed Mr Chautala’s claim that the ministry was being expanded in view of the new law on the size of the Cabinet. “The law has specified what can be the maximum strength of a Council of Ministers. There is nothing wrong if the number of ministers in a state is lower than the upper limit of ministers set by the law,” the CLP leader said. Mr Yadav criticised the Speaker of the Assembly, Mr Satbir Singh Kadian, saying that he had acted in a blatantly partisan manner to ensure Mr Tarlochan Singh’s victory in the Rajya Sabha elections. He alleged that Mr Kadian did not follow the existing procedure for disqualifying an MLA. Mr Yadav said the Rajya Sabha elections had made it clear that the BJP and the INLD were hand in glove even though the BJP pretended to have snapped its ties with the INLD at the time of Lok Sabha elections. “People will teach both parties a lesson when the Assembly elections are held in Haryana,” Mr Yadav said. |
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Detractors aim at clipping Hooda’s wings Rohtak, June 30 The anti-Hooda camp in the Haryana Congress is projecting the issue as a “proof of his political immaturity and self-before-party approach”. A known Hooda baiter said on the condition of anonymity that senior party leaders planned to meet Congress President Sonia Gandhi shortly to apprise her of the circumstances under which the party lost the elections. The anti-Hooda factions believe the fiasco has undone whatever the Congress had achieved with its superb performance in the recent Lok Sabha elections. They maintain that Mr Hooda had showed unseemly hurry in parading the legislators before the Congress President and then announcing this publicly through the electronic media. The tapes of the legislators’ interaction with the media provided strong evidence to the Haryana Vidhan Sabha Speaker to disqualify them. Though many of Mr Hooda’s opponents term this “political immaturity”, others especially those belonging to HPCC chief Bhajan Lal’s camp believe otherwise. They said there was a motive behind this hurry. According to them, Mr Hooda wanted to corner glory for bringing six legislators to the party fold and paving the way for the election of Mrs Chaudhary to the Rajya Sabha. They maintain that this “self before party” approach led to the humiliating defeat of the party nominee. Though motives attributed to Mr Hooda differ, there is unanimity among anti-Hooda factions on the issue of wanting the party high command to take the senior MP to task. However, inquiries by The Tribune reveal that so far the anti-Hooda factions have not been able to devise a common strategy for the purpose. They are all working separately to achieve the same goal. A close associate of Mr Bhajan Lal said as party president, the latter did not need the backing of other factions to report the matter to the high command, adding that this had nothing to do with rivalry between the two leaders. The Surjewala and Birender Singh camps are also working independently to try and clip Mr Hooda’s wings. On the other hand, the legislators concerned are feeling let down by the experience. Though they may not have much to lose since their term is nearing its end, the label of being defectors is now official and politically damaging. One of them admitted that it was a mistake to let Mr Hooda lead them up the garden path. “But what choice did we have? There is so much infighting in the state Congress that one has to align with a faction to gain entry”. They are worried on another count also. Their chances of bagging the Congress ticket in the next Assembly elections have also diminished since they could not help the Congress nominee win the Rajya Sabha seat from Haryana. Mr Hooda’s supporters, nevertheless, dismiss these allegations as political opportunism. They say that the Speaker acted in a partisan manner. |
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INLD did not take
SYL canal issue seriously, Panipat, June 30 He said, the Supreme Court had passed an order in favour of Haryana, but the farmers of Haryana had to struggle to get the order implemented. He said it was unfortunate that the Centre and the governments of Haryana and Punjab made no efforts to solve the dispute amicably. He warned the INLD government that if it failed to give the farmers their share, the BKU would launch an agitation. He said, the BKU had called a meeting of the various farmers unions on July 23 at Jind to discuss their problems. He added that the SYL canal would be the main agenda. Mr Nain said that the state government was working against its claims. On the one hand, the government claimed that the INLD was a party of farmers and committed to their development. But past records reveal that the government had registered cases against the farmers who had participated in agitations for their rights. Earlier addressing farmers, Dr Arvind Sharma, MP (Karnal) said the state Congress was making efforts to get the Haryana farmers’ their share of water in the SYL canal. He said, he along with other eight MPs’ from Haryana, met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi. He added that Mrs Sonia Gandhi and Mr Manmohan Singh had assured them that the farmers of Haryana would definitely get their share of water. |
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State buys power at penal rates Panchkula, June 30 The state has been reeling under a severe power shortage for the past one month. As against the estimated daily power requirement of 730 LUs, the power available to the state from various sources is 650 LUs each day. Though the main reason for power shortage during this month was the switching off of the Sasaram High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) link between North Eastern, Eastern and Northern Region Grids, the link has now been established since yesterday, and the state is getting 100 MW of power through this link. However, with the need for power increasing in the agriculture sector for the past two weeks, and low inflow of water for the various hydel power generation projects, the state is facing a severe shortfall. Over the past few weeks, Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam (HVPN) has signed agreements with National Thermal Power Corporation’s Vidyut Vyapar Nigam (NVVN) for getting 150 MW of power, with Power Trading Corporation for getting 300 MW, Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board (HPSEB) for getting 40 MW, and with power trading companies- Adani Exports and Global Energies for getting 50 MW of power each. Says the Chairman of HVPN, Maj. Gen. B.S. Rathee (retd): “We have made extra arrangements with different corporations and companies, and beginning tomorrow, the crisis situation will be over.” The Chairman says that the state is spending about Rs 15 crore each day on getting power from different sources. “In normal circumstances, we spend Rs 10 crore to Rs 11 crore for purchasing power. However, with frequency being low, we are purchasing power even at penal rate for overdraws (between Rs 5 to Rs 5.50 per unit), to ensure that the consumers do not face problems,” he adds. |
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Govt step darkens future of research institute Sirsa, June 30 In a surprise step taken last week, the state government handed over 56 acres of research farmland for the CDLU project. The institute established in 1958 as the Project for Intensifying Research on Cotton Oilseeds and Millets (PIRCOM), later became the CICR at Sirsa under the aegis of the Union Agriculture Ministry with an aim to improve the cotton crop in the country. The regional station caters to the needs and problems of farmers in the cotton belt including Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, while the one at Coimbatore looks after the cotton belt in South India with its headquarters at Nagpur. Talking to The Tribune, Dr D. Monga, head of the CICR, confirmed the move but was not sure about the fate of the institute. Interestingly, both the CICR and the state government are staking their claims to the ownership of the land where the research institute was established. The state government had sent a letter to the institute and asked the CICR to submit the cancellation of the lease deed. “There is no record to show that the land was leased to us. On the contrary, it was handed over free of cost to the then PIRCOM centre in the late 1950s by the then Punjab Government,’’ Dr Monga said. Agriculture experts in the region are worried about the impact of the move. “The institute was established with a view to improve the cotton yield and also to deal with problems faced by farmers in growing the crop in the belt. But now the cotton rich belt is bound to suffer as the existence of the institute is under threat,’’ says an expert. With the current global thrust on quality cotton, the institute has also an important role in informing farmers of the region to grow hybrid cottonseeds with improved technology for best results. Sources in the administration and the CICR blame the state government for ignoring the significance of the institute. The move to hand over the research land to the CDLU will hamper the efforts made by the institute in developing special fields to carry on research work. The institute has several prestigious projects in hand, including the World Bank-funded National Agriculture Technical Project
(NATP). |
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Inside Babudom Chandigarh, June 30 Mr Ahuja will take over his new assignment tomorrow. His batch-mate, Mr Avdesh Narain Mathur, today relinquished the office of Chief Secretary following his superannuation after putting in 37 years of service in various capacities. The government today also transferred four Deputy Commissioners and seven district police chiefs. Born on June 2, 1945, Mr Ahuja belongs to Himachal Pradesh. Before his alleviation as Chief Secretary, Mr Ahuja had been functioning as the Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Revenue and Consolidation Departments. He is the seniormost IAS officer serving in the State. His batch-mate, Mr M. Shankar, who is senior to him, is currently on deputation with the Central Government. Mr Ahuja has one year to retire. The first Chief Secretary of Haryana, Mr Saroop Krishen, belonged to the Indian Civil
Service (ICS). He was followed by Mr M.L. Batra, IAS, who had two terms. Mr N.N. Kashyap was the last member of the ICS to become the Chief Secretary of Haryana. All others who followed him were members of the Indian Administrative
Service (IAS). Mr Anurag Rastogi, D.C., Gurgaon, has been sent to Panipat vice Mr Balwan Singh, who becomes Additional Director, Urban Estates, and Administrator,
HUDA (HQ), Panchkula. Mr H.S. Malik, D.C., Ambala, replaces Mr Anurag Aggarwal at Kaithal. Mr Aggarwal goes in place of his name-sake at Gurgaon. Mr R.P. Gupta, who was Administrator,
HUDA (HQ), will be the new D.C. of Ambala. Mr Jai Pal Singh Dahiya, HCS, Additional Deputy
Commissioner (ADC), Panipat, and Mr Wazeer Singh Goyat, HCS, ADC, Bhiwani, will swap places. Mr Dharam Paul, HCS, SDM, Hathin, and Mr Shakti
Singh, HCS, G.M., Haryana Roadways, Faridabad, will exchange their posts with each other. Mrs Renu S. Phulia, HCS, Estate Officer, HUDA, Panchkula, goes as ADC, Rohtak. Mr Jagdeep Singh, who was awaiting posting orders, will be the SDM, Ellenabad. Mr Sandeep Singh, HCS, Under Secretary, Planning, goes as SDM, Mahendragarh, vice Mr Mukul Kumar, whose posting orders will be issued later. Mr Yogesh Kumar,
HCS (under training), becomes the City Magistrate of Karnal. The transfer orders of Mr Raj Kumar Rohilla, SDM, Safidon, has been cancelled. POLICE TRANSFERS Mr Doon goes to Sirsa, the native district of the Chief Minister, in place of Mrs Mamta Singh, who comes to Panchkula in place of Mr A.S. Chawla. Now, both heads of the administration as well as the police will be women. Mrs Neelam P. Kasni is the Deputy Commissioner of the district. Mr Chawla, who was posted in Panchkula only last month, takes over as S.P., Bhiwani. He replaces Mr Desh Raj Singh, who will be the new S.P. of Ambala. Mr Desh Raj and Mrs Mamta Singh are husband and wife. Mr Ranbir Sharma, who was shifted from the post of S.P. in May last as Commandant, First Batallion, Haryana Armed Police, Ambala, becomes S.P. of Kaithal. Mr Sharma is a son-in-law of the former Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Mr I.D. Swami. The S.P., Kaithal, Mr Sukhdev Singh, becomes S.P., Narnaul, in place of Mr Mata Ravi Kiran, who will replace Mr Ranbir Sharma in the HAP. |
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200 HIV positive cases in Sonepat Sonepat, June 30 According to reports of local private laboratories as many
as 181 persons have been tested HIV positive till June this year and
their number in Civil Hospital has also gone upto 30, including 17 men
and 13 women. Most of the victims are reported in the age group of 18
to 40. The highest number is of truck drivers and helpers followed by
businessmen. Dr A.P. Gulia, District Health Officer, is of the
opinion that though most of the people have become aware of this fatal
disease, but their negligent attitude in taking precautionary measures
is the main causes of infection. The in charge of AIDS counsellation
centre in Civil Hospital, Mr Narender Sandhu, expressed his concern
over the increase in number of AIDS patients in the district “We
make people aware about the consequences of the disease, but if in
spite of that if some one takes the risk we cannot do anything,” he
said. An interesting case has also come to the notice of health
authorities. An infant girl whose mother is HIV positive, has tested
HIV negative. The mother is under regular treatment. In this case,
after the expiry of her husband who had AIDS she remarried. She had
tested HIV positive before her remarriage. After the birth of a girl
child, they took her to the laboratory for testing and the girl was
tested negative. |
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Lift ban on
recruitment, say college teachers Rohtak, June 30 In a press note issued after a meeting of office-bearers of the union here today, Mr Pawan Sharma, press secretary, said that shortage of teachers had led to the deterioration of teaching standards in these colleges. The students suffered as they were not taught properly. The union also demanded payment of dearness allowance on pensions to the retired private college teachers. It regretted that nothing had been done despite assurances by the government on this issue in the past several years. |
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Applications for child award
invited Chandigarh, June 30 A spokesman of the department said here today that this award had been instituted by the Union Government for children in the age group of 4 to 15 years having shown exceptional achievements in any field, including academics, arts, culture and sports during 2004. Under the scheme, there would be one gold medal for one child on an all-India basis and silver medals for one child from each state or union territory. For the gold medallist, the award would consist of a cash prize of Rs 20,000, a citation and a certificate, besides a gold medal while silver medals would carry an award money of Rs 10,000, a citation and certificate, besides a silver medal. The applications should reach the office of the Director, Women and Child Development Department, Haryana, Chandigarh, by July 15. |
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4 children
flee bal gram, brought back Sonepat, June 30 According to a report, the children were identified as Shispal, Monika, Rajat and Seema, all of Kurar village of the district. They returned to the bal gram on June 26 after their summer holidays. They are between 8 years and 10 years old they fled while playing. They were found missing, when attendance was taken. A search was carried out but they could not be traced. However at night they were caught by the police and brought back to the bal gram. The incharge of the bal gram is looking into the reason of fleeing. |
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Aman Chaudhary is standing counsel Chandigarh, June 30 Mr Chaudhary will also conduct cases filed against public officers while in the service of the Central Government in the High Court. His tenure will be for three years. |
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Power crisis in Sonepat Sonepat, June 30 According to a report, the low-frequency is another cause of the power crisis in this region. The day starts with load sheddings which continue till 10 p.m. The drinking water supply and hospital services are the worst-hit. Indiscriminate power cuts imposed by the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitram Nigam have increased the sufferings of people. While officials claim that the nigam has been supplying 27 lakh units daily to consumers in the district. Resident allege that an average cut of about six hours is being imposed in the urban areas for the past few days. |
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Bijli Vitran Nigam SDE suspended Sonepat, June 30 The hotel and farm is owned by Mr Dev Raj Dewan, an independent MLA, who had recently joined the Congress after
withdrawing support to the ruling INLD. |
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MDU delays counselling Chandigarh, June 30 A spokesman of the university said here today that the last date for submitting the documents was July 2 and the list of selected candidates would be displayed on July 5. The place of counselling had been changed and now it would be held in the departments concerned. The admission with late fee of Rs 1000 could be made from July 11 to 20. |
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One killed
in road
accident Ambala, June 30 Ratan Lal, the owner of the car, died on the spot while his daughter, Anu and son Raju, sustained serious injuries. The driver, Krishan Lal, also sustained injuries in the accident. A police gypsy brought the injured to hospital. According to the police, the car rammed into the truck which caused serious injuries to the occupants. The injured were taken out from the car with great effort as the car was badly damaged in the accident. The body of Rattan Lal was handed over to his relative after post-mortem. The police registered a case against the truck driver. |
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