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Bhajan Lal forms panel to safeguard Haryana interests INLD rules out all-party meeting
on SYL canal issue Rao Inderjit seeks all-party meeting for consensus Dismissal of Punjab Govt not on SP agenda Surjewala
graduates to AICC |
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Kumbakonam brings back memories of Dabwali
HIGH COURT Declamation, poetry
competitions held Former MP’s
driver assaulted Woman goes missing
from railway station Father kills son
over property 
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Bhajan Lal forms panel to safeguard Haryana interests Chandigarh, July 17 Their common purpose was how to deal with the situation created by the Punjab Termination of Agreements Act, which has put the SYL canal, an emotive issue in the state, on the hold. After various leaders blew hot, the party president, Mr Bhajan Lal, announced that a 11-member committee under his chairmanship would chalk out a strategy to be adopted by the party to safeguard the interests of the state. The Haryana Congress MLAs also submitted their resignations to Mr Bhajan Lal to protest against the Punjab Act. However, these resignations would be submitted to the Speaker, Mr Satbir Singh Kadian, only if the other parties, including the ruling INLD and the BJP, also agreed to secure the resignations of their MLAs. The committee, which is expected to give report within a week, comprises Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Mr Birender Singh, Mr Shamsher Singh Surjewala and Mr Dharam Pal Malik, all former party presidents; Mr Mange Ram Gupta, party general secretary; Mr Arvind Sharma, MP; Capt Ajay Singh Yadav, officiating Leader of the Legislature Party; Mrs Sumita Singh, president of the Mahila Congress; Mr Satvinder Singh Sandhu, president of the Haryana Youth Congress; and Mr Dharambir, MLA. Mr Hooda offered to sit on an indefinite fast to demand the repeal of the Punjab Act. He supported Mr Birender Singh, who had suggested that 10 lakh Haryanvis should march to Delhi to highlight Haryana's case on the SYL canal. Mr Birender Singh also demanded that a special session of the Assembly should be convened at the earliest so that a joint resolution could be forwarded to the Centre. It was he who suggested that all party MLAs should quit their seats in the Vidhan Sabha so that a constitutional crisis is created before the Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala. He also said that the Congressmen of the state should sit in dharna at Raj Ghat, Delhi, on July 19, when the BJP has called a statewide bandh. Mr Hooda said certain senior party leaders had met in Delhi yesterday to discuss the issue. However, it was decided that for the sake of the state everyone should participate in today's meeting convened by Mr Bhajan Lal. He said the party chief should decide the strategy and the other leaders and workers would follow it. He said Mr Chautala should initiate steps to get the Act nullified. Mr Surjewala said a committee should be formed to chalk out the strategy. Mr Jagjit Singh Sangwan, MLA from Dadri, said the Centre should take action against the Punjab Governor for giving his accent to the controversial Bill in a hurry. Mr Gupta said Mr Chautala should have taken initiative to bring all parties on one platform. Mr Bhajan Lal was of the view that all parties should work unitedly. An Assembly could not terminate an inter-state agreement, particularly when it involved more than two states. He said if the INLD MLAs resigned, he would immediately forward the resignations of the Congress MLAs to the Speaker. Later talking to newsmen, Mr Bhajan Lal said Capt Amarinder Singh should not have vitiated the atmosphere of amity and brotherhood between the two states. Party leaders from the state would meet the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, and Mrs Sonia Gandhi to seek their intervention. Meanwhile, the Leader of the BJP Legislature Party, Mr Kishan Pal Gurjar, ridiculed the Congress MLAs' move to submit their resignations to the party chief. Mr Gurjar said if the Congress MLAs really wanted to build pressure on their colleagues in Punjab, they should have sent their resignations directly to the Speaker. He described the move as a "cheap publicity
gimmick". |
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INLD rules out all-party meeting on
SYL canal issue Karnal, July 17 State President of the INLD and Transport Minister of Haryana Ashok Arora said that there was no need to call an all-party meeting on this issue as the Union Government had moved an application in the Supreme Court to seek fresh directions regarding the construction of SYL canal. However, a special session of the State Legislative Assembly could be called to discuss the issue, he said. When asked why the INLD was not speaking openly against the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) that helped the Congress to pass the Punjab Termination of Water Agreement Bill-2004 unanimously in the Punjab Legislative Assembly, Mr Arora said that they had already demanded dismissal of the Punjab Legislative Assembly. |
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Rao Inderjit seeks all-party meeting for consensus Chandigarh, July 17 In a statement faxed to The Tribune from Delhi, the Rao said personally he was ready to make any sacrifice in the interest of the state. However, he said the way certain leaders were trying to promote their political interests over the Punjab Act was a matter of concern. He said no political party or individual should use the water issue to promote their own political interests. Rao Inderjit Singh, who is the MP from Mahendragarh, said the efforts of Punjab to create hurdles in the flow of river waters to Haryana must be opposed. But this opposition should be in the interest of the state and not for personal political gains. He said the Punjab action had hit southern Haryana the most. The underground water table had gone down to 1500 ft at many places in the Mahendragarh constituency. The Union Minister said after the Punjab Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, had tried to undo the tripartite written agreement through legislation, his word that the existing flow of water to Haryana would continue could not be believed. He said the Punjab Act could be nullified only through constitutional provisions. He said he was hopeful that the Supreme Court would declare the Punjab Act as null and void. Efforts by the BJP and the INLD to put the blame on the Centre or Mrs Sonia Gandhi for the Punjab Act were condemnable. |
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Dismissal of Punjab Govt not on SP agenda Karnal, July 17 While talking to The Tribune here today, a former Union minister and Lok Sabha member from Saharanpur, Qazi Rashid Masood, said that the SP was ideologically against the use of Article 356 of the Constitution to suspend or dismiss any State Legislative Assembly by the Union Government. He was in the city to preside over a meeting of the state unit of the party. He
said, “No matter, the Punjab Termination of Water Agreements
Act-2004 is condemnable but making it a political issue to suspend or
dismiss the State Legislative Assembly will unnecessarily lead to
another controversy”. He said that the Union Government should have
restrained the Punjab Government from bringing such a Bill that had
brought the nation on the brink of a constitutional crisis. The Qazi demanded that the Union Government should ask the Punjab Government to reconsider or amend the Act to save the nation from the constitutional crisis triggered by its move besides the legal course being carried out to seek fresh directions from the Supreme Court. He also appealed to all political parties of Punjab to rethink on the issue so as to preserve national sovereignty and integrity. Regarding
the issue of inclusion of Hardwar in Uttaranchal, Qazi Masood said the
SP was considering pressing for bringing in a legislation in
Parliament to get back the holy city into Uttar Pradesh. “Hardwar
was neither demanded by the people of Uttarakhand nor it was passed in
the UP State Legislative Assembly to transfer the holy city to the new
state”, he alleged. |
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Surjewala
graduates to AICC Chandigarh, July 17 Mr Surjewala, who had long passed the maximum age limit to be the Youth Congress president, has been made a secretary in the AICC. The party had been adopting different rules on the fate of the outgoing president of its youth wing. While a few were accommodated in the parent body, most had to spent some cooling off time before being given any other assignment. At present, he is the youngest office-bearer of the AICC, which has 25 secretaries and nine general secretaries. In a way it is a rebuff to those who have been saying that the High Command is not happy with Mr Surjewala for having resigned from his post in protest against the denial of the ticket during the Lok Sabha elections. Mr Surjewala later withdrew his resignation when Mrs Sonia Gandhi asked him to do so. A
former Haryana Congress president, Mr Birender Singh, who was in
charge of the party affairs in Uttar Pradesh as well as a special
invitee to the party's highest decision-making body, Congress Working
Committee (CWC), does not figure in the new list of the
office-bearers. The Haryana Congress president, Mr Bhajan Lal, too, is
no longer a special invitee to the CWC. However, Mr Bhajan Lal's exclusion can be an indirect message from the High Command. Observers feel that in a way Mr Bhajan Lal has been asked to fully concentrate on Haryana, which is to go for the Assembly polls within a few months. In that case, the High Command has indicated that there will not be any change of Haryana leadership. Mr Surjewala, who had taken over as the Youth Congress president on April 2, 2002, had the longest tenure as the party chief. During this period he led about 200 major agitations in Delhi and other states on various issues. He and his colleagues were detained by the police on 43 occasions for demonstrating near Parliament alone. During his over-four-year tenure, 17 cases were registered against him personally. On
five different occasions, he was remanded in judicial custody ranging
from three days to eight days. |
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Kumbakonam brings back memories of Dabwali
Chandigarh, July 17 Dabwali, a sleepy town in Sirsa district of Haryana, hit the headlines on December 23, 1995, when a fire broke out at the local DAV School's annual prize distribution function. The fire had left over 441 dead and 145 injured, most of them schoolchildren and their relatives. Entire families were wiped out in the mishap. But despite the quantum of tragedy and tall promises by successive governments in Haryana, the survivors were left to fend for themselves. Except for an initial ex gratia of Rs 1 lakh to each family of the dead and Rs 50,000 to each of the 22 seriously injured, nothing else was paid to the families of the deceased and the injured. In most cases, the injured had to meet their medical expenses themselves. Over eight years have elapsed since the incident, but the survivors and families of the deceased have been still fighting a battle for justice. Faced with government apathy, the families of the victims got together and formed the Dabwali Fire Victims Association. On a petition of the association, the Punjab and Haryana High Court ordered free treatment of the injured. Later, the High Court also appointed a one-man Commission headed by former Allahabad High Court Judge Justice TP Garg (retd) to decide the quantum of the compensation. "As for the treatment, many hospitals turned us back as the cost was to be reimbursed by the State Government and they did not trust the governments. Then, the High Court directed the hospitals to admit the patients without waiting for the charges," recalls a member of the association. Meanwhile, the Garg Commission has already taken three extensions and the job is nowhere near completion. "It was appointed on January 28, 2003, for a period of six months. But, despite the passage of over 17 months, the quantum of compensation is still not decided," rues the family member of young child who was injured in the incident. Families have also expressed resentment over the fact that no action has been initiated against the management of the DAV school. They also want a probe to uncover the truth behind the spending of over Rs 7 crore that the school management collected from the public and students in the name of providing assistance to the injured. "When will our travails end? Has any responsibility been fixed for the mishap? Was no action taken against the school management for failing to provide free education to the injured students?" asks an office-bearer of the association. One of the major heartbreaks that the victims and their families face is the pain of seeing young children suffer in silence and face apathy and discrimination because the fire left them scarred. "Whatever little we got, it is only because of the High Court. What has the government done for us?" asks the member. |
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Families remember Kargil martyrs Gadhauli (Ambala), July 17 The petrol station, which was allotted following his younger brother’s martyrdom, is not doing well and the earning from it is practically negligible. “I don’t know what to do. It was with much difficulty that we got the petrol station operational. I paid for the land on which the petrol station was established. It started two years back. Yet we continue to face problems,” he said. “We had sought permission for cutting a few trees so that there is a clear passage to the petrol station but the permission is not forthcoming. Due to the trees, no heavy vehicle can enter the station,” he stated. Incidentally, a statue of Sepoy Pawan Kumar was installed at the petrol station only in May this year, nearly five years after his death. Mr Ramji Lal recalled that his brother Pawan Kumar was serving with 12 JAT when the Kargil war broke out. “He was at the Anita Top post and he was operating a medium machine gun (MMG). In August, 1999, there was heavy exchange of fire between Indian and Pakistani soldiers. My brother manned the MMG despite the firing from a close range of 60 yards. But a heavy shell landed on his gun and splinters hit him,” he said. “We received his body after three days. Six months later, a petrol station was announced. Thereafter, we faced several roadblocks. But the then Zila Sainik Board secretary, Capt V.S. Narwal, took interest and we got this petrol station,” he said. He observed that there had rarely been any visit from his brother’s unit. Families of Kargil martyrs still relive the memories, five years since India won the war. The family members of soldiers, who made the supreme sacrifice to defend the nation’s territorial integrity, seem to have come to terms with the soldier’s martyrdom. An imposing gate has been constructed in the memory of Kargil martyr Sepoy Manjeet Singh on the road leading to Kansapur village on the Ambala-Jagadhari road. Ms Surjeet Kaur, mother of Kargil martyr Manjeet Singh, said they were alloted a gas agency at Barara. “Manjeet was only over 18 years old when he laid down his life for the nation,” she said with tears in her eyes. Sepoy Manjeet Singh of 8 SIKH, Alpha Company, along with other soldiers had launched a major attack on Tiger Hill. He was shot in his chest while he was climbing up the slope. He was one of the first Kargil war casualties hailing from Ambala district. The martyr belongs to a family of Army personnel. His great grandfather Arjun Singh and grandfather Sardar Singh, besides several other family members, had served in the Army. However, life has been tough for families in which soldiers attained martyrdom after the Kargil war was over. Naik Praveen Kumar of EME was killed on December 2, 1999. Although, he died barely a few months after the Kargil war was over, the financial support extended to next of kin was not at par with the Kargil martyrs. Praveen Kumar belonged to Dhanouri village. His mother, Ms Sarbati Devi, lamented that after her son’s death, parents received a paltry sum as compared to what was received by the daugther-in-law. “Even the statue on the beginning of the road leading to the village was built by us,” she said. She lamented that ever since her son’s death, there had been a family problem which led to her daughter-in-law living at Naraingarh. |
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HIGH COURT Chandigarh, July 17 In her petition, Ms Sumitra Devi of Juglan village in Hisar district has stated that the state authorities have been releasing hardened criminals from jail on false grounds. She has alleged that a strong police-criminal nexus exists that is responsible for grant of parole to these criminals. The petitioner’s husband, Mahender Singh, was murdered by criminals in June, 1998. After hearing her counsel, the Bench of Chief Justice Mr Justice BK Roy and Mr Justice Surya Kant issued notice to the respondents. HPSC exams The High Court on Saturday fixed Monday as the date of hearing of the plea of some candidates appearing in Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC) exams, seeking directions to the HPSC to conduct all exams in Hindi also. Sometime back, treating a letter written in this regard by these candidates as public interest litigation, the High Court had disposed of the matter after the HPSC informed it that all exams were being conducted in Hindi as well as in English. However, today, some candidates appeared personally before the Bench headed by Chief Justice Mr Justice B.K. Roy and stated that the HPSC had misled the court. They claimed that though candidates were at liberty to write their exam either in English or Hindi but question papers continued to be prepared in English. |
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Declamation, poetry
competitions held Ambala, July 17 Students from different schools participated in the competition. The participating schools included Maj R.N. Kapoor DAV Public School, SD Senior Secondary School, Lord Mahavir Public School, Jain Girls Senior Secondary School, Bharatiya Public School, Government Senior Secondary School, SD Public School, Air Force Public School, PKR Jain Girls School, Hargolal Girls Senior Secondary School, DAV Public School, Ambala City, SD Kanya Mahavidyalaya, Sewa Samiti School, KV No.1, SA Jain Senior Secondary School and DAV Public School, Ambala Cantt. |
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Former MP’s
driver assaulted Ambala, July 17 The incident took place at about 1.30 pm at Vijay Ratan Chowk. Mr Kataria’s driver, Ram Chander, had come to pick up Mrs Banto Kataria, who was participating in the programme. When the vehicle was parked there, an altercation took place between Ram Chander and two youths who arrived on a scooter. Thereafter, the youths assaulted him and damaged the Toyota Qualis. Bharatiya Janata Party activists informed the police about the incident and a complaint was lodged. The BJP Ambala district unit president, Mr Ravinder Dhawan, has demanded that the former MP, Mr Ratan Lal Kataria, be provided proper security. Earlier, BJP Mahila Morcha activists burnt an effigy of the Congress President over the Satluj-Yamuna Link canal issue. They raised slogans against the Punjab Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh. |
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Woman goes missing
from railway station Ambala, July 17 When the train arrived, Dr Ahluwalia and his daughter boarded the train. After ensuring that his daughter was comfortably seated, when Dr Ahluwalia got down from the train, he realised that Pamela was not present. He searched for her at the railway platforms. When he could not trace her, he informed the railway police. The whereabouts of the woman were not known at the time of filing this report. A police official said Pamela was perhaps under stress. |
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Father kills son
over property Jhajjar, July 17 According to information, there was a dispute over the distribution of a plot in the family. The dispute reportedly turned violent about at 1 am last night. Kartar Singh, was attacked by his father Sube Singh, his two brothers and two nephews. Police sources said he was beaten up badly with lathis and butts of gun. He succumbed to serious head and chest injuries on the spot. His body was brought to the civil hospital for a post mortem examination. The Beri police has registered a case against the father, two brothers and two nephews of the deceased. No arrest has been made so far. |
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4 sentenced in dowry death case
Bhiwani, July 17
She had been admitted to civil hospital at Bhiwani where doctor referred her to medical college Rohtak. Sunita died during treatment. The father of the deceased Balwant had got a case registered against the accused. |
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Fire in
plywood factory Ambala, July 17 The fire was noticed at about 3 pm. Six fire engines were rushed to control the fire. Two fire tenders from Ambala Cantt, two from Ambala City and two from Yamunanagar tried to control the blaze. The cause of the fire is not still not known. |
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