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National parties in a tight spot
BKU wants Chautala govt
dismissed
Plea for all-party meeting on SYL issue
Let INLD MPs resign first, says Jai
Prakash
MC employees go on mass
leave
Leaf from History |
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August 18 last date for submitting applications
Two killed in road mishap
Woman’s arm severed in accident
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National parties in a tight spot
Chandigarh, July 19 While the Congress Government in Punjab is the architect of the legislation, aimed at circumventing the Supreme Court order on the construction of the remaining portion of the SYL canal in Punjab, the BJP, too, has failed to come clean on the issue because the BJP legislators in Punjab had supported the legislation. The ruling Indian National Lok Dal(INLD) of Haryana, which is primarily a Haryana-based party despite its national ambitions, is fully exploiting the situation emanating out of the dual stand on the SYL issue maintained by the Congress and BJP in Punjab and Haryana, respectively. Chief Minister of Haryana Om Prakash Chautala, who is also the"national president" of the INLD, today launched a blistering attack on the Congress and accused the party of furthering its political interests on the SYL canal issue. Addressing a press conference here, Mr Chautala said the Congress had raked up the issue in view of the Assembly elections in Haryana. He said that right from 1977, the Congress had done something or the other on the SYL front on the eve of the Assembly elections in Haryana. " The construction of the canal was going on briskly in 1978. But Mr Bhajan Lal, who was the Congress Chief Minister of Haryana at that time, invited the then Prime Minister, the late Mrs Indira Gandhi, for inauguration of the construction of the canal in Kapoori. The inauguration was carried out in view of the impending Assembly elections in Haryana ", Mr Chautala said. The Chief Minister also lambasted the Manmohan Singh-led UPA Government at the Centre and said that it was an "impotent" government. " I told the PM that if necessary the Supreme Court directive on construction of the canal should be carried out under police protection. But the Centre, instead of getting the work started, had gone to the court to seek fresh directive in the wake of the Punjab legislation annulling all water sharing agreements. This is nothing but delaying tactics", Mr Chautala said. The Congress and the BJP, it may stated, are trying to salvage their position by various means, including getting the MLAs to resign from the Haryana Assembly as a protest against the Punjab legislation. The BJP managed to beat the Congress in the game as all six BJP legislators resigned from the Assembly yesterday. The Speaker of the Assembly, Mr Satbir Singh Kadian, today announced that even though the resignation letters of BJP MLAs did not conform to the prescribed format, he had accepted the resignations by using his discretionary power. The Congress MLAs have handed over their letters to HPCC chief Bhajan Lal, who is supposed to submit these letters to the Speaker at an appropriate time. Mr Chautala, however, ridiculed the BJP MLAs for resigning from the House and said that though BJP MPs protested against the Punjab legislation in Parliament, the BJP members of the Punjab Assembly had supported the Bill. He also added that if the BJP and Congress wanted to give a message by resigning from the legislature, the MPs of the two parties from Rajasthan and Haryana and the BJP Government in Rajasthan too must resign. Mr Chautala alleged that Ms Sonia Gandhi, Congress president, had approved the "anti- national legislation" before it was placed in the Assembly by the Punjab Chief Minister. |
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Poor
response to BJP bandh call
Ambala, July 19 There was lukewarm response to the bandh call in Ambala City as most of the shops remained open except in the Kapda Market. Ambala City MLA Veena Chibber went through the markets to request the shopkeepers to close the shops. However, the shopkeepers opened their establishments as soon as she left the area. Ambala Sadar market remains closed on every Monday. BJP activists requested the owners of some of the shops which had been opened to down shutters but the response here was also poor. Police personnel patrolled the area and some were also stationed at different places to present any untoward incident. Former BJP MP Ratan Lal Kataria, however, termed the bandh as a success. He said the bandh was peaceful.
He said the BJP MLAs had started the process of agitation by tendering their resignations over the issue. Meanwhile, Naggal MLA Jasbir Mallour addressed a workers meeting at Panchayat Bhavan and claimed that the Punjab Assembly had annulled all water pacts after taking the Union Government into confidence. He said if the interests of Haryana had been ignored then the residents of the state would launch a public agitation over the SYL issue. |
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BKU wants Chautala govt
dismissed
Chandigarh, July 19 Addressing a press conference here, Mr Balbir Singh Rajewal, general secretary of the union, said the Haryana Government was playing an active role to incite emotions on the SYL canal issue to create disturbance in the region. The way threats have been issued to stop the movement of Punjab vehicles and calls for observing bandhs had been given by certain political parties in Haryana, it had built up tension in the region. He said that political parties were trying to convert the legal battle into a political one. All factions of the BKU in Punjab would hold a meeting at Ludhiana on August 2 to take stock of the emerging situation in the region. " All factions are united on the river waters issue and would stand by the Punjab Government", said Mr Rajewal. He said that political parties were resorting to hot slogans to generate bitterness and to disturb the peace and communal harmony in Haryana. For securing votes, politicians of Haryana should not resort to " destructive politics". Mr Rajewal said that the Union Government should take a serious note of what was happening in Haryana and should dismiss the Chautala Government there. He said that the BJP, which otherwise talked a lot of national unity and integrity, was playing the most negative role on the river waters issue by opposing Punjab. The BJP's leadership should keep in mind that Punjab was also a part of the country and no injustice should be done with it on this issue. The BJP was treating Punjab as if it had no right over anything in the country, he added. Urging the Punjab Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, to stop the flow of Punjab river waters to all non- riparian states such as Haryana and Rajasthan, Mr Rajewal said that the issue of the distribution of river waters should be reopened and settled as per the Constitution of India. He said that the BKU had fully supported the stand taken by Capt Amarinder Singh and Mr Parkash Singh Badal on the abrogation of river waters related agreements. He said that most part of the Punjab would become barren in case water was given to Haryana. |
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Plea for all-party meeting on SYL issue
Rewari, July 19 In a statement released to the Press here, Mr Rao said he was prepared to make any sacrifice to protect the state’s interests in this regard. Conceding that there was need to oppose the Punjab legislation which had led to the annulment of the 1981 tripartite agreement. Making a specific mention of the Union Government’s move pertaining to the filing of an application before the Supreme Court, he expressed hope that Punjab’s unilateral decision to scrap its agreements with the neighbouring states on the sharing of the river waters would be struck down by the apex court. Charging the INLD and the BJP with playing such politics as tended to patronise the interests of the Akali Dal, Mr Rao said they could not be expected to render the good of Haryana. He also cautioned people against the designs of leaders of such political parties. |
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Let INLD MPs resign first, says Jai
Prakash
Hisar, July 19 He said he would give his resignation to the Lok Sabha Speaker as soon as the INLD members resigned from the Rajya Sabha. Mr Jai Prakash alleged that the Chautala government did not want to get the SYL issue settled due to its vested political interests. Meanwhile, the Haryana bandh called by the BJP did not have much impact in the city. All markets, except the cloth market, remained opened and business was normal. |
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MC employees go on mass
leave
Hisar, July 19 Mr Poonam Chand Ratti, state president of the Nagarpalika Karmchari Sangh, Haryana, claimed that 14,000 municipal employees throughout the state were on mass casual leave today. He said the employees of municipal bodies at Hodal and Kalayat had not got their salaries for the past six months. The municipal employees at several other stations in the state had not been getting salaries for the past three to four months, he added. Mr Ratti alleged that the government had not deposited the General Provident Fund amounting to Rs 22 crore despite deducting the amount from the salaries of the employees. He said the pension share of the employees was also not being sent by the government, due to which employees were facing difficulties in getting pension. He asserted that if the Chautala government continued with its anti-employee policies, it would have to suffer in the coming Assembly elections in the state. He asked the Chief Minister to learn a lesson from the party's defeat in the recent Lok Sabha elections. Mr Ratti also sought the resignation of the state Urban Development Minister, Mr Subhash Goel, for having failed to do anything in this regard. The employee leader warned that if the state government did not fulfil the demands of the employees, they would intensify their agitation. |
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Leaf from History
Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin Nathu Ram Godse was hanged in Ambala Central Jail, one of the oldest jails of Haryana.
This jail located close to the GT Road, also finds mention in India’s freedom struggle. During the British rule, a number of freedom fighters were hanged in this jail following their efforts to gain Independence. The jail was constructed in 1872. Its imposing structure is similar to old jails constructed in other places during the British regime. A huge iron gate and high brick walls along with sentry posts complete the external look of the jail while barracks have been constructed within the premises for housing the prisoners. In 1918, it was turned into a sub-jail but in 1947, it was restored back to Central Jail status. Over the years, the population of the inmates has been steadily rising. The total number of those now lodged in the jail exceeds the numbers specified for it. During the freedom struggle members of the Gadar Party were brought to Ambala Central Jail for hanging. Among the freedom fighters hanged in 1915 were Abdullah, Budhu Singh, Boota Singh, Gujjar Singh, Inder Singh, Jota Singh, Lachhman Singh, Wadhwa Singh and Mota Singh. Nathu Ram Godse was hanged on November 15, 1949. He was brought to Ambala Central Jail in April of the same year. The freedom fighters who have also been lodged in this jail at one point of time or the other, include Lala Lajpat Rai, Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Vinoba Bhave, Master Tara Singh, Subash Chandra Bose and Madan Mohan Malviya. These days, the inmates are taught a number of vocational activities so that they can re-start their lives after their prison term ends. |
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August 18 last date for submitting applications
Bhiwani, July 19 Regarding fees, he informed that for permanent affiliation up to class VIII a fee of Rs.5,000 up to class X a fee of Rs.8,000, and up to class XII a fee of Rs.10,000 would be charged. He said for temporary affiliation a fee of Rs.2,000 would be charged. The board secretary said those institutions who had applied for recognition from the Education Department, Haryana, and were yet to be recognised could also submit their affiliation forms and fee upto the prescribed date. He informed that the board would send committee for inspection of records. He warned the affiliation of those schools would be cancelled. If they did not cooperate with the Board in showing their records, or submitted bogus documents, or who gave admissions to students of un-recognised institutions. |
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Two killed in road mishap
Ambala, July19 According to police report, Bablu, Sunil and Punit were coming from Ambala Cantt towards Ambala City on a motorcycle. When they were crossing near Jandli bridge a canter hit their vehicle. Bablu and Sunil died on the spot while Punit was shifted to the PGI, Chandigarh. The driver of the canter fled after the accident. A case has been registered. |
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Woman’s arm severed in accident
Ambala, July 19 The mishap took place when a private bus passed close to the auto-rickshaw. Her arm, which was outside the auto-rickshaw was cut off. She was rushed to the PGI Chandigarh. |
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