The Tribune...Haryana

H A R Y A N A

Monday, July 20, 1998

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today's calendar

No-trust move planned
ROHTAK, July 19 — An attempt will be made to table a no-confidence motion against the Bansi Lal government during the Budget session of the Legislative Assembly, starting on July 21...

Unique camp
for car owners
ROHTAK, July 19 — A free one-day training camp for the owners of Maruti car was held here today, with a view to ensuring safety, proper maintenance and fuel efficiency...

Chautala spreading
canard: Hooda
CHANDIGARH, July 19 — The Haryana Congress President, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, has described as a "pack of lies and canard" the statement of the Haryana Lok Dal (Rashtriya) President, Mr Om Prakash Chautala...

Flood fear haunts Fatehabad
FATEHABAD: Come monsoon, and residents of this district start fearing the danger of floods...

Bansi's promise on
power supply a 'fiasco'
FATEHABAD, July 19 — Congress leader and members of the HPCC, Mr Ram Raj Mehta, said the HVP-BJP government in the state had failed on all fronts...

Missing Range Officer 'dead'
SIRSA, July 19 — The mystery behind the disappearance of Hawa Singh Khichi, a Range Officer of the Haryana Forest Department, who was found missing from a rest house at Mandi Dabwali, 60 km from here, on May 3, has reportedly been solved by the police...

Two hurt in land dispute
SIRSA, July 19 — Baldev Singh, a farmer of Bhanoor village in the district, was seriously injured with a sharp-edged weapon by his son Sohan Singh, at the local Civil Hospital last-night...

Health centre without docs
NARNAUL, July 19 — Resentment prevails among residents of 60 villages of Ateli block for not being attended on by any doctor at the eight-bedded Community Health Centre there for the past three days...

BKU activists block traffic
JIND, July 19 — Activists of the district unit of the Bharatiya Kisan Union blocked traffic on the Jind-Bhiwani road near Ghimana village in this district today...

Cong leader's plea on affiliation

FATEHABAD, July 19 — A former Haryana Minister and Congress leader, Mr Lila Krishan Choudhary has urged the Haryana Governor and Chancellor of Guru Jambheshwar University, Hisar, to maintain status quo regarding affiliation of various engineering, pharmacy, administration and management colleges with the university...

No-trust move planned
From Our Correspondent
ROHTAK, July 19 — An attempt will be made to table a no-confidence motion against the Bansi Lal government during the Budget session of the Legislative Assembly, starting on July 21.
This was stated here today by Mr Birender Singh, a former Haryana Pradesh Congress chief and MLA from Uchana in Jind district.
Mr Birender Singh said he had started contacting leaders of the opposition parties, including Mr Om Prakash Chautala of the Haryana Lok Dal (Rashtriya). He said if all went well, the opposition would try to bring a no-confidence motion against the HVP-BJP coalition government, which, he said, had miserably failed on all fronts.
He said law and order situation had deteriorated in Rohtak, Jind, Sonepat and Jhajjar districts. The government had no moral right to stay in power, he added.
Mr Singh said a common platform would be created so that the opposition gets united to bring down the Bansi Lal government.
Mr Birender Singh urged the state government to review its power policy and make an attempt to get hydro-power from neighbouring Himachal Pradesh.

Unique camp for car owners
From Our Correspondent
ROHTAK, July 19 — A free one-day training camp for the owners of Maruti car was held here today, with a view to ensuring safety, proper maintenance and fuel efficiency.
The camp attracted about 70 car owners and drivers. According to Mr Jagmohan Mittal, Managing Director of a Maruti outlet here, the camp was a novel way to help customers know about their car without spending any money.
He said, if proper care was taken, the life and durability of the vehicle could be increased.
He announced a proposal to launch a scheme to give free driving training to local residents.

Chautala spreading canard: Hooda
Tribune News Service
CHANDIGARH, July 19 — The Haryana Congress President, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, has described as a "pack of lies and canard" the statement of the Haryana Lok Dal (Rashtriya) President, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, that the former was in league with the Chief Minister, Mr Bansi Lal.
In a statement issued here today Mr Hooda said Mr Chautala was levelling baseless and absurd allegations against him only to conceal his own acts of betrayal with the people of Haryana after he got his father, Mr Devi Lal, elected to the Rajya Sabha with the help of the BJP and the HVP.
Mr Hooda alleged that Mr Chautala had bartered away the interests of Haryana for the sake of the Rajya Sabha seat for Mr Devi Lal by extending unconditional support to the BJP Government at the Centre. He said if Mr Chautala was sincere towards the interests of Haryana, he would have got some special package for Haryana accepted by the Vajpayee government on the pattern of the AIADMK and Trinamool Congress.
Mr Hooda said the Haryana Congress stood by its earlier stand on transfer of 107 Hindi-speaking villages to Haryana, construction of the SYL canal in Punjab territory, substantial amount for the construction of Haryana's new capital before Chandigarh was transferred to Punjab as envisaged under the Rajiv Gandhi-Longowal accord.
The Congress leader said on the one hand Mr Chautala harped on the Shah Commission report, on the other he was also asking for the transfer of 107 Hindi-speaking villages to Haryana in lieu of Chandigarh. He said such double speak of Mr Chautala was solely to mislead and hoodwink the people of Haryana.

Flood fear haunts Fatehabad
From Sushil Manav
FATEHABAD: Come monsoon, and residents of this district start fearing the danger of floods. The district is so prone to the flood threats that in the past 47 years about 20 standing crops have been washed away by the floods in various areas of this district. Many lives have been lost, houses damaged and cattle washed away. But is the administration prepared for such threats this time? This is a question exercising the mind of most people in this district.
The Ghaggar, a seasonal river running through the district, has proved the biggest concern in the area. The behaviour of this river is considered unpredictable. The catchment of the river lies in the Shivalik ranges and flows from areas near Nahan in Himachal Pradesh. The river enters Fatehabad near Jakhal, passes through areas of Tohana and Ratia tehsils and then flows through certain parts of Punjab and re-enters Haryana in Sirsa district. The fury of the Ghaggar was experienced in 1962, 1982, 1988, 1993 and 1995 at its maximum.
The Ghaggar, also called Nali or Nali Ghaggar in common parlance, does not have much of capacity near Jakhal and whenever the water flow exceeds 7000 cusecs, it starts overflowing and the water spreads to fields of villages in the north of the Bhakra mainline canal. These villages are Talwara, Talwari, Narel, Kasampur, Udeypur, Kudhi, Sidhani, Sadhanwas and Jakhal.

The excess water of these fields flows to other areas through the Chandpur syphon. The excess water also crosses the Rangoi syphon and Joya syphon, depending upon the total intake of the river, and enters Tohana and Fatehabad subdivisions and ultimately Fatehabad town.
In 1988, there was a sheet of water over an area of about 15 km from Fatehabad town and the town itself was exposed to dangers. The town again experienced floods in 1993 beating all previous records. During the 1993 and 1995 floods Jakhal Mandi in this district was the worst affected, when the whole grain market as well as residential area of Jakhal town were inundated under five to seven feet of floodwater. There was long sheet of floodwater right from the Punjab border to the fields of many villages up to Sadhanwas on the Ghaggar, filled with the fields waters. Due to an increase in the capacity (up to 400 cusecs) of Rangoi Nullah, flood risk has receded.
A watch on the total discharge of water in the Ghaggar at Khanauri in Punjab, permits a situation of forewarning about the things to come. Once the total discharge at Khanauri is known, the people of the area can be warned in advance about the quantity of water that would be received in the area of Tohana and Fatehabad subdivisions.
Besides the Ghaggar, there are various canals in the district which have caused damage due to overflow during the monsoon. The Bhakra main line, Fatehabad branch, Fatehabad distributary, and Ratia branch are some of the canals that have been causing havoc.
The district administration has claimed to have taken effective steps to prevent floods this time. According to the Deputy Commissioner, Mr P.C. Bidhan, weed and jungle clearance at the Bhakra main branch and repair of syphon (RD 35000) have been carried out at a cost of Rs 1.40 lakh.
The Joya nullah enters Haryana territory through the syphon of the Bhakra main branch. The designed capacity of the syphon is 8000 cusecs. The excess water runs into the Joya nullah. The floodwater spreads in Haderwala, Dhir, Diwana, Salampuri, Gulerwala, Budenpur, Kanwalgarh, Chimmo, Kalandergarh and Ghaswa villages.
The administration has also carried out works at the Rangoi nullah at a cost of Rs 12 lakh. During heavy monsoon when the Ghaggar runs with 18000 to 20000 cusecs of water, the water spills on the left side with the result that floodwater spreads in Puran Majra, Udepur, Quasimpur, Himatpura, Kudni, Talwara, Sadanwas, Sidhani, Narel and Jakhal villages.
For the proper disposal of floodwater of the Rangoi nullah, the Rangoi diversion linking with the tail of Rangoi had been constructed which falls into the Ghaggar. The administration has executed work at a cost of Rs 3.48 lakh on it. Works have also been carried out on the Sirhind choe drain, Bareta drain, Toderpur drain, Gorakhpur drain, Unchu link drain and Matkana link drain.

Bansi's promise on power supply a 'fiasco'
From Our Correspondent
FATEHABAD, July 19 — Congress leader and members of the HPCC, Mr Ram Raj Mehta, said the HVP-BJP government in the state had failed on all fronts.
Talking to mediapersons here today, Mr Mehta said the government had forgotten all its pre-poll promises and all section of society were fed up with its functioning.
The Congress leader said Mr Bansi Lal had promised round-the-clock supply of power before becoming Chief Minister. But that promise proved to be a fiasco. He alleged that the state power board had registered false cases of power theft against local farmers and had imposed heavy fines on them. While the government was "busy settling its scores" with farmers, the local HLD(R) legislator, Mr Sampat Singh, and his party were observing "stoic silence" over the issue.
He accused the HLD(R) leader, Mr Om Parkash Chautala, of overlooking the interest of the state for ensuring a seat in the Rajya Sabha for his father Mr Devi Lal.
Mr Mehta warned HSEB officials to desist from implicating the poor farmers in false cases and said the Congress would be forced to launch an agitation in case this practice was not stopped forthwith and a regular supply of power ensured in the area.

Missing Range Officer 'dead'
From Our Correspondent
SIRSA, July 19 — The mystery behind the disappearance of Hawa Singh Khichi, a Range Officer of the Haryana Forest Department, who was found missing from a rest house at Mandi Dabwali, 60 km from here, on May 3, has reportedly been solved by the police.
Khichi was transferred to Mandi Dabwali in May. He reportedly consumed liquor with another employee of the department on May 3 and was found missing from the Forest Department rest house. After four days a report of kidnapping was registered at Dabwali police station on a complaint of his son.
A special police team was deputed for solving the mystery. After receiving information the police party visited Ganganagar from where they found out that the decomposed body of Khichi was recovered by the Ganganagar police on June 24 from Rajasthan canal near Rajiasar village in Ganganagar district. The body was headless and was cremated after post-mortem without being identified.
The son of the deceased identified belt and pen of Khichi yesterday.
The Dabwali police has registered a criminal case under Sections 302 and 201, IPC, on the charge of murder and causing disappearance of evidence against the unidentified accused.
Bones of Khichi have been sent for medical examination.

Two hurt in land dispute
From Our Correspondent
SIRSA, July 19 — Baldev Singh, a farmer of Bhanoor village in the district, was seriously injured with a sharp-edged weapon by his son Sohan Singh, at the local Civil Hospital last-night.
Sohan Singh also allegedly made a murderous assault on his step-mother, Amarjeet Kaur, who had been admitted to the local Civil Hospital for treatment after she received injuries in a scuffle among family members in the village five days ago.
According to sources, some property dispute is said to be the cause behind the incident.

Health centre without docs
From Our Correspondent
NARNAUL, July 19 — Resentment prevails among residents of 60 villages of Ateli block for not being attended on by any doctor at the eight-bedded Community Health Centre there for the past three days. In the absence of doctors round the clock, patients have to travel to the General Hospital at Narnaul.
Inquiries reveal that there are only three doctors posted against the posts of five doctors, and all of them are either on deputation or on leave.
The average number of outdoor patients at Ateli Mandi are about a 100 every day. Ruralites have urged the Haryana Chief Minister to fill up all five vacant posts. They also sought the upgradation of the Community Health Centre to a 30-bedded hospital.

BKU activists block traffic
From Our Correspondent
JIND, July 19 — Activists of the district unit of the Bharatiya Kisan Union blocked traffic on the Jind-Bhiwani road near Ghimana village in this district today.
They staged dharnas on roads disrupting traffic between Jind and Hansi and Jind and Bhiwani.
The activists are demanding replacement of burnt transformers and regular supply of power to the farm sector.
Mr Mohinder Singh, president of the district unit of the BKU, said the blocking of roads would continue till the demands of farmers were accepted. He said in the next phase BKU activists would stage dharnas on railway tracks in order to draw the attention of the government to their problems.

Cong leader's plea on affiliation
From Our Correspondent
FATEHABAD, July 19 — A former Haryana Minister and Congress leader, Mr Lila Krishan Choudhary has urged the Haryana Governor and Chancellor of Guru Jambheshwar University, Hisar, to maintain status quo regarding affiliation of various engineering, pharmacy, administration and management colleges with the university.
In a letter sent to the Governor, Mr Mahabir Prasad, the former minister has termed the recent decision of the state government regarding disaffiliation of technical educational institution and colleges from Guru Jambheshwar University and affiliating these with other university, as "uncalled for, unfortunate and politically motivated." Mr Choudhary has also criticised the government decision of converting GJU into a residential university.
The Congress leader has appealed to the Governor to reconsider the matter in the interest of general public. He said the government should instead affiliate all engineering, pharmacy, administration and management colleges in the state with this university and provide all necessary financial assistance to it.