Speaker hosting HVP meeting ‘unethical’
CHANDIGARH, June 22 — The Indian National Lok Dal said tonight that it would support any person or persons who would quit the HVP in forming a government.

Contaminated water bane of residents
ROHTAK, June 22 — The public health authorities have admitted contaminated water was being supplied to certain localities due to badly rusted and broken GI pipes.

Two killed in accidents
YAMUNANAGAR, June 22-- Two persons were killed and six injured in two separate accidents that occurred near Jagadhri, last evening.

Gas leak creates panic
HISAR, June 22 — Panic prevails at the cantonment here today following a leakage of gas from a factory manufacturing vanaspati ghee.

Attempt to rob cashier foiled
FARIDABAD, June 22 — Three miscreants made an attempt to rob a cashier of Bhandari Steel Company today but failed and ran away. The miscreants also fired shots in the air.

PM's Haryana visit off
CHANDIGARH, June 22 — The Prime Minister, Mr A. B Vajpayee has cancelled his visit to Panipat in Haryana to inaugurate the Indian Oil Corporation-owned refinery on June 24.

Speaker hosting HVP meeting ‘unethical’
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, June 22 — The Indian National Lok Dal said tonight that it would support any person or persons who would quit the HVP in forming a government.

A senior leader of the party, Prof Sampat Singh, who is considered among the think-tank of the Lok Dal, told TNS here that as it had become clear that Chief Minister Bansi Lal would merge his party with the Congress in a bid to stay in power there were many HVP MLAs who had either been anti-Congress through out their political career or for certain political considerations were averse to joining the Congress, such MLAs wanted to quit the HVP.

Prof Sampat Singh said the INLD had always been anti-Congress because it firmly believed that the latter was responsible for all the ills of the country. Keeping in line with this philosophy, the Lok Dal leadership would make all efforts to prevent any Congress government in the state and make any sacrifice for it. Therefore, it had been the constant stand of the party to support any HVP rebel in forming a government. He said the Lok Dal had always considered the HVP to be the "B" team of the Congress and now the party's stand had been vindicated.

The Lok Dal leader came down heavily on the Speaker of the Assembly Prof Chhattar Singh Chauhan, for hosting a meeting of the HVP Legislature Party at his residence, espicially after the Governor had directed the Chief Minister to prove his majority on the floor of the House. By aligning himself openly with the ruling party, the Speaker had lost his right to preside over the Assembly session, he added.

Contaminated water bane of residents
From Our Correspondent

ROHTAK, June 22 — The public health authorities have admitted contaminated water was being supplied to certain localities due to badly rusted and broken GI pipes. In a press note here yesterday, the officials confirmed that certain water connections were found submerged in the sewage, thus causing contamination in Babra Mohalla, Kewal Ganj and some adjoining localities. However, the fault was rectified by disconnecting the water connections, they claimed.

Several residents of these localities had earlier complained against the supply of contaminated water and residents of the Housing Board Colony led by Mr Narender Rana, president of the youth wing of the HVP and a Municipal Councillor, had demonstrated outside the Public Health office. Meanwhile, the district unit of the BJP has threatened to launch an agitation in protest against the alleged scarcity of piped water and its qualitative deterioration in the town.

In a written statement here today, Mr Pradeep Jain, district BJP President, alleged the Public Health Department had failed to provide potable water to localities like Indira Colony and Nehru Nagar which were settled by the Rohtak Improvement Trust nearly 30 years ago. He said nearly 2,000 families of these two authorised localities were forced to consume saline water from hand pumps and wells.

The BJP leader alleged the water supply to Garhi Mohalla having a population of nearly 40,000 had been suspended for the past over one month. He said the affected residents had met the authorities concerned several times but to no avail.

He also expressed concern over the supply of contaminated water to a number of localities and demanded immediate action in this connection.

He sought construction of third water works, additional water tankers and strict action taken against officials responsible for the supply of contaminated water to various localities.

Two killed in accidents
From Our Correspondent

YAMUNANAGAR, June 22-- Two persons were killed and six injured in two separate accidents that occurred near Jagadhri, last evening.

According to the information received here, a family was returning from Vaishno Devi when their jeep was involved in a head-on-collision with a truck at Bhamboli village , near here. Mr Kanhaiya Lal, son of Shanker Lal of Satroli village in Aligarh died on the spot and six others were injured. The police has registered a case under Sections 279, 337 and 304 of the IPC. The driver of the truck is absconding.

In another accident, last evening, Mr Satish Kumar (35) , son of Prem Dass, a resident of Bhawna Mandira in Jagadhri was crushed to death by a truck.

Gas leak creates panic
From Our Correspondent

HISAR, June 22 — Panic prevails at the cantonment here today following a leakage of gas from a factory manufacturing vanaspati ghee.

Factory official summoned the fire-engines as some of them complaint of suffocation. The gas was identified as ammonia. The leakage was from a pipe joint.

Attempt to rob cashier foiled
From Our Correspondent

FARIDABAD, June 22 — Three miscreants made an attempt to rob a cashier of Bhandari Steel Company today but failed and ran away. The miscreants also fired shots in the air.

In second case a youth made a attempt to kidnap a seven-year-old chid of Mr Devinder Bhatia, a resident of Sector 2 (NIT), yesterday but failed.

The police has registered cases.

PM's Haryana visit off
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, June 22 — The Prime Minister, Mr A. B Vajpayee has cancelled his visit to Panipat in Haryana to inaugurate the Indian Oil Corporation-owned refinery on June 24.

OIfficial sources said here today that the visit had been cancelled due to unavoidable reasons. a fax message to this effect was received here this morning, they said.

However, it is believed that the visit had been cancelled in view of the withdrawal of support by BJP to the Bansi Lal Government.