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H A R Y A N A |  |
 Friday, March 12, 1999 |
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Industrialist's son shot at GURGAON, March 11 — The threat call phenomenon today took a new turn when a son of a prominent industrialist was shot at from close range by two unidentified car borne miscreants. The CBI would probe into threat calls. Haryana
ridicules Badal’s statement on SYL canal |
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Gehlawat’s sack: was
it due to tiff with CM? CHANDIGARH, March 11 — The dismissed Haryana Minister of State for Printing and Stationery, Mrs Krishna Gehlawat, is keeping her cards close to her chest even as reports about the blockade of roads by her supporters in her Assembly constituency, Rohat, in protest against her sack reached here today. Water
shortage in Shekhpur Jatt Measures
to check copying Rs
8.5 lakh fine for power theft Two
labourers hacked to death Report
pending Cabinet approval Parishads’
revamp to favour HVP: INLD Auction
fetches Rs 105 crore |
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Industrialist's son shot at GURGAON, March 11 — The threat call phenomenon today took a new turn when a son of a prominent industrialist was shot at from close range by two unidentified car borne miscreants. Following pressure from the business circles after the incident, Chairman, Haryana Bureau of Public Enterprises and prominent BJP leader, Sitaram Singla, announced that the CBI would probe into threat calls. Doctors at Kalyani Hospital here attending on the injured son of the industrialist, Mr R.K. Jain, said he was out of danger. While the BJP leader, having the rank of a Cabinet Minister, announced the handing over the threat call phenomenon to the CBI, the Congress and the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) joined hands to launch an agitation along with various associations and groups to press for action against the miscreants. This was decided at an informal meeting of the leaders and members from trade and industry at Kalyani Hospital. It was decided to give a call for a bandh in Gurgaon and a "chakka jaam" on national highway No 8 for March 13. Significantly, the firing took after a meeting of the Director General of Police, Haryana, Mr S.K. Sethy, with the police authorities of the Gurgaon range yesterday. The meeting, which stretched till evening, focussed on the threat call incidents. Frayed tempers in the business circles were apparent as the shooting took place near a police had not been able to arrest the culprits. The anger was amply demonstrated when a number of industrialists and traders walked out of a meeting convened by the district administration at the residence of Deputy Commissioner, Mr Krishan Kumar, after the firing incident. The DIG, Gurgaon range and the district police chief were present at the meeting. Industrialists, who did not wish to be quoted, said they staged the walkout because the district authorities had failed to give concrete assurances. Incidentally, Mr R.K. Jain was one of the businessmen receiving threat calls to pay money. The demand for money was Rs 20 lakh. Mr Jain and his family had migrated from Punjab in 1985, during the hey days of terrorism. At a meeting convened by Mr Singla, attended by businessmen, a demand was made for action against the Superintendent of Police. The firing took place when Mr Jain’s son was about to go to his factory. The miscreants waylaid him before firing at him. According to the injured, about six rounds were fired at his car. At the meeting at Kalyani Hospital, the local Congress MLA, Mr Dharamvir Gabba and district president of the INLD, Mr Gopi Chand Ghellot, decided to participate in the agitation against the government on the issue. It is the third incident of firing on the family members of those who had received threat calls in threat past one month. According to sources,
about 25 persons had received several such calls for the
payment of extortion money. |
Haryana ridicules Badal’s
statement on CHANDIGARH, March 11 — The Haryana Minister of State for Irrigation, Mr Harsh Kumar, today criticised the Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, for reiterating in the State Assembly here that the Punjab Government would not allow further construction of the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal as the State did not have any surplus water to share with Haryana. Mr Harsh Kumar pointed out that the Rajiv-Longowal Accord, to which Haryana was not a party, was signed between the then Prime Minister, Mr Rajiv Gandhi, and the then president of the Shiromani Akali Dal, Sant Harchand Singh Longowal, on July 24, 1985 assuring that the SYL canal would be constructed in Punjab territory to carry Haryana's share of Ravi-Beas waters. He reminded Mr Badal that it was the Government led by the Akalis in Punjab which had not only made a commitment to build the canal, but had also undertaken its construction in that State. Ridiculing the remarks of Mr Badal that Punjab did not have any surplus water to share with Haryana, he said it was unfortunate that Punjab could allow surplus Ravi-Beas waters to flow to Pakistan, but it could not share the precious water with Haryana. He pointed out that Punjab could not claim exclusive rights over the Ravi-Beas waters. Haryana being a successor State of the erstwhile Punjab and also a part of the Indus basin, had equal rights over the river water. The Eradi Tribunal had already delivered its award indicating the share of various States in the river waters on January 30,1987. Punjab had been participating in all proceedings of the tribunal. He said that it was not fair on the part of the Punjab Government to backtrack from such vital issues at such a moment when 95 per cent of the SYL canal had already been completed in Punjab territory by the Akali Government. He also criticised the statement made by the Minister of State for Irrigation, Punjab, Mr Surinder Singh Maluka, in the Punjab Assembly that status-quo on the incomplete project would be maintained. Mr Harsh Kumar said the
Punjab Government should think about the canal in a
national perspective. He added that Eradi Tribunal Award
should be implemented without any delay. The remaining
portion of the SYL canal should be completed by a Central
agency as this was the only way to implement the award,
he demanded. |
Political storm brewing in Haryana GURGAON, March 11 - A political storm is brewing in Haryana with the opposition parties sharpening their knives to make an assault on the Bansi Lal government. The renewed activism by the Opposition has, however, been marred by intensified factionalism in the Congress, which is making a serious bid to wrest power in the state. Barring the Left in the Opposition spectrum, all political parties have activated themselves, heating the political barometer in the process. The last few days have been marked by rallies and demonstrations. With the opposition parties planning to continue their activities, the ruling HVP and the BJP are keenly following the political developments. Senior leaders of the two parties are allegedly making efforts to burnish the image of the government. The way the government was implementing its anti-encroachment drive in Gurgaon was a straw in the wind of the Bansi Lal regime’s moves. The Congress, led by Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, gave an edge to a major offensive against the government by the Opposition by organising "kranti padyatra" in the state. The padyatra culminated in a rally in Jind. The rally was being compared to the organised by former Deputy Prime Minister Devi Lal during the halcyon days of his "nyaya yudh" movement at the same venue before his party, the Lok Dal, wrested power in the state from the Congress. While the Congress continued to remain a divided House even after the rally, the principal opposition party in the Vidhan Sabha, the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), sought to answer the kranti rally with its show at Delhi’s historic Ramlila grounds. The organisers of the rally have launched a campaign in the villages to convince the masses that the INLD had succeeded in demonstrating that the support base of Mr Devi Lal and his son, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, remained intact. According to observers, the rally, in which former Prime Minister and Janata Dal leader, H.D. Deve Gowda, was the star speaker, was also reported to be a success. The rallies by the Congress and the INLD were aimed against the state government and the Centre. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is said to have almost reached an understanding with the Haryana Sarvajatiya Party (HSP) headed by industrialist- turned politician, O.P.Jindal. The BSP plans to hold its "biggest" ever rally in Ambala early next month. The rally will be addressed by BSP chief Kanshi Ram. Thereafter, the BSP and the HSP plan to jointly organise public meetings. The leaders of the HSP, Mr O.P. Jindal, and the scion of a publishing house, Mr Ashwani Kumar Chopra, have also held rallies in different parts of the state. Not to be left behind, a former Prime Minister and Samajwadi Janata Party (Rashtriya) leader Chandra Shekhar has also chosen Haryana to focus his activities. Although Mr Chandra Shekhar is holding meetings in villages in Haryana as part of his countrywide campaign to awaken the masses about the basic issues relating to them, sources close to him said his party was making moves to build a base for itself in the state. Significantly, Mr Chandra Shekhar has not targeted the HVP in his public meetings. Rather, he trained his guns towards the Centre, especially on its economic policy. However, the Opposition move to take on the Bansi Lal regime was blotted by the increase in factionalism in the Congress. In a significant development a former Home Minister from the state and prominent Congress leader, Subash Batra, met party president Sonia Gandhi and urged for action against "indiscipline" in the party. Without naming former Chief Minister Bhajan Lal, Mr Batra gave in writing to Mrs Gandhi yesterday that some leaders drew power on account of the central leadership of the party but acted only in their own interest to the detriment of the organisation. Mr Batra was referring to the recent statement of Mr Bhajan Lal. While referring to some leaders who had switched loyalties from him to the President of the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC), Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Mr Bhajan Lal was reported to have said that he did not need them. The former Chief Minister was reported to have further said the leaders who had switched sides needed them. The lobby headed by former HPCC president, Birender Singh, is said to have used the occasion of reception of his newly married son in Delhi on March 8 to demonstrate its popularity. Senior Congress leaders from the Centre and leaders of various political parties in Haryana attended the function. Another lobby in the Haryana Congress headed by another former HPCC president, Mr Shamsher Singh Surjewala, also plans to gherao Parliament during its on going session on some of the decisions taken by the Centre relating to the farmers. The factionalism in the
Congress is expected to further deepen with Mr Bhajan
Lal’s moves to organise a rally in Haryana in
defiance against the state leadership of the party. The
Bhajan Lal lobby is said to be unnerved at the emergence
of Mr Hooda as a strong contender for the post of Chief
Minister should the Congress come to power in the state. |
Gehlawat’s sack: was it due to
tiff with CM? CHANDIGARH, March 11 — The dismissed Haryana Minister of State for Printing and Stationery, Mrs Krishna Gehlawat, is keeping her cards close to her chest even as reports about the blockade of roads by her supporters in her Assembly constituency, Rohat, in protest against her sack reached here today. Mrs Gehlawat, who made herself incommunicado immediately after her dismissal from the Ministry yesterday, received reporters at her official residence today. But her replies were diplomatic and non committal. She admitted that she had gone "underground" yesterday to avoid queries from the press and to "compose" herself. At the same time she said it was the prerogative of the Chief Minister to shuffle his Cabinet and to drop or induct anyone in the process. Then why did she not submit her resignation when it was demanded by the Chief Minister? Mrs Gehlawat said she had sought time from Mr Bansi Lal to think. In the meantime the Chief Minister exercised his prerogative. Her future plans? Mrs Gehlawat said she continued to head the women's wing of the ruling Haryana Vikas Party even as a Minister. She would work in the party organisation now. She also asserted that she would be able to serve her voters better as an MLA. She had to attend telephone calls frequently. Many of the calls were from her supporters from Rohat who told her about the protest demonstrations and blockade of roads. She mildly rebuked them, telling them not to follow in the footsteps of Lok Dal activists and in block the roads. Mrs Gehlawat admitted that immediately after the Chief Minister demanded her resignation, she had met the Cooperation Minister, Mr Narbir Singh. She refused to disclose what transpired at the meeting. However, she said it was at the initiative of Mr Narbir Singh that she had gone to his office room. Mrs Gehlawat, who parted company with Mr Om Prakash Chautala of the Lok Dal in the wake of the Meham mayhem, joined the Haryana Vikas Party in 1994 and became the President of its women's wing. She claimed she had done a lot to mobilise women voters in support of the HVP particularly on the issue of prohibition. She evaded a discussion on her role in the aborted coup against Mr Bansi Lal early this year by first saying that there was no such move and later adding that she would speak about it at an opportune moment. Informed sources say Mrs Gehlawat had a tiff with the Chief Minister at Rohtak early this week on the issue of alleged excesses by the police on her certain supporters. However, she refused to say anything on the issue. Mrs Gehlawat strongly
refuted that she had a tiff with the Chairman of the
Haryana Public Service Commission, Mr G.L. Batra, or any
other member a couple of days ago over the
non-declaration of the result of her son, who appeared in
the HCS (Executive Branch) examination conducted by the
commission. |
Minister's sack: traffic blocked SONEPAT, March 11 — Supporters of a dismissed Haryana Minister of State, Mrs Krishna Gahlawat, held a demonstration at Kharkhauda, about 19 km from here, today and shouted slogans against the Chief Minister, Mr Bansi Lal. They also blocked the road. As soon as news about the sacking of this minister spread in the Rohat assembly constituency, which is represented by Mrs Gahlawat, her supporters assembled at Kharkhauda and held a procession in protest against the decision. As soon as news about the demonstration and road blockade was received, the SDM, Mr Balwan Singh, and the DSP Headquarters, told Mr Hardeep Singh Doon, arrived at the scene and started persuading the protesters to lift the scene and started persuading the blockade. However, the protesters wanted the Deputy Commissioner to come to them so that they could lodge a protest with him against the sacking of the minister. The SSP, Mr K Selvraj, mediapersons here today that the situation was under control and no untoward incident had been reported so far. At the time of filing of
this report, the protesters were sitting on dharna. |
Water shortage in Shekhpur Jatt ROHTAK, March 11 — Although the summer season is yet to set in, residents of Shekhpur Jatt village near Jhajjar are facing an acute shortage of potable water and electricity supply. The village comprising more than 300 houses is situated at a distance of only 6 km from the district headquarter town of Jhajjar. Repeated representations made by the villagers to the Chief Minister and the district authorities have failed to provide any respite to them. The Public Health Department has linked the village with Wazirpur waterworks for supply of piped water. But water seldom reaches the village taps, complains Mr Jai Bhagwan, a resident of Shekhpur Jatt. Though the village has two wells but these go dry very often during the summer season. The village women have thus no other alternative but to tread for 2-3 km to fetch water from tubewells installed in the fields. This water is saline and unfit for human consumption. In its quest for potable water, the panchayat dug a bore in the village pond three years ago for installation of tubewells. The water samples from this bore have been found fit for human consumption at a government owned laboratory at Gurgaon. But the miseries of the villagers did not end as the Public Health Department failed to install the tubewell on the grounds that it did not have funds. The women residents of the village have constituted a samiti to unitedly work for their own development and also of the village. The youth, too, have formed a club to work for the welfare of the village. Both the Mahila Vikas
Samiti and Nav Jagrit Yuva Club are sore over the erratic
supply of electricity to the village. They allege the
transmission wires have broken. They pose a threat to
humans as well as cattle. |
Measures to check copying SONEPAT, March 11 — The Board of School Education, Haryana, has taken measures to check mass copying and outside interference by anti-social elements at examination centres set up by it for the matric and higher secondary annual examinations this year. Stating this, Mr M.R. Sharma, Secretary of the board, told mediapersons here today that 36" speed task force" and 39 "rapid action force" squads for this purpose. Members of these squads had been authorised to conduct surprise raids at the examination centres to check copying. The board had also set up at least 15 flying squads in each district for this purpose. These include the flying squads of DCs, SDMs, DEOs, DPEOs, and SDEOs. Besides, the police has been authorised to enter examination centres to check copying there. The Board had also established four control rooms, one each at Rohtak, Bhiwani, Gurgaon and Kurukshetra. These would be manned by a group of officers, who have been asked to rush to examination centres when required by the centre superintendents. He claimed that members of all flying squads visited the examination centres in their respective areas after every 15 to 20 minutes. The board had adopted a new scheme to check copying. Under this scheme, students were not to take their examinations in their own schools. The students would appear for the exams in another schools in a bid to discourage the teachers from rendering help to them in the examinations. At the examination centres notorious for copying, the members of the flying squads had been directed to stay on throughout the examination period. In the rural areas, the members of gram panchayats, school teachers and the office-bearers of social and voluntary organisations were cooperating with the Board authorities to ensure smooth conduct of the examinations. He claimed that owing to the measures adopted by the board, mass copying in the current examinations had been controlled. Mr P.K. Mahapatra, Deputy Commissioner, who was also present, said the board had set up 100 centres for the matric exam and 43 for the senior secondary examination in this district. Each centre had been made inaccessible to outsiders and the policemen on duty kept a strict vigil to check the smuggling of notes into the examination halls. He, however, admitted that there were crowds of people outside the examination centres set up in girls' schools but clarified that most of the assembled persons were the parents of girl students. The SSP, Mr K. Selvraj,
said police pickets had been set up at all centres. He
claimed that he had not received any complaint about the
intimidation of the supervisory staff on duty so far. |
Rs 8.5 lakh fine for power
theft AMBALA, March 11 — The vigilance wing of the Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam (HVPN) has imposed a penalty of about Rs 8.5 lakh on a cold storage of Naraingarh for allegedly stealing power. A team of the vigilance wing from Panchkula raided the premises of Kisan Cold Storage late last night. The owners of the unit were caught stealing power directly from a transformer. Policemen reportedly had to scale the high boundary wall of the unit to catch the owners. The Director of Vigilance, HVPN, Mr RS Dalal, said a fine of Rs 8,44,780 had been imposed on the unit owners, which was deposited by them today. Mr Dalal said a case of
power theft had been registered. |
Two labourers hacked to death AMBALA, March 11 — Two labourers were hacked to death with sharp-edged weapons at Khulladpur village in Naraingarh subdivision last night. Their bodies were found this morning. They were working at the farmhouse of Mr Charan Singh, nabardar of the village. The third labourer who was also working in the fields is missing. The police is investigating the matter. In another incident, a case of murder has been registered at the Ambala Sadar police station on the orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court following a complaint by Mrs Kamlawati, resident of Ludhiana. Mrs Kamlawati had alleged
that the body of her husband, Mr Janakraj, was found at
Devinagar village on February 16 last. The police did not
register a case of murder and she had to approach the
high court to get a case registered. |
Report pending Cabinet approval NEW DELHI, March 11 — The report of the State Finance Commission of Haryana is pending approval of the Cabinet subcommittee constituted by the state. The SFC’s report mandated by the 73rd and the74th amendment to the constitution is meant to review financial position of panchayats. According to a recent survey carried out by a Delhi-based NGO, the State Finance Commission report prepared in October ’97 has not been executed even though panchayat elections are round the corner. The study conducted by the Society for Participatory Research in Asia in 24 villages in Jatusana and Rewari blocks of Rewari district has brought to light the state of the three-tiers panchayati raj institutions in Haryana. Sources in PRIA said that copies of the study report have been sent to the Panchayati Raj Directorate (Haryana) in Chandigarh and other officials concerned in Rewari. At all the tiers, the focus is on the share and control over resources made available by the government but no one talks about their responsibilities for resource generation. To add to the confusion is the fact that the SFC report is still in cold storage. A report on the finance of panchayats in Haryana released by the NGO has shown that the planning committee at the district level is more or less non-functional. Gram Sabha meetings for planning hardly ever take place and information on what needs to be done is also very vague, the report adds. According to the report, "audited statements of accounts at block offices were impossible to come by. Concerned officers said accounts were audited once in two years and at times in three years." The elected
representatives access to information was found to be
negligible. The target beneficiaries did not know about
schemes other than Jawahar Rozgar Yojana and Indira Aavas
Yojana. |
Parishads’ revamp to favour
HVP: INLD HISAR, March 11 — The President of the youth wing of the Indian National Lok Dal, Mr Ajay Chautala, today alleged that the administration was reorganising zila parishad segments in the state to benefit the ruling party candidates in the coming panchayati and local bodies’ elections. Addressing a press conference here today, Mr Chautala alleged that the move was politically motivated to ensure that the Haryana Vikas Party (HVP) candidates get elected in maximum numbers. He observed that the various parties and members should have been taken into confidence before initiating this move. The INLD leader also alleged misuse of the watershed programmes. Ministers were awarding contracts for these projects to suit their own interests, he further alleged. Mr Chautala, criticised the Chief Minister, Mr Bansi Lal, for ‘misleading’ the people of the state. It was premature to speculate about whether the INLD would join a third front or not. However, one thing was clear that his party would not support the BJP again. The option of joining a third front was open and the strategy in this report would be formed in future. He announced that the INLD would organise a youth convention on March 13 at Dadri in Bhiwani district. Student union elections, unemployment and corruption in recruitments would form the main agenda of the convention. Meanwhile, Mr Satya Pal
Palu has been appointed president of the youth wing of
the Indian National Lok Dal, Hisar district. The other
office-bearers are: vice-presidents —Mr Ram Chander,
Mr Mahavir Singh, Mr Krana Singh, Mr Bhalwan Singh and Mr
Subash Sindhu; Chief General Secretary — Mr Anup
Rahiwala; General Secretaries — Mr Rajesh Shastri,
Mr Bali, Mr Mange Ram, Mr Ajit and Mr Krishen Kumar; and
secretaries — Mr Lalit Saini, Mr Jagjit Muklan and
Mr Gurinder Saharan. |
Auction fetches Rs 105 crore HISAR, March 11 — The auction of liquor vends in three districts of Hisar, Sirsa and Fatehabad fetched about 37 per cent more revenue this year as compared to the previous year. The vends were auctioned for Rs 105 crore in these districts against Rs 78 crore in the previous year. The auction fetched the maximum revenue in Hisar district, followed by Sirsa and Fatehabad. While the vends were sold for Rs 50 crore in Hisar, these were sold for Rs 31 crore and Rs 26 crore in Sirsa and Fatehabad districts, respectively. The auction was held at Panchayat Bhavan amidst tight security. All roads leading to the venue were sealed. Once again it was the
country liquor that found favour among the bidders. While
the auction of country liquor vends fetched Rs 70 crore,
the Indian made foreign liquor vends could sell for Rs 35
crore only. |
Bank cash bag snatched FARIDABAD, March 11 — Armed car-borne dacoits this afternoon looted Rs 10 lakh from employees of Oriental Bank of Commerce, Sector 7 branch, at the busy YMCA Chowk on the Delhi-Mathura National Highway. Head cashier Mahipal Singh and bank guard Ram Pal were bringing the money from the main, branch situated in the NIT area. As the car reached the YMCA Chowk, four dacoits blocked its way, parking a Maruti Zen in front of the vehicle. The glasspanes of the bank car were broken with a pistol butt. The gun of the guard was snatched by the dacoits. They opened the car door and escaped with the cash bag, injuring the two employees. This is the third incident
of its kind in Faridabad during the past two years. A sum
of Rs 13 lakh was looted from employees of Andhra Bank in
similar circumstances. Oriental Bank of Commerce was
earlier deprived of Rs 7 lakh in the NIT area. |
Haryana order on goods vehicles CHANDIGARH, March 11 — With a view to curbing goods vehicles plying on bogus national permits in Haryana, the State Government has issued instructions that while entering the State, the driver or representative of the goods vehicle should have a photo copy of the bank draft indicated in the national permit authorisation issued in respect of Haryana. A spokesman of the
Transport Department said here today that all permit
holders had been advised to keep with them an attested
photo copy of bank draft pertaining to Haryana State for
the issue of national permit held with them; failing the
permit would be treated as bogus and vehicles challaned. |
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