PWD employees hold rally
SONEPAT, Oct 2 — The All-Haryana PWD Mechanical Karamchari Union organised a rally in front of the office of the Superintending Engineer (SE), Public Health Department, here yesterday in support of its demands.

Sex scandal: CBI probe sought
CHANDIGARH, Oct 2 — The Haryana Congress has demanded an enquiry by either the CBI or any other impartial outside agency into the alleged sex scandal of Panipat.

HPSC chairman for transparency
SIRSA, Oct 2 — "I will strictly abide by the procedures prescribed for selections to make the process transparent," the newly-appointed Haryana Public Service Commission Chairman L.D. Mehta said today. He was talking to this reporter on his first visit to his hometown after assuming charge at the commission.

Doctors, chemists observe strike
JIND, Oct 2 — All private medical practitioners and chemists here today observed a strike in protest against the murder of Dr Ramesh Arya. They demanded the immediate arrest of the killers of Dr Arya.

Cong leader’s plea to Chautala
HISAR, Oct 2 — Senior Congress leader and former minister Hari Singh Saini today said Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala must take up the issue of the SYL link canal with the Punjab Government.

Chautala rules out snap poll
From Our Correspondent and UNI

YAMUNANAGAR, Oct 2 — The Chief Minister of Haryana, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, today asserted that there would be no mid-term poll and his Government would complete its tenure.

Talking to mediapersons here he said that former Chief Minister Bansi Lal and the Congress were feeling "nervous" because of the implementation of various welfare schemes by him.

Therefore, they were now trying to "mislead" the public by making "irresponsible statements", he said adding that they were so scared that they were telling the people that there would be mid-term poll in the state.

Mr Chautala said there would be no general transfers in the state and transfers would be made only on administrative grounds and on complaints.

While speaking at the installation ceremony of Lions Club Yamunanagar-Jagadhri (Distt 321-A-2), the Chief Minister called upon the social organisations specially Lions Clubs to extend their services to rural areas and urban slims.

He said the social organisations should work to eradicate illiteracy, control population explosion and environmental pollution in the country. He said some politicians were exploiting casteism and regionalism and this trend must be curbed. He urged the members of the Lions Clubs to open new branches of the clubs at village-level so that Lions Club movement could become the movement of the people to help the needy, down trodden and rural people.

He congratulated the newly-installed President of the club, Mr Raj Chawla and other members. The outgoing president of the club highlighted the achievements of the club.

While inaugurating the newly-constructed hostel-cum-teachers' residential complex of Seth Jai Prakash Polytechnic, Damla, Mr Chautala assured that the Haryana Government would extend every help to Seth Jai Prakash Mukand Lal Education Society in its effort to set up a medical college in the region. The complex has been constructed at a cost of Rs 2.70 crore with world bank assistance. Earlier in the day, the Chief Minister also inaugurated a newly-constructed building of Shri Tilak Raj Chaddha Institute of Technology and Management, costing Rs 50 lakh. These institutions will help spread technical education in the state.

Govern or quit, Hooda tells Chautala
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Oct 2 — Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, President, Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee, has charged Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala with failing to check the fast deteriorating law and order situation of the state, and asked him either to govern or quit.

Mr Hooda was reacting to the murder of a final-year student of Haryana Agricultural University, Manav Marwaha, in the university campus hostel on the night intervening September 30 and October 1.

Mr Hooda in a statement here today said the sordid incident was a reflection on the utter failure of the Chautala Government to check the fast-deteriorating law and order situation since he took over the reins.

The Haryana PCC chief said the looting of nearly Rs 5 lakh from employees of HVPN at Rewari by armed robbers in a daylight robbery on October 1, was "another feather" in the cap of the Chautala Government. The looted money was meant for disbursement of salary to the employees.

Mr Hooda referred to the looting of nearly Rs 50,000 by unidentified armed robbers from the Nandha branch of Punjab National Bank near Badhra after injuring the branch manager and the cashier on October 1.

Mr Hooda said these were not the only instances of law and order failure. He condemned the state government for the rise in crime rates in the past two months and asked Mr Chautala either to tone up the law enforcing machinery or quit.

A village sans basic needs
From Bhupinder Dharmani

SIRSA: Ridden of political rivalry, Shahpuria village falling in Darba Kalan constituency in this district, is without the basic facilities of water, power, medicare, schools and public transportation even 52 years after Independence.

Traditionally dominated by supporters of former Deputy Prime Minister Devi Lal, it is inhabited by about 3000 people mostly from Seewar, Sihag and Bichhla clans. The sarpanch is a Scheduled Caste.

The farmers of the village have been forced to live in penury following failure of crops due to vagaries of the weather. The sale of spurious fertiliser and seeds have added to their misery. Farmers like Brij Lal Seewar complain of the apathy of the Agriculture Department to these conditions.

Unscheduled rains have damaged the crop. There is hardly any water in Naharne minor to irrigate the land. Water is provided only once or twice a day in a month through Geegrani canal, which meets only a meagre part of their water demand. The villagers demand that water should be released at least for two to three weeks in a month. The water in the tubewells is hard water and not fit for irrigation purposes.

Increasing unemployment has generated waywardness among the youth. The drug mafia is expanding its activities. Fateh Singh Krishan says that youth can be saved from such evils if they are provided with loans for self-employment.

The village is without a veterinary hospital, which causes a great deal of inconvenience to the people as they have to go to Nathu Sari Kalan for consultation and treatment. Though there is a bus service, the villagers feel there is still need for improvement in telecommunication and transportation.

Unscheduled power cuts have bred resentment among the villagers. It is a paradox of progress that the farmers who grow wheat are made to live in penury. However with the change in the government, a hope has been kindled among villagers.

Advocate booked in cheating case
Tribune News Service

FARIDABAD, Oct 2 — The police has registered a case against Mr Rajesh Rawat, an advocate, and his brother Anil Rawat for allegedly withdrawing Rs 18 lakh from the bank account of Mahant Ram Dass in February last.

Mr P.L. Goyal, Additional District and Sessions Judge, has already rejected their application for anticipatory bail.

The prosecution case against Mr Rajesh Rawat and his brother was that Deep Dass had addressed a complaint on May 18 to the Superintendent of Police, Faridabad alleging that 39 kanals of land situated in Sector 10-A here belonging to his father Mahant Ram Dass was acquired by HUDA and in this regard, Rs 65 lakh was awarded as compensation out of which Rs 49.12 lakh was deposited in the account of Ram Dass and the balance amount in the account of the local municipal corporation.

It was further alleged by Deep Dass that his father Ram Dass had agreed to pay a sum of Rs 3,300 as legal fee to Mr Rajesh Rawat, but he obtained signatures of his father on various blank papers under the pretext of opening his account in the bank and he then got opened his bank account at bank of Baroda where his brother Anil was posted as a clerk.

Taking undue advantage of the simplicity of Ram Dass, the advocate and his brother allegedly fraudulently withdrew Rs 18 lakh from the account of Mahant Ram Dass sometime in February, 1999.

When the matter came to the notice of Ram Dass and his son Deep Dass, they demanded their amount back from Rajesh Rawat and Anil Rawat. First they avoided them on one pretext or the other but ultimately refused to return the amount in May 1999. Thereupon a case had to be got registered against them on May 18 vide FIR no 296 at the kotwali police station under Sections 406 and 420 of the IPC.

During hearing of the bail application, the accused Rajesh Rawat produced an affidavit of complainant Deep Dass on September 4 in which he had said the case had been registered on others’ asking and otherwise he had no grouse against Rajesh and Anil Rawat. But before the court, Deep Dass said he had furnished this affidavit under threats from Rajesh Rawat. The advocate then furnished another affidavit on September 14 purportedly from Deep Dass and his father Mahant Ram Dass in which they said the matter had since been settled by the panchayat.

Mr Goyal rejected the bail application by observing that the complainant and his father appeared to be simpletons as they were vacillating in their stand, Mr Goyal further observed that whether these affidavits were genuine or were given under pressure could be determined only through investigation but it was not desirable to hamper the investigation by directing the release of Rajesh and Anil Rawat on anticipatory bail.

PWD employees hold rally
From Our Correspondent

SONEPAT, Oct 2 — The All-Haryana PWD Mechanical Karamchari Union organised a rally in front of the office of the Superintending Engineer (SE), Public Health Department, here yesterday in support of its demands.

Employees of the Public Health Department stationed at Ganaur, Kharkhauda, Gohana, Murthal, Rai and Sonepat, participated. Mr Ramesh Sharma, President of the state unit of the union, presided.

Leaders at the rally criticised the anti-employee attitude of the SE, Mr Upkar Singh, and warned that if their demands were not accepted immediately, they would be forced to gherao the offices and the officers concerned.

Describing the demands of the employees as legitimate, the union leaders urged the Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, to intervene and direct the SE, Public Health Department, to solve the stalemate.

Later the employees took out a protest march. They burnt the effigy of the SE.

Earlier they staged a dharna in front of office of the SE.

The main demands of the union, included the suspension of the SE, filling of vacant posts through seniority and reservation, disposal of EB cases and stoppage of misuse of public funds by certain officials.

Sex scandal: CBI probe sought
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Oct 2 — The Haryana Congress has demanded an enquiry by either the CBI or any other impartial outside agency into the alleged sex scandal of Panipat.

In a statement here yesterday, the vice-president of the party and chairman of its media committee, Dr K.V. Singh, said since the prestige of a minister along with the state government was at stake, an enquiry by the Deputy Commissioner, especially of the same district to which the minister belonged, could not be impartial as the "government will use all methods to get a favourable report from the DC to save the minister".

Dr Singh said the protocol did not allow a DC to go into the allegations against a minister, more so of such a serious nature. Therefore, he said, the enquiry by the DC against the minister would be just a "fraud on the people and mere eye wash".

HPSC chairman for transparency
From Our Correspondent

SIRSA, Oct 2 — "I will strictly abide by the procedures prescribed for selections to make the process transparent," the newly-appointed Haryana Public Service Commission Chairman L.D. Mehta said today. He was talking to this reporter on his first visit to his hometown after assuming charge at the commission.

Mr Mehta avoided a direct reply to a question regarding allegations levelled against the commission of working along caste and political lines. He said members of the commission should hold up the sanctity of their oath and work impartially.

He stressed that if procedural rules were adhered to, the commission would not only achieve transparency but also avoid controversies.

Doctors, chemists observe strike
From Our Correspondent

JIND, Oct 2 — All private medical practitioners and chemists here today observed a strike in protest against the murder of Dr Ramesh Arya. They demanded the immediate arrest of the killers of Dr Arya.

Dr Arya, a dentist, was shot dead by three persons in broad daylight in his clinic at Uchana town in the district on September 26. The assailants had escaped on a motorcycle after committing the crime.

All private hospitals and nursing homes in the town remained closed today due to the strike and health services were badly affected. Doctors and chemists on strike assembled at the local Nehru Park and expressed shock at the murder of Dr Arya. Later they submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner demanding immediate arrest of the culprits.

Cong leader’s plea to Chautala
Tribune News Service

HISAR, Oct 2 — Senior Congress leader and former minister Hari Singh Saini today said Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala must take up the issue of the SYL link canal with the Punjab Government.

Addressing a press conference here today, Mr Saini said it was high time that Mr Chautala took up the issue with the Punjab Government.

While welcoming the enhancement of old-age pension, the senior Congress leader pointed out that Mr Chautala should ensure that the dispute over the SYL was settled as it would prove beneficial for Haryana.

Mr Saini claimed that Mr Chautala was announcing the populist measures with an eye on the assembly elections in the state.

The former minister claimed that by first announcing the populist measures and subsequently going in for a mid-term poll, Mr Chautala wanted to befool people. He said the Chief Minister owed an explanation to the people as to from where he would make up the losses the exchequer was likely to suffer from these measures.