Chandigarh Kurukshetra Panipat Rohtak Gurgaon

Distress sale of paddy alleged
HISAR, Sept 23 — Notwithstanding the government's claims, distress sale of paddy in Haryana is becoming a widespread phenomenon due to negligible and selective purchase by government agencies, Mr Verender Singh Narnaund, a former Irrigation and Power Minister of the state said here today.

Teachers give ultimatum to govt
KURUKSHETRA, Sept 23 — The Regional Engineering College Kurukshetra Teachers Association has given an ultimatum to the Haryana Government to implement the new pay scales by September 28, failing which, the faculty members will go on mass casual leave on September 29.

Farmers urge govt to buy paddy
PANIPAT, Sept 23 — Residents of Bapoli area villages and the Mandi Association of Bapoli, a block headquarter of the district, has demanded that the purchase of paddy should be done by government agencies so that the farmers can get the better prices for their crops.

VC lays stress on use of Hindi
KURUKSHETRA, Sept 23 — Students of the English Department stole the show in various competitions organised by Kurukshetra University during the week-long Hindi Day celebrations which concluded here yesterday.

Nurses ask CM to accept demands
ROHTAK, Sept 23 — The Nurses' Association of the Pt B.D. Sharma Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences has appealed to the Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, to accept its long-pending demands.

Probe into cattle fair scam
ROHTAK, Sept 23 — A police inquiry has been initiated into the multi lakh Sampla cattle fair scam. The investigation has been handed over to a DSP-level official.

• Truck with liquor catches fire

Haryana scheme for handicapped jawans
Tribune News Service

GURGAON, Sept 23 — The Haryana Government has decided to provide livelihood to those soldiers who had become handicapped in the Kargil conflict and also approach the Centre afresh to set up a sainik school at Mattanhail in Jhajjar district. This was stated by Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala at a state level function.

Mr Chautala said the government would give agencies of kerosene, fertilisers, cement etc to them so that they could be economically and socially rehabilitated. This would be in addition to the monetary help to these soldiers. The amount of cash to be given to the handicapped soldiers would depend on the degree of injuries.

In response to a demand for the setting up of a sainik school in South Haryana, he said his government would again approach the Centre on the issue. The then Chief Minister, Mr Devi Lal, in 1989 had initiated a move for a school at Mattanhail village. The panchayat of the village had also given 300 acres to the government for the purpose. Mr Chautala hoped to persuade the Centre for the project.

Earlier, he presented mementoes to family members of the soldiers who lost their lives in the Kargil conflict. A cheque for Rs 10 lakh was given to next of kin of each of the war heroes.

The administration of Rewari handed over certificates of fixed deposits of Rs 50,000 to each of the daughters of the soldiers from this district who lost their lives in the conflict. The district administration has raised the money through its own efforts.

Martyrs Day in Haryana coincides with the death anniversary of the Hero of the 1857 war of Independence, Rao Tula Ram. Although the day holds significance for the entire state, it is a special occasion for residents of south Haryana, especially of the Ahirwal belt.

Referring to Kargil, Mr Chautala emphasised that the credit for the victory of the country went to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.

He hinted that his government would soon raise the old age pension and provide major concessions with regard to water and power to farmers.

Cong leader seeks Chautala govt sack
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Sept 23 — Though the INLD and the Congress are opposed to one another politically, in Haryana the two parties are united against at least one thing — exit polls.

If the INLD President, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, attacked the exit polls yesterday and called their assessment about the results of the Lok Sabha elections in Haryana as defective, the General Secretary of the Haryana Congress, Dr Ram Prakash, agreed with him in a statement issued here today.

Dr Ram Prakash said he was in agreement with Mr Chautala in questioning the authenticity of the exit polls conducted by various agencies. But the agreement between the two ended here.

While Mr Chautala had insisted that the NDA would win all the 10 seats in Haryana, Dr Ram Prakash said the Congress would surely win at least seven seats. The exit polls by various agencies had given three or four seats to the Congress in Haryana.

The Congress leader alleged that the exit poll conducted by Insight and telecast by Star TV channel a couple of days ago was a "crude attempt to influence the voters of the remaining two phases of the polling, obviously under the pressure of the Union Information and Broadcasting Minister, Mr Pramod Mahajan, who is a past master in resorting to such baseless exercises."

Dr Ram Prakash demanded the dismissal of the Chautala Government for its alleged failure in checking the fast deteriorating law and order situation in the state.

Quoting various incidents of crime in the state in the past few days Dr Ram Prakash asked Mr Chautala to take immediate steps to check crimes. Otherwise the Congress would launch a statewide agitation.

He accused Mr Chautala of encouraging antisocial elements and INLD activists who, he alleged, were harassing relatives of various Congress leaders, including Mr Birender Singh and Mr Nirmal Singh, both MLAs.

Distress sale of paddy alleged
From Our Correspondent

HISAR, Sept 23 — Notwithstanding the government's claims, distress sale of paddy in Haryana is becoming a widespread phenomenon due to negligible and selective purchase by government agencies, Mr Verender Singh Narnaund, a former Irrigation and Power Minister of the state said here today.

He said the government agencies had not entered a number of markets so far in the state, while in others, the purchase was negligible in the name of certain specifications laid down by the government. On the other hand, he said traders were very active in the markets and were buying paddy by offering prices well below the minimum support price. Farmers were compelled to sell their produce at throw-away prices as they had no alternative but to accept the price offered by the traders, he said, adding that the possibility of government employees being in league with traders and rice sellers could not be denied.

Mr Verender Singh said it was just the start of the arrival of paddy in the markets and the situation could get, worst later.

He said another blow to paddy growers was the low yield and high production cost of the crop due to scanty rain and inadequate availability of canal water and electricity. Paddy in thousands of acres in Hisar, Fatehabad, Sirsa, Bhiwani, Jind and Rohtak districts had been destroyed or used as fodder due to the non-availability of water for irrigation, while a large number of farmers were striving hard to save the crop with the help of diesel-run tubewells, which cost them heavily, he said.

Petrol supply resumed
From Our Correspondent

KURUKSHETRA, Sept 23 — Following the detection of water in petrol at a petrol station here on Monday, a unit of the petrol station was sealed by the district administration. However, the petrol supply was resumed on Tuesday after the water was taken out from the tank.

Inquiries reveal that over six petrol tankers containing adulterated petrol were despatched from the Panipat-based Indian Oil Corporation Refinery to different stations in this region and one of the tankers was unloaded at the petrol station here. According to the petrol station owner, eight to nine vehicles were given petrol from that tank.

After a complaint, the Deputy Commissioner, Mr S.N. Roy, sent Food and Supply Department officers who took petrol samples and sealed the unit.

He said refinery officers had in a statement to him admitted that the fault was theirs.

Mr Roy said the seal was broken after clearing water from the unit.

The Indian Oil Corporation has said it will meet the expenditure incurred by those who had got their vehicles filled with the adulterated petrol.

Teachers give ultimatum to govt
From Our Correspondent

KURUKSHETRA, Sept 23 — The Regional Engineering College Kurukshetra Teachers Association (RECKTA) has given an ultimatum to the Haryana Government to implement the new pay scales by September 28, failing which, the faculty members will go on mass casual leave on September 29.

Stating this here today, the RECKTA General Secretary, Dr Baldev Setia, said the association's general body, in a resolution passed unanimously, noted the inordinate delay in the implementation of the new pay scales. It resolved that the faculty members would wear black badges to express their resentment over the inaction of the college authorities in this respect.

In another resolution, the general body resolved to stop all work of Kurukshetra University for the examinations scheduled to be held from December, 1999, in case the rates of remuneration for marking of answer scripts and conducting practical examinations were not revised by the university.

Dr Setia said the general body had also warned the college authorities that no additional work beyond the scheduled teaching load may be allotted to the teachers from the next semester. He said the general body also expressed resentment over the amendments to the leave rules of the college communicated through a letter dated July 12, 1999. The principal, he said, had been requested to withdraw the amendments in the larger interest of the college and its employees.

Farmers urge govt to buy paddy
From Our Correspondent

PANIPAT, Sept 23 — Residents of Bapoli area villages and the Mandi Association of Bapoli, a block headquarter of the district, has demanded that the purchase of paddy should be done by government agencies so that the farmers can get the better prices for their crops.

In a memorandum to the government, the farmers and the members of the association pointed out that the private agencies were not giving remunerative prices as these agencies fixed the prices according to their convenience which was always less than the procurement prices fixed by the government.

They alleged that the private agencies were not making the payments within the dues stipulated time and the farmers were compelled to wait for getting their.

If the farmers demand the payment within a day or two, they were given the cash amount after deducting at least 2.5 per cent of the interest on the total amount.

VC lays stress on use of Hindi
Tribune News Service

KURUKSHETRA, Sept 23 — Students of the English Department stole the show in various competitions organised by Kurukshetra University during the week-long Hindi Day celebrations which concluded here yesterday. They won a majority of the prizes in the declamation contest and other competitions.

Geetanjali Mishra of the English Department won the first prize in the Hindi poetry recitation competition while Bindia of the same department was adjudged best in the Hindi essay-writing competition.

Presiding over the final-day function, Dr M.L. Ranga, Vice-Chancellor of the university, expressed concern over the lack of use of Hindi in government offices. He said Hindi should be patronised at all levels and Indians should get rid of the ‘slave mentality’ by not following the English culture and way of life. He said the Hindi language, culture and literature was very rich.

Dr Ranga honoured Udaibhanu Hans for his contribution to Hindi poetry and literature. Mr Ram Lal Verma, an industrialist based in Ambala, was honoured for his contribution to Hindi Literature and Culture.

Prof S.K. Singh, Dean Students Welfare of the university, expressed concern over the lack of use of Hindi in judicial work in the country. He thanked Dr Ranga for promoting the use of Hindi on the campus.

Two employees were also honoured.

Nurses ask CM to accept demands
From Our Correspondent

ROHTAK, Sept 23 — The Nurses' Association of the Pt B.D. Sharma Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences has appealed to the Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, to accept its long-pending demands.

In a statement here yesterday Ms Santosh Hooda, General Secretary of the association, said Mr Chautala had assured the nurses during their agitation in the previous government's tenure that their demands would be accepted if his party came to power. She said the nursing community had pinned all its hopes on the present Chief Minister.

Ms Hooda demanded filling of vacant posts of nurses, exemption from duty at CSSD Department, Glucose, kitchen, laundry and medicine stock department. She sought confirmation of nurses appointed on a regular basis, proper accommodation facilities and promotion policy on the pattern of the PGI, Chandigarh or AIIMS, Delhi.

Probe into cattle fair scam
From Our Correspondent

ROHTAK, Sept 23 — A police inquiry has been initiated into the multi lakh Sampla cattle fair scam. The investigation has been handed over to a DSP-level official.

The inquiry officer yesterday visited the cattle fair office located at Laxmi Nagar here and checked receipt books. He verified certain receipt numbers published in The Tribune on September 22 and seized them.

The Tribune exposed the scandal in which the state government was duped of several lakhs of rupees in connivance of government officials. Mela officials allegedly manipulated the registration fee charged by the Panchayat and Development Department for animals sold at the fair.

The Additional Deputy Commissioner, Mr Anand Mohan Sharan, has also been conducting a separate inquiry into the case.

Truck with liquor catches fire
From Our Correspondent

ROHTAK, Sept 23 — A truck carrying liquor worth several lakhs of rupees caught fire after it met with an accident on the Circular Road here today.

The driver escaped unhurt.

According to police sources the truck caught fire after hitting some shops on the roadside while trying to avert an accident.

A case has been registered in this connection.