Latest news with #Chautala
Hindustan Times
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
INLD to stop Punjab vehicles on May 25 amid water row
Deciding to step up pressure on Punjab over the Bhakra water dispute, the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) on Tuesday announced a blockade of the Punjab-Haryana border on May 25, warning that all vehicles bearing Punjab number plates would be stopped. The party threatened to escalate the protest by setting up permanent protest camps (morchas) along the border if Punjab fails to release the full quota of water to Haryana by June 1. Addressing a press conference after a meeting of the party's national and state executive bodies in Chandigarh, INLD national president Abhay Singh Chautala accused the Punjab government of releasing only 5,000 cusecs of water instead of the agreed 9,000 cusecs from the Bhakra system. He said the shortfall had led to a severe water crisis in Haryana, affecting not just irrigation but also drinking water for people and livestock. 'We will not accept even one cusec less than 9,000 cusec. If Punjab does not comply, we will begin permanent sit-in protests from June 1,' Chautala declared. 'On May 25, we will enforce a symbolic blockade of Punjab-Haryana border routes, and all vehicles with Punjab number plates will be stopped.' The party plans to seal the borders in different regions. In the Ambala zone, INLD state president Rampal Majra will lead the blockade at two Punjab border points. At Sirsa, the protest will be led by Aditya Devilal, while Abhay Chautala himself will lead the agitation at the Narwana border with support from the Gurugram zone and Jind district units. Chautala also extended an invitation to the Congress to join the agitation, saying, 'If the Congress is truly serious about the water issue, it should stand with us in this struggle.' The party also passed a resolution to revive its agitation for the construction of the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal, a long-pending inter-state water dispute between Punjab and Haryana. In protest against Punjab's refusal to release Bhakra waters, a 15-member delegation of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), led by its national president Abhay Singh Chautala, met Haryana governor Bandaru Dattatraya on Wednesday morning and submitted a memorandum.
Indian Express
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Ashok Khemka Interview: ‘Earlier, officers feared accountability after govt change… That is gone… Vigilance Bureau is without a sting'
After an almost 34-year stint, marked by a reputation for fighting corruption and 57 transfers, 1991-batch IAS officer Ashok Khemka retired on April 30. His actions, relating to alleged irregularities in high-profile land deals, led to legal and disciplinary repercussions, often seen as retaliatory measures. In an email interview with The Indian Express, Khemka looks back at his bureaucratic journey, the challenges he faced, and other issues. Excerpts: Achievements are never individual but the result of team effort… As Mahatma Gandhi said, better outcomes are possible with less expenditure if the noble work of governance is carried out like a trusteeship of the people. I was inclined to act against corruption… Another area I focused on was reduction of wastage… Some other contributions included quality of housing, management of groundwater, inclusion of two million social security beneficiaries in 2011… public-private competition in public transport, among others. I decided to join civil services after seeing the difficulties that the common man faced and to make a difference in the life of an average Indian. Why should I quit for doing my duty? I joined government service, not a private one. In 2012, some tried to impute political motives to my actions, but it made me more resolute to set an example for the millions of youngsters who aspire to become civil servants… Bansi Lal had a vision to develop the state (Haryana) and was focused on creating infrastructure… Under his leadership in the 1970s (Bansi Lal served four terms as CM, last time in 1996-99), Haryana built an extensive road and electricity network to every village, an unparalleled achievement at the time… Highway tourism was another one of his innovative concepts. Today, Haryana's per capita income is among the highest in the country and the state will always be indebted to Bansi Lal's vision. He labelled me as a stubborn officer though he was known to be stubborn… (Om Prakash) Chautala (also a four-time CM, last term being 1999-2005) had a razor sharp memory and an iron grip on the state's administration. He could take difficult decisions and implement them. Contrary to general perception, Chautala was secular and had an uncanny ability to understand people without being swayed by rumours. Once his political advisor imputed a corrupt motive to my refusal to implement his order; Chautala gave him a public dressing down. Earlier, there was some check due to a latent fear that officers would be held accountable after a change in the political regime. But after 2004, this fear has diminished considerably. The corrupt now act with impunity… The State Vigilance Bureau (now the Anti-Corruption Bureau) is without a sting. There has been no conviction of top officers or political leaders in offences investigated by the ACB in the past several years. Though the service rules were amended in 2013 following a Supreme Court direction, they are followed more in the breach. According to the rules, postings can be done on the recommendation of a Civil Services Board, but unfortunately the board acts like a rubber stamp. There is no effective remedy against arbitrariness… Public interests suffer… Please read the May 2013 report I submitted to the government in response to a committee giving the deal a clean chit… An FIR was registered much later in 2018 based on a private complaint, but the probe is proceeding at a snail's pace. The intention seems to be 'let the sleeping dogs lie'. Let me emphatically state that no corporate firm will make sweetheart deals with any Tom, Dick or Harry. There is always a quid pro quo… Unless there is a will, there will be no investigation. Too many vested interests are involved. I hope the truth ultimately prevails. Where there is a will, there is a way. Conversely, where there is no will, a way cannot be forced. Investigating the sweetheart deal and the quid pro quo was not rocket science… In hindsight, I can say that the inquiry commission was a time-dilatory tactic. The intention was to bury the truth… 'Letting sleeping dogs lie' suited the Opposition as well. The charges were proved false and were ultimately dropped after two years. It was expected that the then political regime would hound me… But what was unexpected was the treatment that the new government meted out… Not in my knowledge. In the last 10-12 years, the ACB has not been able to secure convictions in any case involving a top officer or political leader… I will advise them to develop competence, be courageous and not be a careerist.
Indian Express
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Over 5,000 homeless as Chandigarh administration razes 2,500 shanties in Janta Colony
As the Chandigarh administration conducted the demolition of nearly 2,500 shanties at Janta Colony on Tuesday, around 5,000 dwellers turned homeless. The demolition drive was conducted at 10 acres of prime government land, which was illegally occupied by the dwellers, in Sector 25. This land, as per Estate officials, is valued at around Rs 350 crore. Two weeks ago, the administration also demolished 1,000 makeshift structures in Sanjay Colony, Industrial Area Phase 1, which saw encroachment of nearly six acres of prime land. The drive on Tuesday began at 5 am in the presence of nearly 1,500 police personnel and 1,500 officials from the municipal corporation and UT Estate Office. With the latest demolition, only two small slums — Shahpur in Sector 38 and another one in Sector 54 — remain, which the Chandigarh Administration also plans to take down soon. The UT administration has been working on making the city slum-free since the early 2000s. In 2006, it came up with a plan to replace slums with alternative housing. In 2013, it razed colony numbers 5 and 4 in 2022. These slums had occupied over 165 acres of government land. Apart from this, it had razed Mazdoor Colony, Kuldeep Colony, Pandit Colony, Nehru Colony, Ambedkar Colony, Kajheri Colony and Madrasi Colony over the years. 'Leaders had promised us rehabilitation' Sunita Chautala, a dweller at Sector 25, Janta Colony has been living here with her family for the last 20 years in the area. She mentioned how politicians made false promises of rehabilitation in exchange for votes. 'The local leaders used to come to us asking us to cast our vote for a party, and in return, we were promised that we would be allotted a dwelling unit in the city area as a part of the rehabilitation,' Chautala said. 'No one turned up today for our help while our houses were demolished. We are forced to move from here and live in a rented house.' Another resident Monu Devi, whose house was also demolished, said she had arrived in the area 25 years ago after she got married. She was living here with her in-laws. 'Last night (Monday), we had shifted to a rented property in Dhanas, which has a rent of Rs 5,000 per month. My husband is ill and I work as a maid in the city, earning Rs 10,000 per month. How does the administration think we will be able to survive on rent? Neither the administration nor any local political party came to help us,' Devi said. Sumit Kumar, who had been living in Janta Colony with his 11 family members, said, 'After our house has been demolished, we aren't able to find a house on rent. Since our family is big, the landlord says he cannot allow us to stay for a rent of Rs 7,000.' Sandeep Kumar, who works as a waiter in a hotel at Mohali, said, 'The government should have thought about allocating another space to us, before conducting the demolition.' Chandigarh Congress condemns demolition Chandigarh Congress has condemned the demolition, terming it a 'heartless act against the poor'. Party spokesperson Rajiv Sharma criticised the ' BJP -led administration' for 'neglecting' the welfare of economically weaker and middle-class residents via a lack of housing schemes in the last 11 years and 'continuous harassment' via penalties and taxes. Part president H S Lucky called the move 'utterly inhumane,' highlighting the plight of children, women, and the elderly left homeless. He demanded immediate rehabilitation for the affected families and urged the administration to act with compassion, rather than following what he termed as 'dictatorial and anti-people orders' of the BJP.
India.com
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- India.com
This secret superhero first salary was Rs 350, wanted to become a college lecturer, was forced to become.., worked with many superstars, his name is…
Sham Kaushal, who rose from a poor family in Mirzapur, a small village in Tanda, Punjab, to become a big action director in Bollywood, is an example for others. Born in 1955, Kaushal's father, Lala Dharampal, used to run a small grocery shop in the village. Mother Kanta Devi used to take care of the house. Kaushal received his primary education in the village school and studied in the government school Chautala until the tenth standard. Kaushal, who grew up in extreme poverty under the light of a lantern, graduated in 1975 by securing first position from Government College Tanda. He obtained a post-graduation in English from Government College, Hoshiarpur. Talking to Bhaskar, Kaushal said that one had to cross the Hoshiarpur Barsaati Cho at that time. 'After MA English, I wanted to become a college lecturer, but could not afford to study MPhil at Punjab University, Chandigarh. So I kept looking for a job for a year but failed,' said Sham Kaushal. Meanwhile, his friend and classmate Satpal, who had come from Bombay, advised him to go to Mumbai and try his luck for a job. During his early days, Sham borrowed Rs 3000 at 5% interest from his father and went to Mumbai in 1978. Here he got a job as a salesman at a salary of 350 rupees per month. 'There was no place to live, so I would sleep in the office after duty. After a year, I repaid my loan and came back to my village,' said Sham. He went back to Mumbai, resigned from his job, and decided to do his own work. The Punjabi boys living with him advised him to become a stuntman. Seeing work without investment, he decided to try his luck. He took training and became a stuntman in 1980. He has also worked in Hollywood. Sham Kaushal says that he was doing good work as a stuntman. During this time, seeing his work, Nana Patekar gave him the first break as an action director in his film Prahaar, and with this, his new career started. Kaushal bought a small house in 1986 and then got married in Pandori Bava Das near his village in Punjab without a baraat and dowry. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sham Kaushal (@shamkaushal09) Only the brother and father were present in the wedding procession. There are two sons. Elder son Vicky Kaushal, after engineering, has worked in award-winning films like Masaan and is working with directors like Raj Kumar Hirani in the future too. Younger son Sunny Kaushal has entered the film industry after completing His younger brother and cousin run a shop in Punjab.
