Chandigarh, September 6
The auction of a commercial tower and certain shopping mall sites worth crores of rupees in Gurgaon have turned murkier with new facts coming to light and the government ordering the transfer of the Chief Administrator, Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA), Mr N.C. Wadhwa, this evening. Mr Wadhwa was reportedly opposed to the confirmation of the auction on the plea that these sites had fetched a price much below the market rate during the auction.

The Chief Administrator, Housing Board, Mr Alok Nigam, has been given the additional charge of CA, HUDA. Mr Wadhwa will replace Mr P.K. Gupta as the Managing Director of the Haryana Industries Development Corporation (HSIDC). Mr Gupta was appointed in the HSIDC only recently in place of Dr Harbaksh Singh.

In another development, the Administrator, HUDA, Gurgaon, Dr Prem Chand Verma, has proceeded on leave for another two weeks. Dr Verma too was opposed to confirming the auction. Besides Dr Verma, another officer, Mr Balraj Singh, who was given the charge of the Administrator, HUDA, had also proceeded on leave. The government gave the charge of the post to a junior officer of the SDM-rank, Mr Vivek Dhankar, allegedly in the hope that he might confirm the auction.

Dr Verma, who was to re-join as Administrator, HUDA, Gurgaon, after his return from a training course on August 30, has proceeded on leave. The President of the All-India Youth Congress, Mr Randeep Singh Surjewala, today alleged that Dr Verma was forced by the government to proceed on leave so that Mr Dhankar could confirm the auction in his absence.

The auction was held on May 24 last under the supervision of a five-member auction committee under the chairmanship of Dr Verma, who was competent as the Administrator to confirm the auction. However, the committee unanimously decided on June 2 last that since the auction involved crores of rupees and it would constitute the Bench mark for future auctions, the matter should be referred to the head office. Meanwhile, certain complaints were received by the HUDA authorities alleging, among other things, that certain persons wearing “kurta and pajamas and carrying arms” did not allow certain prospective bidders to participate in the auction”.

The authorities ordered an inquiry into the complaints by the D.C. Gurgaon, Mr Anurag Rastogi, who proceeded on leave. In his absence the inquiry was entrusted to the ADC, Gurgaon, Mr Balraj Singh. He recorded the statements of the members of the auction committee, besides the others. He held that the complainants were non-existent. He also found no substance in the allegation that certain armed persons threatened the bidders.

Many members of the auction committee told him that the auction price in Gurgaon was much less than what a similar mall site had fetched in Panchkula, which was considered to be at par with Gurgaon as far was the property prices were concerned. They also told Mr Balraj Singh that while in Panchkula the price was over Rs 41,000 per sqmt, in Gurgaon the price was in the range of Rs 18,000 to Rs 19,700.

Interestingly, while Mr Balraj Singh after a purview of a video film held that the pandal seemed to be full of the bidders, in reality only 27 bidders were present there.

However, Mr Balraj Singh had to say that the auction price was low.

The HUDA authorities wanted to cancel the auction. Mr Surjewala alleged that the Chief Minister’s office decided that the decision to confirm or not confirm the auction should be taken by the Administrator, Gurgaon. Dr Verma proceeded on three-week leave, after the expiry of which he went on a training course. The charge was given to Mr Balraj Singh, who also proceeded on leave. Then Mr Dhankar was made the Administrator, Gurgaon.

Mr Surjewala submitted memorandum to the Governor, Dr A.R. Kidwai, here today, urged him to invoke his powers under Article 167(b) of the Constitution, which says that “it shall be the duty of the Chief Minister of each state to furnish such information relating to the administration of the affairs of state and proposals for legislation as the Governor may call”, to summon the record relevant to the controversial auction.

Mr Surjewala said it was strange that big builders like DLF, Ansals and Unitech, who had made huge investments in Gurgaon, had kept themselves away from the auction of prime property. He said it was his presumption that they were told not to participate in the auction by the “masters of the state”.

He said if the auction was confirmed, his party on coming to power would take stern action against the guilty, besides cancelling the auction.

Panchkula, September 6
The posting of non-cadre officers on cadre and ex-cadre posts in the Forest Department, Haryana, is causing a lot of heartburn among the Indian Forest Service officers posted in the state.

It is learnt that as many as nine cadre posts of Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCFs) are presently being occupied by the non-cadre officers (those who are not from Indian Forest Service). In fact, eight of these officers are promoted into the Haryana Forest Service from Range Officers, though their appointment into HFS has not been confirmed. Even these appointees are junior-most amongst the HFS officers, and their appointment on posts meant for IFS officers is unjustified.

There are 29 cadre posts in the rank of DCF, while three IFS officers have been sanctioned to the state in excess of the cadre strength. The state has 43 cadre posts, including the posts of DCFs, Conservator of Forests, Chief Conservator of Forests and Principal Chief Conservator of Forests.

Similarly, of a total of seven ex-cadre posts in the department (of DCFs), non-cadre officers have been posted on four of these posts. The Indian Forest Service (IFS) Association, Haryana, alleges that the non-cadre officials, having strong political connections, are ensuring that all rules in the book are flouted and they are given plum postings. The association members inform that even as two IFS officers are awaiting their posting orders (after they returned back from their training almost three months ago), the posts meant for the IFS officers are being filled by junior and non -entitled officers.

It is alleged that for the past many years no IFS officer has been posted in the Shivalik region in the state (Panchkula, Ambala and Yamunanagar), even though this region has the maximum forest cover. The IFS Association alleges that HFS officers manipulate with the political bosses to get posting in the Shivalik region in violation of the cadre rules.

The IFS officers say that their postings are governed under the cadre rules and Indian Forest Service (Pay) Rules, 1968, and the strength of IFS cadres and its composition is determined by the Government of India. The rules clearly point out that the state government can make temporary appointment of non- cadre officers on cadre posts only if the government knows that the vacancy will not last for more than three months, and a suitable cadre officer is available to fill the vacancy. If a person other than a cadre officer is appointed to cadre post for a period extending to three months, the matter should be brought to the notice of the Central Government, after giving reasons for such appointments. Since there is no concurrence of Central Government in this regard, this provision has also thus been violated by the Central Government.

Hisar, September 6
Resentment is brewing among nurses working in various medical institutions of Haryana due to the indifferent attitude of the state government towards their demands. The nurses have been demanding a revision of their pay scales, filling of vacant posts and a proper promotion policy for the past several years, but to no avail.

While a number of girls are sitting idle after having completed nursing courses and undergoing training, a considerable number of posts of nurses are lying vacant in the government hospitals across the state. Moreover, nearly 1,000 nurses and ANMs have been working on fixed wages under the Reproductive and Child Healthcare (RCH) scheme for a long time, but their services are not being regularised.

The Haryana Government recently advertised 400 vacancies of nurses in the state, but the nurses find the number insufficient. "It's a classic case of too little, too late", asserts Ms Jasvir Kaur, general secretary, Haryana Nursing Staff Association, while talking to The Tribune.

She asserts that the vacancies had been advertised after a gap of 10 years, while the actual requirement was much more. "More than 50 per cent posts of nurses are lying vacant at several places in the state," she maintains, adding that the government should recruit more nurses, revise their pay scales and formulate an acceptable promotion policy.

The union leader also demands that the nurses and ANMs working under the RCH scheme be regularised and the posts of nurses not be abolished. The nurses had launched a statewide stir, demanding the fulfillment of these demands, in 1998. Following the stir, which went on for about two months, the services of several nurses were terminated.

"When the present state government came to power, it reinstated the sacked nurses. However, the demands were not accepted," says Ms Jasveer Kaur, who was among the nurses whose services were terminated.

Jhajjar, September 6
The Crime Branch of Bahadurgarh police here arrested a hardcore criminal, involved in many cases of murder, attempt to murder, robbery, and vehicle-snatching in Jind, Bhiwani and Rohtak districts, this evening.

The police sources said the accused had been identified as Jaiveer son of Nafe Singh, a resident of Kharkara village in Rohtak district. The accused was detained by the police when he was wandering on the Nahra-Nahri road in the town and recovered an unlicensed pistol from him.

He was booked under Arms Act. Later, during interrogation, he turned out to be a notorious criminal with several cases of heinous crime and wanted by the police of various districts.

According to the police, Jaiveer had killed a teacher Surender and his mother in Jabdi village in Jind district. He had also robbed a Tata Sumo from Sudana village in Rohtak four years ago after shooting its owner.

He was arrested but escaped from the police custody at Sheela By-pass in Rohtak. He had also killed his wife and a woman in his distant relations.

Many cases of vehicle snatching and attempt on lives have also been registered against him in Bhiwani, Jind and Rohtak districts. 

Karnal, September 6
Reports of protests against erratic power supply have been received from various parts of Karnal, Kurukshetra, Kaithal and Jind districts during the past 24 hours.

Protesters complained that there were up to 15-hour unscheduled power cuts in the region. Farmers once again feared loss to the paddy crop if the situation persisted for another week.

The region has been facing an acute power crisis for the past one week. Officials of the power corporation say the overall production of power in the state-owned plants has decreased, affecting the supply. In Karnal district, farmers protested against erratic power supply at Assandh, Indri and a few other parts yesterday as well as today. The farmers blocked traffic on the Assandh-Panipat road.

Farmers of Assandh town and nearby villages also stormed the local office of the power corporation and allegedly took away a few record books.

In Kurukshetra district, villagers of Mathana and nearby villages blocked the traffic on the Kurukshetra-Ladwa road last evening. Today, there were reports of protests by farmers in the Ismailabad and Ladwa areas. The Jind and Kaithal districts, too farmers protested against the power cuts.

Jarnail Singh, a farmer of Assandh in Karnal district, told The Tribune that the proper voltage required to run water pumps was not supplied for even four hours in the subdivision.

The district authorities refused to comment on the erratic power supply.

An official of Tau Devi Lal Thermal Power Station, Panipat, disclosed that the first unit of the plant, having a capacity of 110 MW, had been stopped on Sunday following a snag. The other units were also producing less than the capacity.

The exact cause of drop in production was not yet officially confirmed, but engineers said it was due to high moisture content in the coal being supplied to the power station.

Reports of low production were also received from the Faridabad and Yamunanagar thermal and hydel power stations, respectively.

Ambala, September 6
Bahujan Samaj Party activists today held a demonstration in Ambala city against the “anti-people” policies of the Chautala government.

The demonstrators, led by Mr Ramji Lal, said that the Chautala government had failed to look after the interests of backward communities.

They demanded, among other things, that the life and teachings of Guru Ravi Dass should be included in the school syllabus, compensation be given to the poor families who lost their homes in floods.

The reserved qouta for jobs be filled at the earliest and the Mandal Commission report be fully implemented.

Yamunanagar, September 6
As many as 502 units of blood were donated at a camp held at Mukund Lal National College here yesterday. The earlier record of the college was 475 units. The camp was inaugurated by Haryana Deputy Director-General of Police K.K. Mishra, who also donated blood.

On the occasion, 84 blood donors were honoured, including the chief guest, Mr Lakswinder Kumar Goyel (107), Mr Parveen Moudgil (100), Mr K.P. Sashi (84), Mr Anil Sharma (80), Mr Ajay Vashisht (75), and the Principal of the college, Dr Ramesh Kumar (76).

Ishan Aggarwal, a student of B.Sc I was honoured for organising the camp.