H A R Y A N A

Govt departments fail to pay house tax arrears
KARNAL: Many government departments here have not paid their house tax for years to the Municipal Council which is already facing a financial crisis. According to MC estimates at least Rs 50 lakh is pending against the departments which could not be recovered due to the lack of cooperation from the local civil administration.

Electronics and Communication top choice of aspirants
Hisar, July 19
A majority of engineering aspirants are opting for the electronics and communication trade in the ongoing CEET counselling on the premises of Guru Jambheshwar University here. According to the available trends, computer, mechanical and electrical trades are the next choice of most of the candidates.

CEET counselling in progress at Guru Jambheshwar University in Hisar.

Silt blocks flow in Yamuna canal
Yamunanagar, July 19
Both sides of a silt ejector along the hydel link channel (over which four power generation units are located) near Hathnikund Barrage, which were repaired recently at a cost of Rs 5 lakh, have been damaged.

Stories from Haryana towns falling in the National Capital Region are put in
 Delhi & neighbourhood.

REGIONAL BRIEFS

YOUR TOWN

Hisar Karnal Panipat Sonepat Yamunanagar

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New rates for HUDA plots 
Panchkula, July 19
The Haryana Government has approved the rates of over 4,000 residential plots to be offered by Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) during this financial year.

Road caves in, traffic disrupted
Sonepat, July 19
A portion of the Gita Bhawan Chowk road caved in when a loaded truck was stranded on this portion today. As a result, traffic was held up for several hours at the chowk.

Hafed inspector shot
Panipat, July 19
Hafed Inspector Ramesh Chhokar was shot dead by three persons in his native village, Chulkana, falling under Samalkha police station here early this morning.

Govt departments fail to pay house tax arrears
Kulwinder Sandhu
Tribune News Service

KARNAL: Many government departments here have not paid their house tax for years to the Municipal Council (MC) which is already facing a financial crisis.

According to MC estimates at least Rs 50 lakh is pending against the departments which could not be recovered due to the lack of cooperation from the local civil administration. The MC had on many occasions issued notices to the defaulters but to no avail.

The MC is now considering the confiscation of property of the defaulting departments so that the dues can be recovered.

The departments and bodies with substantial house tax dues pending against them are: the Public Works Department (B&R) with arrears of Rs 15,67,559; the Panchayat and Development Department Rs 6,07,013; the Hafed rice mill Rs 5,10,072; the Haryana State Agriculture Board Rs 90,596; Haryana Agro Industries Rs 26,850; the Improvement Trust 2,32,505; the Cooperative Consumers Store Rs 82,680; the MITC Rs 5,13,853; the Sports Department Rs 2,21,992; the Northern Water Service Division Rs 2,06,154; the Public Health Department 2,37,410; the Haryana Urban Development Authority Rs 4,93,945; the Forest Department Rs 46,991; and the Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam Rs 3 lakh.

An official of the MC says that the amounts have been pending against these departments and autonomous bodies for about five years. He says the non-payment of dues had been brought to the notice of the office of the District Magistrate from time to time.

Once the MC authorities had obtained the bank account numbers of various offices so as claim the money due but the move proved futile due to alleged interference by the then officials of the civil administration.

Mr Balwinder Kalra, newly elected President of the MC, says he will ensure that legal action is taken against the defaulting departments.

Electronics and Communication top choice of aspirants
Tribune News Service

Hisar, July 19
A majority of engineering aspirants are opting for the electronics and communication trade in the ongoing CEET counselling on the premises of Guru Jambheshwar University (GJU) here. According to the available trends, computer, mechanical and electrical trades are the next choice of most of the candidates.

The first phase of counselling in the all-India category has been completed, with 1,723 candidates securing admissions against 1,878 seats in the engineering colleges of Haryana. Thus, only 155 seats remain unfilled this time, which is quite low as compared to the previous years. The remaining seats are likely to be filled during the second counselling to be held in the first week of August.

According to official record, the number of boys seeking admission to the engineering courses was much higher than of girls. Urban students outnumbered their rural counterparts in admissions to engineering courses.

The most preferred engineering colleges were YMCA, Faridabad, ITM, Gurgaon, CR State College, Murthal, CITM, Faridabad, GJU, Hisar and Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra.

Silt blocks flow in Yamuna canal
Tribune News Service

Yamunanagar, July 19
Both sides of a silt ejector along the hydel link channel (over which four power generation units are located) near Hathnikund Barrage, which were repaired recently at a cost of Rs 5 lakh, have been damaged.

As per sources, about 100–feet stretch of the silt ejector on either side have been damaged and water was further eroding the soil. Sources said when water was released in the canal a lot of silt damaged the sides. The sides, which have been damaged, were repaired recently at a cost of Rs 5 lakh.

Mr Dalbir Singh, Superintending Engineer, Irrigation Department, when contacted said the silt blocked the flow of water in the Western Yamuna Canal (WYC) and when water was released further the sides were damaged.

Regarding a damaged part of the WYC at point R.D 900, he said the part was damaged about two years ago and repeated effort to correct it failed.

A team from the Central Government, which visited the barrage advised the Irrigation Department, to fill the area with grass and then use soil. He informed the part was under observation. He has ruled out the possibility of breach in the canal from the area.

The water discharge in the WYC was 13,000 cusecs on Tuesday and Haryana was getting 12,500 cusecs of the water. Uttar Pardesh was being given 4,000 cusecs from via the Eastern Yamuna Canal from the barrage. Delhi was getting 750 cusecs of water from Yamuna.

The Yamuna river, which had created a fear of further flooding in villages of Chhachhrouli block receded last night. The discharge in the river was slightly more than 24,00 cusecs on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the Yamuna water, which had entered into Lakar, Bhilpura and some other villages of Chhachhrouli village last afternoon, has receded. However, water was standing in fields. The district administration has claimed to make elaborate arrangements to deal with any flood situation.

New rates for HUDA plots 
Ruchika M. Khanna
Tribune News Service

Panchkula, July 19
The Haryana Government has approved the rates of over 4,000 residential plots to be offered by Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) during this financial year.

These plots will be offered through various housing schemes to be floated by HUDA in 37 urban estates of Haryana. The government has also approved the rates for industrial plots to be offered in 13 urban estates of the state.

The new rates have be been approved by the Chief Minister, who is also the Chairman of HUDA. With the rates having been approved, HUDA is all set to float these housing schemes in various urban estates.

The highest reserve price has been fixed for plots in Gurgaon. The price fixed for residential plots in various sectors varies from Rs 6,700 to Rs 8,900 per square yard. Plots in Sectors 14, 17, 15, 27, 18, 30 (p), 31, 32 A, 38, 39, 41, 42, 43, 45 , 55 and 56 of Gurgaon will be offered at a reserve price of Rs 8,900 per square yard.

The price fixed for industrial plots in Gurgaon, too, is the highest at Rs 10,000 per square metre in Sector 18 and Rs 6,000 per square metre in Pace City.

The rates of residential plots in Faridabad vary between Rs 6,700 and Rs 3,350 per square yard while the industrial plots will be offered for Rs 2,700 to Rs 2,500 per square metre. Property prices in Sonepat have also appreciated because of the urban estate being in the National Capital Region. The government has fixed the reserve price of residential plots here at Rs 4,450 per sq yard.

In Panchkula — which also has the distinction for high property rates — the 1000 odd residential plots will be offered for Rs 3,900 to Rs 5,550 per square yard. While plots in Sector 19 here will be offered for Rs 3,500 per sq yard, the plots in Sectors 11, 12, 12-A, 15 and 17 has been fixed at Rs 5,550 per square yard. The price for plots in Sectors 2 and of Mansa Devi Complex, 21, 23, 25, 26, 27 and 28 have been fixed at Rs 5,000 per sq yard. The industrial plots here will be offered for Rs 2,500 per sq metre.

The reserve price fixed for residential plots in Karnal, Ambala, Panipat, Jagadhri and Hisar vary from Rs 2,500 to Rs 4,000 per sq yard. In Bahadurgarh, Fatehabad, Sirsa, Rohtak, Palwal, Rewari, Kaithal and Kurukshetra, the reserve price has been fixed at Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,800 per sq yard.

The lowest reserve price for residential plots (varying between Rs 1,000 – Rs 2,000 per sq yard) has been fixed for Bhiwani, Tohana, Bhattu, Ratia, Adampur, Ellenabad, Kalawali, Dabwali, Narnaul, Jind, Hansi, Gohana, Dharuhera and Naraingarh.

Road caves in, traffic disrupted
Our Correspondent

Sonepat, July 19
A portion of the Gita Bhawan Chowk road caved in when a loaded truck was stranded on this portion today. As a result, traffic was held up for several hours at the chowk.

A large number of vehicles were lined up on both sides of the road. The traffic police had a tough time in controlling the traffic. On receipt of information, officials of the PWD (B & R ), the Public Health Department and the Sonepat Municipal Council reached the site and started levelling the road and pulling out the trapped truck.

Shopkeepers of the area alleged that officials of the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) had failed to strengthen the road which was dug out for laying cables underground a few days ago, they alleged, was the main cause of the giving way of the road. The shopkeepers demanded stern action against the officials of the BSNL.

Hafed inspector shot
Tribune News Service

Panipat, July 19
Hafed Inspector Ramesh Chhokar was shot dead by three persons in his native village, Chulkana, falling under Samalkha police station here early this morning.

ASI Naresh, brother of the deceased, has named three persons, Rishi, Satish of Chulkana village, and Pawan of Mahoti village in the FIR lodged under Sections 302, and 34, IPC and Sections 25, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act. However, no one was arrested till the filing of this report.

According to information, the three persons came on a motor cycle and shot dead Ramesh Chhokar when he was on a morning walk. Rishi had reportedly some enmity with Ramesh. Mr Anil Kumar, SP, also visited the spot.