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Haryana poll commissioner ranked above CS
Changes in draft environment notification sought
More than 500 plywood units in Haryana face closure
Rally by handloom workers
Decision to acquire land opposed
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Bed bar on Yamuna high creek soon
Haryana’s Rode community reunites with Marathas today
Haryana set to welcome jatha
Rebel Cong councillors at it again
‘Missing’ boy returns
Truck carrying liquor impounded
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Haryana poll commissioner ranked above CS
Chandigarh, November 26 The Haryana Cabinet, at its meeting here on September 14, had decided that the SEC would enjoy the same status and service conditions as applicable to a high court judge. The equality of status of the SEC is in respect of travelling allowance, rent-free accommodation and exemption from liability to pay income tax on the value of the rent-free accommodation, the conveyance facility, sumptuary allowances and such other conditions of service as are applicable to a high court judge. The decision was a consequence of the meeting of the SECs held on April 20 in Hyderabad under the chairmanship of the Election Commissioner of India. It was decided at the meeting to raise the status of the SEC to that of a high court judge. As a result of the decision, the Haryana SEC’s office started demanding the elevation of the SEC’s position. The state government accepted the proposal after obtaining approval from the Governor. A notification “refixing the protocol status of the SEC” was issued by the state government on Wednesday. The SEC will now figure above the Chief Secretary and below the Ministers of State and Deputy Ministers in the official hierarchy. This will also bring about a change for the SEC in protocol-related matters like the seating arrangements at official functions, correspondence with the Chief Secretary and so on. Mr Chander Singh, a former bureaucrat, was appointed the SEC by the previous Chautala-led government. He was Finance Secretary and also held additional charge of the Excise and Taxation Department under the Chautala regime when he retired from service. |
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Changes in draft environment notification sought
Chandigarh, November 26 The draft notification, issued by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) on September 25, which is being circulated among the states for feedback, proposes environmental clearance at the level of the Central Government for a variety of projects. It says that any of the listed projects, if located within 10 km of inter-state borders, will have to be given environmental clearance by the Centre. There is a particularly cumbersome procedure for certain projects falling within 10 km of an inter-state border. Such projects have been listed under Category A/B. For clearance purposes, these projects will be first screened by the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) of the MoEF and then re-categorised as either A or B, based on their potential for adverse third- party environmental impacts. If the project is put under Category A, it will be again assessed by the EAC. In case a project is re-categorised as B, the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) will look into the project. The SEIAA will be constituted by the Central Government in consultation with the respective state governments. All state highway projects of more than 30 km length falling within 10 km of inter-state borders have been included in Category A/B. All areas of Haryana falling on inter-state borders are densely populated and the restrictions imposed in the case of state highways in these areas have been found unacceptable by the government. Expressways falling within 10 km of inter-state borders can be also constructed only after taking clearance from the EAC of the MoEF. This is not good news for the Haryana Government, which has made substantial progress in the construction of an expressway linking Kundli, Manesar and Palwal to enable vehicles to bypass Delhi for inter-state transportation. The state government's plan to encourage industrialisation around the proposed expressway will also get hindered as a result of the notification. A large number of industries — sponge iron , soda ash, fibre- based industry, petrochemical- based processing units, distilleries, etc — will have to be cleared by the SEIAA if these are to be set up within 10 km of inter-state borders. The state government, it is learnt, is going to propose that the 10 km limit for seeking clearance from the MoEF for various kinds of projects should be reduced to 2 km. Haryana will also suggest that the SEIAA should be constituted by the state government instead of it being set up by the Centre in consultation with the state government. The state government will also suggest that the right for giving clearance to industrial estates, common effluent treatment plants and large building projects should rest with the state government. |
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More than 500 plywood units in Haryana face closure
Yamunanagar, November 26 All wood-based units will have to obtain licence from the Forest Department. According to sources in the Forest Department, more than 500 units, having employee strength running into several thousands, in the state now face closure. The maximum wood-based units, about 150 in number, likely to be closed are located in Yamunanagar district. In July also, similar orders were issued, but the Punjab and Haryana High Court in an interim order had stayed the proceedings after some plywood-manufacturing unit owners moved the court. Now the court has vacated the stay, informed Mr M.P Sharma, DFO,Yamunanagar. The matter will now come up for hearing on December 7. Sources said notices were being served on the units, which came up after October 30, 2002. They have been asked to close the units by December 2. The owners, however, have been given time till December 2 to defend their cases before their respective Divisional Forest Officers. On October 30, 2002, the Supreme Court had directed that no state or union territory should permit any unlicensed saw mill, veneer, plywood industry to operate and directed to close all such unlicensed units. After that order, a prior clearance from the CEC is required to set a wood-based unit. According to the newly framed Haryana Forest Regulation of Wood-Based Industries Rules, 2005, no person shall establish, expand installed capacity or operate any wood-based industry, including the existing units, unless a licence is obtained (or renewed) in accordance with the rules. The DFOs have been empowered to issue the licences. They have also been authorised to check record (of the wood-based units) for scrutiny and timber. Sources in the Forest Department told The Tribune that the amount to be charged for issuance and renewal of the licences are yet to be fixed. According to new rules, it is mandatory for owners of saw mills (including depots and yards) that the site for storage of round timber, sawn timber and waste wood is properly fenced with proper gates and the timber stocked as per instructions. These rules are not applicable to ordinary operations of domestic carpentry, furniture-making units, wooden toy and handicraft-making units, charcoal-making units and firewood depots, which do not use and have the facility of sawing, converting, cutting and processing round timber. |
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Rally by handloom workers
Panipat, November 26 A number of senior leaders at different unions participated in the rally to protest against the administration’s failure to
protect labour’s rights. Heavily guarded venue on the GT witnessed a large crowd of labourers who gave a charter of their demands threatening a protest at Chandigarh on December 12 if the demands were not met. Workers raised anti-administration and anti-capitalists slogans. Speakers alleged workers were being exploited in the name of advance payment made to lure poor migrant labourers and later treating them as bonded labourers. National president of IFTU, Paltu Sain said that the workers were being underpaid and industrialists were making money. Workers were denied their due and forced to work in most inhuman conditions. Unionists alleged that industrialist did not maintain duty registers but attempting to highjack all issues in the name of law and order problem. Dr Aparna, a senior union leader from New Delhi demanded withdrawal of false cases against Mr P.P. Kapoor, CPI-(ML) district President of Panipat. |
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Decision to acquire land opposed
Sonepat, November 26 The panchayat adopted a resolution urging the state government not to acquire the land at a price ranging between Rs 5 lakh and Rs. 6 lakh per acre which the resolution described it very low as it will not be acceptable to the owners of the land. The resolution also says that the private builders are purchasing the land in these villages at a rate of Rs. 1 crore per acre. The panchayat stressed that if HUDA tried to acquire the land at price ranging between Rs. 5 lakh and 6 lakhs the owners of the land would oppose the move. It further warned that the owners were ready even to commit self-immolation if HUDA did not stop the proceedings for acquiring the land. The state government, it may be recalled, had issued notices and made announcement by beating of drums in villages in this regard. This has caused strong resentment among the owners of the land which is to be acquired by the state
government. |
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Bed bar on Yamuna high creek soon
Yamunanagar, November 26 This was announced by Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Chander Mohan while presiding over a meeting of the District Public Relations and Grievances Redressal Committee here yesterday. He informed that a bed bar and 700-feet-long stud on the extreme high creek of the Yamuna would also be constructed at a cost of Rs 2.50 crore near Balewala village so that 50,000 acres along Mandoli Ghaghar, Kanyawala, Bheelpura, Malimajra, Lakadmai Partapur, Nawajpur, Haldari Gujjar, Jairampur and Damopura Kalan villages could be protected from floods. The Deputy Chief Minister said as many as 11,000 new beneficiaries had been added to the list of old-age pension holders in the district and a committee constituted to look into the grievances of the remaining eligible cases of old-age pension. He said a ‘Transport Nagar’ would be set up in the city to solve the problems of truck owners and mechanics. He directed the Civil Surgeon to register an FIR against a quack, Nirmal Singh of Khera Kalan. |
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Haryana’s Rode community reunites with
New Delhi, November 26 Tomorrow, the Marathas of Haryana, organised under the banner of the Maratha Jagriti Manch, will celebrate their special identity at a first-ever reunion with fellow Marathas from other parts of the country at a convention in Karnal. Over 250 Marathas from Maharashtra and other states, including descendents of Chhatrapati Shivaji and representatives from the Congress, Nationalist Congress Party and Shiv Sena, have been invited for this special "Maratha Milan Samaroh." "Having disocovered our lineage, we now want to build relations with the Maratha community in other parts of the country and tomorrow's event is an effort in this direction," explains Maratha Virendra Verma, chief organiser of the programme, whose detailed research on the Rode community has revealed that its members had descended from the Marathas. Mr Verma said he started working on the history of his community several years ago as he was curious about its distinct customs and looks. His research subsequently showed that a large number of Marathas had been sent to participate in the third battle of Panipat in 1761. Those who survived this battle took refuge in the jungles in and around Kurukshetra and Panipat but did not reveal their true identity for fear of the enemy and over the years, they declared that they belonged to the Rode community. According to Verma, his research showed that like the Marathas elsewhere, the Haryana Marathas constantly invoked Shivaji's name while their marriage and other customs were also very similar to theirs. "We also have similar sounding names like Bodle, Khokre, Rane and Mule. There are also many similarities in the words we use," Mr Verma explained, adding that they also managed to retain their distinct identity as they did now allow marriage outside the community, whose population today is estimated to be 6.5 lakh. It is only in recent years that the community members prefixed Maratha with their names. Mr Verma said after he unearthed these similarities, he got in touch with Dr Vasant Keshav More, formerly of Shivaji University, Kolapur, who also endorsed his research. "I visited Haryana two years ago and conducted my own research and found that M. Verma's conclusions were absolutely accurate," said Mr More. He said earlier this year, a contingent of the Haryana Marathas had travelled to Maharashtra at the invitation of the Maratha Seva Sangh. They interacted with other members of the community and established an instant rapport with them. He said the subject of the Rode community's links with the Marathas was a subject of full-fledged research project at Shivaji University's Maratha Research Centre.
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Haryana set to welcome jatha
Chandigarh, November 26 The procession would be received at Kundli on the Delhi-Haryana border by the Haryana Excise and Taxation Minister, Mr Venod Sharma, on behalf of the Chief Minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda. The Chief Minister said it would be for the first time that the sangat in such a large number would go to Nankana Sahib by road through Wagah border. The nagar kirtan would be received at Pipli by the Haryana Vidhan Sabha Speaker, Mr Harmohinder Singh Chatha, and at Ambala by the Haryana Pradesh Congress working President, Mr Ram Parkash. Mr Venod Sharma and Mr Jai Pal Singh Lali, Haryana Congress Secretary, will accompany the nagar kirtan.
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Rebel Cong councillors at it again
Ambala, November 26 Even before the dust could settle down over the application seeking no-confidence motion against Ms Neelam Sharma falling flat, rebel Congress councillors have again initiated the process by asking councillors to sign an application seeking no-confidence motion. Although, a municipal councillor, who is coordinating with the rebel councillors, denied that a fresh application had been prepared seeking no-confidence motion, the councillors, who had been approached for signatures, confirmed the move. Although a few councillors have signed on the application, a couple of others, who had signed it on earlier seem to be reluctant to again joining the drive to oust Ms Neelam Sharma from the Municipal Council President’s post. A councillor said he had been approached for signing the application, but he refused. “I asked them to approach the president of the District Congress Committee, Ambala Cantt, with the matter,” he said. A section of the councillors opine that the move could’t be initiated within six months of an earlier effort. During the earlier effort, councillor Naveen Yadav had informed the Deputy Commissioner that he had been misled by the councillors and had signed on the application by mistake. He had stated that he was not in favour of no-confidence motion. Following the development, Deputy Commissioner, Ambala, Mr J.P. Kaushik, had ‘filed’ the application for no-confidence motion. |
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‘Missing’ boy returns
Ambala, November 26 There are conflicting versions regarding what actually transpired. While, Akshay claims that he was `kidnapped’, his father states that he had gone missing as he was afraid that he would be taken to task for getting involved in a fight at school. Askhay Saini has claimed that when he came out of the school in the afternoon, there was a white car standing outside and a man asked him to sit in the car. There were two more persons in the car. He was then allegedly taken to Saha where the vehicle was stopped as the men wanted to relieve themselves. He `escaped’ from the car and hid behind a tree. Thereafter, he took a three-wheeler and reached Shahpur bus stand. He claimed that he walked home from the bus stand. However, his father Pradeep Saini stated that apparently Akshay had a fight in his class. He said Akshay then went away from the school and walked with a religious procession which was passing through the area. He said later he took a three-wheeler to Shahpur bus stand. He was noticed by some students who brought him home late in the evening. |
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Truck carrying liquor impounded
Ambala, November 26 Acting on a tip-off,
the officials had put up a naka at Shahzadpur T-point. When the truck tried to avoid
the naka, the officials chased it and impounded the vehicle. The truck was carrying 410 crates containing about 4,900 bottles of English liqour. |
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