Rohtak, January 5
To improve power availability in the long run, the Haryana Government is likely to take up coal mining exclusively to feed its 11 existing and two soon to be commissioned coal-based thermal power units.

Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda told The Tribune today that the Centre had sometime back offered coal blocks to states like Haryana which were dependent on coal for their power generation. The Centre was keen to reduce the burden of mining in vast coalfields on Coal India Limited, which supplied coal to the thermal power stations all over the country.

With this aim the Centre offered to allot coal blocks to the state governments and asked them to either take up mining on their own or float joint ventures with private companies to ensure regular supplies to their thermal power plants. Haryana had decided to consider the offer. However, experts were of the view that the government alone might not be able to properly manage coal mining in far-away states.

Mr Hooda said the government had, accordingly, decided to engage a consultant to find out the best way to manage mining in centrally allotted coal blocks. Whether the government would undertake mining by itself or by floating a joint venture would be decided after the consultant’s recommendations were received, Mr Hooda said.

There are 11 coal-based thermal power plants in Haryana. Panipat has eight plants and Faridabad three. Two more units are coming up at Yamunanagar.

Meanwhile, Mr R.N. Prasher, Financial Commissioner and Secretary, Power, held a meeting with officials of the union power ministry at Delhi last evening regarding the gas-based plants which several big players like Tata, Jindal and Reliance had offered to set up in Haryana at the initiative of the Chief Minister with the objective of increasing Haryana’s power generation by a minimum of 5000 MW in the next three to four years.

Mr Prasher said it was decided to form a group comprising officials of these companies, the Haryana government, Union Petroleum and Power Ministries and the Gas Authority of India Limited to thrash out issues regarding gas imports to feed these plants.

He said it was felt that while the private players wanted to be certain that they would get adequate supplies once their units were commissioned, GAIL in turn wanted these companies to commit purchase of gas it would import from international companies.

GAIL would have to sign contracts with international gas companies for a minimum of 15 years and it would have to lift the committed stocks whether these companies lifted these or not. It, therefore, wanted some kind of guarantees in this regard.

Mr Prasher said a beginning had already been made in this direction by a Faridabad-based company desirous of setting up a gas-based power unit there. It had decided to invite expression of interest from international gas suppliers for supplying gas to all companies which wanted to set up gas-based units in Haryana.

Panipat, January 5
Owing to the grim power supply, residents of Naulatha village, here in the district blocked the Panipat-Rohtak village this afternoon. Agitated villagers blocked the traffic for more than an hour in protest of poor power supply and also demanded the change of the defected transformers.

Despite repeated representation to the authorities concerned nothing had been done so far to improve the situation. The villagers complained that the grim power supply condition had caused much inconvenience to them.

They demanded that a number of transformers that were damaged in the past yew months had not been replaced by the authorities.

They lifted the blockade only after the officials assured to redress their grievances.

Due to the traffic blockade, there was a long queue of vehicles and those stranded had a tough in the cold. In attempt to ease out the situation, officials from the state power authority and the district administration reached on the spot and assured the villagers to look into the their demands.

Panipat, January 5
Another attempt of the district administration to end deadlock between Pitloom factory owners and workers failed.

Meanwhile, the workers’ union leaders have decided to postpone agitation — indefinite dharna — outside the DC’s office scheduled to start from Friday.

A meeting was held between leaders of the two groups last evening at Samalakha but it ended without a decision being taken. Pitloom factory owners and worker-leaders struck to their stands.

Though the factory owners boycotted the yesterday’s meeting but the administration was satisfied as workers agreed to defer the strike by another week. Chief Minister Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda is slated to visit Seenkh village on Saturday and the administration tried to have the agitation put off as it feared agitating workers could create ruckus during a meeting at Seenkh village.

A senior official said deadlock between the two parties was becoming a serious problem. Though the administration attempted to break the ice but avoided any coercion on workers.

After the Gurgaon episode, the Hooda government was taking caution in the labour dispute in the district too, an official remarks. The official added the leadership was taking other “unofficial” steps to resolve the issue.

Yesterday’s meeting was held between leaders of workers and pitloom factory owners at the behest of the Haryana Petroleum Dealers Association, Mr Shamsher Gogi, a confidant of Finance Minister, Birender Singh.

Workers in the district are agitating for the past four months against their exploitation by the entrepreneurs. Led by the IFTU, the workers’ agitation had virtually stopped production in pitloom industry.

Workers are demanding the minimum wages, fixed working hours and identity cards for health and other related facilities. Leaders of the IFTU and other labour organisations accused the factory owners of exploiting labourers by illegal extended hours of work and even as bonded labourers.

Work in several units manufacturing durries, carpets, sheets and blankets was severely affected after the workers went on a strike.

Yamunanagar, January 5
Former Haryana Education Minister and BJP leader Mr Ram Vilas Sharma has come out in support of yoga guru Ramdev saying that the controversy regarding the guru’s medicines having animal residue is a conspiracy to malign yoga and ayurveda and asked Ms Brinda Karat to seek public apology. Ms Karat had accused the guru of using his TV popularity for selling “adulterated” drugs to his followers.

Addressing a press conference here this evening, Mr Sharma said efforts were on to malign the saint community under the pressure from some multinational companies. “India was emerging as the biggest market of ayurvedic medicines and this would hamper the interests of some multinational companies” said Mr Sharma and added, “I know Swami Ramdev ji quite well as both of us belong to Jhajjar district. Swami ji is working for the public cause and the allegations will smear his image.

Commenting on state politics, Mr Sharma said the Hooda government had failed on all fronts. Taking up the issue of the SYL canal, he alleged that despite having nine MPs in Parliament, the Congress party had failed to put forth the interests of the states in Parliament. According to him the state was reeling under sever water and power crisis.

Kurukshetra, January 5
Reviewing the progress of rural development at the District Vigilance and Monitoring Committee meeting at the conference hall of the minisecretariat here today, Member of Parliament, Naveen Jindal directed the district authorities to register a case against a voluntary organisation, engaged in realising payments illegally from the people below the poverty line in and around Shahabad area for development works undertaken by the government.

Mr Jindal also wanted action against the block development and panchayat officer concerned.

Mr Jindal desired strengthening of self-help groups to make women self reliant in rural areas. He said that the block development panchayat officers should oversee the self-help groups in their areas. and passive self-help groups should be activated so that women could be made economically dependent he added.

Mr Jindal also directed all block development and panchayat officers that to implement social welfare schemes related to villages, the gram sabha meetings be convened and the Zila Parishad as well as Panchayat Samiti members should also be invited to in gram sabha meetings.

Deputy Commissioner, T.K. Sharma informed that a survey of families below the poverty line in the district had been completed.

Mr Naveen Jindal also inaugurated the building of the District Handicapped Rehabilitation Centre (DHRC) on the premises of District Red Cross Bhavan here.

The DHRC president-cum-deputy commissioner, Sharma said that free counselling for Orthopaedics, Ear, Nose and Throat as well as mentally retarded persons would be provided in the building, built at cost of Rs 13 lakh. A blood donation camp was also organised on the occasion.

Fatehabad, January 5
A married woman was allegedly raped by a dairy owner in the local Thakur Basti area. The woman lodged an FIR with a complaint today. The police has booked the accused Mohinder under Sections 376 of the IPC.

The woman was a native of near Dhani Tahli Wali village and was married at Alwar in Rajasthan. She had come to see her aunt here, who lived in a rented accommodation of Mohinder at Thakur Basti. The victim informed the police that when she went out of the room to relieve herself, Mohinder forced her in his room and raped her. She narrated the incident to her aunt, who tried to sort out the matter with the intervention of a panchayat of elders. When the panchayat failed to provide justice to the victim, she brought the matter to the notice of the police.

Ambala, January 5
The parents of a girl have lodged a complaint with the police that their daughter was being blackmailed by a youth for the past one year by preparing a CD containing obscene photographs.

The SP, Ambala, Mr Rajbir Deswal, said the girl’s parents had met him and the matter was being investigated into. “The girl’s statement will be recorded tomorrow. We have taken serious note of the incident,” he said.

The parents of the girl have stated that the girl was lured by a youth, who apparently took her obscene photographs. Now he has prepared a CD of those photographs.

The parents have informed the police that the girl fell prey to the youth and he even forced her to steal money from home and pass on to the youth.

A few days back, money was again stolen from the house following which her father inquired from the girl about it. She then informed her father about the matter. The girl’s parents met the SP today.

Ambala, January 5
The Green Circle, an organisation working for better environment, held its annual general meeting today.

The new office-bearers of the Green Circle are chairman J.S. Nandra; president — S.K. Sharma; vice-presidents — Krishan Kumar Singla and Roshan Lal Ahuja; project director and secretary — R.P. Gupta and finance director — Bhushan Gupta.

Members of the Green Circle demanded that solid waste management plant should be established soon. They demanded that polythene bags should be banned in the town and Gurguria nullah should be widened and cleaned regularly.

Regarding Indira Park, its members pointed out that the fountain had been out of order for the past five years, children’s games should be replaced with new ones, footpath should be repaired and rangshala had to be renovated.