Ambala, April 15
A controversy has erupted over the construction of a ‘sulabh shauchalaya’ at Government College, Ambala Cantt.

While local residents have been demanding that the ‘sulabh shauchalaya’ be constructed at the same place where old toilets are located, the college Principal, Dr S.S. Phulia, has asked the district administration to look for an alternative site outside the college campus.

Mr Kamal Kishore Jain, municipal councillor from ward 30, said the ‘sulabh shauchalaya’ would be constructed after getting the approval of the local MLA and the district administration, adding that dry toilets had been located there for the past five decades.

Mr Jain said when land was needed for the college, the area where the ‘sulabh shauchalaya’ was to be located had been made a part of the college.

He said the land had been handed over for the purpose by local residents and walls of the college constructed, adding that the dry toilet was located within the campus.

He said under the excision agreement, it could not be removed from the present location.

He added that when half of the toilet had been demolished to construct the ‘sulabh shauchalaya’, there was no protest from the college Principal.

Dr Phulia said the toilet was on the college campus and it affected hygiene, adding that efforts should be made to maintain cleanliness within the college campus.

He further said it had been suggested to the Deputy Commissioner that the ‘sulabh shauchalaya’ be constructed at an alternative site.

New Delhi, April 15
The Supreme Court has declined to completely stop the mining activities on an area measuring 125 hectare in Khori Jamalpur and Sirohi villages of Faridabad district of Haryana, virtually accepting the plea of state government that mining there was being carried in conformity with court’s earlier order.

The stoppage of mining activity in these villages was sought by petitioner MC Mehta and advocate Ranjit Kumar, who was appointed amicus curiea in the case on the ground that it was violating earlier orders of the apex court, prohibiting mining in the Aravalli hill ranges affecting environment of the area. They had also placed on record a bunch of photographs about mining activities and trucks carrying out mining materials for sale in the markets.

“At this stage we do not think that merely on the basis of photographs or plying of large number of trucks per day, a direction deserves to be made for stopping the mining activity,” a Bench of Chief Justice Mr Y.K. Sabharwal and Mr Justice C K Thakker in an order said.

The Court further clarified that mining activities in the two villages were not covered under the October 30, 2002 order, banning illegal mining in the reserve and protected Aravalli hills, stating that in its December 9, 2002 order.

However, to ensure that the mining activities in the two villages, which was declared as authorised was being carried as per the laid down norms, the Court directed the Central Monitoring Committee (CEC) working under its supervision, to submit a report about whether mining was confined to the 75 hactare area in Khori Jamalpur and 50 hectare in Sirohi village.

The committee would “report the impact, if any, of continuing mining activity on environment and the safeguards, if any, adopted to minimise the adverse effect on the environment,” the court said. It also directed the CEC to give any suggestions, it thought relevant on the issue.

The Haryana government in its affidavit had submitted that apart from mining in the two villlages, which was permitted under law, no illegal mining, in any form, in any area of Aravalli hills was permitted by it and the court by and large accepted the stand of the state after examining relevant documents placed on record.

The state government had also furnished details about the action taken against those who had violated the court order in the past and cases registered against them.

Hisar, April 15
Devender Singh, a Deputy Superintendent (Jail) posted at Rohtak, allegedly committed suicide at his residence in the Azad Nagar locality here today. He was nearly 40 and had been placed under suspension for the past some time.

The deceased belonged to Nyoli Khurd village in the district and was earlier posted at Sirsa. Several jail inmates had then complained against Devender and Jail Superintendent Yudhisther Yadav to a visiting High Court Judge. Consequently, both of them were transferred to the Rohtak jail.

Later, an inquiry was instituted into the serious allegations levelled against them, following which both were suspended.

In a suicide note left behind, Devender has maintained that his superior, Jail Superintendent Yudhisther, made him do some “wrong work“ at pistol-point and carried out a videorecording of the act.

Levelling serious allegations against his superior, Devender has stated in the suicide note that Yudhisther used to abuse and threaten him. He has written that due to the pressure put on him by the Jail Superintendent, he was mentally upset.

Devender’s body has been sent for a post-mortem examination. According to police sources, it is difficult to ascertain the cause of death as no marks or signs of poisoning were found on the body. Something concrete in this regard can be said only after receiving the report of the viscera examination.

Rohtak, April 15
Former minister Krishan Murti Hooda today resigned from primary membership of the Congress, citing “dismal performance” of the Congress government headed by his bete noire Bhupinder Singh Hooda as the reason.

Mr Hooda joined the Congress in 1975 and was jailed seven times during the party’s worst years in the late seventies. He was Labour Minister in the Bhajan Lal Cabinet from 1991 to 1996.

Talking to mediapersons here, he said he had faxed a letter to Congress President Sonia Gandhi on April 2 highlighting the failures of the Hooda government and seeking her intervention to stem the rot. However, he was neither allowed to meet her personally by her aides, nor did he receive a reply to his missive in which he had stated that many staunch Congress men were contemplating quitting the party.

He said the Congress faced a bleak future in Haryana solely due to the “non-performance” of the Chief Minister. The Government had neither fulfilled the promises made to the people in its election manifesto, nor created avenues for employment for the youth. Development had come to a standstill and people were growing restive.

The former minister said Chief Minister was an “inexperienced” person with no control whatsoever on the administration. Bureaucrats enjoyed absolute power at the cost of the people. At the same time, the Chief Minister spent most of his time in Delhi cultivating Congress leaders to keep himself in the saddle, he added.

He alleged that the law and order situation in Haryana was deteriorating fast and crime against women was on the rise. Several sections of employees and youth were forced to launch agitations to press their just demands which the government had been ignoring.

Mr Hooda said the Chief Minister had promised to provide employment to 10 lakh youths in five years. He should publicly state how many jobs had been given during the past more than a year.

Though the Chief Minister boasted that the state’s coffers were full, no compensation had been paid to farmers for crops lost due to frostbite and other reasons. He questioned the logic of registration fee for land sales when the state had “overflowing” coffers.

Asked whether he was joining the Bharatiya Janata Party, he said he would plan his next move in a month. 

Fatehabad, April 15
Six villages of the district will soon have development centres (Vikas Kendras) where facilities like e-governance, e-accounting and e-education would be provided by the government. The aim of setting up these centers was to provide latest knowledge to rural people and education-related knowledge to children.

The Commissioner, Hisar Division, Mr R. R. Fuliya told mediapersons here on Thursday that the scheme for setting up these development centres had been prepared by the Rural Development Agency. One village each from all the six blocks of the district would be taken up for the setting up of these centers.

He said the centres would help the villagers in getting latest knowledge of development at the national or international level. The schoolchildren would get information about the changes in their curriculum through e-education.

Mr Fuliya said that another scheme of converting big villages of the district to ‘Model Villages’ would also be taken up soon.

These villages would have facilities like conservation of rain waters, sanitation and drainage of waste waters. Facility of clean toilets would be provided to each home in the village.

Self-help groups would be set up in these villages, which would provide facilities needed for functions like marriages to the villagers.

Panchkula, April 15
The Haryana Government has decided to adopt the open school examination system for Class VIII from the current academic session on the pattern of Classes X and XII.

The decision was taken at a meeting presided over by Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary (Education) R.S. Gujral, who is also Chairman of the board, here today.

The Commissioner and Director-General, School Education, Mr K.K. Khandelwal, OSD to CM, Mr M.S. Chopra and Mr Kulbhushan Sharma, president of the Haryana Federation of Unrecognised Private Welfare Association, were also present.

Mr Khandelwal claimed that syllabus and study material for open school candidates would be the same as in the case of regular candidates. He said no separate examination would be conducted for the open school candidates in view of the syllabus being the same.

He also made it clear that different days for examinations posed administrative problems for the board and also entailed problems of late result and difficulty in admission as a regular student for open school examinees.

The certificate for the Haryana Open School candidates would be the same as certificates for regular students, except for “Haryana Open School” mentioned in a column. The examination for the candidates of unrecognised schools would also be conducted along with regular schools.

Ambala, April 15
A coach of a train was derailed in the railway yard in Ambala Cantonment today.

However, the derailment did not affect the movement of trains on the main line. The empty coach of the Ambala-Bathinda passenger train was derailed in the railway yard during shunting. The coach was put back on rails after a few hours.