The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Bhan helps SCs to stay put Yoginder Gupta Tribune News Service Chandigarh, July 29 The intervention of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, headed by Dr Suraj Bhan, a former Governor of Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh, has saved a large number of persons from being uprooted from their homes by the Army in Ambala Cantonment. These persons have been staying in the Top Khana area for generations and are thus “hereditary occupants” of the land. The Army had been asking them to vacate the land as it wanted to set up a workshop there. Since the affected residents are mostly Scheduled Castes, they approached Dr Suraj Bhan, who recently convened a meeting of representatives of the Army, the Ministry of Defence and the Haryana Government. The ministry assured the commission that the occupants would not be uprooted. Dr Suraj Bhan, who had been a Member of Parliament from Ambala for several terms, showed a copy of a letter written by the then Deputy Commissioner, Mr B.S. Grewal, in 1947 to the then Commander, Sub-Area, Ambala Cantonment, Brig W.D. Edward, that the Army was a lease-holder of the cantonment land for which it was paying an annual rent of Rs 9.166, nine annas and 11 pie. In view of this letter, he asked the Army to clarify the correct legal position of its claim of ownership of the cantonment land. The Top Khana land was leased to various persons who were brought in from other parts of the country to serve the cantonment. The commission’s view was that the present occupants had the right over this land as “hereditary occupants”. Ambala Cantonment was set up in 1843 by the then East India Company, which was followed by the British Government. A large number of civilians, as per prevalent practice at that time, were brought from other parts of the country and settled here to provide non-military and commercial services to the units stationed here. Dr Suraj Bhan said while the commission appreciated the needs of the Army, in a democratic set-up, people could not be uprooted just like that. When Army officers said that they were not aware of the status of these persons before 1953, Dr Suraj Bhan pointed out that an 84-year-old man, Ram Chander, who was present at the meeting, was born and brought up on the Top Khana land. His ancestors were occupants of this land at the time of his birth. Since he raised his voice against the Army’s plan to evict them, his house was demolished 11 years ago. The Army did not construct any building on his land. Rather added his land to the Gold Course! Dr Suraj Bhan also pointed out that 35 bungalows with an area varying from 5 to 20 acres each, were resumed by the Army about 10 years ago. These bungalows were lying unutilised. Similarly, about 100 acres were auctioned every year by the Army for raising crops. Obviously, the Army could meet its needs for land without disturbing the old occupants of the Top Khana area.
	Hooda seeks hike in paddy MSP Tribune News Service Chandigarh, July 29 The Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, today urged the Central Government to reconsider its decision on the minimum support price (MSP) of paddy fixed for kharif 2006-07. The hike of merely Rs 10-per quintal was inadequate in view of the increase in the cost of production, he said. In a statement issued here, the Chief Minister urged that the MSP of paddy should be increased by at least Rs 50 per quintal and the revised MSP announced well in time. The MSP of Rs 580 per quintal fixed for the common variety and of Rs 610 per quintal for the fine variety were meagre. Mr Hooda said the MSP should be increased by at least Rs 50 per quintal or the additional amount given to the farmers as bonus on the pattern of wheat. He added that he would meet the Mr Sharad Pawar, and urge him to increase the MSP of paddy.
	Sainik School team scales virgin peaks Tribune News Service Chandigarh, July 29 A 24-member mountaineering expedition team of Sainik School Kunjpura, Karnal, under the leadership of J. S. Gulia, an ace mountaineer, successfully climbed two virgin peaks (6440 m and 6250 m) in Rupshu valley of the Leh region in Jammu & Kashmir on July 8 and July 10, respectively. The peaks have been named Kunjean-I and Kunjean-II by the locals. Earlier the expedition was flagged off by Gp Capt Suresh Kumar, Principal, Sainik School Kunjpura, Karnal, on June 25. On July 8, the first group of climbers led by Mr Gulia left for the 6440 m peak at 5 am and after negotiating the rough moraine the team comprising seven students, including a girl student Shivani Rawat, stepped on the top of the peak at 10.15 am. On July 9, the second group of climbers comprising eight students, including a girl student — Shreeja Jaiswal — and lead by Mr Anurag Semwal and Mr Bhaskar Sukhla reached the summit at 11.45 am. The Principal, Gp Capt Suresh Kumar, and team members called on Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Chief Minister of Haryana, at his residence here yesterday. The members of the expedition were: J. S. Gulia (Leader), Mr Anurag Semwal, Dr Shyam Magotra, Mr Bhaskar Sukhla, Shivani Rawat, Anil Kumar, Shreeja Jaiswal, Shantanu, Ramesh Sangwan, Aditya, Naveen, Sadanand, Amardeep, Vivek Chal, Deepak Chahar, Amandeep Godara, Rahul Dhaka, Nitin Singhal and Kuldeep.
	3 booked for defrauding traders Tribune News Service Panipat, July 29 The police last night booked three persons under Sections 381, 420, 384 and 34 of the IPC on the charges of defrauding local industrialists and impersonating as officials of the Union Ministry of Textiles. Certain industrialists had complained to the police yesterday that three persons, including a woman, had been moving around in the city in an Esteem car, sporting a red light and a plate with “Member, Ministry of Textiles” written on it, for the past three days. They checked the records of the traders and asked them to cough up big amounts to spare them of heavy penalties. They collected lakhs of rupees, alleged the Industrial Estate Association of Sector 29. The woman was claiming to be a director from the ministry while her accomplices Jai Parkash and Harvinder Sandhu posed themselves as assistant director and inspector from the ministry, respectively. The police intercepted the car at Israna village, near here, in the evening but let off the occupant after the woman denied extorting money from the industrialists and claimed that she was authorised to check the textile factories in the city. The woman fainted at a local police station and was shifted to the nearby hospital. Meanwhile, Jai Parkash, while talking to The Tribune at the police station, alleged that they were falsely implicated. He was a maternal uncle of the woman from Bhiwani and came to Panipat to present her niece the gifts (sindhara) on the occasion of Teej, he added. However, he admitted that at the time of their visits to the factories she was accompanying them. Harvinder Sandhu was a trader of spare parts of textile machinery in the city. He accompanied the woman only as an acquaintance while she was visiting the factories, said Jaiparkash.
	Plan to set up rescue centre for tuskers Bipin Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Pinjore (Panchkula), July 29 After setting up a project for conservation and breeding of vultures in collaboration with the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) near here, the Haryana Forest Department has now chalked out a plan for having a rescue center for domesticated tuskers in the district. Thought the exact site has not been finalised as yet, but the department has identified certain areas that could prove helpful in providing a natural habitat for the rescued jumbo tuskers. A proposal for the setting up of the center has already been sent to the central government after discussing the issue at a meeting of foresters from different states recently held in Delhi. Highly placed sources in the department disclosed that the proposal was sent after the issue was taken up at a meeting of forest and wildlife officials from across the country held in Delhi recently. The department has also written to the director of Elephant Conservation Project, New Delhi, for setting up one such center at Panchkula, sources disclosed. The department has been conducting surveys in forest areas, including Morni Hills, Bir Shikargha, Kaleshar and certain others in the state for identifying the suitable place for the rescue center. At the meeting of foresters, the facts came to light that hundreds of domesticated animals are being underfed by mahouts (tamers and keepers) as their income has drastically decreased because of the declining interest of general public in elephant shows. The tamers and keepers have also being facing huge losses due to the fading interest of people in circuses in the country. Apart from this, a majority of the keepers who possess the animals without having any "certificate of ownership" from the departments concerned and forcing the tuskers to remain underfed and chained for days long. The genuine tamers, however, have been approaching departments concerned to surrender their elephants or to have certificates of ownership. Interestingly, being ill-equipped, the governments of different states were not coming forward to own these animals. They are not prepared to keep these elephants as even they have no place to keep and nurture them, a senior official in the Haryana Forest Department disclosed. According to the animal lovers, states like Rajasthan, Utter Pradesh, Delhi, parts of Haryana and Delhi in the northern region have enough population of the domesticated elephants. When contacted the Chief Conservator of Forest and Wildlife (CCFW), Haryana, Mr RD Jakati, claimed that about 100 acres of forestland adjacent to the wildlife sanctuary in Bir Shikargah has been identified but final shape to the project would be given only after working out the viability of the project. The department has been working on various aspects, including availability of suitable location for the center apart from employment of the mahavats. He pointed out that though the Haryana Forest and Wildlife Department has enough space for setting up of the rescue center yet funds for the purpose is the main issue. Mr Jakati claimed that the rearing of elephants in captivity and that too at a rescue center was a costly affair as a tusker requires almost Rs 5 lakh annually for its upkeep. Moreover, there was no scope for generating revenue from a rescue center as the animals could not be exhibited to the general public, he added.
	Woman robbed off jewellery, cash Tribune News Service Hisar, July 29 Armed robbers looted jewellery and cash from a woman of Sector 16-17 here today. The robbers fled after locking in a neigbour and a passerby who had come for the help of the woman on hearing the alarm. Three armed robbers entered the house of Mr Devender Rao in Sector 16-17 around 11 am today. Mr Rao’s wife Sunita and her one-and-a-half-year-old daughter were alone in the house at that time. The robbers snatched the jewellery from Sunita and also took away some cash lying in a cupboard. In the meanwhile, a neigbour and a passerby heard the noise and went in the house to enquire. The robbers locked them in the house and decamped with the jewellery and cash. The robbers had come on a motorcycle, which they had parked a little away from the house. The police has registered a case.
	Haryana, US college sign pact Tribune News Service Chandigarh, July 29 Haryana and Montgomery College in Maryland, USA, have signed a joint declaration of cooperation in the fields of trade, tourism, investment in science and technology and education. While the Haryana Finance Minister, Mr Birender Singh, signed on behalf of the state government, Mr Hercules Pinkney, Executive Vice- President and Provost of the German town campus of the college, signed on behalf of the college. The declaration, signed last evening, aims to pursue and expand joint activities and programmes in the relevant fields.
	Protest against police inaction Death of woman at in-laws’ house Tribune News Service Pinjore, July 29 Up in arms against police inaction, scores of residents of Dashmesh colony protested and blocked the Panchkula-Kalka stretch of the National Highway-22 for over two hours this evening. They protested in support of a retired ASI of Haryana Police, Attar Singh, whose pregnant daughter had died under mysterious circumstances at her in-laws house in Diwanwala village on Thursday night. The protesters blocked the highway and raised slogans against the police. They demanded the arrest of Purushotam, a brother-in-law of Nishu, daughter of the retired ASI. They alleged that the police had been shielding Purushotam, as it had let him off after questioning following the incident. It may be recalled that Nishu was married to Sanju, son of Nathu Ram of Diwanwala village, in December, 2005. She was found dead under mysterious circumstances at her in-laws house. The police had arrested Sanju, Nathu Ram and his daughter in-law Paramajit Kaur on the complaint of Attar Singh. Attar Singh had alleged that his daughter was harassed for dowry and was later done to death. He alleged that the main suspect in the case was let off by the police. DSP Manvir Singh said investigation in the case was on and action would be taken against those found guilty in the case. The flow of traffic was restored after the DSP promised a fair inquiry into the case.
	240 students get engineering degree Tribune News Service Barwala (Panchkula), July 29 More than 240 budding engineers who passed of B.Tech were conferred degrees at the first annual convocation of Swami Devi Dyal Institute of Engineering and Technology, Golpura village, near here, today. Mr Ajit Mohan Sharana, Commissioner-cum-Principal Secretary to Government of Haryana, was the chief guest. He asked the pass out students to choose a bright carrier for a good future. Meritorious students were awarded with gold and silver medals for their outstanding performance. The chief guest also honoured Ms Deepu Walia, who stood first in all four years, with Kalpana Chawla Memorial Award and cash prize of Rs 5,000. Earlier, the college director and principal, Dr Y.C. Chopra, reads out the annual report of the college and highlighted the college achievements. The chairman of the Institute, Er Roshan Lal Jindal, wished a bright future for the pass out students.