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Election Toll
Surplus land worth crores sold despite HC orders
Mediation effective in resolving disputes: SC Judge
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Cheaper liquor from Chandigarh being sold in Yamunanagar
Making a quick buck:
Vijay, a young entrepreneur, takes advantage of the “bypoll season” to sell flowers and garlands.
A Tribune photograph
HJC tries to placate BSP
Speedy disposal of power grievances
Leave village forever, panchayat tells 2 youths
Ban on illegal disposal of garbage
12 motorcycle thieves held
HJC tries to placate BSP
3 held for immoral trafficking
2 railway cops attacked
Drunken man kills friend
Tough fight for Bhajan: Cong
Teachers’ fast on May 26
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Suspension of govt staff raises eyebrows
Sushil Manav
Fatehabad, May 17 The government orders are being linked to the bypoll to the Adampur assembly seat, where the ruling Congress is pitched in a multi-corner contest and is trying hard to tumble the old bastion of Haryana Janhit Congess (BL) candidate and former Chief Minister Bhajan Lal. The state government, vide its orders dated May 14, 2008, placed under suspension three inspectors working in the local office of the excise department. The officials - Dayaram Bhadoo, Bhagwan Dass and Sitaram Jayani - all belong to the Adampur assembly segment. While Bhagwan Dass belongs to Siswal village, the other two are from Adampur village. The three officials were away to Jakhal on official duty when their suspension orders were received here and were summoned to the office and handed over their orders. Dereliction of duty was cited as the reason behind the suspension. Interestingly, deputy excise and taxation commissioner, Fatehabad, T.C. Turkia, who signed their relieving documents, also belongs to the Adampur assembly segment, and was transferred to Chandigarh on May 15, a day after the suspension of the three officials. Earlier, Atma Ram, a patwari working in the revenue department, was placed under suspension by the government for dereliction of duty. He belongs to Sadalpur village which, too, falls under the Adampur assembly constituency. Shiv Kumar Bishnoi, station house officer of the city police station, who hails from Mangali village under the Adampur assembly segment, was placed under suspension earlier this week. Three police constables - Krishan, Ram Niwas and Satpal - who, too, hail from the Adampur area, were also suspended on the same day. There are rumours of suspension of a senior officer of the panchayat department and some more patwaris. Interestingly, all officials who have been suspended hail from the Adampur constituency and a majority of them are from the Bishnoi community. They were reportedly appointed when Bhajan Lal was the Chief Minister.
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Surplus land worth crores sold despite HC orders
Chandigarh, May 17 The land is situated along the GT Road near the Pipli bus stand. What is most surprising is that the sale deeds were even registered by the revenue authorities, though their seniormost officer, financial commissioner, revenue (FCR), had accepted the "surplus" status of the land. No surplus land can be sold by its owners. Sources say the Haryana revenue authorities turned a blind eye while registering the sale deeds of the surplus land because the persons concerned belonged to two political families of Punjab and the then powers that be in Haryana wanted to help their political friends in the neighbouring state. The racket was unearthed by the Haryana CID, which inquired into certain complaints received in this regard. Now additional director-general of police, CID, P.V. Rathee has written to the Kurukshetra DC to take legal action against the persons involved in the racket. The land, about 1,100 acres, was allotted to Gen Shivdev Singh by the British government for the role played by him on the Burma front. However, the land was not fit for agriculture as it was under a thick forest. The owners leased the land in 1948-49 to the Chuniya Pursharth Cooperative Society, formed by 12 persons who had migrated from Pakistan. The society was named after the town, Chuniya, from where all of them had come. The lease money was Rs 12,000 per annum and its tenure was for 10 years. The society further gave the land to tenants. In 1959, the lease money was raised to Rs 19,000 per annum and the lease was extended till 1964. Though the owners refused to extend the lease after 1964, the possession of the land remained with the society. In 1979-80, the entire land was declared surplus by the state government. It gave 117 acres to the owners, 260 acres to the society and 723 acres to the tenants. The society went in appeal. The FCR ordered on February 21, 1991, that the land which was infertile in 1953 should not be considered surplus and the society should be considered as one unit and be given 30 standard acres. The society moved the high court, which in its interim order of November 18, 1992, directed that the land should not be alienated. The court never reversed its order. Still the owners sold off about 100 acres during 2004-05. In 2003, a case was filed before the RCS against the elections of the managing committee of the society. The RCS directed the society on July 18, 2003, not to vacate the land under its possession till further orders. The case is still pending before the RCS. However, the managing committee of the society decided on June 24, 2006, to vacate the land following an agreement, which was not legally valid nor permitted by laws governing surplus land, with the original owners and those to whom the land was sold. In lieu of vacant possession, the owners transferred the title of over 22 acres in favour of the society, while the "illegal" buyers paid 10 per cent of the agreed cost of the land vacated by the society to it. |
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Mediation effective in resolving disputes: SC Judge
Panchkula, May 17 The purpose of the two-day meeting is to acquaint judicial officers of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh with rules and procedures of the newly introduced concept of mediation and conciliation as an alternative dispute resolution of cases pending in judicial courts. Justice Sinha said mediators must be trained persons and a code of conduct had to be formulated and there should also be a curriculum for their training. Ruling out the possibility of hiring trainers from abroad, he said a mediator must be aware of the culture, customs and social issues of a community. “While we talk of good governance, we must have good judicial governance, including an on-line mediation system in this era of globalisation,” he added. The concept of mediation should be institutionalised and the Bar must support the alternative dispute redressal system. Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court Vijender Jain said initially mediation centres would be opened in 10 districts of Haryana and Punjab each. He said Chief Ministers of Punjab and Haryana Prakash Singh Badal and Bhupinder Singh Hooda had agreed to cooperate in the endeavour. In Haryana, such centres would be set up in Panchkula, Kurukshetra, Karnal, Sonepat, Faridabad, Gurgaon, Rewari, Rohtak, Jind and Hisar. In Punjab, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Patiala, Bathinda, Ferozepur, Moga, Hoshiarpur, Sangrur and Mohali would have these centres. He said two such centres had recently been opened at the High Court and the Chandigarh district courts. Justice Jain said for a mediator a minimum of 40 hours of training was a must. The first phase of the training would commence in the first week of July, when both judicial officers and lawyers would be trained. In many countries, the lawyers played a vital role as mediators. Urging the judiciary to avoid delay in the delivery of justice, the Haryana Chief Minister said in the absence of timely justice, people resorted to extra-judicial alternatives, some of which led to violence, breach of peace and law and order problems. He said Haryana had always encouraged alternative dispute redressal measures as the mediation and conciliation were not new to the state. One of the oldest and best known examples of this was when Lord Krishna had acted as a mediator between the Kauravas and the Pandavas. Justice Mahesh Grover of the Punjab and Haryana High Court said disputes came naturally to all living beings and disputes had always existed in one way or the other. At the same time, the concept of mediation also existed since time immemorial. Among those who attended the meeting were the Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court, Justice Jagdish Bhalla; the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court, Justice H.K. Gokhale; the Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court, Justice K.S.P. Radhakrishnan; Justice T.S.Thakur of the Delhi High Court; Justice Nisar Ahmed of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court; Justice Sunil Ambwani of the Allahabad High Court; Justice Rajesh Tandon of the Uttarakhand High Court; Justice Deepak Gupta and Justice D.D.Sud of the Himachal High Court and several judges of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. |
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Cheaper liquor from Chandigarh being sold in Yamunanagar
Yamunanagar, May 17 Owners of liquor vends, who had been facing tough competition from bootleggers and illegal ‘home delivery’ liquor business, are now facing yet another challenge. Vend owners complained that they had been loosing heavily because of this. Sources said liquor from Chandigarh was brought to districts in cars and trucks and distributed for local consumption. Unauthorised sale of country-made liquor was more rampant in the district. The excise department apprehended two cars full of liquor brought from Chandigarh last evening. Raju of Jagadhri was arrested while driver of another car managed to flee. Later, the department found 204 bottles of liquor meant to be sold in Chandigarh. Owners said a bottle of Green Label or ACP was available for Rs 120 in Chandigarh while its local cost was Rs 160. Similarly, Royal Stag
cost Rs 160 in Chandigarh while here one had to spend Rs 60 more. Cost of RC at vends in Chandigarh was Rs 260 while here it had been priced at Rs 350. A bottle of McDowell
cost Rs 50 more here. They said there was no quota in L-1 (wholesale) godowns in Chandigarh and one could even get discounts there. However, there were limits on lifting of liquor from L-1 godowns here and hence no scope of discount. L-2 vends (retail vend of Indian-made foreign liquor) purchase liquor from L-1 godowns. Liquor contractors Mahinder Singh Rana, Sangram Singh, Anupam Walia and others said unauthorised liquor was not only harmful for vendors but also for consumers. |
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Florists make hay while the poll shines
Indri (Karnal), May 17 Thanks to a sudden spurt in the demand for garlands by political activists to honour their leaders, certain people of this rural belt are busy making a fast buck. With a daily income of more than Rs 1,200, the florists are in high spirits and are catering to the orders even at a short notice. The garlands are meant for VIP politicians, including the Chief Minister, ministers, MPs and MLAs. With the canvassing ending on May 20, a number of florists boast of having received a large number of orders with advance payments. The nearest township, Karnal, is about 20 km from here and parties have no option but to solely depend on florists of Indri for the supply of fresh marigold flowers. In view of the demand, the local florists transport the summer variety of marigold from Kurukshetra, about 40 km from here. “We are charging between Rs 5 and Rs 15 per garland, depending upon the time to deliver the order,” said Vijay, a florist. Baldev Singh, a BA second-year student, says the bypoll has come as a blessing for him as he carries home nearly Rs 1,000 everyday. My entire family is happy because of the brisk business in these lean days, he says. |
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HJC tries to placate BSP
Chandigarh, May 17 Since last few days, the BSP has been criticising Bishnoi for allegedly making objectionable comments against Mayawati. But the HJC’s efforts for a truce with the BSP do not seem to be succeeding. The lone BSP MLA in Haryana, Arjun Singh, today said his party would oppose the HJC candidates in Gohana, Adampur and Indri assembly byelections. Party workers, he said, would show black flags to Bishnoi, whenever he would visit these constituencies. Arjun Singh said these decisions were taken at a party meeting held in the presence of Haryana BJP president Prakash Bharti and national general-secretary Mann Singh Manhera. On the other hand, HJC media in charge for the Indri constituency Satpal Kaushik said Bishnoi held Mayawati in the highest esteem and had never made any objectionable remarks against her. He said Bishnoi had personally gone to Mayawati to congratulate her on becoming the Chief Minister of UP. Kaushik alleged that “nervous” Congressmen were trying to create a wedge between the BSP and Bishnoi so that their party could get the BSP votes. He said it was a common mission of the BSP and the HJC to liberate the state from “mis-governance” of the Hooda government. |
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Speedy disposal of power grievances Tribune News Service
Gurgaon, May 17 As per an official release, these centres would be in addition to the existing bijli suvidha kendra. The suburban division and city division would have three centres each. Of these, one centre covering south of the city has been made functional in Kanhai village, Sector 45. It would cater to the needs of consumers of Sectors 29-32A, 38-41, 44-47, 49-57, Ardee City, South City, Uppal South End, Malibu Town, Sun City, Greenwood city, Mayfield Garden, Rail Vihar, Kendriya Vihar, Ghata, Kanhai, Silokhera, Samaspur Tigra, Jharsa, Baliawas, Gwal Pahari and Bandhwari (new and old). Similarly,the second centre in the suburban division would be opened for DLF city and nearby areas. It would be located in Sector 31, HUDA and would cater to the needs of consumers in DLF Phase I-V, NMC, MG Road (NH-8 to Delhi), Sushant Lok, Sector 27, 28, 42, 43, Sikanderpur, Chakkerpur, Nathupur and Saraswati Vihar. This would be functional from May 19. The third centre, to be functional from the same day, would cater to Maruti Industrial Area and would be located in Sector 18. This would cover Sector 18, Electronic city, Sector 1, 2, 14, 17, 19-23A, Palam Vihar, MDI, Surya Vihar, Old Delhi Road, Old DLF, Rajiv Nagar, Sanjay Gram Sarhol, Sukhrali, Bajghera, Dundahera, Moulahera, Prem Nagar, Sector 12 market and Udyog Vihar.
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Leave village forever, panchayat tells 2 youths
Fatehabad, May 17 The panchayat also directed the family of the woman to send her out of the village for six months. The incident happened at Nangla village in the district yesterday. The two youths, Yadvender and Shailender, eloped with the woman on May 10. Families of the woman and the youths and some villagers searched the missing trio at all possible hideouts and the three were eventually found in Jind. The villagers decided that they would not take the matter to the courts and the village panchayat would punish them for their errant conduct. A panchayat was organised in the village on May 13, which was presided over by sarpanch Harpal Singh. The panchayat decided to expel the youths from the village. But, the decision was objected to by family members of a youth, who said the woman should also be made to leave the village and the panchayat was adjourned without any decision. The panchayat was organised again yesterday, which directed the two youths to blacken each other’s face and then ordered them to leave the village. The parents of the woman took her to their home.
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Ban on illegal disposal of garbage
Gurgaon, May 17 The DC has constituted a subcommittee under the area SDM. The committee has been asked to submit report to the DC every fortnight after inspection of the spot. The order was passed during the meeting called to review the implementation of solid waste management programme in the district. The committee would comprise SDM J. S. Sangwan; Ajay Malik and Yogendra Singh, estate officers, HUDA, and Y. S. Gupta, executive officer, Municipal Committee, Gurgaon. The committee members were asked to put up a notice board for the information of the public that the place was not meant for garbage disposal. The officials apprised the DC that garbage from the premises of commercial establishments and private colonies was being thrown here in the night. Responding to this, the DC said DCP (East) would ensure that no one used the place as garbage dump. Anybody found doing so would be liable for strict action as per rules. He also asked the officials to ensure scientific disposal of solid waste at the appointed dump on panchayat land in Charkarpur village. |
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12 motorcycle thieves held
Kurukshetra, May 17 District police chief Amitabh Dhillon today said a police party led by CIA-I inspector Shamsher Singh, while patrolling on May 13, arrested four persons identified as Parmal Singh, Karam Singh, Ram Ratan and Surjeet Singh. They told the police that 10 more persons were involved in these theft cases. The police arrested them on their identification. They had been identified as Suresh, Pawan, Paramjeet, Ved Prakash, Gulshan, Dharampal, Dharambeer, Sanjeev. |
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HJC tries to placate BSP
Chandigarh, May 17 Since last few days, the BSP has been criticising Bishnoi for allegedly making objectionable comments against Mayawati. But the HJC’s efforts for a truce with the BSP do not seem to be succeeding. The lone BSP MLA in Haryana, Arjun Singh, today said his party would oppose the HJC candidates in Gohana, Adampur and Indri assembly byelections. Party workers, he said, would show black flags to Bishnoi, whenever he would visit these constituencies.
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3 held for immoral trafficking
Sirsa, May 17 SP Vikas Arora said following a tip-off regarding surreptitious sleaze activities in Deepak’s photo studio located near CMK Women College, a plan was prepared to arrest them red-handed. He added that Deepak charged heftily for renting out the room, located behind his shop, to couples. The police sent decoy customers to Deepak for renting a room for an hour. He asked them to wait for half an hour for getting the room vacated and demanded Rs 100. They gave him the currency note whose number had been noted down by the police following which the arrests were made. A case under the Immoral Trafficking Act has been registered at the Sirsa City police station. |
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2 railway cops attacked
Jind, May 17 The cops identified as Sukhbir Singh and Rattan Singh, who were on regular patrol duty, intervened while some persons were allegedly trying to disconnect the signal cable of the rail track around 12 pm. According to the police, the last night incident was a part of the modus operandi of criminals to enable them to carry out robbery on moving trains. Sources said halt of train due to signal fault helped the criminals to get into the train and flee away after committing theft. The injured cops said on a tip-off they reached there, a group of about six persons were allegedly trying to disconnect the cable. The group, who was armed with rods and sticks, attacked the cops, when they tried to stop them from doing so. |
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Drunken man kills friend
Sirsa, May 17 The duo was drinking together at Lakha Singh’s residence before Lakha killed Kakani last night. A quarrel over some issue was said to be the cause behind the incident. Police sources said nobody was in the house when the incident took place. Lakha took a brick and hit Kakani on the head repeatedly. After attacking Kakani, Lakha fled from the spot. Some neighbours took Kakani to a hospital. However, he succumbed to his injuries on the way. The police arrested the accused from the residence of his relative at Neelawali village. |
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Tough fight for Bhajan: Cong
Rewari, May 17 HPCC spokesman Ved Prakash Vidrohi said this while talking to this correspondent here today. On the poll scenario in the Adampur constituency, he said it was for the first time in the past four decades that Bhajan Lal, HJC candidate, was facing a tough opposition from the Congress. He said the anti-Bhajan Lal camp would boost the chances of Congress candidate Ranjit Singh in Adampur. He said the Congress would emerge victorious in Gohana and Indri also. |
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Teachers’ fast on May 26
Yamunanagar, May 17 A chain hunger strike has been started by the sangh against the government’s decision to hand over government schools to Bharti Foundation. After a meeting, district president Payare Lal Tanwar informed that on May 8 the sangh had met Haryana education minister to discuss the demands of teachers. He stated that the agitation of teachers would continue till the government accepts the demands of the teachers. He said the sangh would start a campaign in rural areas of the state against the government’s move to privatise school
education. |
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