Sirsa, January 21
After days of hectic campaigning, it’s time to unwind. Abhey Singh Chautala of the INLD spent the day today in the company of his friends who had come from abroad for his election.

Mansher Ghuman. alias Matt from Los Angeles, Paresh, alias Gujju, from Chicago, Kuldeep Kumar from Ukraine, Virender Rana from San Francisco, Bobby from Australia, Satvinder from Chile and several others have been camping here ever since Abhey Singh filed his papers.

“I could not spend much time with these friends during campaigning. They wanted to accompany me during my village tours and rallies, but I stopped them. All are foreign nationals and you never know who your adversaries may drag into a controversy,” said Abhey Singh on the phone.

After spending a few hours at his Sirsa residence and meeting party workers from Ellenabad, Abhey Singh left for his farmhouse in Tejakhera with his friends.

“No question of fatigue, but no need to relax either. Only those fearing defeat will feel tired,” he said exuding confidence.

For Congress candidate Bharat Singh Beniwal, the day was like any other. “I get up at 5 in the morning even if I have slept late in the night,” said Beniwal.

Today too he got up early and after exercise met workers who poured in from different villages throughout the day. His cell did not stop ringing.

“I am tough and campaigning has not left me fatigued,” Beniwal said. He hastened to add that projections by his polling agents showed he was winning. This kept him cheerful.

“I foresee a comfortable victory for me in this election,” claimed Beniwal. Kusum Chaudhary of the Samast Bhartiya Party spent her day travelling. “I met my workers, first at Nathusari Chopta and then at Ellenabad, and after thanking them for their hard work, I lunched with them,” Kusum said. “I have decided to make Ellenabad my constituency for ever and will soon be shifting residence here,” she said. The scene of activity has shifted from Ellenabad to Sirsa as residences of both Beniwal and Abhey Singh are here. Kusum Chaudhary, too, has been staying in a Sirsa hotel.

Ellenabad, January 21
With their fate sealed in EVMs, Congress as well as INLD leaders are busy making calculations for their victory. Congress candidate Bharat Singh Beniwal and INLD’s Abhey Singh Chautala both are sure of victory.

Abhey Singh claims that the heavy turnout is reflective of the “anger” of Ellenabad voters with the “discriminative attitude” of the Bhupinder Singh Hooda government towards this area.

“During the General Election held in October 2009, our party supremo Om Prakash Chautala had led in the town by 1,800 votes.

“This time, the worst that can happen is that we may fail to get that lead. But voters in the villages have voted heavily in favour of our candidate,” said a senior leader of the INLD.

He said the senior Chautala had a lead over his Congress rival from villages falling under the Nathusari Chopta block of over 11,000 votes and those falling under the Ellenabad block of over 3,000 votes. “This time, the margin from these blocks is going to increase,” he claimed. Beniwal, on the other hand, maintained that heavy polling would benefit the Congress. “During the earlier elections, INLD voters, who are primarily from the dominant classes, came out to cast their vot. But a majority of those from the lower strata of society, who usually go with the Congress, were left out.

“This time, we ensured that our voters came out to vote,” he said.

His poll manager claim that the Congress candidate has improved position in the Nathusari Chopta block, will lead from the Ellenabad block and win by a handsome margin from Ellenabad town.

Residents of Ellenabad, meanwhile, seem to be facing the “withdrawal syndrome.” Hundreds of SUVs carrying leaders of the two parties who had descended here, left for their destinations yesterday

“We do not have much work at the farms these days and were enjoying spending time with politicians of all hues who landed at our doorstep.

But now the ‘mela’ is over and offices of political parties in our villages have been closed,” said Ram Partap, a villager from Rupawaas.

“Our business suddenly surged during the past some days with leaders of rival parties camping here. The byelection over, it will now be back to normal,” said Jagdish, who sells cigarettes in the town.

Chandigarh, January 21
The Ellenabad byelection over, the Haryana Congress is readying for an in-house organisational poll which, leaders maintain, is likely to bring about a “generational change” in the leadership at various levels.

Sources said the party wants to give a fresh look to the party and elect a leadership in the state which has the potential to be part of team Rahul Gandhi in years to come.

“Though there is no ‘prescription’ on the age and calibre of leaders at the grassroots level as also the top of the chain of command in the state units, youth and relatively young leaders are likely to hold sway in days to come,” a Congressman said.

While the party received over 2.70 lakh applications in the recent enrollment campaign, Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee president Phool Chand Mullana said there were more applications which were yet to be checked. “We have applications which are still being checked.

“The number is likely to go up futher,” he said.

The pradesh returning officer for the organisational elections, Raju Parmar was in city today to meet the HPCC president and the working president of the party, Kuldeep Sharma.

He said the party would continue the enrolment drive in Fathehabad, Hisar and Sirsa where it had been suspended on account of the bypoll.

“Our workers were busy with the bypoll in this area. We will give them time till January-end to enrol as many members as they possibly can after which the process of scrutiny will begin.

“In the first week of February, I will begin touring the state and hold meetings of workers at the block and district level,” Parmar said.

Sources in the party maintain that the primary focus of the organisational polls is to take democracy to the grassroots level and nurture a new crop of leaders,

It would focus on strengthening the party in areas which did not return a Congress representative in the October 13 Vidhan Sabha elections last year..

“The party will have to strengthen its base in pockets where we have leaders from other parties who joined the Congress representing us. The areas represented by Independents will be equally important. Some irritants will have to be taken care of,” a senior leader maintained.

For now, the party is gearing up for its elections which have been set rolling with the enrolment drive.

Chandigarh, January 21
The INLD has accused the Hooda government of harming the interests of farmers by not following the policies of Sir Chhotu Ram. In a statement issued here today, president of the INLD Om Prakash Chautala said though the government claimed to be following the policies of Sir Chhotu Ram, in reality it was working against those policies.

The farmers were facing an acute shortage of fertilisers, power and water. Chautala said it was unfortunate that the farmers had to stand in a queue for a long time, but only one bag of fertiliser was given to a farmer at the end of the day.

The INLD leader said while Sir Chhotu Ram had framed a law so that the farmers could get back their land from moneylenders, the Hooda government was acquiring agriculture land to give benefit to big industrial houses and builders.

He also alleged that first notices were being issued to the farmers for acquiring their land. Then after the farmers sold their land to big builders at throwaway prices, the land was not only being released in favour of the builders but the latter were also being given licences for colonisation.

Chandigarh, January 21
Haryana has been spending more money on contesting cases than the amount involved. Condemning the act, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has ordered a probe by the state chief secretary into the matter.

Justice Rajesh Bindal took into consideration at least two such cases of “avoidable litigation” before issuing the directions that are expected to go a long way in cutting down the wasteful expenditure and time consumption.

The directions came on an appeal filed by the state against one Dewan Chand Kunger. Going into the background of the matter, Justice Bindal asserted: “The dispute in the case pertains to 1987-90, whereby allegedly some loss was suffered by the state on account of job executed by the respondent - the then sub divisional officer. The state had to recover Rs 17, 878 from him.

The suit was filed on February 26, 2004. It was dismissed on March 23, 2008. Even in appeal, the state failed. Still not satisfied, for a dispute of a meager amount of Rs 17, 878, the present petition has been filed in this court.”

Dismissing the petition, Justice Bindal asserted: “Two courts had gone into the issue in details and did not find merit in the claim set up by the appellants. As to how much time and money was spent by the state in this process certainly deserves to be inquired into. The time and money not only of the department, but even courts’ time was also wasted in the process of avoidable litigation.

“It may be noticed that on earlier occasion also, the state had filed an appeal in this court against the award of additional district judge, Jind, in an arbitration matter, where the amount in dispute was merely Rs 7,900. In that case also, much more than the amount involved in the litigation must have been spent in pursuing the cases in terms of money, as well as man hours.

“Let the matter be inquired into by the chief secretary or any person authorised by him and responsibility of the person concerned be fixed in terms of actual cost regarding money and man hours and the same be recovered from him. It may be noticed that it is not that always a person who initiates a file is responsible. The person at the higher level, who approves the file on such a proposal without giving a thought, is equally responsible”.

Karnal, January 21
The role of poor quality soils and water resources in enhancing the food production was highlighted in a three-day seminar, “National Seminar on Soil Salinity and Water Quality”, which concluded here today.

It was jointly organised by the CSSRI and the Indian Society of Soil Salinity and Water Quality (ISSSWQ).

In his inaugural remarks, Padamshree Dr JSP Yadav said of all major ecosystems ‘coastal’ had a significant role as 50 to 70 per cent of the global population lived within 100 km of the coastline, covering about 4 per cent of the earth.

“The ecosystem is highly vulnerable and can cause colossal damage to lives and properties due to climate change,” he informed, stressing on the need for a holistic ‘coastal’ watershed approach

He felt that an appropriate disaster management protocol and sound strategies for management of the coastal areas for securing the livelihood of millions was the need of the hour.

Union Agriculture Commissioner Dr Gurbachan Singh said salt-affected soils were widespread in the Gangetic alluvium, central peninsular plain and coastal regions. He added by reclaiming 1.7 million hectare land in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, the CSSRI produced 10 million tonnes of additionalfoodgrain. He emphasised upon the multiple use of water for agriculture, resource conservation technologies like zero tillage, bed planting and groundwater recharge, energy plantations for biosaline agriculture in salt-affected soils.

Director, CSSRI Dr Ram Ajore narrated the recent initiatives taken by the institute in management of salt-affected soil, poor quality water and energy plantation.

At least 125 scientists from across the country took part in the deliberations on salt-affected soils/waters, innovative technologies for sustainable management of salt-affected soils and poor quality waters, bio-saline agriculture, bio-drainage, bio and phyto-remediation, conventional and biotechnological and physiological interventions for introducing the trait of salt tolerance in crop plants. Other themes like ‘energy plantations and other livelihood generating options for salt affected soils/waters; climate change and its impact on soil-, water- and bio-resources in terms of salt, water, energy and gas exchange were also discussed. 

Karnal, January 21
At least three persons were killed and ten others injured, two of them seriously, in road accidents here today. A person was killed and six others injured when the bus in which they were travelling hit a truck from the rear near Madhuban, 10 km from here, this morning.

The ill-fated bus of the Haryana Roadways, carrying about 50 passengers, was on its way from Mewat to Chandigarh when the tragedy struck.

The deceased was identified as Raj Kumar, who was declared as brought dead at Civil Hospital, Karnal.

The injured have been identified as Sunil Rawat of Chandigarh, Brij Bhushan from Faridabad, Rajeev from Mewat and Prem Mehta, Gian Mehta and Vinod Kumar, all from Delhi. All of them were admitted to a nearby hospital in Karnal. One of the seriously injured was shifted to Delhi.

The police has registered a case under Sections 304 A and 279 of the IPC against the driver.

In another incident, a woman, identified as Rita (26), died on the spot when a speeding bus hit the motorcycle on which she was riding pillion from the back near Padhana-Dupheri in the Assandh area today. The deceased was crushed by the bus, the police said. A case has been registered against the driver of the bus.

Meanwhile, one person, identified as Purshotam, died on his way to hospital after the car in which he was travelling was hit by a bus at Tarawadi today. Four other occupants of the car, namely Rajesh, Ramesh, Mahabir and Balwan, were seriously injured and moved to a nearby hospital.

Yamunanagar, January 21
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum today directed Swami Vivekanand Nursing College, Jagadhri, to refund the admission fees of Rs 60,000 along with 9 per cent interest to a student, Anjana Verma, of Shimla.

Anjana had deposited the fees when she took admission to the college in the 2007-2008 batch. However, later she got admission to BDS at the HIDS, Poanta Sahib, and demanded the refund of her fees, which was denied by the college authorities. She then approached the consumer forum.

Anjana told the forum that she had deposited Rs 60,000 as fees along with all original certificates to take admission in BSc (Nursing) in the college on September 9, 2007. Later, she got admission to the Poanta Sahib college on September 29. She informed Swami Vivekanand Nursing College about it and demanded the refund of her original certificates and fees.

She got back the original certificates, but the college authorities flatly refused to return the fees.

Passing the order, president of the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, Dinanath Arora, said after hearing both parties, the forum had come to the conclusion that the college must refund the fees to the complainant along with 9 per cent interest.

Rohtak, January 21
Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda inaugurated Tagore Auditorium at Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU) here yesterday.

Hooda was all praise for the building features. The auditorium, built at an estimated cost of Rs 20 crore, has a seating capacity for 1,800 and is equipped with the latest light and sound facilities. The foundation stone of the auditorium was laid by the then VC Brig OP Choudhary 16 years ago.

Rajya Sabha MP Shadilal Batra and MDU Vice Chancellor Dr RP Hooda were among those present.

A bronze statue of Tagore has been installed in front of the new auditorium.

A section of the auditorium will display photographs of rural life by eminent photographer Raj Kishan Nain. An art gallery will be developed later.