Chandigarh, March 4
As the Congress government readies for the first Budget session in its second term in power, odds are stacked against it. For one, the strength of the treasury benches has diminished and the loss has been the Opposition’s gain.

If the INLD and the BJP are building up arsenal to take the government head on for “failing” on the power, water, law and order and employment front, the HJC, represented by its supremo Kuldeep Bishnoi in the House, has decided to oppose the “misdeeds” of the government by staying away from the session.

While the HJC will boycott the proceedings for the better part of the session and organise a gherao of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha tomorrow and follow it up with dharnas, the BJP is scheduled to meet its MLAs tomorrow morning.

The INLD, the single biggest party in the Opposition, too, will finalise its strategy for the session at a meeting of its Legislature Party tomorrow morning. The Congress Legislature Party will meet tomorrow before the session gets underway. At this juncture, the government is more worried about juggling finances than the clamour likely to be raised by the Opposition.

The state is already weighed down with an additional expenditure of Rs 4,500 crore which is to go as arrears and an additional burden of Rs 2,200 crore on account of the Sixth Pay Commission, coupled with loss of revenue with fall in stamp duty on account of the global meltdown and closure of mines. In such a situation and given the commitment of the government to creating infrastructure while fulfilling its social obligations, Finance Minister Capt Ajay Singh Yadav says: “I am not a magician. It is my first Budget and we have to generate funds for creating new infrastructure. Though collections from VAT and excise have shown improvement, we have tried our best to manage the funds available.”

While power, irrigation and health will continue to be key areas in the Budget, it is likely that the government will strongly advocate the public-private partnership (PPP) model in infrastructure creation.

The session will commence with the Governor’s Address and obituary references. The election of the Deputy Speaker is likely to be held tomorrow. A discussion on the address will be held on March 8.

This would be continued on March 9 followed by a vote on Motion of Thanks as also presentation, discussion and voting on supplementary estimates.

The Budget will be presented on March 10 while March 11 has been fixed for non-official business. The discussion on Budget estimates will be held on March 12. March 13 and 14 are holidays. The discussion on Budget estimates resumes on March 15 when the Finance Minister will give his reply and voting on Budget estimates will be held.

March 16 has been set aside for legislative business, among other things. Six Bills will be brought to the House for approval.These include the Haryana Urban (Regulation of Tenancy, Rent and Eviction) Bill, the Punjab Scheduled Road and Controlled Areas restriction of Unregulated development (Haryana Amendment) Bill, the Haryana SEZ (Amendment) Bill, Lala Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Hisar, Bill.

Sirsa, March 4
Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh appeared before a CBI court in Ambala through video-conferencing here today.

The dera chief entered the court a little past 5 pm and remained there till 8.10 pm. Prosecution witnesses in the Ranjit Singh murder case were to depose before the court today. The dera head arrived in a cavalcade of SUVs. Hundreds of followers queued the road leading to the court complex.

They also lined up along the route taken by their chief.They were seen in groups of four or five, every 5-10 meters, many donning a yellow badge issued by the security wing of the dera.The followers took positions at their assigned places hours before the arrival of the dera chief to the court and left only after he had returned to the dera premises.

They kept a watchful eye on every passing vehicle on inner roads as well as NH-10, the route taken by their “Guruji”. “We cannot depend on the police alone for the safety of Guruji, especially after he has been attacked in the past,” maintained a dera functionary.

“The police has been requesting the dera management to stop this practice as it causes hindrance in arrangements. With hundreds of persons standing along the roads, it is difficult to differentiate between genuine dera followers and potential miscreants,” said a police officer .“The dera management has not instructed anyone to stand along the route taken by Guruji. The followers seen on the roads come on their own each time he is to appear before the court,” claimed Pawan Insan, dera spokesperson.

The dera chief will attend the court in connection with the Chhatarpati murder case on Friday and Saturday.

Sirsa/Fatehabad, March 4
The miscreants, who indulged in arson in different parts of Haryana, including Sirsa and Fatehabad, will be tried under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, besides the provisions of the Indian Penal Code.

The DGP (Law and Order), VN Rai, has written to senior officers of the police and the administration in this regard. “A meeting of leaders and activists of dera groups be called and they be warned and told in clear terms that their acts falls within the purview of Section 15 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, wherein the ‘Terrorist Act’ is defined,” says the letter.

“Sections 16 and 20 are applied against actual offenders as well as conspirators and organisers of violent acts, in addition to the other offences,” says the letter, implying that the police may initiate action under the provisions of the Act even against those who do not actually participate in the commission of the crime, but are found to have conspired or organised such activities.Rai has directed the police officers to seek police remand of those arrested for last Saturday’s incidents so that their links can be traced.

The DGP (Law and Order) has also directed his officers to use technical intelligence in order to unearth the conspiracy angle.“We have already booked the accused under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Earlier, the cases were registered under various provisions of the IPC,” said Jagwant Singh Lamba, SP, Fatehabad.

The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967, as amended in 2004 and 2008, carries stringent punishment for such acts, like imprisonment for life. Getting bail also becomes tougher. Meanwhile, intelligence gathered by the Haryana Police reveals that the incidents of arson witnessed on February 27 could recur in some other form.

They may attack public property, where there is no police patrolling,” said a “crash” communication of the DGP (CID) to the police officers across the state.

Rohtak, March 4
A pall of gloom descended on the house of Naresh Kumar Sharma, a Senior Manager with Punjab National Bank, after the news of the death of his 26-year-old son, Capt Deepak Sharma, in an encounter with terrorists in South Kashmir reached here today.

Captain Sharma, a resident of Bharat Colony here, who recently got engaged to an Army officer, died in a fierce gunbattle with militants in the Tral area in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir early this morning.

Three militants were reportedly killed in the encounter, continuing since last evening.

The Captain’s body is likely to reach here tomorrow. Captain Sharma is the second Army officer to have been killed in an encounter with militants in less than a fortnight. Last week, Capt Devinder Singh Jass was killed in a gunbattle with militants in Sopore.

Belonging to the Signals Corps, Captain Sharma had been posted with 42 Rastriya Rifles about six months ago. He had visited his family here a few weeks ago.

He recently got engaged to Capt Manju of the Ordinance Corps and the marriage was proposed for November.

“He was selected through the Short Service Commission, but expressed his desire to carry on his career in the Army after the five-year duration,” said a relative.

According to reports, a joint party of the police, the CRPF and troops of the Rashtriya Rifles cordoned off Mir Mohalla in Dadsara, Tral, yesterday morning and launched a search operation. Militants present there opened fire on the search party, which was retaliated, triggering an encounter in which two militants were reportedly killed yesterday.

The encounter was suspended last night due to darkness and inclement weather. The gunbattle resumed this morning as militants fired a volley of bullets on the search party.

The family received the information about the Captain’s death around noon when his father, who was in his office, got a call from the Commanding Officer of 42 RR about the supreme sacrifice made by Captain Sharma.His father said he had lost his brave son for the country.

“Captain Sharma spoke to his family at about 6 pm last evening,” said Ankit, a cousin of the martyr. He said while Captain Sharma had asked his family not to call him, the family was in tension since last night. Captain Sharma has a sister, who is married.

His body will be brought to the Palam airport tomorrow around 3 pm from where it will be brought here in the evening for cremation.

New Delhi, March 4
A Delhi court today extended by two days the interim bail of Abhey and Ajay Singh Chautala, sons of former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala, in a disproportionate assets case.

Special CBI Judge PS Teji allowed the plea of Chautala brothers, both INLD legislators, for extension of their interim bail, which expired today, and fixed the matter for March 6 for taking cognisance of chargesheets against them.It would also hear arguments on their applications for regular bail in the case. The court had on February 22 granted interim bail to Abhey Singh till March 4 on a surety bond of Rs 1 lakh each. Ajay was granted bail earlier.

Abhey had appeared before the court after a bailable warrant was issued against him on February 15. Co-accused Chetram, Om Prakash, Abhimanyu Singh, Rajender Kumar and Netram are also on interim bail. The chargesheet against Ajay, CBI claimed he was in possession of assets to the tune of Rs 27.74 crore -- 339 per cent more than his income Rs 8.17 crore during 1993-2006. — PTI

Chandigarh, March 4
The Haryana Congress has demanded land from the Union Territory of Chandigarh for opening its office in the city, which is the capital of the state.

A delegation of the party, led by its president Phool Chand Mullana, met UT Administrator Shivraj Patil here today and submitted a memorandum demanding land on concessional rates. The delegation told Patil that the UT administration had allotted land on concessional rates to various parties like the BJP and the INLD. The Haryana Congress had sought land in 1998 and the party should be given land at the rates prevailing at that time. Later, talking to newsmen, Mullana said the bureaucracy had been creating hurdles in the allotment of land to the Haryana Congress. He said following an assurance by Patil, he was hopeful of an early decision.

Mullana said the process for the organisational elections of the party had now started. If anybody had a complaint on the membership drive, it could be raised before central leaders, returning officer Raju Pramar and Hanumantha Rao, who was here for the two days.

Sonepat, March 4
ASI Jagat Singh and constable Sunil of the Jind police have been arrested following the escape of two criminals - Joginder of Kharkhoda and Ramkesh of Madanheri in Jhajjar district - from police custody between Kharkhoda and Rohtak while being brought back to Sonepat after their appearance in a court at Jind last evening.

The two undertrials were lodged in the Sonepat jail here in connection with murder and other criminal cases.

A case was registered against the undertrials and ASI Jagat Singh and constable Sunil of the Jind police.

An undertrial lodged in the Rohtak jail was also taken to Jind for court appearance.

While returning after their appearance in the court, the Rohtak jail inmate was dropped at the Rohtak jail while the two others were being brought to Sonepat when they escaped from the van near Kharkhoda. The police personnel accompanying them were reportedly sitting in the driver’s cabin at the time of the escape. — OC