Chandigarh, August 1
Sagging industrial estates of Haryana could well get a new lease of life if the state’s Industries Department has its way. Flooded with complaints of ill-maintained HUDA-managed industrial estates, the department proposes to transfer their ownership to the Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Authority (HSIIDC).

However, the hitch that’s stalling this exercise is HUDA’s reluctance to let go and part with the assets of all such industrial estates under its purview. With the transfer operations having hit a roadblock, the department has now sought Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s intervention .

“Our idea is to cohesively develop infrastructure for the industry to thrive. Presently, industrial estates in the state are managed by HUDA, the Industries Department and the HSIIDC. However, we feel that since HUDA’s priority is the residential sector and the Industries Department’s focus is policy-making, industrial estates would fare better if their ownership lies with the HSIIDC,” says Haryana’s Industries Minister Randeep Singh Surjewala.

Interestingly, while HUDA is ready to forgo all liabilities as far as the industrial estates go, it wants to retain the assets, meaning thereby that it essentially wants to have the right to allot vacant plots that dot such estates.

“We are of the opinion that there should not be varied criteria for plot allotment. Instead, it should be governed by a single set of rules. While HUDA wants that maintenance should be taken over by the HSIIDC, plot allotment should continue to be its prerogative in such estates. We have urged the Chief Minister to intervene. This is crucial because industrialists come to us for redressal, complaining of poor infrastructure in HUDa-managed industrial estates,” Surjewala explains.

Once the transfer is effected, HSIIDC, too, doesn’t stand to gain much given the deplorable condition of the industrial estates. “The HSIIDC will have to shell out nearly Rs 200 crore, if not more, on upgradation of the infrastructure in HUDA-run industrial estates. However, it will provide respite to the industry ,” the minister adds.

With HUDA not ready to give in and woes of industrialists multiplying, the ball is now in the Chief Minister’s court. 

Gurgaon, August 1
Factionalism and infighting, which have come to be regarded as inherent constituents of the Congress, touched a new low today with a bunch of party leaders from South Haryana, including a Cabinet Minister and some Chief Parliamentary Secretaries and the sitting MLAs, refuting allegations of discrimination against the region levelled at a Congress rally organised here yesterday.

At yesterday’s rally, Rao Inderjeet Singh, Gurgaon MP, and Capt Ajay Singh Yadav, Minister for Power, Forests and Environment, had categorically accused the state regime of having a biased approach against the southern region.

The political foes-turned-pals had also questioned the land acquisition policy of the state government and asserted that landowners should also be made partners in progress. Rao Inderjeet had expressed concern over a planned mitigation of agricultural land in the region.

Apparently incensed at the double-edged attack Chief Parliamentary Secretaries Rao Dan Singh, Anita Yadav and Dharambir Singh and Congress MLAs Rao Dharampal and Aftab Ahmed issued a joint statement here today to launch a counteroffensive.

These politicos, evidently owing allegiance to the CM’s camp, asserted that South Haryana, especially the Ahirwal and Mewat areas, had witnessed unprecedented development during the tenure of Bhupinder Singh Hooda. They maintained that the leaders who were still terming this region to be under-developed and neglected were doing so due to their vested interests.

Listing the works done during the Hooda regime, these leaders said central and defence universities in South Haryana, a medical college at Mewat, besides an Ayurvedic College and a Sainik School and a grant of deemed university status to the YMCA, Faridabad, were among the government’s achievements.

The Hooda government has signed a contract to bring 1,400 MW power from Mundra in Gujarat to Pathera-Agiyar in Mahendergarh district. For this, the government did not acquire even a single inch of land and private land was purchased for setting up power substations. The project is likely to be completed by April 30, 2012, and will benefit Mahendergarh and Bhiwani districts.

Chandigarh, August 1
Special CBI Judge Ritu Tagore today directed the CBI to paste a notice outside the residence of former Punjab and Haryana High Court judge Nirmal Yadav in connection with a case related to the delivery of cash at the house of a high court judge.

Earlier on three occasions, the CBI court had issued summons against Yadav for her personal appearance but on every occasion notices had not been served.

CBI counsel PK Dogra said the court had given directions to paste a notice outside her Gurgaon residence and deferred the hearing for August 27. He added that earlier the court on April 30, May 18 and July 9 had issued summons but to no avail.

It was on March 4 when the CBI had filed a charge sheet against Justice Yadav and four others under Sections 11 and 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA), Section 120B (criminal conspiracy), Section 193 (related to false evidence) read with Section 192 (fabricating false evidence), Section 196 (using evidence known to be false) and Section 199 (false statement made in declaration) of the IPC.

Besides Justice Yadav, four other persons against whom the agency had filed a charge sheet were advocate Sanjeev Bansal, a Delhi-based hotelier, Ravinder Singh Bhasin, a Chandigarh-based businessman, Rajiv Gupta, and Nirmal Singh.

The case had rocked the Punjab and Haryana High Court after Rs 15 lakh was delivered wrongly at the residence of Justice Nirmaljit Kaur, another judge of the high court, in Chandigarh on August 13, 2008, following which she reported the matter to the Chandigarh police.

Chandigarh, August 1
Internationally renowned artist and Padma Shri awardee Anjolie Ela Menon today turned down the State of Haryana’s offer, asking the landowners to apply for the release of their land being acquired for development of Gurgaon’s Sector 58 to 65.

Menon, some two years ago, had painted a grim picture of “ecological degradation” in Gurgaon in a petition against the taking over of her land.

As a bunch of 65 petitions, including Menon’s plea, came up for resumed hearing before the Bench headed by Justice Jasbir Singh, her counsel Manmohan Lal Sarin put his foot down.

Rejecting the offer to apply for the release of land, Sarin minced no words to say the State had failed to come up with any assurance. Just one of the counsel found the offer agreeable.

Some of the conditions imposed by the State in the offer suggest it is valid in case of “petitions where it has been claimed that their change of land use/licence applications were pending up to declaration of Section 6; petitions where it has been demanded that vacant land be released as it is land locked and cannot be utilisable by Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA); and change of land use will be decided on the merits of the case, that is the conforming zone, justification of project, financial capability, policies/parameters of the department".

The notification under Section 4 of the Land Acquisition Act was issued on June 2, 2009, and under Section 6 exactly a year later.

On the previous hearing, the Bench was also told that a chunk of land belonging to the Rajiv Gandhi Trust had already been released from the acquisition process.

In fact, in one of the petitions, Bega and five other residents of Ghata village alleged discrimination. They claimed the State of Haryana and other respondents were not acquiring the vacant land belonging to persons, who have collaborated with the private builders.

On the other hand, the respondents were violating their own policy dated September 30, 2007, and October 26, 2007, against acquiring the land with built-up houses.

Chandigarh, August 1
The bandh call given by the All-India Chemists and Distributors Federation (AICDF) evoked a poor response in Haryana today. The call was given to protest against the Union Government’s move to amend the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945, and insert a new schedule HX to prevent misuse of antibiotics .

The call was opposed by the All-India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD) and its affiliated body in the state, the Haryana State Chemists and Druggists Association (HSCDA).

President and general secretary of the HSCDA Ramesh Khurana and Ashok Singla, respectively, said in a joint statement issued here today that the bandh call had not only caused inconvenience to patients but it also harmed the ongoing talks between the Union Government and the AIOCD. 

Panchkula, August 1
In a major blow to the CBI, a key prosecution witness today turned hostile in the Ranjit Singh murder case against Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

LIC agent Amarjeet Singh in his earlier statement before the CBI had stated that he had done Ranjit Singh’s insurance for Rs 5 lakh. In the statement, he had also stated that Ranjit Singh had told him that he feared a threat to his life from the dera people as they were suspecting him to be behind an anonymous letter of a sadhvi levelling allegations of sexual exploitation against the dera chief.

However, today while recording his statement before Special CBI Judge AS Narang, he only mentioned the insurance but denied the other conversations between him and Ranjit Singh.

The CBI court had already framed charges against the five dera followers, including its manager, Krishan Lal, in the case. The other four accused against whom charges were framed were Inder Sain, Jasbir Singh, Sabdil and Avtar Singh.

Rohtak, August 1
The state unit of the Students Federation of India (SFI) has announced a month-long agitation regarding the problems faced by the students in the state.

Demanding an end to the alleged open loot by the private educational institutions, the student body has asked the authorities concerned to remove the ban on the student unions elections in the state.

Stating this, a spokesperson of the SFI said here today that the state government and especially the Education Department had failed to pay proper attention to the issues related to the students at the college and university levels.

Claiming that a nexus involving the owners of the private educational institutions, politicians and bureaucrats had emerged, he said the after effects and results had been adverse so far as the interests of the student community were concerned.

Stating that while the exorbitant fee structure had been a major issue, he said a large number of the private institutions had been openly engaged in exploiting the students without ensuring the basic minimum facilities and required infrastructure.

“Hundreds of private institutions had come up all over the state in the recent past and there was none who could certify their authenticity and, as a result, hundreds of students get duped each year as they either do not get proper education or training or such institutions had no credibility or recognition at the required level,” he added.

Stating that though there had been a steep hike in the number of school and college- going students in the state over the past years, he added that there had been an acute shortage of buses in each of the district.

Charging the state government of curtailing the democratic rights of the students by imposing a ban on student union elections for the past 15 years, he claimed that large funds were still being collected from students in the name of student unions and there had been no record of the use of such money.

While a demand charter would be submitted to the Chief Minister in connection with the issues, the students would observe “Chhatra Adhikar Divas” on August 9. 

Panipat, August 1
After being served with a 45-day ultimatum by the state power engineers, the Minister for Power has finally invited the engineers for talks to discuss various issues raised by them.

In a communique sent to the HSEB Workers’ Union and the Haryana Power Engineers Association (HPEA), the minister has invited their representatives to hold talks 
on August 4.

The issues, including restructuring of the discoms, pay anomalies, retirement of directors who attain the age of superannuation and filling of vacant posts will be discussed at the meeting.

The power engineers had been repeatedly seeking redressal of their pending demands. The restructuring of the discoms has been due for the last 12 years and despite strong pleas put up by the engineers the state government has been somewhat reluctant in re-organising the distribution companies.

The engineers had also been demanding parity in the pay scales of the Assistant Engineers (AEs) working in discoms and that of the state engineers. Though, the Haryana Power Generation Corporation Limited (HPGCL) has granted a pay scale of Rs 14,880 to the AEs, but the other three utilities have so far denied the same scale to their engineers.

The association of the engineers had also been demanding that the directors in the power utilities, who have attained the age of superannuation, should be retired immediately and the others be given a chance to serve the utilities so that the officials did not feel let down by the management. Filling up of the vacant posts in the discoms is yet another issue, which is likely to put before the minister by the engineers.

RS Dahiya, president of the HPEA, said they were quite hopeful that the talks with the minister would yield some positive results as far as their genuine demands were concerned and would go a long way in restoring engineers faith in the state government. 

Samalkha (Panipat), August 1
A convict, who is undergoing life imprisonment in a murder case, made an extortion call to former legislator Bharat Singh Chhokar, demanding Rs 50 lakh as protection money.

Bharat Singh Chhokar said he received a call on his mobile phone and the person on the other end identified himself as Rishi and stated that there was a gang of criminals, who were planning to kill him. But if the MLA paid him Rs 50 lakh, he would persuade them not to attack him.

He said after sometime he received another call from the same number and Rishi threatened to eliminate him if he failed to pay the amount.Chhokar said the convict had recently been released on parole. He claimed that it was under a planned strategy, which even had some political backing.

Meanwhile, the district police had registered a case in this connection. It was learnt, that Rishi had been undergoing imprisonment in connection with Ramesh’s murder whom he had shot dead in Chulkana village in 2005. He is also accused of killing block Devraj Chopra, president of the Congress, and his son. 

Sirsa, August 1
The Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh today appeared before the Special CBI Court through video- conferencing from the local district court.

The dera chief entered the court complex amid tight security at about 10 am and remained there till 2.30 pm.

His followers were seen waiting in large numbers on Barnala Road outside the court complex.

The followers had also lined up on both sides of the road from the court complex to the dera headquarters to provide security to him.

The court recorded evidence in the Ranjit Singh murder case today. The case has now been listed to August 8.

Fatehabad, August 1
The Food and Supplies Department has suspended two officials found responsible for watering bags of wheat in a storehouse at Fatehabad.

Raja Ram Bishnoi, an Inspector, and Naresh Sharma, a guard, have been suspended for the lapse.

Both these officials were arrested along with six labourers after the incident of watering bags of wheat was detected by SDM Baljit Singh.

Sirsa, August 1
Already under scanner for his alleged role in illicit felling of trees by contractors through excavation of earth, a forest range officer has now been booked for the alleged embezzlement of Rs 3,56,095.

Prithvi Raj, a forest range officer posted in the production division of the Forest Department lodged an FIR in this regard against Rajesh Kumar, Forest Range Officer (Territorial Division), posted at Rania, where illicit felling of trees was reported near Ottu Lake last week.

The FIR was lodged on the directions of Sanjiv Chaturvedi, DFO (production), after an inquiry conducted by KC Meena, Conservator of Forests, Gurgaon circle, found Rajesh Kumar guilty and recommended criminal proceedings against him.

Earlier, an audit party had also found Rajesh Kumar guilty of the charge and recommended criminal proceedings.

According to the complaint, Rajesh Kumar, who was forest range officer (production) at Sirsa in 2002-03, allegedly sold 103.068 cubic metre of timber belonging to the department to contractors but did not deposit the proceeds amounting to Rs 356095 with the government.

The Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Haryana, asked Meena to probe this case on February 4, 2008, who submitted his report recently after more than three years.

Efforts to seek Rajesh Kumar’s version on his mobile went in vain.

Meanwhile, the illicit felling of trees near Ottu Lake had allegedly been going on for the past more than one decade in connivance with the Forest Department.

Sirsa, August 1
Despite “intensive nakabandi” by the district police, miscreants snatched gold chains of three women in the city.

They targeted Suman Goyal (50) near her Sector 20 residence, which is close MP Ashok Tanwar’s residence.

Suman was talking to two women outside her house around 9 am today when two youths wearing helmets snatched her gold chain and sped away.

Chain-snatchers struck again after an hour, targeting a woman in Bansal Colony near the bus stand. Kulwinder Kaur of Harni village was going towards the bus stand on a rickshaw when two youths came on a motorcycle and snatched her gold chain.

Earlier, miscreants targeted Neeru Gaba who was robbed of her gold chain at Rania town last night.

by two youths riding a motorcycle. She later gave the registration number of the motorcycle to the police.

In another incident, seven youths riding three motorcycles snatched a Marshal vehicle from a villager, Gobind Singh, near Ottu Lake, ,late last night.The miscreants attempted to run over Gobind under his own vehicle, injuring him seriously and in the process injured him seriously. However, the desperados lost control over the vehicle, which fell into a roadside ditch. They,however, managed to escape on their motorcycles

Satinder Kumar Gupta,SP, said the police had rounded up some suspects. 

Rohtak, August 1
In a unique development, the panchayat at Nindana village of Meham subdivision in the district yesterday handed over a judgement of a financial penalty of Rs 2.5 lakh on the family of a murder accused and expulsion of the accused from the village for 13 months.

Families of both the accused and the victim attended the panchayat and “accepted” the decision. The panchayat has asked the complainant to file an application for an out-of-court settlement as the murder accused is in judicial custody at present.

According to sources, the panchayat was convened on the request made by the family of the accused, identified as Deepak, a resident of the village.

Deepak had been arrested last year in connection with the murder of Ajay in the village. Ajay had been killed after he was allegedly fired upon by the accused after a dispute. Though he hailed from Humayunpur village he had been residing in the house of his maternal grandfather since his childhood.

While Deepak had been arrested by the police later and had been in judicial custody since then, his family had approached the Meham Chaubisi Panchayat, which, it is learnt, had intervened and held deliberations with both sides before announcing its final judgement today in the presence of the members of both the families.

It is learnt that the Panchayat has asked Dharampal, the maternal grandfather of the victim, not to depose in the court on the next date and submit an application for the withdrawal of the complaint for an out-of-court settlement.

The panchayat had been called to resolve the issue out of court in an amicable manner and its decision was acceptable to both the sides, said a member of the panchayat on condition of anonymity.

According to the decision, while the penalty amount will be given to two cow shelters and a charitable trust, the accused will not be allowed to enter the village for 13 months after his release from the jail, as ‘social’ punishment.