Chandigarh, November 29
The stage is set for bypoll in the Adampur and Ratia Assembly constituencies in Haryana tomorrow with the ruling Congress facing an uphill task after the electoral setback it suffered in Hisar last month.

The byelections are crucial for the Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led Congress government in the state as the party would be eyeing to salvage a win in the wake of the severe drubbing it received in the Hisar Lok Sabha bypoll in October.

The Congress has been using development as its key poll plank to woo voters of the two constituencies which have been mostly with the Opposition.

Main Opposition Indian National Lok Dal would be looking to retain the Ratia seat and try and make its presence felt in Adampur, too.

From Adampur, the Congress has fielded former legislator Kulbeer Singh against political greenhorns - Haryana Janhit Congress president Kuldeep Bishnoi’s wife Renuka Bishnoi and INLD’s RS Baswana, who retired as the Sessions Judge from Kaithal in August.

Adampur has remained a citadel of former Haryana Chief Minister late Bhajan Lal and his family. Lal himself won the seat nine times. His son Bishnoi resigned from the seat last month after his election to the Lok Sabha.

Congress candidate Kulbeer’s Bhattu Kalan constituency was abolished after the delimitation and now just 15 villages of the erstwhile seat fall in Adampur.

In Ratia segment, INLD has fielded Sarfi Bai against Congress’ former MLA Jarnail Singh and Mahavir Prasad of the newly carved out alliance of the BJP and the HJC. — PTI

Ratia, November 29
Stakes are running high for candidates of various political parties in the fray for the Ratia byelection, as over 1.75 lakh voters will seal their fate amid tight security tomorrow.

The byelection is particularly important for INLD supremo Om Parkash Chautala as the seat has fallen vacant due to the death of his party’s MLA Gian Chand Odh. Odh’s widow Sarfi Bai is the INLD candidate from here.

In a triangular contest between Sarfi Bai of the INLD, Jarnail Singh of the Congress and Mahavir Parshad of the BJP-HJC alliance, punters have been predicting that the main contest would be between Sarfi Bai and Jarnail Singh.

The contest between Sarfi Bai and Jarnail Singh is expected to be very close. Perhaps that is the reason why “satta” rates have fluctuated so many times during the course of electioneering.

The punters, who were giving a clear edge to the INLD initially, swung in favour of the Congress after Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s first visit to Ratia. The trend again tilted towards the INLD yesterday, giving equal chances to both parties yesterday. However, it once again settled in favour of the ruling party today.

Ram Kumar Bahbalpuria of the CPM and 12 Independents are also in the fray.

The bypoll witnessed high-pitched electioneering with Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, former Chief Minister Om Parkash Chautala and the HJC supremo Kuldeep Bishnoi campaigning extensively for the candidates of their respective parties.

The “illiterate” status of the INLD candidate Sarfi Bai also remained a key issue in the campaigning, and both the Congress and the BJP castigated Chautala for the selection of its candidate.

Chautala, however, justified Sarfi Bai’s nomination in his speeches and said when the people had elected Gian Chand Odh for a period of five years; it became their duty to give the remaining term to his widow after his untimely death.

The issue of development of Ratia also remained in discussions with Chautala accusing Hooda of ignoring the area and Hooda quoting government figures to claim that he spent more than three times of the money spent by Chautala on Ratia during his term.

Adampur/Ratia, November 29
When Ratia and Adampur go to the polls tomorrow, Manwinder Kaur of Ratangarh will not vote. Like her, most other women in the rural pockets of the two assembly segments will also not vote. They will merely exercise their franchise in the name of the candidate “approved” by the men of their houses. That’s the way it works in male-dominated Haryana where kangaroo courts deliver “justice” at the doorstep, where love is akin to blasphemy and where women are not supposed to have a voice.

When it comes to making choices, men’s decisions count - in everything. For, women have been long convinced to believe that they are dumb cattle, to be herded together, taken to the polling booth and at liberty only enough to press the button themselves. This much freedom is also because the men can’t do that for them, courtesy the Election Commission, or else they would do even that.

While men will be men, brought up to believe in their superiority, at every home in the villages of the two constituencies where roads meander through cotton fields, what is more shocking is that women have begun to believe they don’t have the right to make any choices, let alone take decisions that concern politics. Only the men have the privilege of the first word, and the last.

At the last Congress rally in Adampur, before campaigning ended, Krishna from Durgapur, hiding behind a long veil, said, “When it is the men who earn a living and feed the family, who are we to decide the ‘right’ candidate? They know best. They tell us and we press the button.”

From Kelanwali, Chameli, another of the 15-odd women at the rally, chips in, “Our job is to cook and feed the family. We are not in the world to decide who our MLA should be. Such decisions are best left to the men.” The women know they are at a Congress rally but are at sea about the party candidate or that the Haryana Janhit Congress-Bharatiya Janta Party combine has fielded Renuka Bishnoi, a woman candidate.

While women are conspicuous by their absence at election rallies, they are hardly to be seen even as women candidates, Renuka from Adampur and Indian National Lok Dal’s Sarfi Bai from Ratia, go about campaigning. In Rattangarh, where Sarfi Bai did a door-to-door campaign, 70-year-old Surjit Kaur proudly says she’s voted in every election. Ask her if she knows about the candidates she has ever voted for, she dismisses the question with a scoff. “Earlier, my husband told me who to vote for. Since he passed away, my son tells me where to vote. We go to the booth with him and cast our vote blindly in favour of whoever they say. Who gets that vote never really reflects in our lives. Then, does it matter?”

Her daughter-in-law, Sonam quips, “For us, the sarpanch matters more than any MLA. Pledging our vote is the only way to win him over. Politics is a men thing and our job is limited to stamping their choice”

It is another matter that of the 3.13 lakh voters in both constituencies, 1.46 lakh are women. So, among political leanings, financial considerations and the election din, women of rural Haryana, besides home and hearth, are only worth a vote which is not even their own because it is a men’s world out there.

Ratia, November 29
Tight security arrangements will be in place when over 1.75 lakh voters go to cast their votes so as to decide the fate of 16 candidates contesting the Ratia bypoll tomorrow.

According to District Election Officer ML Kaushik, 40 “nakas” have been set up in Ratia, thereby sealing its border with Punjab.

Eighteen mobile teams, each having a duty magistrate and a non-gazetted police officer, have been set up. Each such team has been given the charge of 12 to 15 polling booths. Eight companies of the Border Security Force (BSF) were at the disposal of the authorities and the jawans of the force have been deployed at polling booths along with the local police, Kaushik said.

Movement of vehicles will not be allowed between 8 am and 5 pm during the polling hours on Wednesday. Only the vehicles permitted by the Election Commission will be allowed to ply on the roads.

People can move in their own vehicles for transporting their own family members to the polling booths, but ferrying of voters on vehicles belonging to political parties has been prohibited.

Chandigarh, November 29
Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said here today that the decision of the Union Cabinet to allow 51 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) in the multi-brand retail sector was only an enabling framework, and it was up to the states to take the final call in that regard.

Talking to newsmen, Hooda said those state governments, which would consider the FDI in the retail sector to be beneficial for their farmers and consumers would allow the MNCs to come to their states. Those states, which were opposed to the FDI in the retail sector were free to not allow such stores, he said.

He said the policy was in the interests of farmers, consumers and even retailers. The decision of the Union Cabinet that the companies willing to open retail stores in the country would have to invest 50 per cent in the rural areas would be beneficial for rural economy as infrastructure like cold chains and processing units would be set up at the doorstep of the farmers.

This would prevent wastage of agriculture and horticulture products, which is the case at present.

During his visit to Israel, he found that processing units had been set up near production centres, which ensured sufficient profits for the farmers in that country, he said. The Haryana government had also set up a Centre of Excellence for vegetables at Gharaunda with the help of Israel, which had been a big success. Apart from this, an international terminal for fruits and vegetables was being set up at Ganaur in 400 acres in the first phase.

He said even the BJP-led NDA government had once favoured FDI in the retail sector. It was another matter that today the BJP was opposing it.

When asked to comment on the statement of a Haryana minister opposing the FDI in the retail sector, he said he had not read the statement but the state government supported the Union Cabinet’s decision.

The policy would also be helpful to small and medium enterprises as the MNCs would be required to source 30 per cent of their requirement from these units.

Hooda said the Congress would win at both Adampur and Ratia, where byelections would be held tomorrow.

Chandigarh, November 29
Taking information technology (IT) to the doorstep of the educational institutions in the state, the Haryana circle of the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has provided broadband connectivity to 10 universities, 341 colleges and 1,012 government senior secondary schools in the state.

This has been achieved under the under the National Knowledge Network (NKN) initiative of the Union Ministry of Human Resources Development (MHRD). The educational institutes will have to pay only 25 per cent of the cost while the remaining (75 per cent) will be borne by the Union ministry, according to Pradeep Nagpal, Chief General Manager Telecom (CGMT) of the Haryana circle of the BSNL. He was speaking during a meeting with Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda here today.

Besides this, under the National Mission for Education through Information Communication Technology (NME-ICT) Project of the NKN, virtual private network over broadband (VPNoBB) is being provided to AICTE-approved institutions. This will allow them unlimited download and upload at the speed of 512 kbps. Under this project, 2,652 broadband connections have been provided to 341 colleges.

Saying that the BSNL has so far provided 1,46,104 broadband connections in Haryana, Nagpal said the state-controlled telecom giant was now offering 25 per cent extra data usage on purchase of 3.6 Mbps data card in both prepaid and post-paid plans for a period of six months.

Karnal, November 29
Furious residents of Nissing protesting over suspected murder of a youth today blocked the Karnal-Kaithal road for almost three hours and refused to take away the body of the deceased till a case of murder was registered against the accused.

The body of deceased, identified as Gurmej (23), was found in a street near the house of Buta Singh in Ward No. 6 last night and it bore marks of injury on the forehead, giving rise to suspicion that he was hit by some sharp-edged weapon.

Family members, who suspected a foul play, demanded that a case of murder be registered against the accused, Buta Singh. Raja Ram, father of the deceased, alleged that Buta Singh and his family members were responsible for the death of his son and demanded arrest of the Buta Singh and other accused.

A case of murder under Sections 34 and 302 of the IPC was registered against Buta Singh, his two sons and two daughter-in-laws on a complaint of Rajaram at Nissing police station. The blockade was lifted after the police assured the immediate arrest of Buta Singh.

However, Buta Singh alleged that Gurmej had entered his house from a roof with the intention to commit theft and slipped, which caused his death.

Faridabad, November 29
Enforcing “reflective tapes” on bicycles and three-wheelers and road rules are some of the measures the police will resort to in a big way within a fortnight to ensure safety on the Delhi-Agra National Highway.

The police is contemplating imposing hefty fines on pedestrians breaking rules on the road, especially at the crossings.

A spokesman of the traffic police said Police Commissioner SS Kapoor had already held a meeting with owners of industrial units and told them to sensitise workers on the issue. He added, “Cyclists not conforming to the specification would be punished.”

There are thousands of industrial and factory units accounting for umpteen workers. A good chunk of them take to the highway on bicycles to reach their workplace, which increases the chances of accidents, especially in the winters.

According to him, a start would be made with the industrial workers and the new rules would be soon enforced on all cyclists. As the city is metropolitan with high degree of mixed population spread over a wide geographical mass, the general awareness on the issue could take some time. Associations of three-wheelers had also been directed to ensure proper lighting on their vehicles, especially while commuting on the highway. The police version is that the NHAI, the MCF, HUDA and other agencies concerned have been urged to keep the traffic signals in working order and also to maintain the service road, wherever available, along the highway. Also, reflective tapes would be fitted on critical trees and poles falling on the road.

Kaithal, November 29
One person was killed and another was seriously injured during a marriage function in Pundri yesterday when somebody fired a shot from his gun. The deceased had reportedly come from Italy.

According to the information, the function was being solemnised at Jannat Palace, Pundri. When the baratis were dancing, one of the baratis opend fire with his double-barreled gun. The bullet pierced through the chest of Jagdeep Singh of Gillor of Yamunanagar district who had recently come from Italy and was attending the marriage of his friend. Another person, Ranjit Singh of Habri was also hit by the pellets. Both were rushed to a hospital but Jagdeep Singh succumbed to his injuries.

A case has been registered against two persons.

Gurgaon, November 29
The district authorities have banned hookah bars in the district with immediate effect by invoking Section 144 of the CrPC.

Orders issued in this regard here yesterday stated that it had come to the notice of the district administration that many hookah bars had been serving tobacco molasses containing nicotine, which is injurious to health.

“Such bars, which had been running illegally, were playing havoc with the health of the people, especially students and youth. Hence, taking the health hazards caused by tobacco and nicotine into account, the operation of hookah bars has been prohibited in the entire district with immediate effect,” asserted Gurgaon District Magistrate PC Meena.

The orders have been sent to the district police and the health authorities for strict compliance.

Besides, all SDMs, district revenue officer, estate officers of HUDA, tehsildars, naib tehsildars, block development and panchayat officers, GM of the Haryana Roadways and other officers of the district administration have been asked to enforce these orders in their respective jurisdictions.

Those found violating these orders will be dealt with seriously and strict legal action will be taken against them, the orders maintained.

Rohtak, November 29
A man was found dead under mysterious circumstances at a police station in Sampla town today. A magisterial probe had been ordered into the incident.

According to a report, the body of the victim identified as Madan (40) of Sonepat was found hanging on a side of an oil tanker parked on the premises of the police station. Though the staff on duty claimed that they had no information regarding the incident, the police got baffled in a manner the body was found inside the police station. The police station has no gate and its boundary wall is also low and scalable.

While a senior police official rushed to the spot, the exact cause and circumstances of the death could not be ascertained though the senior officials claimed that the victim could have committed suicide, as he might be mentally unstable. But sources claimed that the state in which the body had been found did not suggest that the victim could have committed suicide as the victim was found sitting on the ground with a rope around his neck.

It is added that it was nearly impossible for one to commit suicide by hanging oneself from the hook as the point where the rope had been found tied was less than the height of an average person, suggesting the possibility of the victim being murdered and tied up there to confuse the police.