H A R Y A N A   E D I T I O N

Shrinking area under cotton cultivation to cut production by 25 per cent
Sirsa, June 14
With shrinking area under cotton cultivation in the state, cotton production has taken a hit. The area under cotton cultivation has fallen from 5.95 lakh hectares in 2012-13 to 4.86 lakh hectares in the state this year. Sowing of cotton will register a 25 per cent decline as a result.

Kisan Morcha stages dharna against ‘anti-farmer policy’ of govt
Faridabad, June 14
The Bharatiya Kisan Morcha today held a demonstration in protest against the 'anti-farmer policy' of the state government at Ballabarh. The protesters also warned the government of intensifying stir if it did not make course-correction soon. A large number of activists, led by morcha national executive member Mool Chand Sharma, staged a dharna at Panchayat Bhawan.

Undertrial caught using phone sixth time
Rohtak, June 14
The police yesterday recovered a mobile phone from an undertrial for the sixth time in a row. During the past one year, the total number of mobile phones and SIM cards recovered has crossed 60.

Total bandh observed over kidnapping of two girls
Rewari, June 14
In response to a call given by the Apharan Virodhi Jan Sangharsh Samiti (JSS), shopkeepers and traders in Rewari city observed a total bandh today. The JSS has been persistently protesting against the failure of the police to trace two kidnapped Dalit girls — seven-year-old Parul, daughter of Rajesh Kumar of the nearby Cheemnawas village, and five-year-old Divya, daughter of Sonu Balmiki of Bhiwani district.

Boundary wall of school razed in Sonepat
Sonepat, June 14
The demolition squad of the Department of Country and Town Planning demolished unauthorised construction at Golden Era Public School, Rathdhana Road, today. A number of constructions, including 40 structures in an unauthorised colony opposite the school were also demolished.


The boundary wall of the Bright Era Public School on the Rathdhana road being razed in Sonepat on Friday. Photo by writer

Two arrested for duping trader of Rs 5 lakh
Sirsa, June 14
The Sirsa Police today arrested two persons for duping a trader on a promise to get him appointed as a reporter of a news channel. The accused Sukhchain and Nachhatar, both residents of Tohana town of Fatehabad, allegedly cheated a trader Sonu Grover, a resident of Rania, by taking Rs 5 lakh from him for getting him placed as head of a Haryana news channel. A case was registered against the accused under Sections 419, 420, 467, 468, 471 and 120B, IPC, on the complaint of Sonu logged with the city police station, Sirsa, on December 24, 2012. The police said raids were being conducted in the city to nab the other accused.

3 booked for duping man of Rs 42 lakh
Rohtak, June 14
Three persons, including a manager of a private firm, have been arrested for duping a person of Rs 42 lakh. The registration of the case follows an inquiry conducted by a DSP on the directions issued by the IG, Rohtak Range, in response to a complaint lodged by the complainant recently.

10 more luxury buses for Gurgaon soon
Chandigarh, June 14
Haryana Roadways plans to upgrade its fleet of buses by adding 10 luxury Volvo buses for Gurgaon under the Gurgaon city service. Director General, Haryana Transport Department, Arun Kumar, said: “Currently Haryana Roadways is plying 100 buses each in two shifts in city service, out of which 40 buses are semi-low floor Ashok Leyland and rest are standard ordinary buses especially designed for city operations. Presently these buses carry about one-lakh passengers and cover an area of 22,000 km on 15 routes in a day.”

Met dept forecasts scattered rains
Hisar, June 14
The scattered rains in the region continuing since the past three days may last for a little longer. The Agriculture Meteorology Department of Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agriculture University (CCSHAU) has predicted possibility of light rains up to June 18 with moderate winds at isolated places.

Twin sisters honoured for scaling Everest
Sonepat, June 14
Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has congratulated twin sisters Tashi Malik and Nungshi Malik of Anwali village of Sonepat district for setting up a new world record in mountaineering by climbing Mount Everest. Hooda said the state was proud of their achievement.

A child sleeps on a cot as his father prepares his field for paddy transplantation at Gharunda in Karnal on Friday. Tribune photo: Ravi Kumar

Couple found dead
Hisar, June 14
The bodies of 28-year-old woman and her brother-in-law Amit, 30, from Bapora village of Bhiwani were found in the fields of Dhana village of Hisar on the Delhi road near Hansi today. A pack of Celphos tablets was found near the two bodies. Amit’s motorcycle was also recovered near the bodies.

Woman raped in moving vehicle
Bhiwani, June 14
A woman from Atela village in Bhiwani was allegedly raped by a youth in a moving vehicle. Two other accused in the car overpowered and gagged her and the third accused raped her. The accused threw her out of the vehicle after committing the crime. The victim was also molested by the driver of the car. The incident took place when the victim got into a taxi on her way back home after visiting a doctor at Loharu. SHO Ramesh Kumar Allawadhi said, the identity of the accused is yet to be ascertained. The victim alleged she boarded a Bolero-make vehicle which was waiting for passengers. The driver drove the vehicle as she got in. Three youths and the driver started molesting her, she alleged. — TNS

No challans for Haryana buses
Chandigarh June 14
Director General, Haryana Transport Department, Arun Kumar, has appealed to the Haryana Roadways employees not to cause inconvenience to the passengers by stopping their Delhi bus services. He said he had already taken up the matter with the Delhi Police, which had assured not to challan the buses in next few days. Arun said the Delhi Police had also assured that the challans would be issued only after video recording of buses. A nodal officer would also be designated on behalf of the Delhi Police and in case of any inappropriate challan, grievance could be taken up with him, he added. — TNS

Chief Secy may get extension
Chandigarh, June 14
Haryana Chief Secretary PK Chaudhery, who is due to retire on June 30, is likely to get an extension. According to the sources, Choudhery, a 1977 batch IAS officer, is slated to get an extension for a period of three months following which, the state government would decide his successor. Chaudhery came back from a Central deputation to join as Chief Secretary on April 1 last year superseding his two batchmates — Raj Kumar Kumar and Krishna Mohan. While Raj Kumar retired last year, Krishna Mohan will retire on September 30.  — TNS

Shrinking area under cotton cultivation to cut production by 25 per cent
Sushil Manav
Tribune News Service

Sirsa, June 14
With shrinking area under cotton cultivation in the state, cotton production has taken a hit. The area under cotton cultivation has fallen from 5.95 lakh hectares in 2012-13 to 4.86 lakh hectares in the state this year. Sowing of cotton will register a 25 per cent decline as a result.

Excluding 2008-2009 figures, when the crop was grown over 4.56 lakh hectare in the state, the area under cotton cultivationm this year is at an all-time low over the past decade in the state.

The decline in the sowing of the crop will affect the total production of raw cotton and in turn affect the cotton industry in the state in the coming season.

The graph of the area under cotton cultivation has been fluctuating in the state. From 5.19 lakh hectares in 2002-03, it rose to 5.26 lakh hectare in 2003-04 and 6.21 lakh hecares in 2004-05.

It went down to 5.83 lakh hectares in 2005-06, 5.30 lakh hecare in 2006-07 and 4.83 lakh hectare in 2007-08.

In 2008-09, the state witnessed the lowest area under cotton cultivation in a decade when the crop was sown over 4.56 lakh hectares, but the area increased to 5.07 lakh hectares in 2009-10.

The area decreased again to 4.92 lakh hectares in 2010-11 only to recover the next year to 6.05 lakh hectares and dipped slightly to 5.95 lakh hectares last year.

Sirsa is the largest producer of cotton, where almost one third of the total cotton grown in Haryana is produced.

“The sharp fall in the area under cotton cultivation is primarily due to a fall in the prices during the past two years and also a hike in the prices of guar during this period,” said Ravi Chander Punia, Joint Director (Cotton) in Agriculture Department, Haryana.

Gurdeep Singh Mann, a progressive farmer from Kirpal Patti village of Sirsa, said though a cash crop, cotton was fast becoming a lesser remunerative crop for the farmers.

“Except 2010-11, when the rates went up to Rs 7,500 per quintal, the prices of cotton have hardly shown any increase in accordance with the increase in the input costs,” he said.

Mann said for the past three years, farmers have started showing interest in guar (cluster beans), which besides being rewarding, requires lesser inputs and helps improve the health of the soil due to its nitrogen fixing qualities.

Gurpreet Singh Nagpal, secretary of the Sirsa Cotton Industries Association, said the fall in the area under cotton cultivation would hit the cotton industry badly in the state.

“Much will depend on the per-hectare yield. If the yield improved by five to six quintals per hectare from the previous year, the loss of area will be compensated. Otherwise, the industry will definitely face the heat,” Nagpal added.

Kisan Morcha stages dharna against ‘anti-farmer policy’ of govt
Ravi S Singh
Tribune News Service

Faridabad, June 14
The Bharatiya Kisan Morcha today held a demonstration in protest against the 'anti-farmer policy' of the state government at Ballabarh. The protesters also warned the government of intensifying stir if it did not make course-correction soon. A large number of activists, led by morcha national executive member Mool Chand Sharma, staged a dharna at Panchayat Bhawan. Raising slogans against the government, the activists took out a protest march in the main markets. BJP leaders also addressed the protesters.

Later, a memorandum was submitted to Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda vide the office of the Ballabgarh Sub-Divisional Magistrate.

In the memorandum, the BJP asked the government to put on hold the acquisition of land till the new land acquisition law was framed by Parliament. It also demanded higher compensation to farmers of 40 villages of Faridabad and Palwal district whose land was being acquired for laying the proposed Gujarat-Dadri railway corridor.

The protesters said the government was reneging on its promise to provide residential plots at concessional rates to farmers in about 10 villages, whose land had been acquired for the upcoming Industrial Model Township here. The villages include Janauli, Machgaar, Badoli, Mirzapur, Chandauli, Faridpur and Chhajupur.

The BJP’s agitation was supported by the Haryana Janhit Congress and its state leader Tejpal Sharma.

Raising the ante on the farmers' issue is seen by many as part of the BJP's strategy to improve upon its marginal base in the farming community.

A couple of months before Rajnath Singh took reign of the party for the second time, he had met farmers of Faridabad who were sitting on a dharna for enhanced compensation against the acquisition of their land.

Undertrial caught using phone sixth time
Officials seek DGP's intervention to curb the rising menace
Bijendra Ahlawat/TNS

Rohtak, June 14
The police yesterday recovered a mobile phone from an undertrial for the sixth time in a row. During the past one year, the total number of mobile phones and SIM cards recovered has crossed 60.

With the use of mobile phones by inmates of the district jail becoming the 'order' of the day, senior police officers have taken up the issue with the state authorities. They have requested the authorities to take immediate measures to contain the problem.

Admitting that the jail authorities had failed to check the use of mobile phones by the inmates lodged in the district jails, Anil Rao, IG, Rohtak Range, said he had written to the Haryana DGP for his immediate intervention. He said the presence and the use of mobile phones in the jail was banned but the recovery of such instruments had become common during the past about 14 months. He said some of the inmates had been booked for more than thrice for possessing mobile phones. It is claimed that one of the inmates, identified as Mandeep, an undertrial, lodged here has been found having the mobile phone for the sixth time in the past one year. A mobile phone was recovered from him yesterday when a police team raided the jail complex after a tip-off. The police had seized five mobile phones recently from inmates after the arrest of 12 gangsters in two separate encounters.

The arrested persons had told the police that they had been in touch with their partners lodged in the jail through mobile phones. One of the gangs had reportedly been assigned the job to kill a law student of the university by a gang leader lodged in the jail. The police has recovered 28 mobile phones from the inmates during the raids conducted in the jail this year.

Total bandh observed over kidnapping of two girls
Our Correspondent

A deserted market in Rewari on Friday. A Tribune photograph

Rewari, June 14
In response to a call given by the Apharan Virodhi Jan Sangharsh Samiti (JSS), shopkeepers and traders in Rewari city observed a total bandh today. The JSS has been persistently protesting against the failure of the police to trace two kidnapped Dalit girls — seven-year-old Parul, daughter of Rajesh Kumar of the nearby Cheemnawas village, and five-year-old Divya, daughter of Sonu Balmiki of Bhiwani district.

Parul was kidnapped from the Rewari railway station on May 4 and Divya on May 20.

While Moti Chowk Bazaar, Barahazari Market, New Sabzi Mandi, Old Sabzi Mandi, New Anaj Mandi, Railway Road Market, Punjabi Market, Jiwali Bazaar, Kath Mandi and other market areas of the city wore a deserted look, irate citizens and others took out a procession, under the banner of the JSS. They expressed their resentment at the disappointing outcome of the long search of the police.

The bandh passed off peacefully. Meanwhile, spokesperson of the samiti Rajender Singh announced that a convention of the samiti functionaries and the village elders would be held at Cheemanwas village, about 12 km from here, on June 19 to chalk out their future course of action.

Boundary wall of school razed in Sonepat
Our Correspondent

Sonepat, June 14
The demolition squad of the Department of Country and Town Planning demolished unauthorised construction at Golden Era Public School, Rathdhana Road, today. A number of constructions, including 40 structures in an unauthorised colony opposite the school were also demolished.

The school is affiliated to the Central Board of School Education (CBSE). No one from the school management was present in the school at the time of the demolition.

The squad led by the District Town Planner (DTP), Dilbag Singh, with the help of the police and the duty magistrate used two bulldozers in the demolition drive whoch started in the morning. The demolition team faced no resistence during the demolition drive.

Singh said the school building was constructed without obtaining the Change of Land Use (CLU) permission from the government and the Department of Country and Town Planning had already rejected the application from the school for the CLU.

“The construction was in contravention of the Punjab Scheduled Roads Act, 1965, and the department had issued notices to the school management several times against the construction of the school building,” he said.

A report of the unauthorised status of the school would also be sent to the CBSE in the interest of the students. He added the unauthorised colony was being raised over 15-20 acres on the Rathdhana road.

Two arrested for duping trader of Rs 5 lakh
Sushil Manav
Tribune News Service

Sirsa, June 14
The Sirsa Police today arrested two persons for duping a trader on a promise to get him appointed as a reporter of a news channel. The accused Sukhchain and Nachhatar, both residents of Tohana town of Fatehabad, allegedly cheated a trader Sonu Grover, a resident of Rania, by taking Rs 5 lakh from him for getting him placed as head of a Haryana news channel. A case was registered against the accused under Sections 419, 420, 467, 468, 471 and 120B, IPC, on the complaint of Sonu logged with the city police station, Sirsa, on December 24, 2012. The police said raids were being conducted in the city to nab the other accused.

In another incident, the police has arrested three persons for cheating a farmer by drawing loan from a bank using his land documents. The accused have been identified as Ramesh, a resident of Kumharia village, Jagdish and Bharat Singh, both residents of Bodiwali village in Fatehabad district.

A case was registered on May 8 under Sections 419, 420, 467, 468, 471 and 120B, IPC, on the complaint of Prabhu Dayal, a resident of Nezia Khera. Prabhu said some people had cheated him by taking loan running into lakhs of rupees from Central Bank of India located on Begu Road by providing surety of the fake documents of his land.

3 booked for duping man of Rs 42 lakh

Rohtak, June 14
Three persons, including a manager of a private firm, have been arrested for duping a person of Rs 42 lakh. The registration of the case follows an inquiry conducted by a DSP on the directions issued by the IG, Rohtak Range, in response to a complaint lodged by the complainant recently.

In a complaint lodged by Arjun, the accused, identified as Pravin and Navin (brothers), residents of sector-1, and Devender Chopra, working as a manager in a firm, had taken Rs 42 lakh from him in instalments from November 2009 and September 2012 for the purpose of investing the money in the share market. They had assured him of a handsome return. But he alleged while no interest or profit was given for the money invested, the accused threatened him when he demanded repayment of the amount. The complainant said the accused refused to pay the money, saying it was lost in the market. Arjun said the firm and its owners failed to give a proof of the investment made by them. He said it was a financial fraud that made him and his family suffer an acute mental tension and agony besides the unbearable loss.

A case was registered against the accused yesterday under Sections 420 and 406 of the IPC. No arrest has been made so far. — TNS

10 more luxury buses for Gurgaon soon
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 14
Haryana Roadways plans to upgrade its fleet of buses by adding 10 luxury Volvo buses for Gurgaon under the Gurgaon city service. Director General, Haryana Transport Department, Arun Kumar, said: “Currently Haryana Roadways is plying 100 buses each in two shifts in city service, out of which 40 buses are semi-low floor Ashok Leyland and rest are standard ordinary buses especially designed for city operations. Presently these buses carry about one-lakh passengers and cover an area of 22,000 km on 15 routes in a day.”

He said Haryana Roadways was in the process of buying 50 low-floor air conditioned CNG buses of Marcopolo brand from Tata Motors, out of which 10 buses would be included in the Haryana Roadways fleet by the end of this month and rest would be added by August.

He said Haryana Roadways had a plan to run 160 buses in each shift thus taking the total to 320 buses in two shifts for the city by the year end.

Out of these, 100 would be ordinary non-air conditioned buses, 50 CNG low-floor buses and 10 low-floor Mercedes Benz or Volvo buses.

Met dept forecasts scattered rains
Sushil Manav/TNS

Hisar, June 14
The scattered rains in the region continuing since the past three days may last for a little longer. The Agriculture Meteorology Department of Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agriculture University (CCSHAU) has predicted possibility of light rains up to June 18 with moderate winds at isolated places.

In an Agromet Advisory Bulletin issued here today, associate professor ML Khichar, Agriculture Meteorology Department of the CCSHAU, said the maximum temperature would vary between 31°C to 37°C till June 19 and the minimum would remain between 21 and 27°C during this period. The average wind speed would range from 6 to 11 kmph.

The advisory has asked farmers to prepare their fields for bajra, guar and also withhold sowing of guar for next three days. The farmers have been advised to start transplantation of paddy after sufficient rains.

Twin sisters honoured for scaling Everest
Our Correspondent

Sonepat, June 14
Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has congratulated twin sisters Tashi Malik and Nungshi Malik of Anwali village of Sonepat district for setting up a new world record in mountaineering by climbing Mount Everest. Hooda said the state was proud of their achievement.

Tashi and Nungshi had set the world record on May 19. It is for the first time in the world that twin sisters have climbed the Everest.

The achievers said the motto of their expedition was gender equality, fight against female foeticide and adventure for peace. They said their next mission was to set another world record as first twin sisters to climb Seven Summits.

They said twin sisters from other countries were also making attempts to set up the same record.

Couple found dead
Tribune News Service

Hisar, June 14
The bodies of 28-year-old woman and her brother-in-law Amit, 30, from Bapora village of Bhiwani were found in the fields of Dhana village of Hisar on the Delhi road near Hansi today. A pack of Celphos tablets was found near the two bodies. Amit’s motorcycle was also recovered near the bodies.

Villagers informed the police aboyt the bodies.

The woman’s husband alleged that she had illicit relations with his cousin Amit. Family disapproval did not deter the two, he alleged. He informed the police that two days ago, his wife left after telling their son that she was going to the post office to withdraw money. Amit was not married and the woman was mother of three.