Chandigarh,October 19
The state industry, battling economic slowdown, has finally something to cheer about with the Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructural Development Corporation (HSIIDC) rolling out a bonanza to revive the recession-hit industry.

The extension in deadline for the implementation of projects, surrender of the plots without payment of any penalty and swapping of plots are some of the decisions taken by the HSIIDC Board of Governors (BoD) recently to help the industry come out of the recession.

Sources said the allottees of the technology parks in Manesar, Rai and Sector 22 of Panchkula, who had been allotted plots before December 31, 2012, but could not complete their projects had been given a two-year extension. For the allottees in other industrial estates, the extension period will be one year.

Moreover, the allottees, failing to execute the projects in view of the adverse economic scenario, will now be able to surrender their plots within six months (till February 28, 2014) without any deduction.

The principal amount deposited by the allottees towards the prices of the plots will be refunded without mandatory 10 per cent deduction, an HSIIDC order said.

Meanwhile, the BoD also allowed the allottees of the industrial plots in Sector 34-35, Gurgaon, to surrender the plots against the backdrop of the non-completion of the minimum infrastructure facilities in the area.The HSIIDC will not deduct 10 per cent of the principal amount of the plots.

Similarly, if an allottee seeks allotment of an alternative plot in any industrial estate across the state in lieu of allotted plot in Sector 34-35, the HSIIDC will consider such a request. The full amount deposited by the allottee towards a plot in Sector 34-35 will be adjusted against the tentative price of the changed plot, the sources added. 

Chandigarh, October 19
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has made it clear that the land acquired for the development of Sector 48 in Gurgaon will not be “released, allotted or transferred in favour of private builder-cum-developer”.

The ruling is significant as landowners before the High Court were claiming that the Haryana Urban Development Authority had “not even a single piece of land” in Sector 48 and the entire sector had been developed by private colonisers such as Parsvnath, Uppal South End and Aldico.

Taking up the matter, the Bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Surinder Gupta have also made it clear that the acquired land shall be used “for bona fide public purposes within a reasonable time”.

The directions came on a bunch of six petitions filed by Prem Chand and other petitioners against Haryana and other respondents. Challenging the process, the petitioners had contended that a survey was conducted before acquiring the land and notification under Section 4 of the Land Acquisition Act was not published as required under law.

Terming the acquisition of their land totally “irrational and arbitrary”, the petitioners had added that even objections filed by them under Section 5-A of the Act were not duly considered.

Refuting the allegations, the respondents on the other hand averred the acquired land in Sector 48, Gurgaon, was proposed to be utilised by HUDA for religious buildings, police post, residential plots and other public utility services.

After hearing the rival sides, the Bench observed: “The main argument of the petitioners is that the entire Sector 48, Gurgaon, has been developed by private developers. There are small pockets in this sector left with HUDA, which cannot be put to any use for regulated planned development. As such, land of the petitioners deserves to be released.

“The total land notified for acquisition under Section 4 of the Act was about 500 acres out of which 150 acres were released even before issuance of notification under Section 6 of the Act….

“The averments in affidavits of respondents and the documents on file clearly make out that the acquired land is required by the respondents for bona fide public purposes….We find no merit in the claim made by any of the petitioners, consequently the writ petitions are dismissed. It is, however, clarified that the acquired land shall be used for bona fide public purposes….”

Ambala, October 19
Additional District and Sessions Judge Amarjeet Singh today rejected the anticipatory bail application of Chief Parliamentary Secretary (CPS) and Naraingarh MLA Ram Kishan Gujjar in the Pankaj Khanna suicide case.

Gujjar had recently moved the court seeking anticipatory bail in the case. However, the plea was rejected by the court which asked him to appear before the court on October 21, the next date of hearing.

Local journalist Pankaj Khanna, who committed suicide in June 2009, had in his suicide note blamed the MLA and his two supporters — Ajit Aggarwal and Vijay Aggarwal — for forcing him to take the extreme step. Khanna had alleged that Ajit and Vijay had been being harassing and humiliated him at the behest of the MLA. 

Bhiwani, October 19
A young couple from Gudhana village of the district has shocked family members by tying the knot in a court after running away from their house. Both families have sought the intervention of the khap panchayat to take up the matter while expressing opposition to the marriage.

The Bhiwani police today received a letter from the girl who had demanded security. She had revealed that she had got married to a youth of her choice in the court and was happy at her decision. The boy and the girl were neighbours though belong to different gotras of Jat families. The girl had been engaged and was set to get married next month to a boy of her parents' choice.

According to information, the couple ran away on October 12 and the girl also took some cash and valuables with her. The girl’s family lodged a complaint against the youth the next day after which the police registered a case against him and started a hunt for them. The boy’s family, however, got a letter on Friday which mentioned that the couple got married in the court and had also approached the High Court for security. The family called on the village sarpanch and handed over the letter after which the panchayat met to discuss the issue. Both families maintained that they would not accept the marriage. SHO Desraj Singh Jangra said the police got a letter from the girl to provide her security. She wrote that the she had got married as per her wishes and was feeling threatened from her family. “But she has not disclosed her whereabouts so we’ll provide security whenever they approach us”, the SHO said.

Nathusari Chopta (Sirsa), October 19
Addressing a rally at Nathusari Chopta village of Ellenabad Assembly constituency, the home turf of Om Prakash Chautala, Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today launched a scathing attack on the Indian National Lok Dal and at the same time announced a plethora of development projects for the area.

Chautala had won Ellenabad seat along with Uchana in Jind in 2009 Assembly elections and in a byelection held after his resignation, his son Abhay Chautala had defeated Congress candidate Bharat Singh Beniwal, the organiser of the rally.

Visibly elated at the turnout in the rally, Hooda announced the elevation of the Community Health Centre (CHC) at Ellenabad to a 50-bed General Hospital, upgrade of Primary Health Centre at Nathusari Chopta to CHC, grant of the status of a full-fledged tehsil to Nathusari Chopta, an ITI for Jeewan Nagar, Rs 10 crore for the development of villages of Ellenabad, Rs 2 crore for Ellenabad town and Rs 1 crore for Nathusari Chopta and some other demanded read before him by Sirsa MP Ashok Tanwar.

Coming down on Chautalas, the Chief Minister alleged that they did not care to do any development in Ellenabad, though the local people gave them their support.

“In six years from 1999 to 2005, Chautala spent Rs 749 crore in Sirsa and Rs 134 crore in Ellenabad alone, while my government has already spent Rs 3,896 crore in Sirsa and Rs 558.11 crore in Ellenabad alone,” Hooda said.

He alleged that Chautala did not even bother to spent money on Chaudhary Devi Lal University set up in the name of his father and rather concentrated on the growth of his own JCD Vidyapeeth so that his family could spin money from students.

“I issued liberal grants for the university despite the fact that Chaudhary Devi Lal contested parliamentary elections against me thrice and lost all the three. I respected him as an elderly person, who had worked with my father Chaudhary Ranbir Singh,” Hooda said.

Taking a dig at the INLD for the reported statements of its leaders that Chautala and his son Ajay Singh had been sent to jail for providing jobs to unemployed youth, Hooda said if one were to be jailed like this, he himself had given thousands of employments and again announced 65,000 new jobs for the youth.