Haryana to have policy on urban development
Ravi S.Singh
Tribune News Service

Gurgaon, May 10
The Haryana Government will soon frame a policy for urban development of the state. The state’s Department for Urban Development, which has been entrusted by the government to prepare a draft policy paper, is expected to submit the same to the Cabinet for its approval by the end of next month. Speaking at the inauguration of the Centre for Urban Development Studies in Haryana and setting up of a Chair of Housing Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO) in the Haryana Institute of Public Administration (HIPA) here today, the Director of Urban Development, Haryana, Mr Sanjeev Kaushal, urged all concerned to give their inputs with regard to the preparation of the draft policy paper.

Mr Kaushal told TNS so far the state had been functioning without a firm policy on the issue of urban development. But the need for it stems from the incongruities that were creeping on account of rapid urbanisation of the state.

The draft paper is to work on a larger canvas, incorporating various issues like planned development of the present and the possible urban centres, the infrastructure and the effort to convert the challenges of ever increasing urbanisation into an opportunity for the state. In constitutional perspective the assignment of the Department for Urban Development will be in conformity with the increased power given to the local selfgoverning bodies vide the 74th Constitutional amendment enacted by Parliament. Also, it is in this context that the Haryana Government’s recent decision to change the nomenclature of the state’s Department of Local Bodies to Urban Development assumes added dimension.

The Centre for Urban Development Studies in Haryana is a collaboration between HIPA and HUDCO/HSMI (Human Settlement Management Institute). It is under the aegis of the centre that the HUDCO Chair has been established for the benefit of the planned development of the state. The Director, Corporate Planning, HUDCO, Dr P.S. Rana, in his keynote address said the Centre and the Chair follow the memorandum of understanding of collaboration in training activities between the first party-HIPA and the second party- HUDCO and its research and training division, HSMI. The effective period of collaboration is for a period up to March 31, 2005 beginning with the date of signing the MoU, i.e February 23, 2001.

Certain major acitivities of the collaboration are to establish capacity in HIPA to undertake training of the (a) functionaries (b) elected representative and community representative (including NGOs) responsible for housing and urban development in Haryana, towards research and studies in the field of housing, urban development and related areas.

HUDCO will provide a grant up to a maximum of Rs 7.5 lakh per annum with regard to the establishment of the Chair. Fifty per cent of the cost per annum shall be borne by HIPA.

The Union Secretary, Urban Employment and Poverty Alleviation, Mr S.S. Chattopadhyay, who was the chief guest on the occasion, in his inaugural address said the Chair in HIPA was the second of its kind in the country, after the one established by HUDCO in collaboration with the Institute of Public Administration in Nainital. In all,18 Chairs are to be established in the country.

Mr Chattopadhyay dwelt on the changing role of administration over time with the developmental administration moving from the exclusive public domain towards the public-private partnership mode.

The Financial Commissioner and Secretary, PWD (B and R), Haryana, Mr Prem Prashant, speaking on the occasion said the setting up of the Chair will give the desired focus to the scattered efforts of HIPA in the area of urban development.

Haryana Housing Board to be downsized
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 10
Now it is the turn of the Haryana Housing Board to go on the chopping block. Continuing its drive for downsizing various departments, boards and corporations, the Chautala government has asked the board to prepare a blue print on how to accommodate its employees in case of its disbanding. The board has also been asked to prepare a report on its liabilities.

This decision was taken after a review of the functioning of the board by the Haryana Public Enterprises Bureau. It was felt at the meeting held under the presidentship of the Chairman of the bureau, Mr Vishnu Bhagwan, that in future the board was not likely to get any major project. Therefore, it was certain to become unviable.

The board at present has 615 employees on its rolls and their annual salary bill is about Rs 619 lakh.

Haryana to ban tuition in colleges
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 10
A spokesman of the Haryana Higher Education Department said it had been made mandatory for presidents of managing committees, governing bodies and principals of private colleges to submit before the start of the academic session a duly signed certificate to the effect that no member of the teaching staff was taking private tuition. In case of government colleges, the principals would have to submit a report in this regard every six months. Strict action would be initiated against those found erring.

He said in case the government or the Department of Higher Education found the certificate to be false, the college would be liable to be disqualified for aid. This certificate would be valid for an academic session and had to be furnished every year before the start of the academic session by every college.

He said private tuitions by college lecturers had also been banned by the state government. A notification issued by the government on revision of pay scales of teachers of colleges and universities also prohibited private tuition by lecturers. The UGC code of conduct adopted by the Haryana Government also banned private tuition. The Government might take the help of the Income Tax Department to curb the menace, he added.

DC’s directive on govt vehicles
Tribune News Service

Faridabad, May 10
District officials who will attend the Chief Minister’s “sarkar aapke dwar” programme for the Hassanpur Assembly segment at Hodal on May 12 have been asked not to use their official vehicles for reaching the venue.

They have instead been asked to travel by a Haryana Roadways bus.

According to sources, all heads of department have been asked to report at the Savings Office at 1 pm, so that they can be taken in a bus to the venue.

A circular in this regard has been issued by the Deputy Commissioner. This has been done to curb public expenditure, according to a local official.

Although, such a directive was reportedly issued long ago, there has not been any check on the misuse of official vehicles so far.

VC defends spot evaluation system
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 10
The Vice-Chancellor of Kurukshetra University has clarified that the new system of spot evaluation has been introduced from the current academic session to maintain the standard of marking and to ensure the declaration of results in time in the interest of students at 16 centres created in colleges at district headquarters as sufficient teachers are available there.

Reacting to a report in The Tribune “Examiners’ boon is examinees’ bane” the Vice-Chancellor said that the system was put to experiment during supplementary examinations held in October last year. A series of meetings with the Principals of various colleges were held to fix the schedule according to which not more than 40 answerbooks allowed to be evaluated by a teacher in a day from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The Vice-Chancellor further said on the suggestion of some of the Principals, the number of answerbooks to be given to teachers for evaluation has been marginally increased to a maximum of 5 answerbooks in cases where the teachers devote extra time at the centre or the lot given to them contained answers where all questions have not been attempted. At some of the other universities, the number of answerbooks has been fixed at 60.

As per the report of the Principals and observers appointed at these spot evaluation centres, the work has been going on satisfactorily. Earlier, answerbooks used to be evaluated only by selected teachers who used to do it at their leisure. Some used to take very long .

Plan to expand law college
Tribune News Service

Gurgaon, May 10
The performance of National Law College run by the MDU has enthused the authorities to go in for its expansion.

The Director of MDU National Law College, Dr Prakash Chander Juneja, said the college had received on overwhelming response from within the region and outside.

The college, started by the MDU last year, is in addition to a five-year integrated law course run by the university on its campus in Rohtak. In fact, the MDU had created a record by being the first in the country to start a five-year course in 1983.

The curriculum of the college is different from the one run on the MDU campus. The college follows a semester system. Students are initiated into the study of law in the very first year. Also, the medium of teaching is strictly English.

Although the college is facing several teething problems. It does not have hostel accommodation and teachers are recruited on an ad hoc basis.

The faculty, however, is competitive as evident from the performance of the students. First semester students of the college recently took part in a moot court competition in Karnataka organised by the University College of Law, Karnataka, and secured the 13th position out of 52.

A student of the college said the institute organised extracurricular activities relating to the study of law like women rights club, legal aid clinic, child welfare club and moot court consultancy, besides debates.

The emphasis is on developing jurisprudential logic of the students.

Mysterious death of couple, case registered
Our Correspondent

Ambala, May 10
Four days after the mysterious death of newly-married couple in Ambala City, the police registered a case against seven members of the family of the deceased boy on the complaint of the father of the deceased girl, belonging to Patiala.

According to police information, a case has been registered against the father, mother, brothers and sisters of the boy.

The case was registered on the complaint of Hajara Singh, the father of the deceased girl, who was married to Jagdeep Singh only two months ago.

Mr Hajara Singh in his complaint on May 6 said he was informed on telephone that his daughter Jaswinder Kaur, and son-in-law, Jagdeep Kaur, had met with an accident. When he reached the Ambala residence of the in-laws of her daughter, he found that the bodies of the duo were lying in a room.

He was told that they died in their room. He said that he did not object over the cremation as some of his relatives advised him to keep mum on this occasion.

He said when he asked the in-laws of her daughter as to why they were making a video film of the cremation, they replied that they generally do it on such occasions.

He said when he reached his village and consulted other members of the family, he decided to file a complaint against the in-laws of her daughter. He alleged that he suspected the involvement of members of the boy’s family in the incident.

No bail for suspects in murder bid
Our Correspondent

Panipat, May 10
The Additional Sessions Judge, Dr Neelima Shangla, yesterday rejected anticipatory bail plea of three persons suspected of attempt to murder. The case was registered in Samalkha police station in May 1997.

According to details of the case, Hariram of Chulkana village was attacked and injured by some persons when he was sitting in his fields on May 26, 1997.

A complaint was lodged in Samalkha police station by Ashok, son of Hariram, in which Parkash, Suresh and Subhash of the same village were named as suspects. A case was registered under Sections 324 and 34 of the IPC. But after Hariram’s medical examination, the case was changed to Section 307 of the IPC.

However, while submitting the final report in 1999, the police absolved the three suspects stating that they were not present at the site of the incident.

Hariram, thereafter, filed a case against the police version in the court of the Judicial Magistrate, Mr Sukarmpal, who ordered the suspects to appear in the court. The suspects, however, applied for an anticipatory bail in the court of the Additional Sessions Judge, Dr Neelima Shangla, but was rejected.

Old buildings may face demolition in Kalka
Our Correspondent

Kalka, May 10
Many buildings in Kalka and Pinjore may face demolition in the near future, according to sources. These include 70-year-old Kalka Tehsil Building and the Pinjore Police Bhavan which is more than 110 years old.

The sources said that after the demolition, the government plans to sell off the land to earn money and construct the tehsil office and police station at some other place. These buildings were constructed during the British period on huge land areas.

The sources added that decision to demolish these old buildings was taken at a meeting of a committee constituted by the government. The meeting was held in Kalka SDM’s office recently.

The sources said the government had decided to demolish buildings, which were fairly old and were constructed on large pieces of land. For this, the government had constituted a committee in Panchkula district consisting of Mr S.K. Goel, ADC, Mr Vikas Arora, SSP, Kalka, Mr Sandeep Singh SDM, Kalka, Mr M.L. Mariya, Tehsildar, Kalka, Mr Devender Singh, Municipal Committee, Kalka, the DRO, the DDPO, the DTP and the SDO, PWD. The committee would submit its report regarding buildings of the SDM Office, Kalka, tehsil office and police station, Pinjore to the government.

The government had decided to maintain status quo as regards the building of the SDM office while tehsil office and Pinjore police station building would be demolished as per new policy of the government.

The sources added it being an earthquake-prone area, the Kalka Municipal Committee would also survey the old buildings of the Kalka town.

Rs 63.33 crore for ICDS scheme
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 10
The Haryana Government today decided to spend a sum of Rs 63.33 crore under the Integrated Child Development Services Scheme (ICDS) for the current financial year.

The Minister of State for Social Welfare, Mr Risal Singh, said this amount included Rs 27.82 crore on supplementary nutrition to children below six years of age and pregnant and nursing mothers.

He said the services provided under the scheme included supplementary nutrition/immunisation check-up, referral services, non-formal pre-school education and health and nutrition education to children and pregnant and nursing mothers and women in the age group of 15-44.

He said the government incurred an expenditure of Rs 62.21 crore under this scheme last year out of which Rs 26.39 crores was spent on supplementary nutrition which benefitted over 12.40 lakh children below six and pregnant and nursing mothers.

The minister said the scheme was being implemented in 116 blocks and five urban blocks.

Congress councillor assaults MC chief
Our Correspondent

Ambala, May 10
The president of Municipal Council, Ambala city Mr Rajinder Guddu, was allegedly assaulted by a Congress councillor here today afternoon causing a great resentment among BJP workers.

The incident took place at the office of the council, where Mr Guddu was sitting with other BJP councillors. According to the complaint, the Congress councillor Mr Mahender Tanwar, came to his office and started abusing him. He alleged that Mr Tanwar manhandled him and threatened him with dire consequences.

Mr Guddu and other BJP councillors met their local BJP, MLA, Ms Veena Chibbar, at her residence and narrated the whole incident to her. Ms Chibbar talked to the Deputy Commissioner about the matter. Meanwhile, Mr Tanwar has refuted Mr Guddu’s charges as baseless.

The police registered a case against Mr Tanwar under sections 323 and 506. It is not officially confirmed whether the police had arrested Mr Tanwar in this regard. The police is silent over the incident, inspite of a number of phone calls.

Foodgrain target fixed
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 10
The Haryana Government today fixed the foodgrain production target for 2001-2002 at 134 lakh tonnes — 38 lakh tonnes for kharif and 96 lakh tonnes for the rabi season.

The Haryana Agriculture Minister, Mr Jaswinder Singh Sandhu, said these targets had been fixed to keep pace with the agriculture produce targets of sugarcane and cotton having been set at 9 lakh tonnes and 1,350 lakh bales, respectively.

The minister said to give boost to diversification activities in the state the government had decided to diversify 10 per cent of the area under paddy. The area saved from paddy cultivation would be diverted towards maize, pulses, including soyabean, sugarcane and cotton crops. Hence, the targets under these crops had been revised upward to 0.40 lakh hectares for maize 0.60 lakh hectares for pulses, including soyabean, 1.50 lakh hectares for sugarcane and 6 lakh hectares for cotton as against 0.16 lakh hectares, 0.25 lakh hectares, 1.40 lakh hectares and 5.55 lakh hectares, respectively, covered during the previous kharif season.

Three officers transferred
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 10
The Haryana Government today transferred three IAS officers with immediate effect.

Mr M.K. Miglani, Financial Commissioner and Secretary, Cooperation Department, has been given the additional charge of Financial Commissioner and Secretary, Education, Languages, Archives and Archaeology during the leave period of Mr P.K. Chaudhery.

Mr Mahavir Singh, Additional Director, Urban Estates, Panchkula, has been posted as Joint Secretary, Revenue Department, against a vacant post.

Mr Vijayendra Kumar, Administrator, Haryana Urban Development Authority, Faridabad, has been given the additional charge of Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Faridabad, during the training period of Mr Pushp Raj Singh.

Police seizes 10,000 pouches of liquor
Our Correspondent

Ambala, May 10
The police has seized 10,000 pouches of country made liquor near Shahjadpur village 40 km from here today. The cost of the liquor is stated to be worth Rs 1.80 lakh in the market.

According to the SP, Ambala, Mr Sandeep Khirwar, the police had received a tip off that a Canter carrying a large quantity of liquor had started from Bagwali village. The police cordoned off the approaching roads and sounded the surrounding police posts. When the canter was crossing through Shahjadpur, the police seized it. The police arrested Baljit Singh who was travelling in the Canter.

The police said that persons allegedly part of the liquor mafia escorting the canter in a car succeeded in escaping. The police has registered a case in this regard.

It was not the first time when the police had seized liquor pouches in such a large quantity. Earlier too, around 20,000 pouches were seized in the district. The liquor mafia operating in Ambala has been quite active for past several months.

Record collection by Power Utilities
Tribune News Service

She said the Power Utilities had achieved a 22 per cent increase in the overall power supply in the state. An MoU had been signed with the Union Government. The latter would assist the state in its power sector reforms. The Central Government would help Haryana in implementing new power projects, providing more allocation of power from centrally-sponsored schemes and funds for strengthening the power and distribution system.

HVPN to hold Lok Adalat
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 10
The Executive Chairman of the Haryana State Legal Services Authority, Mr Justice V.K. Bali, will inaugurate the first-ever Lok Adalat of Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam cases on May 12.

Mr R.S. Virk, member-secretary of the authority, said the Lok Adalat would solve disputes between consumers and the HVPN pending with the Haryana State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission at Chandigarh.

He said the Lok Adalat would be held on the premises of the Shakti Bhavan in Sector 6 of Panchkula at 9 a.m. It would be presided over by Mr Justice Amarjeet Chaudhary, President, Haryana State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission.

Milk vendor gets life term for murder
Our Correspondent

Narnaul, May 10
Mr G.L. Goyal, Sessions Judge, has sentenced Prakash alias Om Prakash (35), a milk vendor of Kamania village district to undergo life imprisonment and fined Rs 1,000 under Section 302 of the IPC.

Pronouncing the judgement in a murder case yesterday, the judge observed that in default of payment of fine, the accused would have to undergo rigorous imprisonment for three more months. The judge also ordered that the case property stood confiscated to the state and should be disposed of.

The complainant, Mr Ram Avtar, brother of the deceased, Kailash Chand, had said that about two years ago, the accused had got a criminal case registered against the deceased on account of setting ‘bajra’ fodder on fire and the said case was still pending in court.

After hearing the case, the Judge opined that the prosecution had been able to prove its case against the accused beyond reasonable doubts, held the accused quality of the offence, punishable under Section 302 of the IPC and convicted him thereunder.

Truck laden with wheat stolen
Our Correspondent

Panipat, May 10
A truck loaded with wheat bags has reportedly been stolen from outside the godown of the Food Corporation of India (FCI) on the local Gohana road last night.

According to information, the truck (HYD-455) loaded with 260 wheat bags was parked outside the FCI godown for unloading. On seeing a long queue outside the godown, the truck driver parked the vehicle on one side and went to eat along with the cleaner.

When they returned the truck was found missing. The police has registered a case.

In another incident, a truck driver was taken into custody while he was attempting to steal a truck from the local truck union in Transport Nagar. His accomplices, however, managed to escape.

MC employees stage dharna
Our Correspondent

Yamunanagar, May 10
A dharna was staged by employees of the local Municipal Council today in front of its office in protest against the retrenchment of 1,519 employees of Faridabad Municipal Corporation, by the Haryana Government.

Mr Dharm Pal Singh, president of the local Nagar Palika Karmchari Sangh while speaking on the occasion demanded that the employees should be reemployed immediately. They took out a procession and later on gave a memorandum to the local Deputy Commissioner.

He stated that a state executive meeting of the Sangh would be held on May 12 at Rohtak.

Case against 7 cops, ex-minister
Our Correspondent

Jind, May 10
A case was registered yesterday against a former minister of state, Mr Bachan Singh Arya and seven police officials, including a Sub-Inspector and an Assistant Sub-Inspector, on the complaint of Mr Nand Kishore, resident of Safidon town in the district.

According to reports received here today, Mr Nand Kishore in his complaint has alleged that Mr Arya misused his position as minister and got him implicated in a false case. He had tried to extort money from him with the help of police officials in the year 1994, the complainant said.

A case under Sections 409, 467, 468, 471, 342, 323, 506, and 120-B of the IPC and under the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered.

Mr Arya, a senior Congress leader, was elected MLA from Safidon Assembly Constituency in 1991. 

Case against Dalal “false”
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 10
A former President of the Haryana Youth Congress, Mr Nirmal Singh, in a statement here today described the vigilance case against Mr Dalal as “patently false.” He said it had obviously been registered to gag the RPI MLA’s voice because he was exposing the “misdeeds” of the Chautala government. Earlier, the Government had implicated him in a murder case, but he was let off by the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Fodder for drought-hit
Our Correspondent

Kaithal, May 10
A train carrying 40 boggies of fodder was flagged off by the Haryana Agriculture Minister, Mr Jaswinder Singh Sandhu, from the local railway station yesterday for the drought-affected Nagaur area of Rajasthan.