Chandigarh, April 2
Sometime back, the Punjab and Haryana High Court decided the issue of posting of non-cadre police officers on posts meant for cadre (IPS) officers by the Punjab Government. In its order dated August 9, 2004, the Bench of the then Chief Justice, Mr Justice B.K. Roy, and Mr Justice Surya Kant had directed the Punjab Government to transfer non-cadre police officers from posts meant for IPS officers.

Now, in a similar case, the Indian Forest Service Association - Haryana, has moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court, seeking direction to the Haryana Government for removal of non-cadre officers from the cadre and posts meant for Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers. This, the association has stated, is provided for in the IFS (Cadre Rules), 1966.

It has also sought to be impleaded as party to an ongoing writ - Mahesh Parik and another versus the Union of India and others. The petition seeks reforms in effecting the transfers/postings of officers of All- India Services in accordance with the statutes and regulations. It also prays that an explanation be sought for the blatant violation of the IFS Rules and the regulations framed thereunder by the Haryana Government.

The application has been filed through advocate Naresh K. Joshi.

Alleging that over the years, the IFS cadre of Haryana State has been "thoroughly mismanaged", the association has stated that cadre rules are being "blatantly violated deliberately" by the government. It has also claimed that non-cadre, junior-most, including some officers reverted to Class III posts, have been posted on cadre posts meant for IFS officers.

The association has alleged that this has been done with the only consideration that state-cadre officers can "enjoy their posting on the posts which have the maximum budget allocations and also the maximum load of execution of field works". Besides, the applicant has alleged, these officers have been given the task of managing 90 per cent of the government forests in Haryana.

Referring to the judgement in the IPS-PPS case, the association says that their plight is similar to IPS officers posted in Punjab, who were denied posting on cadre posts.

In Haryana, of the 29 cadre posts of Deputy Conservator of Forests, eight are being manned by non-cadre officers.

The application will be taken up by a Division Bench of the High Court on July 8, the day the main petition comes up for hearing.

Chandigarh, April 2
Missing foodgrains worth Rs 2 crore and the discovery of over 4000 sacks of husk meant to hold that grain has failed to get the Food and Supplies Department, Haryana, to react. An exhaustive inquiry report, submitted one-and-a-half months back, gathers dust even as the guilty, the department's own employees in Panipat, are yet to be brought to book.

In September last year, an anonymous complaint received at the Department's head office had stated that 20,000 quintals of wheat meant for the public distribution system in Panipat had been sold in the open market.

Based on this letter, the Department had initiated a preliminary enquiry and found that not only had the wheat gone missing but the sacks meant to hold the foodgrains had, instead, been stuffed with husk. Later, the matter was handed over to the police and a case was registered against three employees among the lower staff managing the godown after the police found 4,062 sacks of husk in the stock.

However, the latest inquiry conducted by the head office of the Food and Supplies Department, states that the police should be asked to conclude its investigations at the earliest and register cases against the District Food and Supplies Officer and the watchman as well. It recommends strict disciplinary action by the department against them.

In the recently submitted inquiry report, prepared by the Additional Director, Food and Supplies, Mr A.R. Godara, and three other officials, it has been suggested that the remaining stock, now case property, be disposed of within a month after seeking special permission of the court with 80 per cent of the stock already damaged. It adds that further delay would make the foodgrains useless for sale.

However, since the report came in, the only action taken has been by the then Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, who ordered the Superintendent of Police, Panipat, to ‘‘investigate the matter on an urgent basis’’.

On its part, the police has failed to show any urgency in dealing with the matter. Instead the Panipat Police sought the report of the departmental inquiry into the matter which is still to be sent. Officials of the Food and Supplies Department maintain that the police should conduct an independent inquiry, submit its report and register cases based on its findings.

Earlier, soon after the matter of missing foodgrains came to light, the Department deputed its Deputy Director, Mr Ram Singh Malik, posted at Rohtak, to conduct an inquiry into the matter of the missing grain. However, even after having visited Panipat with a couple of other officials, his report is pending till date.

Shortly after that, the DFSO, Panipat, on his own, carried out an inquiry with directions from the DFSC, and got cases registered against three members of the lower staff.

When contacted, the Director, Food and Supplies, Mr S.K. Monga, said the matter concerned only the department and that appropriate departmental action would be taken against those responsible for the missing stocks. He refused to give a time-frame for the action against its top district-level officials.

Karnal, April 2
The postmortem examination of two Haryana ministers Surender Singh and OP Jindal who along with pilot T.S. Chauhan died in a helicopter crash at Berkheri Dera near Gangoh in Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh on Thursday afternoon, has confirmed that none of them suffered heart failure just before the crash. They died of multiple crash injuries, shock and haemorrhage.

Talking to The Tribune over the telephone, Dr D.C. Saxena, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Saharanpur district, said that OP Jindal got injuries on his head and feet, besides, other parts of the body also. He died on the spot possibly due to heavy loss of blood from the head, said the CMO.

He said Surender Singh got multiple injuries in the abdominal and the lower abdominal region. He suffered multiple fractures in the chest that possibly affected the respiratory and blood circulation system leading to death. He also suffered internal injuries in other parts of the body.

Dr Saxena denied reports published in a section of the media that Surender Singh suffered heart failure when the helicopter was falling. “These are fabricated reports based on half-truths”, he said.

However, the CMO was of the view that Surender Singh might have got a “shock” on hearing about the engine failure as he was sitting on the left side of the front seats along with the pilot and was watching the whole scene.

As far as the postmortem examination of pilot T.S. Chauhan was concerned, the CMO said that he suffered multiple injuries on all parts of the body with small fractures in the lower abdominal region, feet and hands. Since he got fewer injuries in the head and the upper abdominal region, he survived for a few minutes and died on his way to the Civil Hospital at Gangoh.

Had first aid been provided to him on the spot within 10 to 20 minutes of the crash, he could have been saved, said another medical officer of Saharanpur. The first-aid box lying in the helicopter was later recovered by the police from the wreckage.

Meanwhile, a team of the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) visited the crash site on the second day today and took away a few parts of the wreckage for examination.

Hisar, April 2
Family members and close aides of the late Haryana Power Minister and eminent industrialist Om Prakash Jindal immersed his ashes in the holy Ganga at Hardwar today.

Jindal’s son, Sajjan and Naveen, grandson, Abhyuday, and close aide Vipin Sharma took the ashes to Dehra Dun in a private aircraft from where they went to Hardwar by road.

At the Dehra Dun airport, a wreath was laid on behalf of the Uttaranchal Chief Minister, Mr N.D.Tiwari, who could not reach the airport owing to ill health.

Meanwhile, Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar today visited the Jindals’ house here to condole the aggrieved family. He observed that the country had lost a great visionary and the vacuum created by his sudden demise could not be filled.

Senior Congress leader Meira Kumar and farmer leader Mahender Singh Tikait also paid their tributes to the departed leader. The Karnal MP, Mr Arvind Sharma, also visited the Jindal family to offer his condolences.

A number of local social and political organisations, including the District Congress Committee, the local unit of the BJP, the VHP, the state power corporations and the Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN), have expressed their grief over the tragic death .

In a statement issued here, state Congress spokesperson Sandhya Bajaj observed that the untimely demise was a big blow to the Congress government of Haryana

Condolence meetings will be held at the Jindal house here from tomorrow till April 11.

A special meeting will be held at 6, Prithvi Raj Road, New Delhi, from 3 to 5 pm tomorrow.

Chandigarh, April 2
Below poverty line (BPL) card holders and certain others in the above poverty line (APL) category in Haryana will start getting wheat instead of atta (flour) from this month onward.

This was announced by the Deputy Chief Minister, Mr Chander Mohan, here today. He said during a meeting of the district food and supplies controllers here the other day, he directed that all 6.20 lakh BPL holders should be given wheat at Rs 4.65 per kg and APL card holders at Rs 6.61 per kg.

He said this had been decided in view of complaints by card holders that the atta being supplied to them was of poor quality. The atta to the 6.20 lakh BPL card holders and the APL card holders was being supplied at Rs 5.65 and Rs 7.61 per kg, respectively.

He said the public distribution system dealers had been warned against suppling inferior quality wheat. He said a BPL card holder would get 35 kg of wheat every month.

Hisar, April 2
After a long gap of nearly 40 years, Mr Intezam-ul-Haq, the father of Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq, revisited Hansi township, near here, where he was born and brought up.

He offered namaz at the Chaar Qutab dargaah, of which his father was once in charge.

The Haq family had migrated to Pakistan at the time of the Partition. They hailed from Pir Mohalla in Hansi and Mr Intezam-ul-Haq was only 12 when they migrated to Pakistan. However, since then they have been in touch with some of their close friends and acquaintances.

Ms Pushpa Singla, the sister of Mr Prakash Singla, a neighbour attended Inzamam’s wedding ceremony in Pakistan.

Several new houses have come up in the place of the big haveli which was once inhabited by the Haq family. Inzamam’s father also visited the with the people living there.

Mr Intezam-ul-Haq, who was accompanied by his son Etram, said he was very much attached to the town as it was his birthplace. He said the visit, refreshed the fond memories of his childhood.

The management and staff of PCSD Senior Secondary School, Hansi, felicitated Mr Haq on his visit and presented him with a CD of a Haryanavi play.

Ambala, April 2
The family members of a newly married woman, who reportedly committed suicide in Salehpur village yesterday, blocked the Ambala-Jagadhari road this morning.

They were demanding that the groom and his family members must be arrested immediately. They claimed that the girl’s death had taken place under mysterious circumstances and the police must carry out speedy investigation.

Poonam, who hailed from Kurukshetra, had married Anil, a resident of Salehpur village, two months back. Family members of Poonam alleged that the boy’s family had been demanding dowry from them. They said Anil was contesting election for the post of sarpanch and he had been repeatedly asking for money.

This morning, after a post-mortem examination was carried out at the Civil Hospital, Ambala Cantonment, the family members of Poonam demanded that the police must take prompt action in the case. They began raising slogans against the police.

Thereafter, the family members of Poonam went to the Civil Hospital chowk and blocked traffic. They said they would lift the blockade only after all family members of Anil were arrested. They also alleged that the police was under pressure from some influential persons.

After a couple of minutes, a posse of policemen reached the spot and asked the demonstrators to lift the blockade. The blockade was lifted only after they were assured that the family members of Anil had been arrested.

A police official said a case had been registered against Anil and his family members and they had been arrested.

Ambala, April 2
The body of a young girl was found hanging from a tree in a colony at Ambala City today.

According to information, a resident of the Nayagaon area close to Ambala City railway station, noticed around 1.30 in the noon that a body was hanging from a tree. He told residents of the colony about it. Some residents informed about it to the railway and the city police.

The city police rushed to the spot, but refused to initiate legal proceedings claiming that the place fell in the jurisdiction of the Railway police. On the other hand, the railway police was of the view that the incident site fell in the jurisdiction of the city police. The dispute continued till 6.45 pm. By the time the matter was settled and the railway police agreed to handle the case and the body of the girl was brought down it was around 7 pm.

Earlier, it was presumed the body was of a young boy, but it was found that it was the body of a girl. The body was sent to the local Civil hospital for a post-mortem examination.