New Delhi, July 9
Following its success in developing Gurgaon as an attractive city near Delhi, Haryana plans to develop three new cities with an aim to boost progress of its areas close to the national Capital and to decongest the metropolis.

Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda told mediapersons here that the new cities will be developed at Sampla, Badli-Jahangirpur and Samalkha. A fourth city, Rajiv Gandhi Education City, will be developed at Kundli.

The Chief Minister said the education city will be developed into a centre of excellence with some of the best educational institutions from different parts of the world being given space to set up their institutes. He said land had been identified for the proposed education city which will have seats for students from the state. Describing Gurgaon as the “prestigious city” of Haryana, he said it suffered from some infrastructure handicaps which were being improved. “The new cities will have the best infrastructure,” he said. The Chief Minister said his government was considering a separate development authority for Gurgaon.

Answering questions on the SYL issue, the Chief Minister blamed the INLD and the BJP for the delay in construction of the canal. He said the construction of the canal had taken place only during the rule of the Congress. He said SYL canal was not an election issue for his party but it was the lifeline of Haryana. Mr Hooda said the Centre had already spent Rs 700 crore on the canal. He said the Supreme Court verdict was in favour of Haryana but the previous government at the Centre and state could not ensure its implementation.

Terming the Punjab legislation abrogating water accord with neighbouring states as unconstitutional, he said the Amarinder Singh government could not have taken such a step as other state governments were signatories to the accord.

Mr Hooda said the state Congress leaders had met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi on the SYL issue. “A Presidential Reference has been made to the Supreme Court. I am hopeful that an early decision will come in favour of the state,” he said. Asked if he had talked to Capt Amarinder Singh, Mr Hooda said he need not talk to the neighbouring CM on this issue. “I don’t need to talk to him. It’s my decision.... We are not going to beg,” he said.

On the pre-election promise by the Congress of a separate gurdwara management committee for Haryana, Mr Hooda said a panel had been formed under the Assembly Speaker to know the feelings of the Sikhs of the state.

Asked about the action on the allegations made by the state Congress against the Chautala government, Mr Hooda said the memorandum containing the charges, which was submitted to the Governor, had been given to the Vigilance Department for inquiry. “There will be no political vendatta or witch-hunting. At the same time, no one found guilty will be spared,” he said. Asked about earlier demand by some Congress leaders for CBI inquiry into the allegations, he said any such decision will be taken only after the vigilance probe.

Mr Hooda said he would strive to make Haryana “number one state” in the country in the next five years. He said the government had drawn up plans to create 10 lakh employment opportunities and attract an investment of Rs 2 lakh crore in the next 10 years. He said the state had received investment proposals of Rs 900 crore since the new industrial policy was announced two months back. The Chief Minister said providing corruption-free administration and providing full sense of security to people were among his top priorities. “My government will focus on boosting infrastructure and employment,” he said. The Chief Minister said 33 per cent jobs in new recruitment of teachers will be reserved for women. He said schemes had been evolved to improve sex ratio in the state by financially assisting parents having second girl child.

The Chief Minister said the state will boost power generation by about 3,000 MW in the next four years. He said industrialists were being given concessions for investment in backward areas of the state and a time-bound policy had been evolved for clearance of projects. “A decision has to be taken in 30 days,” he said. The government had acquired 5,000 acres of land for downstream industry near the Rs 35,000 crore IOC petrochemical facility at Panipat. Haryana was also keen to have an international cargo airport, he said.

He said floor rates had been fixed for land acquisition for both NCR and non-NCR areas. Mr Hooda said industrial clusters were being developed in the backward areas of the state. The Chief Minister said that the scheme, under which Rs 1,600 crore power arrears of farmers were being written off in a phased manner, was a “win-win situation” for the government and farmers.

Mr Hooda said law and order situation had improved in the state in the past few months and the police had liquidated some criminal gangs. The Chief Minister said persons who had suffered during the recent floods will be provided financial assistance by the government. 

Dehra Dun, July 9
Living with what lies after rape for almost two years18 year-old Rani from Sahaspur, on the outskirts of Dehra Dun, is now full of strength, not only to fight her case but also to help others like her.

The report of a DNA test ordered by the district and sessions court has brought justice in sight for this rape victim who has been living with angst and a one-year-old child after what she went through on the night of September 12, 2003.

The report has proved that the rape accused Binder Saini is the father of Rani’s one-year-old child, something the accused had been denying all the way. It has brought much relief to Rani and her family who have been trying to prove her innocence and her child’s paternity ever since the incident took place.

On the night of the incident, Rani’s neighbour Binder Saini dragged her from right outside her house to a cowshed in the vicinity and allegedly raped her. Binder was arrested on the victim’s complaint but he was released on bail within a month. Meanwhile, Rani, who was 16 years of age then, realised that she was pregnant.

Against the wishes of everyone around her and notwithstanding the stigma of being an unwed mother Rani decided against aborting the child. Taking on the ordeal slapped on her with exemplary courage Rani gave birth to the baby and called the boy Chunauti to remind her of the challenge that lay ahead of her in her own fight and in being of help to women who go through similar experiences.

Determined to fight to prove her innocence and the paternity of her son Chunauti, she filed a case in the lower court. When she failed to get justice there, Rani took the matter to the district and sessions court and pleaded with the court to get a DNA test conducted.

The test report has upheld her claims and proved that Binder was the father of her child. The court’s decision on the case would be announced on the next date of hearing July 25.

Kolkata, July 9
“Drop the BHEL disinvestment or face the election” This was the ultimatum given to the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, by the Forward Bloc (FB) at the beginning of the party’s two-day central committee meeting in Kolkata today.

The FB also decided to immediately step out from the UPA’s coordination committee, of which the CPM, CPI and the RSP are the members.

These Left parties have already conveyed their protest and strong resentment to Dr Manmohan Singh and the UPA Chairperson, Ms Sonia Gandhi, against the Centre’s several “anti-people decisions,” including the petrol and diesel price hike, flouting the UPA’s common minimum programme.

Lucknow, July 9
Following a weird drama in his chamber, Vidhan Sabha Speaker Mata Prasad Pandey announced to defer the hearing in the case of 40 rebel BSP-turned SP MLAs to 12 July giving a respite to the BSP.

In a parallel development the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court has started hearing of the case from July 6. The next date for hearing in the High Court has been fixed for July 11.

In its bid to buy time BSP leader in the Legislative Assembly and petitioner in the court case Swami Prasad Maurya earned the wrath of the Speaker. The BSP was to file its objections by July 6 and the Speaker was to give his judgment the next day.

When the case came up for hearing on July 7 Mr Maurya did not turn up. He appealed to the Speaker to reschedule the hearing for the evening. The Speaker asked him to be present at 5 pm.

However, the Speaker kept waiting and Mr Maurya again failed to show up. He had reportedly informed the Principal Secretary, Vidhan Sabha, that he could not make it as he was in the court in connection with the case.

When Mr Maurya appeared the next morning appealing the Speaker to postpone the case as a similar case was going on in the High Court, the Speaker pulled him up for misguiding the House.

Expressing his displeasure for the previous evening’s absence the Speaker wanted to first decide the issue of misguiding the House before proceeding to the original case. Mr Pandey said Mr Maurya had purposively given a wrong impression by claiming to be busy in court when the court in fact did not function in the evening.

New Delhi, July 9
Several important cases with political overtones await immediate hearing by the Supreme Court on its reopening on Monday after two-month summer vacation.

The most urgent among these are a petition challenging the July 14 Rajya Sabha elections, dissolution of the Bihar Assembly, a PIL on ‘huge’ expenditure on Bofors case investigation and petition against Railway Minister Lalu Prasad for his alleged interference in judicial proceedings in the fodder scam- related cases against him.

While noted journalist Kuldip Nayar has sought stay on the July 14 poll to the Rajya Sabha from West Bengal, Gujarat and Goa in an application filed in the course of his pending PIL against the amendments to the Representation of People Act (RPA) doing away with the mandatory domicile condition for contestants to the Upper House, a former Congress MP has sought inquiry into the alleged spending of Rs 250 crore by successive governments to probe the Rs 64-crore Bofors pay-off case, which has fallen flat in the court of law due to lack of evidence.

Another politically sensitive case pertains to the dissolution of the Bihar Assembly on which notices had already been issued by the court to the Centre and the Election Commission.

The Punjab Government’s appeal against the Rajasthan High Court’s judgement, ordering the state to hand over three head works of the Bhakra-Beas projects to the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) for maintenance is another important case relating to the inter-state disputes to be taken up the court.

A PIL for expunging from the law books certain “derogatory” observations about Punjabis, made in a 1925 judgement by two English judges of the Lahore High Court, is another interesting case.

Besides, a petition challenging the provision of Section 8(4) of the RPA, allowing MPs and MLAs to continue to hold office even after their conviction in criminal cases during the pendency of their appeals in the higher courts, Rs 175-crore Taj corridor case allegedly involving former UP Chief Minister Mayawati, a minister in her cabinet and six senior officials are among the high-profile cases to be taken up by the apex court.

The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has already submitted its opinion report on the CBI’s proposal to close the case against Mayawati, following the opinion of Attorney-General Milon Banerjee to this effect, as sought by the prosecuting agency.

Since the CVC had submitted its opinion in a sealed cover to the apex court before it adjourned for summer vacation, its outcome would be crucial for the BSP supremo.

One more case on which attention would be focused, pertains to alleged attempts by some POK residents to get back their properties in Jammu and Kashmir, which they had left in the state on their migration to the other side of the dividing line in 1947. Their move has been challenged in a PIL by the Panthers Party.

Hyderabad, July 9
Denizens of the city are indeed generous souls. They give away an astounding Rs 15 or Rs 20 crore a year to beggars.

As many as 10,466 professional supplicants have made the city their home, seeking alms at every available traffic junction to milk the kindness of rushing crowds. A quarter of these, who live on charity, make more than Rs 2,401 a month.

While almost half of the beggars are able-bodied, 2,648 are old persons who are too weak to work. Around 1,500 of the beggars are physically challenged with 520 mentally challenged joining them on the streets.

These interesting details have come out in a survey jointly conducted by the Hyderabad district administration and an NGO — the Hyderabad Council of Human Welfare.

The two-month long survey, conducted by a team of over 70 volunteers, revealed that 60 per cent of the city beggars sleep on pavements and parks while 40 per cent have a house or a hut to live in.

A majority of them—almost 84.6 per cent — said they were in the profession on their accord while 12 per cent of the beggars said they were forced into it by their parents and guardians.

We plan to rehabilitate these unfortunate people over a period of six months, utilising various welfare schemes, Hyderabad District Collector Arvind Kumar, who released the survey results, said.

According toe the survey, 4,613 women beggars are the most exploited lot. As many as 33 per cent of these face sexual exploitation while resting at footpaths, rail and bus stations and temples. Half of the girls end up as sex workers with no awareness of HIV or condoms.

A majority of the beggars (6,875) are from various districts of the state, who had suffered due to successive years of drought. While the younger members of the family migrate to the city to work as labourers, the aged are left to their own means.

The collector wants to give identity cards to those covered under the survey and provide them with shelter under urban permanent housing scheme. The objective is to make these hapless lot give up begging and enable them to live on their own with the help of the government and the NGO, Mr Arvind Kumar said.

New Delhi, July 9
Noted journalist and former Rajya Sabha MP Kuldip Nayyar, who had challenged in the Supreme Court an amendment in the People Representation Act (RPA) doing away with the mandatory domiciliary clause for contesting election to the Upper House, has moved an application in the apex court seeking stay on its poll scheduled for July 14.

Nayyar’s public interest litigation (PIL) challenging the constitutional validity of the amended Section 3 and Section 59 of the RPA, which had deleted the mandatory domiciliary condition for contesting candidates and provided for open ballot system respectively during the election to the Upper House, had been pending in the court since last year when he had challenged the Rajya Sabha election on the same ground.

The Election Commission has fixed July 14 for election to fill 10 seats in the Rajya Sabha from West Bengal (six) , Gujarat (three) and Goa (one).

In his fresh application, filed as part of the PIL, Nayyar contended that the stay on the election would not make much difference on anyone contesting the polls till the matter was decided by the apex court’s five-Judge constitution Bench.

Nayyar contended that as per the Constitution, the Rajya Sabha was essentially a Council of States and doing away with the mandatory provision of domiciliary clause for candidates contesting its election would amount to changing the basic structure of the Constitution itself which, according to the apex court’s earlier rulings, was not permissible.

The amendments were made in the Act in 2003 with almost unanimity among the political parties. Nayyar had accused all political parties, particularly the Congress and the BJP, of joining hands to change the law as it suited them most.

He said by doing away with the domiciliary clause in the RPA, the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) had been reduced to a “dumping” ground by the political parties to accommodate their leaders from the states other than their birth after they had been defeated in the Lok Sabha elections.

As per the earlier provision in the RPA, a candidate contesting the Rajya Sabha election should be a domicile of that particular state from where he sought election to the Upper House.

The application is likely to be taken up for hearing soon after the reopening of the court on July 11.

New Delhi, July 9
The Indian Institute of Management-Lucknow (IIM-L) has inaugurated its Noida campus with a three-year programme for working managers.

The new campus will be known IIM-L Noida.

“The IIM-L initiative is the first of its kind from any IIM, wherein a satellite campus has been launched. We aim to develop our Noida campus as the most definitive knowledge provider and a source of quality executive programmes for working managers,” said Devi Singh, director of IIM-L. Mr H.S. Singhania, chairman of the IIM-L Board of Governors, said: “Our campus will impart the right kind of managerial skills to working managers.”