Chandigarh, July 22
The Haryana Government today transferred with immediate effect 23 Indian Police Services (IPS) officers, including nine District Superintendents of Police (SPs).

The list of officers transferred today also included the name of Mr Sanjay Bhatia, who was recently convicted by a Delhi court for submitting fake scheduled caste certificate for getting selection in the IPS. Mr Bhatia, who was Commandant, 5th and 7th Bn, HAP, Madhuban, has been posted as SP, Fingerprint Bureau, Madhuban. Official sources said that no action had been taken against Mr Bhatia so far in view of the stay obtained by him from court.

The nine district SPs transferred included Dr R.C. Mishra, SP, Panchkula, who has been posted as AIG, Administration while Mr Balbir Singh, SP, State Vigilance Bureau, Panchkula becomes the new SP, Panchkula.

Mr Shiv Shakti Rao, SP, CM Flying Squad, will be the new SP, Faridabad vice Mr Sibash Kabiraj, who goes as SP, Karnal in place of Ms Bharti Arora, who has been appointed as Commandant, 2nd Bn., Madhuban. Mr Rajbir Deswal, SP, State Vigilance Bureau, Rohtak has been posted as SP, Ambala vice Mr Rajinder Singh, who has been posted as SP, Panipat in place of Mr Anil Kumar, who becomes SP, Sonepat in place of Mr Sukhdev Singh, who goes as SP, Mewat relieving SP, Gurgaon of the additional charge.

Dr Suman Manjri, SP, Yamunanagar, goes as SP, GRP, Ambala in place of Mr M. Ravi Karan, who becomes SP, Telecommunication, Panchkula vice Mr Ravi Kumar, whose posting orders will be issued later on.

Mr Sat Parkash Ranga, SP, Kurukshetra has been posted as Commandant, 4th Bn, Madhuban vice Mr A.S. Ahlawat whose posting orders will be issued later on. Ms Charu on return from deputation has been posted as SP, State Vigilance Bureau, Gurgaon vice Mr Sanjay Kumar, who will be the new SP, Kurukshetra. Mr Sultan Singh, SP, Security, has been posted as SP, Yamunanagar.

Mr Jagdish Chander Nagar, Commandant, 3rd Bn, Hisar, has been posted as Additional SP, Rural, Faridabad against a vacant post.

Mr Rajpal Singh, Commandant, Ist Bn, Ambala has been posted as SP, Traffic, Karnal in place of Mr V.K. Arora, who becomes SP, Crime-II, Madhuban in place of Mr H.S. Doon, who will be the new Commandant, 5th Bn, Madhuban. Mr N.S. Virk has been posted SP, CM’s Flying Squad.

Chandigarh, July 22
The Haryana Government today has issued the transfer orders of 17 IAS officers including six who have been given additional charge, and four HCS officers with immediate effect.

Mr Bhaskar Chatterjee, Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Finance, has been given the additional charge of the Planning Department. Mr S.K. Saxena, OSD, Planning Board, becomes the Commissioner and Secretary, Science and Technology.

Mr Maha Singh, Commissioner, Ambala Division and Principal, Revenue Training Institute (RTI), Ambala, becomes the Commissioner and Secretary, Forests, relieving Mr Ramendra Jakhu of the said charge. Mr. Mahavir Singh, awaiting posting orders, becomes Commissioner, Ambala Division and Principal, RTI, Ambala.

However, it is not clear if Mr Maha Singh will continue to be the Acting Vice-Chancellor of Kurukshetra University or not. Mr Dalip Singh, Director and Special Secretary, Higher Education, becomes Commissioner and Secretary, Social Justice and Empowerment and Welfare of SCs and BCs Departments relieving Mr N. Bala Baskar of the said charge.

Mr Anil Kumar, Administrator, HUDA, Faridabad, has been posted as Director and Special Secretary, Higher Education. Mrs. Keshni Anand Arora, MD, HARTRON, and Director and Special Secretary, Electronics and Information Technology, will be new Special Secretary, Home, against a vacant post.

Mr Abhilaksh Likhi, awaiting posting orders, has been posted as Director and Joint Secretary, Development and Panchayat, in place of Mr Anurag Rastogi, who becomes MD, HARTRON, and Director and Special Secretary, Electronics and Information Technology.

Mr Vijai Vardhan, Secretary to Governor has been given the additional charge of the MD, Tourism Corporation and Director and Special Secretary, Tourism and Hospitality Departments, relieving Mr D.R. Dhingra of the said charge. Mr R.R. Jowel, Administrator, CADA, Panchkula, has been given the additional charge of MD, Confed vice Mr R.S. Doon, who has been posted as Director, Industrial Training and Vocational Education in place of Mr Rajbir Singh, who becomes Joint Secretary, Forests, against a vacant post.

Mr R.K. Khullar, Special Secretary, Health, has been given the additional charge of the Mission Director, Reproductive Child Health, Haryana. Mr Shiv Raman Gaur, Special Secretary, Health, will also look after the work of Project Director, Sector Investment Programme.

Mr D.D. Gautam, Director, Science and Technology, will also look after the work of Joint Secretary, PWD (B&R), Architect. Mrs. Amneet Ratan, Deputy Secretary, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries, has been posted as ADC, Ambala, vice Mrs Renu S. Phulia, who becomes ADC, Kurukshetra, in place of Mr K.K. Gupta, who will be the new Chief Executive Officer, Kurukshetra, vice Ms Hema Sharma, who goes as City Magistrate, Kurukshetra, in place of Mr Jagdeep, who becomes Under Secretary, Health, against a vacant post.

Chandigarh, July 22
The choice of guests at the weekly tea parties being organised by the Chief Secretary of Haryana, Mr G Madhavan, has put a big question mark on his rapport with the promotee IAS officers (officers who have been promoted to the IAS from HCS and other state services).

Mr Madhavan, after taking over as the Chief Secretary of Haryana on July 1, had been inviting groups of IAS officers to his residence for tea. In the past the Chief Secretaries used to call their colleagues at home for tea and Mr Madhavan wants to revive the tradition. But it is causing heartburn among those who are left out.

The first such party was held on July 13 and officers were invited with their spouses. An assortment of members of three IAS batches -1986, 1987 and 1988 -were invited. A sumptuous spread - comprised of South Indian delicacies as well as western snacks — said to have been prepared by Mrs Madhavan herself was laid out for the guests who consumed the food with the accompaniment of the finest brew from Darjeeling.

Those who sipped tea and chatted with the Chief Secretary and his wife were Mr T C Gupta, Mr Rajiv Arora, Ms Jyoti Arora, Mr Alok Nigam, Mr M Kithan, Mr R K Khullar and Ms Dheera Khadelwal. Seven other directly recruited officers, who belong to these three batches of the IAS, did not show up at the gathering.

While Mr P.K. Das and Mr Tarun Bajaj were stated to be on tour on that day, the remaining five officers apparently did not figure in the list of guests. What was most conspicuous about the party was the total absence of any of the promotee IAS officers.

The next party was on Tuesday (July 19) and officers from the 1989, 1990, 1991 and 1993 batches were invited. The guests included Mr Arun Kumar, Mr Ankur Gupta, Ms Sumita Misra, Mr Anurag Rastogi, Mr Ashok Khemka, Mr V Umashankar and Ms Deepti Umashankar. At least two IAS officers belonging to the 1991 batch did not turn up at the party because they were reportedly not invited. In this party too there was not a single promotee IAS officer from any of the four batches.

The 1989 batch of the IAS has a very large number of members who originally belonged to the HCS. As many as eight HCS officers, including Ms Saroj Siwatch, daughter of former Chief Minister, Mr Bansi Lal, have been accommodated in the 1989 batch. But none of them were invited for the tea party at Mr Madhavan’s house.

The promotee officers are clearly despondent over their exclusion from the gatherings being organised by the Chief Secretary. “I guess we have been shown our place in the bureaucratic circle”, lamented a promotee officer. A directly recruited officer said that the tea parties were showcasing who were the Chief Secretary’s favourite and who were not.

The IAS officers invited by the Chief Secretary are, meanwhile, jubilant with Mr Madhavan’s gesture. “He has been calling the officers himself and inviting them to have tea at his residence at six in the evening”, stated an elated bureaucrat.

While Mr Madhavan could not be contacted by this reporter despite repeated attempts, one of his colleagues defended his choice of guests, saying that the Chief Secretary was probably inviting only those people with whom he personally felt comfortable. 

Chandigarh, July 22
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has expressed concern over the large number of contempt petitions being filed due to violation of its orders.

Some days ago, during the hearing of a contempt petition filed by Mr Gian Chand praying for the initiation of contempt proceedings against senior Haryana cadre IAS officer M.L. Tayal, Mr Justice A.K. Goel noted that it was expected that a mechanism be evolved by which such grievances leading to the filing of contempt petitions are redressed by the respondents.

“Such a course will also be in the interest of the respondents themselves, while also being in the interest of checking unnecessary litigation,” the Judge observed.

He also said prima facie it appeared that there should be some monitoring cell at the level of the state government which should take cognizance of any notice alleging violation of the orders of the court and also take remedial measures after gathering relevant information from the department concerned.

Mr Justice Goel also directed the Secretary, Higher Education Department, Haryana, to file an affidavit in this regard.

Contempt petitions against government officials are an increasing phenomenon, with a majority of the petitioners alleging non-compliance of High Court orders. Among the top bureaucrats and police officers against whom contempt petitions are being heard in the Punjab and Haryana High Court are the Chief Secretaries of Punjab and Haryana, Home Secretaries, DGPs, a host of Principal Secretaries and Deputy Commissioner.

Meanwhile, following the High Court order on July 13, the Chief Secretary of Haryana sent a missive to all heads of departments, Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners, Managing Directors and CEOs of all government boards and corporations and the top brass of the five universities. The purpose of the letter was to reiterate the instructions issues on March 22, 2004, on the issue of non-compliance of orders and directions issued by the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

The officers were told to strictly comply with the government instructions and appoint nodal officers in each of their departments to monitor and ensure compliance of High Court orders.

The Chief Secretary also reiterated that any lapse in this regard, that causes embarrassment to senior officers, would be the responsibility of the nodal officer and he would be charge-sheeted for major penalty.

“This order will make senior officers more responsive. Also, one of the major reasons for large-scale litigation against the governments is lackadaisical attitude of officers when it comes to dealing with grievances of the common man. If this is taken care of, I am sure litigation where the government is among the respondents will go down drastically,” observed a Senior Advocate. 

Chandigarh, July 22
Mr Justice M.M. Kumar of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today issued a notice to former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala’s brother Partap Singh Chautala, asking him to explain why contempt of court proceedings should not be initiated against him for not depositing Rs 10,000 as costs imposed on him by the court.

Mr Partap Singh Chautala had sought directions for the registration of a criminal case against Mr Bhajan Lal under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Mr Chautala had been directed to deposit Rs 10,000 as costs when the High Court dismissed his PIL against former Haryana Chief Minister and Pradesh Congress Committee President Bhajan Lal.

The money was to be deposited with the Haryana Legal Service Authority. However, since he did not do so, the Authority has moved the High Court. Mr Chautala’s PIL had been dismissed with costs, while the Bench noted that the writ was a “private interest litigation and not public interest litigation”.

Hisar, July 22
The Haryana Roadways Workers Union has warned the state government that if it went ahead with its proposed move of running private buses on long routes, the roadways employees would launch a statewide stir.

“We will observe a complete strike and the bus service will come to a standstill in case the government does not change its stance,” said Mr Dalbir Kirmara, president of the local depot unit of the union, here today.

He said the Haryana Transport Minister, Mr Randeep Singh Surjewala, had reiterated that private buses would be run on Hisar-Chandigarh, Delhi-Sirsa, Delhi-Chandigarh and Delhi-Jammu-Katra routes.

“This move is anti-employee and against the interests of the Roadways Department,” he maintained.

The union even alleged that Mr Surjewala wanted to favour some persons close to him through this move.

“That explains why the minister is keen on running private buses instead of including new buses in the roadways fleet,” the union said in a statement issued here.

Rohtak, July 22
A Professor of the local Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences facing trial for graft under the Prevention of Corruption Act in a local court continues to head the department and exercise his powers.

Dr A.D. Tiwari was booked on June 4, 2002, under Sections 7/13 of the PC Act and 120B of the IPC by the state Vigilance Bureau. On Friday last, 16 doctors recorded their evidence in the case before the Additional District and Sessions Judge, Mr H.P. Singh, here.

The case has its roots in a complaint lodged by one of his students, Umesh Mehta, who alleged that between 1997 and 2000 he appeared in the examination seven times but he was declared fail every time. After the complaint, another Professor conducted the examination and the student passed the test.

Thereafter as many as 23 students submitted affidavits to the then Vice-Chancellor of Maharshi Dayanand University in which they levelled serious allegations of corruption against the Professor. The MDU set up a probe panel on February 20, 2001.

Menawhile, the Vigilance Bureau took up the issue and filed a case against Dr Tiwari and Dr O.P. Yadav. Both of them were placed under suspension.

However, Dr Tiwari was reinstated last year by the Chautala regime and he continues to head the paediatrics department since then.

Senior doctors of the PGIMS say the reinstatement is against the service rules.

Chandigarh, July 22
The Arya Samaj has decided to launch a state-wide campaign against social evils, like dowry, foeticide and drug addiction.

The President of the Haryana Prantiya Arya Pratinidhi Sabha, Mr Roshan Lal Arya, said here today that the Sabha would enroll one lakh volunteers to launch the campaign from August 15, Independence Day. The volunteers, he said, would include old Arya Samjists, students and the public-spirited rural youth.

He said the volunteers would visit each household in the state to educate the boys of marriageable age and their parents about the need to abolish dowry and not to spend lavishly on marriages. The number of members of a marriage party should also not exceed 25.

Similarly, the Arya Samaj volunteers would motivate young couples about the dangers of female foeticide and the sharply declining sex ratio in the state. They would also highlight the “Ladli” scheme to be launched by the Haryana Government from August 15, which is aimed at checking the declining sex ratio. The Government plans to give financial incentives to those parents who would have two daughters.

The young volunteers would contact the youth to urge them to keep away from intoxicants like liquor and drugs.

Mr Arya said an attempt would be made to make 10 villages in each district as “model” villages to project ancient culture of India as well as the philosophy of the Arya Samaj and the Vedas.

Ayurveda and Yoga centres would be set up in these villages, which would be known as “Arya Heritage Villages”. Efforts would be made so that residents of these villages abstained from intoxicants and protected environment.

Chandigarh, July 22
The Haryana Government has directed all heads of departments, Commissioners, Deputy Commissioners and Sub-Divisional Officers (Civil) in the state to ensure that members of Parliament or state Legislature of the area should be invited to public functions organised by the government offices and proper and comfortable sitting arrangement at public functions should be made for them.

A letter to this effect has been issued by the Chief Secretary, Haryana.

The officers have also been directed to ensure that intimations or invitations regarding public meetings, functions should be sent through speedier modes to the MPs so that these were received by them well in time. The receipt of the intimation by the legislator is required to be confirmed by the officer or official concerned.

They have also been directed to ensure that these instructions are scrupulously followed by all concerned in letter and spirit and any violation of these instructions will be viewed seriously by the government, the letter added.

Ambala, July 22
The National Human Rights Commission Chairman, Justice A.S. Anand, has stressed the need for sensitisation of society towards issues of gender inequality, female foeticide and trafficking of women.

Justice Anand was speaking at the joint installation ceremony of the Rotary Club, Ambala, the Rotaract Club, Ambala, and the Innerwheel Club, Ambala Cantonment, last night.

Mr Kamaljeet Jain was installed as president of the Rotary Club, Ambala, Mr Amit Gupta of the Rotaract Club, Ambala and Ms Suprabha Jain of the Innerwheel Club Ambala Cantonment.

Justice Anand observed that gender inequality was prevalent throughout the world. “Two-thirds of the world’s illiterate are women. There are deceptively subtle discrepancies against women. Women have to face domestic violence. There is a need for fighting against the ingrained attitude,” he said.

On female foeticide, Justice Anand said the situation was alarming in 204 districts in India. “About five million foetuses are destroyed every year in the country. It is a matter of grave concern. This has led to societal imbalance and in the next five years, there will be 23 million youngmen who will not find a girl to marry,” he said.

Justice Anand said another issue of major concern was trafficking of women and girls. “It is shocking that women are treated as cattle and commodities. In one year, 4.50 lakh women were forced into trafficking in the Asia-Pacific region and in South Asia, the figure stood at 2 lakh. India is a transit point as well as recipient and supplier of women in trafficking,” he said.

Ambala, July 22
An anti-encroachment drive has been initiated in Ambala railway division to evict illegal occupants.

Talking to mediapersons here today, the Divisional Railway Manager, Ambala, Mr R.K. Tandon, said they were undertaking anti-encroachment as a mission. “We are determined to clear the railway land of illegal occupants,” he said.

He said they had carried out a survey in Ambala railway division as regards encroachment. Encroachments can be divided into four categories. While the first two categories (A&B) pertain to outsiders encroaching on the railway land, the remaining two (C&D) pertain to wrong usage of the railway land by railway personnel,” he said.

He said the category ‘A’ encroachments comprise permanent structures on the railway land. “We have already issued eviction notices to encroachers. Till date, 77 encroachments have been removed,” he said.

He said in the first quarter of this financial year, the earnings of the Ambala division had gone up by 26 per cent. While it was Rs 301 crore till June, for the corresponding period last year, it was Rs 242 crore this year. There has been hike in tonnage loading up to 17.4 per cent and it now stood at 2.78 million tonne.