Panipat, July 29
Activists of the Indian Federation of Trade Unions (IFTU) burnt effigy of Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda here today to lodge their protest against the police atrocities on workers of a Gurgaon-based factory.

Over 150 members of the IFTU and its parent organisation, CPIML (New Democracy), burnt Hooda’s effigy in Palika Bazaar. A large number of policemen, led by DSP (Headquarters) S.R. Nehra were present on the occasion.

The police tried to persuade the activists to give up the idea of burning the effigy. However, the activists, led by the district secretary of CPIML (New Democracy) Mr P.P. Kapoor, and the district chief of the IFTU, Mr Santram Kushwaha, told the police that they would burn the effigy to lodge their protest and challenged the police to arrest them.

Later, the activists reached at the DC’s office in the shape of a procession and submitted a memorandum to the DC Mr R.P. Bhardwaj, in the name of the President, Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.

The demands of the dismissal of Hooda government, arrest of Gurgaon DC, SP and the officials of the private factory, re-employment for all expelled workers, right to set up trade unions in MNCs, strict implementation of labour laws in Haryana and inquiry of Gurgaon incident by a sitting SC judge were included in the memorandum.

Addressing the protesters outside the DC’s office, Mr Kapoor and Mr Kushwaha also criticised the CPI and the CPM for adopting dual policy on the Gurgaon incident. They asked both the parties to withdraw their support from the UPA government instead of shedding just crocodile tears for the incident.

They also held Hooda responsible for the barbaric incident as, according to them, no DC and SP could take such a step of beating the workers without the consent of the government.

New Delhi, July 29
Injured workers of Honda Motorcycles and Scooter India Ltd today met UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and sought her intervention to bring the guilty to book and get the retrenched workers reinstated.

“Congress President Sonia Gandhi assured us that she would intervene and try to get the workers justice,” injured Suresh Gaur, president of the Honda Motorcycles and Scooter India Workers Union, said after meeting the UPA Chairperson. Mr Gaur said around 3,000 workers were out of job, adding the MNC plant was “totally shut” now.

Mr Gaur, who led a 20-member delegation to the UPA Chairperson’s residence, said: “Workers have total trust in comrades but have come to show their injuries to Ms Gandhi and tell her about the high-handedness of the administration”.

He refuted the police claim that the workers turned violent first, which led to the lathi charge by the police. Instead it was the police, which used baton on the workers, he said, adding this led to some workers turning violent, causing injuries to the DSP. 

Chandigarh, July 29
The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) has criticised the Haryana Director-General of Police, Mr Nirmal Singh, for giving “irresponsible and baseless” statements to the Press.

He threatened that if the Hooda government did not rein in the DGP, the INLD would be forced to take to the streets in support of the working class.

Mr Nirmal Singh had blamed activists of the INLD for the violence in Gurgaon on July 25 when the striking workers of Honda Motorcycle and Scooters India Limited clashed with the police.

In a statement issued here today the party spokesman, Mr Pradeep Choudhary, said it was the job of politicians to issue political statements and not of a government officer. “The DGP’s statement is not only indicative of the weakness of the Hooda government but is also an insult to political parties,” he added.

Mr Choudhary also alleged that though the Chief Minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, was compelled to order a judicial inquiry under pressure of Parliament, he gave this responsibility to a person close to a senior officer posted in the Chief Minister’s office. This, he said, had put a question mark on the impartiality of the commission of inquiry.

Urging the Chief Minister to restrain government officers from issuing political statements, the INLD leader demanded that the judicial inquiry should be conducted by a sitting judge of the Supreme Court.

Hisar, July 29
Representatives of teachers from four universities in the state, besides the Haryana College Teachers Union, have demanded a thorough probe into the functioning of the acting Vice-Chancellor of Guru Jambheshwar University (GJU) here.

Serious allegations were levelled against the acting GJU Vice-Chancellor, Mr R.R. Fuliya, at a joint meeting of the universities and college teachers associations held here today.

Teachers’ representatives from Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, Guru Jambheshwar University and Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, and Chaudhary Devi Lal University, Sirsa, participated in the meeting.

The meeting passed a resolution, demanding the immediate appointment of regular Vice-Chancellors in the four state universities. It was also demanded that in future acting Vice-Chancellor be appointed from amongst the faculty members and not bureaucrats.

The teachers lamented that even four months after the resignation of the Vice-Chancellor of state universities, regular Vice-Chancellor were yet to be appointed.

It was alleged at the meeting that Mr Fuliya harassed the faculty members and dealt with them in a prejudiced manner. He also tried to create a divide between the teaching and non-teaching members of the university and misused his powers and university finances, alleged teachers.

Dr Narsi Ram Bishnoi, president of the GJU Teachers Association, said a coordination committee was also constituted for taking up matters of utmost concern to the state universities in the larger academic interest.

The teachers sought time to meet the acting GJU Vice-Chancellor to put forth their demands, but he was not available. They gave a 10-day ultimatum to him, following which they would launch a statewide stir.

On being contacted, Mr Fuliya, who is also the Divisional Commissioner, Hisar, maintained that he could not meet the teachers’ representatives as he was busy in an administrative meeting. He also accused the teachers’ association of employing pressure tactics.

Chandigarh, July 29
The Haryana Government is considering the introduction of the semester system for Classes X to XII to bring about a qualitative improvement in the level of education and reduce the burden of examinations on the students.

Stating this here today the Education Minister, Mr Phool Chand Mullana, said the previous governments had not paid any attention to the education sector in the state. He also blamed the previous government for the delay in the distribution of books among students under the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan. He pointed out that a number of employment-oriented courses had been started during the current academic session in colleges.

Mr Mullana said the state government had decided to recruit a large number of teachers in schools and colleges. These recruitments, he added, would be done strictly on merit by the Education Department.

He said the recruitment would be done by an outside agency so as to ensure transparency in the process. It would be made sure that only one teacher was appointed for every 40 students in schools. Besides, the government had made a rule under which the colleges which were not receiving aid from the government would not have to take permission for starting new courses. However, government colleges and government-aided colleges would continue to take permission from the government for the starting of new courses.

Chandigarh, July 29
The Haryana Government today notified the appointment of Justice K.S. Bhalla, a former Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, as the one-man Commission of Inquiry under the Commission of Inquiry Act to go into various aspects of the Haryana State Industrial Security Force(HSISF).

The appointment was notified as Justice G.C. Garg, another former Judge of the high court, today joined as the one-man Commission of Inquiry to go into various aspects of the violence which erupted in Gurgaon following a clash between the striking workers of Honda Motorcycle and Scooters India Limited and the police on July 25, leading to a national uproar.

Justice Garg is likely to start the inquiry on August 1. He has been given a room(no. 30, 9th floor of the Punjab and Haryana Secretariat) and some supporting staff.

The Bhalla commission, according to the notification, will inquire whether the Haryana Vidhan Sabha was misled by the Chautala government on the issue of demand and necessity for the creation of the HSISF.

It will also ascertain the circumstances under which the then government hurriedly recruited constables and other employees of the HSISF even before it had notified the commencement of the Haryana State Industrial Security Force Act.

The Bhalla commission will also fix responsibility for the financial loss, if any, caused to the state exchequer by the acts of omission and commission of particular persons.

It will also ascertain whether any extraneous factors played a role in the selection and recruitment of the candidates for various posts in the force as well as identify the persons responsible for this.

Chandigarh, July 29
The Haryana Finance Minister, Mr Birender Singh, today announced incentives for state government employees, which included provision of a second house-building loan and enhancement in the loans for the purchase of a moped, motor cycle, scooter and bicycle.

Mr Birender Singh said the government had taken a policy decision to provide a second house-building loan to its employees for the purchase of a plot or the construction of a house. He said the second loan would be admissible to those who had already paid the earlier one.

He said that those applying for the second loan should have taken the first house building loan at least 10 years ago. He said that a decision to this effect was taken keeping in view the manifold increase in the cost of plots and the cost of construction of houses.

Mr Birender Singh said it had also been decided to increase the loan limit for the purchase of a motor cycle to Rs 40,000, for a scooter to Rs 30,000 and for a moped to Rs 20,000. However, the employees to whom these loans had already been sanctioned, would not get the benefit of these revised norms.

He said the government had also decided to do away with the condition of limit of basic pay of Rs 4,500 for a loan for a moped.

The Finance Minister said it had also been decided to increase the limit of the cycle advance from Rs 1,500 to Rs 1,800 without changing the existing terms and conditions.

Jagadhri, July 29
The Haryana Government has accepted the recommendations of the First National Judicial Pay Commission on the improvement of service conditions of the non-judicial staff in subordinate courts in toto. The decision will benefit more than 7,000 employees, as they will get a hike in their salaries between Rs 1,000 and 1,500.

The recommendations include pay scale of Rs 4,000-6,000 (from Rs 3,050) to graduate clerks, Rs 5,500-Rs 9,000 for Superintendent Grade – II. Salaries of usher have increased from Rs 2,550 - Rs 3,200 to Rs 2,650 – Rs 4,000. The commission has recommended three grades for Readers of grade (i), (ii) and (iii) in the pay scale of Rs 6,500-Rs 10,500, Rs 5,500-Rs 9,000 and Rs 5,000 – Rs 7,850, respectively. Similarly, three pay scales of stenographers of grade (i), (ii) and (iii) of Rs 6,500-Rs 10,500, Rs 5,500-Rs 9,000 and Rs 4,000 - Rs 6,000, respectively, has been recommended.

On the orders of the Supreme Court, the commission was set up on January 7, 1998 under the chairmanship of a former Supreme Court Judge, Mr Justice Jagannath Sheti, and Mr Justice P.K. Bahri, and Mr Justice A.B. Murgad, both retired high court judges, as Deputy Chairmen. The commission submitted its report in 2003 recommending hike in salaries of non-judicial employees. Punjab, Sikkim, Meghalya, Gujarat and Delhi were among the first states to implement the recommendations. Other states had informed the Supreme Court to file replies in this regard by August 8, 2005.

The commission has recommended to fix travelling allowances of not less than Rs 200 per month to the process servers, special allowance or Rs 150 per month for the drivers and increment at the initial rate of pay scale (Rs 150) per month for translators, English clerks, A.E clerks, R.K, stat. assistants, Civil Nazir, copying assistant and library assistant.

Other recommendations include special monthly allowance of Rs 100 as the admissible allowance to each of the staff working in record room and property room.

Mr Rajinder Bhalla, president, All-India Judicial Employees Confederation, informed that the state government on July 25 communicated to the Punjab and Haryana High Court that it had accepted the recommendations of the commission.

As per the recommendations, a cell would be created for filling up vacancies. The commission was of the view that existing classes (i), (ii), (iii) and (iv) be replaced by A, B, C and D, respectively.

The commission, however, was satisfied with the present medical allowance of Rs 125 per month as the admissible allowance to the employees and policies of the state government regarding the ACP scheme.

Sonepat, July 29
Large number of residents of Jatheri village held a demonstration in front of the office of the Block Development and Panchayat Officer (BDPO) at Rai, 13 km from here, yesterday, demanding the removal of sarpanch of the village.

According to a report, the demonstrators shouted slogans against the state government and the district administration. The demonstrators alleged that the sarpanch had three children and was not entitled for the such post in view of the Panchayati Raj Act.

The residents also alleged that all their complaints made to the Deputy Commissioner, Sub-Divisional Officer (C), the District Development and Panchayat Officer and the Block Development and Panchayat Officer in this regard have fallen on deaf ears.

Panipat, July 29
Two persons were killed and one was injured in separate incidents in different parts during the past 24 hours.

While a factory worker, Mohammad Hasan, a resident of Amroha, electrocuted during the work in a private factory situated on the Barsat road, and a woman, Phool Kaur of Jagjeewan Ram Colony, was crushed to death by a truck near HUDA Chowk yesterday night.

Besides, Anil of Hisar was injured as he got an electric shock since he was travelling on the roof of a goods train coming from Khukhrana to Panipat railway station after supplying coal to Tau Devi Lal Thermal Power Station.

Yamunanagar, July 29
Eight villages of the Chhachhrouli block here were marooned after the Yamuna water entered the villages in the early morning today.

The four hydel power generation units of a link channel of the Western Yamuna Canal (WYC) have been closed down at the Hathnikund Barrage.

A 1,100 feet bundh raised by the Irrigation Department to protect soil erosion near Lakar village, has been submerged under waters, said sources. The water supply to Uttar Pradesh through the eastern Yamuna Canal has been stopped.

The villages, which have been marooned, are, Kanyawala, Lakar, Belgarh, Malimajra, Nawajpur, Damopuri, Mandoli and Bhilpura. Several residents of these villages have taken shelter in relief camps being set up by the district administration at Chhachhrouli.