Panchkula, August 12
The Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) allotted 39,300 square yards of land to the Housing Board, Haryana, in Sectors 10 and 52, Gurgaon, for floating housing schemes for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS). The housing schemes were floated in November, 2004, and the Housing Board collected approximately Rs 56 crore from 33,000 applicants... only to realise that part of the land allotted to them had already been allotted for residential plots, while the remaining land allotted to them had built-up structures at the site.

The Housing Board authorities have taken up the matter with the government, alleging that they had paid the cost of land to HUDA and were offered a possession letter only after HUDA claimed it had checked the sites in accordance with the rules. They have demanded alternate sites for both housing schemes and HUDA has agreed in principle to allot alternate land in Sector 9, in lieu of the one in Sector 10 and also another chunk of land in Sector 52 .

Sources confirm that a departmental inquiry is on in HUDA to fix responsibility on officers, who had okayed the land allotments made to the Housing Board, without conducting the site verifications.

Now, the Housing Board has offered alternate sites to applicants for Sector 10, Gurgaon, in Sector 9. The applicants have also been offered an opportunity to apply for refund. “We will offer 5.5 rate of interest on refund, from the day the housing scheme closed i.e. January 1, 2005. Since HUDA has agreed in principle to allot us alternate sites in Sectors 9 and 52, we will hold the draw of lots on September 9,” says Mr Ashok Khemka, Chief Administrator, Housing Board.

The Housing Board had floated schemes for houses on a hire-purchase basis at Gurgaon and Karnal on November 25, 2004. The housing schemes at Sectors 10, 51 and 52, Gurgaon, were offered for Categories 1 and 2 of the EWS (218 houses in Sector 10, 306 in Sector 51 and 320 in Sector 52). As many as 440 houses were offered in Sectors 4 and 5 of Karnal.

After the schemes were floated, officials of the Housing Board realised that not only did the land allotted to them in Sector 52 had structures at the site, there was also no approach road to the land. In Sector 10, the land allotted to the Housing Board had already been earmarked by HUDA to float its own residential plots. So, while the draw of lots for Sector 51, Gurgaon, and Karnal was held in June this year (within the stipulated six months’ time after the housing scheme closed), the allotment in these two sectors was delayed.

Chandigarh, August 12
The Haryana Government has transferred 13 IPS officers with immediate effect.

Mr P.K. Agarwal, DIG, Security and Intelligence, has been posted as DIG, Intelligence, against a vacant post.

Mr Ranbir Singh Sharma, SP, HPA, Madhuban, has been posted as Deputy Director, HPA, Madhuban, against a vacant post.

Mr Alok Kumar Roy, AIG, T&T has been posted as Commandant, 2nd Battalion, IRB, Bhondsi.

Mr Rajbir Singh has been posted as Commandant, 1st Battalion, HAP, Ambala City.

Mr Attar Singh Ahlawat, awaiting posting orders, has been posted as Commandant, 3rd Battalion, HAP, Hisar, against a vacant post.

Mr Sat Parkash Ranga, Commandant, 4th Battalion, HAP, Madhuban, has been posted as SP, Kaithal, in place of Mr Mohinder Singh, who has been posted as SP, Security, Delhi.

Mr Paramjit Singh Ahlawat, awaiting posting orders, has been posted as SP, RTC, Bhondsi, against a vacant post.

Mrs Mamta Singh, awaiting posting orders, has been posted as SP, Crime-II, Panchkula. Mr Ravi Kumar has been posted as Commandant, 4th Battalion,, HAP,

Madhuban. Mr Vikas Arora, SP, Crime-II, Madhuban, has been posted as SP, Security.

Mr Rajinder Kumar has been posted as SP, Crime-III, Madhuban. Mr Yoginder Singh Nehra has been posted as SP, State Vigilance Bureau, Rohtak.

Chandigarh, August 12
The Punjab and Haryana High Court today dismissed the petition filed by the Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC) seeking directions to the state Vigilance Bureau (VB), Haryana, not to hold inquiry into the selections made by the HPSC in the past four years.

The HPSC had also prayed for directions to the VB not to ask for record pertaining to the selections made by it.

During the hearing, the counsel for the HPSC told the Bench of Mr Justice H.S. Bedi and Mr Justice Viney Mittal that the HPSC was not a government department, but a constitutional authority and, hence, the VB could not investigate its affairs on its own.

However, the Bench did not find merit in the case and dismissed it.

Kaithal, August 12
Partap Singh, alias Sonu, a resident of Masat Garh village falling under the Guhla police station of this district, was attacked and murdered by his neighbours yesterday.

The mother of the victim and some other relatives received serious injuries when they intervened to save Sonu from the assailants.

The police has registered cases under various sections of the IPC against Balwinder Singh, Kuldip Singh, Hardeep, Joginder, Jagtar, Gurinder, alias Babloo and Satnam Singh on a complaint lodged by Puran Singh, an uncle of the deceased .

According to information, Sonu had objected to the activities of sons of his neighbours who allegedly created nuisance under the influence of liquor on a number of occasions. Meanwhile, a day before the incident they again entered into brawl with Sonu. But some of villagers intervened and settled the dispute. However, yesterday morning when Sonu was returning from his fields he was allegedly attacked by the accused with sharp-edged weapons and seriously injured. Puran Singh uncle of Sonu, fired a shot in the air to scare away the accused. The victim was taken to Rajindra Hospital, Patiala, where he succumbed to injuries.

Sonepat, August 12
Three unidentified armed miscreants are reported to have looted a cash of more than Rs 1 lakh from a kiryana merchant in gur mandi area here last night. The discreants escaped in a Maruti car after the looting incident.

According to police sources, ‘nakabandi’ of the city and other parts on the district. The police has registered a case and launched a hunt to apprehend the armed miscreants.

It is stated that the miscreants forced their way in the kiryana store of Messrs Bhagwan Mukesh Kumar at 8 p.m.

At that time Mr Mukesh Kumar was busy in counting the money along with his ‘munims’.

The miscreants snatched the cash totalling more than Rs 1 lakh and walked away on foot before reaching the car parked on the other side of the railway track.

On receiving information, Mr Anil Thakkar a Congress MLA reached there and pacified angry residents by assuring that the police would soon arrest the miscreants.

The residents, however, expressed their grave concern over the deteriorating Law and order situation in the city and demanded steps for their security.

One of the miscreants posed Rakesh Dahiya, a dreaded criminal of Haryana.

Jagadhri, August 11
Hundreds of activists of the local unit of the BJP held a dharna to highlight problems of the general public near the Civil Secretariat here yesterday. The party leaders also submitted a memorandum demanding action against all those involved in the 1984 riots.

The party workers under the leadership of a former MP, Mr Ratan Lal Kataria, gathered at the grain market. Mr Kataria, while addressing the workers alleged that the present government was functioning on the pattern of the earlier INLD government. He criticised the government for subjecting people to long hours of power cuts.

State general secretary of the party, Mr Kanwar Pal, said illegal mining created a flood-like in situation villages and held the district administration and government responsible for the illegal mining. He said notices to close down plywood units had severely affected the farmers as the rates of popular trees had crashed .

Former BJP Minister, Dr Kamla Verma while criticising the government said the state government had failed in carrying out public welfare measures.

Later, the party submitted two memorandums demanding power supply to farmers according to schedule and repair of roads should on priority basis. The party also demanded that the government should adopt a sympathetic approach in the case of plywood industries set up after October 2002. The party also demanded appropriate compensation for farmers affected by recent floods.

Ambala, August 12
The Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN) has regularised 12833.363 kw unauthorised load of electricity under the ongoing voluntary disclosure scheme. This was stated by Mr J.P. Kaushik, Deputy Commissioner, here today. He said 6832.048 kw unauthorised load of domestic and 1376.342 kw of non-domestic and 4624.883 kw of tubewell consumers had been regularised by the Nigam.

He said the willing consumers had been asked to get their loads regularised without penalty till August 15. They would have to pay 30 per cent extra amount with application for regularising the loads. The applications would be accepted from August 16 to September 15.

He further said the electricity bills waiver scheme had received a response from the consumers. As many as 5,699 domestic and 1,553 tubewell consumers had deposited their current bills under the scheme. Due to the lack of information or non-receipt of the bills some consumers had not paid the payment of their bills in billing cycle commencing from June 16. The nigam would accept the payment of the first current bill without surcharge till August 31, he headed.

He urged the consumers to take full advantage of these schemes and help the nigam in providing better services.

Ambala, August 12
Indian National Lok Dal activists today held a demonstration against the Congress-led UPA government over the Nanavati Commission report. A number of INLD activists led by Mr Jasbir Mallour and Mr Risal Singh submitted a memorandum addressed to the Governor through the Deputy Commissioner, Ambala.

The memorandum states that the Congress government has no right to stay in power since the Nanavati Commission has suspended Congress leaders of involvement in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Instead of taking action against the guilty leaders, the Congress was trying to shield them.

They demanded that the UPA government should be dismissed, the Congress leaders, suspected of engineering the riots, must be arrested and the riot victims compensated.

Karnal, August 12
A minor girl of Mangalpur village was allegedly raped by Sanjay of Ahar village under Panipat district.

An FIR was registered at Sadar police station here against the suspect under Sections 363, 366 A and 376 of the IPC on the complaint of the girl’s father, Suran Ram.

According to the complaint, the suspect lured the girl on the pretext of marrying her and took her with him when she had come to Karnal to buy some clothes on July 23.

The police arrested the suspect and handed over the girl to her family after her medical examination.

Ambala, August 12
The Industrial training and vocational education institute for boys, Ambala city, has been declared centre of excellence by Government of Haryana along with four others ITI’s of the state.

This was disclosed by the Education Minister of Haryana, Mr Phool Chand Mullana, here today. He said the other four ITI’s were Yamunanagar, Karnal, Faridabad and Gurgaon. Mr Mullana said each institute would get the financial assistance of Rs 2 crore and new equipment for the better training facilities.

Mr Mullana said government was committed to provide qualitative education.