Chandigarh, December 6
Mr Pratap Singh Chautala, the estranged brother of the INLD supremo, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, said here yesterday that the Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, must change his style of functioning because the state bureaucracy was still under the influence of the former Chief Minister.

He said the Haryana bureaucracy was tuned to work either when a Chief Minister was rough or if he “earned and let the bureaucracy earn”. Since Mr Hooda was a gentleman Chief Minister, the officers were hell bent upon sabotaging his rule.

He alleged the officers still took orders from Mr Om Prakash and his sons, of whom the officers were afraid of. He alleged that the situation was worse in Sirsa district.

Mr Pratap Singh said he had lodged an FIR with the Sirsa police against a “known” criminal who enjoyed the protection of the previous regime.

The FIR related to the alleged procurement of a passport by the alleged criminal by furnishing false information to the authorities.

But the police officers were reluctant to investigate the case because they were afraid of the Chautalas. He claimed that a senior police officer of the district had told him to request the Chief Minister to transfer the case to the Crime Branch for investigation.

Mr Pratap Singh also urged Mr Hooda not to allow those who had earned money through dubious means during the INLD rule to come close to him.

He alleged that Mr Hooda had handed over Sirsa district to those Congressmen who had their roots in the Lok Dal.

He said Mr Abhay Singh Chautala, the younger son of the former Chief Minister, was able to become the Chairman of the Zila Parishad with the help of such Congressmen.

He also alleged that a builder belonging to Sirsa district who “virtually looted Gurgaon and Faridabad districts during the Chautala regime” was now claiming proximity to the Hooda Government. 

Chandigarh, December 6
With the Haryana Government setting up several prestigious projects in the National Capital region, over 100 controlled areas are being declared in the state.

Officials in the Town and Country Planning department, Haryana, say that large tracts of virgin land along the 135-km long proposed Kundli -Manesar- Palwal Western Expressway, as well as along the proposed Rajiv Gandhi Education City near Kundli in Sonepat.

While over 80 small pockets of land (totalling to thousands of acres) along the proposed Western Expressway are being declared as controlled area, 2000 acres of land (in pockets) near Kundli, where the proposed Education City is being set up, too, are being declared as controlled areas. Officials say while small pockets of land along the Delhi- Amritsar National Highway (NH1), Delhi- Rohtak National Highway (NH10), Delhi- Jaipur National Highway (NH 8), and Delhi- Agra highway (NH 2) have already been declared as controlled areas, but some land pockets falling in Jhajjar district are yet to be declared as controlled area.

Sources in the Town and Country Planning department informed TNS that the step was being taken to ensure that planned urbanisation takes places in these areas. Though the Controlled Area Restrictions Act says that only 8 km of area near a town can be declared as controlled areas, 2 km area around an institution can be declared as controlled area. Since the land along the proposed Expressway is a virgin land and no towns surround it, the department had no option but to declare small pockets of land around village schools as controlled areas.

Officials say that after the area has been declared as controlled area they have already invited the Expression of Interest to develop a global corridor along the Western Expressway.

The last date for submission of tenders is December 14, it is learnt.

Chandigarh, December 6
Mr Justice Surya Kant of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today issued notice of motion to Member of Parliament Kuldeep Bishnoi, younger son of former Haryana Chief Minister Bhajan Lal. The Judge also allowed the petitioner's plea for exemption from personal appearance during court proceedings.

The notice was issued on the petition filed by BJP spokesman Vijay Kumar Malhotra. In his petition, Mr Malhotra has prayed for quashing of the proceedings of the criminal complaint for defamation filed by Mr Bishnoi against him. The complaint is presently pending in the court of Judicial Magistrate, Hisar.

The complaint filed by Mr Bishnoi stated that as per a list released by Mr Malhotra on August 9, 2003, Mr Bhajan Lal was shown to among the Congress leaders who had been allotted a petrol pump.

However, today counsel for Mr Malhotra stated that the list did not amount to any defamation. Even if, he said, the list was actually defamatory, the complaint could only have been filed by Mr Bhajan Lal and not his son. Counsel also stated that Mr Bishnoi had no locus standi to file the complaint.

Chandigarh, December 6
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has upheld the conviction and life sentence awarded to two persons in a case of kidnapping and killing of a boy because of property dispute with his family.

The duo had been found guilty and sentenced to life by Additional District and Sessions Judge, Sonepat.

In their appeal against the judgement, Suraj Bhan and Ranjit Singh of village Gannaur in Sonepat had challenged the sentence.

Vinod of the same village had been picked up by the accused and carried on the cycle to the fields where they strangulated him with the help of a rope, put the body in a gunny bag covered with plastic sheet, tied two bricks and threw the bag containing the body in an abandoned well. However, they were spotted by another boy, Vikas, while carrying the boy to the field. The boy’s testimony helped the police nail them.

During hearing of the appeal, their counsel asserted before the Division Bench of Mr Justice Mehtab Singh Gill and Mr Justice Pritam Pal that the police personnel, who investigated the matter, were related to the deceased boy’s family.

However, the prosecution stated that during investigation, it had emerged that the accused had property dispute with the family of the murdered boy over sale of some plots at Gannaur. Dismissing the appeals, the Bench upheld the sentence.

Speaking for the Bench, Mr Justice Pritam Pal concluded that the court had no hesitation in holding that the prosecution case was a complete chain and there was no escape from the fact that the crime was in all probability committed by the accused.

Panipat, December 6
The state-level social justice conference, held on the occasion of the death anniversary of Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar, turned out to be a felicitation function with over a dozen Congress MLAs and Cabinet Ministers remaining busy in getting shawls, turbans and bouquets as public honours.

Public addresses by all prominent leaders including Cabinet Ministers and MLAs were focused on state Chief Minister and also on the Congress party chief, Ms Sonia Gandhi.

Senior citizens from the Dalit community had to stand in queue waiting for their turn to “honour” the VIPs whereas the politicians and the bureaucrats occupied the dais.

There was no sitting arrangement for these senior citizens in the pandal too.

Several unruly scenes marked the state-level function organised on the death anniversary of the late Dalit leader.

The function started late as Mr Hooda reached more than one hour behind the schedule. As the programme started late, the speakers were requested to cut short their speeches at which they focused on Mr Hooda, his family and Sonia Gandhi.

On number of occasions, crowd, specially womenfolk, hooted and started leaving the place as there was no arrangement for drinking water.

The SDM, Mr R.K. Singh, and other officials rushed to pacify the crowd shouting for water and the police forced them to sit until Mr Hooda finished his speech.

A number of MLAs from Panipat, Narnaul, Karnal and other districts focused their speeches on Mr Hooda and Congress supremo, Ms Sonia Gandhi.

Education Minister, Mr Phool Chand Mullana, left no chance to focus his entire speech on Mr Hooda and his family than Dr Ambedkar.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Hooda said the Congress was committed to work for the welfare of the downtrodden. He announced that the state government would soon come up with a low-cost housing scheme for the Dalits.

He said loans with low rate of interest would also be given. Mr Hooda also announced that to enable Dalits to buy agricultural land, they would be provided a loan of Rs five lakh per acre with a subsidy of Rs 50,000.

He also announced rise in scholarship money and announced that Rs 25,000 per chaupal would be disbursed for their maintenance.

Without naming any party or individual, he said it was very unfortunate that certain fronts were exploiting the name of Ambedkar for petty political goals.

He said there were only two classes in society comprising Kamera (working class) and Lutera (dacoit) and appealed to bring a change in the society.

He added that Dr Ambedkar always fought for the cause of Dalits and downtrodden.

The Finance Minister, Mr Birender Singh, said Congress never exploited name of Dr Ambedkar for political gains.

Lauding the role of Sonia Gandhi for introducing the rural employment scheme, he said the state government would implement the scheme in true spirit.

Defending the role of government in banning the lottery, he said it had saved low-earning families who had fallen prey to the social evil.

Chandigarh, December 6
The probe by the Garg Commission of Inquiry looking into the incident of violence against the workers at Gurgaon in July has reached a roadblock. Ironically, it is the workers, supposedly the aggrieved party in the case, who are not cooperating with the Commission raising question marks on the fate of the probe.

Hearing of the Commission headed by Justice G C Garg (retd) was slated for today but it turned out to be a futile exercise as the leaders of the workers union of the Honda Motorcycle and Scooter Limited (HMSL) refused to depose before the Commission. They said they would depose before the Commission only if it was shifted to Gurgaon instead of having its office at the ninth floor of the Haryana civil secretariat here.

The President and General Secretary of the workers union had raised a number of demands to Justice Garg after arriving at the Commission’s office here today. The union leaders said the days spent by them for deposing before the Commission must be treated as paid holidays by their employers. They also demanded that the state government must pay for their travel from Gurgaon to Chandigarh and back and also arrange for their accommodation in case they have to put up in Chandigarh. Justice Garg assured the union leaders of “taking care” of these demands.

But the union leaders kept insisting that the office of the Commission must be shifted to Gurgaon and only then they would come forward to depose before the Commission. This demand could not be readily accepted by Justice Garg since shifting of the office to Gurgaon was a cumbersome process and would consume much of the time still left for the Commission to submit its findings. Justice Garg’s offer to meet the important leaders of the workers at Chandigarh and then go to Gurgaon to conduct hearing of the remaining workers was also not acceptable to the union leaders.

As a result of the stance adopted by the workers, the probe by the Commission has come to a standstill. Since the workers were at the receiving end of the police action, it was decided to hear them first and then hold sessions with government officials and management of the HMSL and get their side of the story.

Justice Garg would now intimate the government about the happenings and suggest various possibilities, including winding up of the Commission.

The Commission was set up by the state government on July 29 initially for a period of three months. But no one approached the Commission during these three months as a result of which the tenure of the Commission was extended up to January 26, 2006. 

Ambala, December 6
Dr Seyed Ehtesham Hasnain, Director, Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics, Hyderabad, has said in the post-genomic era, there will be a paradigm shift from preventive to predictive medicine.

Dr Hasnain was delivering the 16th Gian Chand Jain memorial lecture at the SD College auditorium in Ambala Cantonment this afternoon. Dr N.C. Jain, Chairman, and Dr Anil Jain, Project Director, Gian Chand Jain Memorial Foundation were present.

Dr Hasnain pointed out that the emerging field of human genome would facilitate improved diagnosis of diseases, early detection of genetic pre-dispositions, gene therapy and help in rational drug designing. He stated that it would help in better understanding of the disease process.

“DNA technology is the most awesome and powerful tool acquired by man since the splitting of the atom,” Dr Hasnain said. He said in 2003, the final sequence of human genome was produced.

“A DNA molecule is a wonderful vehicle of life and contains 46 human chromosomes and three billion DNA sub-units. It was Paul Berg who pioneered the research in the field of recombinant DNA technology,” he said.

He said during the evolutionary phase of DNA research, a biochemical method for inserting new genetic information in SV 40 DNA had revolutionised the field for the benefit of mankind. “It can find applications in developing therapeutic bio-molecules, allergy, ageing, conducting cancer research and for producing cosmetic products,” he said.

Speaking on the importance of DNA fingerprinting and diagnostics, Dr Hasnain that this advanced field of scientific research provided high-quality scientific services in the area of forensic sciences.

The foundation conferred the Scientist of the Year Award to Dr Jitendra Nath Verma for his pioneering introduction and production of liposomal pharmaceuticals and fungisome drug through indigenious technology.

Kurukshetra, December 6
On the eve of the Gita Jayanti samaroh, which will be celebrated here from December 7 to 11, a crafts mela was inaugurated by Dr Mahavir Singh, Commissioner, Ambala Division, at the northern bank of the Brahamsarovar here yesterday.

The mela has been organised jointly by the Cultural Ministry, Government of India, Haryana Tourism Department, Public Relations and Cultural Department, Haryana, North Zone Cultural Centre, Patiala and Kurukshetra Development Board.

Artistes from Tamil Nadu presented kanwdari dance, while Gujarat artistes presented “daangi” and Himachali artistes presented gidda.

Later, Mr Mahavir Singh gave away prizes to winners of the Haryana State Level-Women Yoga Championship in which 300 women participated from various districts.

Karnal, December 6
The Ministry of Railways has provided a new stop to the 2461/2462 Delhi-Jodhpur-Delhi Mandore Express at Gurgaon station on an experimental basis with immediate effect up to March 31. According to a spokesman for the Northern Railway, the 2461-Delhi-Jodhpur Mandore Express will arrive at Gurgaon at 9.55 pm to depart from there at 9.56 pm.

In the return direction, the 2462 Jodhpur-Delhi Mandore Express will arrive at Gurgaon at 5.24 am to depart at 5.25 am.