The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Hooda does as CM what he opposed as Oppn leader Shubhadeep Choudhury Tribune News Service Chandigarh, May 4 Bureaucrats never had it so good in Haryana. If the Chautala regime had offered largesse to bureaucrats by giving them plum post-retirement assignments, the Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led state government is following the beaten track with the same alacrity. The last bureaucrat to be shown generosity by the Chief Minister is none other than Ms Meenaxi Anand Chaudhry, who retired as the Chief Secretary four days ago. The government's request for the extension in service of Ms Chaudhry was earlier turned down by the Prime Minister. The state government had constituted a committee to recommend the names of the Chief Information Commissioner and Information Commissioners. The latter are to work under the supervision of the Chief Information Commissioner . The committee headed by Chief Minister Hooda today recommended Ms Chaudhry's name for appointment as an Information Commissioner. The other two members of the committee are Mr Venod Sharma, Power and Public Works Minister, and Mr Om Prakash Chautala, leader of the INLD legislators and former Chief Minister of Haryana. Mr Chautala, who is undergoing medical treatment in the USA, did not turn up for the meeting. Ms Chaudhry's appointment letter is expected to be issued by the Governor soon. She will hold the post for five years from the date of her appointment and enjoy a status equal to that of Chief Secretary. The state government can appoint nine more Information Commissioners, and the joke in government circles is that these posts, too, will be gradually filled by bureaucrats when key bureaucrats retire. Earlier, the committee had appointed Mr G. Madhavan, also a retired Chief Secretary, to the post of Chief Information Commissioner. In fact, all three Chief Secretaries who have retired during the Hooda regime have been offered post-retirement assignments by the state government. The assignment of one of the retired Chief Secretaries, Mr Sunil Ahuja, was, however, teriminated half-way. Mr A. N. Mathur, who was a Chief Secretary during the Chautala regime, has been also appointed Chairman of the Finance Commission by the Hooda government. During the Chautala regime, two retired bureaucrats, who held key posts under the INLD government, were made the Vice-Chancellors of two Haryana universities. The Congress party, including Mr Hooda, who was then the Leader of the Opposition in the Haryana Assembly, had vociferously protested against Mr Chautala's policy of giving jobs to important bureaucrats after retirement.
	Chautalas’ properties raided Tribune News Service Sirsa, May 4 CBI teams raided four residential and commercial properties of the family of former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala in the district. The raids, which began at the crack of the dawn, continued till the evening. The CBI officials came in five cars around 6 am today. While two of these vehicles went to the Chautala house in the Ram Colony area on the Barnala road, the rest of them went to the family’s shops in the local grain market and Dabwali grain market and the Chautalas’ farmhouse at Teja Khera village. The CBI personnel prepared lists of the articles and other findings and took away heaps of documents for further investigation. Before leaving the city, they assembled at the local PWD Rest House. All premises were bolted from inside at the time of raids and the CBI officials refused to divulge the details of the raids before the newsmen. Even the local administration and police authorities were not involved in the raids. According to informed sources in the Police Department, the top officials were merely intimated about the operation and asked to deploy personnel for security purpose. The CBI sleuths were accompanied by officials from the Income Tax Department. The team members were equipped with still as well as video cameras. They carried out measurements of the premises, besides searching and examining the documents. No member of the Chautala family was present at any of these premises at the time of raids. The raids were conducted under the leadership of Inspector-level officials of the CBI from New Delhi. Meanwhile, former Haryana Finance Minister Prof Sampat Singh maintained that the raids were politically motivated.
	42 roadways men hurt in lathi charge Protest against plying of Volvo buses Sunit Dhawan Hisar/Sirsa, May 4 People of Hisar, Sirsa and other parts of the state were inconvenienced as Haryana Roadways employees’ unions decided to stop the plying of buses following police lathi charge on roadways staff. Early this morning, two Volvo buses were slated to leave for Delhi and Chandigarh. However, members of all major roadways employees unions protested against the plying of Volvo buses and prevented these buses from leaving the bus stand. When requests and warning of the administration and police authorities here failed to move protesters, they were lathi charged and the buses left amidst police security. At least 42 protesting employees were injured in the lathi charge. Twenty-two employees and trade union leaders were taken to the city police station. The injured employees were not provided first aid at the bus stand or the police station. It was only after some employees clashed with police personnel on duty that seven seriously injured protesters were taken to the Civil Hospital here. The employees protesting against the running of Volvo buses belonged to the unions affiliated to the Haryana Karamchari Mahasangh, the Sarv Karamchari Sangh and INTUC. Soon after the lathi charge, the employees’ unions decided to stop the plying of roadways’ buses and all buses were parked in and around the bus stand. As the news of lathi charge on employees spread, bus service came to a standstill in various parts of the state, due to which a large number of commuters were stranded. On the other hand operators of private vehicles had a field day. The buses of neighbouring states also accommodated the Haryana Roadway’s passengers. Later, addressing the employees, the union leaders asserted that the state Transport Department could either run the Roadways Department or the Volvo buses. Stating that the running of these buses would put heavy financial burden on the department, they demanded that the government to scrap the idea. They demanded the arrested employees be released at the earliest and strict action taken against the officials who ordered the lathi charge. Yamunanagar: Thousands of passengers including schoolchildren were stranded when employees of the Haryana Roadways went on a strike this morning. The employees went on strike after a lathi charge on fellow employees in Hisar who were protesting against the plying of Volvo buses by the roadways. At 8.30 am the strike came into effect and bus drivers parked buses in middle of roads leading to jams and traffic chaos near bus stand here. It was only after the intervention of district officials the buses were moved to other places and in bus stand premises and traffic eased on roads. However, buses of other state government’s plied and private operators also ran their buses. The ‘chakka jam’ by employees continued till the reports last came. Mr Ramesh district president of the Haryana Roadways Workers Union addressing the striking employees said that union would not allow plying of the Volvo buses. Various leaders who spoke on the occasion demanded that more buses be added to the fleet of the roadways and system of employing staff on contract be done away with. The agitating employees raised slogans against the Prime Minister.
	Agitating employees lathicharged Our Correspondent Sonepat, May 4 Hundreds of activists of the Sarv Karamchari Sangh were today lathicharged by the police when they gheraoed the local depot and did not allow the buses to move out of the depot. However, none of them was reportedly injured. However, around 400 activists of different employees’ unions under the banner of the Sarv Karamchari Sangh and led by district president Jai Bhagwan Dahiya marched through the town raising slogans against the state government and sat in dharna in front of the DC’s office to observe 24-hour fast in support of their demands, which included setting up of the sixth pay commission, reinduction of retrenched employees, removal of pay anomalies, filling of all vacant posts and implementation of the agreement reached between the government and the employees’ unions in the past.
	Pregnant woman dies, doctor couple booked Our Correspondent Rewari, May 4 A young pregnant woman, Anita, wife of Mr Prakash Chand of Khalilpur village, about 15 km from here, was reportedly administered an injection to facilitate delivery by doctors at a private clinic at Chillarh village, 12 km from here, on May 1, 2006. It is reported that soon after the treatment, her condition deteriorated and subsequently she, along with the child in her womb, died. Her father-in-law, Mr Bal Kishan, lodged a complaint following which the Sadar police here has booked Dr S.S. Yadav and his wife, Manju Yadav, proprietors of the clinic, on the charge of causing Anita’s death by negligence. A case under Section 304-A of the IPC has been registered against the doctor couple.
	Life term for couple in murder case Our Correspondent Rewari, May 4 Sessions Judge R.C. Bansal has sentenced a couple — Dharambir and his wife Rekha — to undergo imprisonment for life, holding them guilty of the murder of Om Prakash, elder brother of Dharambir, committed at Dehlawas Gulabpura village under Jatusana police station in August, 2005. The judge has also imposed a fine of Rs 7,000 each on the convicts. Following an altercation over the operation of a disputed tubewell by the victim, Dharambir, along with Rekha, inflicted multiple injuries with brickbats on Om Prakash on August 13, 2005. Besides, he was given an electric shock. Om Prakash was admitted to the local civil hospital from where he was referred to the PGIMS, Rohtak However, he succumbed to his injuries in the PGIMS on August 15. Consequently, a case of murder and criminal intimidation under Sections 302, 506, 34 of the IPC was registered by the Jatusana police, following which the accused Dharambir and his wife Rekha were arrested and were then prosecuted in the court accordingly.
	Neighbour rapes minor Our Correspondent Ambala, May 4 A seven-year-old girl was allegedly raped by her neighbour in Ambala City last evening. The father of the victim is a rickshaw- puller and belongs to Uttar Pradesh. The accused Ajay (25) was produced in a local court today which remanded him in judicial custody for 14 days. The statement of the victim was also recorded in the court. According to the police report, the girl was staying with her parents in Kamal Vihar. Last evening when her father was not present in the house, the accused came there and took the girl with him on the pretext of giving her some eatables. According to a complaint filed by her father, the accused then locked a room and raped her. After an hour he asked her to go home and warned her not to disclose the matter to her family members. The girl narrated the story to her mother who reported the matter to the police.
	Akali leader in judicial custody Tribune News Service Hisar, May 4 Mr Sukhdev Singh Gobindpura, a former president of the Haryana unit of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal), was yesterday sent in judicial custody by a local court. A team of the Hisar police had arrested him from Ambala last evening. The Akali leader, who was involved in a case of cheque dishonour, was presented in the court of Ms Poonam Suneja yesterday. Mr Sukhdev Singh had taken a loan of Rs 5 lakh from Mr Sukhsagar Singh, president of the district unit of the SAD (Badal), a few years ago. To repay the loan amount, he gave three cheques to Mr Sukhsagar Singh. However, all three cheques were dishonoured by the bank authorities. Later, Mr Sukhsagar Singh moved the court in this regard.
	Lecturer’s complaint: consumer forum’s order set aside Tribune News Service Yamunanagar, May 4 The State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Haryana has set aside an order of the District Consumer Redressal Forum, Yamunanagar in which the Forum had asked MLN College, Yamunanagar to pay Rs 7.80 lakh being part of salary of a complainant, lecturer of the college who had sought voluntary retirement and also Rs 4 lakh as compensation. The Commission observed that the seeking of voluntary retirement, and its acceptance by the opposite party would not even make the complainant a consumer and would not involve any deficiency of service terms of the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, 1986. Lecturer Dr Sharvan Kumar Aggarwal had moved the District Forum alleging because of compelling circumstances created by the opposite party (the college management) he took voluntary retirement and suffered financial. He had alleged during the period of his service, he had to face college management’s harassment and humiliation. The college had argued in the District Forum the complainant being not a consumer within the definition of the Consumer Protection Act. The District Forum on April 25, 2004 had asked the college to pay Rs 7.80 lakh (being part of salary of four years termed as remaining period of service) to Dr Aggarwal and interest of 12 per cent per annum on Rs 3.50 lakh paid as gratuity for the delayed period. In addition the complainant was awarded Rs 4 lakh as compensation on account of mental agony, harassment and litigation expenses. The managing committee of the college moved the state commission. The commission observed the parties had entered into a contract of personal services the principle laid down in Indian Medical Association Vs V.P Shantha (1995) case would apply to the facts of the present case as it has been observed that a contract of personal service would cover civil servant, the managing agents of a company and a professor in university. President of the Commission Justice R.C Kathuria in the order said that the complainant wanted to derive the benefits out of the contract of the personal service, which is not enforceable before the District Forum as he could not be termed as a consumer in terms of definition of the section 2(1)(d) of the Act. The order says District Forum did not consider that at any stage the complainant had not applied for the withdrawal of his prayer of voluntary retirement’. The complainant submitted his application on July 10,2002 and was relieved of his duties on June 16, 2003 and in between there was enough time for him to reconsider his decision, if there existed compelling circumstances, which motivated him to seek voluntary retirement.
	KV Pinjore celebrates annual day Pinjore, May 4 Students and teachers of Kendriya Vidyalaya Group Centre, CRPF, Pinjore, celebrated an annual prize distribution function with enthusiasm on Tuesday. They presented skits and English and Hindi plays apart from various items like Haryanvi folk dance, western dances and kathak. Classical music and bhangra enthralled the audience. Chief guest Ranjit Singh, ADIG, Group Centre CRPF, Pinjore, gave away the prizes to students. Earlier, Ms Bhupinder Kaur, Principal, read out the school annual report. — TNS