Panipat, June 28
Haryana has become a police state and the police force was being used to crush trade unions to appease the capitalists, Mr Gurudas Dasgupta, MP, alleged this here today.

Mr Dasgupta, who was on way to Gharaunda to meet the workers of Liberty Shoes company, demanded an enquiry by a magistrate into the Monday incidents in which the workers of the company were lathi-charged by the police. He rued that the state government could not protect the human rights of people and remained unsuccessful in implementing labour laws like its predecessor.

Demanding the immediate release of the workers who were arrested by the Gharaunda police on Monday, the MP, who is also the general secretary of the AITUC, also revealed that he had written a letter to the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, drawing his attention towards the anti-worker policies of the state government.

Emphasising that the state government need to protect the rights of workers, Mr Dasgupta said the Gharaunda incident proved that the Haryana Government wanted to appease industrialists at the cost of workers. Left parties were gearing up to start an agitation against the anti-people policies of the government, he added.

“We oppose the government in and out everywhere on the issue of rising prices in the country,” quipped Mr Dasgupta when asked why the left was supporting the Central Government when it opposed it in public on the issue of rising prices.

Karnal, June 28
Claiming that over 400 workers of Liberty Shoes company have been missing since Monday after the police cane-charged them for blocking the NH-1, leaders of the Liberty Workers’ Union and other trade unions charged the police with violating human rights by arresting injured workers from hospitals and not allowing them to take medical treatment.

While legislators of the Congress from Karnal abstained from making any comment over the Liberty workers agitation, various trade unions yesterday supported the agitating workers. CITU held a rally at Karan Ground and announced to organise a statewide protest march to all district headquarters tomorrow.

Since last night, the administration had deployed police in and around the Trauma Centre, Karnal. Union leaders alleged that the police was arresting injured workers and denying them treatment at hospitals in Gharaunda and Karnal.

Talking to The Tribune yesterday, the president of the Liberty Workers Union, Kutail, Mr Dilawar Singh, alleged that the police was treating the workers like criminals. He said the police was denying medical treatment to the injured workers and forcibly taking them into custody.

The union leader said over 400 workers had been missing since Monday and many of them were injured.

Levelling serious allegations against an SHO, Mr Dilawar said he received a call where the official asked him to surrender or the police would arrest his family members.

He alleged that the police had created an atmosphere of terror among the workers. He demanded the immediate arrest of a senior manager, Mr Joshi, against whom an FIR was lodged for beating workers.

Ambala, June 28
The Sangharsh Vahini today demanded that submission of NOC for property transactions be done away with.

Its president Hira Lal Yadav said there was no provision in the rules for getting NOC in property transactions. “The Municipal Act states the General House of the Municipal Council is competent for clearing housing plans. Earlier, the Deputy Commissioner used to clear plans and now he, too, has stopped the practice,” he said.

Mr Yadav said people were finding it nearly impossible to sell their house in times of dire need. “The government is not doing anything regarding the NOC matter. Instead, it has now been made mandatory to get NOC for dealings in other areas as well,” he said.

He said the then Chief Minister, Mr Bhajan Lal, had announced in 1995 that NOC in certain dealings would be done away with. “Thereafter, it was put back into force following a land scam in Ambala Sadar.

However, there should be a provision for helping those in need,” he said.

The government had hiked the flat rate of commercial connection from Rs 80 per month to Rs 1,000 per month. The manifold hike was adversely affecting small shopkeepers and commercial units.

“Thirteen colonies were regularised by the government. Some of the residents could not pay the regularisation charges since they are poor. Now, the government has sent them notices charging 18 per cent interest. When a poor man is unable to pay the original amount, how could he be expected to pay high interest rate.”

On the Agrofed scam, Mr Yadav demanded the case be handed over to the CBI. 

Ambala, June 28
Vikas Parishad today reiterated its demand for carrying out investigation in the Agrofed scam by the CBI.

In a memorandum addressed to the Haryana Governor, Mr A.R. Kidwai, Vikas Parishad president Mr Anil Vij said that Agrofed scam was a multi-crore scam and a large number of youths had become its victim.

Besides Ambala, Agrofed had opened offices in different areas including Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Delhi and J & K. Fake chairman of Agrofed P.S. Sandhu had come in the forefront ever since Congress government came to power.

He said that large hoardings had been put up by Agrofed in the area. Mr Sandhu used to operate from Sainik Rest House. Appointment letter claimed that Agrofed was a government of India undertaking.

Mr Vij said that in 2003, Mr Sandhu had claimed that he was Sports Director in Punjab and Haryana and he had misled a youth from Ambala Cantt by giving a fake job. A police case was registered in this regard.

He said that Mr Sandhu had links with Congress leaders. Although Haryana Police has registered an FIR on June 10, police was not making any headway.

Rewari, June 28
As many as 10 out of the 50 odd passengers of a Delhi-Ladnoo bus of the Rajasthan State Transport Corporation were looted at gun point by five armed miscreants on the Rewari-Narnaul road near Chandpura village, about 27 km from here, in the early hours yesterday.

They reportedly looted Rs 37,130, four mobile phones, two gold rings and two wristwatches.

However, when a victim, Ram Swarup, who was robbed of Rs 20,000, gathered courage and overpower one of the miscreants several other passengers, including bus driver Shyam Sunder and conductor Ram Dev, too resisted the armed looters.

Finding themselves in a spot, four of the miscreants along with the booty disembarked from the bus at a speed breaker at Uninda village near Ateli and ran away to a nearby field. However, the bus passengers overpowered their fifth accomplice.

The police cordoned off the area and with the assistance of the villagers three miscreants hiding in the fields were nabbed while their fourth accomplice Rajesh managed to escape.

Later the four apprehended looters were identified as Mohit Saini, Bhupinder Singh Jogi, Mohan Vir Kashyap and Sonu Kashyap, all residents of Umarpur village of Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh. Besides three country-made pistols along with two live cartridges, a major chunk of the booty was also recovered from them.

The bus of the Sikar depot, which started around 10 pm from the Sarai Kale Khan bus terminal at Delhi, was going to Ladnoo, a town of Nagaur district in Rajasthan.

The Ateli police has registered a case of robbery with attempt to cause grievous hurt under Sections 395, 397 of the IPC as well as Sections 25/54/59 of the Arms Act against the miscreants.

Simultaneously, Ram Swarup, a bus passenger from Dholia village of Ladnoo area of Rajasthan, as well as bus driver Shyam Sunder and conductor Ram Dev were honoured for their exemplary courage and presence of mind by Mr Bhim Singh, SP, Narnaul, at a function held under the auspices of the Jan Seva Mandal at the Ateli police station yesterday.

Sonepat, June 28
An Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) of Gohana Sadar police station and an assistant of a patwari of Ganaur were caught red-handed by teams of Vigilance Bureau while accepting bribe from the complainants yesterday. Both of them were arrested and cases have been registered against them.

However, the patwari reportedly escaped during the raid, but a case has been registered against him.

According to the information received here, the Vigilance Bureau received a complaint from Satish of Rohtak that ASI Sukhbir Singh had demanded a bribe of Rs 5,000 from Gulab of Lath village during investigation in a case of dowry harassment against Gulab and his family members. A Vigilance team, led by Inspector Avtar Krishan, caught the ASI red-handed while accepting Rs 3,500 from Satish at a tea-stall outside the Gohana municipality office.

In another case, Rajinder of Naya Bans village lodged a complaint alleging that patwari Onkar Singh was demanding a bribe of Rs 1,500 for giving a copy of “farad” of his land. The matter was brought to the notice of Deputy Commissioner Neerja Shekhar who deputed the City Magistrate and ordered a raid.

Rajinder went to Ganaur patwarkhana to hand over the amount. However, the patwari asked him to give the amount to his assistant Ved Prakash.

No sooner did Rajinder handed over the amount to Ved Prakash, the Vigilance team arrested Ved Prakash. However, on seeing the Vigilance team, the patwari reportedly escaped through a window of the patwarkhana.

Kurukshetra, June 28
The local police today arrested two women under the Immoral Trafficking (prevention) Act from near the new bus stand here.

According to the district police chief, Mr Sanjay Kumar, the police received information that two women were standing at the new bus stand. He said the police sent two decoy customers to them. The women agreed to accompany the decoy customers against the payment of Rs 500 each. The decoy customers gave a signal to the police party, which arrested the women red-handed while accepting money.

Mr Sanjay Kumar said the women were residents of Ghaas Mandi, Ambala. They were produced in a local court, which sent them in judicial custody for 14 days. — OC

Ambala, June 28
Three persons were killed in two accidents on the GT Road today. A truck, on its way from Ghaziabad to Rajpura, overturned near Shahpur early this morning killing its driver Arvind.

At about 12 noon, a crane arrived at the spot to retrieve the truck. As the traffic was signalled to halt, an Indica car rammed into a Santro car killing the driver of the Indica, Vinay Kumar of Ambala. Krishan, 60, who was travelling in the Santro, was also killed. The other occupants of the Santro, including driver Karamvir, sustained injuries.

Kurukshetra, June 28
With the arrest of one more person, the number of arrests made in the trader Ishwar Bansal kidnapping case has gone up to 11.

The person arrested has been identified as Ankit, alias Bachi, alias Bablu, a resident of Kaajla village under the Agroha police station.A .315 bore countrymade pistol and one live cartridge have been recovered from his possession.

Ankit has admitted that he had kidnapped Mr Bansal along with gang leader Vijay Narwana, according to the police. Ankit was remanded in police custody. — OC

Chandigarh, June 28
The Haryana Power Generation Corporation (HPGCL) has extended the last date for submission of request for qualification (RFQ) document by a fortnight from June 29 to July 14.

The decision to extend the date was taken after almost all the companies, including Starlite Industries, Tata Power, Aban Group, Jindal Steel & Energy Limited, Lanco Group, Nav Bharat Ferro Alloys and Reliance Energy Limited, sought the extention of the date at a “pre-bid conference” of bidders interested in selling power to Haryana. About 12 companies participated in the conference held here last evening.

The conference was presided over by Mr R.N. Prasher, Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Power, Haryana.

The HPGCL had invited proposals for supply of 2000 MW power from the projects to be set up at non-identified locations and also a 1,000-1,200 MW thermal power plant to be set up at Mattenhall in Jhajjar district on a long-term basis through the competitive bidding route as per the guidelines of the Union Ministry of Power. Mr Prasher said efforts were on to add about 4,000 MW power during the next three to four years. Nearly 2,000 MW of power would be acquired through competitive bids. Mrs Jyoti Arora, MD of the HPGCL said almost all major groups in the field of power generation had purchased the bid documents. 

Panchkula, June 28
Upset over unscheduled power cuts, a delegation of the Panchkula unit of the Haryana Chamber of Commerce and Industry (HCCI) today met the Chairman of the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN) and gave him a representation listing their grievances and demands.

Lead by Mr Satish Gupta, chairman of the HCCI, the delegation complained that the power cuts imposed by the UHBVN for long and odd hours had been causing huge losses to industrialists.

The power cuts had been putting them into great hardship, besides adversely affecting industrial production and delivery of goods to parties. The worst affected were small scale industrial units.

Mr Vishnu Goyal, general secretary of the HCCI, said the UHBVN Chairman gave a patient hearing to the delegation and assured uninterrupted power supply to the industrial sector. 

Chandigarh, June 28
The Haryana Government has, on the recommendations of the State Finance Commission, sanctioned Rs 50 crore to municipalities for improvement of public utilities.

While stating this here today, the Haryana Minister of State for Urban Development, Mrs Savitri Jindal, said the state government had also allocated a grant of Rs 137.36 crore to the municipalities under various schemes during the current financial year. These schemes included improvement in environment of urban slum areas, development under the recommendations of the Central Finance Commission and development of urban structures and local bodies. The developmental works had already begun in these municipalities.

Chandigarh, June 28
The Haryana Education Department has released Rs 8 crore salary grant to government-aided private schools in the state as the first quarterly installment for 2006 on the basis of the expenditure incurred by them in the previous year.

Mr K.K. Khandelwal, Commissioner and Director-General, School Education, said here today that the budget provision of Rs 35 crore had been made for 2006-07 for the payment of salary grant to 213 schools. — TNS

Ambala, June 28
Mr Bhagwat Sharan Mathur, organisation secretary, Haryana unit of the BJP, today said that they are going to soon start a campaign for taking the party to the villages.

Mr Mathur told mediapersons today that the special campaign will be initiated on September 25. “Each office bearer will be given the responsibility of going to 10 villages in a block,” he said.

He said that organisation polls are round the corner. Local committee election will be held in August, block level election in September, district level election in October followed by state level election. “We are also imparting training to workers and the first phase is already over. About 10,000 party workers will be trained,” he said.

Mr Mathur said training includes giving information about current internal security scenario. Terrorism and naxalism are posing a threat and thousands of innocent civilians have been killed. He said that naxal threat was also being faced in Haryana.

Former Ambala MP Mr Ratan Lal Kataria said that 5000 youth activists of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha will organise a human chain in Kurukshetra on June 30 to protest against the Doda massacre. Nearly 500 activists from Ambala will be participating in the human chain.