Chandigarh, August 6
The decision of Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) to hold public hearing on projects (as specified under the Environment Impact Assessment Notification) at the site of the project has drawn flak from various non-government organisations.

Terming the decision as aimed to helping out the project proponent rather than the public to express their views fearlessly, these NGOs dealing in environment issues have said that the entire exercise of public hearings had now become one- sided. “By keeping the venue at the site, the Pollution Control Board has allowed complete freedom to the project proponent to bar persons opposed to the project, from entering the site,” alleged a Delhi-based NGO dealing in environment issues, while requesting anonymity.

The state Pollution Control Board has, however, denied the allegations and said that the decision to keep the public hearing at the site was taken to expose project proponent to far greater scrutiny so that the public concerned (those living in vicinity of the project site, and who could face impact of change in environment because of industrialisation) could assess the project at the site itself. “If the hearing was kept at a hotel or any other place at some distance from the project site and surrounding villages, people will face a lot of inconvenience reaching there,” said the Chairman, HSPCB, Mr Samir Mathur.

The NGO has alleged that most other state pollution control boards fold the public hearing of projects at the office of the Deputy Commissioner. “A case in example is Delhi, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, where public hearings are conducted at Deputy Commissioner’s office or a public hall for a fair and transparent proceeding,” they have contended.

On the other hand, Mr Mathur said that the department was following all the rules and regulations with regards to conducting of public hearings. “Representatives from the Deputy Commissioner’s office, Department of Environment and state pollution control board are also present at the public hearing, and they ensure that everybody is allowed to express his views and give comments. The entire public hearing proceedings are digitally recorded and sent to the Union Ministry of Environment, who give the final clearance. Also, if the public is not allowed at the venue, they can still write a letter to the Deputy Commissioner concerned or HSPCB, and their objections will be put on record and sent to the Ministry of Environment,” he said.

Chandigarh, August 6
This is an idea whose time has come. For 20 years Dr Rama Kant Maudgal, a Harvard University alumni, nurtured a dream of starting an institute of higher learning — The Divinity School — to “facilitate a unified study of science and religion.”

A noted scientist of this country who remained in the service of some of the biggest business houses in India before settling down at Kurukshetra, Dr Maudgal managed to gather support from the world’s top universities and institutes for the project. But he insists on establishing the school at Kurukshetra.

“I could have opened it at any place in the world. We had the complete support of the Institute of Neotic Sciences, USA, University of Cambridge, UK and the Centre for the Study of World Religions, Harvard University. In fact, Mr Harvey Cox of Divinity School at Harvard suggested in 1986 that I open it in India. I realised he was right. Now I have been going and meeting various persons in the Haryana Government for the purpose,” he said.

From a humble childhood and education, Dr Maudgal went on to do his Phd at Harvard in organic chemistry. “I also wrote a paper with Professor Conrad Bloch who is a Noble laureate” he said. “Then I worked with a USA-based company for some time but came back to India to work with the Birlas. Later I started my own company but it did not work.”

Dr Maudgal became interested in the subject of science and spirituality when he attended the World Congress on ‘Synthesis of Science and Religion’ held at Bombay in 1986.

“We talk tall of our culture, heritage, our philosophy of life and the whole world looks up to us to enunciate a concept of life and divinity. Unfortunately, scientists, philosophers and theologians have not come together on a single platform to sit down and work together on this concept,” he said.

“The basic point is that science and religion are not opposed to each other. Both seek the truth, the reality with perhaps different ideologies. Whenever science seems to contradict religion it is neither the fault of the religion nor of science. The difference is in our perception and this needs to be reconciled amicably within ourselves,” he said.

Having run from pillar to post to elicit some response from the Haryana Government, including a three-hour long meeting with the Haryana Governor Dr A.R. Kidwai, Dr Maudgal has now submitted a proposal to the Kurukshetra Development Board.

“I have been in touch with the Kurukshetra DC and even tried to get Kurukshetra University interested in the project. The Divinity School of India would need recognition from Kurukshetra University as an autonomous body. This would facilitate visiting professors from various national and international universities. I have also proposed the formation of ‘The International Society of Divine Consciousness’ which would spread the consensus evolved at the academic level through websites, lectures and publications etc,” he said.

Rohtak, August 6
The Haryana Power Utilities will release more than one lakh new domestic connections in rural areas for people living below poverty line in the next 18 months under the Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojna.

This information was conveyed to Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda by the officers of the utilities at a meeting organised by the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam on the occasion of foundation stone laying ceremony of a 33kv Sub Station by the Chief Minister. The sub station will cost of Rs 1.5 crore.

The Chief Minister was told that the Utilities had already begun construction of 90 new sub stations and augmentation of existing capacities of 125 sub stations at a cost of Rs 792 crore to strengthen the transmission system in the State. The system strengthening schedule was likely to be completed during the next 12 to 15 months.

The Utilities planned to purchase power to meet the present demand of electricity and ensure seven to eight hour supply to tubewells daily. For bridging up the gap of demand and supply, long term power purchase agreements had been made and the process of setting up own power generating stations has been started.

It was also informed that for achieving its goal of ensuring sufficient power for consumers, the Government had also initiated the process of setting up a 1200 MW coal-based power plant in Hisar for which global tenders had been invited. The project would be set up at a cost of Rs 4000 crore. The plant would start generation in March 2009. The Government had already acquired 989 acres of land and has made arrangements for providing 50 cusecs of water for the project.

Mr Deepender Singh Hooda, local MP, Mr Venod Sharma, Power Minister Haryana, Mr Shadi Lal Batra, M.L.A., Mr O.S. Lohchab, Chairman, Haryana Power Utilities and Mr Sudhir Rajpal, Managing Director, U.H.B.V.N. were also present on this occasion.

Chandigarh, August 6
A Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court comprising Mr Justice Ashutosh Mohunta and Ms Justice Nirmal Yadav has asked the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) to submit a report on illegal mining being carried out in Sonepat district of Haryana.

A local advocate, Mr Raghubir Chaudhary, has also been asked by the court to inspect the area of illegal mining in coordination with the CJM. However, Mr Chaudhary has been asked to submit his report separately.

These orders were passed by the court on July 25 while hearing a petition filed by SRS Company, New Delhi, which was granted the mining contract for the extraction of ordinary sand in Sonepat district by the Haryana Government for Rs 12.50 crore per annum. In its petition, the company had alleged that certain unscrupulous elements were doing illegal mining in the area, thus causing huge loss to the petioner.

On April 27 last, the court had directed the Deputy Commissioner, Sonepat, to ensure that no illegal mining was carried out in the district. The court had also sought a status report from the officer.

On the last date of the hearing, the Deputy Commissioner submitted her report before the court, saying that there was only one stray incident of illegal mining in the district. However, counsel for the petitioner, Mr Akshay Bhan, produced a set of photographs before the Bench, showing that illegal mining was going on till at least about a few days before the date of hearing (July 25).

After Mr Bhan produced the photographs, the court decided to seek the report of the CJM and the local commissioner, Mr Chaudhary.

It has been a long-standing complaint of not only the petitioner but also of residents of certain villages of Sonepat district that unscrupulous elements from Uttar Pradesh indulge in illegal mining in this part of Haryana with alleged political protection. 

Chandigarh, August 6
The Haryana Housing Board has undertaken an ambitious project of constructing 740 flats of various categories at a cost of Rs 54 crore.

A spokesman of the board said here today that under this project 442 flats in Sector 9 and 52 of Gurgaon and 298 flats in Sector 7 of Bahadurgarh would be constructed. The board was preparing designs for multistoreyed flats under the Group Housing Scheme in Sector 20 of Panchkula. The registration for these flats would be started soon.

He said land banks would be set up by HUDA in various sectors of Panchkula, Sonepat, Kurukshetra, Dharuhera, Sirsa, Gurgaon, Panipat, Bahadurgarh and Faridabad. The land had been allotted in Sector 20 of Panchkula, Sector 23 of Sonepat and Sector 6 of Dharuhera. The Haryana Industrial Development Corporation had also allotted five acre in the industrial area of Bawal to the board. The construction of houses at these places had also been started.

He said 689 houses constructed at a cost of about Rs 32 crore were allotted to various categories during the current financial year.