Panipat, August 29
Looms in many textile units did not function when factory owners refused to attend a meeting called by the district labour officer to bring both parties on the negotiating table resolve labour disputes here today. The Indian federation of trade unions ( IFTU) alleged that industrialists while backtracking on an agreement on not forcing the labourers to work for more than eight hours a day were resorting to arm twisting tactics by removing labourers from jobs and declaring lock-out in factories.

Mr P.P. Kapoor state convener of the IFTU said factory owners had fired more than 1000 labourers to ‘punish’ them when they refused to work for more than eight hours a day. “The administration had asked us to reach the Deputy Labour Commissioner office in the morning to attend a meeting with factory owners but the factory owners did not reach the venue as they did not want to resolve the problem,” alleged Mr Kapoor.

On the other hand when contacted Mr Yash Pal Malik, president of the Federation of Small-Scale Industries Association, an organistion of industrialists said they did get many invitation from the labour office to attend the meeting but they decided not to attend the meeting as the administration and the Labour Department could not guarantee for the smooth running of factories even after the industrialists agreed to all demands of the labour unions leaders. Moreover there was no question of forcing workers to work for more than eight hours as they were paid on output basis only, added Mr Malik.

The factory owners had fired only ‘mischievous’ elements said Mr Malik. Mr N.K. Singhal, District Labour Officer, informed that the IFTU had submitted a list of 105 factory owners to him who fired some of their employees and the industrialists were asked to file their replies in this regard by September 4 while the efforts to bring them on the negotiating table were on.

Mr Shakti Singh, SDM, Panipat, when contacted said all problem was due to a communication gap and it will be assured that both parties were made to work out some solution to the problem by tomorrow.

Yamunanagar, August 29
Hundreds of students of different schools and colleges from Bilaspur area in Himachal Pardesh today blocked traffic on the Bilaspur-Nahan state highway near Sandhaye village for several hours from morning to lodge their protest against non-issuance of bus passes. The students did not allow plying of private buses on this exclusive private bus route.

Hundreds of students from these areas attend schools and colleges in Yamunanagar and Jagadhri. Since the route is for private buses only, Haryana Roadways cannot ply its buses, said Mr Dharmvir Dhankar, General Manager, Haryana Roadways, Yamunanagar Depot.

Former MLA Ramji Lal later joined the students’ agitation. Vijay, a college student, said they faced difficulty in commuting to the college as the private buses were not issuing them passes. The students also demanded that Haryana Roadways must run its own buses on the route. The three private buses, which run on the route, were spotted parked in a police station after the students did not allow them to move on.

Mr Raj Kumar Rana, president, District Private Bus Operators Association, said they were ready to issue passes between Ranjitpur and Bilaspur and from Bilaspur onwards the students could get pass in the state-owned buses.

Bhiwani, August 29
A sum of Rs 1,000 crore would be spent to strengthen and modernise the judicial structure in the country.

This was stated by the Union Law Minister, Mr Hans Raj Bhardwaj, while talking to mediapersons here today.

He said most of the population lived in villages and to provide cheap and easy justice on their doorsteps, the government would establish 6,000 rural mobile courts in the country. He said Rs 1,700 crore were being spent on fast-track courts in the country.

The Union Minister said necessary changes were being made in the old structure as per the need and new laws were being enacted.

Replying to a question, the Law Minister said the legal obstacles coming to establish separate high court for Haryana must be removed.

When asked about TADA, he said: “Since alternative Acts are available to tackle the terrorism, there is no need of Acts like TADA.”

Kaithal, August 29
Ms Krishna Pandit, Parliamentary Secretary, Health, who made a surprise visit to the Civil Hospital here yesterday, found various irregularities in the day-to-day functioning of the hospital. She snubbed doctors and nurses for the poor sanitary conditions.

According to reports, she went to various wards of the hospital and expressed her displeasure over the gloves and scattered oxygen cylinders. She advised the doctors and the nursing staff to wear proper dress while on duty. She also asked the SMO, Dr O.P. Saluja, to monitor the overall condition of the hospital and inform the senior officers about cases of dereliction of duty by the staff members, if any.

During her interaction with patients, she found that some doctors had prescribed medicines to be purchased from the market though these were available in the hospital store. She asked the doctors not to advise patients to purchase the medicines from the market which were available in the hospital store. She warned that any violation of these instructions would not be tolerated.

Ms Pandit expressed her annoyance when it came to her notice that some mattresses covered with white bedsheets were full of blood stains and the sanitation in the bathrooms was very poor.

Later talking to media persons, she said the government was committed to provide best health services to the people and she herself would make surprise visits to the government hospitals and if any irregularity was noticed, strict action would be taken against the staff.

She said that steps were under way to provide the CT scan facility in the government hospitals all over the state.

Chandigarh, August 29
Those officers who harass innocent citizens to please their political bosses, beware! The masters you want to please, may escape unscathed, but you can face legal action by a determined innocent person, whom you allegedly harassed.

This is the lesson which the former Deputy Speaker of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha, Mr Ved Pal, who is also the first President of the state unit of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), wants to convey to erring officers. He has served legal notices to Mr Ram Kumar Aggarwal, a retired DSP, and Mr N.L. Kapoor, Executive Engineer, conveying his intention of suing them for Rs 2 crore each.

In the notice sent through his counsel, Mr Ranbir Singh, Mr Ved Pal said he was doing so “so that in future no pliable officer in order to obtain favour from political bosses may not attack the liberty, life and reputation of any respectable citizen.”

It may be recalled that a few months ago the Director-General of Police, Mr Nirmal Singh, was awarded a decree of Rs 50,000 along with interest by a court against the then Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, the then Home Minister, Prof Sampat Singh; and certain senior officers for harassing him.

A criminal case under Sections 420, 120-B of the IPC and Sections 13(1)(e) and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act was registered against Mr Ved Pal and several of his family members by the Haryana Vigilance Bureau on January 25, 2001, when Mr Chautala was the Chief Minister. Mr Aggarwal was the investigating officer in this case.

Mr Ved Pal has alleged that Mr Aggarwal “deliberately and intentionally withheld and concealed” the known sources of income of Mr Ved Pal and his family members in order to strengthen the case against them.

Mr Kapoor allegedly overassessed the value of Mr Ved Pal’s house “deliberately and with mala fide intentions and to please the political bosses.” Mr Kapoor’s report formed one of the basis on which a challan was filed against Mr Ved Pal and his relatives before the Karnal Special Judge of the rank of Additional Sessions Judge on July 3, 2003.

The judge, however, discharged the accused, holding that the possibility of political vendetta could not be ruled out in the case. The judicial order went on to say that “it would be preposterous to connect the accused with the allegations in view of the material on record and to frame charge against them simply because the prosecution so desires.”

An appeal against the discharge order was filed before the Punjab and Haryana High Court. However, Mr Justice S.S. Grewal dismissed the appeal in limni on April 29, 2004. The state filed a special leave petition(SPL) before the Supreme Court against the High Court’s decision. The apex court dismissed the SPL on July 4, 2006.

Ambala, August 29
Ambala Cantt MLA DK Bansal today said that the for the first time in Haryana, a major plan for relocation as well as development of slums programme would be implemented in Ambala Cantt. He said that Integrated Housing and Slum Development Programme would be initiated soon in Ambala Cantt. “A sum of approximately Rs 15 crore has been allocated for the programme,” he said.

Mr Bansal said that while one part of the programme comprises relocation of slum areas after construction of houses, the second part of the programme comprises improving the amenities in existing slum areas.

He said that 193 houses are going to be constructed near Ram Lila ground for slum dwellers of Bandhu Nagar and Julaha Mandi.

The slum dwellers will have to pay a charge of Rs 10,000 for the tenement while Rs 80,000 will be spent by the government.

Mr Bansal said the improvement project would be implemented 28 slum areas in which streetlights, water supply, sewerage, drains, community structure and house repair will be carried out.

The areas which are expected to benefit include Gwal Mandi Railway, Gwal Mandi Rambagh Road, Kumhar Mandi, Jogi Mandi, Rangia Mandi, Teli Mandi, Sweeper Colony near BC Bazar, Bazigar Colony near BC Bazar, Bazigar Colony near FCI, Paki Sarai, Mochi Mandi, Khatik Mandi, Allu Godam, Chain Mandi, Dina Ki Mandi, Guru Nanak Nagar, RK Colony, Ravi Dass Nagar, Shivpuri Colony, Sweeper Colony near IOC, Deha Colony, Dera Basti, Sweeper Colony BI Bazar, New Dayal Bagh, Dayal Bagh, Shiv Partap Nagar and Ram Nagar.

Chandigarh, August 29
The Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam has constituted a forum for redressal of consumers’ grievances under the chairmanship of Mr S.C. Vij.

The term of the forum will be three years. It will start functioning from September 1.

Mr Balbir Singh Dhull (Rohtak) and Mr Kulbir Singh (Karnal) will be its members.

The forum would redress grievances of electricity consumers, relating to metering, billing, delay in release of new connections etc. However, complaints regarding theft of electricity and offences punishable under the provisions of the Electricity Act 2003, would be out of its purview.

The consumers who have filled cases against the Nigam before courts, will have an option to withdraw the cases and file appeals before the forum for speedy disposal.

The forum will settle he cases within 90 days.

Hisar, August 29
After days of politicking involving every trick of the trade, including persuasion, lobbying, countrywide tours and alleged horse-trading of municipal councillors, Jindal group candidate Bihari Lal Rara finally won the post of Municipal Council president in an election held here today.

The poll was necessitated after the former president, Mr Arvind Kharinta, was recently voted out in a no-confidence motion. Soon after Mr Kharinta relinquished the office, hectic lobbying began for the post of the council president and all eyes were on today’s election.

All 31 members exercised their franchise at the council meeting. Being the local MLA, the Minister of State for Urban Development, Ms Savitri Jindal, also cast her vote. Of the 32 votes polled, 19 went in favour of Mr Rara, while his rival, Mr Anil Jain Teenu, got 13.

The contest had become a clash of titans, with at least three MPs, a state minister and other senior leaders belonging to different political groups backing either of the two contestants in the fray. — TNS