Chandigarh, September 27
When Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda took over as the Chief Minister, he was virtually inundated by requests from various quarters for posting officers in either Gurgaon or Faridabad and that, too, as District Transport Officers (DTO). It was not difficult to know why. The two stations are considered to be plum postings among bureaucrats.

Mr Hooda told his confidants that soon he would ensure that no one would approach him for posting as DTO next year. Certain changes were made in the procedures, which made the DTO’s post less lucrative. The Transport Minister, Mr Randeep Surjewala, too chipped in with suggestions about the changes required in the procedures as well as the functioning of the offices of the DTOs. But it was not enough. The state Vigilance Bureau was given the task of keeping a watch.

The bureau found that there was a strong nexus between the offices of DTOs and touts, through whom illegal funds flowed freely from the public to officials. The Director, Vigilance Bureau, Mr R.S. Dalal, asked his men in the field to make an earnest attempt to break this nexus. Success came yesterday when the SP, Vigilance, Gurgaon, Mr Rajbir Deswal, assisted by the district police, raided premises at Sohna Chowk, Gurgaon, and busted an inter-state gang of touts, facilitating deals between transporters and DTOs.

The raid was carried on the basis of information received from an unidentified person who used the recently set up helpline in the head office of the bureau. The helpline, a toll-free number (180-0180-2022), is open during office hours.

The raiding party allegedly recovered 72 tax booklets, with entries, 24 blank tax booklets, registration certificates (RCs) of 53 vehicles, some belonging to Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, 13 blank RCs of heavy motor vehicles and several other documents, usually required for getting driving licences and registration certificates of vehicles. The party also recovered five National Permits of trucks, which carry a premium, duly signed by the competent authority. One person, Pradip, was arrested. He reportedly told the party that Rs 300 to Rs 2,000 was being charged from transporters for various services.

On September 24, the Gurgaon Vigilance office had arrested Transport Sub-Inspector K.K. Chopra and a clerk, Praveen Sharma, while allegedly accepting Rs 50,000 as bribe from a transporter.

The arrested persons reportedly told the Vigilance officials that while they were to keep only Rs 20,000 for themselves, the rest was meant for a senior officer of their department. The two have been remanded in police custody. 

Fatehabad, September 27
Former Haryana minister Sampat Singh today alleged that the state government had sold the interests of younger generations to investors and realtors by passing the Bill of establishment of private universities in the state.

Talking to mediapersons at Bhattu Kalan in the district today, the INLD leader alleged that the government had entrusted the job of academicians to a lobby of investors.

He said the very objectives and reasons for the enactment of the Private Universities Bill, as shown in the draft Bill, was that certain investors were willing to invest in the field of management, computer education, law, engineering and emerging areas of knowledge.

He said these were the areas where we already had a sufficient number of colleges in the state and there was hardly any need for more institutions. He further said the draft bill pointed out that this would encourage investment in the field of higher education and setting up of non-affiliated universities in the state.

The INLD leader said of the 60-odd engineering colleges in the state, students of only NIT, Kurukshetra, which was a government college, had chances of their students getting placements. He said the experiment of private universities had already failed in other states.

He cited the example of Jharkhand, where more than 100 universities mushroomed after a similar Bill was passed. The government had to close down many of them due to decline in the standard of education.

Mr Sampat Singh said if the government was really interested in the future of youth, it should try to improve the standard of education in the existing universities and educational centres.

He alleged that the aim of the government behind allowing the establishment of private universities was not to promote education but to provide benefits to investors and realtors. He said the government had laid a condition of 10 acres of covered area for the private university, which was not more than the area required for a senior secondary school.

Hisar, September 27
In a surprise development, a 28-year-old lecturer of the Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology (GJUST) has defeated the sitting president of the university teachers' association.

Dr Rajesh Poonia defeated Dr Bishnoi by 36 votes. Dr Jitender Pal defeated Dr Sandeep Rana for the post of vice-president, while Dr Manoj Duhan was elected general secretary. Mr Vishal Gulati was elected joint secretary of the association. Dr Hem Chander Garg was already elected treasurer unopposed. 

Chandigarh, September 27
Mr Randeep Singh Surjewala, Haryana Transport Minister, today said unlike the previous state government, the present government headed by Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda was not trying to institutionalise crimes and plunder.

“This is the fundamental difference between the last government led by Mr Om Prakash Chautala and the one headed by Mr Hooda” Mr Surjewala said.

Mr Chautala, while addressing a rally at Meham on Monday, pulled up the state government for withdrawing cases against the Congress legislators, Mr Anand Singh Dangi and Mr Karan Singh Dalal.

Mr Surjewala, who was addressing a press conference, said Mr Chautala, with his track record of setting murder convicts free from prisons, should never point a finger at the Hooda regime for withdrawing cases against Mr Dangi and Mr Dalal. The Transport Minister said 13 murder convicts were released prematurely from prisons during Mr Chautala’s tenure as the Chief Minister. The Cabinet headed by Mr Chautala had again recommended the premature release of four more life convicts. But the latter recommendations were returned by the Governor, Mr Surjewala said.

In another revelation, Mr Surjewala said between July, 1999, and November, 2004, the Chautala-led government had withdrawn 14,700 cases registered in eight Haryana districts. The accused in these cases were criminals, INLD leaders, INLD legislators, etc, Mr Surjewala alleged.

Another disclosure made by Mr Surjewala was, however, about the recovery of bodies from Mr Chautala’s home district, Sirsa, when the INLD was in power in the state. The Transport Minister said 165 unidentified bodies were recovered from Sirsa between July, 1999, and December, 2004.

The situation relating to crimes, protection to organised gangs and the paralysis of the police administration during the Chautala-led regime could be gauged from the fact that 165 unidentified bodies were recovered from Sirsa district alone, Mr Surjewala said.

The Transport Minister said he would not claim that crimes and criminals had vanished from Haryana after the Congress came to power in the state.

On the issue of steps initiated by the state government against the alleged illegal activities of Mr Chautala, Mr Surjewala said the case of disproportionate assets of Mr Chautala was being investigated by the CBI.

Chandigarh, September 27
The three-year-old agitation by the Haryana Netraheen Jagriti Sangh came to an end here today following a meeting of its office-bearers with the Chief Minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, whose intervention had resulted in the implementation of a special campaign to fill vacant posts for the visually challenged.

The agitating members of the sangh, who had been camping in Sector 17 here since September 29, 2003, announced to uproot their tent in the presence of the Director, Haryana Social Justice and Empowerment, Mr A.K. Singh, and the Commissioner, Disability, Mr Baldev Singh Karora. They raised slogans in favour of the Hooda government, appreciating the steps taken to redress their grievances.

Mr A.K. Singh said the government had decided not to let such vacancies accumulate as it resulted in a backlog.

He said as on March 9, 2005, there was a backlog of 261 vacancies for persons with various disabilities. While 139 posts were filled, interviews for filling 209 vacancies were being conducted to clear the backlog under a special campaign which started on September 15. The decision to launch the special campaign was taken by the Chief Minister at a meeting with members of the sangh here recently.

He said 209 vacancies advertised recently included 31 for the visually challenged, 135 for those with hearing and speech impairment and 43 for the orthopaedically challenged. He said that in addition to these posts, 710 more such vacancies would be filled by various departments up to October 31.

Yamunanagar, September 27
The Haryana Government has allowed commercial activities in the old industrial areas of Panipat, Sonepat, Bahadurgarh and Yamunanagar with immediate effect.

As per sources in the Industrial Department, commercial activities like the setting up of multiplexes and cinemas would be allowed in the four industrial areas. The activities which have been allowed include shopping malls, warehouses, insurance facilities, hotels, petrol stations and training institutes.

The government has also decided that industrial plots which have been bifurcated or fragmented prior to the order, shall be regularised if a bifurcation or transfer fee is deposited as per the estate management procedure.

The plots where commercial activities are already going on and if these have been transferred or bifurcated, the allottee or transferee shall have to pay transfer charges in addition to conversion charges.

As per a notification of the Industries Department in this regard, the conversion rates applicable in the old industrial area of Sonepat and Panipat has been fixed at Rs 800 per sq metre. The rate in Bahadurgarh is Rs 700 per sqm and Rs 600 in Yamunanagar.

Mr Pankaj Malik, president, Yamunanagar-Jagadhri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said it would lead to the growth of economy. “The industrial area of the district is located in the heart of the district and commercial activities here would be a success,” he said.

“It’s a progressive move, which would change the face of the district. Many more avenues of employment would be available that would eventually help in the growth of the state’s economy,” Mr Satish Chhikara, president, Bahadurgarh Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said.

Karnal, September 27
With men of families continue to dominate elected women in various panchayati raj institutions (PRIs), social scientists have expressed concerns over poor implementation of women empowerment programmes in Haryana villages.

Speaking on the concluding day of the two-day seminar on “Strategies for the Empowerment of Rural Women in Haryana” at HIRD Nilokheri, speakers emphasized the need of active participation of women at various levels.

Speakers said despite 33 per cent reservation for rural women in the PRIs at various levels, they remain-un-empowered in Haryana. Speakers observed only male members of families exercised powers on behalf elected women of PRIs. They said rural women had no say in the decision making process in gram panchayats, Panchayat Samitis and Zila Parishads.

Professor Pam Rajput, a former Director of the Women Studies Centre, Panjab University ascribed it to the failure of the programmes of the central government for women welfare.

Dr Rajput stressed on organisation and mobilisation of women representatives of PRIs in the state for this purpose.

Dr Surat Singh and Professor Ranbir Singh of the HIRD attributed malady to the lack of awareness, knowledge and education among women representatives of the PRIs about their role.

Registrar of Kurukshetra University, Y. S. Khayalia laid stress on confidence-building measures through higher education, skill upgradation and motivation for realising this objective.

Participants who included university and college teachers, in charges of women’s cells in the colleges, research officers in the Women’s Studies and Research Centre, Kurukshetra University, women Panchayati Raj leaders from Faridabad, Gurgaon, Bhiwani and Panipat districts, officers of the Women and Child Department and the representatives of the NGOs emphasised need for efforts in this directions.

Yamunanagar, September 27
A father allegedly tried to kill his daughter in Joriana village here this afternoon because she married a boy from “lower caste” on February 13. The girl was living with her husband since then.

As per police sources Mr Sat Prakash Sharma, of Isopur village reached the house of in-laws of his daughter, Preeti in Joriana village at 12.30 pm. She was in kitchen. Sharma reportedly shot at her with a country made pistol. The bullet hit her arm. Ring of fire alerted her brother-in-law Surinder who was in a nearby shop. He reached the kitchen and grabbed Sharma. However, Sharma freed himself and hit him with the butt of the pistol and fled.

Ms Preeti, admitted in the Civil Hospital here told The Tribune that she had an affair with Narinder for the past four years. Last December she left her home and reached Narinder’s place. “My parents reached there and took me back on a promise that they would marry me to Narinder and I went back with them”, recalled Ms Preeti. According to her family was against this inter-caste marriage.

“In January I and Narinder left home and married in February”, said Ms Preeti. She informed after marriage they lived at many places for three months. “Then we returned to Joriana”, informed Ms Preeti.

Her father-in-law Ram Ratan said, “Last year it was agreed in a panchyat that Sharma would marry Preeti in Brahmins and Narinder would marry in his own caste”. Narinder married a girl but the marriage broke of after two months. “Later the two married each other”, informed Mr Ratan.

The police has registered a case of attempt to murder against Sharma and his son Manoj.

Hisar, September 27
Seven labourers were killed and several others injured when the Canter they were travelling in overturned and fell into a pit near Sorkhi village on the Hisar-Delhi National Highway-10 early this morning.

Of the injured, three have been sent to the PGI at Rohtak because of their critical condition, while three others are undergoing treatment at the Civil Hospital, Hansi. In all, there were 30 labourers in the vehicle.

According to police sources, the Canter was going from Sirsa to Delhi. It was between Sorkhi and Mundhal villages when the driver lost control over the vehicle and the mishap took place.

Those killed have been identified as Chanderbhan, Lakhan Singh, Shankar Lal, Hari Chand, Amar Chand, Gulshan and Kalu Ram, all residents of Sanjay Colony in Delhi.

The police has registered a case on the complaint lodged by a labourer, Pratap Singh.