Chandigarh, December 13
The Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, has directed the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) to construct one lakh low-cost houses for poor sections in the National Capital Region.

Mr Hooda, who was presiding over the 98th meeting of the authority here late last evening, said the cost of each such house with two rooms should not exceed Rs 1 lakh. He observed that it had become necessary to construct low-cost houses for the poor in view of the escalating cost of land in the NCR.

In case of residential plots, it was decided that an individual could give only one application in any urban estate of HUDA.

The Chief Minister, who is also chairman of HUDA, directed that files be disposed off quickly and in a time-bound manner. He directed that Rs 770 crore earmarked for the development of Gurgaon during the next three years should be spent within the scheduled period. HUDA officials said Rs 425 crore had been spent on various developmental works in Gurgaon so far.

It was decided that the expenditure on setting up of substations of 220 KV capacity in urban estates of HUDA would be shared jointly by the Haryana Vidhyut Prasaran Nigam and HUDA on a 50:50 basis as against the 60:40 ratio at present. It was also decided that Rs 67.25 crore would be paid for extension of Metro from Delhi to Gurgaon during the current financial year.

HUDA also decided that it would have the authority to certify building plans and issue occupation certificates in case of residential plots (except group housing), industrial plots and commercial buildings governed by its architectural control to architects registered with the Council of Architecture and on the panel of HUDA.

The Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Town and Country Planning, Mrs Shakuntla Jakhu, said HUDA had so far earned a profit of Rs 139 crore during the current financial year.

Chandigarh, December 13
The Haryana Government has increased threefold the limit of pension to be adjusted by civil departments while fixing salaries for re-employed ex-servicemen.

Instructions in this regard were issued by the Finance Secretary today. The step will benefit the ex-servicemen working in various government departments of Haryana.

While giving salaries to military pensioners, the state government follows the “pay-minus-pension” policy, which means the pay will be less than the amount received through pension. For instance, if an ex-serviceman drawing a pension of Rs 2,000 per month is recruited for a state government job with a pay scale of Rs 8,000, he will be given Rs 6,000 by the government.

Earlier, pension up to Rs 500 was ignored by the state government while fixing the salaries of ex-servicemen on re-employment. Following the revision of pay scales and liberalisation of the pension rules, the question of raising the limit came up. The Finance Secretary today notified that in the case of retired officers of the defence forces, Rs 1,500 of their total pension would be ignored while fixing the salary for them for any civil job.

In the case of personnel below the rank of commissioned officer, the entire pension would be ignored while fixing the salary.

It was also stated that while fixing the initial pay of re-employed pensioners, the pension equivalent of gratuity would not be deducted from the pay.

The instructions will come into force with immediate effect. It was stated that the military pensioners who were already on re-employment could get their pay re-fixed under this policy. If an already re-employed military pensioner opted for this policy, his pay would be determined afresh. This means that he would not be reimbursed the money withheld from him earlier on account of the pension received by him.

Jhajjar, December 13
The Chief Minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, shifted the blame on the Electricity Regulatory Commission for the recent hike in the power tariff in Haryana, stating that the state government had no role in increasing the rates. The Chief Minister, however, admitted that the state was facing a serious power crisis.

Mr Hooda was addressing a press conference here today after attending an ex-servicemen reunion programme held on the Government College ground. He maintained that the state government had already given subsidy on the electricity rates, which were cheaper here as compared to Rajasthan and Delhi.

The CM announced to increase the monthly honorarium for physically challenged defence personnel from Rs 600 to Rs 1,000. He said the government would try to carve out a defence colony in Ambala after approval from the Centre.

Dwelling on his recent China visit, the Chief Minister held that he had targeted an investment of Rs 2 lakh crore in the coming days in the state which would provide employment to about 10 lakh people.

Earlier, he commissioned two substations of 220 KV and 130 KV at Noona Majra and Bahadurgarh.

Kurukshetra, December 13
Kurukshetra University will hold the University Grants Commission's national eligibility test for the Junior Research Fellowship and Lectureship on December 17. This was stated today by the Controller of the Examination, Dr Hukam Singh. He said about 3,807 candidates had registered themselves for the test so far and 13 centres had been created for the test.

The roll numbers of all eligible candidates had been dispatched and other necessary arrangements had been made for the smooth conduct of examination, he added. Arrangements had also been made to issue duplicate roll numbers to candidates who don’t receive them on time due to postal delay. Such candidates are required to bring a passport size photograph for issuing duplicate roll numbers during working hours. Candidates can avail this facility on Saturday (December 16) also.

Chandigarh, December 13
The Haryana Chief Secretary, Mr Prem Prashant, yesterday appealed to employees’ unions to refrain from causing inconvenience to people while observing the strike called by Left parties on December 14.

He said the government was geared up to maintain law and order and ensure the uninterrupted running of the essential services like the power and water supplies and transport.

Addressing a press conference here, Mr Prashant said the issues raised by the Left parties in connection with the strike call mostly pertained to the policies of the Central Government. The Haryana Government, he claimed, was pro-employee and had taken a number of steps for their welfare. He said 4,084 employees were retrenched during the previous regime and, barring 125 employees, all of them had been adjusted. The 125 employees who could not be re-inducted due to the lack of vacancies in some departments would also be adjusted soon, he said.

Some of the retrenched employees died before they could be re-employed, Mr Prashant said and added that their families would be given Rs 2.5 lakh by the government as compensation. Retrenched employees who were not re-employed by the government due to the age factor would get Rs 1 lakh as compensation, he said.

Mr Prashant said a scheme for the retrenched Class I and II employees had also been drawn up under which 31 employees would be re-adjusted in government departments within the next three months.

The Chief Secretary warned that in the case of a strike, the government would follow the policy of no work, no pay as directed by the Supreme Court.

Replying to a question, the Chief Secretary said there was no move to raise the superannuation age of Haryana Government employees.

The Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Power, Mr Ashok Lavasa, said a contingency plan had been prepared by the Power Department to meet any eventuality in the wake of the strike call.

He said 9,000 employees were being recruited in the power sector.

The Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Transport, Mr Ramendra Jakhu, said most of the demands of the roadways employees had already been met, including providing of ex gratia payment and increasing the night allowance from Rs 6 to Rs 12.

He said 1,000 new buses would be added to the roadways fleet during the next five-year plan and employees recruited accordingly to operate the vehicles. 

Fatehabad, December 13
The Income Tax authorities today raided offices of four business establishments at Tohana town in the district.

Three teams of IT officials swooped down upon the offices of Satyam Properties and Satyam Hotel, belonging to coloniser Krishan Prabhakar; Lamba Children Hospital - belonging to Dr Narender Lamba - located in front of the municipal council office; and Bansal Steel Traders - belonging Sukhdev Bansal - on the Railway Road.

The teams were led by Income Tax Additional Commissioner (Sirsa range) Mohammad Mohsin Alam and included Income Tax Officer, Fatehabad, Mukesh Sharma.

Officials of the department from Sirsa, Fatehabad and Hisar comprised the teams.

The authorities said survey of the offices was in progress and the officials were taking incriminating documents into their possession.

The however said it was not possible to tell the quantum of tax evasion by the firms so far.

Kaithal, December 13
Two external agencies of the Government of India will inspect the construction works being carried out by the state public health department. The state government has taken this decision to maintain transparency and ensure quality of work. The Public Health and Transport Minister, Mr Randeep Surjewala, said this while addressing a press conference here today .

The agencies- RITES and WAPCO-will keep a watch on the ongoing works from designing to the completion stage. These agencies will also have the power to take samples of the materials being used in the construction works. A nominal fee of 2 per cent of the cost of the project would be given for the work done by these agencies.

Mr Surjewala, along with his father, Mr Shamsher Singh Surjewala, MLA, today inaugurated a few projects completed with government grants and laid the foundation stone of other projects. Mr Surjewala said the state government had sanctioned Rs 55 crore for sewerage, sewerage treatment plant and drinking water schemes of this town.

Yamunanagar, December 13
An unidentified youth in his twenties allegedly committed suicide by jumping before a running train. His body was found lying along the track this morning.

Sources in the Government Railway Police said as per a note recovered from the body, the deceased was unemployed and committed suicide. Efforts were on to establish his identity.

The body of Shyam Sunder of Uttar Pradesh was also found along the track last night. Sources said that he was going to Ludhiana from Gorakhpur. It was presumed that he fell from a train and died.