Panipat, February 4
The Haryana Government has again refused to consider promoted group C and D employees on a par with direct recruited ones when it decided to implement Supreme Court order in the case of those employees only who had challenged the policy of state government in the court.

The Director, Local Bodies, Haryana, in a letter to all its officials concerned a copy of which was with The Tribune has asked to implement the Supreme Court orders in this regard and directed that the order be implied in case of petitioners only.

The employees requesting anonymity said this action of the government actually killed the spirit of the decision of apex court as again thousands of employees working under similar circumstances would be deprived of their right.

The state government refused to grant benefit of step-up to senior employees on a par with junior employees in case of Assured Career Progression (ACP) matters.

The ACP scheme introduced in 1991 provided for two grades to the C and D group employees after 10 and 20 years of service if placed in the same post without any promotion avenues to save them from stagnating in the same salary at the end of scale.

But the Haryana Government issued a clarification order in 1998 stating that under the ACP Scheme the number of financial upgradations to be given to class C and D category employees shall be counted from the grade where he was inducted on direct recruitment to a particular post.

Some of the employees seeing discrimination moved to the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 1999 and got the verdict in their favour. Then the state government lost the case in apex court on August 2 last when it appealed against the decision of the high court.

A Bench of Mr Justice K.G. Balakrishnan and Mr Justice D.K. Jain disposed of the appeal of the Haryana Government against the Punjab and Haryana High Court order and directed the state government to bring the promoted group C and D employees on a par with the direct recruited ones in terms of awarding the ACP benefits.

The ‘appellant’ (government) will provide pay scales to them on a par with the direct recruits if they were getting less pay scale, the court said.

Mr Anil Kumar, Director, Local Bodies, informed according to the state government’s policy only those who got the orders from the court in the said case could be given the benefit. If they want themselves to avail the benefit they had to get the orders from the court also, added the director.

However, Mr N. Bala Bhaskar, Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary to Haryana Government, Finance Department, who directed all departments to implement court’s orders said he could comment after perusing the orders as the matter concerned with a decision of the Supreme Court.

Rohtak, February 4
Congress MP Deepender Singh Hooda here today laid the foundation stone of a project involving laying of electricity transmission lines underground. This is the first such project in Haryana.

Talking to mediapersons he said that this was a pilot project costing Rs 18 crore under which 11.5 km-long power lines would be laid underground in the first phase. The work would be completed by April-end. He said by laying electricity lines underground the risk of accidental electrocution would be reduced. Consumers would also get better power supply because there would be no interruptions in supply because of vagaries of nature.

He said that best-quality lines would be used to avoid any transmission problems at a later stage. About 8,000 consumers would benefit in the first phase of the project. In the first phase underground lines would be laid around Circular Road, Jhajjar Road, Shantmai Chowk, Sukhpura Chowk, Dayanand Math, old bus stand, Mata Darwaja and Subhash Road. Other areas of the town would be taken up after studying the project. If successful, the scheme would be extended to the entire state.

Mr. Hooda also laid foundation stone of an unmanned 33 KV power substation in the local Bal Bhawan premises. This is a novel idea and is being implemented for the first time in Haryana. The sub station would cost Rs 1.5 crore and the colonies presently getting supply from Jhang Colony and Rohtak Gate feeders would benefit.

Earlier, he laid the foundation stones of a new science block to be constructed at a cost of Rs 3 crore in the local All India Jat Heroes Memorial College campus and a community centre to be constructed by the Haryana Agricultural Marketing Board at a cost of Rs 80 lakh in Kahnaur village.

Later, addressing party workers at Kalanaur he asked them to mobilise people for the proposed Congress rally at Sirsa on February 25 to mark the completion of second year in office of the Bhupinder Singh Hooda government. 

Hisar, February 4
To save power utilities from losses by unscrupulous consumers in some areas and ensure qualitative supply to sincere consumers, the Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) has decided not to initiate new improvement works in the areas of higher commercial and line losses and lesser realisation of revenue.

The move has been initiated in view of power theft, non-payment of bills, line losses and other activities affecting quality of power supply and causing high commercial losses to the power utilities.

The DHBVN Board had decided not to start new improvement works in the areas where aggregate transmission and commercial losses are more than 90 per cent in urban and 85 per cent in rural areas, or where the collection of revenue is less than 95 per cent in urban and 90 per cent in rural areas, or where line losses are more than 30 per cent.

Rewari, February 4
As many as 36 passengers were injured, several of them seriously, when the bus of a cooperative society fell into a dry canal on the Rewari-Pataudi road, near Dohki village, 4 km from here, last evening.

Din Dayal of Khalilpur village, 8 km from here, and Basanti Devi of Nangal Mundi village, 12 km from here, who were seriously injured, were referred to Delhi, while the other injured persons were hospitalised here.

The mishap occurred when the bus was coming from Pataudi to Rewari. It is stated that at that time it was probably the conductor who was at the steering wheel of the bus.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Chander Prakash, convened an emergency meeting today, which was attended, among others, by Mr Ram Singh Bishnoi, SP, Mr G.L. Yadav, SDM, Rewari, Mr Rajiv Ahlawat, SDM, Kosli, Mr Ved Prakash Godara, ASP and other senior officers of the district.

Emphasising the need for stringent measures to curb the increasing incidence of vehicular accidents in the district, he said that it was worrisome that three major vehicular accidents had occurred in succession during the past three days. 

Yamunanagar, February 4
Two persons from Ferozepore district of Punjab stole 300 sacks of sugar worth Rs 5 lakh from here. But a minor mistake on their part landed them behind the police lock-up. They were traced down by the mobile phone number they had given to the owner of the sugar.

As per police sources Major Singh and Tarsem have been arrested for stealing 300 sacks of sugar from a local trader. The trader Sanjeev Malhotra had to transport the sugar in Punjab. The duo somehow came to know about it and offered their service.

Mr Malhotra agreed and 300 sacks of sugar were loaded into their truck on January 20. But when the sugar did not reach its destination with in the estimated time, Mr Malhotra got suspicious and reported the matter to the police.

The truck number turned out to be fake. However, the mobile number they had given to Mr Malhotra was genuine. The police arrested the duo after tracking the phone calls. Later, the two told the police that they had planned to sell the sugar in parts of Punjab as they desperately needed money for repair of their truck, which was falling apart with each passing day.