Chandigarh, March 17
Rajya Sabha member and INLD leader Ajay Singh Chautala today questioned the absence of any mention of the SYL canal or the proposed Kishau dam and Renuka dam in the budget proposals presented in the Haryana assembly yesterday.

Addressing a press conference here, the INLD secretary-general said the state government appeared interested only in the construction of the Hansi-Butana canal even though it was uncertain whether water could be brought to the canal in view of the objections raised by Punjab and Rajasthan.

He said the state government appeared to be on an overdrive to complete the canal as a huge length of precious land was being dug round the clock by labourers for the new canal. Accusing the Congress government in the state of showing apathy regarding the completion of the SYL canal, the INLD leader said otherwise the state would not have waited for the results of the Punjab elections for approaching the Supreme Court for the expediting of the presidential reference on the controversial Punjab bill on water sharing.

Ajay, elder of the two sons of INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautala, also pulled up the Congress party on the issue of SEZs and said it was strange that while the party was opposing SEZs in West Bengal, it was all for setting up more and more SEZs in Haryana. He said the state government should immediately stop giving clearance to SEZs as these were gobbling up precious agricultural land on which three crops used to be sown.

He alleged that land being acquired by the government for various projects such as nano city and education city would be later made available to private operators for doing real estate business. He said the state government was also exaggerating the amount paid to landowners as compensation. “Nobody has got more than Rs 16 lakh per acre as compensation, but Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda is claiming that over Rs 21 lakh is given as compensation for each acre of land”, he said.

Asked why there was no popular resistance to the acquisition of land by the government, the INLD MP claimed there was enough resistance and even a mahapanchayat was held at Badli in Jhajjar district in connection with the issue.

He said landless people dependent on agriculture had become the worst sufferers of the government's policy of transferring agricultural land for setting up industries.

Ajay Chautala also announced the names of the new office-bearers of the INLD's youth wing. Surendra Dahiya, president of the youth wing's Haryana unit, Ashok Arora, president of the INLD's Haryana unit, and Sher Singh Badshami, former INLD president of Haryana, were among those present at the press conference.

Kurukshetra, March 17
Over 1 lakh pilgrims, most of them sadhus, have arrived here to have a holy dip in the sacred Brahamsarovar and Sannihit Sarovar on the occasion of the solar eclipse, which will occur on March 19 from 6.09 am to 7.48 am.

Most of the sadhus have taken their positions around both the sarovars.

Elaborate arrangements have been made to receive more than 10 lakh pilgrims coming from all over the country. Deputy commissioner T. K. Sharma has already promulgated section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 banning carrying of any weapon and using of fire crackers.

Sharma has also ordered that all able bodied adult male inhabitants of villages in this district shall be liable to perform patrol duty at night time to prevent sabotage and to ensure the safety of railway bridges, railway lines and tracks passing through the jurisdiction of their respective villages.

These orders shall remain in force till March 21, 2007.

Addressing the sector duty magistrates on the premises of the newly inaugurated media centre at the Kurukshetra Development Board (KDB) office here today, Mr Sharma asked them to cooperate in maintaining law and order in the mela area.

Earlier, Mr Sharma dedicated a diving compression machine costing over Rs 4 lakh to the people at the bank of the Brahamsarovar here today. The diver can remain in deep water for half an hour with the help of this machine, the working of which was demonstrated to the people. The divers will be helpful in saving the drowning persons with the help of this machine.

According to the superintendent of police, more than 6,000 police personnel will be deployed to control the law and order situation in the mela. He has urged the parents to put a slip in the pockets of their children containing all particulars regarding them so that lost children could be traced easily.

Rewari, March 17
There are allegations that a young woman, Sunita (28), wife of Sujan Singh, was done to death by her in-laws who then threw the body into a well to destroy evidence of the offence at Gangaicha Jat village, 8 km from here, on March 12.

Subsequently her in-laws, who had allegedly resorted to such a heinous act after Sunita failed to meet their demand of Rs 10,000 recently, informed her parents on telephone that Sunita had left the house clandestinely and was missing.

Worried members of her family rushed from Jhabua, near Bawal, to Gangaicha Jat where hectic efforts were reportedly made to trace her but to no avail.

Later, Sunita's body was fished out from a well on March 15.

A post-mortem examination was conducted at the civil hospital here. It is reported that the body bore marks of several injuries.

Suspecting foul play, Meer Singh, brother of the deceased, made a complaint following which the sadar police has registered a case of murder and destruction of evidence of offence under sections 302, 201, 34 of the IPC against her husband, Sujan Singh, father-in-law, Ram Kumar, mother-in-law, Uganti Devi, and three others, all residents of Ganagaicha Jat village.

Sunita, who was married to Sujan Singh in May 1998, was a mother of two children-a seven-year-old daughter and a four-year-old son.

The complainant alleged that owing to their inability to fulfil their increasing demands of hefty amounts, Sunita was done to death by her in-laws.

Ambala, March 17
The annual convocation ceremony of Gandhi Memorial National College, Ambala Cantt, was held today. 467 students were awarded degrees at the occasion.

Rajya Sabha MP Tarlochan Singh was the chief guest. Speaking on the occasion, Tarlochan Singh said if education does not help in securing a job, then the system is not in order and needs to be changed.

He also said we should look at all religions as equal and added that it is important to end communalism. He said India is a great nation and has a rich cultural heritage. He announced a sum of Rs 5 lakh for the college.

Divana (Panipat), March 17
Aimed at spreading the message of peace and friendship across the border, the NIFAA (National Integrated Forum of Artists and Activists) today started a peace march from Divana to Attari a month after the tragedy shook the entire nation.

Addressing a gathering prior to its start from Gate No. C-49 where the train halted on that fateful night, NIFAA president Pritpal Singh Pannu said the terror attack was targeted at the country's unity, but people of India successfully foiled the evil designs of terrorist groups involved in the incident. He said NIFAA volunteers from all 20 districts of the state would join the march on its way.

Earlier, an all-religion prayer meeting was organised, which was followed by a discussion on Indo-Pak friendship.