Rohtak, April 28
The Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU) administration has barred its faculty members from guiding MPhil and PhD research scholars of other universities. The university authorities have cited shortage of teachers as the reason behind the decision. A circular to this effect was delivered to all heads of university teaching departments yesterday. Recently, the Kurukshetra University (KU) authorities had also barred their teachers from guiding research scholars of other universities.

The MDU decision has come as a big blow to a large number of students of Chaudhary Devi Lal University (CDLU), Sirsa, who are pursuing MPhil through distance education. And it has come at a time when personal contact programmes for CDLU correspondence students are being organised at various centres, including MDU, and the exams are just round the corner.

Several students as well as their parents today asserted that if there was actually a shortage of faculty members at MDU, why were the university teachers allowed to guide the research scholars of other universities at the outset.

“Ditching the students at a time when their exams are round the corner is a breach of trust and reflects the inconsiderate and anti-student mindset of the university authorities,” students said, adding that they would approach MDU vice-chancellor R.S.Dhanker after he returned from his foreign tour and urge him to adopt a humane approach. “And if the order is not withdrawn, we will be left with no alternative but to move the court,” they maintained.

The CDLU authorities had suffered a similar setback a few weeks ago when the KU administration had barred its faculty members from guiding research scholars of other universities. They were forced to cancel the admission of some students. Later, several students had moved the court against the cancellation of their admissions and got reprieve.

And while the CDLU authorities were trying to sort out the matter with the KU administration, the MDU decision gave them a fresh shock. The CDLU vice-chancellor, Dr K.C.Bhardwaj, said he was not aware of any such move of the MDU authorities. “In any case, we will make all-out efforts in the larger interest of the students and follow the court’s directions in this regard,” he asserted.

Chandigarh, April 28
The Haryana police identified 1,100 telephone lines for keeping watch on these phones to prevent betting during the final match of the World Cup between Australia and Sri Lanka .

This was stated at a meeting Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had with SPs and the deputy commissioners of districts here today.

Hooda directed the assembled SPs and other senior police officers to ensure “visibility” of the police round the clock. He said the SPs should make themselves available to the public for at least an hour daily from 11 a.m.

He also directed the SPs and the range IGs to make surprise visits to police stations to keep a check on their functioning.

Director-general of police R.S. Dalal complimented the Gurgaon police on its success in busting a gang of truck thieves. He said trucks were being stolen from Haryana and then sold in Kolkata after preparing forged documents from Uttar Pradesh. From Kolkata these trucks were exported to Bangladesh as reconditioned vehicles. Haryana police teams raided various places in West Bengal and recovered some of these trucks.

On the issue of Maoist activities in the state, Dalal said a special workshop for SPs and DSPs would be held in the state on May 15, 16 and 17 to train them against such elements.

The issue of Bangladeshis residing illegally as labourers in the state was also discussed and it was decided to make efforts for their deportation from the state.

Dalal said with a view to ensuring proper investigation, the law and order and investigation wings had been separated at two police stations in each district on an experimental basis.

The system would be gradually implemented at the other police stations.

Sirsa, April 28
For mafia the two districts, Hanumangarh and Chittorgarh of Rajasthan, have become the major source of drugs trafficking into Haryana and Punjab through this district as the consumption of opium and poppy husk is more in these states than in Rajasthan. Due to its huge demand the contract for selling drugs at Hanumangarh, located near Sirsa, was sold for Rs 14.53 crore for 2007-08. Whereas, in Ganganagar district it was sold for Rs 8 crore and Rs 4 crore in Churu.

Poppy husk is mainly smuggled into border areas of Haryana and Punjab from Hanumangarh, which has six poppy husk shops at Kola, Dawa station, Bhadra, Pal and Nouhar and Sangriyan towns. While, the inter-state drug mafia prefers to purchase huge quantity of opium, poppy husk and heroin from Chittorgarh where its farming is carried out. The facts came to light from the confidential report prepared by the district police on the instructions of the state DGP, besides information gathered from former drug peddlers and advocates dealing with NDPS cases.

Many influential persons, including politicians, were involved in sale of drugs by getting contracts. Among politicians, a former MP had got the contract and was running wholesale and retail shops of these drugs at a number of places in Rajasthan. As huge profit was involved the name of the most-wanted criminal, Dawood Ibrahim, was also mentioned in the confidential report.

Officially farmers of the four districts, Jhalwad, Chittorgarh, Kota and Warame of Rajasthan, have been given permit to cultivate opium. The drugs like opium, smack, brown sugar and heroin are extracted from milk produced by the opium plant. The government has fixed per acre quantity of yield for permit holders whereas the remaining is supplied in the black market. The plants’ waste is used for preparing poppy husk.

It’s difficult to get hold of these contractors involved in smuggling of drugs due to politicians’ involvement. In addition to it, connivance between the excise department, contractors and farmers, involved in opium cultivation, is evident from the quantity of drugs smuggled from Rajasthan into other states. Moreover, the contractors had hired professional advocates and chartered accountants to protect them whenever their documents were checked.

Panipat, April 28
The BJP today accused two Congress leaders, including an MLA of grabbing land in different parts of the city. At a press conference here district BJP chief Sanjay Bhatia alleged these Congress leaders had grabbed a plot of land near Ram Lal Chowk and were raising a structure on it.

He alleged land grab was also taking place in Bhatia colony, but the authorities were not taking action. He said the party had decided to set up a 31-member panel to keep an eye on the activities of the municipal council and expose such activities .

Flaying the government’s policies, he alleged that corruption was rampant and farmers were being exploited.

He alleged the government had failed to deal with the power crisis and people didn't have access to drinking water. He also accused the Congress government of "sheltering" land grabbers.

Chandigarh, April 28
Will Kuldeep Bishnoi, estranged Congress MP from Bhiwani, float a new political outfit?

“I am a born Congressman and will continue to follow in the footsteps of the founders of the party,” he says, maintaining that as in the case of his father, Bhajan Lal, the interests of the common man --- “aam aadmi” --- have always dominated his political agenda.

“I know many Congressmen are keen that I should be out of the party as not many can dare challenge the party high command as and when it deviates from its policies and programmes,” he adds, revealing that he has been travelling throughout the state to seek support on issues he has taken up in the public interest.

While Bishnoi continues to duck questions on his political future, he, however, continues to evince keener interest in state politics.

“May be the next time I will be in the Haryana Vidhan Sabha rather than seeking another term in the Lok Sabha,” he remarks, indicating that both his father and brother --- Haryana’s deputy chief minister Chander Mohan --- are political bigwigs in their own way.

“I am a thinking politician. My father had an illustrious career in politics. Some of the rallies and functions I will be holding in the next few weeks will be purely on my own strength. Only on some occasions, my father has been with me,” he says.

Bishnoi was suspended from the Congress after he took up the cudgels on behalf of farmers of Haryana to protest against the acquisition of fertile agricultural land for special economic zones.

“ Fertile agricultural land must be saved. Besides tillable land, it is food security which must be accorded top priority in the wake of shrinking food reserves,” he adds.

Some senior politicians of the state, including those who had worked with the previous non-Congress governments, including those of Bansi Lal and Om Prakash Chautala, have been favourably inclined towards him.

After a series of meetings and rallies in various parts of the state, Kuldeep Bishnoi may organise a major rally in Rohtak after some time to prove his “popularity base” in the state. On the success of the Rohtak rally hinges his political future.

Political analysts agree that Kuldeep is silently working on organising and formulating a base for his new political outfit by staying on in the Congress. He is involving neither his father nor brother in his new political plan, they add.

They argue that since Haryana has been under Jat rule since 1996, the chances of a visionary and non-Jat leader like Kuldeep Bishnoi returning to the political horizon of the state may well be in consonance with the growing role of regional parties in both state and national politics.

With 76 per cent population of non-Jats, Kuldeep may be thinking of emerging as a new leader after his father, Bhajan Lal, in state politics.

Rohtak, April 28
The provision of supplying power through high-voltage distribution system (HVDS) and low-voltage distribution system (LVDS) in urban as well as rural parts of the state seems to have started paying dividends. Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN) has completed the work of establishing these systems in 70 urban and rural localities and claims to have gained more revenue recently.

An official spokesperson of the nigam disclosed that the completion of an LVDS project at Singhpura Khurd village of the district was the latest development in this regard. "In the village comprising nearly 600 households, there were 512 domestic and non-domestic connections," the spokesperson said and added that immediately after the completion of LVDS work, the nigam held two open ‘durbars’ at the village where 42 residents applied for and got new connections.

SDO in charge of the area Ravi K. Bhatia maintained that some more residents of the area were interested in having new connections, but these could not be provided, as the departmental rules did not permit the release of connections for defaulting premises.

Under the new regime, the old lines and cables supplying electricity to the village have been replaced with 1,400-metre-long aerial bunched cables. The nigam has also erected 42 new cement poles in the area.

According to official estimates, there has been an increase of 11 per cent in the revenue collected from the village following the commissioning of the LVDS project. The estimated payback time of the project is about six years. Moreover, the present LVDS can be changed to HVDS by adding about 25 distribution transformers of 5 KVA capacity as and when required.

Yamunanagar, April 28
A court here today remanded Rinku of Ismailpur village of

Chhachhrouli block here in police custody till May 2. He was arrested allegedly for providing shelter two the two youths arrested earlier and booked under charges of sedition. Rinku too has been booked under charges of sedition.

Earlier the police had arrested Samrat and Jagatar for being associated with Maoist movement. The two are also associated with the Jagruk Chatra Morcha (JCM). The police was in pursuit of Sanjay, state president of the JCM booked by the Jind police under charges of sedition and other sections. Police remand of Jagtar and Samrat too has been extended by the court.

The district unit of the ABVP under the leadership of state secretary Surinder Singh met the deputy commissioner and demanded a ban on the JCM and other organisations related to it. The ABVP had alleged several members of such organisations were associated with the Naxalite movement.

Kurukshetra, April 28
Five students of the department of social work, Kurukshetra University, have been selected by a team of four experts from the council for advancement of people’s action and rural technology (CAPART), ministry of rural development, Government of India, New Delhi, during campus interviews held here on Friday. Among those selected were two boys, Gyan Chand and Ishwar, and three girls, Latika, Pratima Shahi and Suman.

Fatehabad, April 28
A women and her paramour consumed poisonous substance at Kaulgarh village in this district today.

According to reports Kiran (30) had an affair with Kapoor Singh (65).

Neighbours bolted the house from outside and called Kapoor Singh's wife and other relatives when he(Kapoor Singh) went to Kiran's house today.

Finding them exposed, Kapoor Singh and Kiran allegedly consumed celphos tablets used to protect wheat from pests.

They were taken to Rattia civil hospital in a serious condition from where they were referred to Fatehabad.

Kapoor Singh died on the way to the hospital while Kiran's condition continues to be serious.