Faridabad, May 12
Without firing even a single shot, the police has been able to rescue four youths of Ballabhgarh from the clutches of a heavily armed and notorious gang of criminals based in Gopalganj of Bihar.

A ransom of Rs 30 lakh had been demanded from their kin by the abductors and threatened to kill them, if the money was not paid. The victims and a police party headed by Badan Singh Rana, DSP, Ballabhgarh, were on their way back to Faridabad, when the last report came in. No arrest has, however, been made in this connection.

The youths, identified as Harkesh (34), Bhola alias Satta, Praveen(24) and Sushil (25), had been kidnapped by the gang headed by Ajay Rai.

It is learnt that a resident of Gopalganj, who had come here in connection with trading of fake currency notes, had invited these youths to the place and had been abducted by the gang as soon as they reached there.

The abductors asked the victims to tell their family on phone to arrange money. While the kidnappers were asked to wait for some days the police team reached there and started the combing work.

The team got reports in the media in Bihar that a heavy contingent of the Haryana police had arrived in Gopalganj to stage an encounter with the Ajay Rai gang, in order to rescue the persons held by him.

The leader of this gang had been using the mobile phone of one of the victims to contact the family members and he was contacted by the DSP, who asked him to either release them without any harm, or he and his members would be killed in the encounter.

It is reported that the task of getting arrest warrants of the family members of the gang leader and the full record of their addresses helped the Haryana police to nail down the criminals mentally, who thought the encounter could be disastrous for him and his gang.

The criminals ultimately gave in and released the victims without any condition.

According to police officials, it took the team about eight days to prepare well for this operation which included continuous combing in Betia, Gopalganj, Basti and Motihari districts, as it was revealed that the gang had been mobile and use the banks of the Gandak river as its cover.

A police official in the area reportedly told the team that it was useless to search for the victims and even advised the team to arrange the money for release.

“Perhaps it was the meticulous planning, which including media reports about of huge number of cops in the team for encounter, combing work and the pressure of getting family members of the gang leader arrested worked wonders, claimed an official.

It is revealed that the gang had been armed with latest weapons and had a rein of terror in the area, whose main business was kidnapping.

The local INLD leader Master Rishipal has sought President Medal and cash reward for the DSP and his team for this work.

Karnal, May12
Taking a notice of The Tribune report published yesterday, the HPCB today issued directions to the state police and government to adopt an environment-friendly method to destroy narcotics.

The news reported about the pollution caused as the police burnt about 8,000 kgs of drugs near a residential area in Sector 4.

Talking to TNS, chairman of the board D. S. Dhesi favoured experts' opinion to tackle the problem of destroying the drugs.

He said he would also write to Central Pollution Control Board officials suggesting to lay down parametres for narcotics burning.

Inquiries revealed that the central board had not laid any guideline on burning of drugs seized by the police.

Environmentalists have demanded that both central and state authorities should take notice of the matter and issue a notification in this regard.

But police officials admit that the practice of burning has gone unchecked for years.

An official said it was indeed beyond calculation the damage done to the environment till date by burning. Favouring a complete ban, the official stressed the need to look into the methods adopted by the developed countries to control it.

The official also opined that either incinerators should be outsourced or the scientific set-up could be establish at the level of each police range.

Though the Haryana Pollution Control Board (HPCB) has taken prompt note, this environmentally hazardous activity to destroy drugs goes unchecked in most states of the North.

Every year hundreds of tonnes of drugs seized by the state and Central authorities are burnt causing immense damage to the environment.

Sirsa, May 12
For the first time senior police officials of Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan have formed a uniform strategy to arrest contractors and suppliers involved in drug trafficking.

Now not only the drug peddlers but the drug smugglers too would be caught with inter-state officials’ coordination.

As a number of high-profile persons involved in the drug trade have been working with complete immunity, lack of sharing of the information about them among the police officers of the three states does help them, revealed the police sources.

Besides six wholesale shops of drugs, there are 25 outlets in Hanumangarh district only. There are other illegal shops also functioning in Rajasthan where the drug peddlers can easily purchase the drugs, revealed the police sources.

Besides it, the contractors who were involved in the opium trade in connivance with the excise department are also alleged to be involved in the drug trafficking, said the police officials.

Sirsa, May 12
Expressing surprise over BSP supremo Mayawati’s clean sweep in UP, former Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala today criticised the Election Commission for discriminating against regional parties.

He said the commission had played a major role in the defeat of Mulayam Singh Yadav. It was not happened in UP, even regional parties in Punjab and Haryana were facing the discrimination.

He said people were fed up by national parties, the Congress and the BJP, as these had no common plans. The Congress had failed to check the hike in the prices of commodities.

“Now, we have decided to form a third front comprising regional parties to provide an alternative to people. I have discussion with Mulayam Singh Yadav, Chandra Babu Naidu, Jayalalitha and leaders of other regional parties”, he said.

Chautala, while addressing a press conference here, said there was a sharp difference between Left and Congress policies. Left could withdraw their support any time from the UPA, he added.

Despite President Abdul Kalam statement of need for two-party system best for India, Chautala favoured Abdul Kalam for the second term as President.

Chandigarh, May 12
The Haryana Urban Development Authority(HUDA) will earn over Rs 80 crore by outsourcing several public utility services in Gurgaon in the next five years.

This was claimed by Gurgaon Administrator of HUDA S.P. Gupta here on Thursday.

He said certain advertising agencies had been putting up hoardings and various types of advertisements running unauthorisedly for long.

Some of them had even succeeded in getting stay orders from various courts.

On the directions of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, the case was taken up in the Supreme Court, which vacated all stay orders.

Gupta said it was for the first time in the state that almost all the public utility services had been outsourced. Under this system expenditure would be borne by private advertisement agencies to provide world class facilities to the public. HUDA would not have to bear any cost.

He said HUDA administrators were authorised to outsource the public utilities after inviting tenders at a meeting held under the chairmanship of the chief secretary.

HUDA, Gurgaon, took the lead and outsourced toilets, guide maps, foot overbridge, display boards on poles, kiosk, unipoles, traffic booths and traffic posts, led-based traffic signal lights, dustbins, bus shelters and tree guards.

Gupta said HUDA received Rs 67 crore from allotment of these public utility services. So far HUDA had been spending a huge amount on providing these facilities to the public.

Some other services such as mobile catering vans, delineator, cat eyes etc. will also be outsourced shortly and HUDA is expected to receive about Rs 80 crore from the allotment of all these services.

Kaithal, May 12
Two factions of Sikhs put up a show of strength separately to push their own agendas here today.

One faction, under the banner of the HSGPC, demanding a separate SGPC for Haryana, organised a huge procession carrying black flags and burnt the effigy of Parkash Singh Badal.

The other faction, owing allegiance to SAD Amritsar, held a meeting at Gurdwara Neem Sahib where speakers, including former SGPC chief Bibi Jagir Kaur and Balwinder Singh Bhunder, party general secretary, made it clear that they would not tolerate the formation of the HSGPC.

The administration deployed a heavy police force at the gurdwara and for the procession of pro-HSGPC protesters.

A large number of Sikhs assembled at Jawahar Park here this morning and after listening to various leaders, they marched towards the gurdwara on the outskirts of the town.

They raised slogans against the SAD leader and in favour of the formation of a separate committee.

However, apprehending trouble, the administration put up barrickades at Bidhikayar Tank Bridge and the police did not allow the procession to proceed towards the gurdwara where SAD leaders arrived to address a public meeting.

The processionists, led by Avtar Singh Chakku, Sarjit Singh, advocate, and other representatives of local gurdwara committee, insisted that they would make a peaceful protest before the SAD leaders but they were not allowed to move from that place for over two hours.

Later on, they were allowed to move to this place under heavy police bandobast. At this place, they burnt the effigy of Parkash Singh Badal.

Various speakers made it clear that now they would not accept the diktat of SAD leaders and they would not rest till their demand for formation of the HSGPC was accepted.

On the other hand, Bibi Jagir Kaur and Balwinder Singh Bhunder made it clear that they would not allow the formation of the HSGPC.

Addressing mediapersons after the meeting,both leaders said the amendment to the 1925 Act governing gurdwaras could not be made by the government.

Replying to a query about the relation between the SGPC and SAD, Bibi Jagir Kaur said the SGPC was the religious wing of Sikhs and SAD political wings so these two could not be separated.

They also clarified that Haryana gurdwaras made symbolic financial contribution to SGPC funds and most of the Haryana gurdwara committees spent their collections to meet their own expenses.

Ambala, May 12
Baba Piyara Singh Bhaniarawala, the author of a controversial religious book, appeared in the court of duty magistrate Mahavir Singh today.

The court adjourned the hearing of the case for June 2.

It is to be mentioned that around six criminal cases are pending against hin in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate, Ambala, on the charge of hurting religious sentiments of a community.

The cases were registered around five years back during the regime of Akali government. Later, on the request of Bhaniarawala the cases were transferred to Ambala.

Tight security arrangements were made outside the court premises. Besides a number of constables, a DSP and three inspector-level police officers were deputed for the security of Baba.

Three years back a murderous attack was made on Baba when he was coming out of the CJM court. Later, the high court directed the Ambala police to provide sufficient security to him.

Ambala, May 12
Haryana education minister Phool Chand Mullana today laid the foundation stone of a stadium in Saha. Mullana also inaugurated four newly constructed rooms at Government School, Saha, and two rooms at Government Girls School, Saha.

He said the stadium would be constructed at a cost of Rs 40 lakh while the rooms had been constructed under the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan for Rs 11.16 lakh.

He said the sports stadium at Saha would be spread over six acres. More stadiums at the block level would be constructed at Kesari, Bihta, Gokalgarh, Holi, Samalheri, Tandwal and Rajjokheri, he said, adding that a total of 120 block-level sports stadiums were going to be constructed all over the state.

Mullana said Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda was expected to visit the Mullana area soon. During the visit, Hooda would inaugurate a railway overbridge at Kesari.

He said in the past two years, a sum of Rs 200 crore had been spent in the area for various development works.

The minister said the state government had brought about substantial improvement in schools. Edusat technology was now being provided to government schools, he added.

Ambala, May 12
An inter-school science exhibition-cum-competition was organised at Chaman Vatika, Ambala City, today.

A number of schools participated in the competition.

In category 1, Chaman Vatika was first, DAV, Ambala City, was second while Major R.N. Kapoor DAV Public School was third in physics. In chemistry, SD Public School was first, Chaman Vatika was second and Major R.N. Kapoor DAV Public School was third. In biology, SD Public School was first, Chaman Vatika was second while DAV Senior Secondary School, Ambala City, was third. In EVS, Saupin's School, Panchkula, stood first, Chaman Vatika second and SD Public School, Ambala City, stood third.

In category 2, DAV Senior Secondary School, Ambala City, bagged the first position while SD Public School was second in physics. In chemistry, SD Public School, Ambala, was first, Chaman Vatika was second and Saupin's School, Panchkula, was third.

In biology, DAV Senior Secondary School was first, SD Public School, Ambala Cantt, was second while third prize was shared by Chaman Vatika and Major R.N. Kapoor DAV Public School. In EVS, Chaman Vatika was first, DAV Senior Secondary School, Ambala City, was second and SD Public School, Ambala Cantt, was third.

In category 3, in physics, DAV Senior Secondary School, Ambala City, was first, Chaman Vatika was second while SD Public School was third.

In chemistry, the first prize was shared by Maj R.N. Kapoor DAV School and SD Public School while the second prize went to Chaman Vatika and DAV Public School got the third prize.