Karnal, July 30
The Kurukshetra Development Board (KDB) has finally stepped in to breathe life into the historical Karan Taal, a place associated with the Mahabharata era.

Located in the heart of the town, the taal which once was known for magnificent landscaping now gives a filthy look. The late Sanjay Gandhi had presided over the inaugural function of the park where the mythical pond was converted into a picnic spot.

Sharing the information of development plan here today Deputy Commissioner Balbir Singh Malik said a sum of Rs 41 lakh had been sanctioned for the beautification of the lake.

He said the Governor Dr A. R. Kidwai who is also the chairman of KDB had agreed on the ambitious development plan.

He said that it would be developed as a major tourist spot.

The place is associated with the battle of Mahabharata and Karna, the son of lord Sun, who had stationed his army around the present-day park. It is believed that in olden times there was a natural water body at the site surrounded by temples. Philanthropist Karna used to offer prayers after a bath at the ghats of the erstwhile sarovar.

A pillar erected by the Bansi Lal government at the entrance of the taal states that it was the place where Karna used to donate 125 kg of pure gold everyday.

But the authorities were blamed for ignoring the site of historical significance.

Earlier, the state government had made a plan in June last for its maintenance but it did not materialise. There was a proposal to install a life-size statue of Karna in the middle of the taal which still hangs in the balance.

The park was well maintained when it was given a "modern-day look". The state-of-the-art mechanism was adopted for the beautification of the place. 

Fatehabad, July 30
Former MLA Partap Singh Chautala today urged the Central Government to find an amicable solution to the ongoing dera-Sikh row leaving aside all political considerations to prevent violent altercations between the two groups.

Talking to mediapersons here today, he held the dera chief, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and the Punjab government, equally responsible for the present state of affairs.

He has sought the immediate intervention of the Centre in this matter as it had proved a big drain on the exchequer of Haryana on maintaining deployment of paramilitary forces.

Chautala also demanded a probe in to the revelations made by a former driver of the dera chief on a private television channel recently.

He also raised questions on the credibility of certain Sirsa residents, who had been named in the peace committee constituted by the authorities and said people who had been vocal against the dera in the past were now posing as a ‘mediator’ in the matter.

Sirsa, July 30
High alert has been sounded in the district as the CBI has to file reports on the allegations levelled against the dera chief tomorrow as regards his alleged involvement in the murders of Ram Chander Chhatrapati and Ranjeet Singh and the sexual exploitation of a sadhvi.

The situation is tense as dera followers have been camping in large numbers in the dera in view of the CBI reports. Paramilitary forces have been deployed around the dera and also on the road leading to it. Besides this, paramilitary forces have been deployed in all sensitive areas and on the border areas of the district with Punjab.

Ambala, July 30
India will become the third strongest power in the world by 2040, Governor of Haryana Dr A R Kidwai said here today while presiding over the five-day Bharat Nirman Public Information Campaign being held at Naraingarh, Ambala.

Dr Kidwai advocated that to become the world’s third strongest power by 2040, every citizen had to work at a faster pace to make the nation self-reliant, self-sustained and developed.

He said 400 foreign companies had established their offices in India as there was ample technical skilled labour available in India as compared to other countries. Spare parts of cars and medicines were being manufactured here and exported to other countries.

He stressed that under the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan, 6-14 years age group children should be admitted in schools and the state would make effort that no child was left out.

He said such campaigns should be conducted in every village to make the people aware about their welfare schemes.

Kanchan Prasad Mandlaus, director, Press Information Bureau, said the PIB had conducted campaign during the last year in those districts which were identified under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), minority population areas and Jawahar Lal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission.

She further added that a team of campaign was also visiting different villages to disseminate information regarding the programmes of Cental Government among the rural masses. The field officers had already visited more than 80 villages of the Naraingarh block.

On the occasion, bicycles were distributed among school girls under the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan and sewing machines were distributed to the poor women through the Red Cross Society Ambala by Dr Kidwai. 

Rewari, July 30
A teenaged girl Nirmala Yadav, who had run away with a young man of Alwar district from the Kankarwali colony here on May 7, and whom she had married in a temple in Alwar city, has now been allowed by the court of the Judicial Magistrate Rajesh Garg to live with her husband Satya Vir Yadav as his legally wedded wife.

The court set aside her mother Kamlesh Yadav’s plea that her daughter, who was a minor, had been abducted by Rajesh.

It is recalled that some youths, in connivance with Sunita Yadav of Ateli area in Mahendragarh district had managed to lure away Nirmala and her younger sister Kavita from their house in Kankarwali colony.

It is reported, while Nirmala eloped with a young man of Dhemi village of Alwar district, Kavita was taken to a place near Dharuhera by the alleged abductors.

Subsequently on a complaint filed by Kamlesh Yadav who alleged that her two daughters Nirmala (15) and Kavita (13) had been abducted by certain people, the city police registered a case of abduction under Sections 363, 366, 34 of the IPC against the accused.

Later Kavita was recovered by the police, while her four alleged abductors - DharamVir Yadav, Ajit Yadav, Pyarey Lal Yadav and Sunita Yadav were arrested and sent 
behind bars.

Simultaneously when the complainant Kamlesh Yadav pressed for the recovery of her elder daughter Nirmala as well, the police intensified its raids on certain hideouts in Alwar district, following which the newly wedded duo - Nirmala Yadav and Satya Vir Yadav presented themselves before the city police here on July 27.

The police produced them in the court of the Judicial Magistrate Rajesh Garg where Nirmala Yadav stated that her mother was bent upon ruining her life by selling her to undesirable elements. She, therefore, voluntarily fled and then married Satya Vir Yadav. She also expressed her desire to live with him as his legally wedded wife asserting that now she was 19-years-old and not a minor as recorded in her school leaving certificate.

After her deposition, the court ordered that she and Satya Vir Yadav could live as husband and wife.

Yamunanagar, July 30
The district administration has started developing the herbal park at the civil secretariat, Jagadhari and District Commissioner Nitin Kumar Yadav inaugurated a fountain in the park today.

The District Commissioner said the park would be developed as hundreds of people visited the secretariat and the adjoining judicial complex daily sat in the park.

He said Ballarpur Industries Limited would install benches in the park. He said fancy lights would be installed around the fountain and the entrance gate of the secretariat would also be beautified.

Yadav also flagged-off a vehicle carrying 15 polio infected children to Saket hospital in Panchkula. The children would be operated free of cost, he added.

Meanwhile, a special pulse polio drive would be carried on August 5 and 6 for immunisation of children of migrant laboures in the rural and urban areas of the district, informed a spokesman of the district administration.

The DC said the park would cater to the needs of people where they could spend their leisure time

Yamunanagar, July 30
The driver of a car was killed and its other four occupants seriously injured, when a tyre of the car that 
that they were travelling in burst, and the vehicle plunged into a pond on the Sadhaura-Pawni road here this morning.

Driver Mithun Singh (24) died on the spot, while the other four occupants which included Devi Dutt, his wife Poonam and two children Renu (6) and Chirag (4) were injured.

Additional Judicial Magistrate Neerja Kulwant Kalsan who was passing by, came to the rescue of those trapped in the car. Her gunman Narayan Singh and residents of nearby Sarawa village jumped into the water to fish out the occupants. However, they failed to locate Mithun Singh.

After the tyre burst, the driver lost control of the car and after ramming into the railings of the bridge, plunged the car into the pond. Poonam, Chirag and Renu fell on the road, while Devi Dutt and Mithun fell into the waters along with the car.

The family was taken to the civil hospital at Jagadhri by the magistrate.

Ambala, July 30
Ambala Sadar municipal councillors today passed a resolution in the general House seeking an end to requirement of no objection certificates (NOCs) for building plans in Sadar.

The councillors stated that the blueprints of houses must be cleared and house owners should not be harassed for mutation.

When the issue was first brought up by councillor Hira Lal Yadav, it led to a heated debate between Congress councillor Omkar Nathi and MC president Neelam Sharma. Neelam stated that it is the duty of the MLA from Ambala Cantonment to take up the issue in the Assembly.

Nathi objected, saying that this issue was the responsibility of all the municipal councillors as well.

Yadav pointed out that the issue had become a major one. He recalled that on August 13, 1995, the then Chief Minister Bhajan Lal had announced that NOCs would not be required anymore in Ambala Sadar. However, the subsequent governments had re-imposed it, complicating matters for the local residents.

Yadav added that the residents of the city had been running from pillar to post to get an NOC, but to no avail. He said several persons have been waiting for more than three years to get their building plans cleared.

Councillor Narinder Bangali stated that, despite assurance given by executive officer Pratap Singh, development works had not yet begun. He said contractors who did not carry out works under the municipal committee fund, should not be given any more responsibilities.