Chandigarh, August 12
The much pending demand of the people of the Sonepat-Jind area for a direct rail link has been accepted by the Railway Ministry.

Earlier, the ministry was opposed to the demand because the proposal was not deemed to be economically viable by it.

However, the Haryana Government and Rohtak MP Deepender Singh Hooda had been persistently following up with the ministry to approve the Rs 265-crore project, which would go a long way to boost the socio-economic growth of the area.

The ministry had conducted a survey for the Sonepat-Jind rail link in 2003-04 when the project cost was estimated to be about Rs 190 crore. It was also estimated that the project would have a negative rate of return of 15.64 per cent.

After the Hooda government came into power, the Railways conducted another survey in 2005-06. The cost escalated to about Rs 265 crore, including the land cost, and the negative rate of return was estimated to be about 20 per cent.

The ministry has now written that if the state agrees to bear 50 per cent of the project cost, it will implement the project on the pattern of the Rohtak-Jhajhar-Rewari rail link. This project was also approved by the Railways after the Rohtak MP persuaded the state government to share its cost.

Haryana PWD secretary K.K. Jalan has conveyed to the Railways the state government's willingness to share the cost of the Sonepat-Jind rail link.

Deepender Hooda said the rail link would not only integrate interiors of the state with the national railway network, but would also serve as an alternate rail route, besides raising the socio-economic status of the people of the area.

Sonepat, August 12
Dharambir, a maxi cab driver, has set an example of honesty by returning a bag containing Rs 6 lakh to its owner, a cloth merchant, Satish Manchanda of Gohana last evening.

According to information, Satish Manchanda carrying a bag, reached the Gohana bus stand in the morning and hired a maxi cab for going to Rohtak. Before he could leave, a roadways bus arrived there and he boarded the bus, in haste leaving behind his bag in the vehicle.

However, when the bus reached near Ghillor village, he found his bag missing and lodged a complaint with police post near the village on Gohana-Rohtak highway. Though, the police made announcements in the neighbouring villages but without any success.

Meantime, when Dharambir, who is also the president of the Gohana-Rohtak Maxi Cab Union, found the bag lying in the jeep, he handed over it to Sewa Ram, a khokha owner outside the bus stand asking him not to hand it over without proper identification. As luck would have it, Satish went to the bus stand for inquiring about its lost bag and he was happy to know that the bag was safe with Sewa Ram. In the presence of a few prominent persons , Dharambir handed over the bag to Satish and even declined to accept any award for his honesty.

Panipat, August 12
In an alleged attempt to “protect'' an influential bureaucrat attached with the chief minister's office from penalising for not providing information from the state labour department, the State Information Commission (SIC) has dismissed an application on controversial grounds.

P. P. Kapoor, who is also the state convener of the Indian Federation of Trade Unions (IFTU), has now decided to approach the Punjab and Haryana High Court for action against SIC for its alleged ‘misconduct’ and other officials.

His plea was rejected on July 27 by SIC after the latter found that being a state convener of IFTU, Kapoor was not entitled to get any information under the RTI.

Citing the provision under Section 3 of the RTI Act, SIC maintained that only citizen has a right to information.

Interestingly, the same SIC official had heard another complaint filed by Kapoor in the capacity of the IFTU convener. Subsequently, the SIC had served a show-cause notice to Panipat CMO on penalising for delaying information to the IFTU official.

According the SIC judgment pronounced on July 27, 2007 (copies of which are with The Tribune), case number 1367 was against the CMO whereas another case (1378) against the Haryana labour commissioner.

Judgments in both the cases were announced by Meenaxi Anand Chaudhry.

‘It reveals the sorry state of affairs where the bureaucrats in SIC were openly making mockery of the law. It is shameful that in a bid to provide shelter to a fellow bureaucrat, (who was earlier the Commissioner of labour department) SIC has raised question mark on my nationality. I will challenge it in the court,'' said the trade union leader.

His application, vide diary number 747 on November 17, 2006, was accepted by Panipat-based deputy labour commissioner (DLC) in which Kapoor had applied for full information regarding the pitloom industry at Panipat. Kapoor filed an appeal with the first appellate authority i.e. labour commissioner on March 6, 2007 for information but to no avail.

Appellant submits that he was unsatisfied with the information given to him on January 10, 2007 by the labour department. Instead of furnishing required details, he was given the exhaustive list of all the factories registered under the Factories Act.

Sirsa, August 12
Gufa, the official residence of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, was indeed a scary place for sadhvis.

Sadhvis were put on sentry duty at the gufa in a 20-day cycle during night and day.

Many of them, who were called for duty at night by the dera chief, normally left the dera abusing him.

This was alleged by the main witness sadhvi, who had alleged that she was raped by the dera chief, in a charge sheet filed by the CBI against the chief in the court recently.

As per the facts mentioned in the charge sheets, the copies of which are with The Tribune, the key witness in the rape case had alleged that the dera chief had raped her twice at his gufa and also threatened of dire consequences if she revealed the incident outside.

The sadhvi also revealed that she was deputed on sentry duty in the gufa and was witness to six sadhvis, who were also called by the dera chief at night.

She had given the names of six sadhvis who had left the dera after having terrible experience at the gufa.

The CBI stated in the charge sheet that the victim while narrating her tale of woes rued that she was called to the dera by the chief in August, 1999.

He asked about her past life and the mistakes that she had committed.

She also showed some letters written to her by some boy. She explained everything to the chief, who told her that there was no need to worry about the boy.

Later, despite her objection, the chief allegedly raped her on the pretext that by becoming a sadhvi she had given her body and soul to him.

The dera chief told the sadhvi that by remaining in the outside world she had become ‘Apavitr’ (impure) and he was making her pure. After the incident she was shifted to the old dera.

The sadhvi also said there was also a gufa in the old dera. Later, she came to know that the chief used to call sadhvis in night whenever he used to stay at the old dera.

She said: “I was again asked to meet the chief in the gufa by a lady official, who warned that no food will be given if she resists.” After repeated pressure, she met the chief in the gufa where he allegedly raped her again.

Hisar, August 12
Haryana forest and environment minister Kiran Chaudhary today inaugurated a herbal park on the Dhansu road, here.

This is the 20th such park in the state. There is a plan to establish 28 such parks throughout the state.

Chaudhary said these parks would be part of agricultural forestry promotion plans to encourage and train farmers to grow herbs for diversification and raise their incomes. Young farmers should especially pay attention to herb growing as they were more aware of newer techniques of agriculture and forestry.

The minister said Haryana had already achieved a target of planting 1.7 crore trees in 20 districts during the current monsoon season. Forest committees had been constituted in 1,700 odd villages and it had been decided to allot plant nurseries to women.

She said tree plantation was a must for northern states, including Haryana, as these states would face drinking water shortage in eight years if the forest cover was not raised substantially.

Chaudhary, who also holds the tourism portfolio, said the Centre was expected to grant Rs 230 crore to Haryana for improving and creating tourism infrastructure in the state. 

Jind, August 12
A wave of unrest and resentment seems to be prevailing among the state government employees over the policies of outsourcing and undeclared ban on the regularisation of the ad hoc and daily wages staff.

Under the banner of the Sarva Karamchari Sangh, Haryana, the agitated employees had staged an impressive demonstration at the state capital recently to lodge their protest on the issue.

Alleging that recruitment on regular basis had almost ended, a spokesperson of the employees’ body said all appointments that were done in the past over the two years were mainly based on outsourcing policy, under which the staff was hired through an agency or contract system instead of traditional recruitment process.

Describing the appointment of guest teachers in the Education Department, he said they were not given any assurance by the authorities to be absorbed in the department though there was an acute shortage of teachers in government schools.

Claiming that employment under contractual system was a kind of an official exploitation, he said it even does not assure the minimum wages of Rs 3,510.

Describing the recent reported advertisement floated by the Transport Department regarding recruitment of drivers and conductors on contract basis as a joke, he asked how skilled workers like drivers and conductors could work against a monthly wages of Rs 2,510 mentioned in the advertisement, which was much lower than the standard minimum wages announced by the government.

Assailing the alleged lopsided policy, a representative of the Haryana Roadways Karamchari Sangh claimed that there had been around 600 buses lying idle in various depots because of no staff, while the authorities were busy in announcing more luxury buses.

The sangh believed that there were at least 1 lakh posts lying vacant in various departments. 

Rewari, August 12
A young woman Sushma Yadav(22) reportedly made a bid to commit suicide by consuming poison in the Qutubpur colony here on Friday night

In a critical condition, she was admitted to the local civil hospital where her statement was recorded by chief judicial magistrate Sukrampal Singh. She reportedly said when harassment for dowry by her in-laws became agonizing, she was forced to take the extreme step.

The woman is now stated to be out of danger.

Consequently, the Rampura police has registered a case of cruel treatment under Sections 498-A, 34 of the IPC against her husband Navneet Yadav, mother-in-law Saroj Yadav, brother-in-law Surender Yadav and sister-in-law Kusum Yadav.

In a second case pertaining to harassment for dowry given to two married sisters-Manju and Rekha- allegedly by their in-laws, the Sadar police has booked Manju’s husband Ram Singh, Rekha’a husband Laxman Singh and their father-in-law Mahender Singh for cruel treatment following a complaint lodged by their father Ajit Singh of Beharipur village, near here.

Hisar, August 12
Haryana Congress chief Phool Chand Mullana said here today that his first priority was to improve and establish a good rapport between the party leadership and Congress workers.

Talking to newspersons on his first visit to the town after assuming office he said there was a need for more communication between ordinary party workers and the leaders. While the leadership should brief them fully about party and government policies, the workers should in turn give feedback for improving the functioning of both the government and the party.

He said his other primary function would be to propagate the achievements of the Bhupinder Singh Hooda government which had done exceedingly well so far.

Haryana Congress Working President Kuldeep Sharma said the Hooda government had restored law and order in Haryana and more than five dozen notorious criminals had been killed in police encounters.

He said the government had waived arrears of farmers’ power bills and provided more relief to the peasantry than any previous government in Haryana.

In reply to a question about the anti party campaign being led by former chief minister Bhajan Lal and his MP son Kuldeep Bishnoi he said the party was above every individual. The people had voted for the party and its present leadership. So no individual ought to take the credit for party’s victory.

He said the Congress was a democratic party but it welcomed those who joined it and also those who wanted to leave it.

Hisar, August 12
The Haryana police is on the look out for a middle-aged woman, known as Lady Natwarlal of Hisar, who decamped with several lakhs collected from kitty members.

The woman whose actual name is Shefali had enrolled about 300 members in her kitty party. A couple of days back she disappeared along with her two sons with all the money she had collected.

When the members came to know of her disappearance they registered a case against the woman and her sons. One of the members in her complaint alleged that she had been duped of Rs 15,000 while a few even claimed to have lost in lakhs which they had invested in the ‘draw-of-lots’ game organised in the kitty party.

The sons - Rajat and Vivek - helped their mother in collecting the money from the members and were estate dealers. A case has been registered under Sections 420 and 406 of the IPC. Shefali was residing at 1641, Sector 13. — UNI

Kaithal, August 12
Students should be given the best education infrastructure so that they can achieve excellence in their academic carrier and prepare themselves for stiff competition outside.

This was stated by S. Tarlochan Singh, member, Rajya Sabha, and former chairman of National Commission for Minorities at a function held at Heritage International School, here, today.

He also laid the foundation stone of additional building for which he had sanctioned a grant of Rs 5 lakh and also promised to provide more necessary funds.

He said students were the future of the country and maximum facilities should be given to them by the school and the government. Education was very important for the personality development of an individual and so there could be no compromise with quality education.

He also stressed upon the need to preserve the rich cultural heritage.

He also released a book written by Dr Parduman Bhalla.

Deputy commissioner Rajinder Kataria exhorted students to work hard and study with devotion and dedication to achieve their set goals in life.

Later, Tarlochan Singh also attended a function organised at Jat College, here.