Yamunanagar, January 11
A large number of workers of the Haryana Janhit Congress (BL) took out a torch procession to protest against the ongoing power shortage and unscheduled long power cuts in the state here today.

The protest disrupted traffic on the Ambala-Jagadhri stretch of NH-73 and traffic jams were seen on the march route. The workers also protested against the deteriorating law and order situation in the state and increasing clout of land mafia.

The march, which was led by secretary of the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee and senior leader of the Haryana Janhit Congress, Satpal Kaushik, started from Thappar ground and culminated at the mini-secretariat before passing through various parts of Yamunanagar and Jagadhri.

A delegation of workers, including Mahi Pal, Ravi Chaudhary, Ravi Mehra, Chander Bhan Kamboj, Nand Kishore Sharma, Balinder Singh and Sukbhir Bakana, later submitted a memorandum to the Haryana Governor through the city magistrate.

Addressing workers at the mini-secretariat, Kaushik said the Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led Congress government in the state had failed on all fronts. He said the BPL survey list smelled of corruption as efforts had been made to benefit those who were close to Congress MLAs and MPs at the cost of poor people. He said the law and order situation had worsened and land mafia was active in the state. According to him, half of the prime land in the state was owned by businessmen and land developers.

Taking a dig at the Congress government’s claim that it would do its best to improve the power situation, Kaushik said there was no power in the state and power cuts were imposed for as long as 17 hours in a day in urban areas and 20 hours in rural areas. Industries, agricultural sector and the general public were suffering due to power shortage.

Gurgaon, January 11
Entrepreneurs of Udyog Vihar today staged a silent demonstration outside the office of the HSIIDC in protest against the virtual non-availability of power to industries.

They handed over a memorandum signed by more than 100 entrepreneurs, addressed to the Governor of Haryana, to the HSIIDC office.

The call for the demonstration was given by a joint forum of three industrial associations - the Chamber of Industries of Udyog Vihar, the Udyog Vihar Industries Association and the Haryana Industries Association.

Col Raj Singla (retd), president, Chamber of Industries of Udyog Vihar, said Udyog Vihar had over 1,500 working industrial units.

He said due to non-availability of power, these units were not being able to keep their commitments resulting in the cancellation of purchase orders and their payments being held back.

A.P. Jain, general secretary, Udyog Vihar Industries Association, said despite the non-availability of power, the DHBVN charged “minimum bill” and even the security deposit had been increased many times.

Entrepreneurs alleged that the state government was only catering to the rich and large industrial houses and was ignoring the small industry.

The government was deliberately working to drive the small industry out of Udyog Vihar so that bigger groups and NRI companies could be brought in.

K.K. Kapur, general secretary, Haryana Industries Association, Udyog Vihar, said for the past over 10 years, successive governments had been making false promises on the power front.

Hisar, January 11
Hundreds of residents of Hansi, a subdivisional town about 25 km from here, blocked the Hisar-Delhi road in protest against the murder of the owner of a readymade garments showroom late last night.

The victim, Parveen (28), was returning home after the day’s work when he was stopped by motorcycle-borne youths near Ambedkar Chowk and shot dead.

The angry residents and leaders of the INLD and the Haryana Janhit Congress held a meeting this morning which sought the immediate arrest of the killers.

Thereafter, the shopkeepers descended on the Delhi road and blocked traffic. This, in turn, led to traffic jams on several other roads linking the town.

The residents were peeved at the failure of the police to solve similar murder cases in the town earlier. The road blockage ended on the intervention of senior police officers.

Yamunanagar, January 11
A team of the Zoological Survey of India is visiting the Kalesar National Park to collect samples of organisms found here.

The team is collecting samples of insects, pests, reptiles, mammals and birds which would be sent to the regional centre of the ZSI in Dehra Dun.

A copy of the report will also be sent to the chief wildlife warden, Haryana, by January 30.

The team had earlier visited the park, spread over 26,500 acres, in September last. According to sources in the forest department, the team will carry out its survey after every six months till 2010 so that species found during different seasons in jungles could be known.

Sources said the team had found that termites had spread in the jungles. It spotted only 32 species of birds in the Darpur jungle area and 23 in the Kalesar area. The team was unable to spot any monkey in the jungles, but saw several langoors. The team also found evidence of the presence of at least one elephant in the jungles.

Chandigarh, January 11
The Haryana government has notified that January 20 will be observed as a holiday in the jurisdiction of the municipal committee, Taoru in Mewat, Haily Mandi and Pataudi in Gurgaon, Kharkhoda in Sonepat, Kalanaur in Rohtak, Indri and Nilokheri in Karnal, Kalayat and Pundri in Kaithal, Narnaund in Hisar, Siwani and Bawani Khera in Bhiwani and Beri in Jhajjar district in view of the polling for the municipal committees.

While stating this here today, an official spokesman said the holiday had been declared within the meaning and under section 25 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881, to enable the employees working in various government offices, factories and commercial establishments located in the respective areas to cast their vote.

Faridabad, January 11
The ongoing tussle between the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party in Uttar Pradesh and the main opposition in the state, the Samajwadi Party, today spilled over in Haryana with the latter burning the effigy of Chief Minister Mayawati.

A large number of activists of the Samajwadi Party headed by its general secretary Surender Singh Bhatti burnt the effigy of the BSP supremo and demanded immediate dismissal of her government in Uttar Pradesh.

The demonstration continued for about an hour and the activists pledged to continue the struggle against the BSP throughout Haryana.

They flayed the UP police for allegedly manhandling former Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav’s MP son Akhilesh and his brother Shivpal Singh Yadav at Lucknow on Tuesday.

Addressing party activists, Bhatti said the highhandedness of the UP police on Samajwadi Party cadre at the behest of Mayawati was on account of her frustration at losing the assembly by election in Ballia.

REWARI: Activists of the Samajwadi Party led by their state president Saroj Yadav burnt an effigy of UP Chief Minister Mayawati at Naiwali Chowk here on Friday.

Raising slogans against the Mayawati government, they marched to the district secretariat, where they held a demonstration protesting against the ‘unprovoked’ police firing on SP protesters at Saifai village on Wednesday. One student was killed while several others were injured in the firing.

Seeking dismissal of the Mayawati government, they submitted a memorandum to the district administration, which was addressed to the President of India.

Jind, January 11
A case has been registered under various sections against several unidentified persons in connection with the violence and clash that took place between students and the police here yesterday after the death of a student of the local Government Senior Secondary School.

Meanwhile, activists of the CPM today staged a demonstration and demanded compensation for the victim’s family and action against police officials for opening fire on protesting students.

Leaders and workers of the SFI, the ABVP and the INLD have also condemned the police action.

At least three students have been killed in road accidents in the district in the past three weeks.

Condemning the police action, the district unit of the CPM submitted a memorandum to the district authorities asking the state government to order a high-level inquiry and action against the police officials concerned. Party workers claimed that the issue could have been handled in a peaceful manner. They said using force against school students was unwarranted and required stern action against those responsible.

Seeking a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the kin of the students who was killed on Wednesday, they said relief should also be given to all students who had lost their lives in a similar manner.

They demanded speedbreakers near educational institutions.

BHIWANI: MP from Bhiwani and Haryana Janhit Congress (BL) leader Kuldeep Bishnoi while condemning the police firing on students at Jind has urged the Governor to suspend the Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led government and take action against the guilty officials. Bishnoi, who is in the US, said the state government had annouced to observe 2008 as the year of education, but such incidents showcased it in poor light.

Fatehabad, January 11
The stage has been set for the ‘vikas rally’ of the Congress, which will be held here tomorrow.

Besides Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, president of the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee Phool Chand Mullana and several other leaders of the Congress will address the rally.

Hooda will also lay the foundation stone of building housing chambers of local advocates in the local district courts complex. Elaborate arrangements have been made for the rally and the town has been given a facelift in view of Hooda’s visit.

Congress workers have thrown all rules and regulations to wind by installing hundreds of hoardings on both sides of the national highway. More than a dozen welcome gates have been erected on the highway.

Work in offices of the town have been in a state of paralysis in view of the impending visit of the Chief Minister and senior district officers have been working overtime to oversee preparations for the rally.

This will be the CM’s first rally at Fatehabad after he took over the reins of power in Haryana three years back.

The rally has assumed greater importance for Hooda and local MLA Dura Ram for various reasons.

Dura Ram, a nephew of former Chief Minister Bhajan Lal, deserted his uncle and political mentor to win blessings of Hooda, who rewarded him by inducting him as parliamentary secretary in his government.

Now, onus has shifted to Dura Ram, who will have to prove his stature by organising a successful rally in an area dominated by the Bishnoi community.

Dura Ram visited all villages of the constituency more than once during the past 20 days and has left no stone unturned to make the rally a success. Hooda’s son-in-law Kunal Bhadoo also toured Fatehabad twice and campaigned for the success of the rally.

Yamunanagar, January 11
The Kali temple located at the Civil Lines, Jagadhri, is locked since the past one week as two groups are claiming right over the post of temple priest.

The two groups, one lead by Madan Lal and the other by Jogi Paday, had entered into an altercation over the post and the police had to intervene.

The police had challaned four persons each from the two groups. The matter pertaining to the right over the post of temple priest is pending in a court and the next hearing is likely to take place on January 16.

Today, Suman, wife of Madan Lal, one of the claimants to the post of priest, along with a large number of women, reached the office of the superintendent of police alleging that certain political people were interfering in the matter and that was why police action in the matter was being delayed.

She demanded that the temple should be opened immediately so that devotees could offer prayers. It is not known who locked the temple.

She claimed that the post of temple priest was occupied by her family for the past 150 years. According to her, the land to the family was donated by the Rajput community about 150 years ago. She said Jogi Paday, who was staking claim to the post, “sits in the nearby Gugamadi”.

She alleged that she was attacked by the other group recently and was injured.

The police later called the two groups, but one of these could not come and the matter has been postponed for tomorrow. 

Chandigarh, January 11
At the office of Haryana chief information commissioner G. Madhavan, satisfaction of the applicant is of utmost importance.

For any complaint or appeal taken up by them, the effort is provide quick information and close the case only after providing the information sought by the applicant and obtaining a compliance report from the department concerned.

Addressing a press conference here today, Madhavan said a majority of the cases are dealt within one sitting and adjournments were rarely granted. “A case is not filed due to the absence of the applicant but decided on merit. However, if the department fails to appear before the commission on the appointed day, we try and compensate the applicant if he has come from far off,” he explained.

Of a total of 1,578 cases disposed of till December last year, a compensation of Rs 27,700 had already been granted and a penalty of Rs 87,300 had been imposed on erring officers and departments. Also, disciplinary proceedings had been initiated in 48 cases.

“We had fined the estate officer, Panchkula, Rs 10,000 for being lax in providing information sought. Similarly, a few other officers were at the receiving end for taking the proceedings of the commission lightly. We follow complete transparency in our dealing and put everything on the website, including the orders, the very next day. These are sent to the applicant by courier in case he is not present,” Madhavan added.

Bhiwani, January 11
One person was killed when a private school bus hit him on the Bhiwani-Hisar road today.

The deceased has been identified as a teacher working at a Kungar Bhaini village school. The police has registerd a case against the bus driver.

According to reports, Mewa Singh was was going to the school on a motorcycle when the bus hit him. He died on the spot.

Chandigarh, January 11
Justice Nawab Singh of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today referred to another Bench a petition filed by Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh for setting aside the order of Ambala Additional Sessions Judge rejecting his application for directions to the CBI to provide the entire challan, along with documents and statements of witnesses recorded by the premier investigating agency, in the rape case registered against him.

In his petition against the CBI, the dera head contended that the agency had not supplied all the documents collected by it during investigations. The petitioner said the agency recorded statements of about 130 sadhvis during the investigations, but had not supplied all the details. This showed malafide intention of the CBI against the petitioner.