Karnal, March 29
Eight bodies were found floating in Bhakra Canal near a village in the district today. The operation to take out the bodies, which were stuck in slush, was on till the report was filed.

The police did not rule out the possibility of recovery of more bodies, if the spot is cleared of the sludge.

Meanwhile, the local police contacted its counterparts in other districts, including the Kurukshetra police, to take a lead in identifying the bodies. Police officials said postmortems would be conducted to ensure the cause of death.

Certain villagers near Kachwa village, about 9 km from here, spotted the bodies.

Karnal SSP A.S. Chawla said they were making efforts to ascertain if the bodies were of a family that had suspiciously gone missing from Pehowa in Kurukshetra since March 16.

He revealed that the Kurukshetra police had a suicide note in its custody where it was written that owing to the alleged financial constraints, the family of nine members was forced to take the extreme step.

He said certain members of the “missing” family had been called for the identification.

However, Pehowa SHO Jai Singh said the family had denied that the bodies were of their relatives.

Besides, several villagers of nearby areas, whose members had been missing, also rushed to the spot for identification.

Chawla said the manpower was facing a tough time to take out the bodies as the water level was high and the current was very strong. “We have also called in divers and boats to take out the decaying bodies,” he added.

Chandigarh, March 29
Haryana power minister Randeep Singh Surjewala said today that the second unit of 300 MW of the Deen Bandhu Chaudhary Chhotu Ram Thermal Power Station, Yamunanagar, was synchronized on oil on the night intervening March 28 and 29 and it is likely to be fired on coal within a week.

Surjewala said the first unit of 300 MW was likely to begin commercial production from April 1, 2008, which would go a long way in further easing the power situation in the state.

The minister said in order to ensure quality and reliable supply of power, the power utilities had also undertaken an extensive transmission and distribution infrastructure development programme. In the next 18 to 24 months, the power utilities proposed to construct as many as 164 new substations, he added.

Surjewala said in addition, 94 substations of 220 KV, 132 KV, 66 KV and 33 KV capacities would be augmented at a cost of Rs 223.33 crore. It was also proposed to erect additional transmission lines with a length of 2,678.67 km at a cost of Rs 772.62 crore in the next 18 to 24 months. Above expenditure would entail a total cost of Rs 2,142.52 crore, he added.

Chandigarh, March 29
The 16-sitting Budget Session of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha was a watershed of sorts. The longest in the past many years, the session set new benchmarks right from setting aside three days for non-official business to rescinding the suspension of a member named in the House to calling back members of the Opposition after they were named.

However, on the flip side, the Opposition (read INLD) was dissatisfied despite the “liberal” time allocated to them to present their point of view. Every alternate sitting was marred by a walkout with the INLD staging a total of nine walkouts during the entire session. The members also alleged that none of their call attention motions were entertained by the office of the Speaker and there was an unwritten “gag” order against them.

Also, for the first time, three Congress MLAs - former Chief Minister Bhajan lal, Dharampal Malik and Rakesh Kamboj - were disqualified from the House while the session was in progress under the anti-defection rule.

If the handing out a censure to INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautala aimed at deterring members from misleading the House, jibing and taking digs especially at Chautala were among the highlights of the session. He clearly emerged as the “most talked about” member of the House.

The session that began on March 7 at the renovated state assembly saw the general discussion on the Governor’s address stretch for four days while the discussion on the budget was held for five minutes and ample time was given to the Opposition by Speaker Raghuvir Singh Kadian.

Unlike previous sessions where the non-official business on Thursdays was converted into official business, the Speaker set a healthy precedent by keeping theses days intact for discussing private matters of public importance. These days saw discussions on the Agra canal water by Karan Dalal, on cottage industry by Dr Sushil Indora and water conservation by Shiv Shankar Bhardwaj.

It was a session of high drama as well with members of the treasury benches sparing no opportunity to corner Chautala, while INLD members, too, were seen in the well of the House, shouting and sloganeering against the Congress regime, leading to a number of namings by the Speaker.

However, for the first time, a member of the Opposition who was suspended from the House was rescinded and the members who were named in the House were called back in the House. Showing “magnanimity”, the Speaker rescinded the decision of the House to suspend Ramphal Chirana for the entire session and called him back a couple of days later.

A committee constituted under the chairmanship of Mange Ram Gupta investigated the factual position on loan waiver and presented its report in the current session. It resulted in Chautala’s censure and a vindication of parliamentary affairs minister Randeep Singh Surjewala’s stand. The second committee pertained to the disposal of government property by the Chautala regime. This committee will give its report by the next session. 

Kurukshetra, March 29
Security has been beefed up after a letter allegedly by Kashmir-based terrorist outfit Harqat-ul-Muzahiddin to blast Kurukshetra railway station on the occasion of Baishakhi on April 13 was received here today by the stationmaster.

The Railway Protection Force (RPF), Kurukshetra, has lodged an FIR after the letter in Hindi was received by stationmaster S.R. Meena, which said the outfit would blast the Kurukshetra railway station on Baisakhi, along with Ambala, Amritsar and Phagwara stations.

An alert has been sounded for the railway staff and security personnel even though the letter bears the post office mark of Kurukshetra, leading to possibility of involvement of some anti-social and mischievous elements, RPF inspector Narender Dube said.

“Kashmiri terrorists never write themselves as terrorists but call themselves ‘jehadi’.

They never write in Hindi nor do they disclose their identity before any such incidents.

Hence, this could be a handiwork of some disgruntled elements,” he said.

However, to be on safer side, the railway police and security officials have been alerted in view of the letter, he said. — UNI

Jhajjar, March 29
A number of guest teachers appointed in government senior secondary schools are not being paid wages for about past eight months.

Though these teachers have been appointed through proper procedure for senior secondary classes in 15 newly upgraded schools, the education department stopped paying their wages citing reason that there was no workload for these teachers.

These teachers, who requested to withhold their names as they could face further harassment, alleged that they were rendering services in these schools since July 2007.

Suddenly, the authorities in the district realised that there was no workload for these teachers as there was only one class, 10+1, in the newly upgraded schools, they added.

A senior official reportedly issued verbal instructions to the principals of these schools that since there was no workload for guest teachers, the principals would be responsible in the case of any recovery in future.

The principals, however, immediately stopped disbursing wages to these teachers.

The teachers stated that the wages were withheld since July in about six schools while the remaining schools that were regularly paying the teachers, too, stopped disbursing wages from October, after these verbal 
instructions.

They demanded that their wages should be released immediately as they had rendered their services in schools.

The district education officer, Rajender Sangwan, Jhajjar, did not respond.

Sirsa, March 29
An ultramodern trauma centre in Sirsa set up at a cost of Rs 1.53 crore is waiting for its VIP guest for its inauguration before it is dedicated to the public.

Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda will inaugurate the centre next month. The centre has been built to provide emergency medical services to people injured in road accidents.

The centre, which is equipped with all latest medical facilities, will have a burn centre and orthopaedic ward. It will also have a modern X-ray unit, six remote-operated beds for Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and trauma table for the operation theatre.

Civil surgeon Dr P.R. Kayasth said two multipurpose mobile vans had been made available for the centre at a cost of Rs 20 lakh each, which would function as a complete ICU.

These vans would provide medical treatment to the accident victims of Sirsa and nearby areas. Doctors would be deputed on these vans, who would give treatment to the injured on the accident sites.

This would help in reducing the lapse period between the accident and availability of medical treatment and save precious lives, he said.

He said the fully air-conditioned vans would have respirator, stretchers and public address system, besides spot lightening to provide relief to the injured even during night.

The state government had sanctioned the posts for expert doctors, staff nurses, lab technicians and other staff for the centre.

One nero-surgeon, one nero-physician, two orthopaedic specialists, two anesthesia specialists and two radiologists would be made available for the trauma centre.

Apart from this, posts of four medical officers for general duty and two surgeons had also been sanctioned. Seven posts of nurses, one post of lab technician and assistance staff had also been provided for the centre, he added.

A call centre, which would work round-the-clock, would also be set up. On receiving any information of road accident, the call centre attendant would inform the doctor deputed at the time of the accident. The mobile van would immediately be sent to the accident site to provide treatment, he added.

Ambala, March 29
The special CBI court was temporarily shifted to the additional SP’s office at Police Line in Ambala city for the hearing of the cases of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh for security reasons here today.

Earlier, the hearings were conducted in the regular court of the CBI at court complex.

According to sources, the deputy commissioner had written a letter to the chief secretary, Haryana, for the shifting of the venue to some confined premises for safety purpose.

The chief secretary had referred the case to the high court.

The defence counsel, Dr Surya Prakash, filed an application in the court today, in which he requested the court to adjourn the hearing as the case for quashing of FIR registered against the dera chief was already pending for April 2 in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

CBI Judge R.K. Saini adjourned the hearing for April 21. The arguments on framing charges were to be carried out today.

Earlier, talking to mediapersons, Surya Prakash said he was ready for the arguments on framing charges. He said the defence did not want to delay the hearing in any manner as alleged by the CBI.

The arrival of the dera chief was kept secretive by the police. Police officers were tightlipped over the arrival of the dera chief. Interestingly, the defence counsel was also not aware of the temporarily shifting of the CBI court at Police Line. The Police Line road was sealed and nobody was allowed to cross from there.

The dera chief reached the court at around 11.10 am along with a convoy of 50 cars. Around six police gypsies were escorting the dera convoy.

The superintendent of police and deputy commissioner were also present in the court while the proceeding of the case was going on.

Thousands of dera followers had gathered in HUDA grounds like earlier but the administration did not allow the dera chief to go there and address them.

Sirsa, March 29
A six-year-old girl belonging to Mandi Dabwali was allegedly raped by a man living in her neighbourhood. The accused later made an attempt to kill her by throwing her into a deep septic pit used as a lavatory before escaping.

The victim, however, was saved and has been admitted to Dabwali civil hospital where her condition is stated to be stable. In his complaint, victim's father Balwinder Singh, resident of Ward No. 7, said one Sukhdev Singh and his family had been living in his vicinity. He and Sukhdev Singh were daily wagers and frequently visited each other.

He alleged that for the past few days Sukhdev’s family had gone out of station and he was being provided with food etc from his (complainant's) house and some time his daughter used to take eatables to him.Balwinder alleged that on Thursday evening when his daughter took meals for Sukhdev, the latter committed the crime and then threw her into a deep pit.

He stated that when they did not find her they started a search during which they heard her cries from the pit from where she was rescued. — PTI