Faridabad, April 14
Tension prevailed in the city today on the occasion of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Jayanti following the alleged beating up of some Scheduled Castes persons last night by a group of people.

The city area around Badshah Khan Hospital had virtually turned into a fortress as heavy amount of security was put in place by the district administration. The police force from Rewari district was also called in to beef up the security apparatus to meet any contingency.

The violent incident occurred in two spells last night, in which about a dozen of Scheduled Castes were injured. The injured have been admitted to Badshah Khan Hospital here.

The incident occurred at Dharam Sabha Mandir in SGM Nagar, where the victims were in the midst of preparations for Dr Ambedkar Jayanti.

About a dozen persons arrived on the scene with lathis and chains and attacked the victims. The assailants allegedly beat up the people there, following which the victims were taken to the hospital.

The supporters of the victims also reached the hospital after getting the news. The assailants reached the hospital and again beat up the victims in the complex.

There were reports of retaliation by the victims and their supporters, who pelted the assailants with stones.

The deputy commissioner and the district police chief also reached the spot. The police arrested 10 persons and booked a criminal case against them.

The nerve centre for policing was Badshah Khan Chowk, which is one of the busiest intersections of the city and epicentre of the violence yesterday.

Although the police is so far silent on details of the case, unofficial reports said a businessman, Pramod Bhatia, running a finance company, wanted to collect his dues from one of the victim members, Rajinder.

The victim had got a television financed and had failed to pay some instalments.

The businessman called him up yesterday asking him to pay up the dues. Some heated arguments took place between the two, following which the financier allegedly went to Dharam Sabha Mandir, where his client was present along with other persons, to follow up the case.

He was allegedly attacked and had to leave the spot. Thereafter, a group of persons on his behalf arrived at the scene, which led to attack on the members of the Scheduled Castes.

However, this theory was rebutted by the victims of the assault. They are also demanding suspension of the in charge of the police post concerned in connection with the attack on them.

Chandigarh, April 14
Non-performers and non-conformers beware! There are indications of a Cabinet reshuffle in Haryana as also other Congress-governed states.

With an eye on the Lok Sabha elections next year, the Congress high command, it is learnt, has even asked its Chief Ministers to prepare report cards of their Cabinet colleagues.

Sources said a review of the Cabinet was imminent in the state sometime in May right after the byelections in three constituencies. The review would be performance-centric where non-delivering ministers were likely to be shown the door by the party. Reshuffling of portfolios of ministers on the basis of their “achievements” in their respective departments was also on the cards.

The last reshuffle of the Cabinet was held in September last year when Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda expanded his Cabinet with the induction of two ministers, Mange Ram Gupta and A.C. Choudhary, taking the strength of the Hooda ministry to 13 with a vacancy to spare in the ministerial berth. The Chief Minister had also reshuffled portfolios of seven ministers during this expansion.

While senior minister Birender Singh earned the excise and taxation department along with his earlier portfolios of finance, planning and institutional finance and credit control, Randeep Surjewala got labour and employment in addition to public health and parliamentary affairs.

Irrigation minister Ajay Singh Yadav was allotted PWD (B&R) and Harmohinder Singh Chatha got cooperation besides agriculture, animal husbandry and dairying and fisheries.

Industries minister Lachhman Das Arora got mines and geology, minister of state for forests and tourism Kiran Choudhry was given environment and sports and youth affairs departments also while minister of state Savitri Jindal was given independent charge of revenue and disaster management, consolidation and rehabilitation.

However, with this latest signal from the party high command, which is looking at weeding out deadwood in the Cabinet and “sprucing” it up with members who can deliver and make a difference to the fortunes of the party, the idea is to brace up for the impending elections.

Sources in the government said while the party high command was likely to come down heavily on the non-performers, it had indicated that the non-conformers in the ministry, too, would be made to fall in line.

Those making light of the state governments’ directions will be at the receiving end with the party top brass averse to “indiscipline” and wanting to set its House in order well before the Lok Sabha polls are announced.

The violation of routing files through parliamentary secretaries, the inability to wipe out corruption from certain departments and the growing chaos within “unmonitored” departments are all likely to figure in the report cards of ministers.

Sources added that ministers, who showed “unnecessary interest” in their colleagues’ departments without minding their own work, would also be taken to task once Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda readied their performance sheets.

However, as of now, no formal date for the byelections in Indri, Gohana and Adamapur assembly seats which fell vacant after the disqualification of MLAs representing the constituencies, has been announced.

Once the bypolls are over, sources hold that these were likely to be held in May, the review process would gather momentum and some ministers could have to face the music for taking their jobs easy.

Sirsa, April 14
Unwarranted interference of political parties compounded the problem of officials of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and curious aficionados of art, culture and history in saving the Theh (mound of mud and soil) containing objects related to medieval and ancient era.

Located in the south-west of the town and spread over nearly 85 acres, Theh Mohalla, as known in local parlance, have witnessed mushrooming of thousands of illegal houses for the past over five decades.

The ASI’s directive ordering the occupants to vacate the land themselves within a fortnight of receiving the notice went unheard. The occupants are of the view that they have been living here from decades and had invested their hard earned money for a peaceful living.

B.B Kaul, conservation assistant, ASI, Hisar, said if the occupants did not vacate the notified land, they would intimate the head office in Delhi for taking relevant action.

However, the ASI rapped the local municipal council for its tacit approval to the colony by constructing roads and laying sewerage.

Hence, the directive of the ASI for evicting the notified land was a bolt from the blue not only for its inhabitants but also for MC officials.

Manually written letter, whose copy is in possession with The Tribune, signed by Conservation Assistant, ASI, Hisar, dated December 27, 2007, caught the MC officials unawares. It asked the executive officer of the MC to immediately stop working of laying roads and other civic development work in the locality.

Meanwhile, raising of houses and carrying out of other constructional activities are in contravention of provisions of Rule 8(1) sub-rule 1 of Rule 19(1) and Rule 33 of the AM and ASR Rules, 1959 and subsection (1) of section 19 and clause (1) of section (1) of section 30 of AM and ASR Act, 1958.

Keeping in view a large number of electorates, the ruling and opposition parties have come out in support of the “unlawful” residents of Theh. Thousands of houses have sprung up in the locality with impunity.

However, connoisseurs of art and history are irked and peeved at the lackadaisical approach of various government departments for squandering away of artifacts and objects pertaining to medieval and ancient ages. It would not be exaggeration if countless objects might have either been frittered away or destroyed during unmindful construction.

Thanks to tireless efforts of late Leeladhar Dhukhi, collector of historical objects and litterateur, that numerous precious artifacts were retrieved and preserved at safe places for posterity. He had handed over a number of historic objects to a museum at Kurukshetra for their upkeep.

Although human settlement started coming up at Theh locality about five decades ago, people started constructing houses on the top of mound not earlier than two decades back.

A majority of the settlers in the locality belong to economically weaker sections. From time to time, numerous artifacts, including idols of Hindu Gods and coins related to the Mogul period.

When contacted, Neki Ram Bishnoi, EO, MC, informed that complying with the directive the department stopped the laying of roads.

Hisar, April 14
Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today said the Congress and the Scheduled Castes in the country complimented each other’s roles in society and politics.

Speaking at the Ambedkar Jayanti function organised by the Ambedkar Sabha here, he said when so ever these castes supported the Congress, it swept to power.

On the other hand, the Congress was the only political party, which cared for interests of this section of society.

Hooda said the government was doing its best to ameliorate the Scheduled Castes and other sections of society. The government had so far given Rs 50 crore as “kanyadaan” on marriage of Dalit girls.

Likewise, it had sanctioned Rs 22 crore for Ambedkar chaupal scheme. The number of merit scholarships for Dalit students had also been raised to 5,000 to benefit more students.

The Chief Minister said he had already given orders for allotment of land here for establishing Dr B.R. Ambedkar academy and the possession of the land would be given to the society concerned shortly. He also announced a grant of Rs 5 lakh for repairs to be carried out in the local Ambedkar Hostel.

Later, he said the Congress would win all three seats vacated by the expulsion of former Chief Minister Bhajan Lal and his supporters, Dharampal Malik and Rakesh Kamboj, from the Vidhan Sabha.

REWARI: The union minister of state for defence production Rao Inderjit Singh garlanded the statue of Dr B.R. Ambedkar at Bawal on Monday on the occasion of his 117th birth anniversary.

Later, addressing a samaroh held in Ambedkar Park here, he said Dr Ambedkar devoted his whole life to the service of the country and made indefatigable efforts to set up an egalitarian society.

Paying tributes to Dr Ambedkar, he called upon the people to follow his ideals to ensure the emergence of a robust society and nation.

Rao announced a financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh out of his MPLAD fund for a Dr Ambedkar library, provided the Bawal Municipal Committee made land available for it.

Fatehabad, April 14
Leherian village of the district was converted into an all CFL village here today with the help of the Navyug Nirman, an NGO owned by Anjali, daughter of Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

Kunal Bhadoo, son-in-law of the Chief Minister, who is the organiser of the NGO, went from house-to-house along with his volunteers to change traditional yellow bulbs with CFL bulbs.

Kunal said efficient use of domestic and commercial electrical gadgets and use of non-conventional energy for lighting, water heating and cooking could lead to saving of electricity to a considerable extent. Later, Kunal laid the foundation stone of a community centre in Gilly Mundy Community School in the village.

The school has been raised by Mota Singh, a county councillor from Warwickshire and a former mayor of Leamington Spa in England, in memory of his deceased son, Gurpreet Singh Mundy.

The community centre, according to Gilly’s father and his widow Debbie, would have a big library, community hall and a health care centre, where health care facilities would be provided to villagers free of cost.

Rohtak, April 14
The CPM has taken exception to the Haryana government’s decision to hand over the control of several state-run schools to Airtel. The party has alleged that the move is aimed at grabbing prime land by private companies.

“The Haryana government’s decision to hand over the control of several schools located in Rohtak, Jhajjar, Jind and Rewari districts to Airtel is deplorable and should be revoked in the larger interest of the masses,” said Inderjit Singh, state secretary of the CPM, here today.

He said the state authorities should not forget that the land and buildings of many government schools had been donated by villagers. Hence, the government had no moral right to hand over their control to private firms, he added.

“Education is a fundamental right of all residents and no government can shy away from this responsibility in such a manner,” Inderjit Singh said, adding that the government’s short-sighted policies were to blame for the poor results of state-run schools.

The CPM leader cautioned that the way in which a handful of bureaucrats was running the affairs of education in the state would have devastating and far-reaching ramifications.

The Leftist leader pointed out that a senior official of the state government’s higher education department had recently issued a framework to be followed by colleges and universities throughout the state.

Describing such moves as dangerous for the future of education in the state, the Haryana state committee of the CPM has advised the Congress government to seek opinions from the teaching community and other sections of intelligentsia to bring about qualitative changes in the education sector.

Chandigarh, April 14
Replying to criticism over the recent free distribution of rations by the Haryana Janhit Congress (BL) by other political parties, Ran Singh Mann, spokesperson of the party, said today that it was only a symbolic gesture.

“This was only our party’s way of showing that there was hunger and desperation in the state and the common man was reeling from inflation, unable to get two square meals a day. Through the protest, we wanted to expose the government. Distributing rations to one and all was never the intention,” he stated at a press conference here.

He said the HJC under the leadership of Kuldeep Bishnoi had a vision for the state and that their programmes were aimed at highlighting the plight of the common man, who had been ignored by everybody.

“We do not imitate any other party in raising issues. We are guided by Bishnoi’s thinking who understands the pulse of the public. Our attempt, in symbolic protests, is to bring burning issues to the fore,” he said.

Stating that the Janhit Congress was a party of the times to come, he added that the fate of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) had been sealed after the demise of Devi Lal. “The INLD is a party of the past while the Congress is a party of the present which looks to Delhi for any decision-making. Our leader, Bishnoi, has shown that he is well-meaning and raises issues that directly touch the common man,” he maintained.

Claiming that Bishnoi was the first to state that agricultural land should be left out of the special economic zones to be carved out in the state, Mann said that subsequently the Congress accepted this and proceeded accordingly. 

Sirsa, April 14
Alleging the death of a contractual employee of the state electricity board due to the negligence of certain doctors and other staff members of the civil hospital, a large number of persons staged a protest in front of the hospital here today.

The protesters, comprising family members of the deceased,Om Parkash, and residents of his village, Rassulpur, raised slogans against the hospital authorities and blocked the entry to it for hours.

Starting at 10 in the morning, the protest lasted till about 2 p.m. They alleged that the negligence of certain doctors cost the life of an earning hand of the family. Om Parkash, 22, was unmarried.

According to them, the deceased was kept in the emergency wing for just two hours and after a few minutes of shifting him to the general ward, he succumbed to his injuries. The deceased had sustained serious injuries while performing his duty on an electric pole in his village.

The protest ended after the district authorities assured them of action after the submission of the postmortem report.

Narinder Chowdhury, deputy chief medical officer, said the deceased had received nearly 30 per cent burns. He said the reason for the death might have been sudden cardiac arrest but this could only be confirmed after the submission of the autopsy report.

Kurukshetra, April 14
INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautala, while addressing a press conference after presiding over the INLD political affairs committee meeting here yesterday, reiterated that reservation should be based on economic status in the country.

The meeting was held at the residence of the chairman of the INLD state discipline committee, Sher Singh Badshami.

Chautala alleged that to strengthen their respective vote banks, some leaders had been advocating caste and religion as the basis of reservation and thus they were dividing the country into caste and religion based sections.

Chautala claimed that the INLD was ready by all means for the byelections, while the Congress party stands nowhere at Indri, Gohana and Adampur.

He alleged that the Congress had abducted municipal councillors of the INLD, BJP and an independent representative from Panchkula. No FIR had been registered in this regard.

Chautala further alleged that fertile land was being given to big companies in the name of SEZs. He also suggested that land from the Railways and army as well as from Chambal Ghaati should be given for developing SEZs.

Talking about rising prices, Chautala said it had become very difficult for the common man to cop up with the rising prices. The present government had completely failed to control the price rise, he alleged.

Describing the waiving of farmers’ loans as a mockery, he alleged that it had benefited the banks and not farmers.

Chautala said it was decided in the meeting that block-level training camps would be organised in Sonepat on May 11, in Karnal on May 18 and in Hisar on May 25.

The traders’ meetings would be organised at grain markets in July and August and their problems would be brought to the notice of the Press. Besides, demonstrations would also be organised in front of Jantar Mantar, Delhi, under the banner of the UNPA shortly, he added.

Ambala, April 14
The Haryana and Punjab pollution control boards will soon launch a joint campaign to check pollution in rivers flowing through the territory of both the states.

Talking to mediapersons here today, chairman of the Haryana Pollution Control Board A.S. Chahal said he was aware that effluents coming from factories of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab had been polluting Markanda and Ghaggar rivers of Haryana.

He said he had taken up this matter with the Punjab Pollution Control Board and a joint campaign in this regard would be launched soon.

During the past three months, the board had collected around 90 samples of effluents from various industrial units located in Gurgaon, Panipat and Faridabad, out of which maximum samples failed. He said the board would take action against those units.

He said he would try his best to make Haryana a pollution free state. He had summoned a meeting of HUDA and the departments concerned to discuss pollution-related problems being faced by residents.

Yamunanagar, April 14
Soakage pits will be dug in all government schools of the district as the same, the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan authorities (SSA) believe, will help in water harvesting.

The pits would be dug using the resources available under National Rural Employment Guarantee Assurance (NAREGA) scheme. Nallahas would be dug which would take rainwater besides the water from water booths of schools to the pits. The water collected in pits will eventually seep into the ground.

Chairman of the SSA and additional deputy commissioner Narinder Singh said this while addressing a meeting of district officials.

Meanwhile, six villages of the district, Feruwala (Bilaspur), Kherirajran (Jagadhri), Namdarpur (Mustfabad), Manakpur-II (Chhachhrouli), Kheri Lakha Singh (Radaur) and Sabhapur Sabri (Sadhoura) have been awarded Rs 2 lakh each under the total sanitation campaign (TSC). A total of 150 villages of the state have been given this award. 

Jind, April 14
Three persons were killed while one got injured in a road accident in the district last night. The injured has been admitted to the hospital. The victims were on their way to a village in Hisar in a pickup jeep.

As per the reports, the vehicle collided with a truck coming from the opposite side near Nagura village, about 16 km from here.

While a woman identified as Ramrati (65) of Khanda village died on the spot, Anil and Sukhbir succumbed to injuries on their way to the hospital.

Meanwhile, in another incident, residents of Dhankhari village beat up a contractor of the power supply department after two persons, including a lineman of the department, got injured while repairing a fault in the village today. According to reports, they got electrocuted after power supply got resumed accidentally, while they had been working on the fault.

This incident enraged the villagers when they were informed that the accident could be due to illegal connections given by the contractor. They proceeded towards the substation at Nagura village and entered into a confrontation with the contractor there before assaulting him physically over the issue.

Yamunanagar, April 14
Local Congress leaders today held a meeting and had raised objection over appointment of L.D. Behal as chairman of the Jagadhri Improvement Trust.

According to them, Behal was a resident of Yamunanagar town and, hence, he should not have been appointed chairman of the trust.

Congress leader Satish Prajapati while speaking at the meeting said the appointment was ‘unconstitutional’ and the Congress workers from Jagadhri were feeling cheated.

An appeal was made to the Haryana Chief Minister and HPCC president to intervene in the matter and annul the appointment.

On the other hand, Behal said he was associated with the Congress for the past two decades and member of district body of the Congress.