Sonepat, May 21
To ensure free and fair byelection for the Gohana assembly seat tomorrow, the administration has made all necessary arrangements to maintain law and order in the district.

Senior superintendent of police Navdeep Singh Virk here today said besides the full strength of the district police, one company each of the Border Security Force (BSF) and the India Reserve Battalion (IRB) as well as five battalions of the Haryana armed police would be deployed on election duty.

He said additional police force would be deployed at as many as 92 hypersensitive booths in 20 villages of the constituency tomorrow.

The entire assembly area had been divided into four sectors and 20 sub-sectors to keep vigil on every activity, he said, adding that each sub-sector would be manned by a duty magistrate and police patrolling party. Besides the existing 10 police nakas, 20 more such nakas, including seven on link roads and 13 on main roads of the constituency, would be set up tonight to check the entry of anti-social elements from outside, he said.

The SSP said the entry and movements of private four-wheelers in areas of the constituency would be restricted on the polling day. The use of mobile, cordless and cellular phones within a radius of 100 metres of the polling booth would also be banned from midnight today.

KARNAL: The Election Commission has made elaborate security arrangements to ensure peaceful bypoll for the Indri assembly constituency slated for May 22.

Inspector-general of police K.K. Sidhu on Wednesday reviewed the security arrangements and checked barricading of the area. An official note issued here on Wednesday said for the peaceful conduct of the bypoll, 4 duty magistrates and 11 patrolling parties along with 11 camera teams had been deployed on round-the-clock duty.

Meanwhile, Karnal DC-cum-district election officer B.S. Malik said 167 electronic voting machines (EVMs), including 20 reserve machines, had been dispatched for operation at 147 polling booths in the constituency.

He said 2 SPs, 1 ASP, 6 DSPs, 11 patrolling inspectors, 450 home guards and 1,500 constables had been deployed.

Malik said while a BSF company led by assistant commandant Satya Dev Yadav would be deployed at different polling booths, another CRPF company would be posted to guard the EVMs.

Rohtak, May 21
Though the Adampur, Gohana and Indri byelections - polling for which is slated to be held tomorrow - have failed to throw up any major issue, all major political forces in the state have high stakes attached to these.

While the very survival of the newly launched Haryana Janhit Congress depends a great deal on the outcome of these elections, the prestige of Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda is also at stake.

At the same time, the poll outcome will also show whether or not the state electors are in a mood to give former Chief Minister and INLD chief commander Om Prakash Chautala a fresh chance.

Interestingly, the leaders of all parties have admitted how much these byelections mean to them and how their political futures are attached to these.

Take, for instance, a curious remark made by Hooda while addressing a public rally at Gohana yesterday, which was the last day of campaigning.

Addressing a huge gathering at Devi Lal Stadium in Gohana town, Hooda straightforwardly stated that while he was made the Chief Minister after the last assembly elections in the state, these byelections would establish him as a state leader.

According to political observers also, Hooda will surely emerge as a state leader in case the Congress wins even two of the three seats.

Here, it may be pertinent to mention that the Adampur seat is a pocket borough of former Chief Minister Bhajan Lal and the Congress leadership can get itself excused regarding it provided it wins the other two.

As regarding Bhajan Lal himself, this seasoned politician has been active in state politics ever since Haryana was formed. He has remained the state Chief Minister as well as union minister.

However, it is for the first time that Bhajan Lal has formed his own party and is seeking the support of the masses sans a national outfit. Hence, these elections are most crucial for this former Chief Minister and his wannabe Chief Minister son Kuldeep Bishnoi.

The bypoll is not any less significant for Chautala, who was dislodged from power by the state electors in the last assembly elections.

Apart from gauging his latest acceptance among state residents, these byelections will also decide whether he gets the status of the leader of opposition in the state assembly. For record sake, Chautala needs only one seat to be able to acquire this status.

Moreover, the results of these byelections will also decide the future course of state politics.

Chandigarh, May 21
The power situation in Haryana is likely to ease from tomorrow when the second unit of 300 MW capacity of the Deen Bandhu Chhotu Ram Thermal Power Plant at Yamunanagar will begin generation.

This was told by Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda to Canadian High Commissioner David Malone who called on him here.

The first unit of the plant having 300 MW capacity was already generating of power.

Describing Gurgaon as "India's future", Malone said Canadian entrepreneurs were impressed with Gurgaon and they were interested in investing in Haryana. The Canadian automobile industry was aware of Haryana's success in the automobile sector. He was also all praise for Haryana's achievements in agriculture sector. Malone also referred to Haryana's economic success under the leadership of Hooda and said "I am confident, Haryana delivers what it promises".

Hooda said to supply adequate power to consumers, the present state government had taken steps to increase its generation capacity. The government had planned to add 5,000 MW of generation capacity in three years. While 600 MW of additional generation capacity was being added during this year, a new power project would be commissioned every year for the next three years. The government had also opted for a nuclear power plant for which a site had already been identified in Fatehabad district.

Those present on the occasion included chief secretary Dharam Vir; principal secretary to the Chief Minister M.L.Tayal; financial commissioner and principal secretary, Industries and Commerce and IT, P.K.Chaudhery; and MD, Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation, Rajeev Arora.

Gurgaon, May 21
Continuous spells of rain since last night have disturbed the normal life in old and new Gurgaon city areas.

Power supply too remained affected throughout the day and was restored by today evening in several parts.

The rain also exposed the drainage and sewer system in both areas as water entered houses in Patel Nagar, Krishna Colony, Jyoti Park and Char Aath Marla areas in old Gurgaon.

Residents had a tough time in draining out water. The staff of water services and sanitation department installed temporary pump sets to help out the residents.

Many parts of Patel Nagar, Sohna Road and Railway Road were submerged under one-and-half-feet water.

Other affected areas included Sector-15, Sushant Lok, South City, DLF-I and II.

The local bus stand and area in front of the railway station turned into virtual pools. This posed a great difficulty for commuters as the entrance to bus stand got overcrowded, which led to traffic chaos.

Almost whole Gurgaon remained without power for more than 10 hours. The affected areas had to depend on generators throughout the day.

Yamunanagar, May 21
Wednesday turned out to be a great day for private schools in the district affiliated with the CBSE. Class XII students of all schools performed well in the examinations held in March.

Ravineet Singh Talwar (non-medical stream) of Swami Vivekananda Public School, Thappar Colony, here topped the district by scoring 95 per cent marks. Himani Kapoor of the school was second with 94.8 per cent marks. The results were declared today and there was rush in cyber cafes with students flocking these to know their fate.

Charu Taneja (medical stream) of SD Public School, Jagadhri, who wants to become a doctor, scored 93.6 per cent marks. Anshu Gupta of DAV Public School got 91.6 per cent and Sarabjot (commerce) of Sant Nischal Singh Public School got 94.6 per cent marks. Neha Munka (commerce) of SD Public School was also among toppers as she scored 93.6 per cent.

The result of Mukand Lal Public School, Sarojni Colony, was 100 per cent, said S. Bathla, principal of the school, adding that 27 students of the school got more than 90 per cent marks in English. Three students - Ankita Puri, Sanjana Bhutani and Arvinder Kaur - of the school scored 90 per cent.

The principal of Springfields Public School said the result of the school was 100 per cent. Rajdeep Kaur of the school got 98 marks in English and 99 in music.

Fatehabad, May 21
Villagers from Rattakhera today met the block development and panchayat officer (BDPO) at Ratia town in this district for getting employment under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), but had to return empty-handed.

Led by block samiti member Asha Rani, villagers Kulwant Kaur, Bimla Devi, Bachan Singh, Surjeet Singh and some others approached the BDPO and expressed their desire to do labour work under the NREGA.

The BDPO, according to the villagers, expressed his inability to provide any employment to them.

Asha Rani told reporters that she had read in newspapers and also seen advertisements in the television that the NREGA had come into implementation with effect from April 1. With this in mind, she and some other villagers approached the BDPO for employment.

The BDPO told the villagers that it would take some more time before the Act was implemented. The NREGA, which has come into implementation from April , empowers villagers with the right to work and it is mandatory for the authorities to provide employment to those who express their intention to work.

The Act provides that if the authorities fail to provide employment to such villagers within 15 days, they will be entitled to get unemployment allowance.

Chandigarh, May 21
Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda here today said all countries should unitedly fight against terrorism, as this menace could not do any good to any country.

Hooda, who was speaking at a function organised by the Haryana Congress at its head office here to pay tributes to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on his 17th death anniversary, said Rajiv Gandhi had sacrificed his life for unity and integrity of the country.

The nation observed his death anniversary as Anti-Terrorism Day. The Chief Minister said it was due to the farsightedness of Rajiv Gandhi that India had made tremendous progress in the field of IT.

Reports of tributes being paid to Rajiv Gandhi were also received from Gurgaon, Kurukshetra and Yamunanagar.

Kaithal, May 21
A photographer was shot dead by two unidentified youths at Kalayat town of the district, 25 km from here, today.

Following the incident, a large number of people blocked the NH-65 for about two hours. The blockade was lifted following an assurance of culprits’ arrest by SSP Anil Kumar Rao. The shopkeepers kept their shutters down to protest against the murder.

Two motorcycle-borne youths came to the shop of Sanjay, a photographer, at 2.30 pm and asked him to accompany them for the coverage of an engagement ceremony at Kolekhan village.

To win his confidence, they also paid him an advance of Rs 100. Sanjay accompanied them on their motorcycle, but the miscreants reportedly shot him dead at a distance of about 1.5 km from the town.

The body of the victim was thrown on the roadside. Some passers-by immediately rushed the victim to the Community Health Centre, where he was declared brought dead.

The miscreants left their motorcycle behind as it had developed some trouble. Some passersby noted that and informed the police. However, the police reached late and the assailants managed to take their motorcycle. This agitated the people, who blamed the police for not acting swiftly and they blocked the road.

Meanwhile, a large number of people assembled at PHC, Kalayat, refused to cremate the body of the deceased and served an ultimatum to the police to arrest the culprits by 10 am tomorrow. They threatened to block the NH again if police failed to arrest the assailants by then.

Ambala, May 21
The results of the Ambala Cantonment Board elections seem to have come as a morale booster for the Congress.

Though the elections were held at a very small scale, with only 27,000 voters, it has definitely given the political parties an insight into the voters’ minds.

The Congress has gained an absolute majority in the board after about a decade.

In urban areas of the state, the Congress and the BJP have always played a major role and have enjoyed a popular vote. However, with the BJP winning only one seat in the board elections, the party needs to give a serious thought on its strategy.

Though they have lost majority, the party is still confident of its position in the state.

The Congress is happy that the win has come a few days before the three Assembly byelections in the state. Its opponents have been projecting that the urban voter (read as non-Jat voter) is no longer enamoured of the ruling party. The board results, the Congress can say, have proved its opponents wrong.

The new entrant, the INLD, which till now was a rural-based party, has been unable to make its base in the urban area, despite a serious attempt by the party. The cantonment board elections were an initiative taken by the party to make a start in the urban area.

With the Lok Sabha election less than a year away and the state assembly elections about two years away, the INLD will have to start working hard to make itself acceptable to urban voters, if it wants to regain the power, which it lost about three years ago.

The Vikas Parishad, a local political party headed by former local MLA Anil Vij, managed to bag two seats, which is a reason for worry for other political parties, including the Congress, as the voter is showing a shift from recognised political parties to grassroot workers at the local level.

For the Congress it is, however, a win-win situation.