Rohtak, May 24
A recent order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court has put the local municipal authorities in a tight spot. The MC had been dumping the town’s garbage at a site on the Jind road on the outskirts of the town for the past several years.

However, the management of a school situated close to the site moved the high court, which recently banned the dumping of garbage there. Following the ban orders, the municipal authorities have been left with no place to dump the town’s garbage.

Thanks to this, the residents of the town are doomed to live amidst the enormous stink emanated by uncollected garbage lying in their vicinity.

It may be pertinent to mention here that Rohtak happens to be the hometown of Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

The MC authorities now plan to move the Supreme Court to get the “stinking” issue resolved, but no immediate solution seems to be in sight. The executive officer of the local Municipal Council, B.N. Bharti, admits that the issue has assumed alarming proportions.

“Though we are making all-out efforts to identify an alternate dumping site, no solution in this regard has been reached so far,” he says, adding that some workable arrangement would be made within a day or two.

Meanwhile, activists of the Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC), led by the party’s district (rural) unit president Krishan Murti Hooda, staged a protest demonstration in front of the local MC office against the problem.

They also burnt an effigy of the local MC chief, Ajit Jain, to register their protest and resentment.

Fatehabad, May 24
The Haryana government has handed over the probe into alleged irregularities in fund distribution under the Indira Awaas Yojna to the state vigilance bureau (VB).

According to sources, orders to this effect were received by local office of the VB yesterday.

The Tribune had highlighted the irregularities being committed in the distribution of grants under the Indira Awaas Yojna in its report in February.

The funds for construction of houses for the poor under the scheme had been misappropriated by the rich in connivance with some officers of the panchayat department.

The Tribune had cited several cases where those who were not included in the list of people living below poverty line were given the grants. In some cases, money was shown to be given to the poor but never reached the actual beneficiaries.

C. G. Rajnikanthan, additional deputy commissioner-cum-chief executive officer of the Zila Parishad, Fatehabad, had ordered a departmental inquiry after the publication of the report in The Tribune.

The inquiry that concluded early this month opened a Pandora’s box and many more incidents of siphoning off funds came to the fore.

Rajnikanthan while submitting his report had requested that the matter needed thorough investigation.

Chandigarh, May 24
The counting of votes polled in the May 22 byelection in three assembly constituencies in the state will be held tomorrow. An official spokesman said all arrangements for the counting process had been made in Adampur, Gohana and Indri constituencies and the rehearsals for this purpose were held today.

The counting will begin at 7 am tomorrow and all results are expected to be declared by the afternoon.

The last rehearsal of counting completed at DAV School, Karnal, today. Election observer P.K. Mahapatra, election expenditure observer Gulshan Rai and deputy commissioner and district election observer Ajit Balaji Joshi gave directions to the officials associated with the work.

Mahapatra said no dereliction of duty would be tolerated. All officials had to reach the counting centres at 6 am and the Election Commission would take disciplinary action against those who abstain from the work. The observer said only those carrying a valid entry pass would be allowed to enter the centres.

The deputy commissioner directed the officials to get training in the process of counting through electronic voting machines. He said engineers would remain present at the centres to set right any problem.

Adding that complete transparency would be maintained in the counting work and results would be declared round-wise, he added that adequate security arrangements had been made at the centres.

Rewari, May 24
Ashok Pahalwan, a prominent activist of the Gujjar community here, has expressed grief and resentment over the dearth of over 12 persons of the Gujjar Samaj in police firing in the Bayana area of Bharatpur district in Rajasthan.

Addressing a press conference here, he said the Gujjar Samaj was fighting for the scheduled tribe status, which they rightfully deserved.

He asked when the Meena Samaj, which was socially, economically and educationally better off than the Gujjars in Rajasthan, had been enjoying all such benefits, why the Gujjar Samaj, which was in dire straits, was being denied the same benefits?

Expressing solidarity with the struggle of the Rajasthan Gujjar Arakashan Sangharsh Samiti (RGASS), he informed that a meeting of the Gujjar community of Rewari district would be held at Gujjar Dharamshala here tomorrow in which strategy to lend support to the struggle would be chalked out.

Ambala, May 24
The arguments on framing charges against Dera Sachha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in the case of sexual exploitation of dera sadhvis were carried out in the CBI court here today.

The CBI had concluded its arguments during the last hearing on May 10. Defence counsel Surya Prakash today presented his arguments against the CBI charges, which continued for about three hours. The special judge, R.K. Saini, adjourned the hearing for June 7.

Talking to the mediapersons, the defence counsel said he had pleaded that the CBI had falsely implicated the dera chief. He said the high court had directed the CBI to investigate the matter on certain lines, but it did not comply the orders.

He alleged that the CBI had been luring and pressurising defence witnesses. Referring to the missing of a sadhvi in Sirsa under mysterious circumstances, he said she was an important witness in this case and her statement under Section 164 had to be recorded.

The defence counsel said in the presence of around six security guards her disappearance created suspicion. He said the defence witnesses related to this case should be given security from some other state police.

Prakash said a senior police officer of Sirsa had told the media that the missing sadhvi was in contact with the CBI and the police. This statement also created some misgivings, he added. He said the missing report of the sadhvi was not provided to the defence so far.

The counsel said his arguments were not concluded and it would continue on the next date of hearing as well.

As usual, tight security arrangement was made for the dera chief in the police complex. As many as eight police gypsies and a jammer were escorting the convoy. The dera chief reached the CBI court, which was temporarily shifted in the office of the additional SP at around 9.45 am and remained there till 1.30 pm.

Later, he went to the Gandhi ground in Ambala Cantt where he addressed his followers.

Yamunanagar, May 24
An increase in the prices of cement and iron has hampered construction work in at least 63 government schools in the district which were upgraded from the primary to the middle level.

The government had sanctioned construction of three classrooms in each of the upgraded schools and an amount of Rs 5,07,000 was earmarked for each of the school for the construction. The classrooms were to be constructed under the Sarv Siksha Abhiyan (SSA).

Sources in the administration said the budget for the schools was approved about two years ago but since then the prices of building material had increased significantly. The construction work, which started about a year ago, had been stopped midway in several schools or slowed down, the sources said.

Construction work was to be jointly carried out under the supervision of the school head teacher and the respective village education society. Several head teachers of the schools had approached the SSA seeking an increase in the budget.

While the prices of cement and iron have gone up, labour has also become expensive. The amount sanctioned for labour was Rs 80,000, but teachers said they needed another Rs 20,000.

Deputy DEO Ashwani Sharma said he had received applications seeking an increase in the budget and these had been forwarded to the higher authorities. However, he claimed construction work was going on in all schools.

The sources said the cost of cement and iron was Rs 167 per bag and Rs 2,500 per quintal, respectively, when the budget was approved. However, the cost of cement had shot up to Rs 235 a bag and the price of iron had crossed Rs 4,000.

Faridabad, May 24
Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda claimed that the state has made significant improvement with regard to the quality of infrastructure needed for justice dispensation and judicial administration.

Hooda said this while presiding over a foundation laying ceremony of lawyers’ chambers in judicial complex here by Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court Vijendra Jain.

He praised the Chief Justice for taking interest in improving justice dispensation and activism against other social evils like female foeticide.

The Chief Minister said the judiciary was the bastion of democracy and lawyers had the responsibility to keep the faith of the masses intact. He urged the lawyers to be liberal in charging fee from the poor. He said efforts should be made to make justice-delivery system cheap and speedy.

He said construction works for new judicial complexes in 18 of the 20 district headquarters have already been completed. While the construction works on new judicial complexes have either been completed or in progress in 36 of the 48 subdivional headquarters in the state.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Justice urged upon the lawyers especially the new entrants to keep abreast of latest court judgements and laws and their interpretations so that they remained in currency in this age of globalisation.

He said the mobile court introduced in Haryana in Mewat was the first of its kind in the world and was a success in taking justice-delivery system on the doorsteps of the common man.

Sirsa, May 24
The police here today apprehended two women for duping people on pretext of marriage.

The accused were brought to the book following a tip-off by Ram Singh of Dhaba village. They were identified as Preeto, (45) and Jyoti (40), residents of Ludhiana.

Keeping in view mismatch between ratio of boys to girls, many gangs are active in the area. It is an uphill task to find brides for grooms in the state, especially in rural areas.

Ram Singh had complained that a gang, which duped gullible people on pretext of marriage, was active in the district.

The complainant, masquerading as a customer, approached the accused for a bride. After little haggling, a deal was finalised at Rs 30,000. He gave Rs 5,000 in advance and promised to give the remaining amount on the day of the marriage.

Following signal from the complainant, the police swooped down on the women and recovered the advanced amount.

Meanwhile, the police also held four women members of a gang of chain snatchers from Punjab who had committed several thefts during the Jagriti Yatra of Guru Granth Sahib (Gurta Gaddi).

The accused were identified as Balbir Kaur, Pal Kaur, Debo and Rupo, all residents of Patiala.

Seven gold chains worth Rs 2 lakh were recovered from their possession. According to police sources, the culprits taking benefit of being women used to mix up among devotees and perpetuated the crime after wining their confidence. The accused had snatched several gold chains from devotees participating in the Jagriti Yatra near Ding.

Rewari, May 24
The Model Town police has registered a case of cheating against Mahipal, former assistant treasurer of the Rewari District Treasury, currently posted at the District Treasury in Fatehabad.

The case has been registered on the complaint of district treasury officer Prithvi Singh, who has filed it in pursuance of a directive of the director of the treasury and accounts department, Haryana.

Sources said Mahipal, while working as assistant treasurer here, had allegedly cooked up transfer orders by forging the signatures of the joint director and the superintendent of the department to facilitate his own transfer from one seat to another within the same department.

However, when his fraud was detected, a departmental enquiry was instituted against him. Now when the inquiry panel found Mahipal guilty, the director has ordered the initiation of legal proceedings against him.

Jind, May 24
A middle-aged woman died after she was attacked by a stray cow in Narwana town of the district today. The cow has been sent to an animal house after being captured by the residents.

According to the information, victim, identified as Savitri Devi (40) a resident of Gandhi Nagar colony, was attacked by the cow while she was walking down the street.

The woman was hit from behind by the animal, which continued to attack her by its horns and hooves till Savitri Devi became unconscious. Onlookers rushed to help the injured lady, who was then taken to a nearby hospital where she succumbed to injuries.

The incident has created panic among the residents as there are hundreds of stray animals in the city, a resident said.

Meanwhile, a newborn baby died in the maternity ward of the local civil hospital today. It is reported that the baby fell on the floor at the time of the delivery and died soon after. The hospital authorities have not confirmed the incident so far.

According to kin of one Surjit, a labourer hailing from Nagura village in the district, his wife Birmati was yesterday admitted to the hospital with labour pains. It is claimed that there was no doctor in the labour room when the woman delivered the baby. It is also learnt that the kin of the victim have not lodged any formal complaint in this regard. The chief medical officer said no complaint had been received by his office.