Bhiwani, August 9
Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today visited the flood-hit Bhiwani city after holding an aerial survey.

Meanwhile, finding the situation getting worse, residents of different colonies like Shiv Nagar Colony, the Housing Board area and Hanuman Dhani left for safer places today also.

Such families lamented that no officer from the administration had come to them with help and they had no faith in the arrangements being made to drain out water from their colonies.

The administration today intensified its efforts to drain out water. Twentyfive pumps have been installed in different colonies. However, the alleged focus on only a few colonies like the Housing Board area, Adarsh Nagar and the DC Colony created furore among those living in low-lying areas.

The Chief Minister visited Bhiwani to take stock of situation. He held an aerial survey. Later, addressing a press conference at the PWD rest house, he lauded the role of the administration in tackling the situation and said sufficient arrangements had been made to evacuate water from the city.

Hooda announced to give Rs 2 lakh as compensation from the Rajiv Gandhi Beema Yojna to the kin of a woman and her son, who died on Thursday when the roof of their house collapsed due to rain at Balaji Colony near the Dinod Gate area.

He ordered a special girdawari to asses the damage to houses and crops in villages.

He assured that adequate compensation would be given to those affected.

After the aerial survey, Hooda went to the Old Housing Board Colony and the DC road, but avoided visiting the worst-affected areas like Shiv Nagar Colony, the Loharu road and Balmiki Basti.

Meanwhile, irate over inadequate arrangements by the administration to drain out water from a number of colonies, residents of these areas blocked roads. When SDM Shiv Prasad Sharma reached to help remove the traffic jam, he was gheraoed by the residents.

Reports of blocking traffic were received from several other areas. Residents of the local rest house area and the Dinod bypass area blocked traffic for about one hour.

They alleged that the administration had failed to evacuate water from their houses even after three days.

Meanwhile, the stagnant water has started emitting foul smell. In several areas, children have being admitted to private clinics with complaints of fever and other skin diseases.

Hundreds of villagers of Sonp Kasni village today met the deputy commissioner and apprised him of the flood-like situation in their village.

The Gujrani minor breached and water entered several villages. Bapora village is reportedly under 4 to 5 ft of water. The administration has sent staff to repair the breach.

Many houses in the Dinod Gate, Shiv Nagar Colony, Hanuman Gate, Dadri gate and Jeetuwala pond areas have developed cracks while several kutcha houses have reportedly collapsed due to the water.

Sonepat, August 9
Around a dozen houses in different areas of the district, including six outside a residential colony in Kundli village, have reportedly been damaged due to the accumulation of rainwater.

The HSIIDC authorities at Kundli are being blamed by residents of the colony for not making proper drainage arrangements.

Naib tehsildar Hari Om Atri was sent by deputy commissioner Ajit Balaji Joshi to help the victims. Atri said four kutcha houses had collapsed and these had been constructed by Sigligar families by encroaching upon land of the village pond.

The water level in the pond increased considerably due to rainwater and there was no provision for draining it out, he said.

A team of senior officers of the bijli nigam and the irrigation department, led by SDM Amarjit Singh Maan, reached the colony this afternoon to make arrangements for pumping out water from the pond. The affected families are being provided food and temporary shelter.

The colony, named Neki Nagar, was developed near Kundli village under the Indira Awas Yojna on panchayat land and about 300 Scheduled Caste families reside here.

Residents have demanded compensation for the affected families. The deputy commissioner said further action would be taken only after receiving the inquiry report.

Hisar, August 9
Two doctors were today sentenced to jail by a local court for illegally conducting sex determination tests.

Dr Mahendra Pal Kamboj and his wife, Dr Renu Kamboj, have been sentenced to two years’ imprisonment. The court reserved its order in the case of another doctor Rajinder Malik. Malik is also a BJP leader. Arguments were concluded today in his case and the court will deliver the judgment on August 14.

A lower court had sentenced the trio in January. They had gone in appeal to the Sessions Court. The doctor couple had been sentenced to three years’ imprisonment and fine of Rs 10,000 each. Malik had been sentenced to two years in jail and fined Rs 5,000.

They had been booked following a sting operation by certain television channels.

Yamunanagar, August 9
Justifying the protest by Sikh activists against “Singh is Kinng” in Amritsar, Akal Takht Jathedar Gurbachan Singh today demanded that objectionable scenes in the movie should be removed and the producer of the film and the actor, Akshay Kumar, should tendered an unconditional apology for hurting the sentiments of Sikhs.

“Sikh organisations have the right to hold protest against the movie as it has some objectionable scenes showing Sikhs in poor light. I support all Sikh organisations objecting to the movie in their areas,” he added.

The SGPC had asked the producer to make changes in “Singh is Kinng” when it was shown before the release to a group of SGPC members, including general secretary Sukhdev Singh Bhaur. However, the producer had expressed his inability to delete some unpleasant parts, the Akal Takht Jathedar told The Tribune after attending a function at Guru Nanak Girls College, Santpura, this afternoon.

“There was no use of showing the film to the SGPC members as the producer did not make the required changes. I have discussed the matter with Bhaur who has also expressed resentment against the release of the film,” he added.

In order to avoid such a situation in the future, I appeal to all producers that whenever they make films related to Sikhs, they should first get clearance from the SGPC.

Meanwhile, he said efforts would be intensified to get back Sikh artefacts, including weaponry, the “kalghi” of Guru Gobind Singh, the kohinoor diamond and the throne of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, which were lying in British museums.

On the demand for a separate gurdwara panel in Haryana, he said the demand was unjustified.

Sirsa, August 9
A father has been running from pillar to post for the recovery of his two daughters who were allegedly kidnapped from his house in Mithanpura village near Ellenabad town of the district about a month ago.

Rama told reporters here today that he had been working as a daily wager along with masons Jograj alias Mohammad Wajul and Raju alias Nimma at various construction sites and during that time both started frequenting his house.

He alleged that on July 14 both masons kidnapped his daughters Darshana (27) and Manju (17).

Rama said he had filed a complaint with the police on July 15 but till date no action has been taken.

He asserted that he had even provided bank account numbers, photo identity cards and mobile numbers of the accused but the police did not initiate any action.

Yesterday, Rama met SDM (Ellenabad) Subhash Sheoran, who took a strong notice of the plight of the hapless father, ordered SHO of Ellenabad police station to start investigations in the case and nab the culprits. — PTI

Ambala, August 9
Passengers had a narrow escape when the engine and a coach of an express train derailed near Ambala City railway station on the Ambala-Rajpura rail section this morning. Railway divisional manager H.K. Jaggi has ordered an inquiry into the incident. No passenger was injured in the accident.

This is the second incident of derailment in Ambala during the past two months. Earlier, two wagons of a goods train were derailed at Ambala Cantt.

The engine and one of the coaches of the Barmer Express derailed close to Ambala City railway station near the outer signal around 1 am. The engine derailed as soon as it moved from platform No. 3. The train was on the way to Barmer and around 200 passengers were travelling in the coach when it derailed. The speed of the train was very slow otherwise it could have resulted in a big tragedy.

According to railway sources, the driver moved the train without getting the green signal due to some confusion. As soon as the engine crossed the trap line, it derailed.

The sources said in fact the green signal was given for a superfast express train which had to cross through the main line adjoining platform No. 3. The engine and the coach jammed immediately otherwise it could have damaged electric poles.

Around a dozen concrete sleepers of the rail track were damaged in the accident. Senior railway officers, including the ADM, reached the accident site. The engine and the coach were put back on on the track after four hours with the help of a crane.

Rail services on the up and down route remained disrupted for some time. The Barmer Express left for its destination after six hours of its scheduled time.

Vipin, one of the passengers of the derailed coach, said most passengers were asleep at the time of the accident. Meanwhile, train driver Ravinder Kumar and assistant driver Narinder Kumar have been placed under suspension.

Sirsa, August 9
K.V. Singh, officer on special duty in the Haryana Chief Minister's office, today distributed compensation among victims of the Dabwali incidents in the community centre of the town. The Haryana government had announced compensation of Rs 2 lakh for the family of Harminder Singh, who died during an altercation between followers of Dera Sacha Sauda and Sikhs over the issue of “naam charcha” on July 18.

The government had also announced compensation ranging between Rs 25,000 and Rs 1 lakh for the dera followers whose houses and shops were destroyed in the violence that followed Harminder Singh's murder. K.V. Singh distributed Rs 24.12 lakh among 51 families. He also went to the residence of Harminder Singh and gave a cheque for Rs 2 lakh to his widow.

Meanwhile, the peace committee of prominent persons constituted by the authorities to defuse the dera crisis had a meeting with residents of Ghunkawali village at Gurdwara Dukhniwaran Sahib of the village last evening.

A building of the dera in this village had been ransacked by miscreants on the night of July 18.

Villagers said they were ready to repair the damaged dera building by community labour.

Rohtak, August 9
To register their protest against the Haryana government’s move to “commercialise and privatise” education in the state, members of the Haryana Rajkiya Adhyapak Sangh organised a state-level rally at Chhotu Ram Stadium here today.

A large number of government school teachers from different parts of the state attended the rally organised to press for the fulfilment of their demands.

The rally was addressed by sangh president Satya Pal Siwach, general secretary C.N. Bharti, Sarva Karamchari Sangh general secretary R.C. Jagga, SFI state secretary Vinod Deswal, CITU working general secretary Surender Malik and other union leaders.

The teachers and other employee union leaders stressed the need for building a strong movement in association with other organisations against the “government policy to commercialise and privatise education”.

Siwach asserted that the sangh would oppose the handing over of village shamlat land and government school land to private companies.

Bharti announced that the sangh had decided to defer its six-month-old agitation following an agreement on various demands of the government school teachers with Haryana education minister Mange Ram Gupta and senior officials of the state Education Department in Chandigarh on Friday.

Meanwhile, activists of the Students Federation of India (SFI) organised a protest march in the town to express solidarity with the teachers holding a state-level rally.