Chandigarh, August 31
The ad hoc Haryana Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (HGPC), which is spearheading the agitation for the creation of a committee separate from the Amritsar-based SGPC to manage gurdwaras in the state, has decided to call its proposed rally at Karnal on September 7 as “Sarbat Khalsa”.

“Sarbat Khalsa”, a big congregation held to chalk out course of action whenever a major controversy stares Sikh community, has religious and historical connotations.

The “Sarbat Khalsa”, the HGPC hopes, will give a new impetus to its agitation as well as turn out to be a meeting point for all anti-Parkash Singh Badal forces.

The committee has invited many prominent non-Congress Sikh leaders, who are known be highly critical of the Punjab Chief Minister and his Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), which dominates the Amritsar-based SGPC, to the congregation.

Among those Sikh leaders who have promised to come to Karnal are president of the Akali Dal(Amritsar) Simranjit Singh Mann, president of the Akali Dal (1920) Ravi Inder Singh, former jathedars of Akal Takht Jasbir Singh Rode and Bhai Jasbir Singh, and Jathedar Iqbal Singh of Patna Sahib.

Paramjit Singh Sarna, president of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, and Harinder Singh Sarna, president of the Delhi Akali Dal, have also promised to come to the Karnal “Sarbat Khalsa”, to be held at Dera Kar Sewa, Kalandhari Gate, Karnal, from 10 am to 2.30 pm.

To counter the BJP support to Badal on his opposition to the separate committee for Haryana, the HGPC has contacted the high-profile general secretary of the Samajwadi Party, Amar Singh, who has promised to come to Karnal on September 7.

Amar Singh is believed to have told leaders of the HGPC that if Rajnath of the BJP, representing the NDA, can support Badal, the UPA can certainly support the cause of the Haryana Sikhs.

Ranjit Ranjan, MP and wife of controversial Bihar leader Pappu Yadav, is also expected to be present during the HGPC function.

General secretary of the HGPC Didar Singh Nalvi said here today that a large number of Sikhs not only from Haryana but also from Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal and Punjab would participate in the “Sarbat Khalsa”.

He said it was wrong on the part of Badal to say that if a separate gurdwara
parbandhak committee was formed for Haryana, it would lead to a Jammu and
Kashmir-like situation.

The creation of a separate committee for Haryana, Nalvi said, would not amount to an interference in the religious affairs of the Sikhs.

Those who would run the new committee would also be Sikhs, but of course, he said, these Sikhs might not owe their political allegiance to the Badal family.

Chandigarh, August 31
The Vidhan Sabha committee probing the circumstances that led to the signing of the 1994 Yamuna accord on sharing of the river waters will table its report in the monsoon session of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha, which is beginning tomorrow.

The committee finalised its report after former Chief Minister Bhajan lal repeatedly failed to make an appearance before the committee.

The state is all set to rein in property dealers and consultants in the state, unify its fire services, empower its estate officers for removal of encroachments and withdraw their discretion with regard to penalty for defaulting in payments.

This and more will figure in the three-day Haryana assembly session which gets under way tomorrow.

While the government is expected to table nearly 15 bills in this short session, the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) is likely to continue its “fight for the common man” by raising issues pertaining to power, water and flooding on the floor of the House.

The report of the Chatha Committee, aggressively being pursued by the government earlier, is now unlikely to be tabled during the session, as was being expected.

The Haryana Regulation of Property Dealers and Consultants Bill - 2008 aims at ensuring registration of property dealers with the district authorities to reduce the number of complaints pertaining to land deals.

The Haryana Fire Services Bill - 2008 will unify the fire services at present functioning under different departments in the districts and bring these under a separate department to regulate their functioning. Fire services are being managed by various agencies at different places.

The Haryana Urban Development Amendment Bill - 2008 takes away the discretionary power of the estate officer of allowing penalty up to 10 per cent in case of payment default under Section 17 of the HUDA Act. With this amendment, the EOs can impose a penalty equal to 10 per cent.

Also, amending Section 18, the estate office and its staff will be bestowed with powers, including confiscation of property as provided in the Municipal Act during anti-encroachment drives.

The government will table the Haryana Salaries and Allowances of Ministers (Second Amendment) Bill - 2008 to make provisions for a second car for each minister, the Indian Stamps Amendment Bill - 2008, the Haryana Underground Pipeline (Acquisition of Right of User in Land) Bill - 2008 during the course of the proceedings.

While the session will begin tomorrow afternoon with obituary references, the presentation of supplementary estimates for 2008-09 (first instalment) will also take place. The second day will see discussion and voting on the supplementary estimates while the third day has been set aside for passing of various bills and other legislative business.

Critical of the short session, the deputy leader of the INLD in the Vidhan Sabha, Sushil Indora, said the Congress and Bhupinder Singh Hooda had made tall claims of upholding the democratic traditions after assuming power.

“If the government is so committed to democratic traditions, why doesn’t it hold a debate on the worst-ever power situation in the state, the flooding of districts on account of rain and the inter-state water disputes. Why can’t the House debate the case of Sarita who was forced to commit suicide outside the office of the DGP? There are issues aplenty but the government must have the heart to give everyone a chance to put across his viewpoint,” Indora maintained.

He added that this three-day session was only a formality to meet the requirement of holding a session within six months of the previous one.

Chandigarh, August 31
The Haryana Renewable Energy Development Agency (HAREDA) has allocated six projects of 12-MW capacity to private developers to generate power from solar energy in Phase-I.

While stating this here today, a spokesman for the HAREDA said two projects of 3-MW capacity each had been allocated to R.S. India Wind Energy Pvt Ltd, New Delhi, and Estonfield Renewable Resources Pvt Ltd, Kolkata, and two projects of 2-MW capacity each had been allocated to Epuron Renewable Energy Pvt Ltd, New Delhi, and Azure Power India, New Delhi.

Two projects of 1-MW capacity each for rooftop installations had been approved for Omax Auto Ltd, Gurgaon, and Mselecto Systems Pvt Ltd, Faridabad, as a special case, as these projects being the rooftop projects do not require any purchase of land, these could be commissioned in shorter span of time and could also be showcased for replication in other industries, said the spokesman, adding that the HAREDA had invited these developers to enter into MOUs with the HAREDA for preparation of detailed project reports (DPRs) and execution of the projects.

The projects would be set up by these parties before December, 2009, with a total investment of about Rs 240 crore.

He said the HAREDA had shortlisted five more companies, Reliance India Ltd, Admire Energy Solutions, Vikram India Ltd, Albina Power Ltd and Shyam DRI Power Ltd for allocation of projects of a total generation capacity of 25 MW in Phase-II.

Karnal, August 31
A person was killed while four others sustained grievous injuries when a canter collided head-on with an autorickshaw near Puliya village on the Karnal-Meerut highway late last evening.

According to the police, the victims who were travelling in the autorickshaw were on their way to Nagala Megha village from Karnal.

A 45-year-old person was killed in the accident while the four injured were rushed to the Civil Hospital at the district headquarters.

However, the deceased could not be identified. Those injured have been identified as Raju, son of Arjan Singh, Sanjay, son of Dewan Chand, Prem Chand, son of Hariya, driver of the autorickshaw Vishnu, son of Puran Chand.

Doctors at the trauma centre here referred Vishnu and Prem Chand to the PGI, Rohtak, in view of their critical condition.

A team of police officials also reached the spot to take stock of the situation. The deceased’s body was sent to the mortuary of the hospital for postmortem.

Jhajjar, August 31
Residents of this district are in the grip of vector-borne viral fever these days. Hundreds of cases of viral fever have been reported during the past one week from various parts of the district.

Doctors say the fever erupts in the humid weather every year, but this year the cases are slightly high.

Though the district health authorities claim to have controlled viral fever, the number of patients is considerable not only in urban but rural areas also.

The deaths of two women in Amadalpur and a three-year-old infant of Jhangirpur village have been reported due to fever within a couple of days, but the health authorities have ruled out the possibility of viral fever behind the deaths.

A visit to various clinics in the district revealed that the number of cases of viral fever has shot up.

Long queues of patients could be seen in clinics, with most of them reporting with symptoms of viral fever.

The number of patients with throat infections, bad cold, cough and fever is also increasing rapidly nowadays.

The doctors said due to the tropical climate, spread of viral fever had almost become a routine.

They pointed out that after rain, the weather became sultry, which led to growth of virus and bacteria which could cause many types of infection with similar symptoms.

The doctors warned people against self-medication as it could lead to other problems like abdominal infection or even jaundice.

Cautioning against self-medication, Dr Raj Kanwar Yadav of the department of medicine, PGIMS, Rohtak, said those suffering from viral fever should avoid contact with others, as it was highly contagious.

“Unlike other diseases that are not contagious, viral fever spreads rapidly when proper hygiene is not maintained. The patient should use a cloth while sneezing and coughing. The patient usually gets better within a week and there is no need for taking antibiotics after that,” said Dr Yadav.

He added that medicines prescribed by the physician for treating other complications accompanying fever like cough and cold were advisable.

A large number of patients of viral fever are coming from rural areas. According to Dr Subhash Singh, a practitioner in Dhighal village, the number of cases with symptoms of viral fever has gone up sharply during the past couple of days.

On the other hand, the Civil Surgeon, Dr Om Prakash Hooda, said there was no cause of concern as the situation was under control.

Gurgaon, August 31
Close on the heels of the concern shown by Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda over the pitiable condition of Gurgaon roads, his son and Rohtak MP Deepender Singh Hooda today lashed out at the officials concerned for their negligence in keeping the roads in shape.

Deepender had a firsthand rattling experience on the way to Chandu Budhera
village, about 15 km from Gurgaon, where he inaugurated Guru Gobind Singh
Charitable Hospital.

It was a measure of his desperation that he started off his address to the gathering by first touching upon the road issue.

Though PWD officials, the block development officer, the tehsildar and the SDM 1, Gurgaon, were present, without naming anyone, he said the official apathy towards the upkeep of the roads would not be tolerated anymore.

Taking the officials to task, he served an impromptu order for strengthening and carpeting of the entire road stretch from Gurgaon up to the hospital within 15 days, failing which officials responsible for the job would face “serious consequences”.

Deepender was particularly harsh while pointing out the hardships faced by the rural folks commuting daily on this potholed road.

Having a dig at the officials, he said it was now their turn to sweat it out while repairing the road the same way people had been suffering while commuting on it.

Notably, the material is lying along the road but without any trace of work being done on it.

The Chief Minister had, at a Congress function in Gurgaon on August, publicly rebuked officials for their neglect of the health of roads.

He had served an ultimatum on the officials to get all Gurgaon roads repaired and strengthened within six months.

Sirsa, August 31
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today said a special board would be soon set up in Punjab for the amelioration of Tapriwas Vimukt Jatis.

The board would have members from these tribes only and suggest steps to improve the lot of these tribes.

Badal was addressing a rally of Akhil Bhartiya Tapriwas Vimukt Jati (Denotified Tribes) Vikas Manch in Dabwali here today.

These tribes observe August 31 as their Mukti Diwas as according to their leaders, although India got freedom on August 15, 1947, the Vimukt Jatis, previously referred to as criminal tribes, numbering 193 and having a population of 15 crore, were set free on August 31, 1952.

The tribes observed their 57th Mukti Diwas today in the memory of the repealing of the Emergency Act (Criminal Tribes Act, 1871) on August 31, 1952.

The Special Legislation of 1871 had been enacted to restrict the movement of these Jatis by the British and special jails had been built for them.

Former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala also addressed the rally and blamed the successive Congress government at the Centre for the poor condition of the Tapriwas Vimukta Jatis.

Rajinder Singh Desujodha, national president of the Akhil Bhartiya Tapriwas Vimukta Jati Vikas Manch, said even after 61 years of independence, the chasm between the poor and the rich continued to widen.

Tapriwas Vimukta Jati leaders from Haryana, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Delhi and other parts of the country were also present on the occasion.

The prizes would be given away by Om Prakash Chautala.

Sirsa, August 31
An exhibition on India’s First War of Independence was organised by the department of journalism and mass communication of Chaudhary Devi Lal University today.

K.C. Bhardwaj, vice-chancellor of the university, was chief guest on the occasion.

Pictures and documents relating to the independence struggle were displayed on
this occasion.

Historian Mohinder Singh gave an account of the contribution of Haryanvi people to India’s freedom struggle.

R.K. Sehgal, registrar of the university, Virender Chauhan, chairperson of the journalism and mass communication department, and R.S. Sangwal, a local philanthropist, spoke on this occasion.

Earlier, Samachar, a news headlines SMS service started by the department, was launched by Haryana industries minister Lachhman Dass Arora at his residence.

Faridabad, August 31
The district police has nabbed one of the three youths, who reportedly looted a female American national and her Indian companion on the Delhi-Agra national highway at gunpoint here yesterday.

The youths also took away the car in which the victims were traveling. However, the police recovered the car from Sonda village in Uttar Pradesh a few hours after the incident yesterday.

According to the police, almost 95 per cent of the belongings of the victims as well as a major portion of Rs 70,000, which was also looted, had been recovered.

It was stated that the goods looted amounted to Rs 15 lakh. The police has also
recovered the travelling documents of the female, who was to catch a flight to the
USA today.

The victims had gone to Agra for research works. The arrested accused has been identified as Shakti Singh of Sikri village. He was nabbed from Kanarsi village in Bulandshehar district.

The other two accused have been identified as Jaidev and Bhola, natives of Nangla village near Sikri in Faridabad district.

The police said the two would soon be arrested. The three involved in the crime are in their early twenties and do not have major criminal track record.

Rohtak, August 31
The Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) has alleged that the Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led Congress regime in the state has not only allotted industrial plots to the persons close to the powers that be, but also issued change of land use (CLU) permission letters to oblige several big industrialists.

Addressing a news conference at the party’s state office here today, HJC spokesperson and general-secretary Subhash Batra asserted that on coming to power, their party would cancel the CLUs issued during the Hooda regime and order a CBI inquiry into the matter.

Coming down heavily on the Chief Minister, Batra said Hooda had also followed the pattern set by his predecessor Om Prakash Chautala by dismantling the Haryana Public Service Commission, which was a constitutional body.

“The way in which certain persons handpicked by the state leadership have been inducted into the HPSC has put a question mark on the selections/appointments made by the HPSC,” Batra maintained.

Accusing the Hooda regime of indulging in nepotism while engaging construction firms, Batra alleged that there was a major scam in the ongoing “developmental” works in Rohtak, the hometown of the CM.

Jind, August 31
A minor girl (14), who was allegedly abducted by a youth on August 28, was recovered last evening.

While the youth has been remanded in judicial custody, the girl has been sent to Nari Niketan in Karnal.

The girl told the court that she had married the accused youth in a temple after eloping with him and wanted to live with him.

The duo was produced in the court after they were nabbed by the police from a railway station here last evening.

The girl, a class VI student and resident of Kirawar village, had been living with her aunt in Subhash Nagar locality on the Bhiwani road here for the past few months.

Sources said she developed intimacy with a youth identified as Rajkumar living
in her neighbourhood.

While the duo reportedly ran away from their homes on August 28, the kin of the girl lodged a complaint with the police that the girl had been abducted by Rajkumar.

However, the girl claimed that she ran away with the accused on her own and they got married in a temple after elopement.

The court sent the girl to Nari Niketan as she was a minor and the boy was sent to
judicial custody.

Sonepat, August 31
The Haryana Women Commission has decided to open its branch office in every district of the state to accelerate the tempo of the working of the commission, said vice-president of the commission Chander Prabha here last evening.

She said preference would be given to those engaged in social services, presidents of NGOs, psychologists and legal advisers in enrolling members of district branches.

“Men can also become members of the branches,” she added.

Explaining that besides the president and the vice-president, there were only two members of the commission, she said the government was considering to increase number of members of the commission for quick disposal of cases relating to women.

She said the commission had received 96 cases since January 2008 and out of these six cases were from Sonepat district.