Bhiwani, September 7
Condemning the police firing on guest teachers in Rohtak today, supremo of the Haryana Janhit Congress (BL) Kuldeep Bishnoi said every person had the right to raise his voice in a peaceful manner, but with today’s incident it was proved that the present state leadership was so feeble and vagrant that no one can question the officials.

The HJC leader announced that he would regularise the services of these guest teachers if voted to power. Besides, he would also institute an inquiry and take action against the officers and police personnel responsible for the shoot out incident of today.

CHANDIGARH: The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) has severally condemned the firing on guest teachers in Rohtak on Sunday.

In a press statement issued here on Sunday, INLD secretary general and Rajya Sabha MP Ajay Singh Chautala demanded Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s resignation over the police cruelty and atrocities on women teachers.

Hooda had retained no moral ground to continue to stick to the post of the Chief Minister, he added.

Chautala demanded registration of criminal cases against the officers responsible for firing on women protesters. He said the Hooda government had a long list of atrocities on democratic and peaceful people movements.

The INLD leader said the government had become totally intolerant towards democratic protests and had adopted Hitler tactics to curb the dissenting voice.

Karnal, September 7
The “virodh rally” organised by the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (ad hoc) to press for a separate SGPC for the state virtually turned into an anti-Badal rally with speakers launching a blistering attack on the Punjab Chief Minister and the Akali Dal for perpetual control over the SGPC and harming the interests of Sikhs.

While Badal was the main target of attack at the rally, the speakers did even not spare Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda for succumbing to the pressure of the Akalis and backing out from the election promise to constitute a separate SGPC for the state.

The speakers took a strong exception to the reported threat by Badal during his meeting with the Prime Minister that Kashmir like situation would develop in Punjab and Haryana if the demand for a separate SGPC was accepted.

President of the HSGPC Jagdish Singh Jhinda said the holding of convention had become imperative, as Prakash Singh Badal had misled the PM, saying that a handful of Haryana Sikhs were demanding a separate SGPC.

Accusing the Akali Dal of harming the interests of Sikhs in Haryana, he said reorganisation of Punjab was the main cause of troubles of Sikhs outside Punjab especially in Haryana, where the population of Sikhs was highest after Punjab.

Though he attacked Badal for bartering the interests of Haryana Sikhs for electoral gains, he criticised Hooda for playing vote bank politics with Sikhs of the state.

Ridiculing the Akali Dal for opposing a separate SGPC for Haryana, Delhi SGPC president H.S. Sarna said it had miserably failed to manage gurdwaras in Punjab and propagate Sikhism and Sikh culture.

Simrinjeet Singh Mann, president of the SAD (A), also extended his support to the genuine demand of Sikhs in Haryana and said Badal had no right to play politics with the religious feeling of the Sikhs.

President of the Bharatiya Kisan Union Kanshiram said Haryana was not even getting Rs 3 crore out of Rs 36 crore earmarked for spread of Sikhism by the SGPC.

President of the SAD (1920) Ravi Inder Singh, jathedar Jasbir and Biwi Rajinder Kaur Singh Rode extended their support to the HSGPC.

Leaders of Haryana were also critical for not getting Punjabi the status of second language in the state.

Chandigarh, September 7
The Haryana Rice Millers Association today suspended its three-week-old strike, bringing cheer to a large number of paddy growers in the state.

According to reports reaching here, millers at most of the places have already started purchasing paddy.

The millers had gone on strike on August 16 to highlight problems being faced by them.

The decision to suspend the agitation was taken at a meeting of the association held at Nissing in Karnal district today. A sizeable section of the millers, supported by certain rice exporters, was against the suspension of the agitation till the state and central governments took “some concrete” action on resolving their problems.

It was only after a great persuasion by president of the Haryana Beopar Mandal Bajrang Dass Garg, president of the rice millers association Azad Singh Rathee and its vice-president Jewel Singla that the millers agreed to suspend the agitation till September 23. President of the Punjab Rice Millers Association Tarsem Saini was also of the view that the agitation should be suspended for 15 days.

Though the central government is yet to notify the date of procurement of paddy, the state government ordered its agencies like Hafed to purchase paddy in view of the hardship being faced by the growers.

The decks to suspend the agitation were cleared on September 4 when, led by Garg, a delegation of the millers met Hooda. The delegation, which included Rathee and Singla, was assured by the Chief Minister that all their problems would be resolved to their satisfaction.

Hooda also directed the director, food and supplies department, to depute a senior officer of the department to visit the Food Corporation of India in Delhi on September 5 along with representatives of the association to seek clarifications about certain issues pertaining to the millers.

The millers want that the centre should declare its levy policy on rice for the next procurement year before September 23 along with the price of levy rice. They also want that the government should declare what bonus, if any, is to be paid to the growers over and above the minimum support price (MSP) of the paddy. They say the bonus is declared much after they purchase paddy at a price exceeding the MSP. This posed a problem for them last year as they were asked to pay bonus to the growers much after the paddy purchase. This played havoc with their financial management.

They are also demanding that the security deposited last year for custom milled rice should be refunded to them at the earliest; the cases in which transportation charges had been deducted without justification should be reopened; the terms and conditions for custom milling of paddy should not be changed; the pollution board should not insist on installation of treatment plants where the millers had six acres of land; and officials of the Marketing Board should not unnecessarily harass them. 

Sonepat, September 7
Irked over the absence of the deputy commissioner and the senior superintendent of police during his visit to the district today, chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes Buta Singh said warrants would be issued against these officers asking them to appear before the commission in Delhi.

Interestingly, the officers informed the commission that the DC had gone on leave from September 3 to visit his home state Maharashtra as one of his family members had died and the tour programme of the commission was received in the DC’s office on September 4. They said the SSP was absent as his wife was in serious condition had been admitted to a hospital. DSP Hari Kailash represented the SSP before the commission.

Buta Singh accompanied by vice-chairman of the commission N.M. Kamble and members Satya Bahin and Mahendra Boddh had come here to inquire into the complaint of Karmo Devi of Rai, who had alleged that some influential persons of the village had encroached upon her plot. However, the matter is sub judice in a court in Sonepat.

During the visit, the commission received a complaint from family members of a youth, Avdhesh, of Sewli village. They alleged that Avdhesh was being unnecessary tortured by the police in a case of forgery of Rs 38 lakh and he had consumed poison three days ago due to the fear of the police. However, DSP Hari Kailash maintained that as part of investigation by the crime branch, Avdhesh was questioned only on the suspicion of the signatures and photograph in the bank records and the police had not tortured him.

Ambala, September 7
The Ambala range police has arrested one of the key accused, who was allegedly involved in the attack on Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh’s motorcade in Karnal district in February.

Addressing a press conference here today, IG, Ambala range, K.K. Sindhu said the accused identified as Dharmendra Singh, alias Pinda, was arrested late yesterday night from Hathnikund in Yamunanagar district.

His medical was conducted today morning and he has been sent to police remand till September 15 by the Karnal District Magistrate.

This is the seventh arrest in the case. Six of the eight accused had been arrested earlier. However, the two who were stated to be the mastermind were still at large.

A special investigation team formed 15 days ago on the directions of the director-general of police Ranjiv Dalal nabbed Dharmendra Singh while he was heading towards Punjab from Uttar Pradesh.

Sidhu said they were hopeful to learn the whereabouts of Baksheesh Singh, who was said to be one of the masterminds.

Jhajjar, September 7
Now, residents of this district need not go to Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam office for lodging their complaints regarding electricity.

The nigam has introduced a toll-free telephone number service here to its consumers for accelerating the pace of redressing their grievances.

Interestingly, this service will be available round the clock and the consumers will be able to call toll-free number 1912 for getting their complaints registered.

According to sources, the nigam has also fixed a time frame for the redress of the grievances strictly as per the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission instruction.

Thus, on receiving a call from a consumer on the telephone, the computer would generate a call receipt. The nigam would arrange to deliver the receipt to the consumer concerned, the next day, apprising him of the date, by which the complaint would be resolved.

But the consumers said when complaint centres of the nigam were not able to respond to their calls, it seems to be doubtful at this stage that this facility would speed up the functioning of the nigam.

Moreover, the employees take several days to rectify these complaints, Devender Singh and Ramesh Sharma, consumers of the nigam, said.

R.S. Dahiya, superintendent engineer of the nigam, said the process of receiving complaints had been started through the toll-free telephone number and the officials were directed to redress all grievances within stipulated period.

Chandigarh, September 7
The power crisis in Haryana deepened further after one unit of the Yamunanagar Thermal Power Plant was today closed for a fortnight following a fire last evening. Already short in supply, power availability fell by another 300 MW following the closure of the unit though efforts are afoot to procure power from all available sources.

Sources said though the cause of the fire could not be ascertained, it was detected to an oil gun in the first unit of the plant and was brought under control quickly. However, the unit has been closed for repairs for two weeks and a technical team from Reliance Energy Limited, Noida, and officials of the Haryana Power Generation Corporation Limited reached the spot and work has already begun.

Already under fire for non-availability of power from all quarters, including the industry, officials are trying to purchase short-term power from the market to tide over the situation.

Secretary and commissioner, power, Ashok Lavasa said the state would buy power from all available sources and was even tapping purchase of liquid power despite its high cost of nearly Rs 10 a unit.

“We have already issued instructions for the purchase of whatever liquid power is available though there is a capacity constraint. Since the entire 300 MW cannot be supplied from this source alone, we are looking at other available sources also and will at least be able to provide 250 MW shortly,” Lavasa stated.

The sources said the second unit of the plant had also been generating power below its capacity.

While one unit of the Panipat thermal station has been “off generation” for very long, unit 5 of the plant, too, has now been non-functional for over a month. Against a total installed generation capacity of 4,679 MW in the state, power generation of 2,187 MW is with the HPGCL alone while it was generating power worth 1,189 MW till recently.

The MD of the HPGCL, Sanjeev Kaushal, who also reached the spot, said all efforts would be made to repair the damaged unit as soon as possible. “Though we have closed the unit for two weeks, we are hoping all repairs will be in place within 10 days and power generation is likely to resume.”

Already reeling under a crisis, power supply in the state has been plagued by scheduled and unscheduled cuts, inviting the ire of the industry and the public alike where cuts range from five to eight hours.

Jind, September 7
Enraged over the power supply disruption, residents of Alewa village here resorted to violence and attacked employees at 33 kV substation located near the village last night. They also staged a blockade for the whole night on the road connecting Jind with Assandh of Karnal district in protest against power supply failure.

The blockade was lifted around 5 am today after an assurance by the officials of the department.

The police has registered a case against 25 persons for violence and theft at the substation office. Thirteen out of 25 persons have been named in the FIR. However, no arrests have been made so far.

The protesters spent night on the road claiming that it was better to sleep on the road than to face heat and humidity in their houses.

They said after waiting for about two hours for resumption of supply which went off around 10 pm due to a breakdown in transformers there they decided to come out on the road after they were told that it was not possible to repair the fault and they would have to wait for the next morning.

According to the police, scores of villagers reached the substation and demanded an explanation for the cut. When the officials concerned told them that it was due to a fault in the substation, they demanded it to be repaired immediately. However, when the staff expressed their helplessness, residents got enraged and resorted to violence.

They allegedly beat up one of the employees and ransacked the office.

Sirsa, September 7
The death of six persons, including three women, in the district in a span of six days due to fever has left residents in a tizzy.

Four of these persons have died in Khuian Nepalpur village alone in Baraguda block of the district.

R.L. Nagpal, a retired bank officer from Dabwali town, yesterday died of suspected dengue in Ludhiana, where he had been shifted for treatment. His wife Veena is still reported to be in hospital with symptoms of low platelet count.

Shanti Devi (50), wife of Raja Ram; Teja Devi (45), wife of Nathu Ram; Seema Devi, alias Shimli (40), wife of Richhpal; and Lal Chand (47) have died of fever in Khuian Nepalpur village since Tuesday, according to villagers.

Seema was the last one to have become victim of fever on Friday in the local general hospital. She was shifted to the Sirsa general hospital with high fever on Thursday, where she died the next day.

The health authorities have cited different reasons for the deaths.

Shanti Devi, according to Dr Neeraj Gilhotra of the community health centre, Baraguda, was a cancer patient while Teeja Devi was a patient of rheumatoid arthritis.

He said fever to Teeja Devi might have been a manifestation of rheumatoid arthritis.

The civil surgeon, Dr P.R. Kayasth, said Seema was brought to the local general hospital in an unconscious state after her fever had become complex due to medication from quacks.

He said neither Seema nor Lal Chand resided in Khuian Nepalpur village although they were residents of that village.

Villagers, including sarpanch Suraj Bhan Gandhi, however, contradict the version of the health authorities.

They alleged that even Shanti, though she had cancer, died after she was taken ill due to fever a few days ago.

Jagdish, a labourer from Rori in this district, died of suspected malaria on Saturday.

Jagdish lived with others under the sheds of the purchase centre of the market committee at Rori and was taken ill a few days ago.

He was shifted to a private hospital but penury forced the family members to get him discharged from the hospital without treatment. Jagdish eventually died unattended in the afternoon on Saturday. Meanwhile, the fever situation continues to be grim throughout the district.

Government hospitals and private doctors have been receiving hundreds of new patients of fever every day, suggest reports from Dabwali, Kalanwali, Rania, Ellenabad, Rori, Baragura and Sirsa.

“I have been receiving 25 to 30 blood slides daily for testing of blood samples of those suffering from fever. Besides malaria, one or two cases of suspected dengue are also reported daily,” said the owner of a pathology lab in the district.

The civil surgeon, however, maintained that no case of dengue had so far been found in the district.

He said 1,058 cases of malaria, including two cases of plasmodium falciparum, had been found in the district so far this season.

Sirsa, September 7
Bahujan Samaj Party general secretary Man Singh Manhera said today that the party would go it alone in the coming parliamentary elections.

Addressing a public meeting outside the local grain market as part of the BSP’s “rashtriya jan chetna” programme, Manhera, who is in charge of the party affairs in Haryana, said the party had already announced its candidates for five of the 10 Lok Sabha seats.

Accusing the Congress as well as the BJP of dividing the people of country for their narrow political ends, the BSP leader said the developments in Jammu and Kashmir were a current example of the policies of the two parties.

He said party supremo Mayawati had been trying to raise the voice of the poor and this had created insecurity in these political parties. He alleged that attempts had been made to eliminate the BSP supremo in order to remove her from the way by those who feared her popularity.

Terming the Hooda government in Haryana as a total failure, Manhera said the government had proved to be a weak and inefficient one.

Ambala, September 7
High-velocity and dust-laden winds, which lashed the district on Friday night, claimed two lives and caused a widespread damage to property, apart from uprooting trees that led to traffic blockades on many roads.

The two deceased, Balia and Sukhraj, were residents of Shazadpur and Ambala city.

Balia (70) was on his way back home when a tree fell on him and Sukhraj was killed after a tree fell on him near the Anaj Mandi bridge in Ambala city.

Though he was rushed to the Civil Hospital, Ambala, he succumbed to his injuries.

Followers of the Dera Sacha Sauda started cleaning the Ambala-Hissar road on Friday night to ensure smooth flow of traffic for the Dera chief, who had a court visit in Ambala yesterday.

On the Ambala-Jagadhri state highway, traffic was blocked for hours, as the trees had fallen on the roads.

The traffic was also halted at many other places.

In Ballana and Duliana village, langars were organised in the Gurudwaras and distributed to those, stuck in traffic in the night.

Meanwhile, a house collapsed in Mochi Mandi. And a mobile tower of a private operator fell on the roof of another house in Bengali Mohalla.

The forest department is yet to ascertain the damage and said it would take a few days to ascertain the damage.

Deputy commissioner Mohammad Shayin said a survey was being done for electricity and forests separately and they would know the damage by Monday.

While the weather after the storm became pleasant, the residents had to suffer due to electricity cut. Many cables snapped in the storm causing a cut, which lasted for twenty-four hours at most places, including the Ambala Cantt. Officials said they were making efforts to solve the problem points in a phased manner and residents could expect power supply to be restored today.

Meanwhile, most of the power supply was restored by late this evening. The process of clearing the roads of trees, which had fallen in the storm, still seem to be slow.

The administration has assured that the power situation will improve by tomorrow.