Chandigarh, December 11
Haryana today claimed it had successfully followed the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act but was not getting any compensation for bringing about improvement in social indicators from the Planning Commission.

Haryana finance secretary Ajit M. Sharan, while speaking at the workshop on ‘Centre-State’ relations, organised under the aegis of the Commission on Centre-State relations at the Panjab University here, said the state was likely to achieve a revenue surplus of Rs 1,500 crore this year.

He said though fiscal discipline had been achieved, it had come about at a great cost with a compression of expenditure on health and education. The Commission should give a higher weightage for better fiscal management, revenue generation measures and tax collection efficiency, he added.

Sharan also called for flexibility in formulating Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS), saying a cafeteria approach was needed to allow states to choose schemes out of a larger shelf. He said, similarly, a fixed amount should be available to the states which could formulate schemes following broad outlines like in the case of the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojna (RKVY).

The Haryana representative also said fixing total borrowing permitted to the state, along with its sources, prevented the state from accessing cheaper borrowings to the optimal level. He also noted that a large part of central assistance went directly to districts, bypassing the state.

Planning commission member secretary R.R. Shah, while reacting to the observations, said the Commission could route money through the state, provided a mechanism could be devised to ensure it was not diverted for any other purpose. He also asked Haryana to come up with its own district and state-level plans to ensure appropriate schemes were formulated.

Earlier, Sanjeev Mahajan from Himachal Pradesh University, said Himachal was paying a price for being a peaceful state.

He urged the Planning Commission to allow the state to charge a generation tax on hydel power generated from rivers situated in its territory. He said another issue which needed to be addressed was that some companies were not paying taxes in Himachal as their corporate offices were situated elsewhere.

Himachal special secretary, finance, Akshay Sood, said the Sixth Pay Commission report would have a crippling effect on the state as per capita debt had risen to Rs 26,860. He also urged for adjudication on Himachal’s due demand for share in the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) project.

Chandigarh, December 11
The Haryana BJP has demanded immediate amendment to the Punjab Scheduled Roads and Control Area (Restriction of Unregulated Development) Act, 1963, so that lakhs of shops and houses could be saved from demolition.

In a statement issued here today, media in charge of the party Rajiv Jain urged Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda to immediately convene an all-party meeting followed by a special session of the Vidhan Sabha so that the Act could be suitably amended to save “means of livelihood and shelter” of lakhs of persons from the sword of demolition in view of the High Court orders.

Jain said though the court was justified in ordering the implementation of the Act, the fact remained that lakhs of persons had put their hard-earned money in constructing their houses and shops without knowing that the construction was in violation of the provisions of the Act. He said though in urban areas, several buildings were constructed after approval of site plans by the appropriate authorities, these buildings had been put in the category of illegal constructions. There were many roads in the state which had been given the status of national highways. Now, the public works department had given notices to owners of even those buildings which were constructed before these roads were declared national highways.

The BJP leader said had the authorities concerned issued notices to the owners of such buildings when these were being constructed, they would not have gone ahead with the construction. Now, the only way not to commit contempt of court as well as to save these buildings was to amend the Act, for which the Chief Minister should take the initiative and convene an all-party meeting followed by a special Assembly session.

Jain said in view of the increase in population and migration from rural areas to urban areas, the government should immediately increase the municipal limits as well as ”lal dora” around villages. 

Chandigarh, December 11
Zahida, who belongs to Haryana, has become a member of the Rajasthan Assembly.

What is the big deal?

Well, she is the first woman belonging to the Meo Muslim community in the country to enter an assembly. The Meos are considered to be among the most backward sections of the Muslims.

She is not only the first Meo woman MLA, but is also the sole representative of her community in the Rajasthan Assembly. She was elected from the Kaman constituency by a comfortable margin of about 8,000 votes.

Born on March 6, 1963, Zahida holds an LLB degree from Delhi University. Married to an engineering graduate, Jalish Khan, Zahida was an active social worker in the area before she entered politics a few months ago.

Zahida is no stranger to politics, which virtually runs in her blood. Her grandfather, Mohd. Yasin Khan, was elected an MLA in the first elections held in the country in 1926. He remained a member of the Punjab Assembly from 1926 to 1946 and then from 1952 to 1962. He was elected unopposed from the Firozepur Jhirka assembly constituency in 1952.

Her father, Tayyab Hussain, who was the “choudhry” of the Meo community, is the only person in the country to remain a minister in the three states of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.

He also remained a member of Parliament for two terms.

The Kaman constituency was earlier represented by Hussain in the Rajasthan Assembly twice. It was after his death in October last that the Congress decided to field Zahida from here.

Incidentally, her brother, who contested the Rajasthan Assembly elections on the BSP ticket from a neighbouring constituency, lost by a narrow margin.

Zahida says she is lucky to be born in a family which was progressive in outlook and way ahead of others in thinking. “My family always believed that education held the key to the uplift of the community,” she says.

Her grandfather was the first advocate from Mewat. To promote education, he established various educational institutions and fought against communal forces.

It was at his behest that the Meos did not migrate to Pakistan at the time of Partition. Mahatma Gandhi also visited Mewat in 1947 and assured the community that its rights and interests would be safeguarded and they should remain in India.

Zahida promises to continue the work started by her grandfather. She says she would continue to motivate the Meos to educate their girls so that they could meaningfully contribute to the development of the community. 

Fatehabad, December 11
Over 250 families belonging to the Scheduled Castes, Backward Classes and those living below the poverty line, whose daughters got married during the past over one year, will get the “shagun” amount from the district authorities here under the Indira Priyadarshani Vivah Shagun Yojna of the state government tomorrow.

Interestingly, many of the girls, whose families will be getting “shagun” for their marriages, have become mothers.

The delay has been caused due to the lackadaisical attitude of some officials of the welfare department in the district. Ideally, the “shagun” amount should have been paid to the families before the marriage of their daughters. However, it was somehow delayed.

“We have recommended disciplinary action against some officers of the welfare department working in the district headquarters and at the tehsil level for the lapse and from now onwards we will see to it that the “shagun” is paid to the families before the marriage,” said J.S. Ahlawat, deputy commissioner, Fatehabad.

“As many as 152 families belonging to the Scheduled Castes will get Rs 15,000 each for marriage of their single daughters and 21 other families will get Rs 30,000 each for marriage of two daughters in their families during the past one year,” Ahlawat added.

Besides, 58 families belonging to the Backward Classes would get “shagun” of Rs 5,100 each and 10 families of these categories would get an amount of Rs 10,200 each for the marriage of two daughters each in their families.

Surprisingly, the welfare department in the district had withheld not only the “shagun” amount of the beneficiaries for such a long period, but they had also delayed the payment of grant for the construction and repair of houses, which is given to the Scheduled Castes families.

“Eleven families will get a grant of Rs 50,000 each for construction and 16 families will get Rs 10,000 each for the repair of their houses,” the deputy commissioner said.

The welfare department pays a cash incentive of Rs 4,500 to students belonging to the Scheduled Castes getting first division in any graduate or postgraduate class or any professional course and Rs 3,000 for those getting first division at the senior secondary level.

The authorities concerned would give incentive of Rs 4,500 each to 19 students and Rs 3,000 each to 83 students tomorrow.

Yamunanagar, December 11
Taking serious note of the poor condition of roads, deputy commissioner Amit Kumar Aggarwal today directed the officials concerned, including those of the National Highways Authority, the state highways authority and the municipal council, Yamunanagar and Jagadhri, to complete the carpeting and maintenance of the roads by December 31.

Besides, the officials were told to clean and decorate the areas along the roads on the two national highways, two state highways and internal roads.

While convening a meeting of the officials here the deputy commissioner further directed the officials that big signboards of various important establishments should be put up along roads.The officials of the municipal council, Yamunanagar and Jagadhri, were told to complete the maintenance work on the internal roads within the stipulated time.

While giving details to The Tribune, the deputy commissioner said SDM H.C Jain had been entrusted with the task of monitoring work on the maintenance of roads.

He said that owing to some difference of opinion between the B and R department and the National Highways Authority, the condition of National Highway 73-A was poor.

The matter had been taken up with the central government for funds and carpeting of this stretch would be done within two months.

Chandigarh, December 11
The Punjab and Haryana High Court today made it clear it would not allow compromise to be deployed as a tool by “criminals in uniform” to get away with heinous crimes like rape.

The court not only dismissed a Haryana cop’s plea for quashing a first information report (FIR) registered against him on the allegations of rape, but also asserted the instrument of compromise must be used judiciously.

The significant orders come at a time when the general trend is towards settling disputes as soon as a compromise is reached between two warring parties.

Inspector Jai Singh had, allegedly, raped a runaway bride after she had approached him for protection. Lodged in the Karnal district jail, he had moved a petition for quashing the FIR on the ground of compromise with the girl.

Taking up the matter, Justice Ranjit Singh observed: “The allegations against the petitioner are specific. At stake here is not only the interest of the girl, but the society as a whole.

“The state would have an interest to ensure prosecution in such like cases so that such criminals in uniform can be made to account for their illegalities. Compromise in such a case would be against the interest of the society as a whole”.

Going into the background, Justice Ranjit Singh observed: “He is alleged to have committed a forcible rape on the prosecutrix by calling her to his quarters on the pretext that her parents are coming to meet her there. The innocent girl had married against the wishes of her parents and was on the run to seek protection for her and husband’s life.”

Justice Ranjit Singh added: “Prayer is now made for quashing the FIR on the basis of a compromise. The girl is also present…. Capabilities of a police officer to make a complainant to compromise can well be appreciated”.

Going deep to read the not so discernable fine print, Justice Ranjit Singh observed: “The wordings of the compromise would itself tell a story. Complainant says she has compromised the case to end enmity and to maintain good relations.

“This seems to be more a cry of a helpless woman against a mighty police officer, than any compromise. To me this compromise would not sound genuine, which is stated to be aimed at settling enmity.

“Where is the enmity between the petitioner and the girl, who was ravished? There are no apparent reasons for the girl to make false allegations against the inspector.

“She had gone to the police station to seek protection from her near and dear, and the protector of law became her ravisher. Can such a case be allowed to be settled through a compromise? With the dismissal of his plea, way has been paved for the inspector’s trial.” 

Sirsa, December 11
A food processing plant will be set up in Abubshahr in the district at a cost of Rs 65 crore.

Chairman of the Haryana Agriculture Marketing Board Shadi Lal Batra told mediapersons here today that Subodh Kant Sahai, union minister of state for food processing, would lay the foundation stone of the plant in January.

He said the government had already set up a kinnow grading, waxing and packaging plant in Abubshahr at a cost of Rs 7 crore.

The trial working of the plant would begin on December 23, he added.

The grading plant would help in classification of fruits as per their quality. He said Sirsa was one of those districts of the country that had been selected under the National Horticulture Mission for construction of food processing and packaging plants.

The proposed processing plant would help farmers as they would find market for their fruits at the local level, said Batra.

Sirsa, December 11
When Sooraj (13) and Baby (11) came home after attending their school, they did not find their mother to greet them. They searched in the neighbourhood, but she was not to be found anywhere. There father Madan Lal, too, was missing.

Later, some women from the neighbourhood found the body of the woman in a 7-foot-deep water tank constructed outside the house.

She had been beaten up and strangled and later her body was thrown in the water tank.

The incident happened in Tarkanwali village in this district today. The kin of the woman, who live in the nearby Keharwala village, were informed by villagers.

The victim’s brother, Om Parkash, informed the police that his sister Guddi (35) got married to Madan Lal 22 years ago and the couple had three children. The eldest daughter of the couple was married, while the other two were studying in the village school.

“We came to know only after marrying our sister that Madan Lal was of immoral character and had been squandering his property on women,” Om Parkash told the police.

“He had already sold off a major portion of his landholding and wasted the proceeds on his bad habits,” he alleged.

Om Parkash alleged that Madan Lal often beat up his sister and pressured her to bring money from her parents.

She was recently thrown out of the house by Madan Lal, he alleged.

He alleged that the victim's husband had killed her and thrown her body in the water tank.

Daljit Singh, SHO of the Chopta police station, said the police had registered a case under section 302 of the IPC.

Bhiwani, December 11
A CBI team from Chandigarh raided the Charkhi Dadri branch of the Oriental Bank of Commerce and arrested its field officer while taking graft from a loan beneficiary.

Dada Ram Swaroop of a self-help group had applied for a loan of Rs 5.50 lakh to the Charkhi Dadri branch of the Oriental Bank of Commerce.

The field officer, who recommended the case for loan, had allegedly demanded Rs 20,000 for passing the loan.

According to the complainant Asha Devi, head of the self-help group, field officer Azad Singh had already taken Rs 15,500 from her for passing the loan and was demanding the remaining amount. Asha Devi lodged a complaint with the CBI, Chandigarh.

Azad Singh asked Asha to collect her cheques from the branch. The bank had issued 13 cheques for Rs 42,000 each.

The CBI team gave powder-coated currency notes amounting to Rs 4,500 to Asha Devi.

As Azad Singh gave the cheques to Asha Devi, she handed over the amount to him and was caught by the CBI team.

The team arrested Azad Singh and collected some records from the bank. Azad Singh will be produced before a CBI court in Ambala tomorrow.

Karnal, December 11
A local minor girl was allegedly raped by a shepherd from Panipat, Deepak, who also kept her under illegal confinement. The matter was reported to the police by the father of the victim, Satpal Singh and a case under sections 363, 366, 376 and 120-B of the IPC was registered in the Sadar Chowki police station.

The accused, a resident of Kapri Road, used to come to Karnal with his friend Bittu to meet a relative, Rohtash, and had some acquaintance with the girl who was also residing in the same neighbourhood.

The accused took the 14-year-old girl with him from a sweet shop on December 3 and allegedly raped her. Later, he took her to Panipat and realising the gravity of the crime, Raj Kali, mother of Deepak, offered to accept the victim as her daughter-in-law without performing any rituals.

The girl was kept in Panipat for more than a week and following a complaint lodged by the father of the girl, the accused brought her back to Karnal and set her free on December 10.

The police registered a case against Deepak for alleged rape and booked his mother and friend Bittu for aiding and abetting the crime. The girl was sent for a medical examination and a manhunt has been launched to nab the suspects.

Panipat, December 11
The district administration’s campaign to make city free of polythene bags today received a boost with the Dera Sacha Sauda extending their support towards the programme.

A large number of dera followers today volunteered to hand-pick polythene bags from heaps of garbage. Earlier, deputy commissioner Vijay Singh Dahiya held a meeting with dera followers at the local Bal Bhawan and apprised them about the ill-effects of the use of polythene bags.

The DC said polythene bags besides polluting air, water and soil, block sewers and drains that lead to flood-like situation during rains. He said most of the voluntary organisations of the city were now supporting the anti-polythene drive.

The district administration had launched the drive in October.

The administration held several seminars to generate public opinion against the use of polythene bags. Jute bags were also got made by the administration that were distributed free of cost amongst the locals to discourage the use of plastic bags.

Chandigarh, December 11
The government has decided to restore the work of recruitment relating to initial appointments to Group 'B' posts back to the Haryana Public Service Commission.

The decision also applies to those posts for which requisition has been sent to the Haryana Staff Selection Commission but advertisements have not yet been issued.

An official spokesman said the staff selection commission would complete the requirement process for which work had already been initiated by it by way of issue of advertisements.

Appointments to posts of Group 'B' were earlier taken out of the purview of the Haryana Public Service Commission and the work was entrusted to the Haryana Staff Selection Commission on January 10, 2006.