Chandigarh, February 7
The unrelenting rain gods and unusually high temperature this winter has led to early maturing of wheat in hundreds of acres of area under wheat cultivation across Haryana.

Even as ear heading has started in the early sown varieties of wheat, farmers are now concerned over poor productivity if the weather remains warm and dry.

According to information gathered by The Tribune, ear heading in wheat crop has been noticed in many areas in Karnal, Kaithal and Kurukshetra districts. As a result, the crop yield will be lower. Though the state agriculture department had asked farmers to start sowing in the last week of October till November 10, some farmers had sown their crops as early as first week of October.

With a long, dry spell during this winter and the high day temperatures, especially in the second fortnight of January (when temperatures were two to three degrees above normal), these varieties have now started sowing signs of early maturing. Even the high-yielding varieties that were sown between October 25 and November 10, as recommended by the agriculture department, are likely to be affected with a lesser yield because of the unfavourable weather.

Ishwar Dayal, a farmer in Sambli village of Karnal, informed TNS that because of high temperature since mid January, he was expecting a fall in his crop yield. “Also, there has been incidence of claris manor (gulli- danda) in most places in Karnal district. The weedicides that we are spraying are also not getting the desired results,” 
he said.

Even those farmers who had sown their crops late are expecting a lower yield. Sukhvir Singh, a farmer in village Madana Khurd in Jhajjar, said farmers had sown their wheat late (November end-December) because there was heavy rains in September and the ground was not ready for sowing. “But there has been a long, dry and warm spell till now. If there is no rain for another week, it will adversely affect crop yield,” he rued.

This year, wheat has been sown on 24.80 lakh hectares of area across the state, as compared to 24.62 lakh hectares last year. The wheat production for this year is estimated to be around 104 lakh hectares. Officials in the agriculture department said almost 90 per cent area this year was under high yielding varieties like PBW 343, PBW 502 and WH 542. “We were expecting a high production, but so far the weather has been unfavourable. If the same continues, the crop production will be lower than the estimate of 104 lakh tonnes,” he said.

Gurgaon, February 7
Haryana Finance Minister Birender Singh has ordered a probe into a woman’s death due to the alleged negligence of a doctor at the local Civil Hospital. The minister today directed the district authorities to get the matter inquired by a medical board of the PGIMS, Rohtak.

Sunil Bhama, a resident of Ashok Vihar locality here, had lodged a complaint with the district authorities, alleging that he had taken his wife Manju for her second delivery to the local Civil Hospital on the morning of November 19, 2008.

“Before taking my wife to the labour room, a nurse present there gave her an injection on being directed by a woman doctor on duty. A little later, a healthy child was born. However, my wife’s condition started deteriorating after the delivery,” the complainant maintained.

Bhama alleged that after a few hours, the doctor asked them to take Manju to a private hospital. The woman’s family later took her to the AIIMS, where she died on November 22, 2008.

The local CMO constituted a team comprising three doctors of the Civil Hospital, but the complainant refused to participate in the inquiry by any official of this hospital.

The matter was taken up for consideration at the monthly meeting of the district public grievances committee here today. The Finance Minister, who chaired the meeting, directed the deputy commissioner to get the matter inquired by a medical board of the Rohtak PGIMS.

Birender Singh also recommended departmental action against a patwari and a naib tehsildar of Sohna for making a wrong entry in revenue records. Complainant Raj Kumar of Bhondsi village alleged that the Maruti Kunj Group Housing Society had occupied more land than it had purchased.

Gurgaon SDM (north) KK Gupta, after probing the matter, opined that the patwari and the naib tehsildar of Sohna had approved the “farad badar” on May 14, 2005, on the basis of mutation no 1497 which already stood cancelled on May 12, 1972. He held the patwari and naib tehsildar responsible for this wrong entry. At this, the minister recommended departmental action against both of them and directed the SDM to get the land of Maruti Kunj measured. He, however, said for partition, the complainant would have to go to the civil court.

In yet another complaint of property dispute, the minister directed the police authorities to register a case under Section 420 of the IPC against a property dealer, Ashok Yadav.

Complainant Meena Kumari had alleged that a deal for purchasing 175 sq yard plot at Badshahpur was struck with the property dealer, but he was not giving them the plot despite having taken some payment.

Birender Singh directed the district town planner to get encroachments removed from the panchayat land of Nathupur village and asked the local municipal corporation authorities to take the possession of the land.

Sirsa, February 7
A team of the Punjab police from Bathinda today quizzed Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in the local Police Lines for about 90 minutes.

The team, comprising 12 members, was led by DSP Surinder Pal Singh and included Devender Singh, SHO of the Bathinda Kotwali police station, where the police had registered a case under Section 295 (A) of the IPC against the dera chief for hurting the sentiments of the Sikhs by imitating Guru Gobind Singh on May 20, 2007.

The team reached the Police Lines at about 12.15 pm and the cavalcade of the dera chief, comprising 12 vehicles, arrived 10 minutes later.

The cavalcade of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh emerged out of the Police Lines at about 2 pm.

It was the 12th time that the dera chief has been questioned in connection with the case by the Bathinda police.

Later, talking to mediapersons, Dera Sacha Sauda spokesman Pawan Insan accused the Punjab police of harassing the dera chief.

He said the police had so far questioned the dera chief on 12 occasions during which he had been grilled for more than 26 hours.

He said the dera chief had handed over the attire used in the Bathinda incident much earlier, and the police was yet to compare it with the original dress of Guru Gobind Singh.

He maintained that the dera chief had clarified on several occasions, including in his letter sent to the Akal Takht, that he respected all religions and there was no question of imitating Guru Gobind Singh’s attire, but the police had been harassing him time and again.

BATHINDA: The police said the dera chief did not cooperate with them during the interrogation. The questions put to the dera chief were similar to the earlier ones.

Sources said the dera chief was evasive in his replies due to which the police could not ascertain facts and failed to conclude the interrogation.

The next hearing of the case in the high court is slated for March 5, where the Bathinda police would submit its reply.

SP (D) Ajay Maluja said, “We have interrogated him 12 times, but he never cooperated with us. Now, we will file a reply in the high court during the next hearing.”

Rohtak, February 7
Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU) will set up a Chair in the name of Chaudhary Ranbir Singh Hooda, the veteran parliamentarian who breathed his last on February 1 here.

The Chair will conduct research work in the social sphere, including uplift of the poor and the downtrodden.

This was decided in the 201st meeting of the Executive Council (EC) of the university here today. The council took up as many as 25 items on its agenda in the meeting held under the chairmanship of the vice-chancellor.

Prior to the meeting, members of the council observed a two-minute silence to pay tributes to Ranbir Singh.

Sources said students and faculty would be able to carry out research work in the field in which Ranbir Singh excelled during his long innings in the national and regional polity and the work done by him in the larger interest of the people, especially farmers and the poor.

The other items, which were taken up and passed at the meeting, included the issue of the promotion of some non-teaching posts, starting of online services and facilities in the Department of Distance Education of the university, creation of an ad hoc extension board of sports, transfer of some faculty posts within the teaching departments and changes in some of the rules and regulations connected to the Campus Community Club.

Hisar, February 7
One person was killed and seven others were seriously injured when the police opened fire on a mob of supporters of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in Sidhmukh in Rajasthan, 70 km from here, this morning.

The deceased has been identified as Diwan Chhimpi. He was brought dead to the local General Hospital here. Relatives of the deceased took the body to his hometown. The injured have been admitted to three private hospitals here. They have been identified as Amar Singh Prajapat, Ravinder, Jai Singh, Nand Karan, Ranjit, Gumaan Singh and Pawan.

Kin of the injured said a crowd had gathered outside the police station at Sidhmukh to protest against the murder of BSP leader Virender Nangli yesterday. They alleged that the police had opened fired on them without any warning.

Additional Superintendent of Police Kishen Sahai Meena said the mob pelted the police station with stones and attempted to set it on fire. The policemen tried their best to calm down the mob, but when the demonstrators persisted with their intentions to burn down the building, the policemen opened fire on them.

Fatehabad, February 7
The Brahmin sammelan organised here today had political overtones, although it had been propagated as a non-political function by its organisers.

Venod Sharma, a former Haryana minister and chairman of the Congress campaign committee for the forthcoming parliamentary polls in Haryana, was the chief guest on the occasion.

While HPCC working president Kuldeep Sharma presided over, several other Congress leaders like Hoshiari Lal Sharma, president of the district Congress, Sirsa, and Fatehabad’s Arvind Sharma, an HPCC delegate, were present. Subhash Sharma, Director of the local Manohar Memorial College, was the chief speaker.

Though Brahmins owing allegiance to all political parties participated in the sammelan, those from the Congress were in a majority and hence both Venod Sharma and Kuldeep Sharma did not hesitate in using this opportunity for the political purpose keeping in view the coming Lok Sabha elections.

While Kuldeep Sharma used the occasion to launch a veiled attack on the Haryana government’s main political opponents, particularly former Chief Minister Bhajan Lal and his son Kuldeep Bishnoi, Venod Sharma was forthright in seeking support for the Congress in the coming parliamentary polls.

Later, Venod Sharma said meetings of the election committee and the campaign committees would be held after February 13.

Chandigarh, February 7
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has recognised the Haryana Olympic Association (HOA) headed by PV Rathee.

There had been a long-standing dispute between two factions of the HOA, one headed by Abhey Singh Chautala, younger son of former Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala. Both factions had gone to court a number of times to press their claims.

Anshu Shukla, Civil Judge (Senior Division), Panchkula, recently had ruled that the HOA headed by Rathee had the power to hold and participate in the games at the state, national and international levels as “it is the only legal HOA.” These orders were challenged by the Chautala faction before Additional District Judge, Panchkula, Shiv Sharma. However, the appeal was dismissed on January 22 last with costs.

The IOA, which had been recognising the Chautala faction as the real HOA, has now written to SM Hashmi, Organising Secretary of the 34th National Games, to be held at Ranchi that the Rathee-led HOA would participate in the games. The IOA has mentioned in its letter that its decision to invite the Rathee-led HOA to the National Games is based on the court order.

In February 2003, when his father was in power, Chautala was elected the president of the HOA for four years. On June 23, 2004, the constitution of the HOA was amended making him its lifetime president.

Rathee said this undemocratic move caused resentment among the affiliated units of the HOA. At a special general body meeting held on May 6, 2006, the undemocratic amendment was deleted and a no-confidence motion was passed against Chautala and other office-bearers. At the same meeting Naveen Jindal, MP from Kurukshetra, was unanimously elected the president of the HOA. However, Chautala kept on asserting himself as the president of the HOA.

Following a number of court cases between the two factions, certain reputed sportspersons sought the intervention of the director, sports, who referred the matter to the registrar under the Societies Registration Act. The registrar recommended the appointment of an administrator to run the affairs of the HOA and to hold fresh elections. An administrator was appointed on September 27, 2007. Rathee said the administrator’s appointment was not challenged.

He said Chautala filed a civil suit at Sirsa for a declaration that he was still the lifetime president of the HOA and he also prayed for an interim stay which was declined by the court. The suit was withdrawn unconditionally. Former Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court GC Garg conducted the elections to the governing body of the HOA on September 25 last and Rathee was unanimously elected its president.