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Babus shy away from poll duty
130 Gurgaon villages declared sensitive/hypersensitive
Another congregation gives authorities the jitters
Poll Code Violation |
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Rights Violation
Chautala hits out at Cong
Cong secy joins HJC
Hoardings
Irregularities alleged in voters’ list
3 youths drowned
Experts dwell on tourism
‘Panel proposals farmer friendly’
XEN held on bribe charge
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Babus shy away from poll duty
Chandigarh, March 16 With the list of officers “chosen” for election duty out, the Haryana government is now dealing with requests seeking exemption from duty. While “family circumstances” have emerged as the favourite ground for officers batting for exemption, some others from the “select list” have been retained on administrative grounds. While some officers from the original list have “managed” to get their names struck off, there is more trouble on hand for the government with some “replacements” also sending in requests for exemption, prompting further search of “willing” observers. Sources said while a number of officers had expressed reluctance to go on election duty, the Election Commission, which was the deciding authority, had picked 28 names from a list of 39 officers sent originally. “We received requests from at least 10 officers which were immediately considered. Replacements for these officers were also sent but now the replacements themselves want relief. We don’t know where to import ‘willing’ officers from, especially since we had prepared a list of officers who could not be spared by the government and had submitted this to the commission,” an official stated. Haryana has sent names of officers from the 1983 batch onwards which has been approved by the Election Commission which has already held its first interaction session with them. While the states and areas allotted to the officers are slated to be announced shortly, the flow of requests of “non-availability” of officers continues unabated. “These lists can be changed till the very end and we keep forwarding exemption requests along with replacements,” he said. The final list, at present, has 28 names of officers. While RR Fuliaya is the only one from the 1983 batch, SS Prasad, RP Chander, SK Gulati, Dhanpat Singh, Shashi Bala Gulati, Anil Kumar, DR Dhingra, Krishan Kumar and PR Vishnoi are from the 1984 to 1989 batches. Others in the list are Satwanti Ahlawat, Ashok Khemka, Shrikant Walgad, HS Malik, Phateh Singh, DD Gautam, JP Kaushik, MR Anand, MP Bansal, PR Singh, RP Bhardwaj, Neerja, AK Yadav, Balwan Singh, RP Gupta, Neelam P Kasni and Vijay Singh. |
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130 Gurgaon villages declared sensitive/hypersensitive
Gurgaon, March 16 Of these, 132 polling stations in 51 villages have been declared hypersensitive, while 182 polling stations in 79 villages have been declared sensitive in the district. Thus, a total of 314 polling stations in these villages now fall in hypersensitive and sensitive categories. Giving Assembly segment-wise break-up of hypersensitive and sensitive polling stations, Gurgaon Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Electoral Officer Deepti Umashankar disclosed that the Pataudi Assembly segment had 41 hypersensitive polling stations in 19 villages and 36 sensitive polling stations in 25 villages. Similarly, Badshahpur had 57 hypersensitive polling stations in 15 villages and 42 sensitive polling stations in 18 villages. Sohna has 25 hypersensitive polling stations in 16 villages and 57 sensitive polling stations in 32 villages. In the Gurgaon Assembly segment, Feroze Gandhi Colony, Kanhai Gaon and Gandhinagar Colony have been declared hypersensitive. Surat Nagar, Gurgaon village, Patel Nagar, Rajiv Nagar, 4/8 Marla, Laxmi Garden, Shakti Nagar, Amar Colony, Sectors 54, 55, 56, Wazirabad, Silokhara and Charakpur villages have been declared sensitive. The Deputy Commissioner said a voter helpline had also been set up by the Election Department in Gurgaon to facilitate the people in getting information about voter identity cards and other aspects. Umashankar said the people could ring up phone number 2224047 during office timings on all working days to avail of the facility of the helpline. Also, information could be sought through the Internet on websites www.ceoharyana.nic.in and www.eci.gov.in. She said ramps were being provided at all polling stations to facilitate physically challenged persons. Also, training would also be imparted about the use of electronic voting machines. The Gurgaon Lok Sabha constituency has nearly 12.31 lakh voters in nine Assembly segments of Bawal, Rewari, Pataudi, Badshahpur, Gurgaon, Sohna, Nuh, Ferozepur Jhirka and Punhana. The DC said according to the 2001 Census, the population of Gurgaon was 16.60 lakh and as per the report of the Delimitation Commission, there were about 12.31 lakh voters in the Gurgaon parliamentary constituency. |
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Another congregation gives authorities the jitters
Sirsa, March 16 A new gurdwara is being constructed in the village in memory of Harminder Singh, a Sikh youth who was killed during the
Dera-Sikh violence at Dabwali on July 18 last. The Sikh organisations have announced that the foundation stone of the gurdwara will be laid on March 21 in the presence of Jathedar Balwant Singh Nandgarh of Takht Damdama Sahib, Sant Baljit Singh Dadu of Dadu Sahib
Gurdwara, Daljit Singh Bittu of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Ek Noor Khalsa) and Baba Pritam Singh among
others. Sant Jagjit Singh Kharewala will decorate the religious “dewan” from March 18 to March 20 and after the laying of the foundation stone of the gurdwara on March 21, Sant Buta Singh Gurhthari will decorate the religious “dewan” on March 22, according to Balkaran Singh
Khalsa. Though some Sikh leaders announced by the organisers are yet to confirm their participation, the authorities are keeping a close watch on the developments. Yesterday’s violence between followers of Dera Sacha Sauda and Sikhs in the neighbouring Punjab near Jakhal town of Fatehabad has increased the anxiety of the authorities. However, having burnt their fingers at Jhorar
Rohi, where the authorities first banned the entry of Sant Balwant Singh Dadu into the village and then had to allow him to organise the congregation at the last minute, the authorities are in no mood to interfere in the congregation and are praying for peaceful passing off of the event. “It is a religious event and will hopefully pass off peacefully,” said Deputy Commissioner
SK Goyal. Meanwhile, Dera Sacha Sauda has said that its followers never interfered in the religious matters of others, but added the same was not true with others. “Dera followers performing “naam
charcha” peacefully were attacked by some misguided elements near Jakhal in the Punjab area, which is highly deplorable and must be tackled sternly by the authorities,” said Pawan
Insan, a spokesman for Dera Sacha Sauda. Meanwhile, the police has been put on alert at Fatehabad after yesterday’s violence in Churalkalan village of Punjab near the Jakhal town of Haryana. |
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INLD fires another missive against govt
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, March 16 In a letter written to the Election Commission of India, the INLD has said the code specifically had barred the announcement of any financial benefits by government functionaries so that voters were not influenced in favour of the party in power. However, it alleged, the state government headed by Bhupinder Singh Hooda had hiked the pay of the general category employees to bring it on a par with their junior counterparts of the reserved category at the level of assistant, deputy superintendent and superintendent. Conceding that it had been apparently done in compliance with the Punjab and Haryana High Court judgment of November 2008, the INLD said the announcement of financial benefits to the employees after the enforcement of the code could have been made only after obtaining permission from the commission. By not so doing, the party said, the Haryana government had violated the code for which suitable action should be taken immediately. The INLD said the state government had also defied the recent guidelines issued by the commission regarding appointments. The Home Department through the IG, HAP, had offered appointment to 10 persons as SIs, which constituted a flagrant violation of the code. It also alleged that on March 14 last over 150 water tanks were unloaded in Raiyya village in Jhajjar district for distribution among BPL families to allure them to vote for the Congress. Tricolour flags similar to the flag of the ruling party had been printed on electric polls in various parts of the state, obviously to influence the voters. The INLD said apart from impropriety, such an action constituted a criminal offence for defacement of public property. Among other alleged violations listed by the INLD was the grant of Rs 51,000 to a gaushala at a public function by the Ambala DC, who is also the Returning Officer of the Ambala Lok Sabha constituency. It urged the commission to direct the state government to ensure the compliance of the code and stop all violations immediately.
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State’s record matter of shame: INLD
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, March 16 In a statement issued here today, INLD secretary-general Ajay Singh Chautala said according to a recent survey conducted by the NHRC, Haryana, despite being a small state, was bracketed with Uttar Pradesh and Bihar for human rights violation complaints. He said unfortunately Haryana was far ahead of states like Maharashtra, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir in earning this dubious distinction. In 2008 alone, 3,493 complaints were filed with the NHRC with reference to Haryana, which had come at the 24th place among 28 states in respecting human rights. The INLD MP said the Congress had promised to constitute a human rights commission but no action had been taken in this regard even after more than four years in power. He said during the past four years, the state police had resorted to brutalities, fake encounters, firing and indiscriminate lathicharge on hapless people. Chautala alleged that the Hooda government had a long list of atrocities on the democratic and peaceful movements by the people, be it police atrocities on labourers in Gurgaon and Karnal, on expelled police constables in Rohtak and on women in Alawalpur. The revelation by the NHRC was yet another addition to the Haryana police’s hall of shame, which had been getting bigger and bigger since Bhupinder Singh Hooda took over as Chief Minister.
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Chautala hits out at Cong
Jhajjar, March 16 He was addressing a gathering in a political function organised to mark the joining of the INLD by IAS officer Hawa Singh Dhankar (retd) in Raiya village, about 5 km from here. “The Congress is the worst enemy of the farmers and it is taking away farmers’ only source of bread and butter by adopting wrong policies persistently. A large number of Special Economic Zones (SEZ) that sanctioned by the Congress are a part of a bigger scam and farmers of the state will only end up as slaves with no source of livelihood,” Chautala said, adding that the Congress remembered the farmers at the time of election for grabbing their votes. Castigated the Congress for the “deteriorating” law and order situation in the state, he maintained that Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had lost complete control on law and order and the bureaucracy as well. In an apparent bid to woo the farming community in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections, Chautala promised that compensation at the rate of Rs 1 crore per acre for acquire land in NCR would be given to the farmers besides hiking the old-age pension to Rs 700 per month if the INLD voted to power in the state during the Assembly election. |
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Cong secy joins HJC
Panipat, March 16 The move came in wake of the Chief Minister’s refusal to withdraw cases registered against 900 Gujjars, who had been booked by the police following violence in Pattikalyana village in May. During the violence the police had restored to firing to control the protesting Gujjars, who were staging a Dharna on the NH 1 in support of their community members in Rajasthan. Two protestors had allegedly been killed in that firing. Anju Chhokar said during a recently held party meeting, the Chief Minister had plainly turned down her plea to withdraw the cases. She alleged that the CM even used rude language to snub her at the meeting in front of other senior leaders. She lamented that instead of providing relief to the protestors, who had lost two of their fellows in the police firing, the state government had not even initiated any action against the officials who were responsible for the incident. Anju said she had joined the HJC as its president Kuldip Bishnoi was a visionary leader who was dedicated to the welfare of the people of the state. She added that the HJC chief had assured her that once their government was formed in the state all cases against the Gujjars that were registered as an outcome of the violence would be withdrawn. Anju Chhokar, besides holding the position of secretary of the state Congress unit, till recently, was also a member of the state Social Welfare Board. During the Gujjars protests last year, she was district coordinator and state president of the party women cell. |
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Act against DC, demands HJC
Tribune Reporters
Jhajjar, March 16 Hooda, in his complaint, said he had deposited the requisite fees with the municipal committee office for installing party hoardings in the district as per the guidelines of the Election Commission. Notwithstanding all this, the Deputy Commissioner has issued “illegal” orders of removing the party hoardings. “Smooth conduct of the poll has come under suspicion due to the unfair functioning of the Deputy Commissioner,” Hooda said, adding that the EC must take action against the Deputy Commissioner. YAMUNANAGAR: The HJC on Monday alleged that hoardings of former Chief Minister Bhajan Lal and party president Kuldeep Bishnoi, which were installed at Agarsen Chowk, were damaged by employees of the municipal council. The hoardings had been placed at the place allotted by the administration for the purpose, alleged spokesman for the party Satpal Kaushik.
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Irregularities alleged in voters’ list
Gurgaon, March 16 There are many people, who are not residing here and have been able to make ‘fake’ voter cards on their names. They have managed to get themselves registered not in just one but multiple booths. Regarding the irregularities in voters’ list and collusion of election office with ex-counsellors, an NGO named Adhikaar - The Rights Path - has written to district electoral officer-cum-DC to check the same here today. Rakesh Yadav, general secretary of Adhikaar told the Tribune, “We had made a complaint to the DC, Gurgaon, regarding inclusion of names in voters’ list, of relatives and friends of ex-counsellors who are residing in different districts and states.” He claimed that the ex-counsellors in collusion with election office, Gurgaon, have achieved not only in getting the names of those voters, who were not residing here, but also had got a name of a voter twice in the same booth or in multiple booths. The NGO has demanded an investigation against the nexus of election office and ex-counsellors and guilty person be prosecuted and voters’ list be corrected. |
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3 youths drowned
Sonepat, March 16 Residents today blocked the Kharkhoda-Sonepat road for more than four hours against the unresponsive attitude of the administration for not arranging rescue team and stopping the flow of water in the canal yesterday. However, the blockade was lifted when SDM Arvind Malhan and DSP Badri Prasad reached on the spot and informed that the water supply had already been stopped and the divers had been pressed into service. According to information, Monu, along with his brother Sonu and cousin Krishan, went to take bath in the canal near Rohat village last evening. While taking bath, Monu slipped into the deep water and was swept away. Sonu and Krishan could not rescue him. When people were searching for Monu along the canal bank, they found a school van parked and clothes of two persons lying near the van. It was feared that two persons identified as Surender and Vijay, had seen body of Monu floating on the water and they jumped into the canal, but lost their lives. |
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Experts dwell on tourism
Kurukshetra, March 16 Citing examples of Japanese tourism, Bajpai insisted to follow similar kind of experiments in Indian tourism. The main attraction of the inaugural session was a special address by Praveen Sharma, Regional Manager, Orbitz, New Delhi, who deliberated upon the issue of tourism development in India. Sharma quoted experiences of other countries which were quite small in size and potential and went on to add certain useful suggestions on how India could mark its presence in the world tourism market.
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‘Panel proposals farmer friendly’
Kaithal, March 16 This was stated here today by Kaithal MLA Shamsher Singh Surjewala and president of All-India Kisan - Khet Majdoor Congress, who is also a member of the committee. He observed that the proposal would go a long way in solving a big problem of farmers and liberate them from the burden of heavy debts. |
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XEN held on bribe charge
Faridabad, March 16 The accused had allegedly forced a contractor to pay the graft money amounting to Rs 50,000 for getting his about Rs 50 lakh reimbursed by the Public Health Department. The contractor had done several construction works relating to infrastructure in Faridabad and Ballabgarh and the department had to pay a sum of Rs 50 lakh to him. According to a member involved in the raid the contractor complained to the SP of the state Vigilance Bureau about the demanded bribery. |
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Molestation charge
Sonepat, March 16 |
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