New Delhi, May 13
The Supreme Court today directed the Haryana government to release 125 cusecs of water to Delhi immediately through the Western Yamuna Canal and asked the state's Principal Secretary and the Chief Engineer of the Irrigation Department to appear before it personally on July 14 to respond to the contempt charges.

A Bench headed by Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan issued the order on a contempt petition filed by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB), which maintained that the state government had failed to honour the May 10, 2000, order of the apex court.

Arguing for the DJB, senior counsel Harish Salve said the jal board was paying for 125 cusecs of water to the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) and the water had to come through the Western Yamuna Canal running through Punjab and Haryana. However, Haryana was releasing only 60 cusecs daily to Delhi in violation of the SC order and was thereby committing contempt of court.

Senior Counsel A Bobde, who appeared for Haryana, said the state was supposed to get 45 per cent of the water released by the BBMB, which worked out to be 9,846 cusecs. But Punjab was maintaining that Haryana was entitled to only 9,200 cusecs. Therefore, Haryana was not in a position to release 125 cusecs for Delhi for the capital's Nangloi water treatment plan in order to meet the water shortage in the metropolis, Bobde said, pointing out that the state had also moved a petition against Punjab.

The Bench, which included Justices P Sathasivam and Deepak Verma, clarified that the dispute between Punjab and Haryana was a separate matter and this could not be cited as the reason for short supply of water to Delhi, which was entitled to 125 cusecs as per the court's order. Further, Delhi was paying for 125 cusecs.

Salve said Haryana had earlier maintained that the canal could not carry an additional 125 cusecs despite the fact that it constituted only 0.6 per cent of the total water of nearly 11,000 cusecs flowing through it. However, subsequently, the Central Water Commission (CWC) certified that the canal could carry the additional quantity and despite this Haryana was not supplying water to Delhi.

The Nangloi treatment plant was functioning at less than half its capacity and as a result the residents of Delhi were facing water problem, Salve said.

Chandigarh, May 13
Haryana’s MLAs, especially those of the Congress, are concerned about the poll results for the 10 Lok Sabha seats in the state as their fate and future for the Haryana assembly elections, slated for February next year, depends on the outcome. With counting taking place assembly-segment wise for the Lok Sabha polls, the results are bound to reflect the standing MLAs have in this segment and also the power they wield in their respective constituencies.

So, while this Lok Sabha poll result maybe the preliminary examination for the finals in February next year, the results will be closely watched not only by the MLAs themselves, but also by perspective candidates wanting to dethrone sitting MLAs on the “performance barometer”.

Given the infighting in the Congress, where MLAs openly came out against party candidates in this Lok Sabha election and complaints of anti-party activity even reached the Delhi darbar, the outcome is particularly important for the rebel MLAs as well since these will clearly indicate whether or not they worked for the party.

Senior leaders in the Congress said some of sitting MLAs, if the results from their pockets were not favourable and were suggestive of anti-party activity, could end up losing their tickets also.

“Of course, the party will minutely study the results from all assembly segments. As is the convention, the party will view this performance and all other factors before making its recommendations for a party ticket to the candidates. The results are not only important for the party as such but crucial for MLAs seeking a re-election on the party ticket as well,” a party leader said.

Trouble on the MLA front was reported from the Bhiwani-Mahendergarh seat where high drama was witnessed by party in charge of Haryana Affairs Prithvi Raj Chavan, who was present at the meetings where workers accused Badra MLA Dhramvir of anti-party activity. This was followed by a face-off between Minister of State Kiran Choudhry and Mahendergarh MLA Dan Singh at another rally.

Again, in the Ambala seat, a complaint pertaining to the “distribution” of land acquisition notices in Panchkula, a day before the state went to polls with “an intention to harm the prospects” of Selja, the sitting Congress MP from Ambala who is also seeking re-election, has also reached the party top brass. Also, in Faridabad, three MLAs had openly “revolted” against campaigning for party candidate Avtar Singh Badhana though one of them subsequently fell in line.

However, the differences notwithstanding, as D-day draws closer, candidates fielded by the Congress are no longer alone. They have MLAs keeping them company no matter what the “field equations” during campaigning might have been.

Gurgaon, May 13
There seems to be no let-up in the ongoing battle between the owners of private schools and parents of schoolchildren on the issue of fee hike, to which the government authorities have also become a party.

Peeved at the high-handedness of the school managements, a delegation of parents today met District Education Officer Jyoti Chaudhary and apprised her of the harassment they and their children were being subjected to by the schools’ authorities.

On parents’ demand, the DEO wrote a letter to the heads of all private schools in the district, directing them to accept the old tuition fee and other charges till a final decision on fee enhancement was reached.

The DEO also asked the private schools’ authorities not to charge any late fee from those students who had not deposited the enhanced fee.

Acting on parents’ complaints, the DEO further directed the school managements not to discriminate against the students who had not deposited the enhanced fee and assign them holidays’ homework like other students.

Later, talking to The Tribune, Vashishth Goel, the president of the Millennium Parents Association, said the private schools’ managements had earlier ignored the verbal directions of the district authorities issued in this regard.

“Now, armed with written orders of the DEO, we hope that they (school authorities) adopt a positive attitude towards our genuine demands,” he maintained.

Chandigarh, May 13
As many as 68.51 lakh metric tonnes of wheat has arrived in mandis of the state during the current Rabi season so far, which is 17.01 lakh more than the corresponding period of the last year. Out of this, maximum wheat has been purchased by the government procuring agencies.

Stating this here today, a spokesman for the Food and Supplies Department said about 68.48 lakh metric tonnes had been procured by government agencies at the minimum support price and the remaining about 2,687 metric tonnes had been purchased by private millers and traders.

He said last year only 53.37 lakh metric tonne of wheat had arrived in the mandis during the entire season.

He said Hafed had procured 24.51 lakh metric tonnes of wheat, Food and Supplies Department: 14.82 lakh metric tonnes, Food Corporation of India: 9.28 lakh metric tonnes, Haryana Warehousing Corporation: 6.76 lakh metric tonnes, Haryana Agro Industries Corporation: 6.88 lakh metric tonnes and Confed had purchased 6.21 lakh metric tonnes.

He said Hafed had procured 24.51 lakh tonnes of wheat, Food and Supplies Department: 14.82 lakh tonnes, FCI: 9.28 lakh tonnes, Haryana Warehousing Corporation: 6.76 lakh tonnes, Haryana Agro Industries Corporation: 6.88 lakh tonnes and Confed had purchased 6.21 lakh tonnes.

Kaithal, May 13
“I had been deserted by my husband, former Pundri MLA Tejvir Singh, and I will take recourse to all social and legal means to get back my rights as her legally-wedded wife.” This was stated by Asha Thakur here today who claimed herself to be Tejvir’s wife and showed number of photographs to support her claim.

The issue of former Haryana legislator allegedly refusing to allow Asha has resurfaced after a gap of five years. Asha said at a press conference here today that Anupama was presented as Tejvir’s wife at a function in a school in Pundri on Mother’s Day and was honoured by the school management.

She said she had already protested to the school management and the newspaper against this distortion of facts. Tejvir Singh, however, termed the move as a “conspiracy” by his political opponents who were bent upon spoiling his political career.

Asha, who had got an FIR registered against her husband about five years ago resulting in his arrest, said today he was acquitted after he and Anupama filed separate affidavits in the court. Asha produced photocopies of the affidavits where Tejvir had deposed that I am not married to Anupama and have no relations with her” and that “I am married to Asha Thakur”.

Anupama had stated in her affidavit that she had an alliance with Tejvir and later came to know that he was married to Asha.

Asha said Tejvir, who was an independent MLA from Pundri from 2000 to 2005 and is currently an active Congress member, had backed out of his commitment as Anupama had been presented again as his wife publicly. She said Tejvir had refused to allow her to live with him even though she was legally wedded to him.

If a man cannot take care of his wife, how will he take care of his constituency. If he cannot own family members, how will he honour the people of his constituency, she said.

Tejvir, on the other hand, said the case had been registered against him at the instance of Om Prakash Chautala. He said he had been coerced into filing the affidavit in the court.

Fatehabad, May 13
When the Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court dismissed Haryana’s appeal against grant of ex gratia of Rs 10 lakh to Kargil Martyr Lance Naik Bhim Singh’s widow Raj Bala and her three children on Tuesday, it did bring some smiles for the 33-year-old woman, but the order will never be able to compensate for the pains and sufferings she and her family has undergone during all these ten years fighting legal battles in penury.

Raj Bala was 24-year old when she received the news of martyrdom of her husband Lance Naik Bhim Singh of 193 Battalion of the Border Security Force on July 2, 1999 at Gulmarg in Kargil Sector during the Operation Vijay.

Bhim Singh was hit on the forehead by splinters of a shell fired by the Pakistani intruders and was hospitalised with serious injuries in a military hospital, where he eventually died.

The martyr was cremated with full military honours and his funeral procession was attended by the then Home Minister Mani Ram Godara, Deputy Commissioner V Umashankara and SP Rajbir Deswal.

But, soon Raj Bala was to receive another shock, when the authorities refused to pay her the ex gratia amount of Rs 10 lakhs, the state government had paid to all Kargil Martyrs, on the plea that the death certificate of Bhim Singh did not mention splinter injuries as the cause of death.

The death certificate said though Bhim Singh was hit by splinters of the shell fired by Pakistani intruders, he died due to a heart attack during his treatment for injuries.

The insensitive attitude of the authorities not only denied her the ex gratia as well as the usual petrol pumps or gas agencies given to other soldiers, it even “robbed” the tag of a martyr from the family.

Raj Bala was left to fend for herself and her family of a daughter Vikas (8) and two sons Manish (4) and Rinku (six months).

The three siblings could not remain together as an illiterate Raj Bala was not in a position to provide even a frugal living and education to all his three children in her husband’s village Dhabi Khurd in Fatehabad.

Living under abject poverty Raj Bala gave Manish to her brother Rajinder Singh in Chamarkhera village of Hisar, where the 14 years old is now in class X. Vikas (18) has passed her XII and Rinku (11) is in his V class.

Bhim Singh dreamt his daughter to become a doctor and both sons Army officers, but the siblings have somehow studied in a government school living under penury.

Had the family got their due when Bhim Singh laid down his life fighting for the country in 1999, the family could have been in a position to fulfil martyr’s dreams, but now the only consolation is that justice has finally been done to them.

Chandigarh, May 13
Haryana’s move to fix a “static deadline” for allotment of plots has failed to find favour with the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

For the allocation of “shop plots” in Charkhi Dadri sabzi mandi, Haryana had stated the applicants should have licence as commission agents or katcha artiyas for five years as on January 1, 2000 -- the date prescribed in Haryana State Agriculture Marketing Board (Sale of Immovable Property) Rules, 2000.

The issue raised by petitioners---Messer Krishan Kumar Rohtas and others---was whether they were required to have licence as katcha artiyas for five years on November 14, 2007, the last date for submitting the application forms; or was it completion of five years on January 1, 2000. The second would expand the original period of five years to 12 years, the petitioners had contended.

Putting to rest the controversy, the high court Division Bench of Justice MM Kumar and Justice HS Bhalla asserted: “The fixation of a static date for determining the eligibility of a person would result in unjust and unfair consequences. A number of persons, who have otherwise fulfilled the necessary requirement of completion of five years of holding licence, would be rendered ineligible merely because they had obtained the licence after January 1, 1998”.

The Bench asserted: It is true that some cut of date is required to be fixed, but the same has to answer the basic requirements of Article 14 of the Constitution, that it is not arbitrary.

Allowing the writ petition, the Bench declared eight petitioners as eligible. “If they are found eligible in all other respects as per the rules, their cases be considered for allotment of shops, along with others”. The Bench also directed the state and the other respondents to do the needful within two months.

In their petition, the artiyas had earlier sought the quashing of a survey report on the Charkhi Dadri sabzi mandi dated November 20, 2007. Directions were also sought for them declaring eligible for the allotment of the shop plots, as they were the old licensees in the katcha artiyas category under the 2000 rules.

Rohtak, May 13
A bride “brought” from West Bengal has died of burns over a domestic matter in Kabulpur village on Monday. The police has registered a case of murder against her husband and two other members of the family. No arrest has been made so far.

According to a report, the victim - identified as Devi (25) who married to Rajbir, died of burn injuries after a quarrel with her husband and in-laws. It is learnt that she was upset with denial of permission by the family to visit her parents in West Bengal. She had been married a couple of years back and had been “tagged” as bride bought (brought) from West Bengal. The deceased, a mother of an eight-month-old girl, died of burn injuries.

The in-laws have been charged with not informing the police or the family members of the woman before she was cremated on Tuesday.