H A R Y A N A   E D I T I O N

Forest Dept Notifications
HC order lands govt in a quandary
Chandigarh, June 17
The millennium city of Gurgaon is now a “forest”; no, not of concrete but in the “dictionary sense”. Gurgaon’s character has undergone this sudden change because of the legal effect given by the Punjab and Haryana High Court to two notifications issued by the Haryana Forest Department in 1997.

Expulsion unfortunate, says Maratha
Karnal, June 17
Senior Haryana BSP leader Varinder Singh Maratha, who was expelled from the party for alleged anti-party activities today, described his expulsion as unfortunate and an “irresponsible decision taken in haste”.

Suspected Maoist opens fire on resident
Yamunanagar, June 17
A suspected Maoist along with his four associates allegedly opened indiscriminate fire on a resident of Ismyilpur here last night. The suspected Maoist has been identified as Rinku. The assailants ran away after committing the crime. The injured identified as Nitu sustained a bullet injury in his shoulder and was admitted to a private hospital.

Power crisis worsens
Yamunanagar, June 17
The power situation further worsened in the state due to the non-functioning of the three units of the two thermal plants in the state here today. With the closure of the three units, the state has been suffering a loss of 760 MW per day.

Suspected swine flu case in Gurgaon
Gurgaon, June 17
The health authorities and the district administration took action soon after a suspected case of swine flu was reported in the city today. Deputy Commissioner R.K.Kataria reviewed the arrangements for tackling the disease after Civil Surgeon S.S.Dalal told him that a suspected case of swine flu had been reported.

Assault: Traders hold protest
Ballabgarh, June 17
Traders of the main market here today closed their shops and held a procession in protest against the alleged failure of the police and the administration to arrest those behind the attack on president of the Ballabgarh Beopar Mandal Prem Khattar and his sons last night.

Hindi poet Bikaneri dead
New Delhi, June 17
Noted Haryana-based Hindi poet Alhar Bikaneri died at a private hospital in Noida here today. He was 72 and had been suffering from a respiratory disorder. He is survived by his wife, three sons and two daughters. The last rites were performed at Nigambodh Ghat here in the national capital today.

Batra ‘elected’ HJC chief
Yamunanagar, June 17
Some senior leaders of the Haryana Janhit Congress today elected Subhash Batra as the new president of the party at a meeting here. The decision was announced at a press conference addressed by Batra, Krishan Murti Hooda and NK Sharma here.

Forest Dept Notifications
HC order lands govt in a quandary
Yoginder Gupta
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 17
The millennium city of Gurgaon is now a “forest”; no, not of concrete but in the “dictionary sense”.

Gurgaon’s character has undergone this sudden change because of the legal effect given by the Punjab and Haryana High Court to two notifications issued by the Haryana Forest Department in 1997.

Gurgaon is not an exception. Keeping it company are many areas of Faridabad, Mewat, Narnaul, Mahendragarh, Rewari, Panchkula, Ambala and Yamunanagar districts, which are now “forests”.

The Forest Department issued two notifications on November 27 and 28, 1997, under Sections 3 and 4 of the Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA), 1990, which banned cutting of trees or timber in the areas lying on the north (left) side of the metalled and unmetalled road connecting Chandigarh, Panchkula, Ramgarh, Raipur Rani, Naraingarh, Sadhaura, Bilaspur, Chhachhrauli, Dadupur and reaching the Yamuna near Nathanpur and Lakar villages; the western (right) side of the Delhi-Ballabgarh road and the northern (right) side of the Ballabgarh-Sohna road; the western side of the Delhi-Alwar road; the entire revenue estate of Gurgaon, Ferozepur Jhirka, Sohna, Pataudi, Narnaul, Mahendragarh, Rewari, Bawal and Kosli tehsils; and the areas lying on the western side of the Dadri-Bhiwani-Tosham-Hisar road.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice TS Thakur and Justice Surya Kant held last month that all areas covered by these notifications were “forest land” for the purposes of the Indian Forest Act, 1927, and the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980.

Justice Surya Kant, writing for the Bench, further directed that these areas shall not be used for non-forest purposes, including major or minor minerals.

With this, the mining will come to an end in virtually the entire state, barring certain pockets, affecting the on-going development projects as well as pushing the cost of construction material.

Not only mining, all construction works, including those of HUDA, will not be legally permissible in the areas covered by the notifications. The judgment is, however, silent about the fate of those non-forest projects, which have already been executed in these areas after 1997. In Panchkula district, the immediate effect of the judgment will be not only on thousands engaged in the mining and stone-crushing operations, but also on Panchkula extension planned by HUDA and a colony proposed by the DLF.

The judgment has come on two writ petitions, one filed in 2004 by three members of the Panchkula District Bar Association as a public interest litigation and the other filed in 2008 by Chandi Mandir Stone Crushers Consumers Company.

The issue of the notifications had earlier come up before the Supreme Court in 2001 in the MC Mehta versus the Union of India case but the apex court had not decided their legal effect, which has now been done by the high court.

The judgment has put the state in a quandary. The government is mulling at the highest level how to reconcile the interests of environment, development and employment in the light of the judgment.

The government has also been left confused by certain aspects of the judgment. Though the court has allowed the mining activities to continue till February 28, 2010, to “obviate” varied hardships caused to the general public, labour and the state, it has directed that it can be done only on the basis of the contract or licence granted to the highest bidder.

However, it has also directed that short-term contracts will be subject to the terms and conditions, as are imposed while granting a five-year contract. One of the conditions for the five-year contract is prior clearance of the environment management plan, a process which takes at least a year. Thus the short-term contracts will become infructuous even before the environment clearance comes.

Expulsion unfortunate, says Maratha
Tribune News Service

Karnal, June 17
Senior Haryana BSP leader Varinder Singh Maratha, who was expelled from the party for alleged anti-party activities today, described his expulsion as unfortunate and an “irresponsible decision taken in haste”.

Reacting to his expulsion, he said the decision was arbitrary as there was no state or district body of the party to recommend his expulsion. He said he would soon meet party supremo Mayawati and apprise her of the ground realities in the state.

“I have convened a meeting of party workers for thanksgiving on Sunday and to decide the future course of action after consulting the workers” he said.

Maratha, who had unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha elections as the BSP candidate from Karnal, had blamed party general secretary Man Singh Manhera for his defeat and levelled charges of corruption and dictatorial functioning against him.

Manhera, when contacted, rejected the claims of Maratha.

Suspected Maoist opens fire on resident
Tribune News Service

Yamunanagar, June 17
A suspected Maoist along with his four associates allegedly opened indiscriminate fire on a resident of Ismyilpur here last night. The suspected Maoist has been identified as Rinku.

The assailants ran away after committing the crime. The injured identified as Nitu sustained a bullet injury in his shoulder and was admitted to a private hospital. His condition is said to be stable.

The incident took place when Nitu was sitting outside his house with Bablu and Vikas last night. The motorcycle-borne assailants came there and allegedly opened fire on Nitu. The police has registered a case against Rinku and his four associates.

Rinku was wanted by the police for allegedly pasting posters and painting walls in several villages of Chhachhroli area before the Lok Sabha elections appealing the villagers to boycott the poll, said a senior police official on the condition of anonymity.

Rinku attacked Nitu following an old rivalry. The police had been raiding different areas to arrest Rinku, he added.

Power crisis worsens
Tribune News Service

Yamunanagar, June 17
The power situation further worsened in the state due to the non-functioning of the three units of the two thermal plants in the state here today. With the closure of the three units, the state has been suffering a loss of 760 MW per day.

Sources said the state had been facing a shortage of about 100 lakh units per day due to the closure of the three units. Urban areas of the state had been facing more than 16 hours of power cuts while rural areas more than 18 hours of power cuts.

One out of the two 300 MW units of the Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram Thermal Plant (600 MW) in Yamunanagar has again shut down due to boiler leakage. Similarly, one unit of 250 MW of Super Thermal Plant, Panipat, also shut down due to boiler leakage. One unit of 210 MW of the Super Thermal Plant, Panipat, had been shut down for annual maintenance, sources added. These units are expected to start from June 19.

Suspected swine flu case in Gurgaon
Tribune News Service

Gurgaon, June 17
The health authorities and the district administration took action soon after a suspected case of swine flu was reported in the city today.

Deputy Commissioner R.K.Kataria reviewed the arrangements for tackling the disease after Civil Surgeon S.S.Dalal told him that a suspected case of swine flu had been reported.

Dr Dalal informed the Deputy Commissioner that four students of Delhi Public School (DPS), Gurgaon, had gone to NASA in the USA along with some students from Jalandhar.

After the students returned to their homes, one of them, a 14-year-old boy of DPS, complained of nasal discharge and sore throat, which were among the symptoms of swine flu.

On receiving information, a rapid action team of the Health Department went to his home and took samples. The samples had been sent for testing to the NICD lab in Delhi, Dr Dalal said, adding that the student was at his home for the time being.

Dr Dalal asserted that the Health Department had taken preventive measures to check the incidence of the H1N1 influenza virus in the district. He told the DC that a separate ward had been set up at the local Civil Hospital for swine flu cases and there were arrangements for medicines.

He said a team of three doctors had been constituted to identify swine flu cases and provide prompt treatment.

Assault: Traders hold protest
Tribune News Service

Ballabgarh, June 17
Traders of the main market here today closed their shops and held a procession in protest against the alleged failure of the police and the administration to arrest those behind the attack on president of the Ballabgarh Beopar Mandal Prem Khattar and his sons last night.

The shopkeepers, however, ended their protest when the DSP and the SDM concerned assured them that three persons had been arrested in this connection.

Earlier, the shopkeepers, joined by some local leaders of various parties, held a procession and blocked the road passing through the market.

Some persons has attacked Prem Khattar and his sons in their shop in the market last night while they were ready to wind up the day’s business. The assailants were allegedly armed with lathis, chains and other weapons.

Hindi poet Bikaneri dead
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 17
Noted Haryana-based Hindi poet Alhar Bikaneri died at a private hospital in Noida here today. He was 72 and had been suffering from a respiratory disorder.

He is survived by his wife, three sons and two daughters. The last rites were performed at Nigambodh Ghat here in the national capital today.

Bikaneri was born in 1937 at Bikaner village of Rewari district of Haryana. He had written over 15 books and produced a Haryanvi film, “Chhoti Saali”. He had received many national awards and was also honoured by the President.

Batra ‘elected’ HJC chief
Tribune News Service

Yamunanagar, June 17
Some senior leaders of the Haryana Janhit Congress today elected Subhash Batra as the new president of the party at a meeting here. The decision was announced at a press conference addressed by Batra, Krishan Murti Hooda and NK Sharma here.

Batra said they had suspended Kuldeep Bishnoi along with his two advisers - Devi Lal and Tapeswar - for anti-party activities.

He said they had decided to continue with the “working body” of the HJC, which was dissolved by Bishnoi before the recent Lok Sabha elections. “We are holding a party workers’ meeting on July 12 to decide the next course of action,” he added.