Chandigarh, June 28
Following in the footsteps of Punjab, Haryana also today banned the use of air conditioners in its offices and that of boards and corporations, universities and local bodies with immediate effect.

Stating this here today, an official spokesman said these orders would remain in force till further orders.

He said all administrative secretaries, head of departments, Managing Directors, Chief Executive Officers, Secretaries of Boards and Corporations, all Divisional Commissioners, Deputy Commissioners and all Registrars of universities had been informed of the decision and they had been asked by the government to implement it in letter and spirit.

The state is facing an acute shortage of power these days. Two days ago, a 16-hour power cut was imposed on the industry, besides eight to 10-hour cut on the domestic and commercial sectors.

There are widespread protests by the people against the shortage of power. Vehicular traffic is being blocked in one part or another of the state almost daily.

Opposition parties have decided to launch an agitation on the issue. While the INLD will launch its agitation from July 1, the HJC-BSP alliance will take a decision in this regard at a meeting of its senior leaders to be held in Hisar tomorrow.

Announcing the power cut on industry, Power Minister Randeep Singh Surjewala had claimed on June 26 that the situation would improve from July 1 when additional power would start flowing in the Haryana grid. The state government, he said, had contracted this additional power months ago.

The monsoon is also expected to reach Haryana in the first week of July, which will reduce the demand of the agriculture sector, which needs power badly for transplanting paddy these days.

Meanwhile, president of the Haryana Chamber of Commerce and Industry SP Gupta has said the industry, particularly the export-oriented units, has suffered huge losses due to inadequate and erratic power supply.

Karnal, June 28
Hundreds of residents of Shiv Colony, Bhat Colony and Deha Basti today came out on the road with empty buckets and blocked the Karnal-Kaithal road near Shiv Colony for about one and a half hours in the heart of Karnal city in protest against the non-availability of water and power. Reeling under scorching heat without power, the residents lost their patience as the water supply was also restricted in the region and their anger exploded this morning.

The power supply was erratic, irregular and inadequate for the past several weeks and now water had also become scarce, rued the agitating residents.

“We waited for the power supply situation to improve but instead of taking steps to streamline the supply, the administration chose to sit idle and the situation is worsening with each passing day,” said an elderly.

The residents lifted the blockade only after the SHO concerned reached the spot and assured that all possible measures would be taken to ensure regular supply of water and power.

Sushil Bhat, a local leader, alleged that there was no water and electricity in these localities for the past 15 days and asked the state Power Minister to resign if he was incapable of improving the situation.

Meanwhile, employees of the Kamela power station locked the powerhouse this morning in protest against the alleged assault by farmers of the village on some employees last night.

The employees said villagers, who were protesting against erratic power supply, targeted the employees for no reason and it would be difficult for them to discharge their duties if such attacks were not stopped.

Executive Engineer Yashpal, along with SHO Baljinder, reached the spot, but the employees were adamant that the powerhouse would be opened only after a case was registered against the villagers who beat up the employees.

The power house resumed functioning only after the Executive Engineer, along with the employees, went to the Gharaunda police station and lodged a complaint.

Sushil Manav adds from Sirsa/Fatehabad: Residents continue to suffer under heat-wave conditions as the power situation remains grim in the area.

Scheduled and unscheduled power cuts have been causing inconvenience to people at a time when the mercury continues to hover on the upper side of 45 °C.

Demonstrations and dharnas against erratic power supply have become a common feature these days.

“Power plays truant at regular intervals. Hardly an hour passes when the power does not go off. Six or more power cuts are being witnessed during the day. Power goes off at night, too,” said Sandeep Kumar, a resident of Bansal Colony, Sirsa.

The power situation is also grim in Fatehabad. There is no limit on power cuts and whenever one inquires from the electricity complaint office, the reply one gets is that it is a “zero cut” and they are unable to tell when the power supply will be restored.

“Not to speak of cuts during daytime, two or more power cuts are being imposed at night, too, and sometimes well after midnight,” said Rashmi, a housewife from Model Town, Fatehabad.

The situation regarding drinking water supply is equally poor in Sirsa as well as Fatehabad.

“We switch on our pumps to find out if the water supply has started, every time the power is on. We end up switching off the motors, because there is either no supply of water or there is very little of it,” said Pushpa Mehta, a resident of Multan Colony, Sirsa.

The situation in other colonies of the town is also bad. “We receive requests for sending a water tanker from areas like Court Colony, Bansal Colony, Kirti Colony, Chatargarh Patti, Inderpuri, JJ Colony, Agarsen Colony and Prem Nagar almost daily,” said Arun Mehta, whose Samarghosh Anubhuti Welfare Society undertakes the free supply of water through tankers in areas facing drinking water scarcity.

DP Dhull, Chief Commercial Officer (Publicity) of the Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam, attributed the power problem to an increase in demand. “Against last year’s supply of about 775 lakh units of electricity during these days, we have been supplying more than 1,000 lakh units every day but the demand has increased to over 1,175 lakh units,” Dhull maintained.

TC Gupta, Executive Engineer, PWD (Public Health), Sirsa, maintained that the drinking water supply in the town was fine except at tail-ends of areas, where canal water was supplied.

He claimed that the department had been maintaining the quantity as well as quality of potable water.

Jhajjar, June 28
A case has been registered against two Haryana police personnel, including an ASI and a head constable, in the controversial “Dhakla encounter” on the recommendation of Subdivisional Magistrate Satyender Duhan, who conducted an inquiry into the incident.

The duo had allegedly opened fire on the victim without following the procedural norms of giving any warning to the victim. Talking to The Tribune, SSP Saurabh Singh confirmed that ASI Satbir Singh and head constable Ashok Kumar had been booked on the charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder in connection with the “Dhakla encounter”. A youth, Jasbir Singh, was killed at his residence in Dhakla village here on October 12, 2008.

Earlier, the police personnel were held guilty of committing procedural lapse in the SDM’s inquiry report while performing their duty during a raid conducted to nab an alleged criminal in Dhakla village on the fateful night.

The report revealed that the police had not followed procedural norms while taking the extreme step of firing for controlling the alarming situation. The police should have given warning to the opposite party before opening fire but the police failed to do so. This irresponsible act of the police proved a leading cause behind the incident leaving Jasbir Singh killed.

Later, the report was sent to the SSP for his comments within 15 days as the report had given a clear indication of the “irresponsible” police functioning. After pondering over the report, the SSP got a case registered against the two cops.

The police had gone to Dhakla village to raid a house on October 12 after a tip-off that a most-wanted criminal was hiding there. As the Jhajjar police raided the house of former sarpanch Sombir, there was exchange of fire between the alleged criminals and the police party.

While Sombir’s brother Jasbir, accused in attempt to murder cases, sustained bullet injuries and died on the spot, a police head constable and a constable also suffered bullet injuries in the “encounter”.

Fatehabad, June 28
Angry villagers today damaged vehicles and blocked traffic near Bhoda Hoshnak village between Hisar and Fatehabad on the National Highway No. 10 after two children were killed in a road accident.

The villagers did not allow the police or mediapersons to come near the site and roughed up a cop and snatched the cameras of a police official and a press photographer.

The villagers also deflated the tyres of two cranes of the Highway Mobile police that had come to remove a truck involved in the accident.

The accident occurred in the morning when the truck, loaded with crushed stones, overturned on a bullock cart going towards the fields on the national highway.

Sher Singh, a youth sitting on the bullock cart, jumped to safety, while his father Mohinder and two cousins - Sonu (10) and Dholu (7) - were buried under a big heap of crushed stones.

Passersby managed to take out a critically injured Mohinder from under the heap of crushed stones immediately, while it took them over an hour to take out Sonu and Dholu, who had died by then.

The driver and cleaner of the truck escaped after the accident.

The angry villagers damaged the truck badly and then started stopping vehicles going on the highway.

The villagers damaged the camera of a cop and misbehaved with a police party that went from the Fatehabad Sadar police station.

Long queues of vehicles were witnessed on both sides of the accident site and commuters had to face a lot of hardship in the hot afternoon.

Eventually, the police party, led by SHO Bimla Devi, had to beat a retreat and they diverted the traffic going towards Hisar via Khara Kheri-Sadalpur-Agroha.

The villagers were angry with the police as they alleged that the police at nearby Agroha refused to listen to their complaint on the plea that it was not their area.

SP C Sambasiva Rao and SDM JK Abhir reached the accident site and pacified the villagers.

Rewari, June 28
The police arrested two children who were allegedly trying to steal Rs 25,000 from a customer at a market place in Kosli yesterday.

The incident took place when Mahavir Singh of Juddi village came to an iron merchant’s shop to make purchases. A child pickpocket stealthily filched Rs 25,000 from his pocket.

However, when one of the accused was handing over the money to his accomplice, the wad abruptly fell on the ground. Mahavir, on witnessing the wad, quickly overpowered the children and handed them over to the police.

Yamunanagar, June 28
The district consumer disputes redressal forum has directed United India Insurance Company Limited to pay Rs 2.2 lakh as compensation to Hukum Chand, a resident of Jagadhri, whose wife allegedly died due to doctor’s negligence at the primary health centre.

Hukum Chand stated in his complaint that his 58-year-old wife, Dulari Devi, was admitted to the primary health centre (PHC) in Naharpur following stomach ache. The doctor concerned after looking at the ultrasound reports of his wife declared that she had a stone in the gallbladder. He also advised an operation at a private hospital.

The complainant said as per the doctor’s advice, he admitted his wife to a private hospital on May 26, 2003. However, the operation could not be performed as his wife had high blood pressure. Later, his wife was operated upon by the PHC doctor but at a private hospital on June 16, 2003. However, on June 17, 2003, Dulari complained of pain in stomach and her condition deteriorated.

The doctor concerned referred her to the PGI, Chandigarh. Doctors at the PGI said his wife’s condition had deteriorated because of faulty operation conducted by the doctor of the PHC. Dulari Devi died on August 28, 2003, the complainant alleged.

Accepting the complaint partially in its order passed on June 25, 2009, president of the forum Dina Nath Arora and member Urmil Beniwal observed that the doctor was highly negligent in performing his duties and there was a medical deficiency in treating the patient. 

Therefore, they ordered that a sum of Rs 2.2 lakh as medical expenses, which was incurred by the complainant for his wife’s treatment, should be paid as compensation by the United India Insurance Company Limited as the practice of the doctor was insured with company. The Bench further said the amount of compensation awarded by the forum was within the indemnity limit of the policy issued by the insurance company.

The forum has directed the insurance company to pay the amount within a period of 30 days failing which the complainant shall be entitled for the interest at the rate of 9 per cent per annum from the date of filing of the complaint till the realisation of the compensation amount.

Panipat, June 28
The Haryana Researchers Union has hailed the decision of the UGC to exempt PhD holders for qualifying NET for becoming eligible for appointment as lecturers in colleges and universities.

In a statement released here recently, the union said it was an act of admiration.

It appeared that while taking the decision the UGC had kept the importance of research programmes in mind and due to the exemption, research scholars across the country were hopeful of having bright careers, the union said.

Dr Vikram Kharb, president of the union, condemned the statements issued by some teachers of Devi Lal Universitiy, Sirsa, who had raised objections against the decision taken by the UGC.

He said the union felt that NET was not the exact test of a candidate’s real knowledge.

The union demanded that NET, along with SLET, must be abolished so that the research scholars feel unburdened and can do research forthrightly.

Dr Kharb contended that the Centre as well as the state governments spend a large 
sum of money on research programmes and in case the research work was not that important, what was the point promoting research at the cost of public money.

Meanwhile, he expressed his gratitude to Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, stating that it was because of his constant endeavours that this relaxation was given to the research scholars.