Chandigarh, June 29
Failure of pre-monsoon showers coupled with the mercury hovering over the 40° C mark have aggravated the power supply crisis in Punjab and Haryana. However, unlike Punjab, Haryana’s erratic power supply position has not much to do with the national food security project.

Haryana’s normal component of power subsidy to the farm sector is perhaps the second highest in the country after Andhra Pradesh. Unlike Punjab, it does not supply power to farmers free of cost but charges them 25 paise a unit for more than 4.5 lakh tube wells it has on its territory. It thus ends up paying Rs 40,000 a year for energising each of these tube wells. A gigantic task indeed.

Officially, the budgetary provision Haryana made for power subsidy to the farm sector in its 2008-09 Budget was Rs 2,800 crore. Compared to it, Punjab’s power subsidy to the farm sector is around Rs 2,600 crore. This excludes the cost of power it buys at higher rates to ensure eight-hour uninterrupted power supply to farmers’ tube wells.

Punjab also has the highest per capita consumption of power at 972 units against the national average of 700 units.

Haryana’s contribution to the national foodgrain pool is much less than even half of Punjab’s share. For example, in 2008-09, Haryana contributed 55 lakh tonnes of paddy against 120.74 lakh tonnes by Punjab. Similarly, in case of wheat, Haryana’s contribution is almost one-fifth of Punjab’s share. Central agencies procured 107.12 lakh tonnes of wheat this year against 19.25 lakh tonnes done by Haryana.

While Haryana earns less than three times from food procurement than the amount it gives in power subsidy to its farmers, in case of Punjab, income from the farm sector - procurement of foodgrains - is almost eight to 10 times than the power subsidy bill.

Because of a much larger quantity of foodgrains for the central pool, every year Punjab buys huge quantity of power at much higher rates from other surplus states.

To facilitate this purchase of power to keep the tube wells running for the paddy transplantation season, the state stands a guarantee to banks for providing instant loan up to Rs 6,600 crore. There is, however, no such provision in case of Haryana.

Haryana is a cash surplus state while Punjab has been under a heavy debt. Its state electricity board is running a debt of Rs 12,500 crore because of power supply to the farm sector.

Chandigarh, June 29
The supply of power in Haryana is likely to improve from July 1 with the state government sure to get an additional 1,462.4 MW at a cost of Rs 672.51 crore from other sources. It will be followed by the purchase of an additional 1,082.4 MW at a cost of Rs 502.06 crore during August and 1,092.4 MW at a cost of Rs 488.52 crore in September.

This was revealed at a meeting presided over by Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda to review the short-term and long-term measures being taken by the power utilities to improve the availability of power to consumers of various categories in the state, here today.

The Chief Minister directed the power utilities to ensure uninterrupted supply of power for at least eight hours daily to the agricultural sector from July 1 and maintain this supply during August and September. He reiterated the commitment of the government to provide adequate power to the farmers for timely sowing of paddy.

It was also observed that there was a proposal to supply power for 16 hours to the industrial sector from July 1 and consumers in urban areas would get 21 hours’ supply of power. Similarly, the rural domestic consumers would get 13 hours’ supply in July followed by 13.5 hours in August and for 14 hours in September.

Hooda also reviewed the progress of the work on segregation of feeders. It was appreciated that 1149 feeders of 11 kV have been completed and the work on the remaining 78 feeders in Narnaul, Jhajjar and Bhiwani districts will be completed next month.

While reviewing the long-term measures taken to improve the power situation, it was observed that construction work on the 2X600 MW Rajiv Gandhi Thermal Power Project at Khedar in Hisar district was going on at full swing. The ‘light up’ of the boiler of its first unit has been planned in the last week of July and its first unit will be commissioned before December and the second unit before March 2010.

The first unit of the 3X500 MW Indira Gandhi Super Thermal Power Project, Jhajjar, is likely be commissioned in April 2010 while the other two units will be made functional during October 2010 and February 2011, respectively. 

The construction work on the 2X660 MW Mahatma Gandhi Thermal Power Project, Jhajjar, was also reviewed. It was observed that the first unit of this power project, based on latest super-critical technology, would commence generation by December 2011 and the second unit by May 2012.

Those present in the meeting included Haryana Power Minister Randeep Singh Surjewala and other senior officers of the power utilities.

Meanwhile, practising what he’s preaching, the Chief Minister today ordered to switch off the air-conditioner of his committee room where he entered to preside over a review meeting of the power sector in the state. 

On being told that the instructions issued by the state government to ban the use of air conditioners in its offices and that of boards and corporations, universities and local bodies situated in the state with immediate effect do not apply in Chandigarh, the Chief Minister said, “I have ordered others not to use air conditioners; therefore, I should myself first follow these instructions as these equally apply to me.” The air conditioner was switched off immediately. 

Chandigarh, June 29
The Punjab and Haryana High Court, while declaring that the areas notified by the Forest Department in 1997 under Sections 3 and 4 of the Punjab Land Preservation Act, 1900, are “forest land”, has enjoined upon the courts also to be pro-active when it comes to the protection of environment.

Justice Surya Kant, writing for a Division Bench headed by Chief Justice TS Thakur, said the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, was dedicated to the cause of protection and improvement of environment. He wrote: “The public interest policy propounded by Parliament, therefore, deserves rapid enforcement and given a chance, the court’s endeavour will as well be to interpret and construe the provisions of the 1986 Act in a manner that achieves the legislative objective as against the onslaught on natural resources.”

However, some vested interests take advantage, due or undue, of the judicial process in the lower courts to continue with their onslaught on natural resources even after their legal rights to do so expire. Two recent cases in Haryana are a pointer in this direction.

The mining contracts of Yamunanagar district and of sand quarries in Faridabad district expired on March 31, 2009. According to official sources, the contracts had no clause for extension or renewal. However, the contractors continue to mine minerals in these areas even three months after their contractors expired, because they have been as successful in exploiting the legal technicalities as they are in exploiting the Mother Earth.

In their mission exploitation, they were helped no less by officials, who were not careful enough to plug the legal loopholes while dealing with the mining contractors.

The Faridabad contractor had sought extension of his contract on February 18 under Rule 28(1) of the Punjab Minor Mineral Concession Rules, 1964. The Director, Mines, of the state turned down his request on March 13, 2009.

On March 28, 2003, the Faridabad contractor filed a civil suit in the court of Civil Judge (Junior Division), Faridabad, Jarnail Singh, contending that the Director had no power to reject his application for extension. The plaintiff argued that this power vested with the state government.

Despite challenge to his authority in the Faridabad case, the Director, Mines, turned down a similar request by the Yamunanagar contractor, opening the doors for another litigation, which followed soon.

Sirsa, June 29
Prolonged durations of closure of the newly-built level crossing on the bypass linking the mini-secretariat and the Barnala road with the Dabwali road has invited the indignation of local residents.

Sirsa Citizen Welfare Forum, an organisation of prominent residents of the town, has taken up the matter with the railway authorities at higher level. “Gates of the level crossing situated on the bypass near the Chatargarh Patti remain closed for 30 to 40 minutes every time it is closed for a goods or passenger train, leaving people sitting in vehicles tottering in prevailing heat conditions,” alleged advocate president of the forum RSD Bansal.

Sirsa town has district courts, mini-secretariat, university, police lines and important government offices on one side of the level crossing, while general hospital, some private nursing homes, fire services, grain market and some other important buildings on the other.

Bansal said the crossing is very important for the local residents, as a large number of people use this on both sides of the railway tracks. “A serious patient was held up for an hour at the crossing on June 24 and such cases are happening almost daily now,” the forum has written to general-manager of the North-Western Railways, Jaipur, Ashok Kumar Gupta, seeking his direction to the local railway authorities to minimise the duration to 10 minutes.

Bansal alleged that the railway authorities close the crossing, the moment a train leaves Kalanwali Railway Station, some 25 km from here and added that in case they start closing the gates, when trains leave Baragura Railway Station, the problem could be easily solved.

Stationmaster, Sirsa, JP Pathak, however, maintained that the gates could not be closed after the trains leave from Baragura, as there were no gate signals in place near the Chatargarh crossing.

He maintained that the issue is to be addressed at the higher level and till the gate signals were not installed, the railway authorities cannot risk the lives of people and have no choice but to close the gates once the trains steam out of the Kalanwali railway station.

Fatehabad, June 29
The health authorities today sealed a milk dairy for the second time within three days of its “sealing” on June 26 after residents complained that the dairy was running as usual despite the action of the authorities.

The dairy situated on the local Hanspur Road was “sealed” by the health authorities on June 26 after it was found that the owner was allegedly selling fake and adulterated milk prepared from skimmed dry milk powder in his dairy.

However, the authorities could do little against the dairy owner as the “adulterated milk” stored in the dairy was thrown away by someone and the sale of milk started from the dairy immediately after the “sealing” operations.

The district authorities took serious note of complaints in this regard and directed the health authorities to take stringent action against the dairy owner.

Government Food Inspector Surinder Singh Poonia said that he along with an executive magistrate went to the dairy today and sealed the dairy.

“Earlier, I had sealed the dairy partially so as to seal the incriminating material found in the establishment but today we have sealed it completely,” Poonia said.

He said persons present in the dairy ran away by scaling the walls after seeing the police party accompanying them.

The recent raids on some milk dairies and ice candy factories by the health authorities have exposed a large-scale racket in fake and adulterated milk being sold in the town for a long time.

The raids have revealed that milk prepared from skimmed dry power was being sold to the local residents after mixing it with toned or skimmed milk.

Admitting the menace, Poonia maintained that some sort of licensing of milk dealers was necessary to ensure that people got the kind of milk for which they paid.

“Several standards of milk are provided under the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act. The mischief being committed by milk vendors and dairy owners is that they sell milk available at a lower price in the name of milk which is costlier,” Poonia explained.

Milk had been standardised as skimmed with 0.5 per cent fats and 8.7 pc milk solid not fat (MSNF) contents, double toned milk with 1.5 pc fats and 9 per cent MSNF, toned milk with 3 pc fats and 8.5 pc MSNF, cow milk with 4 pc fats and 8.5 pc MSNF, mixed milk with 4.5 pc fats and 8.5 pc MSNF and buffalo milk with 6 per cent fat contents and 9 per cent milk solid not fat contents under the PFA, according to Poonia.

He said vendors tried to mislead the health authorities by claiming that the milk stored with them was of a standard other than the one they were claiming while selling it.

Fatehabad, June 29
As many as 150 persons, including 20 women, were booked today in connection with Sunday’s incident of blocking of vehicular traffic, attacking a police party and damaging vehicles near Bhoda Hoshnak village, between Hisar and Fatehabad, on National Highway 10.

The police has booked 16 persons by name, while others have been described as unidentified accused in the FIR lodged on the complaint of Inspector Bimla Devi, SHO, Sadar police station, Fatehabad, who, along with SI Dilbagh Singh and ASI Randhir Singh, sustained minor injuries when the irate villagers roughed up police personnel who had gone to restore traffic.

Those booked included Bansi Lal, sarpanch of Bhoda Hoshnak village, Anil, Subhash, Surjeet, Sandeep, Mintoo, Bhanu, Shaka, Chhottu, Sandeep, son of Mani Ram, and Satpal, son of Rajesh, all residents of Bhoda Hoshnak village, Inder Singh from Agroha Dhani and Monu, Shama, Des Raj and Vinod from Khasa Mahajan village.

Police sources said a case had been registered under Sections 148, 149, 356, 427, 332, 353, 186, 341 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code, Sections 3 and 4 of the Public Properties Act and Section 8AB of the National Highways Act, 1995.

Villagers had damaged vehicles, deflated tyres of police cranes, attacked cops and snatched cameras from a cop and a press photographer after two children were killed in a road accident near Bhoda Hoshnak village.The villagers had also blocked the highway. 

Panipat, June 29
The district police today claimed to have arrested an accused involved in a robbery bid at house of a local doctor residing in Sukhdev Nagar. The incident had taken place on the intervening night of June 19 and 20.

District police chief Shrikant Jadhav stated that acting on a tip off, the police arrested Suraj, son of Khel Ram and a resident of Rewari. The police also recovered a 315 bore country made pistol and a live bullet from his possession. During interrogation, the accused confessed that he was involved in the robbery bid.

He along with two of his accomplices Vinay, son of Ravinder and a resident of Machreli village and Mahabir Singh, son of Fateh Singh of Hatt village in Jind district had forcibly entered the house of Dr Parshotam Bansal. However, prompt action taken by the police had foiled their bid.

Even as Suraj and Mahabir Singh had managed to escape from there, after the police had surrounded the house of the doctor, but the third accomplice Vinay, who broke his leg after he jumped from the terrace of doctor’s residence was arrested the same day.

The police had registered a case under Section 392, 294 and some Sections of the Arms Act against the three accused.

The SP said the doctor had installed CCTV cameras on his premises, which would help the police nail the accused in the court. He said lookout for the third accused was still on. Meanwhile, Suraj was produced before the duty magistrate, who sent him in the police remand for two days. 

Sirsa SHO Ajay Sharma performs puja in a temple set up in the city police station to invoke Lord Shiva for rains on Monday. Photo: Amit Soni

Sirsa, June 29
The police, which normally works for maintaining peace and tranquility in the area, has now started thinking in the direction of mitigating people’s heat wave woes.

The local police today organised “Rudrabhishek” (bathing) of “Shivalingam” in a temple set up in the city police station to invoke Lord Shiva for rains.

“We are bathing the “Shivalingam” with cow milk, ghee made of cow milk, honey and water from the Ganges and the process will continue till the rain gods are happy,” said Ajay Sharma, SHO, city police station, Sirsa, who has been heading the religious ceremonies.

Chandigarh, June 29
The Haryana Space Application Centre (HARSAC), Hisar, has decided to create “Digital Haryana” in its bid to harness the potential of space technology for development planning of the state.

While stating this here today, Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Science and Technology Department, SS Prasad said the project would cost Rs 2.98 crore and would be a great leap forward in promoting e-governance in the state.

Information on natural resources and infrastructure in the state needed to be made available in a digital format to meet the increasing geo-spatial planning demands of various departments, said Prasad, adding that many plans went awry only because planners lacked the latest and accurate information and database in a ready-to-use format for planning.

Emphasising the need for improved efficiency in development planning, he said that digital maps of water bodies, forest areas, land use, wasteland, cropping patterns, agro-ecological zones, geology, ground water prospects, ground water quality and administrative boundaries were required by a number of departments. — PTI