Chandigarh, October 29
Many in Haryana are surprised why the state unit of the Congress did not use the services of its Sikh leaders from Punjab for campaigning in the recent assembly elections. Particularly so when leaders of the SAD from Punjab descended in large numbers to campaign for their alliance partner, the INLD.

Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda was asked at his first press conference after he was sworn-in why former Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh was not invited for campaigning in Haryana. Was it because of his stand on the river waters dispute?

Hooda replied that he had neither invited Amarinder Singh, nor had he stopped him from campaigning in Haryana.

He said when the Punjab Termination Agreements Act was passed by the Punjab assembly when Amarinder Singh was CM, he along with other Haryana Congress MPs had met PM Manmohan Singh and AICC president Sonia Gandhi to persuade them to null the Act.

The Act was meant to stop the construction of the SYL canal, which the Supreme Court had ordered to be completed within a year either by a Punjab agency or by the central government.

Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi, already upset at Amarinder Singh’s “audacity” of trying to negate the SC orders, particularly when the Haryana assembly elections were due in a few months, agreed to the request of the Haryana MPs and sent the controversial Act for presidential reference to the Supreme Court. The matter is pending before the apex court.

Hooda reiterated in his reply to the debate on the motion of thanks on the Governor’s Address yesterday that every effort would be made to complete the canal and the case would be pursued in the apex court.

Earlier, Governor Jagannath Pahadia had also reiterated the government’s commitment for early completion of the canal as well as the legal hurdles in the commissioning of the Hansi-Butana canal, another bone of contention between Punjab and Haryana. The Hansi-Butana canal is one of the pet projects of Hooda.

When land was being acquired for it, some farmers had approached the High Court seeking the quashing of the acquisition proceedings. Dismissing the petition, the court had observed that it was aware of the “real faces” behind innocent farmers.

It is widely believed that the writ was filed at the behest of certain Punjab 
leaders.

Later, the Akali government filed a suit in the Supreme Court against the Hansi-Butana canal, where the matter is pending.

Haryana has, in turn, created hurdles in three Punjab projects-proposed embankment of the Ghaggar river in Punjab territory, the Dashmesh Canal and the Shahpur Kandi project.

The Cente may consider asking the two states to resolve their differences on these projects through negotiations.

They come from political backgrounds but have moved beyond the family names to carve a niche for themselves in the political arena. Re-elected for a second term from their respective constituencies, state minister Kiran Choudhry and Savitri Jindal as also the president of state unit of the Mahila Congress, Sumita Singh, easily qualify as political heavyweights, each for their own reasons.

If Kiran Choudhry earned the reputation of firebrand leader and a hard taskmaster during her last term, Savitri Jindal, a woman of few words, evolved from a demure housewife to a “seasoned politician” with a hand on the pulse of the people. For Sumita Singh, her first term as MLA proved to be a great learning experience.

The late Bansi Lal’s daughter-in-law, Choudhry is known for calling a spade a spade. “Right after my law degree in 1986, I was chosen by Rajiv Gandhi, in the Mahilla Congress team at the Centre. He had a vision and wanted the young to come forward. Since then, there has been no looking back,” Choudhry, a two-time MLA from Delhi who shifted base to Haryana after her husband’s death in a chopper crash in 2005, says.

Tosham showered her love on her in the form of votes and she won with a margin of 46,000, the second highest in the state. “This term is going to be a challenge for the party to win back the faith of the people since we haven’t got the mandate we were seeking. This only means more hard work and it has to start from the very beginning,” she maintains.

That Savitri Jindal is one of the richest women in India hardly reflects in her attitude. God-fearing and down-to-earth, she has no qualms in admitting that politics was thrust on her after the death of her husband, OP Jindal, a minister in the Hooda cabinet, in a chopper crash.

“I was at sea about how to go about this new job. I was a homemaker and had never visited Chandigarh. I would ask my MP son, Naveen, to guide me but he insisted that I worked independently,” she recalls.Today all that has changed and Jindal has managed to find her own way in politics and set her own goals. “I am always there for my people. This is an unfulfilled mission of my husband’s and I am dedicated to it. I may not be loud but I know how to handle games that people play,” says Jindal who won the Hisar seat by a margin of 14,000 votes. Karnal MLA Sumita Singh began her political a career as a municipal councillor. “ I first fought election in 1994 when our ward was reserved for women. In 2005, I became MLA .”

In this second term, I plan to dedicate myself to addressing small needs which impact the poor in a big way,” she states.

Holding that providing basic amenities in the 60 unapproved colonies in her constituency will be her priority, she says. She aims to make a difference to the life of the common man.

Chandigarh, October 29
Virtually passing strictures against former Haryana Chief Minister Om Parkash Chautala for illegally placing under suspension the services of an assistant registrar, the Punjab and Haryana High Court yesterdayy described the action a result of arrogance.

Holding the then CM and other functionaries liable to pay 10 per cent interest on his pension and related benefits delayed by almost five years, the high court also paved way for the petitioner to seek compensation from them, while granting him Rs 25,000 as costs.

Justice Ranjit Singh ruled: Arrogance of power by the chief minister seems to be at play in this case. The visit of the then chief minister to Yamuna Nagar on February 4, 2001, with slogan “Sarkar aap ke dwar” came with a bitter pill for the petitioner, Kanwar Bhan.

“The chief minister made certain allegations against the petitioner and ordered his suspension there and then at a press conference…. The Deputy Commissioner sent a memo on February 4, 2001, for issuing a formal order placing the petitioner under suspension.

“The financial commissioner-cum-secretary meekly succumbed and obligingly issued the order dated February 6, 2001, placing the petitioner under suspension with immediate effect. A senior functionary, working as an assistant registrar in the co-operative society was, thus, shown disdain; and humiliated in public without any officer coming to his rescue.

“They all, rather, became instrumental in perpetuating this arrogated illegality. This in a democratic set up governed by the rule of law would make it look as if we are living in some doctorial era of archaic vintage”.

The judge added: “The department was on lookout for reasons for justifying the suspension, as the same was ordered without any jurisdiction. The chief minister would not care to know these niceties of law and officers would not dare to point out the same….

“The respondents have made themselves fully responsible for this plight of the petitioner on account of the illegalities, which the respondents have failed to justify in any cogent and reasonable manner. They are all held accountable for this. It would include even the chief minister, who initiated the illegal process. The petitioner is entitled to receive all pension and pensionary benefits, which have been denied to him for almost five years now”.

Directing the release of the amount within a month of receiving the order’s copy, the judge awarded interest at the rate of 10 per cent per annum from the due date till the payment.

“The interest awardable shall be recovered from all officials including the chief minister, who were responsible for placing the petitioner under suspension”, the judge ordered, while granting the petitioner liberty to seek compensation even from the chief minister.

Chandigarh, October 29
The high moisture content and discolouration of paddy in Haryana has restricted its lifting by the Food Corporation of India from various mandis in the state.

Sources in FCI, Haryana, informed that the moisture content in paddy is beyond the acceptable limit of 17 per cent. A survey to assess the moisture content in paddy has been carried out across all mandis in the state and it has been found between 17 to 23 per cent, which the reason why FCI is restricting its procurement.

Against a total procurement of 22.73 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) by various state agencies, private millers and FCI, the latter's share is just 25,000 metric tonnes. This is the third year in a row when FCI is not expected to achieve the allotted 10 per cent share in total procurement of paddy.

So far, FCI has managed to procure only 1.09 per cent of the paddy reaching the mandis. The maximum procurement of 21.19 LMT has been done by the state agencies like HAFED, Haryana Warehousing Corporation, Confed, Food and Civil Supplies department and Haryana Agro Industries Corporation. Even the private millers in the state have procured just 1.54 LMT of paddy till date.

Official sources in FCI said that the main reason for the FCI not lifting stocks from the mandis was its stringent quality control measures.

"As against the lackadaisical approach of certain state government agencies, we have strict norms on moisture content and colour of the paddy variety. Technical assistants check this before procurement. No paddy with moisture content beyond 17 per cent is procured by us, whereas state government agencies relax these specifications," said an official in FCI, Haryana office.

Another reason for the slow procurement by FCI is that the mandi allotment (where each agency can procure) and the percentage share allotted to each agency is not commensurate.

"FCI would be allotted mandis for procurement, which are at a distance from our storage points. This affects procurement. Besides, the different methodology adopted by FCI for paddy allotment to millers also affects procurement. While the FCI first takes rice from millers and then allots them paddy for milling, the state agencies procure and store the paddy at the rice shellers who mill it on their own," said the official.

Chandigarh, October 29
The Haryana administration will get a new look from November 1. Two key posts will be held by new faces, who are supposed to give a new direction to the administration.

The state will get its second woman Chief Secretary when the present incumbent Dharamvir relinquishes the office on his superannuation. Financial Commissioner, Revenue, Urvashi Gulati is all set to take the top IAS post in a state.

Incidentally, the first woman Chief Secretary in the state was her elder sister, Meenaxi Anand Chaudhry, who is now an Information Commissioner of Haryana. Meenaxi too had become the Chief Secretary under the Bhupinder Singh Hooda government.

The other key post, which will see a change of incumbents, is that Principal Secretary to CM. The incumbent, ML Tayal, is going as a member of the Competition Commission of India, headed by another former officer of the Haryana cadre Dhanendra Kumar.This post is filled by an officer who enjoys the confidence of the political leadership of the state.

Since the days of SK Mishra, who was Principal Secretary to Bansi Lal, the post has acquired much importance. Indications are that Additional Principal Secretary-I Chhatar Singh has emerged as the frontrunner for the post.Some other names are also being considered.

Among them are Home Secretary Krishan Mohan, PWD Secretary KK Jalan and Health Secretary Anuradha Gupta.In case Hooda elevates Chhatar Singh as Principal Secretary, he may appoint someone from among these three officers as Additional/Special Principal Secy.

Jind, October 29
The family of the girl, who committed suicide in Saphakheri village of Narwana along with her lover on Wednesday, married her two younger sisters to boys from Thua village this morning in secrecy.

The family had earlier planned to marry the deceased, Bittu (20), the eldest, and her younger sister to two brothers of Thua.

According to sources, the marriages were solemnised at 3 am this morning and the dolis left by 5.30 am.

Fresh controversy seems to have engulfed the family as the younger daughter, Babli, a matric student, could be a minor and her marriage could be declared illegal.

Deputy Commissioner M. Shayin said he would look into the matter.

A case would be booked against the parents of the girl if the latter was found a minor.

The police has already booked a case under Section 306 and 201 of the IPC against unknown persons after the bodies of Bittu and her lover were cremated by their kin without informing the police.

Sonepat, October 29
Sanjiv of Agwanpur village died on the spot and truck driver Ram Niwas of Dehra village in Panipat district was injured when the truck they were travelling in reportedly overturned after being hit by another truck on the GT Road here yesterday.

Sanjiv’s body was handed over to his family after a postmortem whereas Ram Niwas was referred to the PGIMS, Rohtak.

The incident took place when the truck loaded with paddy was going towards Panipat. Ram Niwas lost control over the vehicle and the truck overturned. The police has registered a case.