Rohtak, January 5
Villagers blocked the NH-10 connecting Rohtak with Hisar for an hour today in protest against the short supply of power in Madina village, about 20 km from here.

The blockade was lifted after an intervention by the authorities concerned, but it caused inconvenience to a large number of commuters.

This was the second such blockade in the district in the past five days.

Earlier, traffic movement was disrupted by residents of Jassia village on the Rohtak-Panipat road.

Residents of Madina, native village of Congress MLA Anand Singh Dangi, blocked the highway by parking their vehicles, including tractor-trolleys and agricultural equipment, in the middle of the road.

They demanded restoration of adequate power supply in the village, claiming that the village had been witnessing a kind of blackout since 48 hours.

A snag in the northern grid a few days ago had resulted in disruption in power supply in various parts of the state, including the district, where several cuts had been imposed in both rural and urban pockets.

The movement of traffic could be restored after an hour after officials assured that their grievance would be addressed immediately.

Several vehicles had to be either diverted to link roads or stopped at various points to check the traffic jam, said an official.

Villagers said the poor power supply had adversely affected their routine and students are the worst sufferers as board exams are starting next month.

Sirsa, January 5
As if taking a cue from the INLD poll strategy, the Congress has divided the constituency into 13 zones for better coordination of the campaign for the Ellenabad assembly byelection.

Phool Chand Mullana, HPCC chief, headed a meeting at the residence of Sirsa MP Ashok Tanwar on Monday night, where a strategy for the byelection was discussed.

Several heavyweights attended the meeting. Among them were working president Kuldeep Sharma, DCC chief Hoshiari Lal Sharma, Chief Parliamentary Secretary Prahlad Singh Gillankhera, Nalwa MLA Sampat Singh, Hooda’s former aide KV Singh, former minister Jagdish Nehra, former MP Sushil Indora, former MLA Lal Chand Khod, former minister LD Arora’s son-in-law Rahul Setia, former Confed chairman Malkiat Singh Khosa, party’s block president Bhupesh Mehta and Kamlesh Sharma, a former municipal chief from Ellenabad, were among those who participated.

The party has divided the constituency into 12 zones, Ellenabad town being the thirteenth.

The INLD has already divided the constituency into seven zones and deputed its MLAs and former ministers and MLAs to take charge of zones assigned to them.

Leaders like Ranjit Singh, KV Singh, Jagdish Nehra, Mani Ram Keharwala and Om Parkash Keharwala were to be given duties in zones comprising 5 to 6 villages.

However, a senior leader, who recently lost the assembly elections, opposed the move.

He said senior leaders should be allowed to campaign in the entire constituency and their role should not be limited to a zone or two.The meeting concluded without a conclusion on the issue. At the moment, the Congress poll campaign is weak and is no match to the INLD’s well-knit one.

Meanwhile, Sampat Singh today sought to clarify that the controversy over who was in charge of the party campaign was being raised by vested interests, who wanted to damage the party.

“I was never appointed in charge of the campaign. When AICC in charge for Haryana Prithviraj Chauhan, Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and state party chief Phool Chand Mullana are leading the campaign, how can a small party worker like me be asked to head the same,” he asked, addressing mediapersons at Sirsa. He alleged that certain elements within the party, who had sympathised with a rival party during the recent elections, were behind the controversy.

He maintained that he only took interest in performing duties assigned to him to the best of his ability. 

Ellenabad, January 5
Indian National Lok Dal candidate for the Ellenabad bypoll Abhey Singh Chautala and HPCC chief Phool Chand Mullana are flinging accusations and counter-accusations at each other over a vehicle.

“Mullana has been using a government vehicle during campaigning by removing its numberplate,” alleged Abhey Singh Chautala, while talking to mediapersons at the residence of a former district-level functionary of the HJC, who entered the INLD fold today.

He reiterated the charge that Hisar Division Commissioner Balbir Singh Malik, Sirsa DC Yudhvir Singh Khyalia and SP Subhash Yadav were working as agents of the Congress.

“We have already sent a complaint to the Election Commission that is responsible for ensuring free and fair elections,” he said.

Accusing Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda of being biased against Ellenabad, Abhey Singh accused him of luring the voters with false promises.

“Hooda did not visit the assembly even once during his first term in office. Now, he is in town for the third time in a month, trying to to mislead the people.”

HPCC Chief Phool Chand Mullana reacting sharply to Abhey Singh’s allegations, said: “ The Chautalas are wont to lying. Unko kaho apna nakli chashma utaar kar dekhen ,” said Mulana.

“I have been using Toyota Camry(HR 04 L 0027) and the vehicle is owned by the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee,” Mullana maintained.

Meanwhile, Ajay Singh and Abhey Singh campaigned in over six villages each today as the INLD intensified its campaign.

Ashok Arora, state president of the INLD, campaigned door to door in Ellenabad town and sought votes for Abhey Singh from shopkeepers.

Addressing meetings at Kagdana, Madhosinghana and Nathusari Chopta today, Ajay Singh said the entire state looked to the outcome in Ellenabad that would have far-reaching ramifications.

“The Congress government will fall under its own pressure once the government loses the Ellenabad seat,” Ajay Singh claimed.

Former Chief Minister Om Parkash Chautala will start campaigning from January 11 and remain in Ellenabad till the end of the poll process. 

Jind, January 5
The Indian National Lok Dal will be able to retain Ellenabad. This will be due to the faith of the masses in the party and differences within the Congress, claimed INLD chief Om Prakash Chautala.

He was interacting with mediapersons during a visit to the town today. He said the seat belonged to the INLD and the latter would register a win with a comfortable margin.Chautala said his party cadres had been working hard whereas ruling party workers had no such base in the region.

Divisions within the Congress was a known fact and this was acknowledged by the Chief Minister during his recent visit here, he claimed. “Leg-pulling has been common in the ruling party and this will certainly help the INLD which had already proved its mettle in the recent assembly elections by winning as many as 32 seats,” he said with an air of confidence.

Charging the state government with failing on various fronts, he said the people were being subjected to acute shortage of water and power. The law and order situation in the state had worsened in the past few years. Unemployment and corruption were both on the rise.

He said the fiscal health of the state had become extremely fragile with the government under a whopping Rs 13,500 crore debt.

The state government had been resorting to all possible means, including seeking loans and credit, to meet the crunch.

Blaming the government for mismanagement, he said the crisis could have been avoided if the authorities had been more alert and had taken active measures to check pilferage in revenue and its “loot by influential persons and companies”. The government had failed to check the misuse of public money by the bureaucracy, he added.

Panipat, January 5
Despite strong objections by engineers and workers of the state power utilities, the government has decided to go ahead with privatisation of power distribution in Gurgaon and Panipat on an experimental basis.

This was stated by Power Minister Mahendra Pratap Singh here today. The minister said it was a pilot project and would be extended to other districts only if it yielded the desired results in the two districts.

The minister claimed that the privatisation of the distribution system would not to lead to any job crisis for engineers.

He said employees and officials of the power utilities would continue to work under the state government. The government would be inviting engineers and seek their suggestions to resolve any issue. Defending the government decision, the minister said that privatisation, in fact, would bring about efficiency in the working of the nigam and was aimed at public benefit.

In case the system did not work, the government would be free to go back on its decision.

He claimed that the power crisis in the state would soon become a thing of the past with the commissioning of the thermal power plants under construction at various places.

Haryana would soon be power surplus and instead of buying power, it would be selling power to other states.

At present the state was generating 4700 mw of power from its own sources, but with the commissioning of the thermal plants, the generation would exceed 9700 mw.

The minister visited the Panipat thermal power plant and reviewed its working. He lauded the engineers and other employees for putting in their best.

He was accompanied by Tourism and Transport Minister Om Prakash Jain and senior civil and police officials of the district.

Hisar, January 5
The Haryana Private Colleges Non-Teaching Employees Union has demanded grant of new pay scales recommended by the Sixth Pay Panel with retrospective effect from Jaunary 1, 2006, instead of September 2009.

In a statement issued here yesterday, Sushil Rajpal, Secretary of the Union, said Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had ordered grant of these scales with effect from 2006 as had been done in the case of employees of government colleges.

However, when the file was sent to the then Finance Minister Birender Singh, he altered the CM’s directions and ordered that these scales for non-teaching employees of aided private colleges be given from September 2009.

Rajpal said the government had always maintained parity in pay scales of employees of aided colleges and government colleges.

And there was no justification for denying employees of aided colleges the benefit of arrears for about three years.

He said even teachers of aided colleges had been given the new pay scales from the same date as had been given to their counterparts in government colleges.

Rajpal appealed to the CM to undo the injustice done to the aided colleges’ employees by the former Finance Minister.

Yamunanagar, January 5
More than 2,000 industries in Haryana, especially the industrial towns of Yamunanagar and Jagadhri, have shifted to neighbouring states that offer tax incentives.

The plywood industry in the district has been meeting the country’s more than 50 per cent demand. The state government should frame a fair and transparent policy so that a certain percentage of revenue collected from industry is utilised for development of infrastructure for industry, opine industrialists and entrepreneurs.

The industry in Yamunanagar-Jagadhri has been facing immense difficulties. All access roads into the town as well as internal roads, especially in industrial areas, are in a deplorable state.

“We face much difficulty whenever businessmen from other countries visit us. Besides, power cuts are routine, lasting more than 18 hours a day,” they complain.

“As we cannot compete with the tax incentives Himachal and Uttarakhand offer, the only way that industry here can flourish is by way of better infrastructure.

“We hope that under the new industry policy, the government will provide better facilities to industrialists,” president of the Yamunanagar-Jagadhri Chamber of Commerce and Industry Samira Saluja said.

“The chamber has decided to submit a memorandum to the Chief Minister to apprise him of our problems.

Yamunanagar is one of the oldest industrial towns and contributes crores of rupees towards government revenue. Despite this, industry here remains most neglected,” she said.

“The state government should provide adequate incentive to protect the industry here. Many industrialists are contemplating shifting to neighbouring states,” said president of the Jagadhri Metal Manufacturing and Suppliers Association RK Saluja.

Sirsa, January 5
The Election Commission has ordered the transfer of Sirsa SP Subhash Yadav with immediate effect. It has asked the government to send a panel of officers for a new district police chief.

The INLD had written to the ECI demanding transfer of BS Malik, Commissioner, Hisar division, Yudhvir Singh Khyalia, DC, Sirsa and Subhash Yadav, SP, Sirsa accusing them of bias.

The party had also sent a CD to the ECI showing Yadav carrying Sirsa MLA Gopal Kanda in his official car on the day election results were announced on October 22, 2009.

Welcoming the orders, Abhey Singh Chautala, INLD candidate from Ellenabad, demanded that Malik and Khyalia should also be transferred to ensure free and fair poll.

“Sirsa DC Yudhvir Singh Khyalia was placed under suspension for a long time when the INLD was in power. His bias against INLD workers is obvious in his day-to-day functioning,” he alleged 

Jhajjar, January 5
The 344th birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh was celebrated with enthusiasm and religious fervour here today. People thronged gurdwaras and took part in religious congregations.

Besides, they also participated in the religious procession to get blessings from Guru Gobind Singh. Bhajans and kirtans were sung throughout the day. Haryana Education, Health and Social Welfare Minister Geeta Bhukkal also paid obeisance at a gurdwara and greeted people on the Prakash Utsav of the 10th guru.

She exhorted people to follow the path shown by the Guru and adopt the teachings propagated by him. — OC

Kaithal, January 5
Last night, when almost all activity here had come to a standstill due to the intense cold wave, a fleet of government vehicles carrying the Deputy Commissioner Amneet P Kumar, RS Mor, secretary, District Red Cross Society, HL Verma, DPRO, Mohinder Khann, DPO, and security personnel reached some huts of Rajasthani labourers on Jind road and distributed blankets among them.

In all, 150 blankets were distributed among the poor labourers. The DC also gave a patient hearing to the problems being faced by them.

Later, the fleet of vehicles reached the local railway station and blankets were distributed among the rickshaw-pullers. The DC also directed her staff and Red Cross officials to distribute some ration among the poor labourers living in temporary huts on Jind road and near Radhaswami colony on Ambala road.

Meanwhile, during the last three days, Bhal Singh Bishnoi City Magistrate, accompanied by Red Cross staff distributed 300 blankets among labourers and cobblers in various hutments.

The DC said as many as 1,500 blankets worth Rs 2 lakh will be distributed among the needy.

ROHTAK: Shanti Parkash Jain (Dainik Tribune) has been elected chairman of the Rohtak Press Club. Jain is son of freedom fighter and journalist late Lakshaman Dass. Her was elected at the general house meeting of the club on Tuesday. 

Rohtak-based Rajesh Dalal of the Rashtriya Sahara and Deepender Deswal of TOI were also elected secretary and treasurer. Senior correspondent Abhay Mishra (Dainik Bhaskar) and Sanjay Sharma (Rishi Ki Awaj) were elected as the members of the governing body of the club. — TNS