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Suicides, murders, love affairs make Nilokheri infamous
Gandhi Effect
Cong image takes a beating
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Sheesh Mahal fades into oblivion
Now, a society to manage NIFTEM
Board to augment water supply to 975 villages
Course on remote sensing and GIS
Traders scoff at turnover tax
Water scarcity hits Ambala areas
Helen Keller Institute
Drive to make Y’nagar polythene-free
‘Illegal’ colony residents protest demolition
Dera organises mass marriages
Rs 4.80 cr for road widening project
Letter
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Suicides, murders, love affairs make Nilokheri infamous
Nilokheri (Karnal) May 10 The smuggling of narcotics was nothing new and the first case had come to light when a student was nabbed with heroin worth Rs 1.5 crore last year. In October, 2009, Sonia, final-year Student of electronics, consumed some poisonous substance and was found unconscious on Sonali road in Panipat district She was rushed to hospital by the family members. Ashish, a final-year student of computer trade, was next to commit suicide by consuming celphos while Neetu, a final-year student of the same trade, also committed suicide by consuming celphos while her classmate, Swati, was rushed to hospital in a critical condition. Both Neetu and Swati, aged about 20 years, had left the hostel for attending classes in the evening shift but did not return till late in the night and were later were found unconscious near Gogripur Phatak. They were immediately rushed to Amrit Dhara hospital in Karnal where the doctors declared Neetu as "brought dead". In November, 20-year-old engineering student Amit was brutally murdered in broad daylight. Amit was attacked by a group of people armed with sharp-edged weapons and belts as he alighted from a train and started moving towards the railway lines to come out. Hit on the legs, neck and armpits by the attackers, he was taken to hospital where the doctors declared him 'brought dead'. In another sordid incident, Gyanender, a second-year student of civil trade in the polytechnic, was found wounded at a canal near the sugar mill. He was rushed to a trauma centre where the doctors declared him "brought dead". The murder came out to be story of illicit love affair between Gyanender and his tutor and her husband was alleged to have shot him. Police sources maintained that the reasons for most crimes was personal grudges though the involvement of drug smugglers in criminal activities was also not ruled out. Enmity due to love affairs is another reason, opined residents. The polytechnic staff and management were seriously concerned over increasing tendency among the students to commit suicide and the principal has asked the women staff to counsel girls, especially those staying in the hostels. There were 25 per cent girls and 75 per cent boys in the polytechnic and only 300 girls were accommodated in the hostels while others have made their own arrangements for stay. Polytechnic teachers were also feeling the heat and one of them confided that he was scared of saying anything to students even about their conduct and studies as it could boomerang and land him in trouble. The teachers accuse the Polytechnic management of adopting an indifferent attitude towards increasing indiscipline in the campus and frequent intrusion of outside elements. A delegation of teachers also met the Deputy Commissioner to apprise him of the deteriorating law and order situation and growing indiscipline in the campus but nothing seems to have changed. Parminder Mann, a teacher, said eve-teasing had become synonymous with the polytechnic and the girl students of the evening shift ending at 5:45 pm found it difficult to cross the road with rowdy elements passing offensive remarks.
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Gandhi Effect
Hisar, May 10 The Congress government in Haryana has come up with jobs, financial help running into lakhs of rupees, accommodation, renovation of houses and even a permanent police post for victims of last month's arson attack on Dalit families in Mirchpur, which falls in this district. A 70-year-old man, Tara Chand, and his 18-year-old physically challenged daughter died after sustaining burns and at least 18 houses were damaged in the April 21 attack suspected to have been led by the rival but dominant Jat community in the area. Top party leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, visited the village and promised full assistance to the victims' families. During his surprise visit on April 29, Rahul Gandhi went to Mirchpur village and saw the burnt houses and patiently listened to the grievances of victim families. Following this a letter was sent to Hooda from Sonia Gandhi in which she described the incident as a "matter of shame" and said such incidents could not be allowed at any cost. On directions from the state government, the district administration has provided monetary relief of over Rs.40 lakh to the victim families and two quintals of wheat each to 170 families. "We have provided a financial aid of Rs. 21 lakh to the family members of deceased Tara Chand and his daughter. This money included Rs. 20 lakh compensation for two killed in the arson attack and Rs. 100,000 ex-gratia given for damaged goods," Hisar Deputy Commissioner OP Sheoran, told IANS. Cash relief has been provided to both wives of deceased Tara Chand. Sheoran added: "Besides, government jobs have been provided to three sons of Tara
Chand. Government accommodation, goods and articles of daily use have also been provided to one of the sons, Rajinder." Rajinder and Amar - another son of Tara Chand - have been provided permanent jobs as clerks while the third son, Ravinder, has been appointed as a sweeper on a contractual basis. Under government rules, only one member of the victim's family is provided a government job if the state government announces it. Asked if it was correct to provide government jobs to three members of the same family, Sheoran said: "We are doing whatever the government is directing us to do. We cannot go against it. "We are issuing cheques on the spot to compensate for the loss. Government sanction is not necessary as a sufficient amount is available with the district administration." However, some members of the Dalit community are demanding increased compensation and have been staging a sit-in protest outside the DC's office here for the past many days. Earlier Kamala, widow of Tara Chand, along with her son was also part of this protest and she solemnised the 'tehrvin' ritual outside the DC's office. "Yes, some people are sitting there but till now we have not got any particular demand from them. We assure full justice to everyone. The victim families could get their houses repaired either themselves or through us," said Sheoran. Sheoran said a provision to set up a permanent police post at Mirchpur had been made to maintain peace in the village. The district police has arrested 27 persons, including a police officer and a revenue official, after the attack.
— IANS
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Cong image takes a beating
Hisar, May 10 The attack on Dalits and the inept handling of the incident thereafter has caused much consternation among members of the Scheduled Castes who have been Congress supporters all this while. The
largesse offered by the government to the victims to defuse the situation has not undone the damage. The entire episode showed the administration in poor light. Even politically, the Congress failed to prevent some self-seeking Dalits living outside the village from assuming control of the subsequent agitation launched by the affected Dalits. This caused much damage to the image of the party. The strident postures adopted by self-styled khaps after the sentencing in an honour killing case and the party's failure to take a stand either way on the issue of amendment to the Hindu Marriage Act sought by the khaps is alienating voters. There is widespread support for amending the Act to ban same gotra marriages and the opposition parties are exploiting it to the hilt. Some recent administrative decisions by the government have also not gone down well with the masses. The Congress may not have gained by waiving house tax on self-occupied houses a few years ago, but its reimposition has led to widespread resentment. Questions are being raised as to why it was waived in the first instance when it was evident that it would lead to a resource crunch in the municipal bodies. The frequent administrative reshuffles and the increasing tendency to cancel the orders is another factor affecting the image of the Congress government. For instance, the Commissioner, Hisar revenue division, was transferred last month but he was brought back within days. The Deputy Commissioner, Hisar, was transferred twice within days and both times the orders were cancelled. The acute shortage of power and now drinking water too is another sore point. The recent revelations in hearings of the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission regarding financial mismanagement in power utilities have raised public awareness on the issue of power. As a result, the government stand that the earlier regimes did not enhance generation is now viewed as only partially true. The apex court's refusal to allow Haryana to puncture the Bhakra mainline canal to draw water for the Hansi-Butana canal has created doubts in the minds of the public regarding the success of the project on which crores have already been spent though to be fair to the government, it is not to be blamed for the situation. The only saving grace for the Congress is that despite the shortcomings of his government, the personal popularity and image of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda is still intact.
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Civil Services: Sonepat youth shine
Sonepat, May 10 She lost her father during her school days. She was among MD University toppers while completing her MCom and BEd degrees and has been serving as postgraduate teacher in Delhi. Her husband is working with an MNC. She gave the credit of her success to her determination, regular studies and encouragement from her mother-in-law Laxmi Dahiya, father-in-law Rajinder Singh Dahiya and her husband as well as members of her parental family. “I completed my school and college education from government institutions in Gurgaon and being a teacher in Delhi, I did my MCom through distance learning. All factors, including your determination, counts in one way or the other for ultimate success,” she added. Poonam Malik, daughter of a turbine operator and married to an advocate, finally succeeded in her third attempt by securing 194th position. Poonam (26), after passing her middle class from Government High School, Saiyan Khera, completed her graduation in BCom from Hindu Girls College, Sonepat. She passed her MCom from MD University, Rohtak, as a student of distance education and cleared NET in her first attempt. Before opting for Civil Services coaching in Delhi, she served as a lecturer in PG Arya College, Panipat, and GVM Girls college, Sonepat. She gave credit of her success to her husband Amit Malik, her father-in-law Kuldeep Malik and mother-in-law Bala. Monika as well as Poonam opined that the development of the rural areas and empowerment of women needs more attention for the progress and betterment of the society. Seema Dhankhar, serving as sub-divisional engineer in the PWD Department, Haryana, and a resident of Khubru village, is another girl from the district, who got 341st position in the examination. Her elder sister, Sweta Dhankhar is an IPS officer and at present is under-training in Hyderabad. Rakesh Dahiya, a resident of Sisana Garhi village in the district got 416th position in the examination. After completing his MSc in mathematics and BEd, he has been serving as grade-2 teacher in the Delhi Government. “One more chance is left for me to appear in Civil Services Examination and I hope to do better next time,” he said. Aditi Gupta of Gohana got 545th rank. She topped in class XII CBSE board exams with 91 per cent marks, got second position in BSc chemistry honours from St Stephen's College, Delhi University, and second position in MSc chemistry from IIT-Delhi.
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Sheesh Mahal fades into oblivion
A historical perspective As per records, Emperor Farrukhsiar (1712 to 1718 AD) granted several large jagirs, including the present township of Farrukhnagar, to a Biloch named Dalel Khan of Khurrampur in Gurgaon district.Dalel Khan later earned the title of Faujdar Khan and got the Sheesh Mahal and Delhi Gate constructed in Farrukhnagar. A letter was written on May 15, 1926, by the then deputy commissioner of Gurgaon, FL Brayne, to the superintendent of archaeological survey, Frontier Circle, Camp Mohenjodaro, PO Dokri, Larkana district. The letter, a copy of which is with The Tribune, states that the construction of Shish Mahal was started by Faujdar Khan and completed by his son during the reign of Mohammad Shah, Emperor of Delhi (1719 to 1748 AD).
Farrukhnagar (Gurgaon), May 10 A visit to the grand ancient building by a team of The Tribune revealed that the once-majestic Sheesh Mahal now lies in a state of utter neglect. A lone monument attendant deployed to guard the building feels helpless in preventing rowdy youths from nearby villages from entering into the premises of the building, as there are numerous unofficial entry points on all sides. A number of youths were seen squatting inside the building while some were busy engraving graffiti on the walls with pieces of chalk, charcoal etc. Construction work on some houses is in full swing right along a wall of the monument. The floor is covered with dust, dry leaves and garbage, while ceilings and other parts are in bad shape. The local authorities had started a drive to repair and renovate the monument nearly a year ago. However, call it over-enthusiasm or lack of competence, the floors as well as ceilings were replaced with new stones and wooden planks. Once the administrative euphoria was over, the monument was abandoned to its original state of neglect.
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Encroachers flout HC directives
Kaithal, May 10 The officials of the departments concerned had been turning a blind eye to the unscrupulous activities of these encroachers as they flout rules and run their business on roads instead of shops. The unplanned anti-encroachment drives by authorities in the past also remained futile. Taking a cue from the inactiveness of the authorities, the encroachers have got so emboldened that they have encroached upon an entire side of road from Kabutar Chowk to sabzi mandi and Mal Godown road. The vehicles are also parked on the stretch of roads and there is no space left for pedestrians. Shopkeepers running their shops on this road rued that encroachers have obstructed entry to their shops, due to which they have to suffer losses. If they object to parking of vehicles outside their shops, the vehicle owners threaten them. Shopkeepers said they had sent a number of memorandums to the Chief Minister, Deputy Commissioner and the SP,
Kaithal, but the district administration had initiated no action in this regard. Some shopkeepers said if the situation did not improve, they would bring the matter to the notice of the chief justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Similarly, rehriwalas and shopkeepers have also encroached upon a major portion of the old bus stand and Chatrwas-Nirwanai building road, causing traffic bottlenecks. The position is similar at Main Bazaar, Park Road, Pehowa Chowk-Karnal road, Kaithal-Ambala road and Kaithal-Kurukshetra road. The residents demanded that administration should not show any leniency towards these encroachers and planned and effective anti-encroachment drive should be launched. Deputy Commissioner Amneet P Kumar said soon a systematic and effective anti-encroachment drive would be launched in Kaithal and other parts of the district.
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Now, a society to manage NIFTEM
Sonepat, May 10 With the government approving of the proposal, NIFTEM would now be registered under the Indian Registration Act, 1860, while it was formerly registered under Section 25 of the Indian Companies Act, 1956. The Centre had also given a green signal for the transferring of all assets and liabilities of NIFTEM, from Section 25 of the Companies Act to the NIFTEM society. The establishment of the institute was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs in 2006, at a cost of Rs 244.60 crore. The institute, being set up by the Union Ministry of Food Processing Industries at Kundli, near here, is all set to start its activities during the academic session 2010-2011. The apex world class institute was mooted by the Union Ministry to provide core courses in the area of food science and food technology, which would cater to the needs of various stakeholders such as entrepreneurs, industry, exporters, policy makers, the government and existing institutions. The institute is to be fully supported by the Centre. A state-of-the-art campus is being brought up with modern infrastructure, finest library and resources and comprehensive residential facilities. The objective of the institute is to promote cooperation and networking amongst existing institutions, both within the country and international bodies and create a complete database on domestic resources and bring in international practices for improving the food processing sector. NIFTEM would also provide industry friendly short-term courses, including regular degree and management courses leading up to PhD programmes, for developing HRD resources for the sector. According to the courses, in view of transforming the institute into a centre for global excellence, the officials were even pursuing a revision in the costs and another proposal for the revision was under progress. The latest approval by the Cabinet has enable NIFTEM to take up frontier research in food sciences and food processing sectors, thereby introducing standards and protocols for setting up of different courses.
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10 Jhajjar cops promoted
Jhajjar, May 10 This was stated by an ex-serviceman Samunder Singh, one of the guests at a felicitation function organised at the office of the Inspector General of Police, Rohtak Range. As many as 10 from Jhajjar, among a total 69 policemen, deputed in five districts of the range were promoted to sub-inspectors during the programme. The Jhajjar cops promoted as sub-inspectors include, Sube Singh, Umed Singh, Dayanand, Ramesh Chander, Ombir Singh, Kartar Singh, Dilbagh Singh, Satbir Singh and Satpal Singh. “The aim behind such functions is to give respect to ex-servicemen by inviting them as guests, besides getting the cops realise their achievements, so that they perform their duties with more responsibility and dedication in the future,” said Rohtak IGP V Kamaraja. “During the programme, policemen shared their job experiences with their seniors,” the IGP said. Haryana ADGP Layak Ram Dabas stated that 600 police stations of the state would be connected under a special police network to be launched soon. With the start of the network, one could easily get the full information about any criminal from any police station of the state, said the ADGP, adding that elaborate arrangements were made in the districts falling under the National Capital Region to prevent the possibility of any untoward incident during the Common Wealth Games scheduled for October this year.
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Board to augment water supply to 975 villages
Chandigarh, May 10 The board also approved its annual budget and discussed the likely availability of funds from the Union Government. Under the Indira Gandhi Drinking Water Scheme, Rs 30 crore has been allocated this year for the release of private water connections to the Scheduled Caste households. Out of this, Rs 25 crore would be spent in the rural areas and Rs 5 crore in the urban areas. Additional funds to the tune of Rs 100 crore have been provided by the state government in the revised plan budget. Now Rs 1235.7 crore would be spent on providing water supply, sewerage and related facilities. The state government has allotted Rs 650 crore under the plan budget, Central assistance for the rural & urban sectors would be Rs 335.72 crore and Rs 347.5 crore, respectively. Additional funds to the tune of Rs 250 crore have been given to the state by the Centre under the economic stimulus package for providing water supply and sewerage and construction of sewage treatment plants in 14 towns. The board also decided to set up subdivisional-level water-testing laboratories. Earlier, these laboratories were at the district headquarters only. As many as 20 such laboratories would be set up during the year. In a significant eco-friendly decision, the board decided to plant 5.1 lakh saplings in 5606 tubewell-based water works and 1353 canal-based water works. Ornamental and herbal plants like sirs, pilkhan, amaltas, gulmohar, kadam, cassia, malsiri would be planted before the onset of the monsoon. Hooda directed the board to set up additional storage capacity at the water works. He also asked the Public Health Engineering Department to tabulate the distance details of water works in different villages so that a suitable decision could be taken to provide independent electricity feeders to them. The name of the board has been changed to the Water Supply and Sewerage Board.
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Course on remote sensing and GIS
Chandigarh, May 10 A spokesman of the HARSAC said here that the application form duly forwarded by the Principal or Head of Department concerned should reach the Chief Scientist, HARSAC, CCS HAU Campus, Hisar, by May 21. The applicant should have completed or should be pursuing Master’s degree in either of the following subjects: Environmental Science, Earth Science, Bio-Sciences, Geography, Geology, Geophysics, Agricultural Sciences, Computer Sciences, Physical Sciences or any other equivalent subject. The course would be conducted from June 14 to July 23. The total number of seats is 50 and selection will be based purely on merit of the marks obtained in BA, B.Sc. or B.Tech. Weightage of 5 per cent will be given to a candidate with MA or M.Sc. degree in the relevant field. A minimum of 10 seats would be allotted to each discipline. The first list of the selected candidates would be displayed at the HARSAC notice board and uploaded on the website on May 26. The second list would be displayed on June 1. The application form can be downloaded from the HARSAC website
(www.harsac.org).
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Traders scoff at turnover tax
However, MCF Commissioner Mahtab Singh Sahrawat has put the move on hold for the time being, after a delegation of traders met him under the aegis of Faridabad Vyapaar Mandal. The traders have mobilised themselves and are preparing for a struggle against the civic body and the Haryana government, as they feel that the levying of the proposed turnover tax would pick up steam after May 20, the date fixed for municipal polls in the state. President of vyapaar mandal Jagdish Bhatia, who led the delegation of traders to the MCF authorities a few days ago, alleged that the civic body was whimsical in trying to impose the tax. There was no justification in imposing new imposts on the traders as they are already reeling under a plethora of taxes. According to him, the civic body had tried a similar move in the past also, however, traders and business community opposed the same and the move was abandoned. Bhatia said the vyapaar mandal would continue to oppose such a move till the end. The vyapaar mandal said the civic body was acting ultra vires in trying to impose such a tax. This could be done only under a clear-cut policy decision of the state government, Sales Tax Department or the Income Tax Department. Describing the move as retrogressive, the mandal said the move gave negative message to traders and entrepreneurs, adding that this would not be in sync with the government’s stated efforts to revive the industrial growth of the town. In the present move, the MCF had categorised the traders in various slabs for fixing rate and structure of the proposed tax. However, the civic body had issued notices to more than 200 traders for payment of tax, Bhatia said. Though the number of traders in Faridabad was more, the ones registered with the Faridabad Vyapaar Mandal added up to more than 3,200, Bhatia added.
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Art of magic in for tough times
Sirsa, May 10 Tara was interacting with radio listeners at Chaudhary Devi Lal University’s Community Radio Station here recently. Participating in Hello Sirsa, a daily call-in show, Mangal Tara, whose real name is Deepak Munjral, narrated his story of becoming a magician. Munjral, a resident of Ganganagar, Rajasthan, fell in love with magic after seeing shows of well-known magician Senior Tara of Gujarat at the age of 13. He told his father, who was a marble trader, about this and the family initially dismissed this as an infatuation. After a few months of persuasion and protests, the family agreed and allowed him to meet Senior Tara, who took him as his
disciple. At 25 today, the young man claims to have performed over 55,000 shows, a few of them abroad too. He claims to be among top three magicians of the world as far as swiftness in his work is concerned. Tara said magicians felt that Rajasthan was more conducive for the growth of this art. “In Haryana, it may take a week or even more than that to get clearance for holding a magic show, in Rajasthan the process will not take more than two days” he said. Magic is free from entertainment tax in Rajasthan and several other states, he said, adding that entertainment tax on magic shows should be abolished in Haryana too. He said magic was an art that was a blend of tricks, illusion and hypnotism mastered by great amount of practice and hard work. The magician said the government should pave the way for establishment of magic academies, where formal education of magic could be imparted. He said magic could also be used for spreading awareness on various social issues, adding that the government should explore the potential of magic in generating awareness about health, education and environment. In Haryana and Punjab, magic shows should be officially utilised in the fight against female foeticide, he added.
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Water scarcity hits Ambala areas
Ambala, May 10 SK Bhatia, executive engineer of the Public Health Department, said there were 34 tubewells which were operational. “Two tubewells are out of order for some days now. There are a total of 500 public hydrants in Ambala and in view of the acute shortage of drinking water, there remains huge rush at these public hydrants all through the day”. Bhatia said in view of the power crisis in the state, the supply of water from tubewells had also been affected. “Instructions have been issued to operators to switch on the tubewells whenever power is available. This has brought some relief to the people. Drinking water being supplied in Ambala is properly chlorinated and treated,” Bhatia added. Meanwhile, in certain adjoining villages of Ambala, drinking water has been scarce ever since the onset of summer. In some villages, there is no water supply for days together. These villages include Beeta, Gola, Samalkha and Mithapur, Residents, mainly women and children, have to cover long distances to fetch drinking water. Residents said they no longer felt that they were living in an important city of Haryana as life had become miserable. Power cuts are imposed for most part of the day and even inverters failed to provide enough backup for the want of adequate power for charging. Besides power cuts, residents are also facing the problem of low voltage and frequent tripping.
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Helen Keller Institute
Sirsa, May 10 He did his initial schoolings from a school for normal children, but soon his parents and teachers realised that it would not be possible for him to keep pace with other children and hence was sitting at home till this institute came up. “I have learnt Braille language here and that has helped me a lot in the learning process,” Gajanand said. “The institute was set up under the Centre’s Backward Region Grant Funds scheme. We plan to make it as one of the best institutes of the area as more funds are expected soon,” said Yudhbir Singh Khyalia, Deputy Commissioner, Sirsa. He said the emphasis was to make the institute self-sustainable and its students capable of earning while learning through its various vocational activities. Principal of the institute Suraj Kumar said the institute had the provision of accommodating 30 students in its hostel. “The institute has talking computers facilities, where visually impaired students can learn computers with ease, as they can hear the sound of keys that they press,” Kumar said. The institute was in the process of recruiting some more faculty members to meet its requirements and the process would be completed soon, he added.
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Drive to make Y’nagar polythene-free
Yamunanagar, May 10 The pollution control department has also assured to help the self-help groups in the sale of microdot bags. The administration banned the use of polythene bags a few months ago in the district, but in the absence of a substitute, it is still being used. As microdot papers bags are available in different varieties with price ranging from Rs 1 to Rs 3 per bag, officials are hoping that it would drastically reduce the use of polythene bags. Besides being environment friendly, paper bags are very easy to carry and have much durability. The District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) has involved various banks to contribute Rs 2,000 each for the purchase of microdot bags to be distributed among residents of Yamunanagar and Jagadhri. “In this way, we will distribute 69,087 bags free for making the city polythene free. Besides, the pollution control department and industrial units have also assured help,” a senior official associated with the campaign told The Tribune. “The campaign was launched after the DRDA started training poor women of self-help groups in making paper bags at the SGSY training centre in mini secretariat here last month,” the official added.
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Sonepat girls win essay-writing contest
Sonepat, May 10 The event was organised by the Shri Ram Chander Mission in collaboration with United Nations Information Centre for India and Bhutan at Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak. It was conducted by Sahaj Marg Research and Training Institute in commemoration of international day of youth on August 12 last year. According to Dr Maya Chaudhary, programme officer of the NSS unit of the college, the topic of the essay-writing competition was “Love is Hope, Hatred is Hopeless”. Congratulating the students, Dr Lajja Goyal, principal, said it was a matter of pride for students as well as the college. She hoped that other students would be encouraged to do better in their academic career.
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‘Illegal’ colony residents protest demolition
Rewari, May 10 Recently, irate residents held a demonstration at a community hall where a function was going on in the honour of newly appointed GJU vice-chancellor ML Ranga. State Finance Minister Capt Ajay Singh Yadav was the chief on the occasion. Expressing resentment, the aggrieved house owners asked how the colony had been branded “illegal” when they were in the possession of fully ratified registration deeds of plots. The minister said he would get the matter probed. Following protest by residents, the TPD, too, swung into action and filed a complaint following which the Model Town police registered a case of violation of the controlled area provisions under the HD Act, 1975, against three property dealers, Rajender Singh, Om Prakash of BerliKhurd village and Naresh Kumar of Shadipur village. Consequently, the police arrested the trio who were later bailed out by the court. Meanwhile, raising questions over the demolition exercise, zila prishad chief and prominent INLD leader Satish Yadav said when the land of the colony fell under the controlled area of the TPD, how registration deeds were executed by revenue officials in a hassle free manner? Asserting that the governmental machinery too was responsible for the development of such illegal residential colonies, Yadav said why the gullible house owners alone had been victimised?
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Dera organises mass marriages
Sirsa, May 10 Ravi and Jyoti, Rohit and Pooja and Navdeep Singh and Gurpreet Kaur are now married couples, along with three other couples, though no circles of the holy fire were taken, no hymns were chanted by priests and no “anand karaj” ceremony was held. Their marriage was solemnised by garlanding each other in front of dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and thousands of devotees present in the congregation on Sunday. “This is called bramh vivah and guruji has been organising marriages of several couples in this manner,” said Pawan Insan, spokesperson of the dera. He said 10 members of the families of Ravi and Jyoti, seven members of the families of Rohit and Pooja and 10 members of the families of Navdeep and Gurpreet donated their eyes on the occasion. Insan said many couple tie nuptial knots during these satsangs and
save money spent on wasteful exercises.
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Rs 4.80 cr for road widening project
Kaithal, May 10 He said to ensure smooth flow of traffic on this road, dividers would be constructed and iron grills would be installed, besides footpaths would also be constructed on both sides, for safety of pedestrians. He further said the work of railway over bridge would be completed as per the schedule, adding that Rs 55 crore would be spent on the widening and renovation of the town’s main roads. He said Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had issued directions that all towns away from the GT road should be provided with civic amenities like the main towns on the GT road. The town would get a new look after the completion of the ongoing projects, he added.
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Letter
The recent decision of the state government to re-impose house tax two years after its abolition has come as a rude shock for the urban residents. It was on occasion of Haryana Day (2007) that CM Hooda announced the waiving of house tax on all urban residential properties with effect from April, 2008, thus going a step forward from his predecessor, OP Chautala, who had abolished such tax in 2004 on residential dwellings up to 100 square yards. Politics apart, the point is why house tax was abolished at all when owing to the abolition of octroi in 1999, the state
municipalities were losing a large chunk of their self-generated revenue. If after all it was for relief to urban citizens, why adequate alternate sources of income were not devised all these years to compensate the loss incurred due to octroi abolition. In lieu of octroi, local area development tax (LADT) could have been imposed or some alternative levy or toll. The municipal bodies are forced to run their affairs from own resources although grants are sanctioned but they are untimely and insufficient. With the Centre's threat to freeze grants to Haryana for urban development as well as on account of the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission award to municipal employees on lines of state government staff, there is no other option but to moot new taxes or revive old ones. But re-imposing a tax after its complete withdrawal smells of immature and impracticable approach towards urban local bodies. Further, on the eve of municipal elections, the decision may prove costly for the Congress.
Hemant Kumar Readers are invited to write to us. Send your mail, in not more than 200 words, at haryana@tribuneindia.com or write in at: Letters, Haryana Plus,
The Tribune, Sector 29, Chandigarh-160030.
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Faridabad, May 10