Yamunanagar, July 21
Despite the ban, mining of sand and stone continues along the Yamuna and seasonal rivulets, posing a threat of floods in low-lying areas of the district during the rains. Rampant unscientific mining at a depth of 5 to 20 metres in the river-bed and also on “agricultural land” in villages situated on the banks of the river is going on unchecked.

During the past two monsoons, an overflowing Yamuna had damaged crops and property in over 100 villages in the district, besides playing havoc in low-lying areas of Karnal, Panipat, Sonepat and Delhi.

Mining has been banned since February 28 this year following court orders. However, a visit to different parts of the district along the Yamuna reveals an altogether different story. The mining mafia has been using JCB machines to extract sand and stone from the river-bed and “agricultural land” in several villages of Khijrabad, Chhachhrauli, near the Kalesar National Park, Jatlana and Mandewala, near the Hathni Kund barrage and the Tajewala and Dadupur headworks.

Around 120 stone crushers are functioning in the proximity of the river in the district while more than these are operating on the other side of the Yamuna which falls in Saharanpur district in Uttar Pradesh.

The extent of illegal mining can easily be gauged from the large number of trucks and tractor-trailers carrying sand and stone on the NH 73-A passing through Khijrabad, Chhachhraul up to Kalesar, which are a common sight every day. All this is happening despite police posts situated near the mining sites in Khijrabad, Kalesar and Chhachhrauli.

Villagers in low-lying areas rue that despite the ban, on an average 500 to 1,000 trucks and tractor-trailers carrying sand and stone can be seen passing from the district to different parts of the region every day.

They fear that the unscientific mining may cause floods in their areas.

The villagers lament that the exploitation of the river-bed and “agricultural land” has been going on for years and the authorities concerned have done little to check this.

Villagers stand amid the remains of a house that collapsed under heavy showers at Nagpur village in Fatehabad on Wednesday. A Tribune photograph

Sirsa/Fatehabad, July 21
The downpour since yesterday has wreaked havoc in Sirsa and Fatehabad, claiming the lives of two schoolchildren and inundating several villages. Two brothers were buried under the debris and their eldest brother injured when the wall of a dilapidated building fell on them at Ramsara village in Fatehabad today.

Pawan (14), Roshan (12) and Chhotu (10) left home for school at 8 am today after the rain had subsided.

As they were walking past an old house, one of its wall collapsed and fell on them.

Pawan managed to run to safety, but Roshan and Chhotu were buried alive. Over a dozen houses have caved in at Ding in Sirsa, injuring three persons, since yesterday.

A part of the village is under 4 ft-deep water and the rail line running nearby badly damaged.

The Rangoi Kharif channel, that has proved Fatehabad’s lifeline, has breached at several places in Sirsa, leading to inundation of fields. It is flowing much above capacity.

The channel has been breached near Bagguwala, Modia and Gudiakhera. SP Pariyar, XEN, Nahrana division, Sirsa, said it was difficult to plug the breaches with continuous rains hindering the movement of material to the embankments.

Several houses had been damaged in Rupana Bishnoian, Rupana Ganja and Shakarmandori villages, he said. In Fatehabad’s Bodiwali village , over a dozen houses have collapsed.

Gurgaon, July 21
Local Deputy Commissioner Rajender Kataria has withdrawn the registration powers of a naib tehsildar posted in Gurgaon tehsil on finding irregularities in his functioning. A show-cause notice has also been issued to him, asking him to reply within seven days.

During an inspection of the local tehsil office, Kataria found discrepancies and violations in the working of naib tehsildar Kulwant Singh, who is also a joint sub-registrar of Gurgaon tehsil.

Taking prompt action, the DC withdrew his power to register sale deeds of immovable property. It may be recalled that five counters had been opened on July 1 for the registration of immoveable property in Gurgaon tehsil as a measure to facilitate the residents and root out corruption.

These counters had been opened in compliance with specific orders of Financial Commissioner of the Revenue Department Naresh Gulati. As per the orders, all naib tehsildars appointed in Gurgaon were given powers to register sale deeds and other documents of immoveable property.

Earlier, there was only one counter in the tehsil for getting the sale deed of immoveable property registered. The purchaser had to wait for about a week to get the documents because the sub-registrar was not available for signatures due to his official engagements.

Now, the Deputy Commissioner, who is also the Registrar, has delegated the powers to three other naib tehsildars also and as per the new arrangements, the buyers get the documents on the same day.

Gulati had also directed the Deputy Commissioners of all districts under the Gurgaon division that no employee should remain on the post of registry clerk or computer operator performing the job at tehsil office for more than six months.

In addition, any employee who has been caught red-handed taking bribe or against whom any case under the Prevention of Corruption Act was pending could not be appointed as registry clerk. He had also ordered that the sub-registrar concerned would also have to pass a detailed speaking order before impounding any registry.

New Delhi, July 21
The Supreme Court has absolved Maharshi Dayanand University of harassment and torture of a student by denying her a B.Ed degree after she had cleared the exams by misrepresenting facts.

The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, New Delhi, had in April 2007 directed the university to award B.Ed degree to one Surjeet Kaur.

The student had enrolled herself for both MA in political science and B.Ed in 1994-95 against university rules, which bars students from pursuing more than one course at a time.

A year later, the university noticed that the student had suppressed the fact about her MA course while joining the B.Ed programme through correspondence and asked her to give up one pursuit. She agreed to withdraw from the teaching discipline.

In 1998, the university announced an additional opportunity to students who could not clear the B.Ed course within the stipulated time. Surjeet Kaur availed of this chance and cleared the exam.

After the results were announced, the university again noticed that the girl had earlier withdrawn from the course.

It refused to award her the B.Ed certificate.

The student won her case in the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, Gurgaon, while the state-level commission ruled in favour of the university. But the national commission reversed the order, prompting the university to approach the SC.

“We wish to make it clear that the commission felt that the respondent had been harassed and has also gone to the extent of using the word ‘torture’ against an officer of the appellant.

The appellant is an autonomous body and the decision of the appellant and the statutory provisions have to be implemented through its officers. “This also includes implementation of all such measures which have a statutory backing and if these are implemented honestly through correct interpretation, the same, in our opinion, cannot extend to the degree of torture or harassment,” Justice BS Chauhan ruled.

Citing its earlier verdicts, the SC further ruled that the consumer commissions should not entertain such pleas as students were not consumers and universities not service providers.

Chandigarh, July 21
After the Punjab and Haryana High Court tossed away as illegal the method of flinging coin for deciding the fate of panchayat election in case of a tie, Justice Mahesh Grover has asked the Jind Deputy Commissioner to use the draw of lots instead.

The directions came on a petition filed by Bala Devi, a contestant for the panch’s post in elections held on June 6. She and Mehta Singh polled 94 votes each. In an attempt to resolve the controversy, Jind’s deputy education officer Dilbag Singh Malik had evolved the novel method of flinging a coin to decide the outcome of the elections. At the time, Malik was in charge of the election process in Jalalpur Khurd village in Jind district.

Bala Devi was declared elected after winning the toss. But the victory certificate was also issued to rival candidate Mehta Singh. Taking a serious view of the matter, Justice Mahesh Grover had ruled the tossing of coin was totally against the provisions of Rule 71 of the Haryana Panchayati Raj Election Rules, 1994. The direction to decide the controversy by holding the draw of lots is in sync with the provisions of law. In fact, the rules “mandate the holding of draw of lots in the event of a tie”. The candidate “winning in the draw of lots is to be construed to have been bestowed with an additional vote”.

With this, Bala Devi’s petition has finally been disposed of. The case has already seen the passing of strictures on returning officer Dilawar Singh.

“The conduct is sacrilegious, scandalous and reprehensible. Both the respondents have displayed gross negligence and scant respect for the election process, disregard for their duties and utter contempt for the entire process of law”. A cost of Rs 50,000 has also been imposed on Dilawar Singh.

Chandigarh, July 21
It’s gallows for Narender and Sangeet. Dismissing their appeal in a murder case, a Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today upheld the death sentence awarded to them after a three-year-old boy’s head was blown off and his mother set ablaze after being shot.

The Bench of Justice SK Mittal and Justice Mohinder Pal also dismissed the appeal filed by four other convicts - Ashok, Ram Phal, Nanhi and Anil. They, along with Narender and Sangeet, were proceeded against after a case of murder, attempt to murder, rioting and destroying evidence was registered on July 27, 2004, on a complaint of Randhir Singh.

He had told the police that his brother Ranbir Singh, his wife Bimla, daughter-in-law Seema and grandson Rahul were found dead, while son Amardeep was sitting with head injuries.

Giving details of the motive, Amardeep had deposed before the court that relative Ram Phal’s son Ved Pal had died two days after his marriage. Ram Phal and his family were suspecting the hand of the victim’s family in Ved Pal’s death, Amardeep had contended. Elaborating, he had added that they were suspecting that Ved Pal had died due to black magic by his family.

The defence, on the other hand, contended that an unknown gang had attacked Amardeep and his family. “Later on, with a view to grabbing the property of the accused, they were implicated.”

After going through the evidence, the trial court in November last ruled convict Sangeet was “to be hanged by neck till death”. Capital punishment was also awarded to Narender. As a result of the “brutal manner in which Seema and Rahul have been killed by the convicts Sangeet and Narender, their case falls under the category of the rarest of rare cases, where the death sentence is warranted,” the trial court had added.

Explaining the circumstances, the trial court had asserted: The upper portion of the head of three-year-old Rahul, son of Amardeep, was blown off by Narender, as bullet was pumped into his head….

“After a gunshot injury on the head of Seema by Sangeet, kerosene was poured on her by Sangeet and she was set ablaze”.

Chandigarh, July 21
The Haryana government has revised the pay scales of judges in the state with effect from January 1, 2006. Half of the arrears of the revised pay will be paid in cash in the current financial year while the other half will be paid in the next financial year.

According to a notification, the entry level pay scale of a judge (Junior Division) has been revised from Rs 9,000-250-10,750-300-13,150-350-14,550 to Rs 27,700-770-33,090-920-40,450-1080-44,770 and that of a judge (Senior Division) from Rs 12,850-300-13,150-350-15,950-400-17,550 to Rs 39,530-920-40,450-1,080-49,090-1,230-54,010.

The entry level pay scale of a district judge has been revised from Rs 16,750-400-19,150-450-20,500 to Rs 51,550-1,230-58,930-1,380-63,070; selection grade from Rs 18,750-400-19,150-450-21,850-500-22,850 to Rs 57,700-1,230-58,930-1,380-67,210-1,540-70,290 (for 25 per cent of the posts with five years’ service in cadre subject to suitability); and super time scale from Rs 22,850-500-24,850 (for 10 per cent of the posts of district judge with a minimum of three years’ service in the selection grade) to Rs 70,290-1,540-76,450.

The Assured Career Progression (ACP) scale for a judge (Junior Division) will be Rs 33,090-920-40,450-1,080-45,850 (after five years of regular satisfactory service) at the first ACP and Rs 39,530-920-40,450-1,080-43,090-1,230-54,010 (after five years of the first ACP as the second ACP). Similarly, for a judge (Senior Division) the first ACP will be Rs 43,690-1,080-49,090-1,230-56,470 (after five years of regular satisfactory service after placement in the senior division) and Rs 51,550-1,230-58,930-1,380-63,070 (after another five years of the grant of the first ACP as the second ACP).

Fatehabad, July 21
Fatehabad will soon have a bypass to provide local residents some respite from the heavy traffic that passes through the middle of the town.

The state government yesterday sanctioned a 7.3 km bypass for the town. The new bypass, according to official sources, will be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 11.61 crore.

It was a longstanding demand of the local people as flow of heavy traffic from the middle of the town had become a traffic hazard over the years.

Local MLA Prahlad Singh Gillankhera, who is a Chief Parliamentary Secretary, had promised people to fulfil their demand.

Gillankhera said today that Public Works Minister Randip Singh Surjewala had accorded sanction to the bypass.

He said of the total length of 7.3 km of the bypass, 4.58 km would be constructed along the Fatehabad distributary.

This would help farmers whose fields were situated on both sides of the distributary by providing them a link.

The bypass would connect the NH-10 and cross Fatehabad town on its southern side.

Fatehabad town falls on the NH-10 and the entire traffic coming from Punjab and Rajasthan and proceeding towards Hisar, Rohtak and Delhi passes through it.

Yamunanagar, July 21
A resident of Vishvakarma Locality, Sanjiv Kumar (40), allegedly committed suicide by consuming poison, following alleged harassment by local financiers here today.

Police sources said Sanjiv Kumar had taken a loan of Rs 1.5 lakh from local financiers seven years ago. However, despite the fact that he had returned the amount, the financiers continuously harassed him demanding more money and threatening him of dire consequences.

Unable to bear the harassment, Kumar closed his room and consumed celphos. Later he was taken to a private hospital where he died, the police added.

Acting on the complaint of his brother Pawan Kumar, the police has registered a case under Section 306 of the IPC against the five financers - Babu Singh, Rishu, Kamal, Harish and Bittu Tyagi.

In another similar situation, Ramesh Kumar of Rampura Colony consumed some poisonous substance here today. He was admitted to a private hospital and is said to be out of danger.

The police said Ramesh had taken a loan of Rs 40,000 from three financiers. Ramesh had returned the amount, but the financiers had been demanding Rs 1.6 lakh more from him.

Sirsa, July 21
The district authorities today claimed to have launched large-scale relief measures in Bani village. Bani’s over 70 per cent inhabited areas have come under 7ft to 10ft of water due to a breach on the right embankment of the Ghaggar near Ther Shahidanwala village and the Indira Gandhi canal flowing on its west has compounded the problem by creating bottlenecks, preventing the flow of floodwaters further.

“Work on bunds to save the rest of the village is on,” claimed Mohan Lal, nodal officer.

He claimed that 22 tractors and 2 JCBs had been pressed into service. Mobile teams had been touring affected areas and providing medical aid. However, villagers refute the claims. “Though some relief in the shape of ration has arrived, it is insufficient looking at the number of affected villagers,” said a resident. He alleged not a single tractor had been deployed by the authorities and the villagers had arranged for the machinery on their own.