Panipat, August 23
The release of water from the Tajewala barrage in Yamunanagar inundated low-lying areas of the district. Residents of Rahimpur village in the district had to be evacuated as waters entered their fields and houses.

Azad Singh, executive engineer, Irrigation, said no loss of life or property had been reported from anywhere in the district and there was no cause for alarm.

He said 87,000 cusecs of waters were again released from Yamunanagar today which were expected to reach the district by tomorrow morning.

“As of now, there is nothing alarming,” he stressed.

Deputy Commissioner JS Ahlawat said elaborate arrangements had been put in place and special teams of officials were monitoring the situation round the clock.

Residents of Rahimpur had been shifted to safer places using boats. The water in this village was receding and the situation was expected to normalise in a day or two, the Deputy Commissioner claimed.

Low-lying areas within Panipat city, including the local bus stand, have been flooded following heavy showers.

The district administration is using water pumps to drain out the runoff water.

Meanwhile, commuters today had a harrowing time with several vehicles breaking down mid-way.

Sonepat: With the water flow in the Yamuna going up to 3.5 lakh cusecs and still rising, DC Ajit Joshi, along with Revenue and Irrigation officials, inspected the 40-km-long embankment and interacted with residents of adjoining villages today.

He asked them not to go to the fields located within the embankment area. At Asadpur village, the DC asked a dozen families to shift to plots allotted to them.He said so far there was no threat of any breach. The embankment had been strengthened to withstand up to 5.5 lakh cusecs of water, he said. Paddy and vegetables cultivated in some of areas in the Yamuna basin have reportedly been damaged. The farmers are seeking relief. — OC

Yamunanagar: The state has little choice in discharging the water into the Yamuna from the Hathnikund barrage, which has caused a flood-like situation in low lying areas of different parts of state and Delhi, as the barrage is meant only to channelise the river water and cannot store the water.

In the absence of a dam in the district or the neighbouring Himachal Pradesh, the water received at the Hathnikund barrage and now being discharged into the Yamuna, passing through Karnal, Panipat and Sonepat,l reaches Delhi in 72 hours.

The water level of the Yamuna was 2.20 lakh cusecs this morning which is critical for the low-lying areas in the district.

The barrage was constructed 11 year ago to channelise the Yamuna waters after the floods in 1978 inundated vast areas in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi and caused damage to the 100-year-old Tajewla headworks here. The water level of Yamuna was recorded at over 7 lakh cusecs then.

The agreement on the sharing water of Yamuna between the Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Rajasthan was signed on May 12, 1994.

The works on the barrage was completed on June 30, 1999, and it was constructed about 3 km from the Tajewala headworks. — TNS

Sirsa, August 23
Intermittent rains lashing the region for the past some days have been givingous moments to cotton growers.

Sirsa, considered the cotton bowl of Haryana, has witnessed 251 mm rainfall from July 1 to August 23, while Dabwali and Rania subdivisions in the district have recorded 255 mm and 191 mm rainfall, respectively, in the corresponding period.

Fatehabad, another district with a substantial share in the cotton production, has recorded a rainfall of 191 mm, and its subdivision Tohana 202 mm.

Sirsa accounts for 1.42 lakh hectares under cotton in Haryana’s total of 4.46 lakh hectares. Fatehabad, too, has a considerable share with cotton grown on 78,500 hectares.

“Frequent rains are causing damage to our crop. Pests are thriving in this atmosphere and every time we spray pesticide, it is washed away by the rains,” rued a farmer from Bajekan village in Sirsa.

“If these conditions persist for a few more days, we fear we may have to suffer heavy losses as the cotton balls have started falling,” he explained.

Om Parkash, a farmer from Khumbar in Fatehabad, said when he started sowing cotton, he faced shortage of water for irrigation. However, now, he had been praying to the rain gods for mercy.

“Lack of sunshine leads to rotting of cotton balls, while moisture heightens the pest attack on the crop,” said Ravi Chander Punia, Joint Director (Cotton), Agriculture.

“Till now, there is no visible loss to the crops. The situation can turn alarming if the rains continue in September too,” he added.

Punia maintained that the crop would start arriving in the market next month and pick momentum by the end of September.

Faridabad, August 23
Residents of the city continue to suffer on account of accumulation of storm water in their areas, the drainage system being woefully inadequate.

The authorities claims on proper drainage were exposed after the first spell of rain. Shiv Mangal of Sector 16 alleged that the authorities had given false assurances to the residents on cleaning nullahs and ensuring a soundter drainage system before the start of the monsoon.

The authorities had taken no preventive measures. The situation had only aggravated now.

Everywhere there are pools of water. The posh Sectors 15 and 16 of HUDA housing senior bureaucrats and businessmen are facing the fury of the monsoon.

Storm water on the road has entered some houses in Sector 16, specially in the vicinity of the main market. Some pockets of Sector 15(A) skirting Ajronda village present a pathetic picture.

The scene is no different in Sector 12 which boasts of a mini-secretariat, the district courts and offices of HUDA. Roads connecting to the main offices have all been submerged.

Residents of Jawahar Colony and Dabua are the worst hit. Since Jawahar Colony is among the low-lying areas, storm water from nearby Nawada, Sainik Colony and Dabua flows into it and remains accumulated for days because of a proper drainage system.

Gurgaon, August 23
The rains have brought several problems to the residents of the city. A flood-like situation is caused after every downpour. The situation puts a big question mark on the measures adopted to prevent accumulation of rainwater. The commuters are having a harrowing time, having to wade through water and roads with potholes. Precious man hours are wasted in traffic snarls, which are routine.Those visiting Gurgaon from nearby areas in quest of livelihood are the worst sufferers. Rainwater has entered houses and severely hit small businesses

However, contractors and others are busy preparing plans for making new roads (inroads into the exchequer) after the monsoon.

Karnal, August 23
Indian classical music maestro Pt Jasraj sees no threat from the deep penetration made by western music and feels that there is great inclination among people for classical music.

“I have seen inclination among people, especially in Haryana, towards classical music during the past decade, which is a favourable trend and I will request Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda to set up a Sangeet Natak Academy in the state,” the Padam Vibhushan awardee vocalist from the Mewati Gharana said.

Talking to mediapersons at Noor Mahal here, Pandit Jasraj, who was here on a three-day visit to Karnal, said it was true that western music had made a deep penetration in India but at the same time “our traditional classical music has attained great heights abroad”.

“The popularity of Indian classic music can be gauged from the fact that five music academies/schools have been established in the USA while one such academy has come up in Canada,” he said.

Born at Bili Bindori village in Fatehabad district in 1930, Pandit Jasraj was a bit unhappy that Haryana recognised his talent only after the Padam Vibhushan was conferred on him.

He said, “Few people are aware that apart from agriculture, Haryana is rich in folk culture and art and has a lot of gharanas.”

Asked about providing a platform to the budding talent to blossom, he said live TV shows had emerged as a big platform and “collective efforts of all of us can do the magic”.

Asked weather “his music for health” should be propagated like yoga by Baba Ram Dev, he said “music cannot be seen and music for health will only be useful if you have a taste for classical music and your body responds to it”.

Pt Jasraj will perform at a gala nite tomorrow and celebrate his 80th birth anniversary on Wednesday by planting 80 trees under the auspices of the Haryana Institute of Fine Arts.

Fatehabad, August 23
Counselling by Sirsa MP Ashok Tanwar failed to cut ice with farmers of Gorakhpur village agitating against the acquisition of their land for a nuclear power plant to be set up by Nuclear Power Corporation of Indian Limited. The farmers told the MP in clear terms that they would not part with their land they had been tilling since generations.

Tanwar, accompanied by Dr KV Singh, a former OSD to Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, met the farmers on an indefinite dharna outside the mini-secretariat late last evening and assured them that the government would address their apprehensions.

“The Central Government has sanctioned only one nuclear power plant for the northern states and this plant is being set up at Gorakhpur-Kumharia,” he told farmers in an effort to highlight the importance of the project.

He said with the setting up of this plant, Haryana would get additional power, ushering in a new era of development. However, the farmers outrightly rejected the argument and confronted the MP with several questions.

“The government has all along maintained that only infertile land will be acquired for projects. Why then is our land, one of the most productive in the state, being acquired for the plant,” farmers asked Tanwar.

Tanwar assured them that the authorities would visit the site and speak individually to the affected farmers before a decision on their land, but the farmers remained adamant on their stand. Nishan Singh, district president of the INLD, visited the agi farmers today.Tanwar alleged that Opposition parties were trying to politicise the issue and appealed to the farmers to see through the game.

Hisar, August 23
Villagers uprooted from Thurana village in this district three weeks ago following demolition of their houses under court orders have shunned efforts by the administration to vacate the premises of the mini-secretariat here.

Yesterday, Hansi legislator Vinod Bhayana, accompanied by senior officials, held a series of meetings with the villagers who have been squatting at the secretariat for the past two weeks, seeking rehabilitation. The villagers are demanding that each of the 121 families uprooted from the village be allotted a 100 square yard plot in the village. They also want Rs 25,000 for each family under the Indira Awaas Yojana, Rs 10,000 each from the Red Cross and BPL ration cards.

On the mediation of the legislator, the administration offered Rs 10,000 per family and BPL cards, but the villagers rejected the same, saying all demands must be met before they moved out.

The talks broke down late in the night, with the three villagers on fast for the past seven days continuing with the protest.

Meanwhile, a teenager amongst the squatters has begun holding classes in the secretariat lawns for children who had stopped going to school.

Chandigarh, August 23
Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today defended the appointment of Chief Parliamentary Secretaries (CPS), saying such appointments were being made ever since Haryana came into existence in 1966.

In a reply submitted to the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Hooda said CPS and Parliamentary Secretaries (PS) had been appointed by successive Chief Ministers Birender Singh, Bansi Lal, Devi Lal, Om Parkash Chautala, Hukum Singh and Bhajan Lal. The appointments were made to ensure smooth functioning of government departments.The reply placed before the Division Bench of Chief Justice Mukul Mudgal and Justice Ajay Tewari added: “The state of Haryana at present has 10 ministers, including the Chief Minister, which is far less than the prescribed strength of the Council of Ministers.” The reply to the petition against their appointment further added: “The averments made by the petitioner to the effect that the CPSs are de facto ministers enjoying the status of deputy ministers is not only factually incorrect, but wholly misconceived and misleading.

“The institution of CPSs is an established one and they are appointed to assist the ministers in public interest. The present appointment of CPSs is distinct from the earlier appointments as the previous appointees could move motion in the Vidhan Sabha as they were included in the definition of ministers….” In one of the petitions, the INLD legislators had asserted the CPSs were being treated as de facto ministers.

Challenging the appointments by filing PIL, MLAs Pradeep Chaudhary, Dilbagh Singh and Rajbir Brara had sought the HC’s intervention for quashing the appointments of the nine CPSs - Anita Yadav, Rao Dan Singh, Dharambir Singh, Jaivir Balmiki, Jaleb Khan, Prahlad Singh Gillkhera, Ram Kishan Fouji, Sharda Rathore and Sultan Singh Rod.

Chandigarh, August 23
Kurukshetra University’s “benevolence” towards a student has not escaped the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s notice.

Commenting on the varsity’s functioning while taking up a petition filed by a student, Justice Ranjit Singh has questioned: “One would be wondering as to how the university has been so benevolent to the petitioner in giving one chance after another. The petitioner, on his part, appears to have followed the motto of try-try again”.

Dismissing Arjun Yadav’s petition, Justice Ranjit Singh asserted: “It may sound strange, but the prayer in the writ petition is for seeking five grace marks to reach the pass mark level in the Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA) examination taken in 2005, which he is yet to completely clear.

“Having completed first year of the BCA, correspondence course, the petitioner appeared in the second-year examination in April 2005. He got a re-appear in all six subjects. He re-appeared in April 2007, and could pass in two subjects, that too with grace marks. In one subject, he passed without the grace marks and, thus, he failed in three subjects. He made another attempt in December 2007 in these three subjects, but again failed.

“The petitioner then availed of another chance in April 2008, but could pass only in one subject, that too after award of grace marks. He, thus, was given another chance to re-appear in December 2008, but still failed in these two subjects….

“The petitioner, on his part, appears to have followed the motto of “try-try again”. The petitioner has a lot of perseverance…. Would such a person have a legal right to seek direction for grant of grace marks? Would it be fair for the court to interfere in such matters, which ultimately would lead to diluting the education standards? This apart, the petitioner otherwise does not seem to be having any right to seek five grace marks as per the provisions…. The university has been quite indulgent to the petitioner, but still he has not been able to qualify in the examination. The present writ petition is accordingly dismissed.

Chandigarh, August 23
A Kaithal-based firm has moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court for directions to the trial court to proceed with the complaint in a case pertaining to bounced cheques against television actor Shekhar Suman and two others.

In its petition against Growell Multi-Trade India Ltd and its chairman Shekhar Suman and managing director Akash Bhardwaj, the petitioners have asserted that a complaint under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act was filed against the three respondents and another person Sukhwant Singh Kalsi for the dishonour of two cheques of Rs 1,00,000 and Rs 32,790.

Kalsi moved the High Court for quashing the complaint dated August 23, 2004, summoning order dated August 24, 2004, and all further proceedings.

With the petition, Kalsi attached the order dated September 26, 2008, passed by the High Court, whereby the petitions were allowed. The complaints, summoning orders and all other resultant proceedings against Kalsi were quashed. But the trial court on the basis of the order discharged all accused.

His counsel, Rajinder Goyal and RK Bansal said the petitioner left with no alternative remedy, moved the High Court for recalling or modifying the order dated July 1, 2009, passed by the high court. Clarification was sought to the effect that the order was applicable only to Kalsi. The application was dismissed as withdrawn, with liberty to approach the court concerned for relief. The petitioner filed an application dated March 3 before the trial court for recalling the order. The application was, however, dismissed.

Bhiwani, August 23
Demanding electricity on a flat rate to farmers of Bhiwani-Mahendragarh and a slab system in the area once again, the Zila Kisan Sangharsh Samiti, at its mahapanchayat at Kadma village on the 15th anniversary of the Kadma police firing, today announced an agitation from October 2.

Addressing the mahapanchayat, samiti president Mir Singh Zewali said the agitation would continue till the demands were accepted and it would be a “true” tribute to the five farmers who had laid down their lives for the cause of the farmers on this day 15 years ago.

He said the farmers would observe Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary as “Sangharsh Diwas”. The mahapanchayat that met for about five hours, adopted several resolutions. It announced to launch an agitation in a big way by organising a mahapanchayat at Badhra on October 2.

The gathering paid tribute to the five farmers killed during the Bhajan Lal regime. “We cannot forget their martyrdom and so our agitation will continue till our demands are accepted,” said a speaker.

Zewali said the Devi Lal government had given relief to the farmers of the area by providing electricity at flat rates in 1977 and introduced three slabs on the basis of depth of tubewells.

Thereafter, the Bansi Lal government added the fourth slab.

The mahapanchayat demanded 12-hour power supply for tubewells, strict action against those selling urea/seeds on the black market and electricity to kachcha houses at tubewells.

Among those who spoke were Hari Ram Kadma, Ishwar Singh Thekedar, Atar Singh, a former sarpanch of Kalali, Capt Shish Ram Badhra and Kamal Singh Mandhi.

Meanwhile, former MLA and HAFED administrator Jagjit Singh Sangwan inaugurated a sales office of HAFED at Hansi road here today.

Sangwan said HAFED rice was gaining popularity in America and Canada. HAFED had earned a profit of Rs 200 crore during the past three years. it had exported 450 tommes of basmati to America and had received another order for 300 tonnes from that country.

Chandigarh, August 23
The Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC) has finalised the scheme for allotment of residential plots to persons whose land was acquired by the Industries Department for HSIIDC’s projects.

This was disclosed by HSIIDC Managing Director Rajeev Arora here today. He said under the rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) policy of the government dated December 7, 2007, the corporation would undertake various R&R activities, including allotment of residential plots to persons whose land had been acquired by the government. He said a notice inviting applications for determining the eligibility would shortly be issued by the corporation.

He said since the policy had been made applicable from March 5, 2005, all acquisitions of the Industries Department for HSIIDC projects, where the awards had been announced on or after the aforesaid date, were covered under the scheme. The acquisitions for which the policy was applicable include projects of the Growth Centre, Bawal, the Growth Centre, Saha, the Industrial Estate (IE), Rai, the IE, Kundli, the IE, Barhi, the IMT, Manesar, the IE, Bahadurgarh, the IE, Karnal, the IE and the IMT, Rohtak, the IE, Panipat, the IMT, Faridabad and the IMT, Manakpur, in Jagadhri.

He said under the scheme finalised by the corporation, the process of allotment of plots was to be undertaken in two phases. In the first phase, the applicants whose land had been acquired for HSIIDC projects, would be required to submit applications for determining the eligibility for allotment of plots as per the prescribed format to the Estate Manager concerned along with the necessary supporting documents.

Fatehabad, August 23
The formation of two tornado-like features in Ahlisadar village of Fatehabad within a gap of 20 days has baffled local people as well as Met Department experts.

Experts feel that the matter is not being taken with the seriousness it warrants.

Tornado, a rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of the earth as well as a cumulonimbus cloud, was witnessed in Ahlisadar first on July 22 and then again on August 13.

While the weather feature witnessed on July 22 sucked large quantities of water from flooded fields, spraying it at a short distance, the one seen on August 13 failed to develop. The funnel-like object descending from the skies dissipated before it could make contact with the earth.

In the first case, residents of nearby Dhani were lucky to escape unhurt as the tornado traversed a distance of several meters and damaged cotton plants.The Met Department appears clueless on the August 13 case.

“The two incidents cannot be taken lightly as tornadoes can at times be very dangerous. A fully developed tornado is a bundle of immense kinetic energy, which can be very destructive,” said Dr Mahabir Jaglan, chairperson, Geography Department, Kurukshetra University.

Experts favour a scientific study of the area to ascertain the reasons behind the occurrence of the phenomenon twice in 20 days. The experts said field investigations were a must.

“There is a need for detailed field investigations of the phenomenon. An empirical study based on field observations of pressure, evapo-transpiration, heat influx etc will answer all queries,” said another expert.

Yamunanagar, August 23
Dharamvir (46), a farmer of Damla village who innovated a low-cost multi-processing machine, has been put on the board of Hisar Agricultural University by Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. “I am grateful to The Tribune for highlighting my story. When I exhibited my machine in front of the Chief Minister, he already knew about me following which he immediately announced my name as a member of the university board,” Dharamvir said.

The Tribune had earlier carried Dharamvir’s story on March 19 “Rags to riches - this innovator shows the way” after he was selected among 36 innovators from rural India.

Chandigarh, August 23
The School Education Department, Haryana, has a plan to construct a number of model schools and girls’ hostels at various locations in the state.

Stating this here recently, a spokesman for the department said a design competition would be held for selecting the best architectural design of a model school and a girls’ hostel to be adopted at various places in the state. Three prizes of Rs 1 lakh, Rs 70,000 and Rs 40,000 would be given as the first, second and the third prize, respectively. — TNS

Jhajjar, August 23
An auto mechanic was gunned down at Shaheed Bhagat Singh Chowk here this afternoon.

The deceased has been identified as Bijender Yadav, alias Sonu. The police has started investigations after booking three persons under various Sections of IPC.

Bijender, owner of Balaji Motor Workshop, was at work when three unidentified persons with pistols got down from a car and opened fire, killing him on the spot.

Jhajjar SSP Sourabh Singh rushed to the spot and sent the body to the Civil Hospital for postmortem. Though the police sealed the border of the district soon after the murder, the assailants managed to flee.

“The motive for the murder is yet to be ascertained as the family of the deceased has no idea about the killers,” said Sourabh Singh.