Rohtak, November 25
The much-awaited mobile number portability (MNP) service was launched in Haryana by Union Communication Minister Kapil Sibal at a function here today. The subscribers will now have the option of changing their service provider without having to change their mobile number. The service will be launched across the country in a phased manner from January 20 next.

Sibal claimed that the telecom sector was the second in the country to have witnessed a revolution in a short period. The total number of subscribers in the country had touched the figure of 70 crore and India was, perhaps, the only country in the world where over a million subscribers were being added each month.

Stating that the maximum time period for porting would be seven working days, except for some parts in the country, he said subscribers who wanted to exercise the option of changing their service provider without change of number would have to send an SMS on 1900 and pay a nominal fee of Rs 19 for the request.

Sibal, who is also the HRD Minister, claimed that the ongoing telecom revolution was set to play a vital role in the field of education also. The communication would soon revolutionise the process of education with students getting subject content through the mobile and the broadband service.

The Minister of State for Telecom, Sachin Pilot, said though a lot of work had been done in the sector, much more was yet to be done to improve services in the rural areas.

Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said the launch of the MNP service from Haryana was evidence of the state being a leader in various sectors.

Though a small state, Haryana was making rapid progress in various areas. The MP from Rohtak, Deepender Singh Hooda, requested the minister to include some districts in Haryana with the Delhi telecom circle.

The subscribers would have to clear all dues of the current service provider before applying for MNP, the chairman of TRAI, JS Sharma, who also addressed the gathering, said.

Jakhal (Fatehabad), November 25
After spreading the message of “zindagi zindabad” in 22 states in the country, the Red Ribbon Express, the world’s largest mass mobilisation campaign against HIV/AIDS, reached Jakhal this morning.

Haryana Agriculture Minister Paramvir Singh and Sirsa MP Ashok Tanwar were among those who received the train.

The railway platform, where the train has been stationed for a stopover for two days, brimmed with activity since morning.

Schoolchildren, college students, elected members of the panchayati raj institutions, anganwadi workers, accredited social health activists (ASHA) and health workers reached Jakhal in large numbers to have a glimpse of the train and know as much as possible regarding the disease that has afflicted 27 lakh people in the country, 42,000 of whom are from Haryana. Breaking barriers of social taboos involved with discussing anything involving sex, college students, including girls, were seen taking keen interest in the exhibits placed on the train. Conceptualised by the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, the RRE project is being implemented by the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) in partnership with the Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS), UNICEF, the Railway Ministry and state AIDS control societies.

UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi had flagged off the train for creating awareness on HIV/AIDS on December 2, 2009, from the Safdarjang railway station, New Delhi.

The train has four coaches housing the exhibition and a coach each for training volunteers and counselling.The train has so far covered 22 states, stopped at 151 railway stations and covered 141 districts of the country, where over 75 lakh people visited it. “Over 9,000 people had visited the train by evening today,” claimed the Civil Surgeon, Dr OP Arya, and added that the number could have exceeded 12,000 had the train not been closed for visitors during the VVIP visit.Mohnish Kumar, CEO of the Red Ribbon Express, said the train would end its journey at its starting point on December 1 after a stopover of two days each here and at Panipat.

In their address, both Paramvir Singh and Tanwar exhorted people to take necessary precautions, as prevention was the only cure in case of HIV/AIDS.

Ambala, November 25
The CBI produced two accused- Daljeet Bhullar and Kampal Singh - allegedly involved in the kidnapping of a Chandigarh-based hotelier and student of Khalsa College, Nandan Nagpal, in the court of Special Magistrate for CBI cases Abdul Mazid here today after the completion of their eight-day CBI custody.

The Panchkula police, which had arrested them, had subsequently handed them over to the CBI in connection with another case, the Tejas Gaba kidnapping case.

Tejas Gaba (10), son of a Panipat-based industrialist and student of DPS Public School, was kidnapped by two persons in a Honda Accord car at gunpoint on December 12, 2008, while he was waiting for the school bus close to his house. Later, the kidnappers had demanded a ransom of Rs 10 crore from his parents.

The court sent the accused in judicial remand for 14 days and fixed December 9 for the next hearing. Advocate JS Kohli appeared on behalf of the accused in the court.

Two senior officials of the Bathinda police, where the Nandan Nagpal kidnapping case was registered, were also present in the CBI court today. They filed an application in the court for taking Daljeet and Kampal into their custody for interrogation. The court granted one-day transit remand of both accused and directed the Bathinda police to produce them before the Ilaka Magistrate. Nandan Nagpal was kidnapped in June this year and the kidnappers had demanded a ransom of Rs 3 crore for his release. He was released after four days.

According to sources, the CBI could not find any major clue in the Tejas abduction case even after getting the custody of the accused for eight days.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that the CBI has also interrogated the wife of Daljeet Bhullar and one of her friends in this regard. A girlfriend of Kampal Singh was also interrogated by the CBI in this matter. The CBI also collected specimens of the signatures and handwriting of the accused in the court today. 

Sirsa, November 25
Illicit relations of her mother, Sheela, led to the murder of Anjali, a four-year-old girl, whose body was recovered by the police from cotton fields on the Barnala road in the town three days ago. The police today arrested Sheela and her paramour, Gobind, a resident of the Chatargarh Patti locality here, and the two have reportedly confessed to having committed the crime.

In his confession to the police, Gobind said he killed the little girl by striking her against the concrete floor, late in the night on November 19.

Sheela had lodged a missing report with the police on November 20 and when the police recovered the body of the girl, she herself went missing.

During investigation of the case, the police came to know of Gobind’s illicit relations with Sheela.

The woman had been living separately from her husband, Lakhan, for the past four years.

However, the police was able to locate Sheela , who spilled the beans, when quizzed on this matter, leading to the arrest of Gobind. Gobind has told the police that he wanted to marry Sheela and considered Anjali a hurdle in his intentions.

Though Sheela had another daughter, Baby (7), she lives with her grandparents.

The police spokesperson said the two would be produced before the court tomorrow to seek their police remand. 

New Delhi, November 25
People from diverse fields were honoured at a function to mark the birth anniversary of freedom fighter Chaudhary Ranbir Singh and death anniversary of veteran journalist and freedom fighter Lala Deshbandhu Gupta at Haryana Bhawan here yesterday.

Among those honoured were: the Vice-Chancellor of Kurukshetra University, Dr DDS Sandhu (Education), CMD of ONGC RS Sharma (Energy Security), IAS officer KK Khandelwal (Administration), Marketing Director of JK Tyres and Industries AS Mehta (Industry), Media Adviser to the Chief Minister Shiv Bhattia (Journalism) and Principal of Arya PG College, Panipat, Jagdish Gupta (special award).

Karnal MP Arvind Sharma was honoured for social service and Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda was honoured for his contribution to the field of national service.

The organiser of the function, Dr Narender Upmanyu, said the Yuva Netritva Jyoti Organisation would give “Chaudhary Ranbir Singh Shiksha Ratna Samman Puraskar” of Rs 1 lakh every year.

Chaudhary Ranbir Singh is the father of the Haryana Chief Minister and a member of the Constituent Assembly.

The Chief Minister also released the Haryana edition of a newspaper, “Haryana Tej”, a book, “Beesvin Sadi Ke Mahanayak”, and a magazine, “Yuva Sangram Jyoti”, on the occasion. 

Ballabgarh (Faridabad), November 25
A demolition squad of the Municipal Corporation of Faridabad (MCF) today razed more than six unauthorised commercial structures owned by influential persons, including councillors.

The demolition squad headed by Sub-Divisional Magistrate Inder Kumar Bishoi began the operations at about 7am, pressing into service seven JCBs.

Apprehending possible public backlash at the instance of certain councillors, the demolition squad was provided a security cordon consisting of more than 100 police personnel headed by an officer of the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police.

The civic authorities maintained that the structures in the heart of the city and at prime locations had been raised without authorisation.

The office of the Commissioner, MCF, Mahtab Singh Sehrawat, had been receiving a number of complaints on these unauthorised constructions.

The councillors whose structures have been demolished are Rao Ram Kumar, Kamal Yadav and Rajinder Aggarwal. Rao Ram Kumar and Kamal Yadav are considered close to Sharda Rathore, Chief Parliamentary Secretary. Rajinder Aggarwal is close to Haryana’s Minister for Urban Local Bodies .

Gurgaon, November 25
The district administration has maintained that the illegal constructions within a 900-metre radius of the local ammunition depot would not be regularised. According to the officials concerned, the case for the regularisation of illegal colonies in the said area will also not be sent to the government as the area lies in a no-construction zone as per the Defence Act.

At a monthly meeting of the district officials organised yesterday, local Deputy Commissioner Rajender Kataria asked the local municipal corporation authorities not to send the case of illegal colonies in a 900-metre radius of the ammunition depot for regularisation. He disclosed that the illegal constructions on the periphery of the ammunition depot would be removed in a phased manner.

The Deputy Commissioner also asked the municipal authorities to remove the illegal hoardings and advertisement boards erected on roadsides as these violated specific guidelines of the apex court. Kataria also directed City Magistrate KK Gupta to get cases registered against those who have put up the illegal hoardings.

At the meeting, Kataria also mentioned that the state government had constituted a committee to look into the matters of gated colonies. He asserted that from now on, anyone who desired to erect a gate in a colony would have to obtain prior permission from the committee. “The people residing in colonies have erected a number of gates on various roads in the colony, which cause hindrance to other residents and commuters.

The Deputy Commissioner also ordered the DTP (Enforcement) to remove certain illegal gates erected in Sushant Lok-I. 

Ambala, November 25
SC Girhotra, father of Ruchika, who was molested by former Haryana DGP SPS Rathore, appeared in the court of Special Magistrate for CBI cases Abdul Mazid here today. Ashu Girhotra, brother of Ruchika, could not appear in the court as he was sick.

The CBI court had issued a notice to them for today after the closure reports in two of three cases against Rathore were filed in this court by the CBI two weeks ago.

Girhotra filed an application in the court for getting a copy of the closure report of his case which was made available to him.

He also filed another application on behalf of Ashu Girhotra for the copy of closure report of the Ashu case.

The court did not issue the copy and fixed December 23 for next hearing in this case. The CBI, in its closure report, had said that the allegations levelled by SC Girhotra and Ashu Girhotra against Rathore were found baseless.

SC Girhotra had alleged in his complaint to the police that after his daughter consumed poison on December 28, 1993, three years after she was molested, he was forced by Rathore to take her to the PGI at Chandigarh and during the postmortem, the magistrate was not summoned by the police.

The CBI, in the closure report, said the allegations could not be substantiated as per documentary evidence and oral testimony of witnesses. Ashu Girhotra, in his complaint, had alleged that a false case was slapped on him about an auto theft at the behest of Rathore.

Talking to mediapersons in the court complex, SC Girhotra said he saw a threat to life from Rathore and the CBI, and he should be provided security.

Anand Parkash, father of Ruchika’s friend who has been fighting the case since the beginning, said the investigating agency had been shielding Rathore.

He alleged that the CBI had filed the closure reports so that Rathore could get bail from the apex court.

He alleged that the CBI team investigating the cases should be replaced as it was biased towards Rathore.

Meanwhile, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has asked the CBI to file an investigation report in the pending cases against Rathore.

The Supreme Court had recently granted bail to Rathore in the Ruchika molestation case.

Sirsa, November 25
Old school-time rivalry led to the murder of a youth at Dabwali town in this district late last evening.

The victim, Jasbir, became the target because he was with a friend, Ravi, whom the assailants wanted to hit due to old animosity.

Both Ravi and Jasbir had come from Bathinda on a bus and when they were going towards their houses on a rickshaw, four motorcycle-borne youths attacked them with sticks and sharp-edged weapons.

Ravi managed to escape unhurt, while Jasbir was injured seriously.

He was taken to the local general hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead. Ravi informed the police that his classmates at school - Vinod and Monu - who nursed a grouse against him, led the attackers.

The police said a case of murder had been registered against the four youths.

Panipat, November 25
The district police has busted a gang of three criminals after they engaged the police in crossfire in a bid to flee. However, the police got the better of the criminals and arrested them. Two country-made pistols, a knife and 13 bullets were seized from them.

District police chief Pankaj Nain said during the past few days, the police had been receiving complaints of bike theft, mobile-snatching cases and extortion calls.

He said preliminary investigations had suggested that a single gang was involved in all these crimes. Following which, the police formed a strategy to arrest the criminals. Nain said the gang had snatched two mobile phones and a motorbike which was recovered from their possession. The police has registered a case against the three criminals. 

Chandigarh, November 25
State sportspersons, who won laurels at the recent Commonwealth Games, continue to bring medals for the country and the state at the ongoing Asian Games, winning 20 per cent of the total medals for India.

Boys and girls from the state have won two gold, six silver and five bronze medals so far. Haryana players have been congratulated by MP Deepinder Singh for winning 13 of the 53 medals for the country so far at the Asian Games. Sanam Krishan Singh won the gold and bronze in lawn tennis while Vikas Krishan won the gold in boxing.

Dinesh won the silver in boxing, Abhinav Lohan in golf, Gagan Narang won two silvers in shooting and so did Annu Raj and Sanjeev Rajput in the same discipline.

Ravinder and Kavita Goyat won the bronze in wrestling, Paramjeet Samota in boxing and Krishna Poonia in discuss throw. The country has high hopes from Haryana players like Mausam Khatri, Nirmala Bura, Suman Kundu and Geeta.

Haryana, with less than two per cent of the total population of the country, has emerged a sports powerhouse. Its has 61 players representing the country at the Asian Games. 

Bhiwani, November 25
The Deputy Commissioner has directed the General Manager, Haryana Transport, Bhiwani, to cancel the permits of private buses and run roadways buses on the Dhani Mahu, Dinod, Kohad, Bajina, Devsar and Nigana route with immediate effect.

He ordered this while listening to public grievances at a janta darbar held at the office of the block development and panchayat officer in Tosham yesterday.

Girl students of various villages falling on route No. 22 had lodged a complaint with the Deputy Commissioner that no private bus had been running on this route for the past six months, because of which they were facing difficulty in attending school.

On a complaint of Khanak residents, he asked the BDPO to pay charges to labourers at their respective village.

Villagers had complained that they had not been paid for the work done under the MNREGA scheme. SE (electricity) RP Riletia, SE (PHE) RP Garg, Civil Surgeon Shiv Kumar and BDPO Rakesh Sandhu were also present.

Sohna, November 25
The second “Badhte Kadam” campaign, which seeks to create awareness on the rights of the physically challenged, was launched at Sohna in Gurgaon today.

It was hosted by NGO Vishwas (Vision for Health Welfare and Special Needs) which facilitated the distribution of Red Cross-sponsored aids. As part of the function, Asha Hooda, Vice-President of the Haryana State Child Welfare Council and wife of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, gave away aids to 11 physically challenged persons.

“There are a number of organisations working for the physically challenged, but you cannot work for these children if you are not putting your heart into helping them,” said Neelam Jolly, chairperson of Vishwas. Hooda praised Jolly and her team for choosing Sohna for their work.

“She could have chosen urban areas like Gurgaon or Delhi, where she could have got more exposure, but she chose Sohna,” Hooda said.

“Badhte Kadam” is an initive by the National Trust for the Welfare of Persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation and Multiple Disabilities. Known simply as the National Trust, the body is an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

The Haryana campaign is being organised by Disha, the state nodal agency.