Sirsa, May 13
Residents of Ellenabad town today served an ultimatum on the district police to solve the double murder of a woman and her granddaughter by Sunday evening or face an indefinite strike from Monday.

Irked by the failure of the police to find any clue to the murders even after nine days, local residents today decided to launch an agitation against the alleged lackadaisical attitude and inefficiency of the district police.

Cutting across political affiliations, prominent persons of the town constituted a “sangharsh samiti” to force the police solve this murder case.

Members of the “sangharsh samiti”, which included former INLD MLA Bhagi Ram, local Congress president Niranjan Talwaria, local INLD president Abhey Singh Khod, municipal president Raghubir Jangra, Congress leader Anil Khod and representatives of various social organisations, took out a protest march in the town .

The samiti handed over a memorandum addressed to the Governor to the local SDM.

“It is discreditable on the part of the police that two innocent women are killed in their house barely 100 meters away from a police station, and the police is yet to identify the culprits what to speak of arresting them,” alleged Bhagi Ram.

Bimla Devi (60) and her granddaughter Mehak (12) were brutally murdered in their house in Ellenabad on May 4 when the woman’s son, Ashok Kumar, had gone to Sirsa with his wife and son to attend a marriage.

The killers had taken away Rs 3 lakh in cash from the house. While the police has announced a cash award of Rs 1 lakh for providing any information leading to the culprits, the Haryana Pradesh Vyapar Mandal (HPVM) has also announced a cash award of Rs 1.25 lakh for providing any clue to the perpetrators of this crime.

Panipat, May 13
In 2009 Badoli village registered the birth of merely 593 girls against 1000 boys. The warning signal was loud and clear for those concerned about the skewed sex ratio. It was time to act or let society face the ramifications of the imbalance in the gender ratio.

Persuaded by the authorities, some intellectuals, NGOs and religious organisations initiated efforts to check the downfall, which translated into a victory over the unwritten social preference for a male child. The next year the same village registered the birth of 2,364 girls against a 1000 boys, reaffirming hopes that the social mindset against the girl-child could be changed.

In fact, 2010 turned out to be the year of girl-child in 14 villages of the district.

Similarly, Thirana, which registered the birth of 357 girls against 1000 boys in 2009, had 1,500 girls here in 2010. In Shodhapur, the ratio rose from 929 to 1500 and the same figure was registered in Goyal Kalan, where the sex ratio was 1231 the previous year.

Overwhelmed by the marked increase in the number of girls in the 14 village, Deputy Commissioner JS Ahlawat said it was the beginning of the end of the biased mindset against the girl-child in the district.

Machroli village, which had 935 girls every 1000 boys, also registered an increase 565 girls per 1000 boys in this ratio while the same rose by 602 girls per 1000 boys in Pattikalyana village and stood at 1500 girls per 1000 boys. At Hadtadhi village where the ratio was of 1125 girls in 2009 increased to 1800 next year. In Urlana village it rose from 1568 in 2009 to 1625 in 2010.

The DC said another village, which showed a marked shift in favour of girls was Chitapur, where only 435 girls were born in 2009 and the number stood at 1625 girls in 2010 .

In Bhaisnwala, it rose from 1200 to 1600, in Bhidar it was 1571 against 1250 in the previous year while the ratio at Atawal was 1478 in 2009 and 1579 in 2010.

Madhuban (Karnal) May 13
Rupesh, wife of a cook at the Madhuban Police Academy, allegedly jumped into Awardhan Canal here late last night along with her four-month-old son.

Security personnel Bhagat Singh and Satbir spotted her moving briskly towards the canal, carrying the child in her arms. They rushed towards her but before Satbir could reach her, Rupesh jumped into the canal.

Satbir jumped into the canal and rescued the child but the woman could not be traced and was feared to have been washed away. The child was immediately taken to Mahavir Hospital and was stated to be out of danger.

The husband of the missing woman said she had gone out on the pretext of buying medicines but she did not return. “We searched for her throughout the night but could not trace her”, he said after identifying his son in the hospital.

He said he had no quarrel or arguments with her and was shocked at her action. The police has launched search operations to trace the woman.

Chandigarh, May 13
A Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court comprising Justice Hemant Gupta and Justice AN Jindal today recused itself from hearing Haryana’s former top cop SPS Rathore’s matter.

The Bench referred the matter to some other Bench after obtaining orders from the High Court Chief Justice.

The case is virtually at the stage of final arguments. In fact, on the previous date of hearing, the Bench headed by the Chief Justice had made it clear that the case would come up for final arguments on the issue of granting promotions to Rathore.

Rathore was promoted even though he was facing allegations of molestation by his daughter’s classmate, Ruchika Girhotra. The Bench had also made it clear it was for the trial court to deal with the issue of closure reports submitted by the CBI in two cases against Rathore.

The CBI has already submitted its closure report to an Ambala court. Another closure report on Ruchika’s brother Ashu Girhotra’s complaint says he was arrested by the CIA staff and was taken by the police, along with another accused, in handcuffs to their houses.

“The shopkeepers of the Sector 6 market, Panchkula, have stated that they neither heard nor saw Ashu being paraded by the police, half naked and with handcuffs in December, 1993”.

The report says Ashu made a “disclosure statement dated October 25, 1993, in FIR number 147/93 and admitted to having stolen nine vehicles” and was arrested in cases only after Sandeep Verma (accused) disclosed his name as an accomplice.

Jind, May 13
The joint action committee (JAC) of various unions of workers and employees of the Haryana Roadways has announced to observe a two-day hunger strike on May 18 and 19 in protest against the policy of the state government to issue permits to private bus operators in the state.

It also announced to go on a statewide stir on June 8, if the government failed to withdraw the permits and resolve the matter amicably.

A JAC spokesperson said here today that the decision was finalised in a meeting of the body held here today. He said the members resolved to condemn the alleged double standards, misleading statements and anti-people policy of the state government.

Stating that while the state-government had been making tall claims of having one of the best government-run transport services in the country, the government actions aimed at winding up the department and promote private players.

The members of all unions will gherao the house of the Transport Minister on May 29, before resorting to a “chakka jam” in the state on June 8 to pressurise the government to review its decision and withdraw the permits.

The JAC demanded that the state government should purchase at least 10,000 new buses and provide employment opportunities to the unemployed youth by recruiting them in the department to strengthen the bus fleet and improve the bus services on various routes in the state.

It also sought the introduction of the local bus service of the Haryana Roadways in all district towns to check the growing traffic congestion and pollution caused by auto-rickshaws.

Panipat, May 13
Navneet Singh Chahal of Panipat secured the 76th rank in the civil services examinations.

An engineer from Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh, and an MBA from MDI. Gurgaon, Navneet Chahal was working with ICICI Security at an annual package of Rs 18 lakh per annum before he quit in February last year to have a shot at the civil services examination.

An elated Navneet said he had the desire to join the IAS but he decided to join a private company to have a feel of the corporate world.

Buoyed by his son’s success, Satyapal Singh Chahal, who works as chief manager, finance and accounts, at NFL, Panipat, said Navneet’s feat had thrilled the whole family.

Navneet’s mother, Parveen Chahal, a lecturer in history at Government Senior Secondary School, Model Town, Panipat, said her son had made them proud.

Navneet said he left his job last year and put in 100 per cent effort which finally yielded the desired result.

Sirsa, May 13
Sirsa will soon be the first district in the country to have solar streetlights in all its villages within a month.

Solar photovoltaic (SPV) street-lighting system has already been installed in 253 villages of the six blocks of the district and soon all 333 villages of the district will have such streetlights.

Each village had been provided with 20 SPV streetlights under a project of the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, said Deputy Commissioner Yudhbir Singh Khyalia.

He said the Department of Renewable Energy, Haryana (HAREDA), was spending a sum of Rs 12.65 crore in the district and a subsidy of Rs 5,700 was provided on one solar light, which cost Rs 19,000.

He said solar lights would also be installed at various canals and distributaries. A scheme to install solar lights in all schools was also being drawn up.

Solar energy plants of two horsepower each would also be installed to supply power to the water-cleaning motors at all waterworks in the district.

The project will not only help in meeting the power requirements during cuts, but will also create awareness among the public on power generation through SPV technology.

A spokesperson for the HAREDA in the district said the systems had a backup so that these could work even if they did not get sunlight for two or three days due to inclement weather. These lights had the advantage of working in all kinds of weather conditions like rains, winds and even during floods, he added.

Hisar, May 13
Haryana Agricultural University here has initiated a research project to develop water-efficient varieties of rice that will require much less irrigation than the traditional varieties.

According to Dr RP Narwal, Director, Research,HAU, a team of researchers at the university’s research station at Kaul has begun work on development of water-efficient “aerobic” indica and basmati rice varieties. He said consumption of water was very high in rice crop and production of 1 kg of rice required as much as 5,000 liters of water, 
which was three times than that consumed by wheat and maize.

He said to save irrigation water in rice, one of the promising approaches could be to develop aerobic rice that combined the drought-resistant characteristics of upland varieties (grown on non-flooded sloping islands) with high-yielding traits of lowland varieties (grown in irrigated flooded fields).

According to Dr Narwal, aerobic rice does not require flooding and submergence and saves water up to 70 per cent. Moreover, aerobic rice also demonstrates efficient use of fertilisers, low incidence of pests and diseases and reduced methane emission.

The Centre has sanctioned two research grants amounting to Rs 75 lakh for the purpose.

Hisar, May 13
Following yesterday’s clash between a group of teachers and non-teaching employees, teachers of Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology today started an indefinite dharna in front of the office of the Vice-Chancellor seeking suspension of the Secretary to the Vice-Chancellor for his alleged role in the clash and misbehaviour with a senior woman teacher.

Dr Sandeep Rana, president of the GJU Teachers Association, said that the VC office functionary had hatched a conspiracy and misguided certain non-teaching employees to manhandle teachers.

He said the dharna would continue till the SVC was suspended and a police complaint was lodged against the person who had jeopardised peace on the campus.

The Federation of Haryana University Teachers Association has also described the clash as unfortunate. Dr Somvir Rathee, president, FEDHUTA, said the dignity of the teachers had been lowered in the presence of the Vice-Chancellor. He demanded that the culprits be brought to book at once.

Leaders of teachers of other universities of Haryana also visited the protesting GJU teachers and expressed their support to their cause.

Meanwhile, the university administration today constituted a two-member panel to probe the clash. It includes Dean of Academic Affairs MS Turan and Controller of Examinations RK Yadav. The panel will submit its report within two days.

The administration has ordered the closure of the university till May 16 as a precautionary measure. 

Karnal, May 13
The beheaded body of a 19-year old boy, a resident of Balmiki Colony, was found at the the railway track in Gogripur, near here, this morning.

Arun was kidnapped and murdered before his body was thrown on the railway track.

The deceased, a resident of Jundla Gate, had gone to the doctor with his mother last night for getting medicines. When his mother came out of the clinic, she found that Arun was not there though his motorcycle was parked on the roadside.

The family members, who searched for him throughout the night, found Arun’s beheaded body this morning

The railway police has sent the body for a post-mortem.