Sirsa, July 21
When the Forest Department is busy celebrating Van Mahotsava for planting new saplings in the monsoon, hundreds of green trees especially are being felled under the nose of the authorities on 110-acre of land between Dhanur and Abutgarh villages in Sirsa.

The illegal act is going on unabated for the past more than a month in the name of excavating earth from the land, but this has not moved the authorities.

The Forest and Irrigation Departments have been passing on the buck to each other and have been disowning their responsibility.

Villagers allege that so far more than 1,500 green trees have been felled during this period and mischief continued unimpeded. “Green trees on over 110 acres of forest land near Ottu Lake between Dhanur and Abutgarh villages are being felled in a systematic manner. Some people have been digging earth from the land with the help of JCB machines and in the process making the roots of these trees naked. Green trees dry up and fall after their roots are exposed to the air,” alleged villagers, Yadvinder Singh and Tara Chand.

Other villagers alleged that the illegal act was going on with the active connivance of the officers of Forest Department, who, they alleged, had been looking the other way for reasons best known to them.

“We called up a senior officer of the Forest Department last evening, when over one hundred tractor-trolleys and some JCB machines were busy excavating earth from the forest area, but the officer turned up late in the night and by then all had left,” the farmers alleged.

No action has been taken against those felling the trees illegally despite this, they alleged.

District Forest Officer Naresh Ranga, however, said that the land did not belong to his department.

“I visited the land after receiving complaints, but I found that the land belongs to the Irrigation Department, though the trees belong to our department. It is for the Irrigation Department to see how they have allowed excavation of earth from the land where green trees are standing,” maintained Ranga.

He claimed that the land was neither a protected forest nor covered under Section 34 of the Indian Forest Act, 1927.

He maintained that the entire responsibility of protecting the trees lay with the Irrigation Department.

The Superintending Engineer of the Irrigation Department, SS Hudda, however, belied the contention of Ranga.

“When the Forest Department plants trees on the land of other departments, it becomes the duty of that department to protect these trees. They even do not allow us to fell those trees without their prior permission, in case of dire needs,” Hudda claimed. He denied that his department had ever allowed excavation of earth from that area.

Hudda said the earthwork of the department, which was in progress in Ottu Lake, had since been shelved after water flowed in it through the Ghaggar. 

Rohtak, July 21
Some of the postgraduate academic courses in the faculty of Life Sciences of the Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU) here face the threat of closure in the very first year due to poor response so far.

With the last date of admission closing in, there are many seats lying vacant in various courses which include the newly introduced course of MSc (Clinical Biochemistry) where only a single candidate had taken admission against a total strength of 10 seats. The last date for counselling of these courses is July 25.

The university has introduced three new courses in the Life Sciences faculty that include the course in clinical bio-chemistry.

The response so far to the three new courses has been lukewarm and if 50 per cent of the seats were not filled, the courses could be wound up in the first year itself as the university rules do not permit to run a postgraduate course where the number of students is less than half of the total seats available, said university sources.

The university had announced to start the courses of MSc (Clinical Biochemistry), MSc (Genomics) and MSc (Microbial Technology) this year. However, the response has been below expectations as a majority of the candidates were found opting for the basic science courses instead of trying a new one, said a senior teache.

The Executive Council of the university at its last meeting had approved the proposal for starting a new course only when the number of applicants had been 50 percent or more of the total allotted seats.

While MSc (Clinical Biochemistry) has a total of 10 seats this year, the number of seats in the other two courses are 15 each. The other courses that are faced with the problem of inadequate candidates include MSc (Bioinformatics), MSc (Agricultural Biotechnology) and MSc (Forensic Sciences), claimed the sources.

On the other hand, Sunit Mukherji, Public Relations Officer of the university, claimed that the picture regarding the admission and the vacant seats in various courses, including those that had been introduced this year, would get clear after July 25, the last date of counselling. The university could also go for revision of the last date for admissions in various courses, he added.

The university has introduced about 24 new courses in the regular and distance education mode this year, it is claimed. None of the senior officials, including the Vice-Chancellor and the Registrar, was available for comments.

Chandigarh, July 21
Taking strong exception to threats hurled at Haryana officers by Punjab Irrigation Minister Janmeja Singh Sekhon, Haryana Irrigation Minister HS Chattha today described it as a case of 'criminal intimidation'.

On his visit to the 'toe wall' site, Sekhon had allegedly warned Haryana Irrigation Superintending Engineer and Project in charge Arun Malik, “You will have to pay a price for this transgression which you are trying to justify when the INLD comes to power. Let the Chautalas come. You will face a criminal case."

Chattha said being a criminal lawyer, he understood that it was a case of criminal intimidation, but the state government did not want to precipitate the matter by pursuing the issue further. “I urge Sekhon not to repeat this act otherwise we will be compelled to register a criminal case”, he added. He said that the conduct of the Punjab Minister to intimidate a Haryana officer in the name of INLD chief Om Parkash Chautala was highly condemnable and objectionable.

Chattha said the officers had not constructed the wall, but they were only following the orders of the government. He described the statements of Punjab leaders as political posturing aimed at influencing the general masses. Chattha also objected to the Punjab Irrigation Minister's statement to dismantle the Hansi-Butana canal as unfortunate.

Chandigarh, July 21
Hounded by their own kin, the runaway couple Manju and Surinder who appeared before the Punjab and Haryana High Court is willing to die for love, if not live by it.

Surinder says : “We have police protection. But we know it is the end of the road for us. Sooner or later, they will track us down and sacrifice us on the altar of honour. In fact, we cannot even step out of the safe home in Jind. For, some of Manju’s relatives are constantly patrolling the streets on bikes”.

The duo was produced before Justice TPS Mann by Surinder’s distant relative and friend Balwan Singh.

A social worker who makes a living by filing and pursuing cases filed under the Right to Information Act, Balwan Singh of Julana village had brought them before the court after a case of abduction was registered against him.

Balwan Singh had earlier created a flutter in the high court by saying that Rs 10 lakh had already been collected as donation for their execution by critics of their marriage. The problem, he said, stemmed from the fact both were from same Buwana village in Jind.

After Justice Mann issued notice to Haryana on his plea for protection, the couple said running away was more a matter of compulsion than choice.

“Three attempts were made on Manju’s life. Finally, when an attempt to arrange our meeting was made to bring us together for execution, Manju escaped,” whispers Surinder.

Escorted by the police, he says: “We went underground in January and surfaced in Chandigarh on May 8 to tie the knot. Finally, we got protection on May 17”.

Panipat, July 21
Harassment of the crime victims at the hands of police personnel will soon become a thing of the past as the Haryana Police has introduced an SMS-based complaint system through which the complainants will be able to reach the top functionaries of the department by just sending an SMS.

The latest initiative that has been introduced in all districts falling under the Rohtak range, was the brain child IG V Kamaraj, who said that his office had been receiving a number of complaints against police personnel for not registering FIRs or harassing the victims of the crimes. He said keeping this in mind, it was decided to set up a computer-based complaint management system that the general public can assess through an SMS.

The IG said a number 999600777 had been made public on which the complainants could send an SMS if they had any issues with the Police Department. He said following the SMS, the SHO concerned would have to submit a written reply to his office explaining as to why no case was registered on the complaint filed by the crime victim.

The system has been put in place in Rohtak, Jhajjar, Sonepat, Panipat and Karnal districts. Any SMS sent on the said number will be received directly in the IG office, who assured that prompt action would be taken on it. Kamaraj said the system would provide the much-needed relief to the crime victims.

Faridabad, July 21
Following a green signal given by Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, the Municipal Corporation Faridabad (MCF) has formally recommended to the government to re-employ more than 900 daily wage safai workers (scavengers) whose services had been done away with in 2001.

According to sources, MCF Commissioner D Suresh has written to the Commissioner, Urban Local Bodies, Haryana, saying that

the Chief Minister had given his approval for taking back the daily wagers.

The representatives of the Nagar Palika Karamchari Sangh, Haryana, along with the Mayor of MCF Ashok Arora and Commissioner of the civic body met the Chief Minister in the national capital on July 13 on the issue.The Chief Minister was said to have accepted the argument of the representatives of the Sangh led by its president, Naresh Kumar Shastri, that there was no justification for outsourcing the sanitation work of the civic body when about 900 daily wage safai workers whose services had been terminated were available.

The Nagar Palika Karmachari Sangh had been struggling for the past many years demanding their re-instatment. Their services had been done away by the INLD government. The government had done away with the services of more than 1,500 daily wagers, a majority of them being scavengers. Many of them had got back their jobs through courts.

The MCF is in the process of further outsourcing sanitation related works to a private body. For this about 2,100 safai workers were to be employed.The sangh opposed the move to outsource the scavenging jobs and employment of scavengers from outside.

The dispute reached the Chief Minister which led to a decision in favour of the daily wagers who had lost their jobs.

Shastri, however, said that the re-instatement had been accepted in principle by the government. The struggle would go on till they were absorbed back into jobs, he added.

Fatehabad, July 21
Twelve persons, including women, were hurt in a clash between two groups over the possession of a piece of land at Khara Kheri village near here today. A realtor, Abhey Singh Dehru, has received two bullet injuries and has been shifted to a Hisar hospital.

Dehru and some others had purchased a piece of land at Khara Kheri village two years ago. They had a dispute over it with a villager Ami Lal Godara. Therefore, they could not take physical possession of the land.

Both sides had lodged complaints against each other with the police, but no case was registered.

Dehru and other members of his group were ploughing the fields with tractors when members of Godara’s family came there to stop them.

A clash ensued between the two groups. After using lathis and stones, the two sides resorted to firearms.

The police has registered a case. 

Sirsa/Fatehabad, July 21
The Left parties today held demonstrations against corruption at Fatehabad and Ellenabad in Sirsa The parties organised a dharna outside the BSNL office at Fatehabad this morning.

Addressing the agitating workers, Ram Kumar Bahbalpuria, district secretary of the CPM, said owing to corruption at high levels, there was a flood of scams and scandals in Haryana and the nation.

Slamming the Haryana Government for its land acquisition policy, the Left leaders alleged that the farmers’ land was being grabbed for a pittance and was being given to builders.

The Left parties also submitted a memorandum, addressed to the Prime Minister, to the local authorities.

Ram Swaroop, Dhani Gopal, Sunita Jandli, Jogender Singh Bhayana and Chandi Ram also addressed the party activists.

In Ellenabad, CPI leader Swaran Singh Virk alleged that there were large-scale irregularities in the implementation of MNREGA and the benefits of this rural employment scheme were not reaching the deserving people.

Hisar, July 21 
Judicial Magistrate Ashwani Kumar Mehta of Hansi, near here, today issued an arrest warrant against Swami Agnivesh, noted social activist and Civil Society leader.The warrant was issued in a case filed against him by a resident of Hansi, Parveen Tayal, who had alleged in his application on May 19 that the Swami had hurt the feelings of the Hindu community by his remarks on the Amarnath Yatra.

Accepting his plea, the court had directed the police to register a case and ask Swami Agnivesh to join investigation. However, he failed to appear despite the summons. Instead, he sent his lawyer to represent him.

In today’s hearing, the police pleaded that the Swami was avoiding joining investigations. The next date of hearing has been fixed as August 29.